bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variable-temperature X-ray diffraction study of structural parameters of NH---S hydrogen bonds in triethylammonium and pyridinium silanethiolates
Authors: Mielcarek Agnieszka , Daszkiewicz Marek , Kazimierczuk Katarzyna , Ciborska Anna , Dołęga Anna
Published: September 2016

Two hydrogen-bonded, well defined compounds were synthesized from tris(2,6-diisopropyl)phenoxysilanethiol (TDST) and triethylamine (TDST–TEA) or pyridine (TDST–py). The crystalline compounds were characterized in the solid state by variable-temperature X-ray diffraction measurements and ATR FT–IR spectroscopy. The toluene solutions of TDST–TEA and TDST–py were studied by NMR spectroscopy. The total hydrogen-bond energies and FT–IR spectra were calculated with the use of BLYP-D/TZP and B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)/GD3BJ methods. Thermochemical parameters and potential energy scans were calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)/GD3BJ level. All results point to the higher energy of bonding in TDST–TEA both in the solid state and in solution. At the same time the potential energy scan reveals a very broad double-well hydrogen bond in TDST-py, indicating good stabilization of the system for a wide range ofD—H...Adistances.
Acetic anhydride at 100 K: the first crystal structure determination
Authors: Seidel Rüdiger W. , Goddard Richard , Nöthling Nils , Lehmann Christian W.
Published: September 2016

Acetic anhydride (ethanoic anhydride), (CH3CO)2O, is a widely used acetylation reagent in organic synthesis. The crystal and molecular structure, as determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis at 100 K, is reported for the first time. A crystal of the title compound (m.p. 200 K) suitable for X-ray diffraction was grown from the melt at low temperature. The title compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space groupPbcn, withZ= 4. In the crystal, the molecule adopts an exactC2-symmetric conformation about a crystallographic twofold axis. The molecules are densely packed. Two of the methyl H atoms form short intermolecular contacts to a neighbouring carbonyl O atom, which can be viewed as weak hydrogen bonds.
Rethinking gossip and scandal in healthcare organizations
Authors: Waddington Kathryn
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that gossip is a neglected aspect of organizational communication and knowledge, and an under-used management resource.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper challenges mainstream managerial assumptions that gossip is trivial or tainted talk which should be discouraged in the workplace. Instead, gossip is re-framed at an organizational level of analysis, which provides the opportunity for relational knowledge about systemic failure and poor practice in healthcare to surface.

Findings

Rather than simply viewing gossip as an individual behaviour and interpersonal process, it is claimed that organizational gossip is also a valuable early warning indicator of risk and failure in healthcare systems. There is potentially significant value in re-framing gossip as an aspect of organizational communication and knowledge. If attended to (rather than neglected or silenced) gossip can provide fresh insights into professional practice, decision making and relational leadership.

Originality/value

This paper offers a provocative challenge to mainstream health organization and management thinking about gossip in the workplace. It offers new ways of thinking to promote patient safety, and prevent the scandals that have plagued healthcare organizations in recent years.
The performance of primary health care organizations depends on interdependences with the local environment
Authors: Lamarche Paul , Maillet Lara
Published: September 2016

Purpose

Improving the performance of health care organizations is now perceived as essential in order to better address the needs of the populations and respect their ability to pay for the services. There is no consensus on what is performance. It is increasingly considered as the optimal execution of four functions that every organization must achieve in order to survive and develop: reach goals; adapt to its environment; produce goods or services and maintain values; and a satisfying organizational climate. There is also no consensus on strategies to improve this performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper intends to analyze the performance of primary health care organizations from the perspective of Kauffman’s model. It mainly aims to understand the often contradictory, paradoxical and unexpected results that emerge from studies on this topic.

Findings

To do so, the first section briefly presents Kauffman’s model and lays forward its principal components. The second section presents three studies on the performance of primary organizations and brings out the contradictory, paradoxical and unexpected results they obtained. The third section explains these results in the light of Kauffman’s model.

Originality/value

Kauffman’s model helps give meaning to the results of researches on performance of primary health care organizations that were qualified as paradoxical or unexpected. The performance of primary health care organizations then cannot be understood by only taking into account the characteristics of these organizations. The complexity of the environments in which they operate must simultaneously be taken into account. This paper brings original development of an integrated view of the performance of organizations, their own characteristics and those of the local environment in which they operated.
Handbook of protocols for standardized measurement of terrestrial invertebrate functional traits
Authors: Moretti Marco , Dias André T. C. , de Bello Francesco , Altermatt Florian , Chown Steven L. , Azcárate Francisco M. , Bell James R. , Fournier Bertrand , Hedde Mickaël , Hortal Joaquín , Ibanez Sébastien , Öckinger Erik , Sousa José Paulo , Ellers Jacintha , Berg Matty P.
Published: September 2016

Trait‐based approaches are increasingly being used to test mechanisms underlying species assemblages and biotic interactions across a wide range of organisms including terrestrial arthropods and to investigate consequences for ecosystem processes. Such an approach relies on the standardized measurement of functional traits that can be applied across taxa and regions. Currently, however, unified methods of trait measurements are lacking for terrestrial arthropods and related macroinvertebrates (terrestrial invertebrates hereafter).

