bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐term androgen deprivation, with or without radiotherapy, in locally advanced prostate cancer: updated results from a phase III randomised trial
Authors: Sargos Paul , Mottet Nicolas , Bellera Carine , Richaud Pierre
Published: April 2019

Objectives

To report the long‐term oncological outcomes of a randomised trial comparing androgen‐deprivation therapy (ADT) combined with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and ADT alone in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer.

Patients and Methods

In this multicentre phase III trial, patients were randomly assigned to ADT alone or ADT+EBRT. Leuprorelin 11.25 mg was administered for 3 years. The whole pelvis was treated at a dose of 46 Gy and the prostate with a boost from 20 to 28 Gy. The primary endpoint was progression‐free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), disease‐specific survival (DSS), locoregional PFS (LRPFS), metastasis‐free survival (MFS), biochemical PFS (BPFS), and tolerance.

Results

With a median follow‐up of 7.3 years, 263 patients were included. The 8‐year PFS rate was significantly higher in the ADT+EBRT arm than in the ADT arm (48% vs 7%; hazard ratio [HR] 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.17–0.39; P < 0.001); in patients with a baseline PSA level ≥50 ng/mL (HR 0.10, 95% CI 0.05–0.20; P < 0.001) and in patients with a baseline PSA level <50 ng/mL (HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.19–0.40; P < 0.001). The risk of death from prostate cancer was significantly reduced in the ADT+EBRT arm (sub‐HR [SHR] 0.48, 95% CI 0.25–0.91; P = 0.02). The 8‐year OS rate was 57% in the ADT arm and 65% in the ADT+EBRT arm (no significant difference). LRPFS was significantly in favour of the ADT+EBRT arm (SHR 0.61, 95% CI 0.42–0.89; P = 0.01). MFS was comparable between both arms (P = 0.88). Analysis of toxicities revealed acute lower tolerance in the ADT+EBRT arm, with a gradual decrease in intensity from 6 months after the end of EBRT.

Conclusions

These long‐term results confirm the oncological benefit of combining EBRT with ADT in the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer.
The short‐term effects of tolterodine on nocturnal incontinence after ileal orthotopic neobladder: a randomised crossover placebo‐controlled study
Authors: Zahran Mohamed H. , Harraz Ahmed M. , Taha Diaa Eldin , Nabeeh Hossam , El Hefnawy Ahmed S. , Ali‐El‐Dein Bedeir
Published: April 2019

Objectives

To assess the effect of tolterodine in the treatment of nocturnal urinary incontinence (NUI) after ileal orthotopic neobladder (ONB).

Patients and methods

This is a prospective randomised placebo‐controlled crossover study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02877901). Patients with NUI after ONB were randomly allocated into two equal groups. Group T received 4 mg extended‐release tolterodine at bed‐time and Group P received placebo for 4 weeks followed by 2 weeks of washout, then crossed over to the alternate therapy for 4 weeks. Patients were assessed by the number of pads used per night (PPN) and with the Arabic version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire‐Short Form (ICIQ‐SF) at both phases of the study. The outcomes were the rate of NUI improvement and medication adverse events.

Results

Out of 172 patients, 150 and 122 patients were evaluated at both phases of the study. The mean ICIQ‐SF scores and PPN were significantly decreased in Group T compared to Group P in both study phases (P < 0.001). In Group T, 15 (10%) and 11 (9%) patients became dry after the first allocation and crossover, respectively. In Group T, 60 (77.9%) patients reported improvement vs four (5.5%) in Group P (P < 0.001) after the first allocation. Similarly, 46 (73%) and seven (11.9%) patients showed improvement in groups T and P after the crossover, respectively (P < 0.001). Dry mouth occurred in 31 (20.8%) patients.

Conclusions

Tolterodine seems to be a good choice for treatment of NUI after radical cystectomy and ONB. However, further studies are needed to delineate the long‐term effects and the associated urodynamic characteristics.
Bradykinin increases BP in endotoxemic rat: functional and biochemical evidence of angiotensin II AT1/bradykinin B2 receptor heterodimerization
Authors: Anton Elaine Leocádia , Fernandes Daniel , Assreuy Jamil , da Silva‐Santos José Eduardo
Published: April 2019

Background and Purpose

Bradykinin may induce vasoconstriction in selected vessels or under specific experimental conditions. We hypothesized that inflammatory stimuli, such as endotoxin challenge, may induce the dimerization of AT1/B2 receptors, altering the vascular effects of bradykinin.

Experimental Approach

Wistar rats received LPS (1 mg·kg−1, i.p.) and were anaesthetized for assessment of BP. Mesenteric resistance arteries were used in organ baths and subjected to co‐immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses.

