bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Untangling taxonomy: a DNA barcode reference library for Canadian spiders
Authors: Blagoev Gergin A. , deWaard Jeremy R. , Ratnasingham Sujeevan , deWaard Stephanie L. , Lu Liuqiong , Robertson James , Telfer Angela C. , Hebert Paul D. N.
Published: July 2015

Approximately 1460 species of spiders have been reported from Canada, 3% of the global fauna. This study provides a DNA barcode reference library for 1018 of these species based upon the analysis of more than 30 000 specimens. The sequence results show a clear barcode gap in most cases with a mean intraspecific divergence of 0.78% vs. a minimum nearest‐neighbour (NN) distance averaging 7.85%. The sequences were assigned to 1359 Barcode index numbers (BINs) with 1344 of these BINs composed of specimens belonging to a single currently recognized species. There was a perfect correspondence between BIN membership and a known species in 795 cases, while another 197 species were assigned to two or more BINs (556 in total). A few other species (26) were involved in BIN merges or in a combination of merges and splits. There was only a weak relationship between the number of specimens analysed for a species and its BIN count. However, three species were clear outliers with their specimens being placed in 11–22 BINs. Although all BIN splits need further study to clarify the taxonomic status of the entities involved, DNA barcodes discriminated 98% of the 1018 species. The present survey conservatively revealed 16 species new to science, 52 species new to Canada and major range extensions for 426 species. However, if most BIN splits detected in this study reflect cryptic taxa, the true species count for Canadian spiders could be 30–50% higher than currently recognized.
Comorbidities in patients with psoriatic arthritis: a comparison with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis
Authors: Nas Kemal , Karkucak Murat , Durmus Bekir , Karatay Saliha , Capkın Erhan , Kaya Arzu , Ucmak Derya , Akar Zeynel Abidin , Cevik Remzi , Kilic Erkan , Kilic Gamze , Ozgocmen Salih
Published: July 2015

Aim

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, inflammatory disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between PsA and comorbid conditions. This is the first study to investigate comorbid diseases in PsA in Turkey.

Methods

This study was performed under the auspices of the Anatolian Group for the Assessment in Rheumatic Diseases (ANGARD) and involved participation by six university research hospitals. Patients diagnosed with and treated for PsA on the basis of clinical, radiological and laboratory findings and expert opinion were monitored using standardized examination methods and jointly prepared forms. Clinical status, accompanying systemic diseases and surgical history were recorded.

Results

One hundred and seventy‐three patients with PsA (75 male, 98 female, mean age 41.8) and 138 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (17 male, 121 female, mean age 48.6) and 67 with psoriasis (PsO) (43 male, 24 female, mean age 36.1) were included in the study. No accompanying disease was determined in 72.8% of PsA, 50.0% of RA and 80.6% of PsO groups. In regression analysis, patients with PsA had higher risk for cataract/glaucoma surgery (odds ratio [OR] = 11.99; 95% CI 1.36–105.4, P = 0.025) compared to patients with RA, and higher risk for hypertension (HT) (OR = 4.26; 95% CI 1.27–14.23, P = 0.018) compared to the patients with PsO.

Conclusion

Patients with PsA have relatively lower frequency of comorbidities like diabetes mellitus, HT and cataract/glaucoma surgery compared to the patients with RA. The increased risk for having cataract/glaucoma surgery in RA compared to PsA may be particularly attributed to the more prevalent glucocorticoid use in RA.
Does knee malalignment predict the efficacy of realignment therapy for patients with knee osteoarthritis?
Authors: Rezaeian Zahra Sadat , Smith Margaret Mary , Skaife Tyler L. , Harvey William F. , Gross Kevin Douglas , Hunter David John
Published: July 2015

Background

Realignment therapies, including knee braces, foot orthoses and shoes are prescribed to patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) with the goal of unloading the medial tibiofemoral (TF) compartment. It is uncertain whether realignment therapies have different effects in those with knee malalignment. We studied whether the efficacy of realignment therapy for pain and function in persons with medial TF OA is predicted by the severity of the baseline knee malalignment.

Methods

The baseline characteristics of 48 participants with moderate to severe medial knee OA were collected. Participants' pain and function were measured using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scale before and after 12 weeks of realignment therapy using a valgus unloader knee brace plus bilateral neutral foot orthoses and motion control shoes. Anatomical axis (AA) was measured on weight‐bearing knee radiographs by a blinded reader and knee malalignment was categorized as either varus malaligned (moderate or severe) or neutral according to the AA angle. We assessed for differences in response to treatment according to alignment category. General linear statistical models were generated to determine which of the measured alignment variables and covariates predicted change in the pain outcome.

