bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PRIMARY PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN EIGHT PATIENTS INCLUDING A MOTHER AND HER DAUGHTER
Authors: FLEMING H.
Published: September 2017

Primary or idiopathic pulmonary hypertension was until recently considered a rare disorder. Since its widespread recognition in 1957 it has become evident that, while it is uncommon, it is far from rare. The present report of eight cases seen in one year substantiates this.

The clinical picture is fairly characteristic and is described in this paper. Study of the jugular venous pulse would avoid many of the errors and delays in diagnosis. The course of the disease is one of progression at a variable rate, leading to death in right heart failure or from sudden arrhythmia. In this series the progression was rapid and often of a malignant nature.

Cardiac catheterization will confirm the diagnosis and assess the pulmonary vascular resistance. The effects of drugs on this resistance can also be studied. This is of particular importance, as there is at present no effective treatment for this disease.

Pulmonary function studies show no evidence of major disorder in the lungs. Polycythæmia and arterial desaturation are common. These are not always associated with a right‐to‐left shunt through a patent foramen ovale.

The increasing frequency of reports of primary pulmonary hypertension occurring in relatives suggests that congenital or geographic factors may be of importance in the pathogenesis.
THE EFFECTS OF DIET ON THE BLOOD COAGULATION RESPONSE TO ALIMENTARY LIPÆMIA IN HEALTHY AND ATHEROSCLEROTIC MEN
Authors: GOLDRICK R. B.
Published: September 2017

The response of blood clotting to a standard meal of fat was measured in nine healthy young men and in to atherosclerotic older men when the serum lipids in the fasting state were maintained at their usual levels, and after they had been lowered by dietary manipulations.

Ingestion of the test meal was followed by an acceleration of clotting in the “Stypven” test and the whole‐blood clotting time (W.B.C.T.), a rise in plasma turbidity, and increases in the concentrations of serum total esterified fatty acids and serum phospholipids. There was no change in the serum cholesterol level.

Lowering of the fasting serum lipid levels had no effect on the “Stypven” response in any of the subjects, and had no effect on the response of the W.B.C.T. to the test meal in the healthy controls. However, both the fasting and post‐prandial W.B.C.T. in the atherosclerotic subjects were longer when the serum lipid levels were low.

The presence or absence of atherosclerosis was without effect on the response of the “Stypven” test or the W.B.C.T. to alimentary lipæmia, except that lowering of the fasting lipid levels produced a longer post‐prandial W.B.C.T. in the atherosclerotic subjects.

There were statistically significant associations between blood clotting and the serum lipid levels and plasma turbidity. In healthy subjects, acceleration of clotting in the “Stypven” test was associated with a rise in plasma turbidity and serum total fatty acid levels, while the W.B.C.T. became shorter as the serum phospholipid levels rose. There was no significant relationship between the two clotting tests. On the other hand, in the atherosclerotics the W.B.C.T. varied with the “Stypven” time, and clotting in both tests was accelerated as the concentrations of particulate and non‐particulate fat increased.

It was observed that the longer the W.B.C.T. in the fasting state and the lower the fasting serum lipid levels, the greater was the response of clotting in this test to the fat meal.
COMPLEMENT FIXATION WITH EXTRACT OF NORMAL THYROID GLAND : ITS OCCURRENCE IN SERA FROM PATIENTS WITH THYROID DISEASE AND IN OTHER CONDITIONS
Authors: HACKETT EARLE , BEECH MARGARET , FORBES IAN J.
Published: September 2017

Attention is drawn to a complement‐fixing agent which reacts with extract of normal thyroid gland. There are reasons for regarding this agent as an antibody, and possibly as an auto‐antibody. It is significantly associated with thyroid disease, though not so closely as the complement‐fixing anti‐thyrotoxic antibody, or the anti‐thyroglobulin antibody which reacts in the tanned‐cell hæmagglutination technique. It is also associated with some other types of disease, particularly syphilis, the “collagen disease” group, and viral infections. In non‐thyroid diseases, positive reactors are almost equally distributed between the sexes.

Any attempted synthesis of the current knowledge of the association between thyroid disease and the presence of serum auto‐antibodies should take this agent into account, even though its activity or significance in vivo may be not entirely confined to the thyroid gland and its functions.
PLASMA IRON AND IRON‐BINDING CAPACITY LEVELS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE : WITH AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION OF PLASMA IRON CONCENTRATION AND TOTAL IRON‐BINDING CAPACITY
Authors: MORGAN E. H. , CARTER GRAEME
Published: September 2017

A method of estimating the plasma iron concentration and the total iron‐binding capacity, which has been found suitable for routine use in a hospital laboratory, is described. It is adapted from previously described methods. The iron is released from plasma iron‐binding protein by the action of dilute hydrochloric acid and thioglycollic acid, the plasma proteins are precipitated by trichloracetic acid without heating and the iron concentration is determined colorimetrically using the water‐soluble reagent, sulphonated 4 : 7 diphenyl 1 : 10 phenanthroline. Total iron‐binding capacity is estimated by first adding iron to the plasma in excess of the iron‐binding capacity, removing the excess iron with powdered magnesium carbonate, and estimating the iron remaining in the same manner as for plasma iron.