Key Results

At 24 and 48 hr after LPS, bradykinin‐induced hypotension was followed by a sustained increase in BP, which was not found in non‐endotoxemic animals. The B2 receptor antagonist Hoe‐140 fully blocked the responses to bradykinin. The pressor effect of bradykinin was not prevented by prazosin, an α1‐adrenoceptor antagonist, but it was inhibited by the AT1 receptor antagonist losartan or the Rho‐kinase inhibitor Y‐27632. Endotoxemic rats also displayed enhanced pressor responses to angiotensin II, which were blocked by Hoe‐140. Co‐immunoprecipitation isolated using anti‐B2 or anti‐AT1 receptor antibodies showed that resistance arteries presented augmented levels of the AT1/B2 receptor complexes at 24 hr after LPS injection. The presence of AT1/B2 receptor heterodimers did correlate with the development of losartan‐sensitive contractile responses to bradykinin and potentiation of angiotensin II‐induced contraction, which was prevented by Hoe‐140.

Conclusions and Implications

Endotoxin challenge is a stimulus for AT1/B2 receptor heterodimerization in native vessels and shifts the B2 receptor‐dependent vascular effect of bradykinin to a more complex pathway, which also depends on AT1 receptors and their intracellular signalling pathways.
Pilot data supporting an attachment‐based theory of adolescent social media use
Authors: Venta Amanda , Harmon Jennifer , Abate Anna , Marshall Kaisa , Mouton‐Odum Suzanne
Published: April 2019

Background

Adolescents have virtually universal access to social media. Despite ample research linking attachment to social functioning in youth, neither this empirical research nor related theory has been extended to the virtual social context. The broad aim of this study was to test an attachment‐based model of social media use in adolescents in order to address a gap in the literature during this developmental stage and examine attachment and the related process of mentalizing as correlates of online behavior.

Method

Online social comparison/feedback‐seeking was selected as an outcome variable due to its known negative effects on adolescents. Analyses were conducted in a sample of 68 adolescents ranging in age from 15 to 18.

Results

No evidence of a main effect of parent–child attachment on social comparison/feedback‐seeking was found, but a significant mediational effect indicated that more insecure parent–child attachment is linked with hypermentalizing errors (i.e., overinterpretation of others’ mental states) and that such errors explain increased social comparison/feedback‐seeking.

Conclusions

The current study confirmed previously documented relations between parent–child attachment and hypermentalization as well as research demonstrating that parent–child attachment acts on an adolescent's social world – in this case their virtual social world – through anomalous mentalization.
Analysis of crowds' movement using Twitter
Authors: Fernández Vilas Ana , Díaz Redondo Rebeca P. , Ben Khalifa Mohamed
Published: April 2019

Over the last decade, the infrastructure supporting the smart city has lived together with and was surpassed by the rise of social media. The tremendous growth of both mobile devices and social media users has unearthed a new kind of services in the so‐called location‐based social networks (LBSNs). In this new scenario, the term crowdsensing refers to sharing data collected by sensing humans with the aim of measuring phenomena of common interest. Crowd‐sourced location data provide the ability to study, for the first time, the movement of individuals in urban environments. In this paper, we address the problem of monitoring crowds, whereabouts and movement, which can assist decision making in education, emergency training, urban planning, traffic engineering, etc. Precisely, two‐phase density‐based analysis for collectives and crowds (2PD‐CC) is a novel methodology over public data in LBSN, which combines density‐based clustering, outlier detection a topic modeling over a region under study to detect, predict, and explain abnormal group behavior. In order to validate the methodology and its potential application to full‐scale problems, an experiment over Twitter data was performed in Madrid city.
Hypoxia promotes vasculogenic mimicry formation by vascular endothelial growth factor A mediating epithelial‐mesenchymal transition in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma
Authors: Wang Hao‐fan , Wang Sha‐sha , Zheng Min , Dai Lu‐ling , Wang Ke , Gao Xiao‐lei , Cao Ming‐xin , Yu Xiang‐hua , Pang Xin , Zhang Mei , Wu Jing‐biao , Wu Jia‐shun , Yang Xiao , Tang Ya‐jie , Chen Yu , Tang Ya‐ling , Liang Xin‐hua
Published: April 2019

Objectives

To investigate the role of hypoxia in vasculogenic mimicry (VM) of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) and the underlying mechanism involved.

Materials and methods

Firstly, wound healing, transwell invasion, immunofluorescence and tube formation assays were performed to measure the effect of hypoxia on migration, invasion, EMT and VM of SACC cells, respectively. Then, immunofluorescence and RT‐PCR were used to detect the effect of hypoxia on VE‐cadherin and VEGFA expression. And pro‐vasculogenic mimicry effect of VEGFA was investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy and Western blot. Moreover, the levels of E‐cadherin, N‐cadherin, Vimentin, CD44 and ALDH1 were determined by Western blot and immunofluorescence in SACC cells treated by exogenous VEGFA or bevacizumab. Finally, CD31/ PAS staining was performed to observe VM and immunohistochemistry was used to determine the levels of VEGFA and HIF‐1α in 95 SACC patients. The relationships between VM and clinicopathological variables, VEGFA or HIF‐1α level were analysed.

Results

Hypoxia promoted cell migration, invasion, EMT and VM formation, and enhanced VE‐cadherin and VEGFA expression in SACC cells. Further, exogenous VEGFA markedly increased the levels of N‐cadherin, Vimentin, CD44 and ALDH1, and inhibited the expression of E‐cadherin, while the VEGFA inhibitor reversed these changes. In addition, VM channels existed in 25 of 95 SACC samples, and there was a strong positive correlation between VM and clinic stage, distant metastases, VEGFA and HIF‐1α expression.

