bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crestal Bone Changes and Patient Satisfaction with Single Implant‐Retained Mandibular Overdentures with Dalla Bona and Locator Attachments with Immediate Loading Protocols. A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study
Authors: Nischal Kunal , Mishra Sunil Kumar , Chowdhary Ramesh
Published: August 2020

Purpose

There is no enough evidence present on the success of single implant‐retained mandibular overdentures (SIMO) with Dalla Bona and Locator attachments. This study aims to compare crestal bone loss and patient satisfaction with SIMO with Dalla Bona and Locator attachment following immediate loading protocols.

Material and Methods

Twelve patients included in Group 1 received immediate SIMO with Dalla Bona attachments, and another twelve patients in Group 2 received immediate SIMO with Locator attachments in the mid symphyseal region. The follow‐up was scheduled at 6 and 12 months after implant placement. The patient satisfaction with the denture was evaluated with the visual analog scale (VAS) score. The data obtained were statistically analyzed with the independent student t‐test for intergroup comparison and repeated measures of ANOVA followed by Bonferroni's Post hoc analysis for intragroup comparison of mean crestal bone loss at a different time interval.

Results

Ten patients each in both the groups were available for follow‐up. Crestal bone loss at 6 months follow‐up for Dalla Bona group was 0.42 ± 0.10 mm on the mesial side and 0.43 ± 0.14 mm on the distal side and at 1 year 1.54 ± 0.16 mm on the mesial side and 1.66 ± 0.13 mm on the distal side. The mean crestal bone loss at 6 months follow‐up for Locator group was 0.48 ± 0.16 mm on the mesial side and 0.45 ± 0.11 mm on the distal side and at 1 year was 1.71 ± 0.22 mm on mesial side and 1.74 ± 0.28 mm on the distal side. There was difference in bone loss at 6 months (mesial: 0.06 mm, p = 0.327; distal:0.02 mm; p = 0.726) and at 1 year (mesial: 0.17 mm, p = 0.063; distal: 0.08 mm; p = 0.423) in between two groups but the difference was statistically insignificant. There was a significant difference found in the VAS score for patient satisfaction with SIMO with Dalla Bona attachments and Locator attachments at 6 months (54.2 vs. 51.8, p = 0.005) and 1 year (60.6 vs. 55.2, p = 0.005).

Conclusions

Patient satisfaction with SIMO with Dalla Bona attachments was higher during the follow‐up. SIMO with Dalla Bona attachments had less crestal bone loss and less prosthetic complications when compared to Locator attachments, although the difference in the bone loss was statistically insignificant.
Is there a link between bacteriuria and a reversible encephalopathy in dogs and cats?
Authors: Crawford A. H. , Cardy T. J. A.
Published: August 2020

Bacteriuria has been associated with abnormal neurological status in humans, especially geriatric patients. In this report, we review 11 cases (seven dogs and four cats) that suggest an association between bacteriuria and abnormal neurological status in veterinary medicine. These cases showed diffuse forebrain signs with or without brainstem signs, but primary brain disease was excluded by MRI and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Bacteriological culture of urine was positive in each animal and neurological deficits improved or resolved with initiation of antibiosis ± fluid therapy and levetiracetam. While further studies are needed to definitively confirm or refute the link between bacteriuria and a reversible encephalopathy, urine bacteriological culture should be considered in veterinary patients presented with acute onset forebrain neuro‐anatomical localisation, even in the absence of clinical signs of lower urinary tract inflammation.
Sleep problems and depressive symptoms in toddlers and 8‐year‐old children: A longitudinal study
Authors: Sivertsen Børge , Harvey Allison G. , Reichborn‐Kjennerud Ted , Ystrom Eivind , Hysing Mari
Published: August 2020

Sleep and depression are interlinked throughout the lifespan, but very few studies have examined the directionality of the sleep–depression link in children. The aim of the current study was to prospectively examine the bidirectional association between sleep problems and internalizing problems and depressive symptoms in toddlers and children aged 1.5 and 8 years. Data stem from the large ongoing population‐based longitudinal study, the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, recruited from October 1999 to July 2009. A total of 35,075 children were included. Information on sleep duration, nocturnal awakenings and internalizing problems (Child Behaviour Checklist) was provided by the mothers at 1.5 years, whereas data on sleep duration and depressive symptoms (Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire) were provided by the mothers when the children were 8 years old. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression analyses. After accounting for previous internalizing problems, short sleep duration (≤10 hr) and frequent (≥3) nightly awakenings at 1.5 years predicted the development of depressive symptoms at 8 years of age (adjusted OR = 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–1.51, and adjusted OR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.08–1.50, respectively). Also, internalizing problems at 1.5 years predicted onset of later short sleep duration (adjusted OR = 1.83, 95% CI 1.32–2.54) after accounting for early sleep problems. This prospective study demonstrated a bidirectional association between sleep and internalizing/depressive symptoms from toddlerhood to middle childhood. Intervention studies are needed to examine whether targeting either of these problems at this early age may prevent onset of the other.
The toad’s warts: Discordance creates bumpy expectations of mitochondrial‐nuclear evolution between species
Authors: Streicher Jeffrey W. , Day Julia J.
Published: August 2020

