bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vitro wound healing: Inhibition activity of insect‐derived mAb CO17‐1A in human colorectal cancer cell migration
Authors: Park Se Ra , Ko Kisung , Lim Sohee , Cha So Yeon , Chung Hyun Joo , Park Soon Ju , Myung Soon‐Chul , Kim Mi Kyung
Published: March 2020

The monoclonal antibody (mAb) CO17‐1A specifically binds to the tumor‐associated cell surface glycoprotein GA733 in colorectal cancer cells. Thus, mAb CO17‐1A has the potential to act as an immune therapeutic protein against colorectal cancer. Recently, it was shown that the baculovirus insect cell expression system produces anti‐colorectal cancer mAb CO17‐1A. In this study, the colorectal cancer antibody mAb CO17‐1A fused to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal sequence (KDEL), and the (mAb CO17‐1AK) was expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 insect cells. The yield, cell cytotoxicity, and in vitro anti‐tumor activity of mAb CO17‐1AK were verified. Western blotting was performed to confirm that both heavy and light chains of mAb CO17‐1A were expressed in Sf9 insect cells. The insect‐derived mAb (mAbI) CO17‐1A was purified using a protein G affinity column. An in vitro wound healing assay was conducted to determine the inhibition activity of mAb CO17‐1A during tumor cell migration, showing that mAbI CO17‐1AK was effective as mammalian‐derived mAb CO17‐1A (mAbM CO17‐1A). These results suggest that the insect cell expression system can produce and properly assemble mAbs that inhibit tumor cell migration.
Extracting bio‐zinc and taurine from Pinctada martensii meat
Authors: Liu Xiaoyue , Huang Li , Bai Yunxia , Liu Xiaoling , Li Shubo
Published: March 2020

Recently, intensive processing of marine resources has attracted considerable attention. In order to further utilize the byproducts of aquatic shellfish (Pinctada martensii meat) with high value, this study proposes a method of extracting zinc and taurine from P. martensii meat. Zinc was first extracted from P. martensii meat with an ultrasonic crusher, and then taurine was further extracted by ultrasonic‐assisted water extraction from the remaining shellfish. After optimization, the biological zinc extraction rate reached 8.63%, and the taurine extraction rate reached 0.71%. Meanwhile, the parameters for cation exchange separation and taurine purification were optimized, in which the injection volume, pH value, and elution rate were set to 8.0 mL, 4.5, and 3.0 mL/min, respectively. Ultimately, the purity the extracted taurine reached 98.16%. This study provides a novel method for the extraction of biological zinc and taurine by deep processing of shellfish meat.
Testing of the Storm Water Management Model Low Impact Development Modules
Authors: Platz Michelle , Simon Michelle , Tryby Michael
Published: March 2020

Stormwater infrastructure designers and operators rely heavily on the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) to simulate stormwater and wastewater infrastructure performance. Since its inception in the late 1970s, improvements and extensions have been tested and evaluated rigorously to verify the accuracy of the model. As a continuation of this progress, the main objective of this study was to quantify how accurately SWMM simulates the hydrologic activity of low impact development (LID) storm control measures. Model performance was evaluated by quantitatively comparing empirical data to model results using a multievent, multiobjective calibration method. The calibration methodology utilized the PEST software, a Parameter ESTimation tool, to determine unmeasured hydrologic parameters for SWMM’s LID modules. The calibrated LID modules’ Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies averaged 0.81; average percent bias (PBIAS) −9%; average ratio of root mean square error to standard deviation of measured values 0.485; average index of agreement 0.94; and the average volume error, simulated vs. observed, was +9%. SWMM accurately predicted the timing of peak flows, but usually underestimated their magnitudes by 10%. The average volume reduction, measured outflow volume divided by inflow volume, was 48%. We had more difficulty in calibrating one study, an infiltration trench, which identified a significant limitation of the current version of the SWMM LID module; it cannot simulate lateral exfiltration of water out of the storage layers of a LID storm control measure. This limitation is especially severe for a deep LIDs, such as infiltration trenches. Nevertheless, SWMM satisfactorily simulated the hydrologic performance of eight of the nine LID practices.
A nurse‐driven enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) nursing program for geriatric patients following lung surgery
Authors: Li Yan , Yan Chuanchuan , Li Jing , Wang Qiujing , Zhang Jing , Qiang Wanmin , Qi Daliang
Published: March 2020

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a multiprofessional, multidisciplinary and evidence‐based program that aims to reduce complications, improve overall prognosis, shorten hospital stays, and promote fast recovery following major surgery. Nurses play a crucial role in the successful implementation of the ERAS program. Therefore, this research focuses on the trajectory optimized and acquired by nurses in the enhanced recovery of elderly patients undergoing radical surgery for lung cancer. This study concludes that the implementation of the proposed ERAS preoperative point‐of‐care trajectory is highly beneficial for improved outcomes and enhanced recovery of geriatric patients following lung surgery.
An Empirical Analysis of Analysts' Capital Expenditure Forecasts: Evidence from Corporate Investment Efficiency*
Authors: Choi Jin Kyung , Hann Rebecca N. , Subasi Musa , Zheng Yue
Published: March 2020