Here, we present a comprehensive review and detailed protocol for a set of 29 traits known to be sensitive to global stressors and to affect ecosystem processes and services. We give recommendations how to measure these traits under standardized conditions across various terrestrial invertebrate taxonomic groups.

We provide considerations and approaches that apply to almost all traits described, such as the selection of species and individuals needed for the measurements, the importance of intraspecific trait variability, how many populations or communities to sample and over which spatial scales.

The approaches outlined here provide a means to improve the reliability and predictive power of functional traits to explain community assembly, species diversity patterns and ecosystem processes and services within and across taxa and trophic levels, allowing comparison of studies and running meta‐analyses across regions and ecosystems.

This handbook is a crucial first step towards standardizing trait methodology across the most studied terrestrial invertebrate groups, and the protocols are aimed to balance general applicability and requirements for special cases or particular taxa. Therefore, we envision this handbook as a common platform to which researchers can further provide methodological input for additional special cases.

A lay summary is available for this article.
Replicate and randomize, or lie
Authors: Webster R.
Published: September 2016

Biological populations are naturally variable. Investigators need to replicate observations to estimate their characteristics. They must also randomize selection to estimate those characteristics without bias and with known confidence. Both replication and randomization are necessary.
Remittances and Financial Development: Evidence from Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Williams Kevin
Published: September 2016

This paper uses 5‐year non‐overlapping panel data for the period 1970–2013 to study the effect that remittances have on financial development in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). The paper further examines whether and how democratic institutions mediate the effect that remittances have on financial development. The panel estimates yield that remittances are significantly positively associated with financial development. The baseline estimates indicate that a 10 percent increase in remittances increases domestic private credit by 0.43 percent and the cumulative effect is around 1.84 percent. Democratic institutions do not significantly mediate the effect that remittances have on financial development in SSA. These results inform debates over remittances’ role as an important source of development finance in SSA and suggest that policymakers can exploit the advantages of remittances by pursuing measures to ease the flows of remittances to the region.
One family: defining kinship in the neighbourhoods of Kumasi, Ghana
Authors: Nave Carmen
Published: September 2016

This article investigates how the concept that ‘people from one place are one family’ creates an a priori category of relatedness among otherwise unrelated neighbours in Kumasi, Ghana. A connection between spatial and kinship relations is indicated in the common saying, but unlike similar connections elaborated in other locales, residents often do not share activities such as cooking or cultivating prior to making claims to being ‘one family’. Through interviews and the resolution of a neighbourhood dispute, I show that the assumption that co‐residents are family can precede – and instantiate – the practices that indicate shared family. I argue that the equivalence between place and family is a fundamentally ethical equivalence that renders the actions of selves and others evaluable according to a common understanding of what is good for communities.
Modeling the Effects of Tile Drain Placement on the Hydrologic Function of Farmed Prairie Wetlands
Authors: Werner Brett , Tracy John , Johnson W. Carter , Voldseth Richard A. , Guntenspergen Glenn R. , Millett Bruce
Published: September 2016

The early 2000s saw large increases in agricultural tile drainage in the eastern Dakotas of North America. Agricultural practices that drain wetlands directly are sometimes limited by wetland protection programs. Little is known about the impacts of tile drainage beyond the delineated boundaries of wetlands in upland catchments that may be in agricultural production. A series of experiments were conducted using the well‐published model WETLANDSCAPE that revealed the potential for wetlands to have significantly shortened surface water inundation periods and lower mean depths when tile is placed in certain locations beyond the wetland boundary. Under the soil conditions found in agricultural areas of South Dakota in North America, wetland hydroperiod was found to be more sensitive to the depth that drain tile is installed relative to the bottom of the wetland basin than to distance‐based setbacks. Because tile drainage can change the hydrologic conditions of wetlands, even when deployed in upland catchments, tile drainage plans should be evaluated more closely for the potential impacts they might have on the ecological services that these wetlands currently provide. Future research should investigate further how drainage impacts are affected by climate variability and change.
Comparison of an anal fistula plug and mucosa advancement flap for complex anal fistulas: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Xu Yansong , Tang Weizhong
Published: September 2016

Objective

The aim of this analysis was to compare the advantages of the anal fistula plug (AFP) with the mucosa advancement flap (MAF) for complex anal fistulas.

Methods

Comparative studies of the efficacy of AFP and MAF were included. Two independent reviewers selected articles for inclusion. After information collection, a meta‐analysis was performed using data on overall healing rates, complications, incontinences and recurrences. The quality of postoperative life and cost were also included with the clinical results.

Results

Ten studies included 778 patients who were divided into AFP and MAF groups in this meta‐analysis. During the follow‐up period, no significant difference in healing rates, complications and recurrences were found (P = 0.55, P = 0.78 and P = 0.23, respectively). The incontinence rate of AFP was lower than that of MAF (P = 0.04). The postoperative quality of life of AFP patients was superior to that of MAF patients. The AFP patients had less persistent pain of a shorter duration and shortened healing time and hospital stay. The treatment cost of AFP patient was lower than that of MAF.

