bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Causes of mortality in individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex
Authors: Amin Sam , Lux Andrew , Calder Nuala , Laugharne Matthew , Osborne John , O'callaghan Finbar
Published: December 2016

Aim

The causes of death in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) have rarely been studied, with only one published account, which was reported from the Mayo Clinic in 1991. We aimed to investigate mortality in a large cohort of patients with TSC from one of two national referral clinics in the UK.

Method

We identified 284 patients who attended Bath TSC clinic between 1981 and 2015, and ascertained causes of death by reviewing medical records, death certificates, and postmortem reports.

Results

Sixteen patients died from complications of TSC: eight from TSC kidney diseases; four from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP); two from lymphangioleiomyomatosis; one from a subependymal giant cell astrocytoma; and one from a pancreatic malignancy. The median age of death was 33 years (interquartile range [IQR] 26–46). Mortality was significantly more common in patients with learning disabilities than in those without (13/135 [9%] vs 3/131 [2%]; two‐tailed Fisher exact test p=0.020).

Interpretation

Renal disease is a major cause of mortality in TSC. Lifelong surveillance and early intervention is warranted. SUDEP is also an important cause of mortality. Patients with learning disabilities are at significantly greater risk of early mortality and this implies the need for greater vigilance for TSC‐related complications in this group. Female patients are vulnerable to pulmonary and renal disease. Pancreatic lesions are a rare but potentially treatable cause of mortality.
Screening and evaluation tools of dysphagia in children with neuromuscular diseases: a systematic review
Authors: Audag Nicolas , Goubau Christophe , Toussaint Michel , Reychler Gregory
Published: December 2016

Aim

Dysphagia is frequent in paediatric patients with neuromuscular diseases (pNMD). Its detection is important for initiating early diagnosis and treatment as well as for minimizing related complications. The aim of this study was to review the literature on dysphagia screening and evaluation tools in pNMD.

Method

A systematic review was performed on the basis of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Three databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and ScienceDirect) were searched. Measurement properties of tools and the quality index developed by Downs and Black were considered.

Results

Our search yielded four studies and four different tools for paediatric patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The Sydney Swallow Questionnaire, surface electromyography, Neuromuscular Disease Swallowing Status Scale, and videofluoroscopic swallow study showed interesting properties for DMD. No data were available for other NMD and children under 9 years. The mean total score for the quality index was 17.5.

Interpretation

We did not identify any superior validated tools, either for screening or for evaluation of dysphagia, and no widely accepted protocol. Further studies are needed to identify the simplest assessment with the best psychometric properties for pNMD. We recommend establishing a specific tool for pNMD.
Risk factors for dental caries among children with cerebral palsy in a low‐resource setting
Authors: Akhter Rahena , Hassan Nur Mohammad Monsur , Martin Elizabeth F , Muhit Mohammad , Haque Mohammad Raziul , Smithers‐Sheedy Hayley , Jones Cheryl , Badawi Nadia , Khandaker Gulam
Published: December 2016

Aim

To describe the oral health status and investigate factors affecting dental caries experience among children with cerebral palsy (CP) in rural Bangladesh.

Method

A cross‐sectional study was conducted among children with CP who are part of the Bangladesh Cerebral Palsy Register (BCPR) study. Caries experience was measured by identifying decayed, missing, and filled teeth for deciduous and permanent teeth (dmft/DMFT). Clinical periodontal index, body mass index, oral hygiene behaviour, masticatory ability, and dietary habits were recorded. CP motor types and severity of functional mobility (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS]) were assessed.

Results

Of 90 children with CP (mean age 9y 7mo, range 2–17y, 37.8% female and 62.2% male), 35% of 2 to 6 year olds, and 70% of 7 to 11 year olds (p=0.014) experienced caries (dmft+DMFT>0). The mean values (standard deviation [SD]) of dmft and DMFT were 2.46 (3.75) and 0.72 (1.79) respectively. After adjusting for age and sex, binary logistic regression analysis showed a significant relationship with dental caries for children who had quadriplegia (odds ratio [OR] 5.56, p=0.035), tooth cleaning less than one time/day (OR 0.08, p=0.016), using toothpowder or charcoal for cleaning (OR 7.63, p=0.015), and snacking between meals more than one time/day (OR 6.93, p=0.012).

Interpretation

Early oral health preventive care is required for children with CP because dental caries is highly prevalent in these children.
Glycaemic control influences the relationship between plasma PCSK9 and LDL cholesterol in type 1 diabetes
Authors: Laugier‐Robiolle Stéphanie , Vergès Bruno , Le Bras Maëlle , Gand Elise , Bouillet Benjamin , Saulnier Pierre‐Jean , Le May Cédric , Pichelin Matthieu , Maréchaud Richard , Petit Jean‐Michel , Hadjadj Samy , Cariou Bertrand
Published: December 2016

