bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recombinant porcine factor VIII for high‐risk surgery in paediatric congenital haemophilia A with high‐titre inhibitor
Authors: Croteau S. E. , Abajas Y. L. , Wolberg A. S. , Nielsen B. I. , Marx G. R. , Baird C. W. , Neufeld E. J. , Monahan P. E.
Published: January 2017

Introduction

High‐titre factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors complicate peri‐operative haemostasis. Recombinant porcine FVIII (r‐pFVIII) may provide an alternative haemostatic agent for high‐risk procedures and allow FVIII activity monitoring.

Aim

Devise an effective haemostatic plan for repair of a progressively symptomatic aortic coarctation in a 5‐year‐old male with immune tolerance induction (ITI) refractory high‐titre FVIII inhibitors.

Methods

Preprocedure human FVIII inhibitor titre was 58 Bethesda Units mL−1 (BU) and cross‐reacted to neutralize porcine FVIII at 30 BU. Daily ITI with plasma‐derived FVIII concentrate was supplemented with anti‐B‐cell and anti‐plasma cell immunotherapy to reduce FVIII inhibitor titres. Potential haemostatic agents were evaluated in comparative ex vivo thrombin generation assays (TGA).

Results

Four weeks after immunosuppression, human and porcine inhibitor titres declined to 16 and 2 BU respectively. TGA with r‐pFVIII was less robust than with activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC); however, r‐pFVIII was selected for cardiac surgery to secure the ability to assay FVIII levels throughout this high‐bleeding risk procedure. Haemostasis with r‐pFVIII was excellent; initial trough FVIII activity levels ranged from 0.81–1.17 IU mL−1. On postoperative day 3, peak and trough levels markedly declined suggesting a rising porcine inhibitor titre. Postprocedure prophylaxis was transitioned to aPCC, informed by TGA.

Conclusions

R‐pFVIII provided effective peri‐procedural haemostasis with no adverse events. Rapid neutralization of r‐pFVIII after the first 60 hours, despite intensive immune suppression, accentuates the importance of careful monitoring. Use of TGA can support bypassing agent selection for convalescence. The comparative cost of r‐pFVIII may limit its use to high morbidity clinical scenarios.
Ledipasvir–sofosbuvir and sofosbuvir plus ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C and bleeding disorders
Authors: Walsh C. E. , Workowski K. , Terrault N. A. , Sax P. E. , Cohen A. , Bowlus C. L. , Kim A. Y. , Hyland R. H. , Han B. , Wang J. , Stamm L. M. , Brainard D. M. , McHutchison J. G. , von Drygalski A. , Rhame F. , Fried M. W. , Kouides P. , Balba G. , Reddy K. R.
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is prevalent among patients with inherited bleeding disorders and is a leading cause of mortality in those with haemophilia.

Aim

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of ledipasvir–sofosbuvir and sofosbuvir plus ribavirin in patients with chronic HCV genotype 1–4 infection and an inherited bleeding disorder.

Methods

Ledipasvir–sofosbuvir was administered for 12 weeks to patients with genotype 1 or 4 infection and for 12 or 24 weeks to treatment‐experienced cirrhotic patients with genotype 1 infection. Patients with genotype 2 and 3 infection received sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for 12 and 24 weeks respectively.

Results

The majority of the 120 treated patients had a severe bleeding disorder (55%); overall, 65% of patients had haemophilia A and 26% of patients had haemophilia B; 22% were HIV coinfected. Sustained virologic response at 12 weeks posttreatment was 99% (98/99) in patients with genotype 1 or 4 infection; 100% (5/5) in treatment‐experienced cirrhotic patients with genotype 1 infection; 100% (10/10) in patients with genotype 2 infection; and 83% (5/6) in patients with genotype 3 infection. There were no treatment discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs). The most frequent non‐bleeding AEs were fatigue, headache, diarrhoea, nausea and insomnia. Bleeding AEs occurred in 22 patients, of which all but one were considered unrelated to treatment.

Conclusion

Treatment with ledipasvir–sofosbuvir for patients with HCV genotype 1 or 4 infection or sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for patients with genotype 2 or 3 infection was highly effective and well tolerated among those with inherited bleeding disorders.
Species‐specific immunity to Helicobacter suis
Authors: Bosschem Iris , Flahou Bram , Van Deun Kim , De Koker Stefaan , Volf Jiri , Smet Annemieke , Ducatelle Richard , Devriendt Bert , Haesebrouck Freddy
Published: January 2017

Background

Helicobacter (H.) suis is mainly associated with pigs, but is also the most prevalent gastric non‐H. pylori Helicobacter species found in humans. Both H. pylori and H. suis may cause persistent infection of the stomach. Several immune evasion mechanisms have been proposed for H. pylori, which focus to a great extent on its major virulence factors, which are absent in H. suis. The aim of this study was to gain more knowledge on immune evasion by H. suis.

Materials and Methods

Cytokine expression kinetics were monitored in the stomach of BALB/c mice experimentally infected with H. suis. The cytokine expression profile in the stomach of naturally H. suis‐infected pigs was also determined. Subsequently, the effect of H. suis on murine and porcine dendritic cell (DC) maturation and their ability to elicit T‐cell effector responses was analyzed.