Results

Anatomical axis knee alignment was not a significant predictor of pain or function change with active treatment. Baseline WOMAC scores were the best predictor of change in WOMAC (P < 0.01 and P = 0.06 for pain and function, respectively).

Conclusions

Baseline knee alignment did not predict the efficacy of 12 weeks realignment therapy in participants with medial tibiofemoral OA. [Correction added on 27 August 2015, after first online publication: ‘did predict’ has been corrected to ‘did not predict’ in the conclusions of the abstract section.]
Inhibition of B‐cell apoptosis is mediated through increased expression of Bcl‐2 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Yang Jin , Zhao Shaolin , Yang Xinling , Zhang Huanhuan , Zheng Ping , Wu Huiyi
Published: July 2015

Aim

Abnormal B‐cell apoptosis is believed to have a role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis, but the exact mechanisms of B‐cell apoptosis in RA have not been elucidated. We therefore investigated the percentage of circulating B cells and its relationship with apoptosis in a cohort of patients with RA.

Methods

B cells were quantified by flow cytometry in RA patients and matched controls, and the relationships between these proportions and RA disease parameters were calculated. Rates of apoptosis were determined by annexin V/propidium iodine analysis, and Bcl‐2 and caspase‐3 protein levels were determined by western blot.

Results

RA patients had significantly higher percentage of B cells in the peripheral blood than healthy controls but a significantly lower rate of B‐cell apoptosis. The percentage of B cells correlated with Disease Activity Score of 28 joints and serum immunoglobulin G concentration in RA patients. Expression of anti‐apoptosis protein Bcl‐2 was higher in RA patients than in healthy controls, whereas expression of apoptosis marker caspase‐3 in B cells was lower.

Conclusion

The higher percentage of B cells in the peripheral blood of RA patients may be due, at least partially, to disruption of the normal pathway of apoptosis in these cells. The inhibition of B‐cell apoptosis in these patients may be attributable to the enhanced expression of Bcl‐2 in these cells.
The Role of 18F Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Scanning in the Diagnosis and Management of Systemic Vasculitis
Authors: Danve Abhijeet , O'Dell James
Published: July 2015

Primary systemic vasculitis is a group of heterogeneous disorders, characterized by inflammation of blood vessels causing end organ damage from ischemia, aneurysm formation or dissection. Delay in the early diagnosis owing to non‐specific symptoms, lack of definitive serological tests, limited availability of biopsy and standard imaging tests pose significant challenge in the management of these diseases. 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scanning is being increasingly used in the management of systemic vasculitis, especially the large vessel vasculitides: giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TAK). FDG‐PET involves detection of positron rays emitted by FDG, a fluorinated glucose analogue which is avidly taken up by metabolically active inflammatory cells in the walls of involved blood vessels. 18F‐FDG‐PET scan, especially when combined with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can give information about active inflammation as well as structural damage associated with vasculitis. In patients with GCA, FDG‐PET has acceptable sensitivity and specificity for the early diagnosis in non‐cranial GCA, cranial GCA with negative biopsy, assessment of immediate response to treatment, predicting prognosis, but has limited value in serial follow‐up and prediction of relapses. In TAK, FDG‐PET can be useful for early diagnosis and probably for serial assessment of disease activity. FDG‐PET has a limited role in medium and small vessel vasculitis.
The Median is the Message: A Good Enough Measure of Material Wellbeing and Shared Development Progress
Authors: Birdsall Nancy , Meyer Christian J.
Published: July 2015

We argue that survey‐based median household consumption expenditure (or income) per capita be incorporated into standard development indicators, as a simple, robust and durable indicator of typical individual material wellbeing in a country. Using household survey data available for low and middle‐income countries from the World Bank's PovcalNet tool, we show that as a measure of income‐related wellbeing, it is far superior to the commonly used GDP per capita as well as survey‐based measures at the mean. We also argue that survey‐based median measures are ‘distribution‐aware’, i.e. when used as the denominator of various widely available indicators such as mean consumption expenditure per capita they provide a ‘good enough’ indicator of consumption (or income) inequality. Finally, as a post‐2015 indicator of progress at the country‐level in promoting shared development and reducing inequality, we propose that the rate of increase in median consumption per capita after taxes and transfers exceeds the rate of increase in average consumption in the same period.
Will the AIIB and the NDB Help Reform Multilateral Development Banking?
Authors: Reisen Helmut
Published: July 2015