Pro‐protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a critical regulator of LDL cholesterol metabolism. Little is known, however, about the regulation of PCSK9 in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). In the present study, we aimed to determine the relationship between circulating PCSK9 and metabolic variables in T1D. Plasma PCSK9 levels were measured in 195 people with T1D (mean age 38.8 years, mean diabetes duration 17.2 years, mean glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c] 8.3%), who were free of any lipid‐lowering agent. Plasma PCSK9 was positively correlated with LDL cholesterol (P = .0007), triglycerides (P = .004), apolipoprotein B (P = .005), HbA1c (P = .003), systolic (P = .003) and diastolic (P = .001) blood pressure and body mass index (0.02). In multivariate analysis, PCSK9 concentration was independently associated with HbA1c (P = .02) and LDL cholesterol (P = .03). After classifying patients according to HbA1c tertile, the correlation between PCSK9 and LDL cholesterol was only observed in the highest tertile (P = .0006; Rho = 0.43), whereas no correlation was found in the lowest and intermediate tertiles. This study suggests that good glycaemic control abolishes the positive relationship between PCSK9 and LDL cholesterol in patients with T1D; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be established.
Metformin in adults with type 1 diabetes: Design and methods of REducing with MetfOrmin Vascular Adverse Lesions (REMOVAL): An international multicentre trial
Authors: Petrie John R. , Chaturvedi Nish , Ford Ian , Hramiak Irene , Hughes Alun D. , Jenkins Alicia J. , E. Klein Barbara , Klein Ron , Ooi Teik Chye , Rossing Peter , Sattar Naveed , Stehouwer Coen D. A. , Colhoun Helen M. ,   on behalf of the REMOVAL Trial Team
Published: December 2016

Aims

Cardiovascular (CV) disease is a major cause of reduced life expectancy in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Intensive insulin therapy prevents CV complications but is constrained by hypoglycaemia and weight gain. Adjunct metformin reduces insulin dose requirement and stabilizes weight but there are no data on its cardiovascular effects. We have therefore initiated an international double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial (REMOVAL: REducing with MetfOrmin Vascular Adverse Lesions in type 1 diabetes) to examine whether metformin reduces progression of atherosclerosis in adults with T1D. Individuals ≥40 years of age with T1D for ≥5 years are eligible if they have ≥3 of 10 specified CV risk factors. The enrolment target is 500 participants in 17 international centres.

Materials and methods

After 12 weeks of single‐blind placebo‐controlled run‐in, participants with ≥ 70% adherence are randomized to metformin or matching placebo for 3 years with insulin titrated towards HbA1c 7.0% (53 mmol/mol). The primary endpoint is progression of averaged mean far wall common carotid intima‐media thickness (cIMT) measured by ultrasonography at baseline, 12, 24 and 36 months. This design provides 90% power to detect a mean difference of 0.0167 mm in cIMT progression between treatment arms (α = 0.05), assuming that up to 20% withdraw or discontinue treatment. Other endpoints include HbA1c, weight, LDL cholesterol, insulin requirement, progression of retinopathy, endothelial function and frequency of hypoglycaemia.

Conclusion

REMOVAL is the largest clinical trial of adjunct metformin therapy in T1D to date and will provide clinically meaningful information on its potential to impact CV disease and other complications.
Effects of liraglutide on cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Dejgaard Thomas F. , Johansen Nanna B. , Frandsen Christian S. , Asmar Ali , Tarnow Lise , Knop Filip K. , Madsbad Sten , Andersen Henrik U.
Published: December 2016

We investigated the short‐term effect of adding liraglutide 1.8 mg once daily to insulin treatment on cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 1 diabetes. In total, 100 overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) adult patients (age ≥18 years) with type 1 diabetes and HbA1c ≥ 8% (64 mmol/mol) were randomized to liraglutide 1.8 mg or placebo added to insulin treatment in a 24‐week double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled trial. At baseline and after 24 weeks of treatment, 24‐hour blood pressure and heart rate, pulse pressure, pulse wave velocity and carotid intima‐media thickness were evaluated. Compared with placebo, liraglutide increased 24‐hour heart rate by 4.6 beats per minute (BPM); P = .0015, daytime heart rate by 3.7; P = .0240 and night‐time heart rate by 7.5 BPM; P < .001 after 24 weeks. Diastolic nocturnal blood pressure increased by 4 mm Hg; P = .0362 in the liraglutide group compared with placebo. In conclusion, in patients with long‐standing type 1 diabetes, liraglutide as add‐on to insulin increased heart rate and did not improve other cardiovascular risk factors after 24 weeks of treatment.
Cross‐validation strategies for data with temporal, spatial, hierarchical, or phylogenetic structure
Authors: Roberts David R. , Bahn Volker , Ciuti Simone , Boyce Mark S. , Elith Jane , Guillera‐Arroita Gurutzeta , Hauenstein Severin , Lahoz‐Monfort José J. , Schröder Boris , Thuiller Wilfried , Warton David I. , Wintle Brendan A. , Hartig Florian , Dormann Carsten F.
Published: December 2016