Results

Despite a Th17/Th2 response in the murine stomach, the inflammatory cell influx was unable to clear H. suis infection. H. suis‐stimulated murine bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells induced IL‐17 secretion by CD4+ cells in vitro. Natural H. suis infection in pigs evoked increased expression levels of IL‐17 mRNA in the antrum and IL‐10 mRNA in the fundus. In contrast to mice, H. suis‐stimulated porcine monocyte‐derived dendritic cells were unable to express MHCII molecules on their cell surface. These semimature DCs induced proliferation of T‐cells, which showed an increased expression of TGF‐β and FoxP3 mRNA levels.

Conclusions

Helicobacter suis might evade host immune responses by skewing toward a Treg‐biased response.
Primary nocturnal enuresis is associated with lower intelligence quotient scores in boys from poorer socioeconomic status families
Authors: Basiri Abbas , Bahrainian Seyed Abdolmajid , Khoshdel Alireza , Jalaly Niloofar , Golshan Shabnam , Pakmanesh Hamid
Published: January 2017

Objectives

To explore intelligence quotient in boys with primary nocturnal enuresis compared with normal boys considering their socioeconomic status.

Methods

A total of 152 school‐aged boys (including 55 boys with primary nocturnal enuresis and 97 matched normal controls) were assessed. Boys with a history of any neurological or urological disease were excluded. Two different districts of Tehran: Khani‐Abad (a poor district) and Pirouzi (a middle class district) districts were enrolled according to socioeconomic status data reported by the World Health Organization. Intelligence tests were carried out using a validated Iranian translation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised. Total, as well as performance intelligence quotient and verbal intelligence quotient scores and verbal–performance discrepancy (the difference between verbal and performance intelligence quotient scores for each individual) were compared using a t‐test between boys with primary nocturnal enuresis in each district and their matched controls.

Results

Considering each district separately, the total intelligence quotient score was lower in primary nocturnal enuresis cases than controls only in the lower income district (90.7 ± 23.3 vs 104.8 ± 14.7, P = 0.002). Similarly, boys with primary nocturnal enuresis ranked lower in verbal intelligence quotient (P = 0.002) and performance intelligence quotient (P = 0.004) compared with their matched normal controls only in lower income district, whereas in the higher income district, boys with primary nocturnal enuresis ranked similar in total intelligence quotient to their matched controls.

Conclusions

Boys with primary nocturnal enuresis had a lower intelligence quotient compared with the control participants only in low‐income district. It seems important to adjust the results of the intelligence quotient assessment in these children according to their socioeconomic status.
Radical prostatectomy restores detrusor contraction pattern according to pressure flow parameters
Authors: Kitta Takeya , Kanno Yukiko , Chiba Hiroki , Moriya Kimihiko , Maruyama Satoru , Abe Takashige , Shinohara Nobuo
Published: January 2017

Objectives

Pressure flow studies are regarded as the gold standard for evaluating both bladder outlet obstruction and detrusor contractility, but none of the current methods for evaluating bladder contraction patterns are well validated. Impaired bladder contraction results in a lower peak Watts factor and poorly sustained detrusor contractions. From this viewpoint, the maximum Watts factor and its pattern should be considered separately. To examine detrusor contraction pattern in patients after radical prostatectomy by using multiple parameters.

Methods

A total of 37 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer underwent both pre‐ and post‐radical prostatectomy urodynamic evaluations. The examined urodynamic parameters included the maximum flow rate, post‐void residual volume, detrusor pressure at maximum flow, maximum Watts factor and relative volume (maximum Watts factor). Some parameters were defined from the Watts factor curve throughout micturition. Relative volume (maximum Watts factor) was the relative bladder volume at the maximum Watts factor. A normal detrusor contractility pattern involves an increase in Watts factor at the initiation followed by further gradual increases until the end of micturition.

Results

Maximum flow rate increased significantly after radical prostatectomy (pre: 13.0 ± 6.5, post: 17.3 ± 7.7 mL/min; P < 0.01), whereas detrusor pressure at maximum flow and post‐void residual volume decreased significantly (pre: 49.6 ± 21.6 and 31.4 ± 18.2 cmH2O; post: 48.6 ± 66.1 and 10.1 ± 28.5 mL; P < 0.05). Maximum Watts factor did not change significantly after radical prostatectomy (pre: 10.5 ± 3.1 W/m2, post: 11.0 ± 3.2 W/m2), but relative volume (maximum Watts factor) decreased significantly (pre: 0.48 ± 0.3, post: 0.20 ± 0.20; P < 0.001). Maximum Watts factor represents the maximum power of bladder contraction at a particular point in time, whereas relative volume (maximum Watts factor) can be used to detect changes in detrusor contraction pattern.