What will be the future impact of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB), two multilateral banks created in 2014 outside the established Bretton Woods system, on multilateral lending shares? So far, the bulk of multilateral lending has been provided by institutions created and ruled by the west. Will the new institutions led by China and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) help rebalance multilateral development finance away from western dominance? The answer comes in three steps: first, the pressure for the BRICS to ‘exit’ rises with past, present and expected failure for ‘voice’ reform in the established international financial institutions (IFIs). Second, excess demand for multilateral soft loans and, third, the potential lending capacity by the AIIB and the NDB are quantified to assess how much relative business – hence political influence – the existing IFIs might lose in favour of the new competitors. Based on current evidence for loan‐equity leverage ratios in established multilateral development banks (MDBs), it is estimated that the NDB and AIIB combined will attract sufficient cofinancing to rival the established MDBs in terms of annual lending. The combined loan portfolios (c. US$230 billion) of AIIB and NDB would equal the combined loan portfolios of ADB and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), according to a simple scenario presented in this survey article.
Wildlife NGOs: From Adversaries to Collaborators
Authors: Prideaux Margi
Published: July 2015

Many governments perceive a ‘contested ground’ between Non‐governmental Organisations (NGOs) and governments in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Governments have asserted a concern that increasing NGO involvement is an erosion of their sovereignty.

The other side of this coin is that wildlife related MEAs including the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) are a low order political priority and government budgets for these environment issues are stretched. Many governments lack even basic implementation budgets, let alone capacity for progressive work. MEA secretariats are funded so minimally that there is insufficient facility to really progress implementation.

A recent review of wildlife related NGOs associated with the work of the CMS family has found that NGOs will commit to increase implementation efforts if the right dynamic is created.

Moving beyond the impression of ‘contested ground’ to a ‘collaborative governance’ future, where all participants are invested in policy, discourse, negotiation and arbitration could increase human and financial resource and in turn increase implementation for the CMS family.
Responsibility Shirking at the United Nations Security Council: Constraints, Frustrations, Remedies
Authors: Engelbrekt Kjell
Published: July 2015

The United Nations Security Council is the primary international body in charge of upholding international peace and security. Permanent and nonpermanent member states share in the responsibility to avert great power conflicts and thwart asymmetric disputes, regional instability and civil war, but the former task has priority and the prerogatives and therefore the obligations of the five permanent member states widely exceed those of countries that hold two‐year elected seats. The bifurcation of roles nevertheless produces ‘responsibility shirking’, which weakens Council performance on the latter type of tasks. This article suggests that responsibility shirking is underreported in the literature even though it is well known to diplomatic practitioners. It considers three types of remedies to the situation, arguing that amendments to theUNCharter or the Provisional Rules of Procedure are unlikely, but that piecemeal and pragmatic reform could precipitate a change of mindset. In particular, allowing nonpermanent member states to co‐chair the drafting of resolutions is likely to engage all member states in the core business of the Council.
Efficacy and adequacy of conventional transbronchial needle aspiration of IASLC stations 4R, 4L and 7 using endobronchial landmarks provided by the Wang nodal mapping system in the staging of lung cancer
Authors: Liu Qinghua , Han Songyan , Arias Sixto , Turner J Francis , Lee Hans , Browning Robert , Wang Ko‐Pen
Published: July 2015

Background

The role of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer has been well established. Recently, the efficacy of conventional TBNA in the staging of lung cancer has been enhanced by the use of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)‐TBNA. Our study sought to evaluate the adequacy of TBNA of International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) stations 4R, 4L and 7 using endobronchial landmarks provided by the Wang nodal mapping system in the staging of lung cancer.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed all bronchoscopic cases with conventional TBNA punctures positive for malignancy at our institution from 1 January to 31 October 2014. The endobronchial puncture site was guided by the Wang nodal mapping system. The Wang stations were correlated with the IASLC lymph node map. No endobronchial ultrasound or rapid on‐site evaluation was used. Pathological analysis included cytological and histological examination.