Ecological data often show temporal, spatial, hierarchical (random effects), or phylogenetic structure. Modern statistical approaches are increasingly accounting for such dependencies. However, when performing cross‐validation, these structures are regularly ignored, resulting in serious underestimation of predictive error. One cause for the poor performance of uncorrected (random) cross‐validation, noted often by modellers, are dependence structures in the data that persist as dependence structures in model residuals, violating the assumption of independence. Even more concerning, because often overlooked, is that structured data also provides ample opportunity for overfitting with non‐causal predictors. This problem can persist even if remedies such as autoregressive models, generalized least squares, or mixed models are used. Block cross‐validation, where data are split strategically rather than randomly, can address these issues. However, the blocking strategy must be carefully considered. Blocking in space, time, random effects or phylogenetic distance, while accounting for dependencies in the data, may also unwittingly induce extrapolations by restricting the ranges or combinations of predictor variables available for model training, thus overestimating interpolation errors. On the other hand, deliberate blocking in predictor space may also improve error estimates when extrapolation is the modelling goal. Here, we review the ecological literature on non‐random and blocked cross‐validation approaches. We also provide a series of simulations and case studies, in which we show that, for all instances tested, block cross‐validation is nearly universally more appropriate than random cross‐validation if the goal is predicting to new data or predictor space, or for selecting causal predictors. We recommend that block cross‐validation be used wherever dependence structures exist in a dataset, even if no correlation structure is visible in the fitted model residuals, or if the fitted models account for such correlations.
The responses of a funnel‐web weaving spider, Agelena labyrinthica, to elevated CO2 concentration
Authors: Wang Xia , Zuo Lin , Yun Yueli , Chen Jian , Zhang Zengtao , Peng Yu
Published: December 2016

The effects of elevated CO2 concentration on the growth and development of the funnel‐web weaving spider Agelena labyrinthica (Clerck) (Araneae: Agelenidae) were studied in climate chambers with low (370 μl l−1) or high (750 μl l−1) CO2 concentration. Seventh‐instar A. labyrinthica cultured under each of these CO2 concentrations were randomly selected to determine nutrient composition (total protein, total amino acid, and free fatty acid) and digestive or detoxification enzymes activity (peroxidase, amylase, and superoxide dismutase) using test kits. When reared under high CO2 concentration, total development of A. labyrinthica was significantly faster. Carapace length and width and body weight did not differ between CO2 concentrations, nor the levels of protein and total amino acids in seventh‐instar A. labyrinthica. However, free fatty acid levels were significantly lower under high CO2 concentration. Specific activities of peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in seventh‐instar A. labyrinthica did not differ between CO2 concentrations. The specific activity of amylase under high CO2 concentration was higher than that of the low CO2 group. The effects of elevated CO2 on A. labyrinthica varied from those on the wandering spider Pardosa astrigera L Koch, as found in an earlier study. Apparently, elevated CO2 has a species‐specific impact on spiders.
Characterization of ovary genes of beet webworm, Loxostege sticticalis, through de novo transcriptome analysis and its potential application in ovary grading
Authors: Lin Xinda , Zeng Juan , Wang Bo , Yao Yun , Du Yongjun
Published: December 2016

The beet webworm, Loxostege sticticalis (L.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is an important insect pest that infests crops such as sugar beet, maize, and potato in Asia, Europe, and North America. The ovary grade is a reliable factor that can be used to forecast L. sticticalis outbreaks. However, forecasting outbreaks by dissecting female ovaries is tedious and generally impractical. Better methods for outbreak forecasting need to be developed. Molecular information on ovary transcriptomes potentially provides criteria for ovary grade. We constructed a library of female ovaries from L. sticticalis and sequenced the transcriptome with RNA‐Seq technology. We analyzed the gene expression profile with Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) for eukaryotic complete genome analysis. The RNA‐seq libraries generated over 62 640 808 clean reads, and a total of 22 628 genes were identified. Many genes related to oocyte meiosis, oocyte maturation, cell adhesion, and signal transduction were identified. Twenty‐eight oocyte meiosis‐ and oocyte maturation‐related genes were selected for quantitative real‐time (qRT) PCR and revealed differentially expressed genes among ovary grades (I–IV) of females. Of the 28 genes selected, 12 were highly expressed in one of the four ovary grades. These genes have potential use as molecular markers for ovary grading serve as a resource for forecasting population outbreaks of L. sticticalis.
Effect of FK‐506 (tacrolimus) therapy on bone healing of titanium implants: a histometric and biomechanical study in mice
Authors: Zheng Xiaofei , Mo Anchun , Wang Yuan , Guo Yuchen , Wu Yunshu , Yuan Quan
Published: December 2016

Immunosuppressive agents have been recognized as a factor affecting bone metabolism. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of FK‐506 administration on the healing of bone around titanium implants. Thirty‐two male mice were randomly allocated to two groups: the FK‐506 group (n = 16 mice), which received subcutaneous administration of FK‐506 (1 mg kg−1 d−1); and the control group (n = 16 mice), which received saline solution by the same route of administration. After 2 wk, one titanium implant with sandblasted/acid‐etched surface was placed in the femur. The therapy continued until the mice were killed 2 and 4 wk after surgery. The femurs with implants were evaluated by biomechanical testing and histologic analysis. The bone–implant contact (BIC) and bone volume (BV/TV) within a 100‐μm‐wide circumferential zone lateral to the implant surface were histomorphometrically analyzed. Compared with the control group, the FK‐506 group showed significantly lower BIC and BV/TV at both 2 and 4 wk. Biomechanical tests showed that FK‐506 significantly impaired the strength of bone–implant integration at both 2 and 4 wk postoperatively. Our data indicate that immunosuppressive therapy with FK‐506 negatively affects the fixation of titanium implants.
Prognostic analysis of patients with epilepsy according to time of relapse after withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs following four seizure‐free years
Authors: Park Soochul , Lee Dong Hyun , Kim Seung Woo , Roh Yun Ho
Published: December 2016