The results obtained on the plasma from patients with infections, malignant disease, diseases of the liver and kidney, rheumatoid arthritis, hæmochromatosis, transfusional hæmosiderosis and various types of anemia, as well as from normal persons and pregnant women, are presented. The physiological basis of the changes observed in the values measured is discussed.
SERUM VITAMIN B12 LEVELS IN CHRONIC ATROPHIC GASTRITIS
Authors: WOOD I. J. , COWLING D. C. , UNGAR B. , GRAY A.
Published: September 2017

SUMMARY

Thirteen cases of severe chronic atrophic gastritis were studied over a period ranging from five to 12 years. Diagnosis was established by a history of flatulent dyspepsia, depleted acid secretion and serial gastric biopsies using the suction biopsy tube. There was no evidence of peptic ulcer or cancer.

During the last three years of the study serial assays were made of the serum vitamin B12 levels in these cases. In the majority there was a fall in the level. Also, the mean level was lower than that in a control group in which normal acid secretion was found on histamine stimulation. Absorption studies were made with 58Co labelled vitamin B12.

These studies indicated the following three clinical states : (i) pre‐pernicious anænia, with serum vitamin B12 levels between 100 and 250 μμg. per millilitre and normoblastic bone marrow, but no symptoms or perhaps minimal weakness ; (ii) latent pernicious anæmia, with a serum vitamin B12 level less than 100 μμg. per millilitre, but still a normoblastic bone marrow, and either no symptoms or, at the most, minimal weakness ; (iii) overt pernicious anæmia, with a serum vitamin B12 level of less than 100 per millilitre and the classical clinical and bone‐marrow changes of pernicious anemia and/or subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord.

The findings after a histamine test meal and on gastric biopsy and particularly the serum vitamin B12 level are of considerable value to the physician who suspects prepernicious anæmia, latent pernicious anæmia or the early manifestations of overt pernicious anæmia or subacute combined degeneration of the cord. He may thus save the patient from the severe forms of the disease.
OBSERVATIONS ON HEPARIN‐INDUCED CLEARING ACTIVITY IN ISCHÆMIC HEART DISEASE AND THE EFFECT OF PROLONGED HEPARIN THERAPY
Authors: NESTEL P. J.
Published: September 2017

Inhibition of heparin‐induced plasma‐clearing activity has been compared in patients with ischæmic heart disease and age‐matched control subjects. It has been found that the increased inhibitory activity of the plasma of patients with ischæmic heart disease was due to increased inhibitor activity associated with the patients' blood platelets. The inhibitory activities of platelet‐poor plasma were similar in the two groups.

It has also been found that heparin‐induced clearing activity was low one month after a myocardial infarction, but increased gradually over the next seven months.

The effect of prolonged intermittent heparin therapy on heparin‐induced clearing activity has been studied over a period of seven months in a group of patients who had survived a myocardial infarction. The mean increase in clearing activity was significantly greater in this treated group than in a closely matched group of patients who were not being treated.
LEUCOCYTE LIPID METABOLISM IN MYELOPROLIFERATIVE STATES
Authors: KIDSON CHEV
Published: September 2017

Lipid synthesis in human leucocytes was examined in vitro in blood from patients with myeloproliferative states and from normal controls, acetate being used as substrate. The incorporation of acetate‐1‐C14 was measured in total lipids, neutral lipids and phospholipids of the leucocytes and plasma. There was a low rate of total lipid synthesis in polycythæmia vera, but the relative rates of incorporation of radioactivity into lipid fractions were normal. Lipid synthesis in myelosclerosis was similar to that in the controls with the exception of one case, in which a very high rate was observed, and in which incorporation of radioactivity into phospholipids was disproportionately increased. These results are discussed in relation to cell age and to leucocyte lipid synthesis in myeloid leukæmia.
THE IMMUNOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THYMUS
Authors: BURNET F. M.
Published: September 2017

This is an account of the function of the thymus from the point of view of an immunologist ; it contains elements of speculation, but is based on a considerable and rapidly growing body of factual material. The postulated relation of the thymus to the initiation of autoimmune disease is the justification for bringing the subject before a predominantly clinical audience.

The thymus is regarded as the chief “first level” immunological organ in which the lymphoid cells arise which proliferate to produce functionally active descendant or collateral cells in the “second level” immunological organs, spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow and local lymphoid‐cell aggregations.

The mutant cells which give rise to the forbidden clones of autoimmune disease must frequently have a thymic origin, which can be recognized by the occurrence in the thymic medulla of germinal centres and lymph follicles.

If this hypothesis has a wider application than the two conditions specifically discussed in this paper, myasthenia gravis and a natural autoimmune disease of mice, there is a call for intensified search for possible thymic disorder in all human autoimmune conditions. Positive results might justify considering thymic irradiation or removal as therapeutic measures in selected cases.
FAMILIAL POLYPOSIS COLI WITH MULTIPLE SEBACEOUS CYSTS AND OSTEOMATA: GARDNER'S SYNDROME
Authors: DAWBORN J. K. , FERGUSON J. , STANISTREET R. H.
Published: September 2017

This report describes the association of multiple sebaceous cysts and osteomata with polyposis of the colon—Gardner's syndrome. A mother and all three children were affected. This suggests that the condition is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. The chromosomes of the affected members of the family were normal.