Results

Diagnosis by histological analysis was obtained in 115 (55.3%) out of 208 puncture sites. The metastatic lymph nodes were distributed at IASLC stations 4R (W1, 3, 5) 46.6 %, 7 (W2, 8, 10) 19.7%, 4L (W4, 6) 11.5%, 11R (W7, W9) 11.1% 11L (W11) 9.6%, 2R (high station W3) 0.5%, and the proximal portion of station 8 (station W10 beyond the middle lobe orifice) 1%. No complications were observed.

Conclusion

IASLC station 4R (W1, 3, 5), 7 (W2, 8, 10) and 4L (W4, 6) are adequate for the staging of lung cancer.
The Use of Debt Covenants Worldwide: Institutional Determinants and Implications on Financial Reporting
Authors: Hong Hyun A. , Hung Mingyi , Zhang Jieying
Published: July 2015

This study investigates how the use of debt covenants around the world varies with legal institutions. On the basis of syndicated loans in 36 countries, we find that debt covenants are more prevalent in countries with stronger law enforcement and weaker creditor rights, suggesting that law enforcement facilitates, and creditor rights substitute for, the use of covenants. We also find that the substitution effect between covenant use and creditor rights exists mainly in countries with strong law enforcement, and the effect of legal institutions on covenants is primarily driven by covenants that preserve seniority and capital. In addition, timely loss recognition increases with the use of debt covenants and strong creditor rights attenuate this relation. Overall, our study is the first to provide comprehensive evidence on how the use of debt covenants responds to legal institutions and how it bridges the previously documented link between legal institutions and accounting conservatism.
Modelling heterogeneity among fitness functions using random regression
Authors: Reynolds Richard J. , de los Campos Gustavo , Egan Scott P. , Ott James R.
Published: July 2015

Statistical approaches for testing hypotheses of heterogeneity in fitness functions are needed to accommodate studies of phenotypic selection with repeated sampling across study units, populations or years. In this study, we tested directly for among‐population variation in complex fitness functions and demonstrate a new approach for locating the region of the trait distribution where variation in fitness and traits is greatest.

We modelled heterogeneity in fitness functions among populations by treating regression coefficients of fitness on traits as random variates. We applied random regression using two model specifications, (i) spline‐based curve and (ii) stepwise, to a 2‐year study of selection among 16 populations of the gall wasp, Belonocnema treatae. Log‐likelihood ratio tests of variance components and 10‐fold cross‐validation were used to assess the evidence that selection varied among populations.

Ten‐fold cross‐validation prediction error sums of squares (PSS) indicated that spline‐based fitness functions were population specific and that the strength of evidence for heterogeneity in selection differed between years. Hypothesis testing of variance components from both models was consistent with the PSS results. Both the stepwise model and the local prediction error estimates of spline‐based fitness functions identified the region(s) of the phenotype distribution harbouring the greatest heterogeneity among populations.

The adopted framework advances our understanding of phenotypic selection in natural populations by extending the analysis of spline‐based fitness functions to testing for heterogeneity among study units and isolating the regions of the phenotypic distribution where this variation is most pronounced.
Management of labour and delivery in congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries
Authors: Dhir S. , Racine J. , Gratton R. , Bergin L. , de Vrijer B.
Published: July 2015

A descriptive case report of the labour and delivery management of a 28‐year‐old woman who presented with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries, dextrocardia, systemic ventricular dysfunction and junctional tachycardia. Patients with congenitally corrected transposition have a thin‐walled morphological right ventricle as the systemic circulatory pump. The stress of increased cardiac output can lead to congestive heart failure, systemic atrioventricular valve regurgitation and arrhythmias. We used minimally invasive continuous cardiac output monitoring, fluid balance optimization and good maternal pain control to prevent decompensation and achieve vaginal delivery with a good maternal and neonatal outcome.
The long‐term effect of a population‐based life‐style intervention on smoking and alcohol consumption. The Inter99 Study—a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Baumann Sophie , Toft Ulla , Aadahl Mette , Jørgensen Torben , Pisinger Charlotta
Published: July 2015

Aims

To examine whether improvements in smoking and alcohol consumption throughout the 5‐year course of a population‐based multi‐factorial life‐style intervention were sustained 5 years after its discontinuation.

Design

Population‐based randomized controlled trial.

Setting

Suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Participants

A total of 9415 people aged 30–60 years were randomized to an intervention group (n = 6091) and an assessment‐only control group (n = 3324).