Conclusions

Evaluation of relative volume (maximum Watts factor) confirms that radical prostatectomy restores the normal detrusor contractility pattern in prostate cancer patients.
Modelling the Ecological Comorbidity of Acute Respiratory Infection, Diarrhoea and Stunting among Children Under the Age of 5 Years in Somalia
Authors: Kinyoki Damaris K. , Manda Samuel O. , Moloney Grainne M. , Odundo Elijah O. , Berkley James A. , Noor Abdisalan M. , Kandala Ngianga‐Bakwin
Published: January 2017

The aim of this study was to assess spatial co‐occurrence of acute respiratory infections (ARI), diarrhoea and stunting among children of the age between 6 and 59 months in Somalia. Data were obtained from routine biannual nutrition surveys conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization 2007–2010. A Bayesian hierarchical geostatistical shared component model was fitted to the residual spatial components of the three health conditions. Risk maps of the common spatial effects at 1×1 km resolution were derived. The empirical correlations of the enumeration area proportion were 0.37, 0.63 and 0.66 for ARI and stunting, diarrhoea and stunting and ARI and diarrhoea, respectively. Spatially, the posterior residual effects ranged 0.03–20.98, 0.16–6.37 and 0.08–9.66 for shared component between ARI and stunting, diarrhoea and stunting and ARI and diarrhoea, respectively. The analysis showed clearly that the spatial shared component between ARI, diarrhoea and stunting was higher in the southern part of the country. Interventions aimed at controlling and mitigating the adverse effects of these three childhood health conditions should focus on their common putative risk factors, particularly in the South in Somalia.
Safety improvement and quality retention of gamma irradiated spinach leaves
Authors: Finten Gabriel , Garrido Juan I. , Cova María C. , Narvaiz Patricia , Jagus Rosa J. , Agüero María V.
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this work was to evaluate γ‐irradiation effects on native microbiota, some phytochemicals and sensory attributes of fresh spinach (Spinacia oleraceaL.) throughout 15 days of storage (6 °C ± 1 °C). The proposed treatment (1.5 kGy) effectively reduced native microbiota extending shelf life under refrigeration to 14 days, and the evaluated phytochemicals (polyphenols, compounds with antioxidant capacity, chlorophyll, carotenoids) were preserved with the exception of ascorbic acid, which was reduced by more than 80% after treatment. Sensory acceptability, evaluated by a consumer panel, of samples irradiated either at 1.5 or 3.0 kGy was good till the last analysis date (day 14). The target dose had a great performance, presenting scores in some attributes significantly higher than those of control samples (overall liking and appearance on day 2). Overall, the performance of gamma rays was acceptable and significantly increased product acceptability; therefore, it represents a feasible alternative for spinach disinfection.

Practical applications

Gamma irradiation has attracted attention as a potential nonthermal decontamination strategy to ensure the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Several studies have demonstrated the high efficiency of this technology applied on different vegetables to control typical pathogens, but vegetables tolerance to radiation can vary, so process validation is required in each case. Hopefully the results presented herein could encourage large‐scale adoption of this technology by the fresh produce industry.
Sensitivity of pathogenic and attenuated E. coli O157:H7 strains to ultraviolet‐C light as assessed by conventional plating methods and ethidium monoazide‐PCR
Authors: Yan Ruixiang , Liu Yanhong , Gurtler Joshua B. , Killinger Karen , Fan Xuetong
Published: January 2017

The UV‐C sensitivity of six pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains associated with recent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and five attenuated/nonpathogenic E. coli O157:H7 strains was investigated using conventional plating method, and real time PCR with and without ethidium monoazide (EMA) pretreatment. Results showed that the nonpathogenic/attenuated E. coli ATCC 25922, 6980‐2, and 6982‐2 had more or similar resistance to UV‐C compared to the pathogenic strains. The UV‐C inhibition on the PCR amplification of DNA correlated well with UV‐C dose, as indicated by the cycle threshold (Ct), regardless of EMA pretreatment. The Ct values increased linearly with increasing UV‐C doses. Cell membrane was damaged only at high doses when UV‐C inactivated more than 6 log CFU of bacteria. Overall, our results suggest that E. coli strains have different sensitivities to UV‐C and that EMA‐PCR is a useful tool to assess cell damage caused by UV‐C.

Practical applications

Ultraviolet (UV) light, as one of the postharvest interventions, is simple to implement and inexpensive for commercial applications. To conduct trials on a large scale or at a commercial setting, nonpathogenic/attenuated surrogates of pathogenic bacteria should be used, due to the difficulty for containment and post‐treatment decontamination of equipment and the environment. We demonstrated the variations in UV‐C sensitivity among pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli strains. Three attenuated/nonpathogenic strains of E. coli had similar sensitivities as the pathogenic strains, and therefore, could serve as surrogates. Furthermore, cell membrane was not affected by moderate doses of UV‐C treatments, even though the bacteria were not cultivable. The information will be useful for researchers to conduct scale‐up trials, and to optimize UV‐C technology for microbial safety enhancement.
A novel processed food classification system applied to Australian food composition databases
Authors: O'Halloran S. A. , Lacy K. E. , Grimes C. A. , Woods J. , Campbell K. J. , Nowson C. A.
Published: January 2017

Background

The extent of food processing can affect the nutritional quality of foodstuffs. Categorising foods by the level of processing emphasises the differences in nutritional quality between foods within the same food group and is likely useful for determining dietary processed food consumption. The present study aimed to categorise foods within Australian food composition databases according to the level of food processing using a processed food classification system, as well as assess the variation in the levels of processing within food groups.

Methods

A processed foods classification system was applied to food and beverage items contained within Australian Food and Nutrient (AUSNUT) 2007 (n = 3874) and AUSNUT 2011–13 (n = 5740). The proportion of Minimally Processed (MP), Processed Culinary Ingredients (PCI) Processed (P) and Ultra Processed (ULP) by AUSNUT food group and the overall proportion of the four processed food categories across AUSNUT 2007 and AUSNUT 2011–13 were calculated.