Conclusion

Compared to the MAF procedure, the AFP procedure has some advantages for complex anal fistulas, but more and large randomized clinical trials comparing the two procedures for fistula management need to be conducted.
Non‐invasive imaging of retinal blood flow in myeloproliferative neoplasms
Authors: Willerslev Anne , Hansen Mathias M. , Klefter Oliver Niels , Bjerrum Ole Weis , Hasselbalch Hans C. , Clemmensen Stine N. , Larsen Michael , Munch Inger Christine
Published: September 2016

Purpose

To study the circulation in the retinal vessels in patients with blood dyscrasia due to myeloproliferative neoplasms using non‐invasive retinal imaging.

Methods

Prospective consecutive case series of seven treatment‐naïve patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (n = 2), polycythemia vera (n = 4), essential thrombocytosis (n = 1) examined before and after cytoreductive treatment. We investigated retinal circulation with motion‐contrast imaging, retinal oximetry and spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography.

Results

Retinal venous blood velocity increased by 8.14% (CI95 3.67% to 12.6%, p = 0.004) and retinal arterial oxygen saturation increased by 7.23% (CI95 2.9% to 11.6%, p = 0.010) at follow‐up (mean 12 weeks, range 5–14 weeks) where complete haematological remission had been achieved by cytoreductive treatment. Abnormal optical coherence tomography reflectivity patterns were present at baseline in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia and were replaced by normal patterns at follow‐up. Retinopathy, in the form of cotton‐wool spots and retinal haemorrhages, was found at presentation in the two patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia and in one patient with polycythemia vera. The retinopathy had resolved at follow‐up in all patients.

Conclusion

With non‐invasive retinal imaging, we were able to demonstrate increased retinal venous blood velocity, increased retinal arterial blood oxygenation and normalization of intravascular reflectivity patterns after successful treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Larger prospective studies are needed to assess the prognostic value of these non‐invasive imaging methods in predicting circulatory complications in myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Validity of aqueous flare measurement in predicting proliferative vitreoretinopathy in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment
Authors: Conart Jean‐Baptiste , Kurun Soydan , Ameloot François , Tréchot Fanny , Leroy Bertrand , Berrod Jean‐Paul
Published: September 2016

Purpose

To investigate aqueous flare as a preoperative predictor for later proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) development in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD) and to determine the validity of this measurement in patients at low clinical risk for postoperative PVR.

Methods

This study included 100 eyes of 100 patients who underwent surgery for primary RD. Aqueous flare was determined preoperatively with a laser flare‐cell meter (Kowa FM‐500, Kowa Company Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). Patients were followed for at least 6 months postoperatively. Failures related to PVR were recorded for statistical analysis.

Results

Twenty eyes (20%) developed PVR postoperatively. Preoperative flare values in these eyes were significantly higher than in eyes with no redetachment (48.12 ± 61.24 versus 17.74 ± 29.63 photon counts per millisecond (pc/ms), p = 0.002). The odds ratio for PVR development with flare values >15 pc/ms was 12.3 (p < 0.0001, 95% confidence interval, 3.54–42.59). Of 54 eyes at low clinical risk for postoperative PVR, five developed PVR postoperatively. Flare values were significantly higher in these eyes (25.30 ± 7.10 pc/ms) than in eyes with no redetachment (12.44 ± 10.16 pc/ms, p = 0.008). Using logistic regression, the odds ratio of PVR redetachment risk increased by the factor 1.078 per 1 pc/ms of flare value (95% CI, 1.01–1.15).

Conclusion

Preoperative aqueous flare is a strong predictive factor for PVR redetachment. The laser flare‐cell meter provides a fast and safe tool to accurately identify patients at risk for postoperative PVR, especially when clinical examination did not predict this risk.
Portable electronic vision enhancement systems in comparison with optical magnifiers for near vision activities: an economic evaluation alongside a randomized crossover trial
Authors: Bray Nathan , Brand Andrew , Taylor John , Hoare Zoe , Dickinson Christine , Edwards Rhiannon T.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

To determine the incremental cost‐effectiveness of portable electronic vision enhancement system (p‐EVES) devices compared with optical low vision aids (LVAs), for improving near vision visual function, quality of life and well‐being of people with a visual impairment.

Methods

An AB/BA randomized crossover trial design was used. Eighty‐two participants completed the study. Participants were current users of optical LVAs who had not tried a p‐EVES device before and had a stable visual impairment. The trial intervention was the addition of a p‐EVES device to the participant's existing optical LVA(s) for 2 months, and the control intervention was optical LVA use only, for 2 months. Cost‐effectiveness and cost‐utility analyses were conducted from a societal perspective.