The mother died from metastases from a carcinoma of the colon at the age of 38 years. This finding and the experience of others indicate that children with Gardner's syndrome including polyposis of the colon will most probably develop carcinoma of the colon in middle age. Prophylactic colectomy should be considered in early adult life.
HYPOPARATHYROIDISM AND HYPOPITUITARISM
Authors: THEW R. F. , GOULSTON STANLEY
Published: September 2017

An instance of hypoparathyroidism and hypopituitarism is reported as it occurred in a man, aged 27 years. The clinical features and the methods of establishing the diagnosis are discussed. Some dental features unusual in humans are also described.
THE EFFECTS OF TRYPSIN AND CHYMOTRYPSIN ON THE ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE CONTENT OF HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES
Authors: FIRKIN B. G. , BEAL R. W. , MITCHELL GILLIAN
Published: September 2017

Incubation of normal human erythrocytes with trypsin or chymotrypsin resulted in a decrease in the acetylcholinesterase content of the cell. The acetylcholinesterase activity was more readily destroyed if the erythrocytes were first hæmolysed. The acetylcholinesterase activity of intact erythrocytes was completely abolished by incubation with chymotrypsin without alteration of their susceptibility to hæmolysis in acidified serum. By contrast, erythrocytes similarly treated with trypsin gave a positive response to Ham's test when their acetylcholinesterase content was lowered to 40%. The significance of these findings is discussed with special reference to paroxysmal nocturnal hæmoglobinuria.
BILIRUBIN METABOLISM IN DISEASE
Authors: WATSON D.
Published: September 2017

This paper presents a factual and critical account of our present knowledge of bilirubin metabolism in human disease. The biochemistry of the bile pigments is reviewed as it is related to various clinical states ; aspects of hepatic diseases, hepatotoxicity, hæmolytic disorders, abnormal pregnancy and fætal and neonatal life are discussed. The clinical biochemistry of familial disorders of bilirubin metabolism is also outlined.
RED‐CELL METABOLISM IN CONGENITAL HÆMOLYTIC ANÆMIAS
Authors: DE GRUCHY G. C.
Published: September 2017

The integrity and normal survival of the red cell are dependent on ATP (energy) production from glycolysis. Destruction at the end of normal life span is considered due to metabolic exhaustion.

In the congenital hæmolytic anæmias defects of glycolysis are present. The defects demonstrated vary in the different disorders. The premature destruction of the cells is related, at least in part, to the defective energy production.

In non‐spherocytic congenital hæmolytic anæmia Type II, there is defective glycolysis and ATP production due to a specific enzyme defect, namely, pyruvate kinase deficiency.

Non‐spherocytic congenital hæmolytic anæmia Type I appears to be biochemically heterogeneous; glucose‐6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G‐6PD) is deficient in some cases and normal in others. Deficiency of ATP has been demonstrated in our cases, but the mechanism of the defect is unknown.

In hereditary spherocytosis two abnormalities exist, of shape and of metabolism. The abnormality of glycolytic metabolism is obvious in vitro only on incubation. It is possible that passage through the spleen makes this latent defect overt and “conditions” the cells for their premature destruction.

In hereditary elliptocytosis, preliminary evidence suggests that the defect is similar in some respects to that of hereditary spherocytosis.
THE AUSTRALIAN GASTRIC ULCER CHANGE: INTERSTATE VARIATIONS
Authors: BILLINGTON B. P.
Published: September 2017

The rise in the incidence of gastric ulcer in young women in Australia since 1940 appears to be limited to New South Wales and Queensland. It has not been possible to define the time at which the rise commenced in Brisbane, to correspond with 1943 as the suggested year in Sydney.
LACTIC DEHYDROGENASE ACTIVITY OF GASTRIC JUICE OF NORMAL SUBJECTS AND OF PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC ULCER, DUODENAL ULCER, GASTRIC CARCINOMA AND PERNICIOUS ANÆMIA: A PRELIMINARY REPORT
Authors: MACOUN MARY L. , BUILDER E. , PIPER D. W.
Published: September 2017

Lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity is not found in acid gastric juice, because the enzyme is inactivated at pH levels below 6. In the study reported, the pH of the gastric contents was maintained above 7 by intragastric neutralization. LDH activity was found in the gastric juice of seven of the nine control patients, of 13 of the 17 gastric ulcer patients, of five of the six duodenal ulcer patients, and of all the five gastric carcinoma patients ; activity was significantly increased in the gastric juice of gastric carcinoma patients when the latter group was compared with the control and gastric‐ulcer groups. There was no correlation between the serum and salivary LDH activity and the LDH activity in gastric juice.
PATTERNS OF RESPONSE TO BRONCHODILATOR IN YOUNG PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA
Authors: PAIN MICHAEL C. F. , READ JOHN
Published: September 2017

Measurement of vital capacity (V.C.) and forced expiratory volume over one second (F.E.V.1·0) was performed daily on four young patients with asthma, and the response to isoprenaline (1%) administered from a hand nebulizer was determined.

The present group of patients did not follow the bronchodilator response pattern reported by some other authors. The acute improvement following bronchodilator depended, not only on the initial F.E.V.1·0, but also on the path of improvement or deterioration by which the initial F.E.V.1·0 was reached. This represents yet a further factor to be taken into account in assessing the efficacy of a bronchodilator.