Conclusions

VEGFA played an important role in hypoxia‐induced VM through regulating EMT and stemness, which may eventually fuel the migration and invasion of SACC.
Building resilience to climate risks through social protection: from individualised models to systemic transformation
Authors: Ulrichs Martina , Slater Rachel , Costella Cecilia
Published: April 2019

This article analyses the role of social protection programmes in contributing to people's resilience to climate risks. Drawing from desk‐based and empirical studies in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, it finds that social transfers make a strong contribution to the capacity of individuals and households to absorb the negative impacts of climate‐related shocks and stresses. They do so through the provision of reliable, national social safety net systems—even when these are not specifically designed to address climate risks. Social protection can also increase the anticipatory capacity of national disaster response systems through scalability mechanisms, or pre‐emptively through linkages to early action and early warning mechanisms. Critical knowledge gaps remain in terms of programmes’ contributions to the adaptive capacity required for long‐term resilience. The findings offer insights beyond social protection on the importance of robust, national administrative systems as a key foundation to support people's resilience to climate risks.
How violence against women and girls undermines resilience to climate risks in Chad
Authors: Masson Virginie Le , Benoudji Colette , Reyes Sandra Sotelo , Bernard Giselle
Published: April 2019

What consequences does ‘everyday violence’ have on the abilities of survivors to protect themselves from further risks? This paper seeks to establish the linkages between violence and people's resilience capacities to survive and adapt to environmental changes, particularly those living in fragile economic and political contexts such as Chad. It investigates not only how the adverse consequences of violence against women and girls affect the health status and livelihoods of survivors, but also their capacities, and those of their household and community members, to further protect themselves from other risks. Empirical evidence collected in Chad as part of the BRACED (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters) programme shows that ‘everyday violence’ undermines resilience‐building at the individual, household, and community level. These results have serious implications for development programmes and the role they need to play to better promote both gender equality and resilience to shocks and stresses.
Executive function deficits in children born preterm or at low birthweight: a meta‐analysis
Authors: van Houdt Carolien A , Oosterlaan Jaap , van Wassenaer‐Leemhuis Aleid G , van Kaam Anton H , Aarnoudse‐Moens Cornelieke S H
Published: April 2019

Aim

To investigate the magnitude of executive function deficits and their dependency on gestational age, sex, age at assessment, and year of birth for children born preterm and/or at low birthweight.

Method

PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and ERIC were searched for studies reporting on executive functions in children born preterm/low birthweight and term controls born in 1990 and later, assessed at a mean age of 4 years or higher. Studies were included if five or more studies reported on the same executive function measures.

Results

Thirty‐five studies (3360 children born preterm/low birthweight, 2812 controls) were included. Children born preterm/low birthweight performed 0.5 standardized mean difference (SMD) lower on working memory and cognitive flexibility and 0.4 SMD lower on inhibition. SMDs for these executive functions did not significantly differ from each other. Meta‐regression showed that heterogeneity in SMDs for working memory and inhibition could not be explained by study differences in gestational age, sex, age at assessment, or year of birth.

Interpretation

Children born preterm/low birthweight since 1990 perform half a SMD below term‐born peers on executive function, which does not seem to improve with more recent advances in medical care or with increasing age.

What this paper adds

Children born preterm/low birthweight perform below term‐born children on core executive functions.

Lower gestational age or male sex are not risk factors for poorer executive functions.

Executive function difficulties in children born preterm/low birthweight remain stable across childhood.

Executive function difficulties are similar for children born recently and children born in earlier eras.
Diapause decision in the small tortoiseshell butterfly, Aglais urticae
Authors: Wiklund Christer , Lehmann Philipp , Friberg Magne
Published: April 2019

Insects in temperate areas spend the inhospitable winter conditions in a resting stage known as diapause. In species that diapause in the larval or pupal stage, the decision whether to diapause or develop directly is customarily taken during the late instars, with long days (i.e., long light phases) and high temperatures promoting direct development. Among butterflies that overwinter as adults, data are rare and variable, but imply that the larval daylength conditions can affect the pathway decision. We studied the small tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Nymphalini), which is partially bivoltine from Central Scandinavia and southwards, and tested whether the pathway decision is taken in the larval or adult stage. We reared larvae under long‐day (L22:D2) or short‐day (L12:D12) photoperiods, and recorded the pathway taken by the eclosing adults by scoring their propensity to mate and produce eggs. We also tested whether the larval photoperiod influenced adult ability to diapause by assessing adult survival. The results clearly indicate that (1) there is no detectable effect of larval photoperiod treatment on the pathway decision taken by adults whether to enter diapause or to develop directly, (2) some individuals are obligately univoltine and insensitive to photoperiod during adulthood, whereas (3) other individuals can facultatively enter diapause or direct development, depending on the photoperiod experienced after adult eclosion.
Altitudinal variation in life‐history traits in the lawn ground cricket, Polionemobius mikado
Authors: Matsuda Naoki , Numata Hideharu
Published: April 2019