Intervention

All participants in the intervention group received screening, risk assessment and individual life‐style counselling; participants at high risk of ischaemic heart disease—according to pre‐specified criteria—were also offered group‐based counselling.

Measurements

Self‐reported point abstinence from smoking as well as changes in the average alcohol consumption per week and binge drinking in the past week from baseline to 10‐year follow‐up were investigated using random‐effects modelling.

Findings

At 10‐year follow up, people in the intervention group reported a higher smoking abstinence rate [odds ratio (OR) = 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02–3.33, P = 0.043] and a greater reduction in binge drinking (net change = –0.08 days with binge drinking in the last week, 95% CI = –0.16 to –0.01, P = 0.028) than in the control group. There were no detectable long‐term intervention effects on the average alcohol consumption per week.

Conclusions

A population‐based multi‐factorial life‐style intervention of 5 years’ duration in Denmark had sustained beneficial effects on smoking abstinence and binge drinking 5 years after its discontinuation.
Black box and attics: Habitat selection and resource use by large threatened pythons in landscapes with contrasting human modification
Authors: Corey B. , Doody J. S.
Published: July 2015

Woodland and forest degradation, driven predominately by agricultural and pastoral production, is a crisis facing many species globally, in particular hollow‐dependent fauna. Large predatory species play important roles in both ecosystems and conservation strategies, but few studies have examined habitat selection of such species in intensively human‐modified landscapes. We quantified habitat selection and resource use by a large, top‐order and threatened snake (carpet python, Morelia spilota), between adjacent areas of high and low anthropogenic modification in inland Australia, a region that has undergone considerable alteration since European settlement. At the low‐impact site, snakes preferred tree hollows and a structurally complex understorey, whereas at the high‐impact site, snakes preferred homestead attics. Based on the decline of the species in this region, however, high‐impact landscapes may only support snakes when they are adjacent to low‐impact habitats. Invasive species comprised a large part of snake diets in both landscape types. Carpet pythons, with large home ranges and habitat requirements that overlap with many smaller threatened mammalian and avian fauna, are generally well liked and easily identifiable by rural landholders. Accordingly, they may play a key role in conservation strategies aimed at the protection of woodland and hollow‐dependent fauna in heavily modified landscapes of Australia's inland regions. However, invasive species, which tend to contribute to declines in native species inhabiting arid and semi‐arid Australia, are beneficial and important to pythons. Our study therefore highlights the diversity of effects that two major threats to biodiversity – habitat loss and invasive species – can have on different species within the same ecosystem.
“Bath salt” use among a nationally representative sample of high school seniors in the United States
Authors: Palamar Joseph J.
Published: July 2015

Background and Objectives

“Bath salts” are new drugs which have received extensive media attention. However, national studies in the US have not investigated prevalence or correlates of use.

Methods

Data were examined from Monitoring the Future, a representative sample of US high school seniors (2012–2013, N = 8,604).

Results

Only 1.1% of high school seniors used “bath salts” in the last year and the strongest correlate of use was use of other drugs.

Discussion and Conclusions

“Bath salt” use is not very prevalent, but users of other drugs are at highest risk for use.

Scientific Significance

We must continue to monitor new drugs in order to inform prevention and quickly detect potential epidemics. (Am J Addict 2015;24:488–491)
Race/ethnicity and quality indicators for outpatient treatment for substance use disorders
Authors: Acevedo Andrea , Garnick Deborah , Ritter Grant , Horgan Constance , Lundgren Lena
Published: July 2015

Background and Objectives

Initiation and engagement, performance measures that focus on the frequency and timely receipt of services in the early stages of substance use disorders (SUD) treatment, are useful tools for assessing treatment quality differences across racial/ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to examine whether there are racial/ethnic disparities in these quality indicators and to explore whether predictors of treatment initiation and engagement differ by clients' race/ethnicity.

Methods

This study used administrative data from outpatient treatment facilities licensed by the state of Massachusetts that receive public funding. The sample consisted of 10,666 adult clients (76% White, 13% Latino, 11% Black) who began an outpatient treatment episode in 2006. Client data were linked with facility data from the National Survey on Substance Abuse Treatment Services. Multilevel regressions were used to examine racial/ethnic disparities and to explore whether predictors for initiation and engagement differed by client's race/ethnicity.

Results

We did not find evidence of racial/ethnic disparities in treatment initiation or engagement. However, we found that predictors of initiation and engagement differed by client's race/ethnicity.