Objective

We performed a retrospective, prognostic analysis of a cohort of patients with epilepsy according to time of relapse after four seizure‐free years.

Methods

Planned withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and at least 3 years of follow‐up after AED discontinuation were performed. The following two groups were assessed: (1) an early relapse (ER) group of patients who experienced recurrence during AED withdrawal and (2) a late relapse (LR) group of patients who experienced recurrence after completion of the AED discontinuation process. After dichotomization, the relapse rate, prognostic factors, and their impacts for each group were compared with those of a group of patients who continued to be seizure‐free after AED withdrawal (SF group) using multiple logistic regression analysis. The AED intake mode was also analyzed.

Results

Two hundred seventeen (64.6%) of the 336 total patients experienced relapse. One hundred thirty‐nine patients (41.4%) and 78 patients (23.2%) were included in the LR and ER groups, respectively. Symptom duration >120 months showed the strongest negative prognostic impact as demonstrated by the 4.7‐fold higher risk of recurrence in the ER group compared with the SF group. Additional factors with a negative prognostic impact included an age at epilepsy onset of ≤20 years and the presence of localization‐related epilepsy. No reliable predictor between the SF and LR groups was revealed. After exclusion of the SF group, post hoc analysis according to age at epilepsy onset and symptom duration showed that the above‐mentioned negative prognostic factors significantly affected the relapse patterns of the LR and ER groups.

Significance

The results suggest that longer symptom duration, which could be associated with intrinsic reactivation of epilepsy, is the strongest negative prognostic factor for relapse. Relapse after AED withdrawal in prolonged follow‐up of seizure‐free patients is one aspect of the natural history of epilepsy.
Juvenile growth of a macrohabitat generalist tied to hydrological character of large‐river system
Authors: Spurgeon Jonathan J. , Pegg Mark A.
Published: December 2016

Characteristics of river hydrology, including components of the natural flow regime, have been used to describe fish growth patterns. Contradictory growth responses among species, life‐stages within species and river systems suggest that eco‐hydrological relationships may not be scalable to all species and river systems; thus, increased knowledge regarding growth–flow relationships among a greater diversity of taxa and river systems may aid conservation and management of riverine fishes.

We used channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus: Ictaluridae), and a set of candidate mixed‐effect linear models to assess juvenile fish growth in relation to components of the flow regime within the Lower Platte River (LPR), Nebraska, U.S.A. The LPR is subjected to extremes in river flow conditions from both natural and anthropogenic sources, and provides a model system with which to assess growth–flow relationships.

Juvenile channel catfish growth was influenced by the duration, magnitude and timing of in‐channel flows. Specifically, sustained high‐flow periods during the spring increased growth; whereas, reduced growth occurred during prolonged periods of low‐flow conditions within the LPR.

Differences in juvenile channel catfish growth with respect to changing flow conditions may be due to changes in river productivity between low‐ and high‐flow conditions; thus, we discuss the applicability of alternative river production models with respect to juvenile fish growth in wide braided river systems such as the LPR.

Reduced duration and changes to the timing of high‐flow periods may result in a myriad of deleterious effects including as our study shows, exacerbating slow growth of juvenile channel catfish and potentially other fishes with similar flow requirements. Conservation and management of large‐river species may benefit from water management policies that consider the complex and often contrasting growth responses of lotic fishes as well as the importance of using multiple aspects of the flow regime when assessing ecological responses.
Impaired ecosystem process despite little effects on populations: modeling combined effects of warming and toxicants
Authors: Galic Nika , Grimm Volker , Forbes Valery E.
Published: December 2016