It has been reported that the lawn ground cricket, Polionemobius mikado (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae), shows variations in voltinism and life‐history traits along latitude in Japan, but whether it shows variations along altitude has not been examined. The present study aims to determine whether there is variation in voltinism, body size and the incidence of embryonic diapause among populations of P. mikado at different altitudes in Kyoto, Japan. Six populations collected from 70 to 800 m a.s.l. showed a positive relationship between the adult head width and the altitude of sampling locality. This body size cline is attributed to the increasing proportion of larger univoltine individuals from low to high altitude. The incidence of diapause of the strain from altitude 800 m was approximately 100% when reared under natural photoperiods and temperatures from spring to summer at an altitude of 70 m, and was significantly higher than that of the strain from 70 m. These differences in life‐history traits suggest that the population of P. mikado at a higher altitude has adapted to a shorter length of the season available for growth.
Use of a carbonated beverage to disintegrate a phytobezoar obstructing the intrathoracic portion of the oesophagus of a horse
Authors: Livesey L. C. , Yorke E. , Parra A. , Gray Q. , Davies C. , Weldon D. , Schumacher J. , Kimura S. , Howard C. , Sierra‐Rodriguez T. , Mora‐Pereira M.
Published: April 2019

This report describes the treatment of a 17‐year‐old American Quarter Horse gelding for an oesophageal obstruction of approximately 24 h’ duration. An intraluminal oesophageal mass resembling a phytobezoar and located close to the cardia, was observed during endoscopic examination of the oesophagus of a horse showing signs of oesophageal obstruction. An intrathoracic oesophageal diverticulum, filled with fluid, was observed about 40 cm proximal to the obstruction. The end of a nasogastric tube was guided beyond the diverticulum, using gastroscopic observation, so that its tip rested close to the obstruction. The obstruction failed to disintegrate or move into the stomach despite vigorous, prolonged lavage. With the nasogastric tube left in place, and the horse's head elevated, 0.5 L cola was administered adjacent to the obstruction through the nasogastric tube. The head was maintained in the elevated position for an hour, after which time the head was lowered and oesophageal lavage resumed. The nasogastric tube was passed into the stomach within 3 min of re‐instituting lavage. The successful use of a carbonated beverage to treat human patients for oesophageal or gastrointestinal obstruction caused by a phytobezoar is well documented. Carbonated beverages have also been reported to be effective in treating horses for gastric and enteric impactions caused by persimmon seeds. Administering cola into the oesophagus may help resolve oesophageal obstruction of horses caused by a phytobezoar or impacted feed material when horses are refractory to other treatments.
Climate affects the rate at which species successively flower: Capturing an emergent property of regional floras
Authors: Park Isaac W. , Mazer Susan J.
Published: April 2019

Aim

Climate affects the flowering time of many species. Little is known, however, about how climate influences the properties of regional floras, including the rate at which taxa flower sequentially throughout the flowering season. This study is the first to detect geographical variation in this rate across North America. In addition, we tested for the independent effects of intraspecific variation in flowering time and taxonomic composition on the rate of sequential flowering among regional floras distributed across a temperature gradient.

Location

North America.

Time period

This study examined >59,000 herbarium specimens that were collected in flower from 1901 to 2013.

Major taxa studied

2,803 angiosperm taxa.

Methods

We identified 51 climatically homogeneous regions across the continental, mostly western states of the USA, in each of which ≥100 species were represented by herbarium specimens. We then examined the effects of mean annual temperature (MAT) on the rate of sequential flowering among species in each region. We also evaluated whether geographical variation in the rate of sequential flowering was attributable to intraspecific variation in the flowering time and/or the taxonomic composition of regional floras.

Results

As MAT increased over space, the rate of sequential flowering (standardized by the absolute length of the flowering season in each region) increased among relatively early‐flowering taxa but decreased among the latest‐flowering taxa. Both intraspecific variation and shifts in taxonomic composition among floras contributed to this pattern.

Main conclusions

Among floras throughout North America, the rate of sequential flowering among co‐occurring taxa changes with MAT. Intraspecific phenological variation primarily affects the rate of sequential flowering during the first half of the growing season, consistent with the inference that future warming will most strongly affect flowering synchrony among early‐flowering taxa.
Japanese periodical nationwide epidemiologic survey of aberrant portal hemodynamics
Authors: Ohfuji Satoko , Furuichi Yoshihiro , Akahoshi Tomohiko , Kage Masayoshi , Obara Katsutoshi , Hashizume Makoto , Matsuura Tomoka , Fukushima Wakaba , Nakamura Yosikazu
Published: April 2019

Aim

Idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH), extrahepatic portal obstruction (EHO), and Budd–Chiari syndrome (BCS) are characterized by aberrant portal hemodynamics of unknown etiology. The aim of this study was to explore trends in the descriptive epidemiology of these diseases through periodical nationwide surveys.