We examine whether the information conveyed in a relatively new analyst research output—capital expenditure (capex) forecasts—affects corporate investment efficiency. We find that firms with analyst capex forecasts exhibit higher investment efficiency. This effect is stronger when the forecasts are issued by analysts with higher ability or greater industry knowledge. Moreover, the effect of capex forecasts on investment efficiency varies with the signals they convey about future growth opportunities—positive‐growth signals are more effective in reducing underinvestment, while negative‐growth signals are more effective in reducing overinvestment. Cross‐sectional tests suggest that these effects operate at least in part through both a financing channel and a monitoring channel. Taken together, our results suggest that analysts' capex forecasts convey useful information about firms' growth opportunities to managers and investors, which can facilitate efficient investment.
Multi‐method (FTIR, XRD, PXRF) analysis of Ertebølle pottery ceramics from Scania, southern Sweden
Authors: Papakosta V. , Lopez‐Costas O. , Isaksson S.
Published: March 2020

A combination of Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and portable X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy (PXRF) was used on the clay fraction of Ertebølle ceramics from several Late Mesolithic sites in Scania, southern Sweden. The aim was to provide up‐to‐date information about clay types used during that period within the Scanian Ertebølle cultural unit, and to elucidate social aspects relevant to the organization of pottery production and the role of ceramics in the local societies. The results suggest similar clay preferences across the sites, site‐based pottery production using local clays and zero mobility of ceramics between the sites. The chemical separation of the ceramics from the site of Soldattorpet into two compositional groups suggests possible multigroup occupation. The origins of aromatic hydrocarbons, extracted previously from the ceramic matrix of the vessels during a lipid residue study, were also investigated, and a discussion is provided.
A Bayesian nonparametric model for zero‐inflated outcomes: Prediction, clustering, and causal estimation
Authors: Oganisian Arman , Mitra Nandita , Roy Jason A.
Published: March 2020

Researchers are often interested in predicting outcomes, detecting distinct subgroups of their data, or estimating causal treatment effects. Pathological data distributions that exhibit skewness and zero‐inflation complicate these tasks—requiring highly flexible, data‐adaptive modeling. In this paper, we present a multipurpose Bayesian nonparametric model for continuous, zero‐inflated outcomes that simultaneously predicts structural zeros, captures skewness, and clusters patients with similar joint data distributions. The flexibility of our approach yields predictions that capture the joint data distribution better than commonly used zero‐inflated methods. Moreover, we demonstrate that our model can be coherently incorporated into a standardization procedure for computing causal effect estimates that are robust to such data pathologies. Uncertainty at all levels of this model flow through to the causal effect estimates of interest—allowing easy point estimation, interval estimation, and posterior predictive checks verifying positivity, a required causal identification assumption. Our simulation results show point estimates to have low bias and interval estimates to have close to nominal coverage under complicated data settings. Under simpler settings, these results hold while incurring lower efficiency loss than comparator methods. We use our proposed method to analyze zero‐inflated inpatient medical costs among endometrial cancer patients receiving either chemotherapy or radiation therapy in the SEER‐Medicare database.
CALIBER: a phase II randomized feasibility trial of chemoablation with mitomycin‐C vs surgical management in low‐risk non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer
Authors: Mostafid A. Hugh , Porta Nuria , Cresswell Joanne , Griffiths Thomas R.L. , Kelly John D. , Penegar Steven R. , Davenport Kim , McGrath John S. , Campain Nicholas , Cooke Peter , Masood Shikohe , Knowles Margaret A. , Feber Andrew , Knight Allen , Catto James W.F. , Lewis Rebecca , Hall Emma
Published: March 2020

Objectives

To evaluate the activity of intravesical mitomycin‐C (MMC) to ablate recurrent low‐risk non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and assess whether it may enable patients to avoid surgical intervention for treatment of recurrence.

Patients and Methods

CALIBER is a phase II feasibility study. Participants were randomized (2:1) to treatment with four once‐weekly MMC 40‐mg intravesical instillations (chemoablation arm) or to surgical management. The surgical group was included to assess the feasibility of randomization. The primary endpoint was complete response to intravesical MMC in the chemoablation arm at 3 months, reported with exact 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Secondary endpoints included time to subsequent recurrence, summarized by Kaplan–Meier methods.

Results

Between February 2015 and August 2017, 82 patients with visual diagnosis of recurrent low‐risk NMIBC were enrolled from 24 UK hospitals (chemoablation, n = 54; surgical management, n =28). The median follow‐up was 24 months. Complete response at 3 months was 37.0% (20/54; 95% CI 24.3–51.3) with chemoablation and 80.8% (21/26; 95% CI 60.6–93.4) with surgical management. Amongst patients with complete response at 3 months, a similar proportion was recurrence‐free by 12 months in both groups (84%). Amongst those with residual disease at 3 months, the 12‐month recurrence‐free proportion was lower in the surgical management group (40.0%) than in the chemoablation group (84%). Recruitment stopped early as chemoablation did not meet the prespecified threshold of 45% complete responses at 3 months.