Results

Across the food composition databases, the overall proportions of foods classified as MP, PCI, P and ULP were 27%, 3%, 26% and 44% for AUSNUT 2007 and 38%, 2%, 24% and 36% for AUSNUT 2011–13. Although there was wide variation in the classifications of food processing within the food groups, approximately one‐third of foodstuffs were classified as ULP food items across both the 2007 and 2011–13 AUSNUT databases.

Conclusions

This Australian processed food classification system will allow researchers to easily quantify the contribution of processed foods within the Australian food supply to assist in assessing the nutritional quality of the dietary intake of population groups.
Development and psychometric properties of the Psychological Therapies Outcome Scale – Intellectual Disabilities (PTOS‐ID)
Authors: Vlissides N. , Beail N. , Jackson T. , Williams K. , Golding L.
Published: January 2017

Background

There are few valid and reliable psychological therapy outcome measures available for use with people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The current study involved the development of a new scale; the Psychological Therapies Outcome Scale – Intellectual Disabilities (PTOS‐ID), and the examination of its validity and internal consistency.

Method

The PTOS‐ID was administered to 175 people who have ID accessing specialist ID services. The construct validity of the scale was investigated through exploratory factor analysis, concurrent validity through comparison with the Brief Symptom Inventory and internal reliability through internal consistency analysis.

Results

Three factors emerged from the principal components analysis with high levels of internal consistency: (1) anger and mood (α = 0.82); (2) positive well‐being (α = 0.81); and (3) anxiety (α = 0.76). Factors (1) and (2) were combined to measure psychological distress (α = 0.85), which correlated strongly with the Global Severity Index of the Brief Symptom Inventory (r = 0.85).

Conclusions

This preliminary study suggests that the PTOS‐ID is a psychometrically robust measure of psychological distress and psychological well‐being that can be used with people with ID. Further research is required to assess its reliability and ability to detect change.
Measuring Sponsorship Transparency in the Age of Native Advertising
Authors: Wojdynski Bartosz W. , Evans Nathaniel J. , Hoy Mariea Grubbs
Published: January 2017

As advertisers continue to develop new formats of online content that blurs the line between advertising and news or entertainment, the need to understand how consumers process covert advertising grows. While regulators and industry practitioners agree that transparency is paramount to preventing consumer deception, there exists no established way of determining the extent to which a given message transparently conveys to consumers that is a paid advertisement. The current study makes the case for, develops, and validates a scale to measure sponsorship transparency. Following traditional scale development methods, the study generates a pool of items based on consumer and expert input, reduces the number of items based on empirical research, and evaluates scale validity and reliability using a diverse national sample.
Chinese herbal drugs for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Behl Tapan , Kotwani Anita
Published: January 2017

Objectives

To explore the various pharmacological actions and the molecular mechanisms behind them by which Chinese herbs tend to lower the risk of developing microvascular diabetic complications in retina and prevent its further progression.

Key findings

Several Chinese herbs, indeed, elicit potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-angiogenic, anti-apoptotic, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma receptor agonistic, platelet-activating factor antagonistic, aldose reductase inhibitory and various other beneficial pharmacological activities, required to counteract the pathological conditions prevalent in retina during diabetes.

Chinese herbs can potentially be used for the treatment/prevention of diabetic retinopathy owing to the virtue of numerous properties by which they alleviate several hyperglycaemia-induced pathological occurrences in retina. This would provide a natural and safe therapy for diabetic retinopathy, which currently is clinically limited to destructive techniques like laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy.
Mutations in TTC21B cause different phenotypes in two childhood cases in China
Authors: Zhang Hongwen , Su Baige , Liu Xiaoyu , Xiao Huijie , Ding Jie , Yao Yong
Published: January 2017

Aim

The TTC21B gene is now known as causative of nephronophthisis‐related ciliopathies (NPHP‐RC). We reported two Chinese paediatric cases with end‐stage renal disease and other phenotypes caused by the TTC21B gene mutations.

Methods

The clinical features of Chinese paediatric cases with NPHP‐RC were summarized. Mutation analysis of the TTC21B gene was performed using next‐generation sequencing.

Results

The two cases both had nephrotic proteinuria, renal failure, hypertension and abnormal liver function (or hepatic fibrosis). One case also presented situs inversus and short phalanges. They developed end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) at 1 year old and 8 years old, respectively, when renal pathology both showed focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS) with tubulointerstitial lesions including interstitial fibrosis and atrophic tubules. Three novel disease‐causing TTC21B mutations were identified. One case carried homozygous mutation c.2211 + 3A > G, while the other case carried compound heterozygous mutations c.1552 T > C (p.C518R) and c.1456dupA (p.R486KfsX22).