Conclusions and Scientific Significance

Disparities may be context specific, and thus it is important that they be examined at state or local levels. Our results point to the importance of examining predictors of quality indicators separately by group to better understand and address the needs of diverse client populations. (Am J Addict 2015;24:523–531)
Provider engagement and choice in the Lead Maternity Carer System: Evidence from Growing Up in New Zealand
Authors: Bartholomew Karen , Morton Susan M.B. , Atatoa Carr Polly E. , Bandara Dinusha K. , Grant Cameron C.
Published: July 2015

Background

New Zealand (NZ) has a unique choice‐based model of maternity care.

Aims

To examine how engagement in antenatal care and choice of Lead Maternity Care provider (LMC) vary with maternal demographics.

Materials and Methods

Our sample consisted of 6822 women enrolled during 2009 and 2010 into a longitudinal cohort study Growing Up in New Zealand. We asked if women had engaged a LMC, the type of LMC and whether they had a choice of LMC. Associations with maternal ethnicity, age, parity and education and household deprivation were determined.

Results

Ninety‐eight per cent of women had engaged a LMC provider. Twelve per cent reported not experiencing choice and 11% not receiving their first choice of LMC provider. The reported LMC provider type was independent midwife (66%), hospital midwife (15%), private obstetrician (8%), shared midwife and general practitioner (GP) (5%) and GP‐only care (<1%). LMC provider type and choice varied with maternal demographics. Women not engaging a LMC were more likely to be non‐European, <20 years or >40 years old, with poorer educational attainment, or living in more deprived households. Women not experiencing choice of provider were more likely to be non‐European, <20 years old, or living in more deprived households.

Conclusions

The current unequal distribution of provider engagement and choice in NZ has relevance for a number of specific maternity policies, including policies seeking to improve engagement in antenatal care. The study findings have international relevance as an example of the impact of choice policies on equity.
Rectal misoprostol for myomectomy: A randomised placebo‐controlled study
Authors: Abdel‐Hafeez Mohamed , Elnaggar Ahmed , Ali Mohamed , Ismail Abdel Mgeed , Yacoub Mina
Published: July 2015

Background

Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumours in women. Misoprostol, which is widely used in the treatment and prevention of postpartum haemorrhage in obstetrics, may decrease intra‐operative bleeding in abdominal myomectomies when haemorrhage constitutes a challenging problem.

Aims

To assess the effect on intra‐operative blood loss of using a single pre‐operative dose of rectal misoprostol in abdominal myomectomy surgeries.

Materials and Methods

In a randomised double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial, 50 women undergoing abdominal myomectomy for symptomatic uterine leiomyomas were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of pre‐operative of rectal 400 μg misoprostol (n = 25) or placebo (n = 25) 1 h before the operation. The primary outcome was intra‐operative blood loss. This clinical trial was registered in clinicaltrial.gov registry with number: NCT02061657.

Results

Intra‐operative blood loss was significantly lower in those women randomised to receive rectal misoprostol versus the placebo group (574 ± 194.8 mL vs 874 ± 171.5 mL). Additionally, the drop in postoperative haemoglobin was significantly less in the misoprostol group (1.7 ± 0.4 g/dL) compared with the placebo group (2.1 ± 0.5 g/dL).

Conclusion

A single pre‐operative dose of rectal misoprostol (400 μg) is a simple applicable method for reducing intra‐operative blood loss and operative time in abdominal myomectomy.
Bee venom enhances the differentiation of human regulatory T cells
Authors: Caramalho I. , Melo A. , Pedro E. , Barbosa M. M. P. , Victorino R. M. M. , Pereira Santos M. C. , Sousa A. E.
Published: July 2015

Venom‐specific immunotherapy (VIT) is well recognized by its efficacy, and compelling evidence implicates regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the underlying tolerogenic mechanisms. Additionally, hymenoptera venom has for a long time been claimed to modulate immunity. Here, we investigated the putative role of bee venom (Bv) in human FOXP3‐expressing Treg homeostasis and differentiation, irrespective of the donors' allergic status. We found that Bv significantly enhanced the differentiation of FOXP3‐expressing cells both from conventional naïve CD4 T cells and mature CD4 thymocytes, a property that may contribute to the VIT′s capacity to expand circulating Tregs in allergic individuals. We expect that our data enlightening the Treg‐mediated immunomodulatory properties of Bv regardless of TCR specificity, to have application in other allergies, as well as in other clinical settings, such as autoimmunity and transplantation.
Financialization and Its Discontents: Israelis Negotiating Pensions
Authors: Weiss Hadas
Published: July 2015