Conclusion

Intravesical chemoablation in low‐risk NMIBC is feasible and safe, but did not demonstrate sufficient response in the present trial. After chemoablation there may be a reduction in recurrence rate, even in non‐responders, that is greater than with surgery alone. Further research is required to investigate the role and optimal schedule of neoadjuvant intravesical chemotherapy prior to surgery for NMIBC.
Longitudinal examination of youth readmission to mental health inpatient units
Authors: Miller David A.A. , Ronis Scott T. , Slaunwhite Amanda K. , Audas Rick , Richard Jacques , Tilleczek Kate , Zhang Michael
Published: March 2020

Objective

Significant barriers exist for youth in obtaining mental health services. These barriers are exacerbated by growing demand, attributed partially to children and adolescents who have repeat hospital admissions. The purpose of this study was to identify demographic, socioeconomic and clinical predictors of readmission to inpatient psychiatric services in New Brunswick, Canada.

Method

Key demographic, support and clinical predictors of readmission were identified. The New Brunswick Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) was used to compile a cohort of all children and adolescents ages 3–19 years with psychiatric hospital admissions between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2014 (N = 3825). Primary analyses consisted of Kaplan–Meier survival methods with log‐rank tests to assess time‐to‐readmission variability, and Cox regression to identify significant predictors of readmission.

Results

In total, 27.8% of admitted children and adolescents experienced at least one readmission within the 10‐year period, with 57.3% readmitted to hospital within 90 days following discharge. Bivariate results indicated that male, upper‐middle socioeconomic status (SES) youths aged 11–15 years from nonrural communities were most likely to be readmitted. Notable predictors of increased readmission likelihood were older age, being male, higher SES, referral to care by medical practitioner, discharge to another health facility, psychosis, and previous psychiatric admission.

Conclusion

A significant portion of the variance in readmission was accounted for by youth demographic characteristics (i.e. age, SES, geographic location) and various support structures, including referrals to inpatient care and aftercare support services.

Key Practitioner Message

Readmission to inpatient psychiatric care among youth is affected by a number of multifaceted risk factors across individual, environmental and clinical domains.

This study used provincial population‐scale longitudinal administrative data to demonstrate the influence of various individual and demographic factors on likelihood of readmission, which is notably absent from the majority of studies that make use of smaller, short‐term data samples.

Ensuring that multiple factors outside of the clinical context are considered when examining readmission among youth may contribute to a more thorough understanding of youth hospitalization patterns.
Research on the clustering algorithm of ocean big data based on self‐organizing neural network
Authors: Li Yongyi , Yang Zhongqiang , Han Kaixu
Published: March 2020

In the construction of a smart marine, marine big data mining has a significant impact on the growing maritime industry in the Beibu Gulf. Clustering is the key technology of marine big data mining, but the conventional clustering algorithm cannot achieve the efficient clustering of marine data. According to the characteristics of marine big data, a marine big data clustering scheme based on self‐organizing neural network (SOM) algorithm is proposed. First, the working principle of SOM algorithm is analyzed, and the algorithm's two‐dimensional network model, similarity model and competitive learning model are focused. Secondly, combining with the working principle of algorithm, the marine big data clustering process and algorithm achievement based on SOM algorithm are developed; finally, experiments show that all vectors in marine big data clustering are stable, and the neurons in the output layer of clustering result have obvious consistency with the data itself, which shows the effectiveness of SOM algorithm in marine big data clustering.
Predicting and managing plant invasions on offshore islands
Authors: Butt Nathalie , Wenger Amelia S. , Lohr Cheryl , Woodberry Owen , Morris Keith , Pressey Robert L.
Published: March 2020

Resources for biodiversity conservation are limited and it is therefore imperative that management actions that have the best chance of success are prioritized. Non‐native species (NNS) are one of the key problems facing biodiversity conservation, so understanding how NNS disperse and establish can inform more effective conservation planning and management. Using a novel Bayesian belief network model, we investigated non‐native plant dispersal on the approximately 550 islands along the Pilbara coast, Western Australia, and identified priority species and locations for targeted management. Of a total of around 9,000 weed arrivals onto the islands, 1,661 arrivals across 14 weed species had some probability of establishment. Suggested management actions in these cases would be education campaigns to inform visitors about the risk of accidental transport of propagules, quarantine programs, and eradication. For the seven weed species that arrived only via human dispersal and had a >10% chance of establishment on five islands, surveillance, and control of new arrivals would be the recommended management actions. Removal of propagule source populations would not be a cost‐effective management strategy. The inherent flexibility of our model means that different objectives can be analyzed in a transparent way, making it a powerful tool for guiding effective targeted action, derived from an explicit decision‐making framework.
CD163‐positive macrophage infiltration predicts systemic involvement in sarcoidosis
Authors: Isohisa Taro , Asai Jun , Kanemaru Mai , Arita Takahiro , Tsutsumi Miho , Kaneko Yuka , Arakawa Yukiyasu , Wada Makoto , Konishi Eiichi , Katoh Norito
Published: March 2020

Background

Sarcoidosis is a chronic and systemic inflammatory disease, in which patients present with noncaseating epithelioid granulomas. Cutaneous lesions of sarcoidosis develop in 9% to 35% of all sarcoidosis patients and comprise various clinical subtypes. It usually affects multiple organs and has a variable clinical course; this is called systemic sarcoidosis (SS). However, occasionally, it only affects the skin and is then called cutaneous sarcoidosis (CS). Recent observations suggest that serum levels of soluble CD163 correlate with immune cell activity in sarcoidosis patients; however, the contribution of M1 and M2 macrophages toward disease progression remains unclear.