Methods

Nationwide epidemiologic surveys were undertaken in 1999, 2005, and 2015 using the same protocol. The survey targets were selected from all departments of gastrointestinal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and pediatric surgery in Japan by stratified random sampling according to the number of beds. We asked each department to complete a mail‐back questionnaire on the annual numbers of patients with IPH, EHO, and BCS during the preceding year.

Results

The estimated number of BCS patients increased from 280 (95% confidence interval, 200–360) in 1999 survey to 410 (300–530) in 2015 survey, whereas the number of IPH and EHO patients has remained largely unchanged during the 15 years (IPH was approximately 1000; EHO was approximately 770 in 2015 survey). The mean age at symptom onset was approximately 45 years for IPH, 30 years for EHO, and 40 years for BCS over the past 15 years. Those who described disease aggravation from the time of diagnosis accounted for approximately 10% of IPH, 15% of EHO, and 20% of BCS patients in each of the three surveys.

Conclusions

In Japan, the prevalence of BCS is increasing, while those of IPH and EHO appear to be stable. Clinical characteristics, including prognoses, have remained largely unchanged in the past 15 years.
Social intelligence and interview accuracy: Individual differences in the ability to construct interviews and rate accurately
Authors: Speer Andrew B. , Christiansen Neil D. , Laginess Andrew J.
Published: April 2019

This research examined differences in interviewers’ ability to identify effective interview questions and to accurately rate interviewees’ responses. Given the theoretical association between these interview activities and the construct of social intelligence (SI), a performance‐based measure of SI was developed utilizing situational judgment test methodology. The initial step was to examine evidence of the psychometric properties and construct validity of the new SI measure. The SI measure, a test of general mental ability (GMA), and a personality inventory were then used to examine aspects of rater performance. Participants chose a set of interview questions and viewed interviewee responses during a videotaped interview. Results showed that people higher in SI and GMA chose interview questions judged by experts to be superior and were more accurate in rating interviewee responses. The SI measure explained variance beyond GMA and outperformed a trait‐based SI measure. Implications for the selection and training of interviewers are discussed.
Eighteen‐Month‐Old Infants Correct Non‐Conforming Actions by Others
Authors: Schmidt Marco F. H. , Rakoczy Hannes , Tomasello Michael
Published: April 2019

At around their third birthday, children begin to enforce social norms on others impersonally, often using generic normative language, but little is known about the developmental building blocks of this abstract norm understanding. Here, we investigate whether even toddlers show signs of enforcing on others interpersonally how “we” do things. In an initial dyad, 18‐month‐old infants learnt a simple game‐like action from an adult. In two experiments, the adult either engaged infants in a normative interactive activity (stressing that this is the way “we” do it) or, as a non‐normative control, marked the same action as idiosyncratic, based on individual preference. In a test dyad, infants had the opportunity to spontaneously intervene when a puppet partner performed an alternative action. Infants intervened, corrected, and directed the puppet more in the normative than in the non‐normative conditions. These findings suggest that, during the second year of life, infants develop second‐personal normative expectations about their partner's behavior (“You should do X!”) in social interactions, thus making an important step toward understanding the normative structure of human cultural activities. These simple normative expectations will later be scaled up to group‐minded and abstract social norms.
Which frugivory‐related traits facilitated historical long‐distance dispersal in the custard apple family (Annonaceae)?
Authors: Onstein Renske E. , Kissling W. Daniel , Chatrou Lars W. , Couvreur Thomas L. P. , Morlon Hélène , Sauquet Hervé
Published: April 2019

Aim

Long‐distance dispersal has contributed to the disjunct biogeographical distribution of rain forest plants—something that has fascinated biogeographers since Humboldt's time. However, the dispersal agent for these tropical plant lineages remains puzzling. Here, we investigate which frugivory‐related traits may have facilitated past intercontinental long‐distance dispersal in the custard apple family (Annonaceae), a major vertebrate‐dispersed tropical plant family. We hypothesize that long‐distance dispersal was associated with the evolution of traits related to dispersal by large‐bodied mammals (e.g., large, dull‐coloured, “megafaunal” fruits) and strong‐flying, ocean‐crossing birds and bats (e.g., dehiscent, moniliform or cauliflorous fruits).

Location

Global.

Taxon

Annonaceae.

Methods

We used a fossil‐calibrated phylogenetic framework to infer the biogeographic history of 234 Annonaceae species (10%, covering nearly all genera) in relation to the evolution of 15 frugivory‐related traits, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences. Furthermore, we used linear and generalized linear models and phylogenetic simulations to test whether ancestral fruit traits during intercontinental dispersal were different from those of other lineages not involved in long‐distance dispersal.

Results

We inferred the ancestral Annonaceae fruits to be small with a single or few small seeds and a small number of fruitlets. These fruits were most probably apocarpous, indehiscent and/or moniliform (i.e., long beads of fruitlets). Furthermore, most of the long‐distance dispersal events in Annonaceae occurred via the expanded tropical forests in the Early Cenozoic (“geodispersal”), and were significantly associated with large (c. 3 cm long), dull‐coloured fruits and short stipes. Additionally, long‐distance dispersal was also facilitated by dehiscent, moniliform and non‐cauliflorous fruits.