Results

The mean cost of the p‐EVES intervention was £448. Carer costs were £30 (4.46 hr) less for the p‐EVES intervention compared with the LVA only control. The mean difference in total costs was £417. Bootstrapping gave an incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of £736 (95% CI £481 to £1525) for a 7% improvement in near vision visual function. Cost per quality‐adjusted life year (QALY) ranged from £56 991 (lower 95% CI = £19 801) to £66 490 (lower 95% CI = £23 055). Sensitivity analysis varying the commercial price of the p‐EVES device reduced ICERs by up to 75%, with cost per QALYs falling below £30 000.

Conclusion

Portable electronic vision enhancement system (p‐EVES) devices are likely to be a cost‐effective use of healthcare resources for improving near vision visual function, but this does not translate into cost‐effective improvements in quality of life, capability or well‐being.
Listening to learners: An investigation into college students’ attitudes towards the adoption of e‐portfolios in English assessment and learning
Authors: Wang Ping , Jeffrey Ricky
Published: September 2016

This study discusses the possibility of e‐portfolio as a central component of assessment practice in the traditionally exam‐oriented context of China's tertiary education. The aim was to listen to learners, and provide them with a voice to analyse their perception of the potential advantages and challenges of introducing a learning‐focused assessment tool. From five consecutive annual cohorts (2007–2011), 220 university students completed questionnaires about their attitudes and experience of using e‐portfolio assessment in an English as a foreign language course, with 120 students participating in follow‐up interviews and focus groups. The vast majority of learners expressed preference for e‐portfolio assessment, compared to paper‐based examinations. This study contributes to understanding Chinese educational ideology of assessment, so as to place emphasis on assessment for quality learning rather than on teaching to the test.
Uterine, but not ovarian, female reproductive organ involvement at presentation by diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma is associated with poor outcomes and a high frequency of secondary CNS involvement
Authors: El‐Galaly Tarec Christoffer , Cheah Chan Y. , Hutchings Martin , Mikhaeel Nabegh George , Savage Kerry J. , Sehn Laurie H. , Barrington Sally , Hansen Jakob W. , Poulsen Mette Ø. , Smith Daniel , Rady Kirsty , Mylam Karen J. , Larsen Thomas S. , Holmberg Staffan , Juul Maja B. , Cordua Sabrina , Clausen Michael R. , Jensen Kristina B. , Bøgsted Martin , Johnsen Hans E. , Seymour John F. , Connors Joseph M. , Brown Peter d. N. , Villa Diego
Published: September 2016

Involvement of the internal female reproductive organs by diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is uncommon, and there are sparse data describing the outcomes of such cases. In total, 678 female patients with DLBCL staged with positron emission tomography/computed tomography and treated with rituximab‐containing chemotherapy were identified from databases in Denmark, Great Britain, Australia, and Canada. Overall, 27/678 (4%) had internal reproductive organ involvement: uterus (n = 14), ovaries (n = 10) or both (n = 3). In multivariate analysis, women with uterine DLBCL experienced inferior progression‐free survival and overall survival compared to those without reproductive organ involvement, whereas ovarian DLBCL was not predictive of outcome. Secondary central nervous system (CNS) involvement (SCNS) occurred in 7/17 (41%) women with uterine DLBCL (two patients with concomitant ovarian DLBCL) and 0/10 women with ovarian DLBCL without concomitant uterine involvement. In multivariate analysis adjusted for other risk factors for SCNS, uterine involvement by DLBCL remained strongly associated with SCNS (Hazard ratio 14·13, 95% confidence interval 5·09–39·25, P < 0·001). Because involvement of the uterus by DLBCL appears to be associated with a high risk of SCNS, those patients should be considered for CNS staging and prophylaxis. However, more studies are needed to determine whether the increased risk of secondary CNS involvement also applies to women with localized reproductive organ DLBCL.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma aged 21–40 years versus 41–60 years: a multi‐institutional case‐control study
Authors: Jurczyszyn Artur , Nahi Hareth , Avivi Irit , Gozzetti Alessandro , Niesvizky Ruben , Yadlapati Sujitha , Jayabalan David S. , Robak Paweł , Pika Tomas , Andersen Kristian T. , Rasche Leo , Mądry Krzysztof , Woszczyk Dariusz , Raźny Małgorzata , Usnarska‐Zubkiewicz Lidia , Knopińska‐Posłuszny Wanda , Wojciechowska Małgorzata , Guzicka‐Kazimierczak Renata , Joks Monika , Grosicki Sebastian , Ciepłuch Hanna , Rymko Marcin , Vesole David H. , Castillo Jorge J.
Published: September 2016