Conclusion

Mutations in TTC21B cause a range of ciliopathy phenotypes in humans. We identified 3 novel TTC21B mutations in two Chinese paediatric cases that both presented end‐stage renal disease and other different features. This is the first TTC21B mutations ever reported in China.
Sexuality behind bars in the female central penitentiary of Santiago, Chile: Unlocking the gendered binary
Authors: Castro Madariaga Francisca Alejandra , Gómez Garcés Belén Estefanía , Carrasco Parra Alicia , Foster Jennifer
Published: January 2017

We explore what it means to promote healthy sexuality for incarcerated women. We report upon the experiences of ten inmates in the Female Central Penitentiary of Santiago, Chile, regarding their sexuality within prison. We used a qualitative, descriptive research approach. Individual and semistructured interviews were conducted with women from different sections of the prison over a 2‐month period. Participants highlighted the site for conjugal visits, the Venusterio, as a place of privacy and sexual expression between couples from outside prison. Motivated by loneliness, need of protection, and desire for affection, participants enacted alternate gender and sexual identities and sexual orientation. Some previously heterosexual women became ‘machos’, women taking on dominant masculine identities. Women found a paradoxical freedom to express a malleable and fluid sexual identity, an identity that might not go outside the prison. Informed by Judith Butler's idea of performativity, we argue that women could enact both different gender and sexual identities in search of satisfying their affective and erotic desires while under the duress of incarceration. The findings suggest a need for a more fluid understanding of gender and sexuality, especially for those midwives and nurses who strive to promote sexual health, not only reproductive health.
Self‐Interest Is Often a Major Determinant of Issue Attitudes
Authors: Weeden Jason , Kurzban Robert
Published: January 2017

Reviewing political opinion patterns in the 1950s, The American Voter concluded that self‐interest played a key role in the public's views on social welfare policy. Since then, however, many researchers have argued that self‐interest has very little effect on issue opinions. We argue that the principal reason for this shift lies not in self‐interest coming to matter less, but, instead, because some scholars—by narrowing the definition of self‐interest, declaring ordinary demographic effects uninterpretable, and assuming that group interest is distinct from self‐interest—essentially defined out the possibility of self‐interest being a major determinant of political views. Yet even with these limiting moves, the general denial of self‐interest has come to include a long and growing list of exceptions. In addition, we find that many of the specific claims grounding the general denial are problematic. Thus, we argue that self‐interest remains a potent factor in the context of a number of issue opinions. Further, taking a broader view of human interests, we see self‐interest effects not only in economic opinions, but also in various cultural/social domains. For example, when it comes to individuals’ opinions on issues relating to meritocracy and discrimination, we find that levels of meritocratic competence are typically a key factor, along with racial, religious, and other relevant categories. Also, there are solid links among individuals’ sexual lifestyles, religiosity, and views on issues such as abortion and marijuana legalization. Not only are such domain‐specific relationships “major,” but self‐interest variables typically have more secure claims than individuals’ ideology, party, and values to being unambiguous “determinants” of issue opinions.
What We Know About Transitional Justice: Survey and Experimental Evidence
Authors: David Roman
Published: January 2017

Transitional justice encompasses a variety of measures devised to overcome legacies of gross human rights violations and other historical injustices. The spread of international criminal tribunals, truth commissions, inclusive alternatives to purges, and apologies represents one of the most fascinating intellectual developments in legal and social studies. What do we know about the social efficacy of transitional justice measures? This article reviews 25 studies that provided quantitative evidence about the effects of transitional justice gathered at the individual‐level analysis and situates them in the context of other studies on major transitional justice interventions: truth commissions, international criminal tribunals, lustration (vetting), reparation, and apologies. The article concludes that (1) transitional justice matters in dealing with the past; (2) justice is understood as a social‐political category rather than a legal category; (3) past experiences affect attitudes to transitional justice as well as its outcomes; (4) different victims have needs for different transitional justice measures; (5) the outcomes of transitional justice depend on its context and implementation; (6) truth‐sharing may produce both positive and negative effects; and (7) reconciliatory measures may produce positive social effects.
Oral administration of Clostridium butyricum CGMCC0313‐1 reduces ovalbumin‐induced allergic airway inflammation in mice
Authors: Juan Zhang , Zhao‐Ling Shi , Ming‐Hua Zeng , Chun Wei , Hai‐Xia Wu , Meng‐Yun Liu , Jian‐Qiong Huang , Yue‐Jie Zheng , Xin Sun
Published: January 2017

ABSTRACT

Background and objective

Probiotic bacteria can induce immune regulation or immune tolerance in patients with allergic diseases, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. There has been a growing interest in the use of beneficial bacteria for allergic diseases recently. This study aimed at exploring whether Clostridium butyricum CGMCC0313‐1 (C. butyricum) can reduce ovalbumin (OVA)‐induced allergic airway inflammation in a mouse model.

Methods

Mouse model of allergic airway inflammation induced via OVA was used in this study. C. butyricum was administered daily by the oral route during or after the sensitization. Airway function, pulmonary airway inflammation, mast cell degranulation, T helper (Th)‐specific and anti‐inflammatory cytokines, OVA‐specific Ig, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP‐9) and histopathological alterations were examined.

Results

C. butyricum significantly reduced lung resistance in the asthmatic mice. Pulmonary airway inflammation, mast cell degranulation, airway remodelling and the expression of OVA‐specific IgE/G1 were suppressed by oral C. butyricum. It also reversed the imbalance of Th1/Th2 and increased the anti‐inflammatory cytokine IL‐10.