Discordance between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes is a prevalent phenomenon in nature, in which the underlying processes responsible are considered to be important in shaping genetic variation in natural populations. Among the evolutionary processes that best explain such genomic mismatches incomplete lineage sorting and introgression are commonly identified, however, many studies are unable to distinguish between these hypotheses, which has become a major challenge in the field. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Firneno et al. (2020) present an elegant exploration of mitochondrial‐nuclear discordance in Mesoamerican toads. Integrating genome‐scale and spatial data to test between these hypotheses within an empirical model testing framework, they find strong support that incomplete lineage sorting explains the observed discordance. Their work, along with many previous articles in Molecular Ecology, highlights the commonality of mito‐nuclear discordance among species despite the expectations of tightly concerted mitochondrial and nuclear genome evolution. It is increasingly clear that the nuclear genomes of many species are (at least for short periods of evolutionary time) functionally compatible with multiple, divergent mitochondrial haplotypes. As such, we suggest future research not only seeks to understand the processes causing spatial mito‐nuclear discordance (e.g. incomplete lineage sorting, introgression), but also explores those that maintain discordance through time and space (e.g. relaxed selection on mito‐nuclear interactions, heterozygosity, population demographics). We also discuss the vital role that taxonomy plays in interpreting patterns of mito‐nuclear discordance when data‐consistent yet differing taxonomies are used, such as treating allopatrically distributed taxa as multiple isolated populations versus multiple micro‐endemic species.
Predicting speciation probability from replicated population histories
Authors: Prates Ivan , Singhal Sonal
Published: August 2020

In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Yamasaki et al. (2020) use genetic data from extensive sampling of Rhinogobius goby fish across the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan to demonstrate the parallel speciation of a freshwater form from an ancestral amphidromous form. They then show that ecosystem size strongly predicts the probability of speciation between the two forms across islands. In doing so, this study connects population‐level processes (microevolution) to broad‐scale biodiversity patterns (macroevolution), an important but understudied link in evolutionary biology. Moving forward, we can build on this research to (a) more directly determine how geographic, ecological and historical factors influence the different stages of the speciation process, and (b) understand whether mechanisms inferred from insular radiations extend to those on continents, where both demographic histories and environmental regimes are likely more complex.
What it means to be a “true American”: Ethnonationalism and voting in the 2016 U.S. presidential election
Authors: Thompson Jack
Published: August 2020

A number of important factors predicted white people vote choice in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, including voters' economic assessments, sexist attitudes, racial resentment, and status threat. In this paper, I establish that ethnonationalism—a set of beliefs concerning what it means to be a “true” American—was also a significant factor in the estimations of White Americans when casting their vote for president in 2016. Data from a nationally representative sample of White Americans show that ethnonationalism was a robust predictor of vote choice for Trump even after controlling for predictors known to shape vote choice, including economic assessments, sexist attitudes, racial resentment, status threat, and sociodemographic indicators. These results indicate that ethnonationalism, although correlated with some of these factors, operated primarily as an independent factor that shaped White vote choice. The findings have important implications concerning the electoral activation of White majorities concerned about the perceived threat that demographic change poses to American national identity.
On the Many Senses of Scripture: Romans 1:19-20 in the Summa theologiae
Authors: Ebert Aaron
Published: August 2020

Despite growing interest in Thomas Aquinas' biblical exegesis in general, and in his reading of Romans in particular, little attention has been given to the way Thomas actually uses scripture to do theology in his most enduring and influential work: the Summa theologiae. This article makes a preliminary attempt to remedy this neglect by exploring the role played by Romans 1:19-20 in the Summa. Given the deep connection of both Romans 1 and Aquinas to the perennial debates about natural theology, we might expect Thomas’ engagement with those verses to be concerned chiefly and resolutely with the questions animating these debates. But this is not at all the case. Far from being limited to arguments for philosophical knowledge of God, the Summa's more than twenty citations of Romans 1, I argue, re-present the whole drama of Christianity in microcosm. Even according to the letter, Paul's words have many senses for Thomas. The goal of this article is to draw out these many senses and demonstrate the creative interplay of scripture and theology in Thomas’ Summa.
Histone H3K9 methylation regulates chronic stress and IL‐6–induced colon epithelial permeability and visceral pain
Authors: Wiley John W. , Zong Ye , Zheng Gen , Zhu Shengtao , Hong Shuangsong
Published: August 2020

Background

Chronic stress is associated with activation of the HPA axis, elevation in pro‐inflammatory cytokines, decrease in intestinal epithelial cell tight junction (TJ) proteins, and enhanced visceral pain. It is unknown whether epigenetic regulatory pathways play a role in chronic stress–induced intestinal barrier dysfunction and visceral hyperalgesia.

Methods

Young adult male rats were subjected to water avoidance stress ± H3K9 methylation inhibitors or siRNAs. Visceral pain response was assessed. Differentiated Caco‐2/BBE cells and human colonoids were treated with cortisol or IL‐6 ± antagonists. Expression of TJ, IL‐6, and H3K9 methylation status at gene promoters was measured. Transepithelial electrical resistance and FITC‐dextran permeability were evaluated.