Methods

We evaluated macrophage phenotypes histopathologically using skin biopsy samples obtained from patients with CS (n = 8) and SS (n = 31) and performed immunostaining with CD68, iNOS (M1 macrophages), PD‐L1, and CD163 (M2 macrophages).

Results

The density of CD163‐positive cells in the SS group was significantly higher than that in the CS group. There was no significant correlation between the CD163 (+) cell density and serum angiotensin‐converting enzyme level, serum calcium, or tuberculin reaction.

Conclusions

Immunostaining for CD163 may be a novel and useful marker to predict systemic involvement in patients with cutaneous lesions of epithelioid granulomas.
Asymmetric cell division from a cell to cells: Shape, length, and location of polarity domain
Authors: Seirin‐Lee Sungrim
Published: March 2020

Asymmetric cell division is one of the most elegant biological systems by which cells create daughter cells with different functions and increase cell diversity. In particular, PAR polarity in the cell membrane plays a critical role in regulating the whole process of asymmetric cell division. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the underlying mechanism of PAR polarity formation using both experimental and theoretical approaches in the last 10 years. However, they have mostly focused on answering the fundamental question of how this exclusive polarity is established but the precise dynamics of polarity domain have been little notified. In this review, I focused on studies on the shape, length, and location of PAR polarity from a theoretical perspective that may be important for an integrated understanding of the entire process of asymmetric cell division.
Climate and geographic distance are more influential than rivers on the beta diversity of passerine birds in Amazonia
Authors: Fluck Isadora E. , Cáceres Nilton , Hendges Carla D. , Brum Mariana do Nascimento , Dambros Cristian S.
Published: March 2020

Variation in the spatial structure of communities in terms of species composition (beta diversity) is affected by different ecological processes, such as environmental filtering and dispersal limitation. Large rivers are known as barriers for species dispersal (riverine hypothesis) in tropical regions. However, when organisms are not dispersal limited by geographic barriers, other factors, such as climatic conditions and geographic distance per se, may affect species distribution. In order to investigate the relative contribution of major rivers, climate and geographic distance on Passeriformes beta diversity, we divided Amazonia into 549 grid cells (1° of latitude and longitude) and obtained data of species occurrence, climate and geographic position for each cell. Beta diversity was measured using taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional metrics of composition. The influence of climatic variables, geographic distance and rivers on these metrics was tested using regression analyses. Passerine beta diversity is characterized mainly by the change in species taxonomic identity and in phylogenetic lineages across climatic gradients and over geographic distance. However, species with similar traits are found throughout the entire Amazonia. The size of rivers was proportional to their effect on species composition. However, climate and geographic distance are relatively more important than rivers for Amazonian taxonomic and phylogenetic species composition.
The role of catecholamines in modulating responses to stress: Sex‐specific patterns, implications, and therapeutic potential for post‐traumatic stress disorder and opiate withdrawal
Authors: Ross Jennifer A. , Van Bockstaele Elisabeth J.
Published: March 2020

Emotional arousal is one of several factors that determine the strength of a memory and how efficiently it may be retrieved. The systems at play are multifaceted; on one hand, the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic system evaluates the rewarding or reinforcing potential of a stimulus, while on the other, the noradrenergic stress response system evaluates the risk of threat, commanding attention, and engaging emotional and physical behavioral responses. Sex‐specific patterns in the anatomy and function of the arousal system suggest that sexually divergent therapeutic approaches may be advantageous for neurological disorders involving arousal, learning, and memory. From the lens of the triple network model of psychopathology, we argue that post‐traumatic stress disorder and opiate substance use disorder arise from maladaptive learning responses that are perpetuated by hyperarousal of the salience network. We present evidence that catecholamine‐modulated learning and stress‐responsive circuitry exerts substantial influence over the salience network and its dysfunction in stress‐related psychiatric disorders, and between the sexes. We discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting the endogenous cannabinoid system; a ubiquitous neuromodulator that influences learning, memory, and responsivity to stress by influencing catecholamine, excitatory, and inhibitory synaptic transmission. Relevant preclinical data in male and female rodents are integrated with clinical data in men and women in an effort to understand how ideal treatment modalities between the sexes may be different.
Periventricular white matter hyperintensity burden and cognitive impairment in early Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Huang X. , Wen M.‐C. , Ng S. Y.‐E. , Hartono S. , Chia N. S.‐Y. , Choi X. , Tay K.‐Y. , Au W.‐L. , Chan L.‐L. , Tan E.‐K. , Tan L. C.‐S.
Published: March 2020

Background and purpose

This study quantified the total brain and periventricular white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burdens in patients with early Parkinson’s disease (PD) and explored their associations with cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive performance.