Main conclusions

We suggest that the evolution of frugivory‐related traits associated with dispersal by frugivores that frequently move across large distances and/or barriers, such as large‐bodied mammals and strong‐flying birds, has contributed to the disjunct tropical biogeographical distribution of Annonaceae, and probably of tropical rain forest plants more generally.
Preschool family irregularity and the development of sleep problems in childhood: a longitudinal study
Authors: Koopman‐Verhoeff Maria Elisabeth , Serdarevic Fadila , Kocevska Desana , Bodrij F. Fenne , Mileva‐Seitz Viara R. , Reiss Irwin , Hillegers Manon H.J. , Tiemeier Henning , Cecil Charlotte A.M. , Verhulst Frank C. , Luijk Maartje P.C.M.
Published: April 2019

Background

Previous studies have shown that poor family environments are related to more sleep problems; however, little is known about how family irregularity in early life affects the development of sleep problems over childhood using objective sleep measures. The current study tests the hypothesis that early family irregularity contributes to the development of sleep problems.

Methods

This population‐based study comprises 5,443 children from the Generation R Study. Family irregularity was measured with seven maternal‐reported questions on family routines when children were 2 and 4 years old. Mothers reported on sleep problems at child age 3, 6, and 10 years, whereas children completed questionnaires on sleep problems at age 10. Additionally, we used tri‐axial wrist accelerometers for five nights in 851 children (mean age 11.7 years) to assess sleep objectively.

Results

Family irregularity was associated with more mother‐ and child‐reported sleep problems at ages 3, 6, and 10 years as well as with a shorter sleep duration and later objective sleep onset, but not with sleep efficiency or waking time. The association between family irregularity and multi‐informant subjective sleep problems at age 10 years was mediated by mother‐reported child psychopathology at age 6 years.

Conclusions

Our findings show a long‐term robust association of preschool family irregularity with more sleep problems during childhood as well as shorter sleep duration and later sleep onset as measured objectively with actigraphy. In part, these sleep problems were associated with family irregularity by way of child psychopathology. These findings suggest that interventions improving preschool family irregularity, which are targeted to reduce child psychopathology, may also impact the development of sleep problems beneficially.
Function, Survival, and Care Utilization Among Older Adults With Hematologic Malignancies
Authors: DuMontier Clark , Liu Michael A. , Murillo Anays , Hshieh Tammy , Javedan Houman , Soiffer Robert , Stone Richard M. , Driver Jane A. , Abel Gregory A.
Published: April 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Cancer‐focused organizations now recommend routine assessment of instrumental activities of daily living (iADLs) for all older patients with cancer, along with assessment of basic activities of daily living (ADLs) if possible. However, little is known regarding the role of iADLs in predicting survival and acute‐care utilization in populations of older adults with different hematologic malignancies.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A screening geriatric assessment was conducted for adults 75 years and older with hematologic malignancies (n = 464) presenting for initial consultation at a large tertiary cancer hospital in Boston, MA.

MEASUREMENTS

Univariable and multivariable analyses assessed the association of dependency in ADLs and dependency in iADLs with survival and care utilization (emergency department [ED] visits and unplanned hospitalizations).

RESULTS

Subjects were a mean age of 79.7 years and had a mean follow‐up of 13.8 months. Overall, 11.4% had dependency in ADLs and 26.7% had dependency in iADLs. Only iADL dependency was associated with higher mortality (hazard ratio = 2.34 [95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.46‐3.74]) independently of age, comorbidity, cancer aggressiveness, and treatment intensity. The effect was dose dependent, and impairments in shopping, meal preparation, and housework were all independently associated with a higher hazard of death. iADL dependency was also associated with higher odds of ED visits (odds ratio [OR] = 2.76 [95% CI = 1.30‐5.84]) and hospitalizations (OR = 2.89 [95% CI = 1.37‐6.09]). Several geriatric domain impairments, including probable cognitive impairment and physical dysfunction, were associated with iADL dependency.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that older adults with hematologic malignancies and iADL dependency experience higher mortality and acute‐care utilization, arguing that iADLs should be formally assessed as part of routine oncology care. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:889–897, 2019.
The characteristics of the lobular arrangement indicate the dynamic role played by the infrapatellar fat pad in knee kinematics
Authors: Macchi Veronica , Picardi Edgardo Enrico Edoardo , Fontanella Chiara Giulia , Porzionato Andrea , Stecco Carla , Tortorella Cinzia , Favero Marta , Natali Arturo , De Caro Raffaele
Published: April 2019