We compared the outcomes of multiple myeloma (MM) patients aged 21–40 and 41–60 years in the novel agent era. This case‐control study included 1089 patients between 2000 and 2015. Cases and controls were matched for sex, International Staging System (ISS) stage and institution. There were 173 patients in the younger group and 916 patients in the older group. Younger patients presented with a higher incidence of lytic lesions (82% vs. 72%; P = 0·04) and high‐risk cytogenetic abnormalities (83% vs. 68%; P = 0·007), but lower rate of elevated lactate dehydrogenase (21% vs. 44%; P < 0·001). Five‐ and 10‐year overall survival (OS) in younger versus older patients was 83% vs. 67% and 56% vs. 39%, respectively (P < 0·001). Similar results were seen when studying the subset of 780 patients who underwent autologous transplantation. Younger patients with ISS stage 1 had a better OS than older patients (P < 0·001). There was no survival difference between younger and older patients with ISS stage 2 or 3. Younger MM patients, aged 21–40 years, treated in the era of novel agents have a better OS than their counterparts aged 41–60 years, but the survival advantage observed in younger patients was lost in more advanced stages of MM.
Parents’ perceptions of counselling following prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract: a qualitative study
Authors: Marokakis Sarah , Kasparian Nadine A. , Kennedy Sean E.
Published: September 2016

Objectives

To explore parents’ experiences of counselling after prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract.

Subjects and Methods

Parents of a child born between September 2012 and March 2015 with posterior urethral valves (PUV) or multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) completed a semi‐structured telephone interview, demographic survey, and the 21‐item self‐report Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales questionnaire. Qualitative data were analysed thematically using NVivo10 software.

Results

In all, 17 parents (PUV, eight; MCDK, nine) participated (response rate 40%), and most were offered counselling during pregnancy (14/17). Parents described feelings of shock, fear and uncertainty after diagnosis, and desired early information on all aspects of their child's condition. Most participants were satisfied with the information received; however, unmet information needs relating to treatment and prognosis were identified, particularly amongst fathers and parents in the PUV group. Some parents felt relieved after counselling (12/17); however, emotional distress often persisted long after diagnosis. Parents described a need for written and web‐based information resources, specialised psychological services, and parent support groups.

Conclusion

While parents valued counselling, many continued to report unmet informational and psychological needs. Early counselling addressing topics important to parents and provision of additional resources and support services may improve parents’ adjustment to their baby's diagnosis.
Molecular pharmacology of G protein‐coupled receptors
Authors: Summers R J
Published: September 2016

This themed issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology stems from the eighth in the series of meetings on the Molecular Pharmacology of G protein coupled receptors (MPGPCR) held as part of a joint meeting with the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) in Melbourne Australia from 7 to 11 December 2014.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Molecular Pharmacology of G Protein‐Coupled Receptors. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v173.20/issuetoc
An orally administered butyrate‐releasing derivative reduces neutrophil recruitment and inflammation in dextran sulphate sodium‐induced murine colitis
Authors: Simeoli Raffaele , Mattace Raso Giuseppina , Pirozzi Claudio , Lama Adriano , Santoro Anna , Russo Roberto , Montero‐Melendez Trinidad , Berni Canani Roberto , Calignano Antonio , Perretti Mauro , Meli Rosaria
Published: September 2016

Background and Purpose

Butyrate has shown benefits in inflammatory bowel diseases. However, it is not often administered orally because of its rancid smell and unpleasant taste. The efficacy of a more palatable butyrate‐releasing derivative, N‐(1‐carbamoyl‐2‐phenylethyl) butyramide (FBA), was evaluated in a mouse model of colitis induced by dextran sodium sulphate (DSS).

Experimental Approach

Male 10 week‐old BALB/c mice received DSS (2.5%) in drinking water (for 5 days) followed by DSS‐free water for 7 days (DSS group). Oral FBA administration (42.5 mg·kg−1) was started 7 days before DSS as preventive (P‐FBA), or 2 days after DSS as therapeutic (T‐FBA); both treatments lasted 19 days. One DSS‐untreated group received only tap water (CON).

Key Results

FBA treatments reduced colitis symptoms and colon damage. P‐FBA and T‐FBA significantly decreased polymorphonuclear cell infiltration score compared with the DSS group. FBA reversed the imbalance between pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines (reducing inducible NOS protein expression, CCL2 and IL‐6 transcripts in colon and increasing TGFβ and IL‐10). Morever, P‐FBA and T‐FBA limited neutrophil recruitment (by expression and localization of the neutrophil granule protease Ly‐6G), restored deficiency of the butyrate transporter and improved intestinal epithelial integrity, preventing tight‐junction impairment (zonulin‐1 and occludin). FBA, similar to its parental compound sodium butyrate, inhibited histone deacetylase‐9 and restored H3 histone acetylation, exerting an anti‐inflammatory effect through NF‐κB inhibition and the up‐regulation of PPARγ.