Key Results

Chronic stress induced IL‐6 up‐regulation prior to a decrease in TJ proteins in the rat colon. The IL‐6 level inversely correlated with occludin expression. Treatment with IL‐6 decreased occludin and induced visceral hyperalgesia. Chronic stress and IL‐6 increased H3K9 methylation and decreased transcriptional GR binding to the occludin gene promoter, leading to down‐regulation of protein expression and increase in paracellular permeability. Intrarectal administration of a H3K9 methylation antagonist prevented chronic stress–induced visceral hyperalgesia in the rat. In a human colonoid model, cortisol decreased occludin expression, which was prevented by the GR antagonist RU486, and IL‐6 increased H3K9 methylation and decreased TJ protein levels, which were prevented by inhibitors of H3K9 methylation.

Conclusions & Inferences

Our findings support a novel role for methylation of the repressive histone H3K9 to regulate chronic stress, pro‐inflammatory cytokine–mediated reduction in colon TJ protein levels, and increase in paracellular permeability and visceral hyperalgesia.
Prucalopride in diabetic and connective tissue disease‐related gastroparesis: Randomized placebo‐controlled crossover pilot trial
Authors: Andrews Christopher N. , Woo Matthew , Buresi Michelle , Curley Michael , Gupta Milli , Tack Jan , Wilsack Lynn , Nasser Yasmin
Published: August 2020

Background

Gastroparesis, defined by delayed gastric emptying in the absence of mechanical outlet obstruction, is a frequent neuropathic complication of diabetes mellitus, and effective treatments are lacking. Prucalopride is a pan‐gut prokinetic with selective agonist effects on serotonin 5‐HT4 receptors in the gut. This study aimed to assess the effect of prucalopride 4 mg daily on Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI), meal‐related symptom score (MRSS), and gastric emptying rate in diabetic or connective tissue disease (CTD)‐related gastroparesis patients.

Methods

This was a double‐blind crossover trial of four‐week treatment periods with prucalopride or placebo divided by two weeks of washout. GSCI, MRSS, gastric emptying scintigraphy, PAGI‐SYM, and PAGI‐QoL were assessed at baseline and the end of each treatment period. Daily bowel movement (BM) frequency and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded in each period.

Key Results

Fifteen gastroparesis patients (13 diabetic, 2 CTD) were enrolled. GCSI scores were lower than baseline but not different between treatment arms. MRSS scores over time or cumulative score were not significantly different between groups. Gastric emptying was more rapid in the prucalopride treatment period, with mean four‐hour meal retention of 22 ± 6% in PRU period vs 40 ± 9% in the placebo period (P = 0.05). Weekly BM frequency was significantly higher in prucalopride than placebo periods (10.5 ± 1.8 vs 7.5 ± 0.8, P < 0.0001). Perception of weight loss was higher in patients on prucalopride. Analysis of diabetic gastroparesis (n = 13) population did not change the conclusions.

Conclusion and Inference

Prucalopride at 4 mg accelerates gastric emptying and bowel movement frequency but does not appear to ameliorate gastroparesis or meal‐related symptoms in this study.
Seed predation selects for reproductive variability and synchrony in perennial plants
Authors: Bogdziewicz Michał , Szymkowiak Jakub , Tanentzap Andrew J. , Calama Rafael , Marino Shealyn , Steele Michael A. , Seget Barbara , Piechnik Łukasz , Żywiec Magdalena
Published: August 2020

Annually variable and synchronous seed production by plant populations, or masting, is a widespread reproductive strategy in long‐lived plants. Masting is thought to be selectively beneficial because interannual variability and synchrony increase the fitness of plants through economies of scale that decrease the cost of reproduction per surviving offspring. Predator satiation is believed to be a key economy of scale, but whether it can drive phenotypic evolution for masting in plants has been rarely explored.

We used data from seven plant species (Quercus humilis, Quercus ilex, Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, Quercus montana, Sorbus aucuparia and Pinus pinea) to determine whether predispersal seed predation selects for plant phenotypes that mast.

Predation selected for interannual variability in Mediterranean oaks (Q. humilis and Q. ilex), for synchrony in Q. rubra, and for both interannual variability and reproductive synchrony in S. aucuparia and P. pinea. Predation never selected for negative temporal autocorrelation of seed production.

Predation by invertebrates appears to select for only some aspects of masting, most importantly high coefficient of variation, supporting individual‐level benefits of the population‐level phenomenon of mast seeding. Determining the selective benefits of masting is complex because of interactions with other seed predators, which may impose contradictory selective pressures.
The wheat Sr22, Sr33, Sr35 and Sr45 genes confer resistance against stem rust in barley
Authors: Hatta M. Asyraf Md , Arora Sanu , Ghosh Sreya , Matny Oadi , Smedley Mark A. , Yu Guotai , Chakraborty Soma , Bhatt Dhara , Xia Xiaodi , Steuernagel Burkhard , Richardson Terese , Mago Rohit , Lagudah Evans S. , Patron Nicola J. , Ayliffe Michael , Rouse Matthew N. , Harwood Wendy A. , Periyannan Sambasivam , Steffenson Brian J. , Wulff Brande B.H.
Published: August 2020