Conclusion

C. butyricum reduces OVA‐induced allergic airway inflammation in mice and might be an additional or supplementary therapy for allergic asthma.
Finite Size Effects for Spacing Distributions in Random Matrix Theory: Circular Ensembles and Riemann Zeros
Authors: Bornemann Folkmar , Forrester Peter J. , Mays Anthony
Published: January 2017

According to Dyson's threefold way, from the viewpoint of global time reversal symmetry, there are three circular ensembles of unitary random matrices relevant to the study of chaotic spectra in quantum mechanics. These are the circular orthogonal, unitary, and symplectic ensembles, denoted COE, CUE, and CSE, respectively. For each of these three ensembles and their thinned versions, whereby each eigenvalue is deleted independently with probability , we take up the problem of calculating the first two terms in the scaled large N expansion of the spacing distributions. It is well known that the leading term admits a characterization in terms of both Fredholm determinants and Painlevé transcendents. We show that modifications of these characterizations also remain valid for the next to leading term, and that they provide schemes for high precision numerical computations. In the case of the CUE, there is an application to the analysis of Odlyzko's data set for the Riemann zeros, and in that case, some further statistics are similarly analyzed.
‘Shadowing’ as a management strategy for chemotherapy outpatient primary support persons
Authors: McKenzie Heather , White Kate , Hayes Lillian , Fitzpatrick Scott , Cox Keith , River Jo
Published: January 2017

Despite growing numbers of patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy in outpatient settings and the corresponding increase in care demands on family and close friends, little is known about the experiences of those informal carers supporting people with cancer during their chemotherapy trajectories. Using an interpretivist theoretical framework, this study explored the experiences of primary support persons of chemotherapy outpatients through in‐depth interviews with 17 participants nominated as their primary support persons by people receiving chemotherapy at a large tertiary hospital in Australia. The study demonstrates that primary support persons of chemotherapy outpatients face distinct challenges, being at the frontline of treatment and managing side effects with minimal support at home. This role involves sensitive provision of complex medical and social care in circumstances that profoundly challenge the everyday worlds of both patient and carer. From the moment of diagnosis, informal carers in this context face the ‘double whammy’ of needing to ‘manage’ the cancer diagnosis experience as well as the chemotherapy trajectory experience. This study points to the significant level of responsibility that primary support persons take on, and the extent to which patients and clinicians rely on their support and management skills. It also points, however, to the lack of recognition they receive for assuming this role, and their sense of frustration in the face of this invisibility. The conceptualisation of the informal carer role as a ‘shadowing’ role explicitly represents the protective, vigilant, but almost invisible, support role described by the participants in this study.
The Combined and Uneven Development of Afghan Nationalism
Authors: Gopal Anand
Published: January 2017

The U.S. campaign in Afghanistan has been based, in part, on a pair of contradictory notions: First, that the Taliban are a supra‐ethnic, transnational group severed from the social and cultural heritage of Afghanistan; and second, that the Taliban represent a form of Pashtun nationalism. This article uses archival data and field research to show that both views are incorrect. The Taliban are historically rooted in Pashtun communities and yet are not a force of Pashtun nationalism. Rather, they comprise a network of exclusion, bound together in rhetoric by a particular conception of political Islam and Afghan sovereignty. This is an ‘Islamist nationalism’ in word, but crucially, not in deed: While the Taliban aspire to act as a nationalist force representing all Afghans, under conditions of institutional poverty and the lack of modernization, the Taliban are bound in practice by networks of trust and personal contact. This is an example of the ‘combined and uneven development’ of Afghan nationalism.
Understanding Nepali Nationalism
Authors: Bhandari Kalyan
Published: January 2017

This article explores the foundations of Nepali nationalism and its articulation in contemporary Nepal. It makes informed readings of the historical antecedents of Nepali national identity and argues that Nepali national identity was forged in an attempt to create and maintain a boundary with ‘outsiders’ – mainly India and China. Data collected through online content analysis of the editorial commentary pages of two Nepali print media, followed by in‐depth interviews, show that in the changed political context, the boundary still persists though its narrative has changed. This article argues that the expression of Nepali nationalism can be understood as the maintenance of this boundary; its forms and articulation shaped by the changing political contexts.
Early Modern State Formation in Afghanistan in Relation to Pashtun Tribalism
Authors: Sungur Zeynep Tuba
Published: January 2017

The overall objective of this article is to analyse the encounter between Pashtun tribalism and state centralization as part of a modernization programme in Afghanistan in the almost fifty‐year period between 1880 and 1929. Focusing on Pashtuns, the article attempts to show how a segment of Pashtuns acted as the founders and rulers of the modern Afghan state while another segment sustained their tribal features and rejected the authority of the central state. Presenting the tribe–state conflict through the case of Pashtuns in a historical framework, the article looks at the reign of three Afghan amirs: Abdurrahman, Habibullah, and Amanullah. Analysing how this conflict proceeded in this period, the article concludes that Pashtun tribalism survived within the early modernization process in Afghanistan.
Effects of warm‐up on hamstring muscles stiffness: Cycling vs foam rolling
Authors: Morales‐Artacho A. J. , Lacourpaille L. , Guilhem G.
Published: January 2017