Conclusions and Implications

FBA reduces inflammatory intestinal damage in mice indicating its potential as a postbiotic derivative without the problems associated with the oral administration of sodium butyrate.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Principles of Pharmacological Research of Nutraceuticals. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.11/issuetoc
Drug induced interstitial lung disease in oncology phase I trials
Authors: Yonemori Kan , Hirakawa Akihiro , Kawachi Asuka , Kinoshita Fumie , Okuma Hitomi , Nishikawa Tadaaki , Tamura Kenji , Fujiwara Yasuhiro , Takebe Naoko
Published: September 2016

Interstitial lung disease is a serious drug‐related condition that can cause life threatening organ failure. The incidence and risk factors of drug‐induced interstitial lung disease (DILD) are unknown in oncology phase I trials. This study analyzed clinical information from 8906 patients with malignancies who were enrolled in 470 phase I trials sponsored by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, National Cancer Institute, from 1988 to 2014. Logistic and Cox statistical analyses were utilized to determine clinical differences between patients who developed DILD and patients who did not. In this study, the overall incidence rate of patients with pulmonary toxicity was 2.7%. The overall incidence rate for DILD was 0.77%, whereas for grade 3 or 4 DILD it was 0.31%. Median time to occurrence of DILD was 1.4 months. The Cox hazard analysis indicated smaller body surface area and a combination of thoracic radiation with investigational drug regimens were significant risk factors for time to occurrence of interstitial lung disease. Investigators should carefully monitor for DILD in oncology patients enrolled in phase I trials with identified risk factors. A 6‐month observation period would be sufficient to detect the onset of most DILD in such patients.
Highly sensitive detection of invasive lung cancer cells by novel antibody against amino‐terminal domain of laminin γ2 chain
Authors: Miyazaki Kaoru , Oyanagi Jun , Sugino Atsuko , Sato Hiroki , Yokose Tomoyuki , Nakayama Haruhiko , Miyagi Yohei
Published: September 2016

The laminin γ2 chain, a subunit of laminin‐332 (α3β3γ2), is a molecular marker for invasive cancer cells, but its pathological roles in tumor progression remain to be clarified. It was recently found that the most N‐terminal, domain V (dV) of γ2 chain has activities to bind CD44 and stimulate tumor cell migration and vascular permeability. In the present study, we prepared a mAb recognizing γ2 dV. Immunoblotting with this antibody, for the first time, showed that proteolytic fragments containing dV in a range of 15–80 kDa were highly produced in various human cancer cell lines and lung cancer tissues. In immunohistochemistry of adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the lung, this antibody immunostained the cytoplasm of invasive tumor cells and adjacent stroma much more strongly than a widely used antibody recognizing the C‐terminal core part of the processed γ2 chain. This suggests that the dV fragments are highly accumulated in tumor cells and stroma compared to the processed γ2 protein. The strong tumor cell staining with the dV antibody correlated with the tumor malignancy grade. We also found that the laminin β3 and α3 chains were frequently overexpressed in tumor cells and tumor stroma, respectively. The cytoplasmic dV detection was especially prominent in tumor cells infiltrating stroma, but low in the cells surrounded by basement membranes, suggesting that the active tumor–stroma interaction is critical for the aberrant γ2 expression. The present study suggests important roles of laminin γ2 N‐terminal fragments in tumor progression.
Trajectories of Discrimination Across Adolescence: Associations With Academic, Psychological, and Behavioral Outcomes
Authors: Hughes Diane , Del Toro Juan , Harding Jessica F. , Way Niobe , Rarick Jason R. D.
Published: September 2016

The authors explored trajectories of perceived discrimination over a 6‐year period (five assessments in 6th–11th grade) in relation to academic, behavioral, and psychological adjustment in 8th and 11th grades. They distinguished discrimination from adults versus peers in addition to overt versus covert discrimination from peers. The sample included 226 African American, White, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Chinese adolescents (ages 11–12 at Time 1) recruited in sixth grade from six public schools in New York City. All forms of discrimination increased during middle school and decreased during high school. The frequency with which adolescents reported different sources and types of discrimination varied across ethnicity/race, but not gender. Initial levels and rates of change in discrimination predicted academic, behavioral, and psychological adjustment in 8th and 11th grades, albeit in complex ways.
Neighborhood Characteristics and Expectations of Racially Discriminatory Experiences Among African American Adolescents
Authors: Witherspoon Dawn P. , Seaton Eleanor K. , Rivas‐Drake Deborah
Published: September 2016

This study examined how youth's neighborhood characteristics informed their expectations of racial discrimination concurrently and longitudinally. Secondary analyses were conducted on data from Waves 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study, which permitted the examination of neighborhood influences among a socioeconomically diverse sample of African American parents and adolescents (n = 863; Mage = 12.29). Youth exposed to more neighborhood disadvantage in seventh grade reported more negative concurrent neighborhood perceptions, which, in turn, predicted greater expectations of racial discrimination in eighth grade; youth's expectations remained stable into adulthood. Thus, support was found for the mediating role of youth's subjective neighborhood perceptions in the longitudinal relation between neighborhood structure and expectations of racial discrimination.
How School Norms, Peer Norms, and Discrimination Predict Interethnic Experiences Among Ethnic Minority and Majority Youth
Authors: Tropp Linda R. , O'Brien Thomas C. , González Gutierrez Roberto , Valdenegro Daniel , Migacheva Katya , de Tezanos‐Pinto Pablo , Berger Christian , Cayul Oscar
Published: September 2016