In the last 20 years, stem rust caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), has re‐emerged as a major threat to wheat and barley production in Africa and Europe. In contrast to wheat with 60 designated stem rust (Sr) resistance genes, barley’s genetic variation for stem rust resistance is very narrow with only ten resistance genes genetically identified. Of these, only one complex locus consisting of three genes is effective against TTKSK, a widely virulent Pgt race of the Ug99 tribe which emerged in Uganda in 1999 and has since spread to much of East Africa and parts of the Middle East. The objective of this study was to assess the functionality, in barley, of cloned wheat Sr genes effective against race TTKSK. Sr22, Sr33, Sr35 and Sr45 were transformed into barley cv. Golden Promise using Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. All four genes were found to confer effective stem rust resistance. The barley transgenics remained susceptible to the barley leaf rust pathogen Puccinia hordei, indicating that the resistance conferred by these wheat Sr genes was specific for Pgt. Furthermore, these transgenic plants did not display significant adverse agronomic effects in the absence of disease. Cloned Sr genes from wheat are therefore a potential source of resistance against wheat stem rust in barley.
Immunotherapy for older patients with melanoma: From darkness to light?
Authors: Iacono Donatella , Vitale Maria Grazia , Basile Debora , Pelizzari Giacomo , Cinausero Marika , Poletto Elena , Pascoletti Gaetano , Minisini Alessandro Marco
Published: August 2020

Approximately 40% of malignant melanomas are diagnosed in patients older than 65 years. Elderly patients with melanoma present clinicopathological features related to a more aggressive biology, and they are often diagnosed with advanced stage of disease. Interestingly, in older patients the immune system can be altered with changes both in the innate system and in the adaptive immune system with the acquisition of a pro‐inflammatory and immune suppressive phenotype. Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors has reshaped the treatment strategies and prognosis of patients with melanoma, and particularly, older age should not be considered a contraindication for immunotherapy. However, data regarding efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in elderly population are still limited because frail older patients are generally excluded from clinical trials. Recently, real‐world data have shed light on similar efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in older population compared with younger counterpart. The aim of the present review was to summarize the available knowledge on the underlying immune system in older patients with a diagnosis of melanoma and the immunotherapeutic approaches in this population.
The Healthy Meal Program: A food insecurity screening and referral program for urban dwelling older adults
Authors: Diallo Ana F. , Falls Katherine , Hicks Krista , McQueen Gibson Ethlyn , Obaid Rawan , Slattum Patricia , Zanjani Faika , Price Elvin , Parsons Pamela
Published: August 2020

Objective

To describe the Healthy Meal Program (HMP), a community‐academic partnership that aims to address the food insecurity and social isolation in older adults living in an urban setting.

Program Implementation

Low‐income older adults were screened for food insecurity and social isolation. A partnership with the food bank and a farm‐based organization helped provide a weekly congregate or home‐delivered meal, pilot a cooking class, and offer a mobile market selling fresh vegetables at discounted prices.

Program Evaluation

Overall, 339 individuals agreed to participate in the screening process. Sixty‐eight percent (n = 230) screened positive for food insecurity and 41% (n = 139) screened positive for social isolation. Among individuals who were food insecure, 159 were referred to a food commodity program, 31 to meals on wheels, 23 to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and 28 to emergency food pantries. The mobile market served 75 participants weekly and 15 individuals took part in cooking classes.

Conclusions

Screening for food insecurity and social isolation in the HMP helped to assess the prevalence of these social determinants of health in low‐income older adults. Weekly congregate meals, home visits, and group cooking classes were initiatives taken to decrease the impact of food insecurity and social isolation in this vulnerable population.
“It's the War, Stupid!”: Determinants of Retrospective Evaluations of American Presidents
Authors: King James D. , McConnell Jason B.
Published: August 2020

Public opinion of presidents after they have left office is primarily the product of whether or not their administration entangled the United States in an unpopular military conflict. Using data from Gallup polls, we demonstrate that the forces of peace and prosperity drive approval ratings of former presidents when out of office but do not impact public assessments equally. A former president’s popular standing is tarnished more by association with an unpopular war than it is enhanced by economic prosperity.
Point‐of‐care ultrasound use for vascular access assessment and cannulation in hemodialysis: A scoping review
Authors: Schoch Monica , Bennett Paul N. , Currey Judy , Hutchinson Alison M.
Published: August 2020

Point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS) for access assessment and guided cannulation has become more common in hemodialysis units. The aims of this scoping review were to determine: circumstances in which renal nurses and technicians use POCUS; the barriers and facilitators; and evidence of the effects of POCUS in guiding assessment and cannulation. A search was conducted of CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ProQuest, Trove and Google Scholar as grey literature sources. Of 1904 publications, 21 studies met inclusion criteria (11 full text and 10 abstracts). These included primary research publications (n = 5), clinical observational cohort studies (n = 5), case studies (n = 3), published guidelines (n = 2), and published position papers (n = 6). POCUS was used for: assessing arteriovenous fistula (AVF) maturation; identifying landmarks and abnormalities; assessing alternate cannulation sites; performing new AVF cannulation; performing difficult cannulation; increasing cannulation accuracy; performing cannulation through stents; and patient self‐cannulation training. There were scant data on the barriers to, and facilitators of the use of POCUS, and a distinct lack of empirical evidence to support its use. These knowledge gaps highlight the need for further clinical studies, particularly randomized clinical trials, to test the effectiveness of POCUS in hemodialysis for assessment and guided cannulation.
Calcretes and travertines from the Palaeocene Itaboraí Basin as evidence of the early evolution of the Southeastern Brazil Continental Rift
Authors: Adler Paula Braga , De Ros Luiz Fernando , Mansur Kátia Leite , Ferrari André Luiz , Fernandes Luiz Alberto , Sial Alcides Nóbrega
Published: August 2020