Anthropologists have long been studying how people deal with risks and uncertainties and resist those that prove too punishing. They provide the bearings for a distinctly anthropological intervention into a key feature of financialization: the insinuation of finance, and of financial risk management, into household economics. I undertake such a project here through an ethnography of pension practices in Israel. I argue that people's perceived irrationality in their dealings with their insurers is in fact meaningful discontent. People expect to be protected insofar as they act responsibly as savers and citizens. Against this expectation, they are made to bear the risks of financial markets whose growth is won at their expense. I argue further that their discontent is depoliticized when they act from their positions as consumers rather than citizens. Negotiations within this framework deflect attention from the relationship of finance to exploitation.
The Ends of Anthropology: 2014 in U.S. Sociocultural Anthropology
Authors: Hankins Joseph D.
Published: July 2015

In this essay, I trace the operations of a moral optimism and a skepticism that lie, uneasily, at the foundation of sociocultural anthropology. As other authors of year‐in‐review pieces have noted, anthropology is motivated by a moral optimism pointing toward the possibilities of an ethically and politically better life. Equally as fundamental, I argue, is a rigorous skepticism interrogating the shifting conditions that give life to anthropology's possibility. Here, I follow the productive tension between these two stances through the sociocultural anthropology of 2014, loosely grouping that work under the rubrics of “ends,” “immediacy,” “ecology,” and “refusal.” Throughout, I make a push for increased attention to our ethic of skepticism as means of tempering the discipline's moral optimism. [optimism, skepticism, immediacy, connection, year in review, sociocultural anthropology]
Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: long‐term results at St George Hospital, Australia
Authors: Alzahrani Nayef , Ferguson Jorgen S. , Valle Sarah J. , Liauw Winston , Chua Terence , Morris David L.
Published: July 2015

Background

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) results from the secondary spread of many intraabdominal tumour types, such as colorectal malignancy (colorectal cancer, CRC), disseminated peritoneal adenomucinosis (DPAM), appendiceal cancer, ovarian carcinoma, sarcoma or from the occurrence of primary peritoneal disease such as peritoneal mesothelioma. The combination of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has seen improvements in survival in selected cases of these cancers.

Methods

Between 1996 and 2014, a prospective database of 675 patients was created for the peritonectomy unit at our hospital. In total, 827 peritonectomy procedures (including redo CRS) were performed for the major subgroups of PC: DPAM 220; appendiceal cancer (peritoneal mucinous adenocarcinoma (PMCA)) 191; CRC 234; diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM) 73 and others 109. There were 152 redo‐peritonectomy procedures within the total mentioned earlier (CRC 26; DPAM 58; DMPM 18; appendix 40; other 10).

Results

The 5‐year survivals for DPAM and PMCA were 80% and 42% respectively. The 5‐year survivals for appendiceal cancer with peritoneal cancer index (PCI) <10, 10–20 and >20 were 60, 57 and 37% respectively (P = 0.09). The 2‐ and 5‐year survivals for CRC were 56 and 24% respectively. The 5‐year survivals for PCI 0–5, 6–10, 11–15 and >15 were 59, 15, 7 and 0% respectively (P = 0.000). The 5‐year survival for DMPM with PCI < 10, 10–20 and >20 were 100, 55 and 39% respectively (P = 0.01).

Conclusion

CRS in combination with HIPEC provides a chance of long‐term survival in selected cases of PC when compared with systemic therapy alone.
Dynein, kinesin and morphological changes in optic nerve axons in a rat model with cerebrospinal fluid pressure reduction: the Beijing Intracranial and Intraocular Pressure (iCOP) study
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Wu Shen , Jonas Jost B. , Zhang Jingxue , Liu Kegao , Lu Qingjun , Wang Ningli
Published: July 2015

Purpose

To examine the influence of experimentally reduced cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) as compared to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) on axonal morphology and axonal motor proteins in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs).

Methods

The experimental study included 39 rats which underwent cerebrospinal fluid drainage for 6 hr, 30 rats which unilaterally underwent IOP elevation for 6 hr and 30 rats in a control group. Six hours after baseline, the animals were killed and the eyes were histologically and immunohistochemically examined.