Two well‐known clinical observations were confirmed quantitatively: that the greatest response to therapy is obtained early in an episode of asthma; and that admission to hospital without specific therapy may lead to steady improvement.
INSTRUMENTS USED FOR GASTRO‐INTESTINAL BIOPSY
Authors: LANDER HARRY
Published: September 2017

Since the introduction, in 1949, of the technique of blind suction biopsy of gastric mucosa, many instruments have been developed in attempts to gain an increasing number of specimens from all parts of the intestinal tract with greater certainty and facility, and with the least discomfort and risk to the patient. The mechanical principles and mode of operation of the most important of these per‐oral gastro‐intestinal biopsy devices are reviewed in this paper, and the advantages and disadvantages of the various designs discussed.

Personal experience has been gained with the Wood gastric and small intestinal biopsy tubes, the Crosby capsule and the Baker‐Hughes multiple‐retrieving tube ; the relative merits of these instruments are considered briefly.

Gastro‐intestinal biopsy has already added much to our knowledge of diseases which affect the alimentary tract, and is now firmly established, not only as a routine diagnostic procedure, but also in the assessment of the efficacy of such therapeutic regimes as the wheat‐gluten‐free diet, and for the procurement of both normal and abnormal material for electron‐microscope, histochemical and enzyme‐assay studies.
PORPHYRIA CUTANEA TARDA SYMPTOMATICA ASSOCIATED WITH HEPATIC GRANULOMATA
Authors: RANKIN J. G. , BLACKBURN C. R. B. , GREENAWAY J. M.
Published: September 2017

Two cases are described of the previously unreported association of porphyria cutanea tarda (P.C.T.) symptomatica and hepatic granulomata. One of the patients also had the melanodermic type of porphyria cutanea tarda (P.C.T.) symptomatica. Abnormalities of bromsulphalein and iron metabolism in porphyria cutanea tarda (P.C.T.) symptomatica are discussed.
GASTRIC SECRETION IN PARKINSONISM
Authors: EADIE MERVYN J.
Published: September 2017

Gastric secretory responses to insulin‐induced hypoglycæmia, which acts through the vagus nerves, were measured in cases of paralysis agitans and in normal control subjects. The mean increase in gastric acid secretion was significantly less in the Parkinsonian group than in the controls. It is believed that the reduced response in Parkinsonism is related to the lesions of the motor neurons of the dorsal vagal nucleus which may occur in this condition.
MUCOID IMPACTION OF THE BRONCHI
Authors: SMITH WILLIAM G. , CLARK FREDERICK
Published: September 2017

Five patients with mucoid impaction of the major bronchi are described. The condition is almost certainly a variant of plastic or fibrinous bronchitis, a condition recognized for many centuries. It is probably less rare than hitherto believed. It is more common in patients with asthma and chronic bronchitis, but is not restricted to these diseases, as suggested elsewhere. It can readily mimic tuberculosis, carcinoma and Löffler's syndrome, and can lead to recurrent pneumonia, atelectasis, hæmoptysis and cystic bronchiectasis.

The pathogenesis of mucoid impaction is unknown. The frequently associated eosinophilia suggests an allergic mechanism. One of our patients had a very successful result from prednisone therapy following at least five major episodes of bronchial impaction.

Symptomatic medical treatment, including bronchoscopy and the exhibition of steroids if necessary, should be tried initially ; but in some cases major surgery may be necessary to remove areas of destroyed lung or to exclude carcinoma.
VARIATION IN THE RECOVERY OF GONADOTROPHINS FROM HYPOPITUITARY URINE
Authors: MARTIN F. I. R.
Published: September 2017

The recovery of standard gonadotrophin added to 40 individual urine specimens from 13 hypopituitary patients has been determined. There was a significantly greater chance of a low recovery from those patients classified as clinically ill than from those who were clinically well.
IMMUNO‐CYTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF TWO ABNORMAL SERUM GLOBULINS IN THE ONE BONE‐MARROW SMEAR
Authors: CURTAIN C. C.
Published: September 2017

With the use of a two‐label fluorescent antibody technique, it was demonstrated that the bone marrow of a patient suffering from myeloma contained two groups of cells, each possessing a different protein antigen in its cytoplasm. The antigen corresponded to an 18 S and a 7 S globulin occurring in the patient's serum. This finding is discussed in relation to the current hypotheses concerning the origin and identity of the abnormal globulins of myeloma.
NORMAL AND ABNORMAL SIBS WITH A FAMILIAL CHROMOSOMAL TRANSLOCATION
Authors: PITT DAVID , FERGUSON JEAN , BAIKIE A. G.
Published: September 2017

A case is described of a moderately retarded boy with cerebral atrophy of unknown cause, inherited epicanthi and other malformations, with 45 chromosomes seen in preparations of both skin and blood. The karyotype showed only four large acrocentric chromosomes in group D (13–15), but there was also present an additional medium metacentric chromosome comparable in size with those in group C (6–12). This would appear to be a translocation between two chromosomes of group D, with deletion of chromosome material from the short arms. The patient's mother and brother, who are both phenotypically normal, except for the presence of similar epicanthi, also show the same autosomal anomaly and translocation. The original assumption that the patient's chromosomal anomaly was solely responsible for his disordered development was therefore disproved, and the cause of his condition remains obscure. The possible relationship between the familial chromosomal abnormality and the phenotypic abnormalities in the index case is discussed.