This study investigated the effects of active and/or passive warm‐up tasks on the hamstring muscles stiffness through elastography and passive torque measurements. On separate occasions, fourteen males randomly completed four warm‐up protocols comprising Control, Cycling, Foam rolling, or Cycling plus Foam rolling (Mixed). The stiffness of the hamstring muscles was assessed through shear wave elastography, along with the passive torque‐angle relationship and maximal range of motion (ROM) before, 5, and 30 minutes after each experimental condition. At 5 minutes, Cycling and Mixed decreased shear modulus (−10.3% ± 5.9% and −7.7% ± 8.4%, respectively; P≤.0003, effect size [ES]≥0.24) and passive torque (−7.17% ± 8.6% and −6.2% ± 7.5%, respectively; P≤.051, ES≥0.28), and increased ROM (+2.9% ± 2.9% and +3.2% ± 3.5%, respectively; P≤.001, ES≥0.30); 30 minutes following Mixed, shear modulus (P=.001, ES=0.21) and passive torque (P≤.068, ES≥0.2) were still slightly decreased, while ROM increased (P=.046, ES=0.24). Foam rolling induced “small” immediate short‐term decreases in shear modulus (−5.4% ± 5.7% at 5 minutes; P=.05, ES=0.21), without meaningful changes in passive torque or ROM at any time point (P≥.12, ES≤0.23). These results suggest that the combined warm‐up elicited no acute superior effects on muscle stiffness compared with cycling, providing evidence for the key role of active warm‐up to reduce muscle stiffness. The time between warm‐up and competition should be considered when optimizing the effects on muscle stiffness.
Executive function and theory of mind as predictors of aggressive and prosocial behavior and peer acceptance in early childhood
Authors: O'Toole Sarah E. , Monks Claire P. , Tsermentseli Stella
Published: January 2017

Executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM) are related to children's social interactions, such as aggression and prosocial behavior, as well as their peer acceptance. However, limited research has examined different forms of aggression and the moderating role of gender. This study investigated links between EF, ToM, physical and relational aggression, prosocial behavior and peer acceptance and explored whether these relations are gender specific. Children (N = 106) between 46‐ and 80‐months‐old completed tasks assessing cool and hot EF and ToM. Teaching staff rated children's aggression, prosocial behavior, and peer acceptance. EF and ToM predicted physical, but not relational, aggression. Poor inhibition and delay of gratification were uniquely associated with greater physical aggression. EF and ToM did not predict prosocial behavior or peer acceptance. Added to this, gender did not moderate the relation between either EF or ToM and social outcomes. The correlates of aggression may therefore differ across forms of aggression but not between genders in early childhood.
Rethinking international financial centres through the politics of territory: renminbi internationalisation in London's financial district
Authors: Hall Sarah
Published: January 2017

This paper revisits canonical thinking on international financial centres (IFCs) that understands them as being primarily sustained through market liquidity, economies of competition and cooperation between financial and related professional services, and acting as interpretative nodes within global finance. In contrast, I explore the implications of foregrounding questions of power and politics in the (re)production of IFCs. Drawing on the case of the development of offshore renminbi markets in London's financial district, I argue the state plays a vital, yet comparatively neglected, role in shaping the development and changing nature of IFCs. In so doing, the paper calls for work in economic geography and cognate social sciences to understand finance as a political as well as an economic, social and cultural relation.
Effect of the base pressure achieved prior deposition on the main properties of ZnO:Al films obtained by DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature for electrical contact use
Authors: García-Valenzuela Jorge A. , Andreu Jordi , Bertomeu Joan
Published: January 2017

The effect that the base pressure achieved prior to deposition has upon the electrical, optical, structural, and chemical properties of ZnO:Al [aluminum-zinc oxide (AZO)] thin films was studied. The thin films were obtained at room temperature on glass substrates by direct-current magnetron sputtering with a power of 120 W (corresponding to a power density of 2.63 W/cm2) and a total deposition pressure of 4.0 mTorr (0.53 Pa) with only argon gas. It was observed that all AZO characteristics and properties varied with base pressure without following a simple tendency, although some correlation was found between the crystallinity and deposition rate, with the latter depending directly upon the achieved base pressure. However, three distinct vacuum zones were identified, each of which produced AZO thin films that exhibited similar characteristics and properties. Among the base pressures studied, the lower base pressure zone [best vacuum level: under ∼5.7 × 10−7 Torr (∼7.6 × 10−5 Pa); dark yellow zone] produced dark yellow AZO thin films with moderate transmittance, but the highest resistivity and the worst stability to the environment. The middle base pressure zone [∼5.7 × 10−7 Torr (∼7.6 × 10−5 Pa) to ∼7.3 × 10−7 Torr (∼9.7 × 10−5 Pa); opaque zone] produced dark gray or brown AZO thin films with good conductivity, but that exhibited the worst transmittance. The higher base pressure zone [bad vacuum level: higher than ∼7.3 × 10−7 Torr (∼9.7 × 10−5 Pa); transparent zone] produced highly transparent AZO thin films with moderate resistivity. The best AZO thin film was deposited after achieving this transparent base pressure zone, but specifically in the transparent–opaque border [∼7.35 × 10−7 Torr (∼9.80 × 10−5 Pa)]. It was found that the films deposited near this transparent–opaque border within a wide margin in the direction of the transparent zone (to higher base pressure) exhibited the best transmittance, conductivity, and stability to the environment. The use of this moderate vacuum level is therefore recommended for the deposition of AZO thin films.
Semiconducting polymers are light nanotransducers in eyeless animals
Authors: Tortiglione Claudia , Antognazza Maria Rosa , Tino Angela , Bossio Caterina , Marchesano Valentina , Bauduin Antonella , Zangoli Mattia , Morata Susana Vaquero , Lanzani Guglielmo
Published: January 2017