Freshwater ecosystems are exposed to many stressors, including toxic chemicals and global warming, which can impair, separately or in combination, important processes in organisms and hence higher levels of organization. Investigating combined effects of warming and toxicants has been a topic of little research, but neglecting their combined effects may seriously misguide management efforts. To explore how toxic chemicals and warming, alone and in combination, propagate across levels of biological organization, including a key ecosystem process, we developed an individual‐based model (IBM) of a freshwater amphipod detritivore,Gammarus pseudolimnaeus, feeding on leaf litter. In thisIBM, life history emerges from the individuals’ energy budgets. We quantified, in different warming scenarios (+1–+4 °C), the effects of hypothetical toxicants on suborganismal processes, including feeding, somatic and maturity maintenance, growth, and reproduction. Warming reduced mean adult body sizes and population abundance and biomass, but only in the warmest scenarios. Leaf litter processing, a key contributor to ecosystem functioning and service delivery in streams, was consistently enhanced by warming, through strengthened interaction between the detritivorous consumer and its resource. Toxicant effects on feeding and maintenance resulted in initially small adverse effects on consumers, but ultimately led to population extinction and loss of ecosystem process. Warming in combination with toxicants had little effect at the individual and population levels, but ecosystem process was impaired in the warmer scenarios. Our results suggest that exposure to the same amount of toxicants can disproportionately compromise ecosystem processing depending on global warming scenarios; for example, reducing organismal feeding rates by 50% will reduce resource processing by 50% in current temperature conditions, but by up to 200% with warming of 4 °C. Our study has implications for assessing and monitoring impacts of chemicals on ecosystems facing global warming. We advise complementing existing monitoring approaches with directly quantifying ecosystem processes and services.
Long‐term forest resilience to climate change indicated by mortality, regeneration, and growth in semiarid southern Siberia
Authors: Xu Chongyang , Liu Hongyan , Anenkhonov Oleg A. , Korolyuk Andrey Yu , Sandanov Denis V. , Balsanova Larisa D. , Naidanov Bulat B. , Wu Xiuchen
Published: December 2016

Several studies have documented that regional climate warming and the resulting increase in drought stress have triggered increased tree mortality in semiarid forests with unavoidable impacts on regional and global carbon sequestration. Although climate warming is projected to continue into the future, studies examining long‐term resilience of semiarid forests against climate change are limited. In this study, long‐term forest resilience was defined as the capacity of forest recruitment to compensate for losses from mortality. We observed an obvious change in long‐term forest resilience along a local aridity gradient by reconstructing tree growth trend and disturbance history and investigating postdisturbance regeneration in semiarid forests in southern Siberia. In our study, with increased severity of local aridity, forests became vulnerable to drought stress, and regeneration first accelerated and then ceased. Radial growth of trees during 1900–2012 was also relatively stable on the moderately arid site. Furthermore, we found that smaller forest patches always have relatively weaker resilience under the same climatic conditions. Our results imply a relatively higher resilience in arid timberline forest patches than in continuous forests; however, further climate warming and increased drought could possibly cause the disappearance of small forest patches around the arid tree line. This study sheds light on climate change adaptation and provides insight into managing vulnerable semiarid forests.
Holocene carbon dynamics at the forest–steppe ecotone of southern Siberia
Authors: Mackay Anson William , Seddon Alistair W. R. , Leng Melanie J. , Heumann Georg , Morley David W. , Piotrowska Natalia , Rioual Patrick , Roberts Sarah , Swann George E. A.
Published: December 2016

The forest–steppe ecotone in southern Siberia is highly sensitive to climate change; global warming is expected to push the ecotone northwards, at the same time resulting in degradation of the underlying permafrost. To gain a deeper understanding of long‐term forest–steppe carbon dynamics, we use a highly resolved, multiproxy, palaeolimnological approach, based on sediment records from Lake Baikal. We reconstruct proxies that are relevant to understanding carbon dynamics including carbon mass accumulation rates (CMAR; g C m−2 yr−1) and isotope composition of organic matter (δ13CTOC). Forest–steppe dynamics were reconstructed using pollen, and diatom records provided measures of primary production from near‐ and off‐shore communities. We used a generalized additive model (GAM) to identify significant change points in temporal series, and by applying generalized linear least‐squares regression modelling to components of the multiproxy data, we address (1) What factors influence carbon dynamics during early Holocene warming and late Holocene cooling? (2) How did carbon dynamics respond to abrupt sub‐Milankovitch scale events? and (3) What is the Holocene carbon storage budget for Lake Baikal. CMAR values range between 2.8 and 12.5 g C m−2 yr−1. Peak burial rates (and greatest variability) occurred during the early Holocene, associated with melting permafrost and retreating glaciers, while lowest burial rates occurred during the neoglacial. Significant shifts in carbon dynamics at 10.3, 4.1 and 2.8 kyr bp provide compelling evidence for the sensitivity of the region to sub‐Milankovitch drivers of climate change. We estimate that 1.03 Pg C was buried in Lake Baikal sediments during the Holocene, almost one‐quarter of which was buried during the early Holocene alone. Combined, our results highlight the importance of understanding the close linkages between carbon cycling and hydrological processes, not just temperatures, in southern Siberian environments.
Tree demography suggests multiple directions and drivers for species range shifts in mountains of Northeastern United States
Authors: Wason Jay W. , Dovciak Martin
Published: December 2016