These findings indicate that in the absence of regular association in a sufficient number of cases, abnormal clinical findings should not be too readily attributed to any particular chromosomal anomaly found.
Fecundity of the invasive marine gastropodCrepidula fornicatanear the current northern extreme of its range
Authors: Pechenik Jan A. , Diederich Casey M. , Browman Howard I. , Jelmert Anders
Published: September 2017

The calyptraeid gastropodCrepidula fornicatais native to the eastern coast of the United States but has now become an extremely successful invader along much of the European coastline. As the northern limit of its spread is thought to be determined by an inability of adults to tolerate prolonged exposure to low winter temperatures, this study sought to compare the fecundity of females collected from two sites along the Norwegian coastline with that of females collected from Rhode Island, USA. Few other studies have compared the fecundities of marine invertebrates from invasive populations with those found in native populations. For both populations studied, fecundities increased with increasing shell length. However, contrary to expectations, size‐related fecundities were significantly higher for Norwegian females than for Rhode Island females, with Norwegian females producing larger egg capsules and a greater number of embryos per capsule, but not a greater number of egg capsules per brood. Current evidence suggests that at the northern extreme of its invaded range, the fecundity ofC. fornicatais increased rather than compromised.
Nd3+‐Doped Silicate Glasses as an Efficient Color Filter to Improve the Color Gamut of a White LED
Authors: Han Karam , Kim Yong Hwan , Chung Gi Won , Shin Chun Hwa , Hwang Hun , Chung Woon Jin
Published: September 2017

Nd3+‐doped silicate glass (Nd‐glass) was employed as a color filter for a white LED based on red and green phosphor (RG‐LED), to manipulate the photoluminescence spectral shape and thus to provide a wider color gamut. The hypersensitive transition of Nd3+:4I9/2→4G5/2,2G7/2 was adjusted via glass composition and Nd concentration, and improved absorbance as well as reduced the absorption bandwidth. The effective absorption of the Nd‐glass at ~580 nm reduced the spectral linewidth of the green and red emissions, improving the color reproduction range. The color gamut of the RG‐LED was improved from 75.3% to 81.6% NTSC by the introduction of Nd‐glass as a color filter. Reliability under high operating current and high temperature were also examined and discussed.
Types of investor uncertainty and the cost of equity capital
Authors: Larson Chad R. , Resutek Robert J.
Published: September 2017

We jointly test the effects of two types of investor uncertainty, one related to future firm performance and unrelated to accruals (cash flow uncertainty) and one directly related to accrual estimation errors (accounting quality uncertainty). Distinct from prior studies, our uncertainty estimates are based on a matched‐firm design that minimizes the mechanical relationship between the two uncertainty variables. We find a strong negative relationship between cash flow uncertainty and multiple estimates of the cost of equity capital. With respect to accounting quality uncertainty, we find a strong positive association with both expected stock returns and implied costs of equity, but only in settings that control for cash flow uncertainty. Collectively, our results suggest the need to consider different types of investor uncertainty when examining how investor uncertainty affects the cost of equity capital.
A new species of Pomatoschistus (Teleostei, Gobiidae): the Mediterranean's smallest marine fish
Authors: Engin S. , Seyhan D.
Published: September 2017

The new sand goby species Pomatoschistus nanus (Teleostei: Gobiidae) is described from the northern coast of the Levantine Sea (eastern Mediterranean Sea) based on both morphological and DNA barcoding data. The new species is the smallest fish in the Mediterranean Sea and may be distinguished from congeners by the following features: predorsal area, first dorsal‐fin base and breast naked; δ‐pore missing; anterior point of the suborbital row b not reaching level of posterior point of suborbital row d; slightly emarginated caudal fin and nape coloration pattern. DNA barcode data clearly discriminate Pomatoschistus spp. in the neighbour‐joining tree with an average of 17·7% interspecific K2P distance. The most closely related taxon to P. nanus sp. nov. is Pomatoschistus bathi and the most distantly related is Pomatoschistus tortonesei with 11·9 and 21·9% K2P distances respectively. Morphometric and genetic data are also provided for Pomatoschistus bathi.
Preventive Dental Checkups and Their Association With Access to Usual Source of Care Among Rural and Urban Adult Residents
Authors: Khan Aishah , Thapa Janani R. , Zhang Donglan
Published: September 2017

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the relationship between rural or urban residence and having a usual source of care (USC), and the utilization of preventive dental checkups among adults.

Methods

Cross‐sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2012. We performed a logit regression on the relationship between rural and urban residence, having a USC, and having at least 1 dental checkup in the past year, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and health status.

Findings

After controlling for covariates, rural adult residents had significantly lower odds of having at least 1 dental checkup per year compared to their urban counterparts (odds ratio [OR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62‐0.86,P< .001). Additionally, individuals with a USC had higher odds of having at least 1 dental checkup per year (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.59‐1.95,P< .001). Among both rural and urban residents, having a USC was significantly associated with an 11% (95% CI = 9%‐13%) increase in the probability of having a preventive dental checkup within a year.