The Itaboraí Basin, located in Rio de Janeiro state, is the smallest segment of the Southeastern Brazil Continental Rift, and the first to open, during the Palaeocene. Numerous studies focused on its fossiliferous content, but few systematically approached its depositional and diagenetic processes and products. A detailed description of the basal sedimentary deposits that remained after nearly fifty years of exploitation for cement production allowed an interpretation of the initial tectono‐sedimentary conditions responsible for the formation of the Basin. The macroscopic and petrographic description of outcrops and well core samples of the calcretes and travertines that correspond to the initial basin infill was integrated with stable isotope geochemistry. The calcretes were separated into different facies (powdery, nodular, massive, platy, laminated and brecciated), and classified according to morphogenetic stages. Their main microscopic features include nodules, contraction cracks, vadose pisoliths, rhizocretions, infiltrated clays, corroded grains, expanded micas and clay aggregates with bimasepic–plasmic microfabric. The travertines exhibit diverse forms of abiotic calcite crystal aggregates (plumose, lamellar to prismatic‐radial, spherulitic) and a minor proportion of microbial microcrystalline precipitates (bacterial shrubs). Tectonically active periods, characterized by intense fault movements associated with humid climate, promoted hydrothermal activity, formation of travertines and modification of the alluvial deposits and calcrete facies by ascending fluids. During periods of tectonic stability under arid to semi‐arid climate, the exposed alluvial and hydrothermal deposits were influenced by pedogenetic processes. Sulphide‐rich carbonate hydrothermal breccias occur in the main fault zone at the southern border. The characterization of extremely active pedogenetic and hydrothermal processes during opening and early evolution of the Itaboraí Basin is essential to the understanding of the initial evolution of the Southeastern Brazil Continental Rift. Additionally, some isotopic and petrographic similarities of the Itaboraí carbonates with the vast South Atlantic Aptian Pre‐Salt lacustrine deposits may offer an interesting contribution to the understanding of that important petroleum province.
Integrated care and the ‘agentification’ of the English National Health Service
Authors: Wright John S. F. , Turner Simon
Published: August 2020

Integrated care is a global reform principle for improving patient access and outcomes by ensuring that healthcare organisations deliver services in a joined‐up, person‐centred way. Following reforms designed to infuse agency within English National Health Service (NHS) organisations, the agenda for integration must come to grips with the different approaches to joint working that these organisations mobilise, and the compatibility of their different agentic orientations. We build a matrix for identifying the extent to which different forms of agency orient nine NHS organisational types. Interrogating the Strategic and Operational Plans of these organisations for the period 2015–2018 based on questions derived from the matrix, we associate each organisation with one of eight generalised models. Assuming that there is greater potential for integration where organisations mobilise similar forms of agency, we discuss the incentives and potential governance changes that policy makers might consider to enhance integrative potential.
Features of classic lichen planopilaris and frontal fibrosing alopecia in reflectance confocal microscopy: A preliminary study
Authors: Kurzeja Marta , Czuwara Joanna , Walecka Irena , Olszewska Malgorzata , Rudnicka Lidia
Published: August 2020

Background

Classic lichen planopilaris (LPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) are primary lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia. In patients with ambiguous clinical presentation, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) a new noninvasive skin imaging technique, could be a helpful diagnostic tool. The aim of our study was to describe the characteristic features of classic LPP and FFA using RCM.

Materials and methods

Ten patients with classic lichen planopilaris and two with frontal fibrosing alopecia were examined with RCM.

Results

Lichenoid inflammatory infiltrate around the hair follicle was observed in three cases of classic LPP and FFA (3/12; 25.0%). Extensive perifollicular fibrosis was seen in nine patients (9/12; 75.0%) with classic LPP and FFA. An increased number of white, ill‐defined, coarse dermal fibers at the level of the superficial dermis were visible in seven cases (7/12; 58.3%). Moreover, dilated blood vessels were present in seven patients with classic LPP and FFA (7/12; 58.3%).

Conclusion

Summing up, reflectance confocal microscopy allows to visualize major key diagnostic features of classic lichen planopilaris and frontal fibrosing alopecia in the real time. The value of RCM examination in scarring alopecia needs to be further evaluated, but it appears to be a useful adjuvant tool for the initial diagnosis of classic LPP and FFA.
Autologous umbilical cord blood for red cell concentrate transfusion in preterm infants in the era of delayed cord clamping: An uncontrolled clinical trial
Authors: Abiramalatha Thangaraj , Radhakrishnan Krishnamoorthy , Panicker Vinod Kumar , Ninan Binu , Godla Usharani , Chandrasekaran Ashok , Balakrishnan Umamaheswari , Amboiram Prakash
Published: August 2020

Objective

To assess the utility of autologous umbilical cord blood (UCB) for red cell concentrate (RCC) transfusion in preterm infants.