Climate change is expected to lead to upslope shifts in tree species distributions, but the evidence is mixed partly due to land‐use effects and individualistic species responses to climate. We examined how individual tree species demography varies along elevational climatic gradients across four states in the northeastern United States to determine whether species elevational distributions and their potential upslope (or downslope) shifts were controlled by climate, land‐use legacies (past logging), or soils. We characterized tree demography, microclimate, land‐use legacies, and soils at 83 sites stratified by elevation (~500 to ~1200 m above sea level) across 12 mountains containing the transition from northern hardwood to spruce‐fir forests. We modeled elevational distributions of tree species saplings and adults using logistic regression to test whether sapling distributions suggest ongoing species range expansion upslope (or contraction downslope) relative to adults, and we used linear mixed models to determine the extent to which climate, land use, and soil variables explain these distributions. Tree demography varied with elevation by species, suggesting a potential upslope shift only for American beech, downslope shifts for red spruce (more so in cool regions) and sugar maple, and no change with elevation for balsam fir. While soils had relatively minor effects, climate was the dominant predictor for most species and more so for saplings than adults of red spruce, sugar maple, yellow birch, cordate birch, and striped maple. On the other hand, logging legacies were positively associated with American beech, sugar maple, and yellow birch, and negatively with red spruce and balsam fir – generally more so for adults than saplings. All species exhibited individualistic rather than synchronous demographic responses to climate and land use, and the return of red spruce to lower elevations where past logging originally benefited northern hardwood species indicates that land use may mask species range shifts caused by changing climate.
Forest structure determines the abundance and distribution of large lianas in Gabon
Authors: Poulsen John R. , Koerner Sally E. , Miao Zewei , Medjibe Vincent P. , Banak Ludovic Ngok , White L. J. T.
Published: December 2016

Aim

Lianas are an important component of forest structure in the tropics, accounting for up to 45% of total stems. Mounting evidence that tropical forests are undergoing structural changes, with a growing abundance of lianas reducing forest carbon storage potential, imparts a sense of urgency to study the drivers that control liana abundance and biomass, particularly in Africa where data come from a few, small‐scale studies.

Location

Gabon, Africa.

Methods

In the first countrywide study of lianas, we implemented the most ambitious, large‐scale forest inventory in tropical Africa to date, quantifying the density, basal area and biomass of large lianas (≥10 cm in diameter) using a systematic, random design of 104 plots located across Gabon. Additionally, we examined the relative importance of environmental variables (mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, seasonality, soil nitrogen, soil fertility), disturbance (effect of gaps, forest type) and forest structure (large tree biomass) in driving macroscale variation in the abundance of large lianas.

Results

In total, we surveyed 1354 large lianas, and found the density, basal area and biomass of large lianas in Gabon to be comparable to that in other tropical forests. The success of large lianas was positively related to soil N, but most strongly correlated with forest structure, particularly large tree biomass. The strength of the association between large lianas and large trees increased with tree size class.

Main conclusions

Forest structure and the availability of large trees may be more important predictors of the abundance and distribution of large lianas in African tropical forests than environmental variables and disturbance. Changing environmental conditions are likely to have little direct effect on large lianas, but climate change, defaunation and land‐use activities that diminish forest structure and reduce the number of large trees could have strong indirect effects on large lianas in Central African forests.
Development of a Matrix‐Matched Sphalerite Reference Material (MUL‐ZnS‐1) for Calibration of In Situ Trace Element Measurements by Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Onuk Peter , Melcher Frank , Mertz‐Kraus Regina , Gäbler Hans‐Eike , Goldmann Simon
Published: December 2016

Sphalerite (ZnS) is an abundant ore mineral and an important carrier of elements such as Ge, Ga and In used in high‐technology applications. In situ measurements of trace elements in natural sphalerite samples using LA‐ICP‐MS are hampered by a lack of homogenous matrix‐matched sulfide reference materials available for calibration. The preparation of the MUL‐ZnS1 calibration material containing the trace elements V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Tl and Pb besides Zn, Fe and S is reported. Commercially available ZnS, FeS, CdS products were used as the major components, whereas the trace elements were added by doping with single‐element ICP‐MS standard solutions and natural mineral powders. The resulting powder mixture was pressed to pellets and sintered at 400 °C for 100 h using argon as an inert gas. To confirm the homogeneity of major and trace element distributions within the MUL‐ZnS1 calibration material, measurements were performed using EPMA, solution ICP‐MS, ICP‐OES and LA‐ICP‐MS. The results show that MUL‐ZnS‐1 is an appropriate material for calibrating trace element determination in sphalerite using LA‐ICP‐MS.
Hemicrania Continua‐Like Headache Related to Transdermal Nitroglycerine Therapy
Authors: Mainardi Federico , Zanchin Giorgio , Maggioni Ferdinando
Published: December 2016

Several cases of symptomatic hemicrania continua (HC) have been reported. A 66‐year‐old man, suffering from migraine without aura, presented with a four month history of a new headache fulfilling the ICHD 3beta clinical criteria for HC. HC onset was strictly related to the use of transdermal nitroglycerine patch (TNP). In agreement with the cardiologist, TNP was discontinued and the headache promptly disappeared; symptoms reappeared within 6‐12 hours after nitroglycerine reintroduction. After permanent discontinuation of TNP, headache disappeared at one year follow‐up. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of an HC‐like headache related to TNP.
CCR2 mediates Helicobacter pylori‐induced immune tolerance and contributes to mucosal homeostasis
Authors: Sun Xia , Zhang Min , El‐Zaatari Mohamad , Huffnagle Gray B. , Kao John Y.
Published: December 2016

Background

We previously demonstrated that H. pylori infection leads to increased induction of regulatory T cells in local and systemic immune compartments. Here, we investigate the role of CCR2 in the tolerogenic programing of dendritic cells in a mouse model of H. pylori infection.