Methods

A total of 175 non‐demented patients with early PD who had undergone baseline brain magnetic resonance imaging were included. Comprehensive neurocognitive testing was conducted to identify PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD‐MCI) and to evaluate performances in individual cognitive domains. Cardiovascular risk was expressed as a modified Framingham 10‐year cardiovascular risk score (mFRS).

Results

A total of 53.7% of this early PD cohort fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for PD‐MCI. An increase in mFRS was significantly associated with increases in the total brain WMH (P = 0.015) and periventricular WMH (P = 0.040) burden, independent of age and gender. The periventricular WMH burden was significantly associated with PD‐MCI (P = 0.046) in early PD, independent of cardiovascular risk factors. Patients in the 5th quintile of periventricular WMH burden were 8.6 times more likely to have PD‐MCI compared with patients in the 1st quintile of periventricular WMH burden (P = 0.004). However, total brain WMH burden was not associated with PD‐MCI (P = 0.158). In individual cognitive domains, heavier periventricular WMH burden was associated with worse executive function and visuospatial function independent of cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusion

Periventricular WMHs are a useful imaging biomarker for cognitive impairment in early PD. Cardiovascular risk factors, although associated with periventricular WMHs, were unable to fully explain the association between periventricular WMHs and cognitive impairment in early PD.
Hearing loss is associated with cortical thinning in cognitively normal older adults
Authors: Ha J. , Cho Y. S. , Kim S. J. , Cho S. H. , Kim J. P. , Jung Y. H. , Jang H. , Shin H.‐Y. , Lin F. R. , Na D. L. , Seo S. W. , Moon I. J. , Kim H. J.
Published: March 2020

Background and purpose

Hearing loss (HL) is one of the most influential risk factors of dementia in older adults. However, its potential association with neurodegeneration is not well established. The association between HL and cortical thickness in cognitively normal older adults was evaluated.

Methods

In all, 982 cognitively normal older adults (age ≥65 years) were identified from the Health Promotion Center at the Samsung Medical Center from September 2008 to December 2014. The participants underwent pure‐tone audiometry and brain magnetic resonance imaging. HL was evaluated according to a four‐frequency (0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz) pure‐tone average. Participants were divided into three groups according to pure‐tone average (normal hearing ≤15 dB, minimal HL 16–25 dB, mild‐to‐severe HL >25 dB). Cortical thickness in the HL groups was compared with that of the normal hearing group.

Results

In women, right ear HL was associated with cortical thinning: the minimal HL group showed cortical thinning in the left frontal and bilateral occipital areas and the mild‐to‐severe HL group showed cortical thinning in the bilateral frontal, right temporal and bilateral occipital areas compared to the normal hearing group. In men, there was no significant association between HL on either side and cortical thickness.

Conclusion

In older women, right ear HL is associated with neurodegeneration even in a cognitively normal state. Therefore, managing HL especially in older women may be an effective strategy for dementia prevention.
Treatment of a subchondral cystic‐like lesion in the distal scapula with a translesional bone screw in a horse
Authors: Corraretti G. , Meulyzer M. , Simon O.
Published: March 2020

A 2‐year‐old French Warmblood stallion was presented for lameness investigation. The diagnostic procedures identified the reason for lameness as being a subchondral cystic‐like lesion (SCL) in the glenoid cavity of the scapula. The horse was surgically treated with a translesional 4.5 mm cortical bone screw inserted through the SCL under radiographic guidance. Sixty days after surgery, the horse was sound and the SCL showed significant radiographic signs of healing. Radiographs obtained 180 days after surgery showed further radiographic healing, with the SCL presenting a radiodensity similar to the surrounding bone. At 4 years post‐operative follow‐up, the horse is sound and competing successfully as a 6‐year‐old in Concours de Saut International (CSI) competitions.
Population collapse and retreat to fire refugia of the Tasmanian endemic conifer Athrotaxis selaginoides following the transition from Aboriginal to European fire management
Authors: Holz Andrés , Wood Sam W. , Ward Carly , Veblen Thomas T. , Bowman David M. J. S.
Published: March 2020

Untangling the nuanced relationships between landscape, fire disturbance, human agency, and climate is key to understanding rapid population declines of fire‐sensitive plant species. Using multiple lines of evidence across temporal and spatial scales (vegetation survey, stand structure analysis, dendrochronology, and fire history reconstruction), we document landscape‐scale population collapse of the long‐lived, endemic Tasmanian conifer Athrotaxis selaginoides in remote montane catchments in southern Tasmania. We contextualized the findings of this field‐based study with a Tasmanian‐wide geospatial analysis of fire‐killed and unburned populations of the species. Population declines followed European colonization commencing in 1802 ad that disrupted Aboriginal landscape burning. Prior to European colonization, fire events were infrequent but frequency sharply increased afterwards. Dendrochronological analysis revealed that reconstructed fire years were associated with abnormally warm/dry conditions, with below‐average streamflow, and were strongly teleconnected to the Southern Annular Mode. The multiple fires that followed European colonization caused near total mortality of A. selaginoides and resulted in pronounced floristic, structural vegetation, and fuel load changes. Burned stands have very few regenerating A. selaginoides juveniles yet tree‐establishment reconstruction of fire‐killed adults exhibited persistent recruitment in the period prior to European colonization. Collectively, our findings indicate that this fire‐sensitive Gondwanan conifer was able to persist with burning by Aboriginal Tasmanians, despite episodic widespread forest fires. By contrast, European burning led to the restriction of A. selaginoides to prime topographic fire refugia. Increasingly, frequent fires caused by regional dry and warming trends and increased ignitions by humans and lightning are breaching fire refugia; hence, the survival Tasmanian Gondwanan species demands sustained and targeted fire management.
Global assessment of relationships between climate and tree growth
Authors: Wilmking Martin , van der Maaten‐Theunissen Marieke , van der Maaten Ernst , Scharnweber Tobias , Buras Allan , Biermann Christine , Gurskaya Marina , Hallinger Martin , Lange Jelena , Shetti Rohan , Smiljanic Marko , Trouillier Mario
Published: March 2020