The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) is an intracapsular but extrasynovial structure, located between the patellar tendon, the femoral condyles and the tibial plateau. It consists of white adipose tissue, organised in lobules defined by thin connective septa. The aim of this study is the morphometric and ultrasonographic analysis of IFP in subjects without knee pathology during flexion‐extension movements. The morphometric study was conducted on 20 cadavers (15M, 5F, mean age 80.2 years). Ultrasound was performed on 24 volunteers with no history of knee diseases (5M, 19F, mean age: 45 years). The characteristics of the adipose lobules near the patellar tendon and in the deep portion of the IFP were evaluated. Numerical models were provided, according to the size of the lobules. At histological examination, the adipose lobules located near the patellar tendon were larger (mean area 12.2 mm2 ± 5.3) than those at a deeper level (mean area 1.34 mm2 ± 0.7, P < 0.001) and the thickness of the septa of the deepest adipose lobules (mean value 0.35 mm ± 0.32) was greater than that of the superficial one (mean value 0.29 mm ± 0.25, P < 0.001). At ultrasound, the IFP was seen to be composed of very large lobules in the superficial part (mean area 0.29 cm2 ± 0.17 in extension), with a significant reduction in flexion (mean area 0.12 cm2 ± 0.07, P < 0.01). The deep lobules were smaller (mean area 0.11 cm2 ± 0.08 in extension) and did not change their values (mean area 0.19 cm2 ± 0.52 in flexion, P > 0.05). In the sagittal plane, the reduction of thickness of the superficial layer (with large adipose lobules) during flexion was 20.6%, whereas that of the deep layer (with small adipose lobules) was 1.3%. Numerical simulation of vertical loads, corresponding to flexion of the knee, showed that stress mainly developed within the interlobular septa and opposed bulging of the lobules. The characteristics of the lobular arrangement of the IFP (large lobules with superficial septa in the superficial part and small lobules with thick septa in the deep one), significant changes in the areas and perimeters of the superficial lobules, and the reduced thickness of the superficial layer during flexion all indicate the dynamic role played by the IFP in knee kinematics.
Efficacy and safety of moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper‐zinc‐manganese versus 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in decreasing adverse reaction and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing: A split‐face, double‐blinded, randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Lueangarun Suparuj , Srituravanit Aphinut , Tempark Therdpong
Published: April 2019

Introduction

Fractional carbon dioxide (FrCO2) laser is effective for atrophic acne scar treatment, but unavoidable downtime. Meanwhile, postoperative topical steroid decreases the downtime, yet still possibly increases other steroid side effects.

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper‐zinc‐manganese (experimental cream) versus 0.02% Triamcinolone acetonide (TA) cream in decreasing adverse effects and downtime after FrCO2 laser, with wound healing improvement and prevention of certain steroid‐related side effects like postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).

Methods

We conducted a double‐blinded, split face, randomized controlled trial in 20 subjects receiving FrCO2 laser on both sides of the faces and randomly treated with two posttreatment regimens on each side for 7 days. Clinical, expert panel assessment of photography, downtime, side effects, and biometric evaluation for erythema and melanin were performed on baseline, immediately after treatment, day 3, 5, 7, 14, 30 and, 60 postoperatively.

Results

Both experimental cream (EC) and 0.02% TA cream could significantly reduce postlaser downtime including swelling, redness, crusting, and scaling in 5‐7 days, with comparable efficacies in decreasing downtime and adverse reactions, as well as wound healing improvement and lower PIH without statistically significant difference between the two treatments. The incidence of PIH was 60% in the EC treated group with minimal intensity.

Conclusion

The moisturizer with anti‐inflammatory ingredients could be a novel treatment modality for reduction of postablative laser downtime by using nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory agents to avoid adverse effects and improve wound healing process with lower PIH.
Two cases of neuroangiostrongyliasis: A rare disease because rarely considered or rarely diagnosed?
Authors: Berkhout Angela , Prociv Paul , Herbert Anthony , Anthony Leslie T , Nourse Clare
Published: April 2019

Aim

The rat lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is well established in eastern Australia, where it is the almost exclusive cause of human eosinophilic meningoencephalitis (EME). While neuroangiostrongyliasis can result in severe morbidity or death, its diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion among medical practitioners. Prevention requires a high level of public awareness.

Methods

We report two cases of EME in children from Queensland and summarise all reported Australian cases from the literature. We discuss the pathogenesis of neuroangiostrongyliasis, with particular reference to the timing of prophylaxis and treatment.

Results

A 5‐year‐old girl developed severe headache, eosinophilic meningitis and abnormal neuroimaging following a holiday to Bali. A 10‐year‐old boy with Rubinstein‐Taybi syndrome, marked developmental delay and pica developed EME following ingestion of a snail, resulting in long‐term morbidity. From 1971 to 2018, 28 Australian cases have been reported, with acquisition restricted to Southeast Queensland and New South Wales. Ages ranged from 10 months to 45 years; most were male and most likely acquired infection from consuming unwashed lettuce or vegetables. The mortality rate was 18%; most fatalities occurred in children <1 year old. Long‐term neurological deficit was reported in 14% of cases and a full recovery in 57% of cases.