Conclusions

Individuals with a USC were more likely to obtain a preventive dental visit, with similar effects in rural and urban settings. We attributed the lower odds of having a checkup in rural regions to the lower density of oral health care providers in these areas. Integration of rural oral health care into primary care may help mitigate the challenges due to a shortage of oral health care providers in rural areas.
Chronicle of a Survival Foretold: How Protest Behavior Against Armed Actors Influenced Violence in the Colombian Civil War, 1988–2005
Authors: León Carlos Enrique Moreno
Published: September 2017

This article examines the circumstances under which civilians, using protests as a mechanism, alter the strategic use of violence by armed actors (rebels and state forces). By examining the civil war in Colombia between 1988 and 2005, this study finds that combatants decrease their attacks against the population when civilians protest against the enemy. Combatants interpret such demonstrations as costly signals of loyalty. Furthermore, when insurgents are the target of the protests, insurgents increase repression against civilians as rebels get stronger. In contrast, state forces (and paramilitaries) compensate for their weakness in the area by multiplying civilian victims. Both state forces and rebels, however, are likely to decrease violence against civilians when civilians protest against both parties in contested zones. In such contexts, armed actors are likely to refrain from retaliation because any violence might drive noncombatants toward the enemy.
Ritual Demonstrations versus Reactive Protests: Participation Across Mobilizing Contexts in Mexico City
Authors: Inclán María , Almeida Paul D.
Published: September 2017

Using an innovative survey of protest participants and nonparticipants from five major street demonstrations in Mexico City in 2011 and 2012, this study tests the assumption that influences on protest participation vary across different types of events; namely, ritual demonstrations and reactive protests. The comparison is based on two assumptions: that these are two of the dominant forms of protest in contemporary Latin America, and that specifying the context for different types of social movement participation provides a better understanding of the individual mobilization process for groups seeking to defend their rights or gain new benefits. The comparative analyses reveal some crucial differences. Political interest and previous political experience are more influential in the decision to take part in reactive demonstrations. For ritual demonstrations, the decision to participate tends to be driven more by personal and organizational connections.
Culex torrentium mosquitoes from Germany are negative for Wolbachia
Authors: LEGGEWIE M. , KRUMKAMP R. , BADUSCHE M. , HEITMANN A. , JANSEN S. , SCHMIDT‐CHANASIT J. , TANNICH E. , BECKER S. C.
Published: September 2017

Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) infects a wide range of arthropods, including several mosquito species. The bacterium is known to induce a plethora of phenotypes in its host, examples being the reproductive phenotype cytoplasmic incompatibility or resistance against infection with arboviruses. The latter is especially relevant when assessing the vector competence of mosquito species for emerging arboviruses. Thus, knowledge of Wolbachia infection status is important for the assessment of vector competence.

To facilitate Wolbachia screening in mosquito populations, a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was developed to enable high‐throughput analysis of mosquito samples. Using this assay, the Wolbachia infection status of the two most common Culex mosquito species in Germany, Culex pipiens biotype pipiens Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae) and Culex torrentium Martini (Diptera: Culicidae), was assessed. About 93% of all tested C. pipiens biotype pipiens individuals were positive for Wolbachia, whereas none of the C. torrentium samples was found to be infected. Furthermore, other applications of the qPCR assay were explored by assessing a potential link between the levels of Wolbachia and West Nile virus (WNV) infections in German C. pipiens biotype pipiens mosquitoes. No relationship was found between the two variables, indicating that a Wolbachia‐induced antiviral phenotype in this mosquito population is not exclusively attributable to the general level of bacterial infection.
Associations of oral fluid MMP‐8 with periodontitis in Swiss adult subjects
Authors: Mauramo M , Ramseier AM , Mauramo E , Buser A , Tervahartiala T , Sorsa T , Waltimo T
Published: September 2017

Objective

MMP‐8 is a prominent collagenase in periodontal disease. This cross‐sectional study examined whether MMP‐8 levels in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) are associated with periodontitis in a Swiss population.

Subjects and Methods

A total of 258 subjects (107 m, 151 f, mean age: 43.5 yr; range: 21–58 yr) acquired from the Swiss bone marrow donor registry participated in the study. Saliva and GCF samples were collected from subjects followed by a thorough dental and periodontal examination. MMP‐8 levels were determined with immunofluorometric assay. Associations of MMP‐8 levels with periodontal diagnosis, probing pocket depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing were statistically analysed with Pearson chi‐square test, Spearman's rho and logistic regression analysis.

Results

MMP‐8 in GCF correlated with MMP‐8 in saliva (p < .001). Periodontitis was more common (p < .001) among subjects with high levels of MMP‐8 in saliva and/or GCF compared with subjects with low levels of MMP‐8. Higher MMP‐8 levels in GCF and saliva were associated with any periodontal diagnosis (mild, moderate or severe), greater PPD, and bleeding on probing (p < .05). When age, gender, smoking, body mass index, number of medications and decayed, missing and filled teeth were adjusted for, all observed associations remained statistically significant. The area under curve of receiver‐operating characteristic was 0.67 for saliva and 0.71 for GCF.

Conclusion

Elevated MMP‐8 levels both in saliva and GCF are associated with periodontitis in a normal adult population.
Harmine promotes periodontal ligament cell‐induced tissue regeneration
Authors: Lim H‐C , Cha B‐Y , Song SU , Yun J‐H
Published: September 2017

Objective

to investigate whether harmine has a promotive effect on human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs)‐induced tissue regeneration.