Tree‐ring records provide global high‐resolution information on tree‐species responses to global change, forest carbon and water dynamics, and past climate variability and extremes. The underlying assumption is a stationary (time‐stable), quasi‐linear relationship between tree growth and environment, which however conflicts with basic ecological and evolutionary theory. Indeed, our global assessment of the relevant tree‐ring literature demonstrates non‐stationarity in the majority of tested cases, not limited to specific proxies, environmental parameters, regions or species. Non‐stationarity likely represents the general nature of the relationship between tree‐growth proxies and environment. Studies assuming stationarity however score two times more citations influencing other fields of science and the science–policy interface. To reconcile ecological reality with the application of tree‐ring proxies for climate or environmental estimates, we provide a clarification of the stationarity concept, propose a simple confidence framework for the re‐evaluation of existing studies and recommend the use of a new statistical tool to detect non‐stationarity in tree‐ring proxies. Our contribution is meant to stimulate and facilitate discussion in light of our results to help increase confidence in tree‐ring‐based climate and environmental estimates for science, the public and policymakers.
Monitoring of older HIV‐1‐positive adults by HIV clinics in the United Kingdom: a national quality improvement initiative
Authors: Ekong N , Curtis H , Ong E , Sabin CA , Chadwick D ,   the British HIV Association (BHIVA) Audit and Standards Sub‐Committee
Published: March 2020

Objectives

The aim of the study was to describe a UK‐wide process to assess adherence to guidelines for the routine investigation and monitoring of HIV‐positive adults aged ≥ 50 years and provide clinical services with individual feedback to support improvement in quality of care.

Methods

The British HIV Association (BHIVA) invited HIV clinical care sites to provide retrospective data from case notes of up to 40 adults aged ≥ 50 years with HIV‐1 infection attending the clinic for care during 2017 and/or 2018, using a structured dynamic online questionnaire.

Results

A total of 4959 questionnaires from 141 clinical services were returned. Regarding the key targets specified in the BHIVA monitoring guidelines, 97% of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) had had their viral load measured in the last 9 months, or 15 months if on a protease inhibitor, and 94% had had all medications recorded in the last 15 months. Only 67% of patients on ART without cardiovascular disease (CVD) had had a 10‐year CVD risk calculated in the last 3 years. It was reported that 80% and 92% had had their smoking status documented in the last 2 years and blood pressure checked in the last 15 months, respectively. HIV services had communicated with the general practitioners of 90% of consenting individuals, but consulted electronic primary care records for only 10%.

Conclusions

Nationally, targets were met for viral load and blood pressure monitoring but not for CVD risk assessment, smoking status documentation and recording of comedication. There was variable performance in relation to other outcomes; adherence and laboratory measurements were carried out more regularly than lifestyle and wellbeing assessments.
Inhibition of PLK4 might enhance the anti‐tumour effect of bortezomib on glioblastoma via PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway
Authors: Wang Jing , Ren Dengpeng , Sun Yan , Xu Chao , Wang Chunhong , Cheng Rui , Wang Lina , Jia Guijun , Ren Jinrui , Ma Jiuhong , Tu Yue , Ji Hongming
Published: March 2020

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common aggressive cancers of the central nervous system in adults with a high mortality rate. Bortezomib is a boronic acid–based potent proteasome inhibitor that has been actively studied for its anti‐tumour effects through inhibition of the proteasome. The proteasome is a key component of the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway that is critical for protein homeostasis, regulation of cellular growth, and apoptosis. Overexpression of polo‐like kinase 4 (PLK4) is commonly reported in tumour cells and increases their invasive and metastatic abilities. In this study, we established a cell model of PLK4 knockdown and overexpression in LN‐18, A172 and LN‐229 cells and found that knockdown of PLK4 expression enhanced the anti‐tumour effect of bortezomib. We further found that this effect may be mediated by the PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway and that the apoptotic and oxidative stress processes were activated, while the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was down‐regulated. Similar phenomenon was observed using in vitro experiments. Thus, we speculate that PLK4 inhibition may be a new therapeutic strategy for GBM.
Osteoporosis and bone health in autoimmune blistering skin disease—an evidenced based review
Authors: Kang M. , Bilgic A. , Radjenovic M. , Murrell D.F.
Published: March 2020