This research tests how perceived school and peer norms predict interethnic experiences among ethnic minority and majority youth. With studies in Chile (654 nonindigenous and 244 Mapuche students, M = 11.20 and 11.31 years) and the United States (468 non‐Hispanic White and 126 Latino students, M = 11.66 and 11.68 years), cross‐sectional results showed that peer norms predicted greater comfort in intergroup contact, interest in cross‐ethnic friendships, and higher contact quality, whereas longitudinal results showed that school norms predicted greater interest in cross‐ethnic friendships over time. Distinct effects of school and peer norms were also observed for ethnic minority and majority youth in relation to perceived discrimination, suggesting differences in how they experience cross‐ethnic relations within school environments.
Developments in the field of allergy mechanisms in 2015 through the eyes of Clinical & Experimental Allergy
Authors: Roberts G. , Boyle R. , Bryce P. J. , Crane J. , Hogan S. P. , Saglani S. , Wickman M. , Woodfolk J. A.
Published: September 2016

In the first of two papers we described the development in the field of allergy mechanisms as described by Clinical and Experimental Allergy in 2015. Experimental models of allergic disease, basic mechanisms, clinical mechanisms and allergens are all covered. A second paper will cover clinical aspects.
Hematopoietically expressed homeobox (HHEX) gene polymorphism (rs5015480) is associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Tarnowski M. , Malinowski D. , Safranow K. , Dziedziejko V. , Czerewaty M. , Pawlik A.
Published: September 2016

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder that occurs during pregnancy. HHEX and PROX1 are genetic loci associated with diabetes mellitus type 2. HHEX and PROX1 play significant roles in carbohydrate intolerance and diabetes because these transcription factors may be involved in the regulation of insulin secretion and in glucose and lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to examine the association between HHEX (rs5015480) and PROX1 (rs340874) gene polymorphisms and GDM. This study included 204 pregnant women with GDM and 207 pregnant women with the normal glucose tolerance (NGT). The diagnosis of GDM was based on a 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks' gestation. There was a statistically significant prevalence of the HHEX rs5015480 CC genotype and C allele among women with GDM (C vs T allele, p = 0.021, odds ratio OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.05–1.87). Statistically significant higher increase of body mass and BMI during pregnancy was found in women with the HHEX rs5015480 CC genotype. The results of our study suggest an association between the HHEX gene rs5015480 polymorphism and risk of GDM. The HHEX gene rs5015480 C allele may be a risk allele of GDM that is associated with increased BMI during pregnancy.
EACS: Effective Avoidance Combination Strategy
Authors: Bruneau J. , Pettré J.
Published: September 2016

When navigating in crowds, humans are able to move efficiently between people. They look ahead to know which path would reduce the complexity of their interactions with others. Current navigation systems for virtual agents consider long‐term planning to find a path in the static environment and short‐term reactions to avoid collisions with close obstacles. Recently some mid‐term considerations have been added to avoid high density areas. However, there is no mid‐term planning among static and dynamic obstacles that would enable the agent to look ahead and avoid difficult paths or find easy ones as humans do. In this paper, we present a system for such mid‐term planning. This system is added to the navigation process between pathfinding and local avoidance to improve the navigation of virtual agents. We show the capacities of such a system using several case studies. Finally we use an energy criterion to compare trajectories computed with and without the mid‐term planning.
Correction for Closeness: Adjusting Normalized Mutual Information Measure for Clustering Comparison
Authors: Amelio Alessia , Pizzuti Clara
Published: September 2016

Normalized mutual information (NMI) is a widely used measure to compare community detection methods. Recently, however, the need of adjustment for information theory‐based measures has been argued because of the so‐called selection bias problem, that is, they show the tendency in choosing clustering solutions with more communities. In this article, an experimental evaluation of these measures is performed to deeply investigate the problem, and an adjustment that scales the values of these measures is proposed. Experiments on synthetic networks, for which the ground‐truth division is known, highlight that scaled NMI does not present the selection bias behavior. Moreover, a comparison among some well‐known community detection methods on synthetic generated networks shows a fairer behavior of scaled NMI, especially when the network topology does not present a clear community structure. The experimentation also on two real‐world networks reveals that the corrected formula allows to choose, among a set, the method finding a network division that better reflects the ground‐truth structure.
Rapamycin suppresses hypoxia/reoxygenation‐induced islet injury by up‐regulation of miR‐21viaPI3K/Akt signalling pathway
Authors: Zhang Yi , He Sirong , Du Xiaojion , Jiang Yaowen , Tian Bole , Xu Shuyun
Published: September 2016

Objectives

Increasing evidences indicate that microRNAs may play a critical role in the regulation of hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury, and their expression is associated withmTORCactivity. We propose that rapamycin modulates H/R‐induced islets injury by regulating microRNAexpression.

Materials and methods

We investigated whether rapamycin treatment could alter the expression profile of miRNAs in islets. Furthermore, we assessed the islet apoptosis and function after H/R or syngeneic islet transplantation.

Results

We found that rapamycin treatment significantly decreased H/R‐induced islet apoptosis, and improved islet functionin vivoandin vitro, and that miR‐21 gene transcription is controlled by rapamycin. When thePI3k/Akt signalling pathways was blocked by wortmannin, the up‐regulative effects of rapamycin on miR‐21 expression were inhibited in vitro. Furthermore, our study clearly demonstrates that miR‐21 is essential for the rapamycin‐mediated protection islets against H/R injury.