Light polymer nanotransducers control cell functions in vivo.
The Trump era: 10 questions
Authors: Mervis Jeffrey
Published: January 2017

New president confronts a host of science-related issues.
Brazil's ‘doomsday’ scenario
Authors: Escobar Herton
Published: January 2017

Grants in Rio go unpaid as science coffers are raided.
Big studies clash over fetal growth rates
Authors: de Vrieze Jop
Published: January 2017

New paper takes aim at global reference charts for unborn babies.
Japanese military entices academics to break taboo
Authors: Normile Dennis
Published: January 2017

Critics assail expansion of dual-use research program.
Anomalously low electronic thermal conductivity in metallic vanadium dioxide
Authors: Lee Sangwook , Hippalgaonkar Kedar , Yang Fan , Hong Jiawang , Ko Changhyun , Suh Joonki , Liu Kai , Wang Kevin , Urban Jeffrey J. , Zhang Xiang , Dames Chris , Hartnoll Sean A. , Delaire Olivier , Wu Junqiao
Published: January 2017

Decoupling charge and heat transport

In metals, electrons carry both charge and heat. As a consequence, electrical conductivity and the electronic contribution to the thermal conductivity are typically proportional to each other. Lee
et al.
found a large violation of this so-called Wiedemann-Franz law near the insulator-metal transition in VO
2
nanobeams. In the metallic phase, the electronic contribution to thermal conductivity was much smaller than what would be expected from the Wiedemann-Franz law. The results can be explained in terms of independent propagation of charge and heat in a strongly correlated system.

Science
, this issue p.
371
Experimental measurement of binding energy, selectivity, and allostery using fluctuation theorems
Authors: Camunas-Soler Joan , Alemany Anna , Ritort Felix
Published: January 2017

Pulling macromolecules apart

Many biological processes involve macromolecular interactions, and knowing the binding energies of these interactions is key to a functional understanding. There are several experimental approaches to calculate binding energies in bulk solutions, but these require that the binding is at equilibrium. Bulk measurements may also mask different binding modes or concerted binding by several subunits. Camunas-Soler
et al.
used a fluctuation theorem for binding reactions to extract ligand binding energies directly from force experiments that probed a single binding reaction. They resolved binding energies of peptides to specific and non-specific DNA binding sites with affinities spanning six orders of magnitude.

Science
, this issue p.
412
Two- and three-body contacts in the unitary Bose gas
Authors: Fletcher Richard J. , Lopes Raphael , Man Jay , Navon Nir , Smith Robert P. , Zwierlein Martin W. , Hadzibabic Zoran
Published: January 2017

Elusive three-body matters

Tunable interactions make dilute atomic gases ideal for studying the collective dynamics of many-body systems. If the gas consists of strongly interacting fermions evenly divided into two groups of opposite spin, many of its properties can be distilled to two-body correlations. Fletcher
et al.
show that this does not hold for a gas of bosons, where identical particles happily congregate. The researchers measured a quantity that, in a thermal resonantly interacting Bose gas, depends only on three-body correlations. This enabled them to quantify the elusive correlations and establish unambiguously their effect on the physics of the many-body state.

Science
, this issue p.
377
Airborne laser-guided imaging spectroscopy to map forest trait diversity and guide conservation
Authors: Asner G. P. , Martin R. E. , Knapp D. E. , Tupayachi R. , Anderson C. B. , Sinca F. , Vaughn N. R. , Llactayo W.
Published: January 2017

Airborne spectroscopy for forest traits

The development of conservation priorities in the tropics is often hampered by the sparseness of ground data on biological diversity and the relative crudeness of larger-scale remote sensing data. Asneret al.developed airborne instrumentation to make large-scale maps of forest functional diversity across 72 million hectares of the Peruvian Andes and Amazon basin (see the Perspective by Kapos). They generated a suite of forest canopy functional trait maps from laser-guided imaging spectroscopy and used them to define distinct forest functional classes. These were then compared with government deforestation and land allocation data, which enabled an analysis of conservation threats and opportunities across the region.

Science, this issue p.385; see also p.347
Back to the future
Climate Change and the Health of Nations Famines, Fevers, and the Fate of Populations
Anthony J. McMichael
Oxford University Press, 2017. 390 pp.
Authors: Makri Anita
Published: January 2017

An epidemiologist takes a long view of our fraught relationship with the environment
Overlapping memory trace indispensable for linking, but not recalling, individual memories
Authors: Yokose Jun , Okubo-Suzuki Reiko , Nomoto Masanori , Ohkawa Noriaki , Nishizono Hirofumi , Suzuki Akinobu , Matsuo Mina , Tsujimura Shuhei , Takahashi Yukari , Nagase Masashi , Watabe Ayako M. , Sasahara Masakiyo , Kato Fusao , Inokuchi Kaoru
Published: January 2017

Unrelated memories get blurred together

If one retrieves two memories around the same time, a small number of neurons will become involved in both memories. Yokose
et al.
investigated the cellular ensemble mechanisms underlying the association between two such memories. In mice, a small population of neurons mediates the association. Memory traces for two independent emotional memories in the brain partially overlapped when the two memories were retrieved synchronously to create a linkage. Suppressing the activity of the overlapping memory trace interrupted the linkage without damaging the original memories.

Science
, this issue p.
398