Methods

We recruited preterm infants born at ≤30 weeks' gestation or have an estimated fetal weight <1,200 g. We intended to perform delayed cord clamping (DCC) and to collect UCB following DCC. The quality parameters used included blood culture performed once, and biochemical and haematological parameters assessed weekly.

Results

Of the 46 recruited neonates, DCC could be performed for 1 minute in 11 (23.9%) and for 30–59 seconds in 10 (21.7%) infants. The success rate of UCB collection was significantly lower in infants who underwent DCC for 1 minute (27%) compared to those who underwent DCC for 30–59 seconds (70%) or immediate cord clamping (72%) (pvalue 0.031).

Twenty‐five UCBs were stored after eliminating three that had positive culture. UCB had satisfactory quality for transfusion from day 3 (when blood culture report was available) to 14 (after which pH decreased to <6.5).

Thirteen infants required 27 RCC transfusions. Autologous UCB could be used for only five (18.5%) transfusions.

Conclusion

The success rate of UCB collection after DCC for 1 minute is low. Autologous UCB meets less than one‐fifth of transfusion requirements. Hence, autologous UCB transfusion is not a workable option in preterm infants.
Malathion insecticide resistance inAedes aegypti: laboratory conditions andin situexperimental approach through adult entomological surveillance
Authors: Leandro André de Souza , Rios Jean Avemir , Britto André da Silva , Galvão Sandro Roberto , Lopes Renata Defante , Rivas Açucena Veleh , Martins Caroline Amaral , da Silva Isaac , Delai Robson Michael , Gonçalves Daniela Dib , da Silva Mário Antônio Navarro , Palacio‐Cortès Angela Maria , Schuartz Valéria , Sibim Alessandra Cristiane , de Castro Wagner Antonio Chiba
Published: August 2020

Objective

In Brazil, the most common method of controlling outbreaks of arbovirus is by the use of chemical sprays, which kill the insect vector,Aedes aegypti. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the resistance ofAe. aegyptito the insecticide, malathion, in situ. The location of this study was the municipality of Foz do Iguaçu, in the state of Paraná, Brazil.

Methods

Ultra‐low‐volume (ULV) fogging equipment was used, by vehicle, to apply the insecticide in situ, and mosquito populations after treatment were compared with those of control areas. The resistance of strains collected from the municipality was compared to the Rockefeller strain under laboratory conditions.

Results

We found 220 adult female specimens and 7423 eggs ofAe. aegyptiin the areas subjected to UBV treatment, whereas 245 adult females and 10 557 eggs were found in the control areas. The UBV treatment area showed no significant difference compared to the control area, for all the indices. Mortality of the Rockefeller colony varied more quickly when there were slight variations in malathion concentration than the Foz do Iguaçu population.
Performance profile of an updated safety measure rapid assay for bacteria in platelets
Authors: Vallejo Remo P. , Shinefeld Lisa , LaVerda David , Best Nancy , Lawrence Gregory , Lousararian Adam , Hornbaker Nancy , Rasmusson Patricia , Mintz Paul D
Published: August 2020

Background

The Verax PGD rapid test for bacteria in platelets (PLTs) has been updated to simplify workflow and improve specificity and sensitivity by employing a novel sequential format. The performance of this updated version, called PGDprime, was evaluated to determine its suitability for use as an FDA‐cleared “safety measure” to supplant the current PGD test.

Study design and methods

Three consecutive cGMP‐manufactured lots of PGDprime were evaluated for specificity (at three separate sites), sensitivity, reproducibility, interfering substances, assay robustness, and detection in analytical growth and ultralow‐inoculum growth studies. PGDprime's performance was compared to that of PGD.

Results

Specificity studies yielded no false‐positive results among 3802 individual indate PLTs of seven different types (observed specificity, 100%). PGDprime detected all 10 PGD claim bacteria at the same limit of detection or better. Wild‐type Gram‐negative bacteria growing in PLTs were detected at earlier elapsed times than PGD by 12 to 30 hours. In growth studies, PGDprime detected bacteria growing in PLTs within the same 12‐hour interval as PGD or 12 to 48 hours earlier. Assay reproducibility was not affected by operator, day of test, or manufacturing lot. PGDprime tolerated a wide variation in volume transfers, timing, temperature, and relative humidity and was not affected by 15 of 16 potential interferents found in samples at extremely high or low levels.

Conclusion

The PGD test has been successfully updated to PGDprime with an innovative sequential assay format to deliver a robust simplified workflow and improved specificity and sensitivity.
Peripheral chemoreflex contribution to ventilatory long‐term facilitation induced by acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia in males and females
Authors: Vermeulen Tyler D. , Benbaruj Jenna , Brown Courtney V. , Shafer Brooke M. , Floras John S. , Foster Glen E.
Published: August 2020

Key points

Ventilatory long‐term facilitation (vLTF) refers to respiratory neuroplasticity that develops following intermittent hypoxia in both healthy and clinical populations.