Materials and Methods

CCR2 deficient (CCR2KO) mice and wild‐type (Wt) mice infected with H. pylori SS1 strain were analyzed by qPCR and FACS analysis. In vitro, bone marrow‐derived DC on day 6 from CCR2KO and Wt mice cocultured with or without H. pylori were examined to determine the impact of CCR2 signaling on dendritic cells function by qPCR, ELISA, and FACS analyses.

Results

Acute H. pylori infection was associated with a threefold increase in CCR2 mRNA expression in the gastric mucosa. H. pylori‐infected CCR2KO mice exhibited a higher degree of mucosal inflammation, that is, increased gastritis scores and pro‐inflammatory cytokine mRNA levels, but lower degree of H. pylori gastric colonization compared to infected Wt mice. Peripheral H. pylori‐specific immune response measured in the CCR2KO spleen was characterized by a higher Th17 response and a lower Treg response. In vitro, CCR2KO bone marrow‐derived DC was less mature and shown a lower Treg/Th17 ratio. Moreover, blockade of CCR2 signaling by MCP‐1 neutralizing antibody inhibited H. pylori‐stimulated bone marrow‐derived DC maturation.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that CCR2 plays an essential role in H. pylori‐induced immune tolerance and shed light on a novel mechanism of CCR2‐dependent DC Treg induction, which appears to be important in maintaining mucosal homeostasis during H. pylori infection.
Affective Equality: Love Matters
Authors: Cantillon Sara , Lynch Kathleen
Published: December 2016

The nurturing that produces love, care, and solidarity constitutes a discrete social system of affective relations. Affective relations are not social derivatives, subordinate to economic, political, or cultural relations in matters of social justice. Rather, they are productive, materialist human relations that constitute people mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. As love laboring is highly gendered, and is a form of work that is both inalienable and noncommodifiable, affective relations are therefore sites of political import for social justice. We argue that it is impossible to have gender justice without relational justice in loving and caring. Moreover, if love is to thrive as a valued social practice, public policies need to be directed by norms of love, care, and solidarity rather than norms of capital accumulation. To promote equality in the affective domains of loving and caring, we argue for a four‐dimensional rather than a three‐dimensional model of social justice as proposed by Nancy Fraser (2008). Such a model would align relational justice, especially in love laboring, with the equalization of resources, respect, and representation.
Work the Root: Black Feminism, Hoodoo Love Rituals, and Practices of Freedom
Authors: Stewart Lindsey
Published: December 2016

In “Post‐Liberation Feminism,” Ladelle McWhorter raises the question of what practices will be helpful to further feminist goals if we are no longer in a state of domination, but are still oppressed. McWhorter finds resources in Michel Foucault's concept of “practices of freedom” to begin to answer this question. I build upon McWhorter's insight while recalling Angela Davis's Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: namely, that sexual love, as conceived in hoodoo and the blues, became a terrain upon which newly emancipated blacks worked out what their newfound freedom meant. In this essay, I consider what practices of freedom would look like within a life‐giving nexus of hoodoo, blues, and sexual love. Not only does the image of the hoodoo woman, prevalent within the blues, emerge through an interaction of race, class, region, gender, sexuality, and spiritualty, but analyzing sexual love within this hoodoo–blues coupling will help us track how sexual love was transformed into a practice of freedom. I will argue that sexual love within this hoodoo–blues coupling reveals an important dimension of emancipatory work that both defies categorization as resistance and is crucial to the development of capacities for resistance.
Mother Love, Maternal Ambivalence, and the Possibility of Empowered Mothering
Authors: Takševa Tatjana
Published: December 2016

Dominant cultural ideologies of motherhood define the nature of mother love. Recent developments in motherhood studies, and the work of a small number of feminist philosophers and scholars of motherhood, have challenged the tenets of these ideologies by daring to speak the “unspeakable”: that mother love is often and for all mothers, whether consciously or not, permeated by powerful negative and conflicting emotions termed maternal ambivalence. In this essay, relying on recorded personal narratives by Bosnian women who are raising children born of wartime rape, as well as recent studies on empowered motherhood, my aim is to show that maternal love, like love in any other close relationship, encompasses and assimilates healthy ambivalence, and can inform maternal care in a constructive and positive manner. I argue that the acknowledgment of healthy maternal ambivalence as an integral aspect of mother love involves honoring the mother's subjectivity and validates her personhood, and as such it opens up the possibility of redefining mother love in terms that are empowering to mothers.
Functional and phenotypic heterogeneity of group 3 innate lymphoid cells
Authors: Melo‐Gonzalez Felipe , Hepworth Matthew R.
Published: December 2016

Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3), defined by expression of the transcription factor retinoid‐related orphan receptor γt, play key roles in the regulation of inflammation and immunity in the gastrointestinal tract and associated lymphoid tissues. ILC3 consist largely of two major subsets, NCR+ ILC3 and LTi‐like ILC3, but also demonstrate significant plasticity and heterogeneity. Recent advances have begun to dissect the relationship between ILC3 subsets and to define distinct functional states within the intestinal tissue microenvironment. In this review we discuss the ever‐expanding roles of ILC3 in the context of intestinal homeostasis, infection and inflammation – with a focus on comparing and contrasting the relative contributions of ILC3 subsets.
Family Caregiver Factors Associated with Unmet Needs for Care of Older Adults
Authors: Beach Scott R. , Schulz Richard
Published: December 2016

Objectives

To examine caregiver factors associated with unmet needs for care of older adults.