Materials and Methods

Various concentrations of harmine on hPDLCs proliferation were tested. Osteogenic and cementogenic characteristics were examined in hPDLC/rhBMP‐2 and hPDLC/harmine by alizarin red S staining, real‐time PCR, and Western blotting assay. The activity of harmine was investigated in an ectopic transplantation nude mouse model.

Results

We determined that 10 μM of harmine was the threshold concentration. hPDLC/harmine showed similar mineralized nodule formation in alizarin S staining compared to hPDLC/rhBMP‐2. In real‐time PCR, the highest gene expression level was observed for Runx2 in hPDLC/harmine at all time points. The level of CEMP‐1 in hPDLC/harmine was higher at 7 days than hPDLCs alone. Thicker band of Runx2 in hPDLC/harmine was observed than in hPDLC/rhBMP‐2 at 7 days by Western blotting. The band for CEMP‐1 in hPDLC/harmine was thicker than hPDLCs alone at both 7 and 14 days. In ectopic transplantation, hPDLCs with harmine showed a comparable amount of mineralized tissue formation compared to rhBMP‐2. hPDLCs with harmine or rhBMP‐2 formed both bone and cementum‐like tissue with Sharpey's fiber‐like collagen insertion.

Conclusion

Harmine can be a potential candidate for promoting hPDLCs‐induced tissue regeneration.
Collaborative Governance of Climate Change Adaptation Across Spatial and Institutional Scales
Authors: Hamilton Matthew , Lubell Mark
Published: September 2017

We examine two related questions that are key for understanding collaborative outcomes in complex governance systems. The first is the extent to which collaboration among policy actors depends upon their joint participation in policy forums. The second is how the scales at which these forums operate conditionally affect the likelihood of collaboration. We address these questions using data from a recent survey on actors’ collaborative interactions as well as their participation in climate change adaptation policy forums in the Lake Victoria region in East Africa. Exponential random graph models show that actors are more likely to collaborate if they jointly participate in policy forums. However, this effect weakens at progressively higher spatial levels at which forums operate. Similarly, collaboration is less likely among actors jointly participating in forums that sponsor decision making at the higher collective choice level rather than lower operational choice level. While policy forums may catalyze collaboration, our findings suggest that their capacity to do so may be subject to scale‐dependent transaction costs of political contracting.
Does Policy Diffusion Need Space? Spatializing the Dynamics of Policy Diffusion
Authors: Mitchell Joshua L.
Published: September 2017

For decades, scholars in multiple disciplines have examined spatial diffusion, or the spatiotemporal properties associated with the diffusion of innovations. These properties include contagious, hierarchical, and relocation diffusion. Each of these refers to a spatial model that epitomizes how innovations spread among geographic locations. Policy diffusion, a separate but homologous research tradition, had its theoretical underpinnings in spatial diffusion. However, contemporary policy diffusion has focused largely on mechanism‐based diffusion. This article demonstrates how exploratory spatial data analysis can be used to uncover spatial policy diffusion properties. In this study, municipal smoking regulation adoptions, religious‐based initiatives, and bag ban and bag fees are examined. This study finds evidence that for each policy more than one property is occurring; therefore, this study proposes that a hybrid model best explains diffusion. This article demonstrates how examining spatial diffusion properties, in addition to diffusion mechanisms, can improve the conceptualization of diffusion theories, enhance mechanism or theory‐based specification of diffusion models, and unravel the specific regional or neighboring causal pathways linking policies between adopting jurisdictions.
Participation and Political Influence in Complex Governance Systems
Authors: Mewhirter Jack , Coleman Eric A. , Berardo Ramiro
Published: September 2017

Public policy generally emerges from interactions among actors embedded within complex governance systems, composed of multiple actors and forums (issue‐based arenas where stakeholders repeatedly interact to resolve collective action problems). Such systems allow actors multiple forums wherein they can influence policy decisions. But actors do not value the decisions made in each forum equally, and it remains unclear how actors allocate resources across forums. This article links actor strategy to their influence within the forums the actors identify as most important (their primary forum). There is theoretical ambiguity about how actors invest their limited resources across the forums that affect their interests to maximize primary forum influence. Do they concentrate all their effort within the primary forum or participate more broadly? To answer this question, we offer two competing theories. First, broad participation may allow actors to develop political capital necessary to influence other actors and thus influence primary forum policies. The second approach notes the opportunity costs of broad participation—actors have fewer resources to invest in their primary forum. An analysis of stakeholder participation in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and Tampa Bay Watershed governance systems demonstrates that broader participation is associated with greater primary forum influence.
Urinary desmosine is associated with emphysema severity and frequent exacerbation in patients with COPD
Authors: Kim Changhwan , Ko Yousang , Kim Su Hee , Yoo Hyun Ju , Lee Jae Seung , Rhee Chin Kook , Lee Jin Hwa , Lee Ji‐Hyun , Kim Tae‐Hyung , Lim Seong Yong , Yoo Kwang Ha , Seo Joon Beom , Oh Yeon‐Mok , Lee Sang‐Do , Park Yong Bum
Published: September 2017

ABSTRACT

Background and objective

Matrix degradation is a key feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Desmosine and isodesmosine (desmosines) are excreted in urine following matrix degradation. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the association between computed tomography (CT) emphysema indices and urinary desmosines in patients with COPD.