Conclusions

Heightened medical and public awareness of the parasite is required to prevent infection and subsequent disease. A better understanding of the efficacy of prophylactic anthelmintic following ingestion or handling of molluscs and further studies of epidemiology of this parasite will inform and facilitate public health recommendations.
Are Bivocational Clergy Becoming the New Normal? An Analysis of the Current Population Survey, 1996–2017
Authors: Perry Samuel L. , Schleifer Cyrus
Published: April 2019

Transitions in the American religious landscape including religious nonaffiliation, congregational and seminary enrollment declines, and the proliferation of megachurches have reshaped the clergy labor market and increased the precariousness of this type of work. One potential indication of this growing instability is the supposedly increasing number of bivocational clergy who depend on a second job to supplement their income. There are few reliable data, however, that can trace out national‐level trends of bivocational clergy. Using the Current Population Survey, this study tests whether there has been any proportional increase in bivocational clergy and to what extent such an increase has been localized to certain groups. We find that the percentage of clergy who report having a second job has not increased since 1996. However, clergy who are female, unmarried, or working in the American northeast are increasingly likely to report working a second job. These trends suggest that clergy who receive occupational advantages—due to gender or marital status—or who live in highly religious/low cost‐of‐living regions of the country may be protected from taking on a second job whereas those clergy without these advantages increasingly must depend on additional sources of income.
Can Cohort Effects Explain the Decline of Earnings for Older Workers? Evidence from France and Great Britain
Authors: Charni Kadija
Published: April 2019

Classical literature takes cross‐sectional age‐earnings profile to describe how earnings evolve over the lifecycle. Using a cohort analysis, I argue that this interpretation of age‐earnings profile is not correct. I show that cohort effects largely explain the decline observed at older ages using a rotating panel data for France and a longitudinal panel data for Great Britain for the period 1991–2007. I find no clear evidence that earnings decline at older age, although the profiles are different between countries. Earnings rise linearly with age in France, whereas it becomes flat for older workers in Great Britain.
A Typology of Tax Compliance in Developing Economies: Empirical Evidence from China's Shoe Industry
Authors: He Xin , Xiao Huina
Published: April 2019

Drawing on fieldwork investigations of shoe manufacturers in southeastern China, this article provides empirical evidence for understanding these businesses’ taxpaying practices. We find that since business taxpayers largely regard tax law as illegitimate, instrumental considerations dominate these taxpayers’ decisions to pay or not pay taxes. We then incorporate “structural opportunities for evasion” and “perceived costs of evasion” to develop a two‐by‐two matrix to understand the following types of behavior: aggressive evasion, obliged compliance, strategic compliance, and reciprocal compliance. We argue that this matrix explains why value added tax fraud is widespread in China while voluntary compliance is rare. It also helps to illuminate compliance more generally in developing economies.
Application of microscale culture technologies for studying lymphatic vessel biology
Authors: Chang Chia‐Wen , Seibel Alex J. , Song Jonathan W.
Published: April 2019

Immense progress in microscale engineering technologies has significantly expanded the capabilities of in vitro cell culture systems for reconstituting physiological microenvironments that are mediated by biomolecular gradients, fluid transport, and mechanical forces. Here, we examine the innovative approaches based on microfabricated vessels for studying lymphatic biology. To help understand the necessary design requirements for microfluidic models, we first summarize lymphatic vessel structure and function. Next, we provide an overview of the molecular and biomechanical mediators of lymphatic vessel function. Then we discuss the past achievements and new opportunities for microfluidic culture models to a broad range of applications pertaining to lymphatic vessel physiology. We emphasize the unique attributes of microfluidic systems that enable the recapitulation of multiple physicochemical cues in vitro for studying lymphatic pathophysiology. Current challenges and future outlooks of microscale technology for studying lymphatics are also discussed. Collectively, we make the assertion that further progress in the development of microscale models will continue to enrich our mechanistic understanding of lymphatic biology and physiology to help realize the promise of the lymphatic vasculature as a therapeutic target for a broad spectrum of diseases.
Pancreatic source of protease activity in the spontaneously hypertensive rat and its reduction during temporary food restriction
Authors: Chan Amy Hsueh Wen , Schmid‐Schönbein Geert W.
Published: April 2019

Objective:

The mechanisms underlying cell and organ dysfunctions in hypertension are uncertain. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) has elevated levels of unchecked degrading proteases compared to the control Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat. The extracellular proteases destroy membrane receptors leading to cell dysfunctions, including arteriolar constriction and elevated blood pressure. Our goal was to identify potential sources of the uncontrolled enzymatic activity.

Methods:

Zymographic and digital immunohistochemical measurements in SHR pancreas and intestine were obtained as part of the digestive system with high levels of degrading enzymes.

Objective:

The results showed that SHRs have significantly higher protease activity than WKY in pancreas (22.04 ± 9.01 vs 13.02 ± 3.92 casein fluorescence intensity unit; P < 0.05) and pancreatic venules (0.011 ± 0.003 vs 0.005 ± 0.003 trypsin absorbance; P < 0.05) as well as in venous blood (71.07 ± 13.92 vs 36.44 ± 16.59 casein fluorescence intensity unit; P < 0.05). The enzymatic activity is contributed by trypsin and chymotrypsin. Furthermore, a decrease of these enzyme activity levels achieved during a short‐term fasting period is associated with a reduction in systolic blood pressurein SHR (135 ± 8 mm Hg vs 124 ± 7 mm Hg; P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

The results suggest the pancreas of the SHR is a potential source for serine proteases leaking into the circulation and contributing to its protease activity.