Discussion

Our findings indicate that up‐regulation of miR‐21 function in islets by treatment with rapamycin or overexpression of the miR‐21 could represent a potential new therapy for the treatment of H/R injury.

Conclusion

The results of this study clearly suggest that rapamycin exerts its inhibitory effects on islets H/R injury by inducing miR‐21 expression viaPI3K/Akt.
Paraptosis‐like cell death in Wistar rat granulosa cells
Authors: Torres‐Ramírez Nayeli , Escobar María L. , Vázquez‐Nin Gerardo H. , Ortiz Rosario , Echeverría Olga M.
Published: September 2016

Follicular atresia, a common process present in all mammals, involves apoptotic and autophagic cell death. However, the participation of paraptosis, a type of caspase‐independent cell death, during follicular atresia is unknown. This study found swollen endoplasmic reticulum in the granulosa cells of adult Wistar rats. Calnexin was used as a marker of the endoplasmic reticulum at the ultrastructural and optical levels. The cells with swelling of the endoplasmic reticulum were negative to the TUNEL assay and active caspase‐3 immunodetection, indicating that this swelling is not part of any apoptotic or autophagic process. Additionally, immunodetection of the CHOP protein was used as a marker of endoplasmic reticulum stress, and this confirmed the presence of the paraptosis process. These data suggest that paraptosis‐like cell death is associated with the death of granulosa cells during follicular atresia in adult Wistar rats.
Where do animals come from during post‐fire population recovery? Implications for ecological and genetic patterns in post‐fire landscapes
Authors: Banks Sam C. , McBurney Lachlan , Blair David , Davies Ian D. , Lindenmayer David B.
Published: September 2016

Identifying where animals come from during population recovery can help to understand the impacts of disturbance events and regimes on species distributions and genetic diversity. Alternative recovery processes for animal populations affected by fire include external recolonization, nucleated recovery from refuges, or in situ survival and population growth. We used simulations to develop hypotheses about ecological and genetic patterns corresponding to these alternative models. We tested these hypotheses in a study of the recovery of two small mammals, the Australian bush rat and the agile antechinus, after a large (> 50 000 ha), severe wildfire.

The abundance of both species was severely reduced by fire and recovered to near or above pre‐fire levels within two generations, yet we rejected a hypothesis of recovery by external recolonization. While the agile antechinus showed genetic evidence for far greater dispersal capacity than the bush rat, neither species showed gradients in abundance or genetic diversity with distance from unburnt forest during population recovery.

Population recovery was driven by local‐scale processes. However, the mechanisms differed between species, resulting from the spatial impacts of fire on habitat suitability. Agile antechinus populations recovered through population growth from in situ survivors. The bush rat followed a model of nucleated recovery, involving local recolonization from micro‐refuges in topographic drainage lines.

Nucleated recovery by the bush rat was associated with changes in dispersal, and fine‐scale patterns of genetic admixture. We identified increased dispersal by females during recovery, contrasting with male‐biased dispersal in unburnt forest. Such flexibility in dispersal can potentially increase recovery rates compared to expectations based on dispersal behavior within undisturbed populations.

Our study shows how the initial distribution of survivors, determined by fire effects on resource distribution, determines the subsequent scaling of population recovery patterns, and the sensitivity of population distribution and genetic diversity to changing disturbance regimes.
Competitive exclusion over broad spatial extents is a slow process: evidence and implications for species distribution modeling
Authors: Yackulic Charles B.
Published: September 2016

There is considerable debate about the role of competition in shaping species distributions over broad spatial extents. This debate has practical implications because predicting changes in species' geographic ranges in response to ongoing environmental change would be simpler if competition could be ignored. While this debate has been the subject of many reviews, recent literature has not addressed the rates of relevant processes. This omission is surprising in that ecologists hypothesized decades ago that regional competitive exclusion is a slow process. The goal of this review is to reassess the debate under the hypothesis that competitive exclusion over broad spatial extents is a slow process.

Available evidence, including simulations presented for the first time here, suggests that competitive exclusion over broad spatial extents occurs slowly over temporal extents of many decades to millennia. Ecologists arguing against an important role for competition frequently study modern patterns and/or range dynamics over periods of decades, while much of the evidence for competition shaping geographic ranges at broad spatial extents comes from paleoecological studies over time scales of centuries or longer. If competition is slow, as evidence suggests, the geographic distributions of some, perhaps many species, would continue to change over time scales of decades to millennia, even if environmental conditions did not continue to change. If the distributions of competing species are at equilibrium it is possible to predict species distributions based on observed species–environment relationships. However, disequilibrium is widespread as a result of competition and many other processes. Studies whose goal is accurate predictions over intermediate time scales (decades to centuries) should focus on factors associated with range expansion (colonization) and loss (local extinction), as opposed to current patterns. In general, understanding of modern range dynamics would be enhanced by considering the rates of relevant processes.