Autoimmune blistering skin diseases (AIBD) encompass a group of diseases characterised by cutaneous and/or mucocutaneous fragility. Multiple risk factors contributing to osteoporosis exist in AIBD patients, including use of long‐term systemic corticosteroid therapy (SCT), decreased mobility and the presence of chronic inflammation. Despite this, there is no consensus on the prophylaxis of osteoporosis in AIBD, especially in the absence of SCT. To systemically review the current literature on the association between osteoporosis/osteopenia and AIBD, a comprehensive literature search was performed on six online databases with search terms related to bone mineral density (BMD) and AIBD. A total of 314 articles were screened by their abstract and/or full text. A total of 20 peer‐reviewed full‐text articles addressing BMD in patients with AIBD were identified. Eight articles examined the association between osteoporosis and pemphigus. Only two articles examined the association between osteoporosis and pemphigoid patients. Three articles examined the effectiveness of osteoporosis prophylaxis in AIBD patients. Seven papers examined the levels of vitamin D in AIBD patients. Few case‐control studies examine osteoporosis in pemphigus in the context of SCT, with consistent findings. However, there is scarce literature examining the risk of osteoporosis in pemphigoid, or in AIBD without SCT. Prophylaxis and screening of osteoporosis in AIBD is suboptimal and more attention in this area is required to avoid future complications related to osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Comparison of Fracture Load and Surface Wear of Microhybrid Composite and Ceramic Occlusal Veneers
Authors: Zhang Haoyu , Lv Pin , Du Wenyu , Jiang Ting
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To compare in vitro fracture load, surface wear, and roughness after thermal cycling and cyclic mechanical fatigue loading among cemented microhybrid resin‐based composite and ceramic occlusal veneers fabricated at two thicknesses (1.5 and 2.5 mm).

Materials and methods

Sixty‐four extracted premolars without root canal treatment were prepared and restored with occlusal veneers of two thicknesses (1.5 and 2.5 mm), using four different materials: microhybrid composite (MC), fiber‐reinforced microhybrid composite (FMC), heat‐pressed lithium disilicate ceramic (HPC), and computer‐aided design/computer‐aided manufactured lithium disilicate ceramic (CCC). The specimens underwent thermal cycling and cyclic mechanical fatigue loading, and were then subjected to fracture testing, with loads at failure recorded as fracture load. Wear and surface roughness were recorded before and after fatigue loading. Results were analyzed using one‐way ANOVA, two‐way ANOVA (α = 0.05).

Results

All specimens survived thermal cycling and cyclic mechanical fatigue loading. At 1.5‐mm thickness, the mean fracture load of FMC was highest (3926.48 ± 556.54 N), while that of CCC was highest (3066.45 ± 559.94 N) at 2.5 mm. Regardless of thickness, the fracture load of CCC was higher than that of HPC (p = 0.004 and p = 0.023). The wear of MC and FMC was significantly higher than those of HPC and CCC (p ≤ 0.001), but was similar in terms of the wear rate of tooth enamel. HPC exhibited the lowest surface roughness after fatigue loading (p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusion

All tested occlusal veneers exhibited a fracture load considerably exceeding the maximum occlusal force in the posterior dentition. When the attainable space for restoration varies, different occlusal veneer materials should be considered. The surface wear and roughness also need to be considered when selecting materials.
Effect of cognitive behavioural therapy on sleep and opioid medication use in adults with fibromyalgia and insomnia
Authors: McCrae Christina S. , Curtis Ashley F. , Miller Mary Beth , Nair Neetu , Rathinakumar Himangshu , Davenport Mattina , Berry Jasmine R. , McGovney Kevin , Staud Roland , Berry Richard , Robinson Michael
Published: March 2020

Sleep and opioid medications used to treat insomnia and chronic pain are associated with adverse side effects (falls and cognitive disturbance). Although behavioural treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT‐I) and pain (CBT‐P) improve sleep and clinical pain, their effects on sleep and opioid medication use are unclear. In this secondary analysis of published trial data, we investigated whether CBT‐I and CBT‐P reduced reliance on sleep/opioid medication in patients with fibromyalgia and insomnia (FMI). Patients with FMI (n = 113, Mage = 53.0, SD = 10.9) completed 8 weeks of CBT‐I (n = 39), CBT‐P (n = 37) or waitlist control (WLC; n = 37). Participants completed 14 daily diaries at baseline, post‐treatment and 6‐month follow‐up, assessing sleep and opioid medication usage. Multilevel modelling examined group by time effects on days of medication use. A significant interaction revealed CBT‐P reduced the number of days of sleep medication use at post‐treatment, but usage returned to baseline levels at follow‐up. There were no other significant within‐ or between‐group effects. CBT‐P led to immediate reductions in sleep medication usage, despite lack of explicit content regarding sleep medication. CBT‐I and CBT‐P may be ineffective as stand‐alone treatments for altering opioid use in FMI. Future work should explore CBT as an adjunct to other behavioural techniques for opioid reduction.
The influence of hyperglycemia on neutrophil extracellular trap formation and endothelial glycocalyx damage in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes
Authors: Hirota Tatsuhiko , Levy Jerrold H. , Iba Toshiaki
Published: March 2020

Objectives

Hyperglycemia induces vascular dysfunction that is thought to be initiated by neutrophils. Neutrophil activation produces endothelial injury by pathways that include NETosis, a type of specific cell death. In this study, we investigated the effects of hyperglycemia on neutrophil activation, cell death, NETosis, and endothelial glycocalyx damage using a mouse diabetes model.