A sustained hypercapnic background is argued to be required for full vLTF expression in humans.

We determined whether acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia elicits vLTF during isocapnic‐normoxic recovery in healthy males and females. We further assessed whether tonic peripheral chemoreflex drive is necessary and contributes to the expression of vLTF.

Following 40 min of intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia, minute ventilation was increased throughout 50 min of isocapnic‐normoxic recovery. Inhibition of peripheral chemoreflex drive with hyperoxia attenuated the magnitude of vLTF.

Males and females achieve vLTF through different respiratory recruitment patterns.

Ventilatory long‐term facilitation (vLTF) refers to respiratory neuroplasticity that manifests as increased minute ventilation () following intermittent hypoxia. In humans, hypercapnia sustained throughout intermittent hypoxia and recovery is considered necessary for vLTF expression. We examined whether acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia (IHH) induces vLTF, and if peripheral chemoreflex drive contributes to vLTF throughout isocapnic‐normoxic recovery. In 19 individuals (9 females, age: 22 ± 3 years; mean ± SD), measurements of tidal volume (VT), breathing frequency (fB), , and end‐tidal gases ( and ), were made at baseline, during IHH and 50 min of recovery. Totalling 40 min, IHH included 1 min intervals of 40 s hypercapnic hypoxia (target  = 50 mmHg and  = +4 mmHg above baseline) and 20 s normoxia. During baseline and recovery, dynamic end‐tidal forcing maintained resting and and delivered 1 min of hyperoxia ( = 355 ± 7 mmHg) every 5 min. The depression in during hyperoxia was considered an index of peripheral chemoreflex drive. Throughout recovery was increased 4.6 ± 3.7 l min−1 from baseline (P < 0.01). Hyperoxia depressed at baseline, and augmented depression was evident following IHH (Δ = −0.8 ± 0.9 vs. −1.7 ± 1.3 l min−1, respectively, P < 0.01). The vLTF was similar between sexes (P = 0.15), but males had larger increases in VT than females (sex‐by‐time interaction, P = 0.03), and females tended to increase fB (P = 0.09). During isocapnic‐normoxic recovery following IHH: (1) vLTF is expressed in healthy humans; (2) vLTF expression is attenuated but not abolished with peripheral chemoreflex inhibition by hyperoxia, suggesting a contribution from central nervous pathways in vLTF expression; and (3) males and females develop similar vLTF through different ventilatory recruitment strategies.
Binaural spatial adaptation as a mechanism for asymmetric trading of interaural time and level differences
Authors: Moore Travis M. , Picou Erin M. , Hornsby Benjamin W. Y. , Gallun Frederick J. , Stecker G. Christopher
Published: August 2020

A classic paradigm used to quantify the perceptual weighting of binaural spatial cues requires a listener to adjust the value of one cue, while the complementary cue is held constant. Adjustments are made until the auditory percept appears centered in the head, and the values of both cues are recorded as a trading relation (TR), most commonly in μs interaural time difference per dB interaural level difference. Interestingly, existing literature has shown that TRs differ according to the cue being adjusted. The current study investigated whether cue-specific adaptation, which might arise due to the continuous, alternating presentation of signals during adjustment tasks, could account for this poorly understood phenomenon. Three experiments measured TRs via adjustment and via lateralization of single targets in virtual reality (VR). Targets were 500 Hz pure tones preceded by silence or by adapting trains that held one of the cues constant. VR removed visual anchors and provided an intuitive response technique during lateralization. The pattern of results suggests that adaptation can account for cue-dependent TRs. In addition, VR seems to be a viable tool for psychophysical tasks.
Perceptual weighting of acoustic cues for accommodating gender-related talker differences heard by listeners with normal hearing and with cochlear implants
Authors: Winn Matthew B. , Moore Ashley N.
Published: August 2020

Listeners must accommodate acoustic differences between vocal tracts and speaking styles of conversation partners—a process called normalization or accommodation. This study explores what acoustic cues are used to make this perceptual adjustment by listeners with normal hearing or with cochlear implants, when the acoustic variability is related to the talker's gender. A continuum between /ʃ/ and /s/ was paired with naturally spoken vocalic contexts that were parametrically manipulated to vary by numerous cues for talker gender including fundamental frequency (F0), vocal tract length (formant spacing), and direct spectral contrast with the fricative. The goal was to examine relative contributions of these cues toward the tendency to have a lower-frequency acoustic boundary for fricatives spoken by men (found in numerous previous studies). Normal hearing listeners relied primarily on formant spacing and much less on F0. The CI listeners were individually variable, with the F0 cue emerging as the strongest cue on average.
3C-like protease inhibitors block coronavirus replication in vitro and improve survival in MERS-CoV–infected mice
Authors: Rathnayake Athri D. , Zheng Jian , Kim Yunjeong , Perera Krishani Dinali , Mackin Samantha , Meyerholz David K. , Kashipathy Maithri M. , Battaile Kevin P. , Lovell Scott , Perlman Stanley , Groutas William C. , Chang Kyeong-Ok
Published: August 2020