Methods

A total of 152 subjects were selected from the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease cohort. Their urine samples were assayed for desmosines using liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) methods. The cohort was divided into emphysema‐dominant (n = 80) and non‐emphysema dominant‐ (n = 72) groups according to the CT emphysema index.

Results

The level of urinary desmosines was significantly higher in the emphysema‐dominant group. Significant differences were also observed between the two groups for body mass index and lung function. Multivariate analysis indicated that a high level of urinary desmosines was a significant independent predictor of emphysema (relative risk: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.11–6.09; P = 0.028). The percentage of frequent exacerbators was significantly higher in the high urinary desmosine group in the first year of follow‐up (P = 0.041). The mean number of exacerbations was higher in the high urinary desmosine group, although this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.067). The changes in emphysema index did not differ between the two urinary desmosine groups over 3 years of follow‐up.

Conclusion

This study indicates that the level of urinary desmosines measured by LC‐MS/MS methods is associated with the CT emphysema index. Urinary desmosine can be a useful predictor in identifying frequent exacerbators.
Life Expectancy and Claiming Behavior in a Flexible Pension System
Authors: Brinch Christian N. , Fredriksen Dennis , Vestad Ola L.
Published: September 2017

We study the relationship between early claiming of pensions and incentives in the highly flexible Norwegian public pension system, measuring incentives to claim based on an estimated model for expected longevity. Despite a strong correlation between incentives and claiming decisions, the additional costs to public budgets arising from this selection turn out to be modest. Based on analyses exploiting only variation in expected pensions generated by variation in parental longevities and only claiming of pensions not in conjunction with retirement, we conclude that part of the selection is active: some individuals claim pensions early because they gain from doing so.
Enhancing blood donor skin disinfection using natural oils
Authors: Alabdullatif Meshari , Boujezza Imen , Mekni Mohamed , Taha Mariam , Kumaran Dilini , Yi Qi‐Long , Landoulsi Ahmed , Ramirez‐Arcos Sandra
Published: September 2017

BACKGROUND

Effective donor skin disinfection is essential in preventing bacterial contamination of blood components with skin flora bacteria like Staphylococcus epidermidis. Cell aggregates of S. epidermidis (biofilms) are found on the skin and are resistant to the commonly used donor skin disinfectants chlorhexidine‐gluconate and isopropyl alcohol. It has been demonstrated that essential oils synergistically enhance the antibacterial activity of chlorhexidine‐gluconate. The objective of this study was to test plant‐extracted essential oils in combination with chlorhexidine‐gluconate or chlorhexidine‐gluconate plus isopropyl alcohol for their ability to eliminate S. epidermidis biofilms.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The composition of oils extracted from Artemisia herba‐alba, Lavandula multifida, Origanum marjoram, Rosmarinus officinalis, and Thymus capitatus was analyzed using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. A rabbit model was used to assess skin irritation caused by the oils. In addition, the anti‐biofilm activity of the oils used alone or in combination with chlorhexidine‐gluconate or chlorhexidine‐gluconate plus isopropyl alcohol was tested against S. epidermidis biofilms.

RESULTS

Essential oil concentrations 10%, 20%, and 30% were chosen for anti‐biofilm assays, because skin irritation was observed at concentrations greater than 30%. All oils except for O. marjoram had anti‐biofilm activity at these three concentrations. L. multifida synergistically enhanced the anti‐biofilm activity of chlorhexidine‐gluconate and resulted in the highest anti‐biofilm activity observed when combined with chlorhexidine‐gluconate plus isopropyl alcohol. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry revealed that the main component contributing to the activity of L. multifida oil was a natural terpene alcohol called linalool.

CONCLUSION

The anti‐biofilm activity of chlorhexidine‐gluconate plus isopropyl alcohol can be greatly enhanced by L. multifida oil or linalool. Therefore, these components could potentially be used to improve blood donor skin disinfection.
Lull pgm system: A suitable technique to improve the regenerative potential of autologous fat grafting
Authors: Morselli Paolo G. , Giorgini Federico A. , Pazzini Claudia , Muscari Claudio
Published: September 2017

Autologous fat grafting and methods of purification of harvested tissue have become one of the most current themes in regenerative medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro regenerative potential of abdomen lipoaspirates subjected to a combined washing‐decantation purifying procedure, the Lull pgm System (Lull). Blood cells and stromal‐vascular fraction (SVF) cells contained in the aspirates were investigated and compared with those obtained through more conventional fat‐processing methods, that is, the decantation and Coleman's centrifugation techniques. The lowest number of erythrocytes, which are proinflammatory cells, was observed in the Lull samples, corresponding to about 50% of those isolated by decantation and centrifugation. The highest amount of SVF cells were isolated from the Lull samples whose number of colony forming units, representative of the amount of adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs), was about fourfold and sixfold higher than in the decantation and centrifugation samples, respectively. Adipocyte and osteoblast commitment of SVF cells obtained from all the three procedures also confirmed that the subpopulation of ADSCs was actively represented in the processed aspirates. Moreover, the growth rate of the SVF cells was more accentuated in the samples obtained from decantation and Lull than centrifugation. In conclusion, Lull seems to be the best processing technique for adipose tissue graft with respect to decantation and centrifugation, because it clears more efficiently the fat from proinflammatory blood cells and provides the greatest number of proliferating SFV cells and ADSCs.