Methods

We used db/db mice as a type 2 diabetes model, and C57BL/6 mice were the controls. At 5, 8, and 12 weeks of age, the proportion of CD11b+ granulocytes/monocytes, neutrophil extracellular trap (NET)‐forming granulocytes/monocytes, and damaged and nonviable granulocytes/monocytes was analyzed. In addition, serum levels of high mobility group box 1, histone H3, and glycocalyx components that included syndecan‐1 and hyaluronan were measured.

Results

In diabetic mice, we observed an increased proportion of CD11b+ granulocytes/monocytes. The proportion of NET‐forming granulocytes/monocytes increased from the early stages of the experiments. The proportions of damaged and nonviable granulocytes/monocytes increased over time. In the 12‐week‐old diabetic mice, serum histone H3 levels increased. Circulating levels of syndecan‐1 and hyaluronan decreased over time and were lower in diabetic mice.

Conclusion

Neutrophil activation and cell death induce endothelial glycocalyx damage, and NET formation also participates in the mechanisms of vascular injury in type 2 diabetes.
Weight counseling in pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa patients
Authors: Reichert Barbara , Fernandez Faith Esteban , Harfmann Katya
Published: March 2020

Background/Objectives

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic, painful, debilitating disease that may present in the pediatric years. Overweight and obesity are believed to worsen disease severity, but many patients do not receive counseling regarding weight control. The objective of this study is to examine the percentage of hidradenitis suppurativa patients who receive weight counseling as a part of their disease management and which specialties primarily care for these patients.

Methods

We performed a retrospective chart review of pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa patients between January 2011 and October 2018. Demographic data, height, weight, body mass index, body mass index percentiles, number of visits per department, referrals to the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition, and referring provider department data were collected.

Results

A total of 535 pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa patients were reviewed; 79.6% were female, and the mean age at diagnosis was 14.5 years. 11.6% of patients were overweight, and 54.2% were obese. 32.1% of overweight and obese hidradenitis suppurativa patients received a referral to the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition. The majority of referrals were placed by Primary Care. Dermatology placed 7.1% of the referrals to the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition for these patients.

Conclusions

The results suggest that there is a need for increased awareness, education, and counseling on weight management and nutrition for pediatric hidradenitis suppurativa patients. Further studies are needed to determine the success of counseling on weight control and disease severity.
Factors influencing platelet normalization of transient abnormal myelopoiesis
Authors: Nakamura Wataru , Goto Hiroaki , Hayashi Akiko , Keino Dai , Sugiyama Masanaka , Miyagawa Naoyuki , Iwasaki Fuminori , Hamanoue Satoshi , Yokosuka Tomoko , Goto Shoko , Toyoshima Katsuaki
Published: March 2020

Background

Abnormal blood cell counts are characteristic of patients with Down syndrome and transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM). Although some patients with TAM experience prolonged anemia or thrombocytopenia, hematological factors predicting blood cell count recovery have not been reported yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors influencing platelet normalization in TAM.

Methods

A retrospective review of the medical records of 21 patients with TAM admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Kanagawa Children’s Medical Center between January 2007 and October 2014 was undertaken.

Results

In the 16 of 21 patients (76%) experiencing transient thrombocytopenia, a large number of blasts at diagnosis was found to be significantly associated with late platelet recovery (R = 0.669, P < 0.05), and higher platelet counts at diagnosis were significantly associated with later recovery (R = 0.719, P < 0.01). Indeed, a strong positive correlation between blast and platelet counts at diagnosis was found (R = 0.730, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Our data suggest that high platelet counts at TAM diagnosis might reflect abnormal thrombocyte production from blasts. Thus, physicians should be aware of the possibility of prolonged thrombocytopenia in patients with TAM who exhibit a high platelet and/or blast count at diagnosis.
Reading the Public: Political Action and Its Relationship to Constructions of Political Disagreement and Opinion Climate in the Context of Brexit
Authors: O'Dwyer Emma
Published: March 2020

This study applied a social representations approach to investigate the ways in which constructions of perceived political disagreement and the prevailing opinion climate were implicated in people's construals of political participation in the context of the United Kingdom European Union referendum of 2016. Interviews were conducted with 19 residents of the United Kingdom who voted to remain in the referendum, located in constituencies which represented diverse opinion climates in relation to the referendum. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that public opinion was a dilemmatic social representation; it was inscrutable and often ill‐informed but also volatile and disruptive, which left open the possibility of it moving towards a more pro‐EU position. Importantly, constructions of a polarized and dysfunctional political system worked to sustain a mode of political engagement which prioritized and positioned as efficacious individual rather than collective anti‐Brexit political behavior. This implies that people may prefer different types of political participation depending on the opinion climate which they occupy and the way in which they construe it. Findings are discussed in relation to previous work linking meta‐representations to political behavior and expression, and the implications of the findings for emergent forms such as Brexit are elaborated.