Design

Population‐based surveys of caregivers and older adult care recipients in the United States in 2011.

Setting

2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving.

Participants

Family caregivers (n = 1,996) of community‐dwelling older adults with disabilities (n = 1,366).

Measurements

Disabled care recipient reports of unmet needs for care in the past month with activities of daily living (ADLs; e.g., wet or soiled clothing), mobility (e.g., have to stay inside), or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs; e.g., medication errors). Caregiver reported sociodemographic characteristics, caregiving intensity and tasks performed, health, and psychosocial effects.

Results

Of the care recipients, 44.3% reported at least one unmet need for care in the past month (38.2%ADLrelated, 14.6%IADLrelated). Younger caregivers, caregiving sons, caregivers not living with care recipients, and having supplemental paid caregivers were associated with more unmet needs. Caregivers with recipients reporting two or more unmet needs were more likely to spend more than 100 hours per month caregiving, help with skin care and wounds, report caregiving as emotionally and physically difficult, and report restricted participation in valued activities (allP< .001).

Conclusion

UnmetADLneeds are prevalent among older adults with family caregivers. Caregivers experiencing high levels of burden, stress, and negative physical and psychosocial impacts may provide substandard or poor care to older adults, which may be a risk factor for neglect. Clinicians caring for disabled older adults should assess their unmet needs and the capacity of caregivers to address them.
Supplementation with nutrients modulating insulin‐like growth factor‐1 negatively correlated with changes in the levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in community‐dwelling elderly people at risk of undernutrition
Authors: Kim M. , Kim M. , Lee Y. J. , Song H. J. , Shim J. K. , Chang D. H. , Yu W. K. , Lee S.‐H. , Lee J. H.
Published: December 2016

Background

Suboptimal nutrition accompanied by chronic low‐grade increases in circulating cytokine levels is more common in elderly people. We explored the improvement in nutritional status, especially in the level of insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) and its relationship with changes in circulating cytokine levels, after providing extra protein and energy content to community‐dwelling older adults at risk of undernutrition.

Methods

Sixty nondiabetic subjects, aged ≥65 years and living independently in a community for elderly people, with a serum pre‐albumin level ≤30 mg dL−1 and a body mass index <25 kg m−2, were recruited. The subjects were followed for a 2‐week pre‐intervention period, during which they maintained routine dietary habits. This was followed by an intervention period, during which they received oral nutritional supplementation for 2 weeks.

Results

Following 2 weeks of intervention, there were significant increases in total lymphocyte count (TLC) and insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐1, pre‐albumin and transferrin compared to baseline. Body weight and mid‐arm circumference significantly increased without alteration of tricep skinfold thickness at the end of the intervention. There was a significant reduction in interleukin (IL)‐6 levels and a trend toward a decrease in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α levels. At baseline, age was negatively correlated with IGF‐1 levels and positively correlated with IL‐6 and TNF‐α levels. The change (▵, from baseline) in IGF‐1 level was positively correlated with age and negatively correlated with ▵IL‐6 and ▵TNF‐α.

Conclusions

A 2‐week intervention with oral nutritional supplementation improved nutritional status and decreased circulating cytokine levels. Specifically, ▵IGF‐1 was negatively correlated with changes in pro‐inflammatory cytokine levels in community‐dwelling elderly people at risk of undernutrition. (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02656186).
The effect of slow‐paced breathing on stress management in adolescents with intellectual disability
Authors: Laborde S. , Allen M. S. , Göhring N. , Dosseville F.
Published: December 2016

Background

Intellectual disabilities often create a state of chronic stress for both the person concerned and their significant others (family, caregivers). The development of stress management methods is therefore important for the reduction of stress in persons with intellectual disability. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of slow‐paced breathing on stress symptoms experienced by adolescents with intellectual disabilities during a cognitive task under time pressure.

Method

Fourteen adolescents with intellectual disabilities (Mage = 17.39 years, range 15–19 years) took part in two laboratory sessions – a slow‐paced breathing session (experimental condition) and an audiobook session (control condition) – the order of which was counterbalanced across participants. Vagal tone was measured through heart rate variability to index stress management.

Results

No difference in vagal tone was observed at baseline between experimental and control conditions. Compared with the control condition, vagal tone was significantly higher during the experimental condition.

Conclusions

The slow‐paced breathing task enhanced stress management to a greater extent than did listening to an audiobook. Slow‐paced breathing seems to be an easy to learn stress management technique that appears as an effective auxiliary method of lowering stress in adolescents with intellectual disabilities.