Optimized small-molecule 3C-like protease inhibitors show potency against human coronaviruses in both cell culture and a mouse model.
Coactosin Phosphorylation Controls Entamoeba histolytica Cell Membrane Protrusions and Cell Motility
Authors: Hasan Muhammad M. , Teixeira José E. , Lam Ying-Wai , Huston Christopher D.
Published: August 2020

Invasive amoebiasis, caused by the intestinal parasite
Entamoeba histolytica
, causes life-threatening diarrhea and liver abscesses, but, for unknown reasons, only approximately 10% of
E. histolytica
infections become symptomatic. A key requirement of invasion is the ability of the parasite to migrate through tissue layers. Here, we systematically looked for differences in protein phosphorylation between control parasites and a previously identified hyperadherent
E. histolytica
cell line that has reduced motility. We identified EhCoactosin, an actin-binding protein not previously known to be phosphoregulated, as one of the differentially phosphorylated proteins in
E. histolytica
and demonstrated that EhCoactosin phosphorylation functions in control of cell membrane dynamics and amoebic motility. This and the additional differentially phosphorylated proteins reported lay the groundwork for identifying kinases and phosphatases that regulate tissue invasiveness.
In Vivo
Analysis of Trypanosoma cruzi Persistence Foci at Single-Cell Resolution
Authors: Ward Alexander I. , Lewis Michael D. , Khan Archie A. , McCann Conor J. , Francisco Amanda F. , Jayawardhana Shiromani , Taylor Martin C. , Kelly John M.
Published: August 2020

Trypanosoma cruzi
causes Chagas disease, the most important parasitic infection in Latin America. Major pathologies include severe damage to the heart and digestive tract, although symptoms do not usually appear until decades after infection. Research has been hampered by the complex nature of the disease and technical difficulties in locating the extremely low number of parasites. Here, using highly sensitive imaging technology, we reveal the sites of parasite persistence during chronic-stage infections of experimental mice at single-cell resolution. We show that parasites are frequently located in smooth muscle cells in the circular muscle layer of the colon and that skeletal muscle cells and the skin can also be important reservoirs. This information provides a framework for investigating how the parasite is able to survive as a lifelong infection, despite a vigorous immune response. It also informs drug development strategies by identifying tissue sites that must be accessed to achieve a curative outcome.
Distinct Bacterial Pathways Influence the Efficacy of Antibiotics against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Bellerose Michelle M. , Proulx Megan K. , Smith Clare M. , Baker Richard E. , Ioerger Thomas R. , Sassetti Christopher M.
Published: August 2020

Understanding how
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
survives during antibiotic treatment is necessary to rationally devise more effective tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy regimens. Using genome-wide mutant fitness profiling and the mouse model of TB, we identified genes that alter antibiotic efficacy specifically in the infection environment and associated several of these genes with natural genetic variants found in drug-resistant clinical isolates. These data suggest strategies for synergistic therapies that accelerate bacterial clearance, and they identify mechanisms of adaptation to drug exposure that could influence treatment outcome.
Oligocene-Neogene lithospheric-scale reactivation of Mesozoic terrane accretionary structures in the Alaska Range suture zone, southern Alaska, USA
Authors: Waldien Trevor S. , Roeske Sarah M. , Benowitz Jeffrey A. , Twelker Evan , Miller Meghan S.
Published: August 2020

Terrane accretion forms lithospheric-scale fault systems that commonly experience long and complex slip histories. Unraveling the evolution of these suture zone fault systems yields valuable information regarding the relative importance of various upper crustal structures and their linkage through the lithosphere. We present new bedrock geologic mapping and geochronology data documenting the geologic evolution of reactivated shortening structures and adjacent metamorphic rocks in the Alaska Range suture zone at the inboard margin of the Wrangellia composite terrane in the eastern Alaska Range, Alaska, USA. Detrital zircon uranium-lead (U-Pb) age spectra from metamorphic rocks in our study area reveal two distinct metasedimentary belts. The Maclaren schist occupies the inboard (northern) belt, which was derived from terranes along the western margin of North America during the mid- to Late Cretaceous. In contrast, the Clearwater metasediments occupy the outboard (southern) belt, which was derived from arcs built on the Wrangellia composite terrane during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. A newly discovered locality of Alaska-type zoned ultramafic bodies within the Clearwater metasediments provides an additional link to the Wrangellia composite terrane. The Maclaren and Clearwater metasedimentary belts are presently juxtaposed by the newly identified Valdez Creek fault, which is an upper crustal reactivation of the Valdez Creek shear zone, the Late Cretaceous plate boundary that initially brought them together. 40Ar/39Ar mica ages reveal independent post-collisional thermal histories of hanging wall and footwall rocks until reactivation localized on the Valdez Creek fault after ca. 32 Ma. Slip on the Valdez Creek fault expanded into a thrust system that progressed southward to the Broxson Gulch fault at the southern margin of the suture zone and eventually into the Wrangellia terrane. Detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra and clast assemblages from fault-bounded Cenozoic gravel deposits indicate that the thrust system was active during the Oligocene and into the Pliocene, likely as a far-field result of ongoing flat-slab subduction and accretion of the Yakutat microplate. The Valdez Creek fault was the primary reactivated structure in the suture zone, likely due to its linkage with the reactivated boundary zone between the Wrangellia composite terrane and North America in the lithospheric mantle.