Results

In experimental models in the high‐IOP group and the low‐CSFP group as compared to the control group, RGC axons became abnormally dilated and accumulated vesicles. Both groups as compared to the control group showed an accumulation of dynein IC (intermediate chain) at the optic nerve head and retina and a reduction in kinesin HC (heavy chain) immunoreactivity in the optic nerve fibre axons. As a corollary, Western blot analysis revealed an elevation of dynein IC protein levels in the optic nerve head and retina and a decrease in kinesin HC protein levels in the optic nerve.

Conclusions

Experimental models with an acute IOP rise or with an acute CSFP reduction showed similar morphologic changes in the retinal ganglion cell axons and similar immunohistochemical changes in the axonal motor proteins kinesin HC and dynein IC. It supports the hypothesis that an experimental model with an acute reduction in CSFP as well as an experimental model with an acute rise in IOP may share similarities in the process of optic nerve damage.
Morning Glory Disc Anomaly in childhood – a population‐based study
Authors: Ceynowa Dylan J , Wickström Ronny , Olsson Monica , Ek Ulla , Eriksson Urban , Wiberg Maria Kristoffersen , Fahnehjelm Kristina Teär
Published: July 2015

Purpose

To report prevalence, ocular characteristics and coexisting neurological, behavioural, somatic and neuroradiological abnormalities in children and adolescents with morning glory disc anomaly (MGDA).

Methods

In a cross‐sectional population‐based study, 12 patients with MGDA, aged 2–20 years, were identified. All 12 agreed to ophthalmological assessments including visual functions, refraction, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and ocular motor score (OMS). Neurological examinations and behavioural/developmental screening were carried out. Data from previous or new neuroradiological investigations were collected.

Results

The prevalence of MGDA was 2.6/100 000. MGDA was unilateral in 11/12 patients with a best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the MGDA eye ranging from hand motion to 0.65 (median 0.06). Severe microphthalmus prevented unilaterality to be determined in one adolescent. All patients had a binocular BCVA of ≥0.5. OMS showed abnormalities in pupil response, vestibulo‐ocular reflex, stereo visual acuity, strabismus and convergence. OCT revealed peripapillary or macular oedema in 5/8 patients and foveal aplasia in 3/8 patients. Three patients had extensive capillary hemangiomas, of which one had PHACES syndrome and one had additional cerebrovascular anomalies and corpus callosum agenesis. Neuroradiology showed craniovascular anomalies in two patients. Neurology was mostly normal. Behavioural/developmental screening showed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in one patient.

Conclusions

The prevalence data, previously not reported, of morning glory disc anomaly was 2.6/100 000. Coexisting retinal peripapillary or macular oedema was common, as were cerebral abnormalities and/or cutaneous vascular malformations. The associated findings may not be discovered through routine ophthalmological examination why OCT and neuroimaging are called for.
Improving the anti‐inflammatory effect of serum eye drops using allogeneic serum permissive for regulatory T cell induction
Authors: Stenwall Per‐Anton , Bergström Marcus , Seiron Peter , Sellberg Felix , Olsson Tobias , Knutson Folke , Berglund David
Published: July 2015

Purpose

To investigate the cytokine composition and anti‐inflammatory effects of allogeneic serum preparations for improved use as serum eye drops.

Methods

Serum of 15 healthy blood donors was extensively screened for cytokines, including IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐9, IL‐10, IL‐12p70, IL‐13, IL‐15, 1L‐17A, E and F, IL‐21, IL‐22, IL‐23, IL‐27, IL‐28A, IL‐31, IL‐33, granulocyte macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and TNF‐β, interferon (IFN)‐γ and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β. The levels of cytokines were assessed before and after heat‐induced inactivation. Individual serum preparations were tested for their anti‐inflammatory effect using an in vitro test to differentiate effector T lymphocytes into anti‐inflammatory regulatory T cells.

Results

The anti‐inflammatory cytokine TGF‐β was readily detected in the serum of all blood donors and was only modestly affected by heat‐induced inactivation. Serum containing high amounts of TGF‐β was more effective at inducing anti‐inflammatory regulatory T cells. The serum of one healthy blood donor displayed high levels of inflammatory cytokines.

Conclusion

We propose that serum used as eye drops is screened for its cytokine content, making it possible to correlate the composition to the clinical outcome. Based on the findings in this study, tailored serum eye drops produced from allogeneic donors may provide increased anti‐inflammatory effects. This may be superior to autologous serum eye drops, which in many cases are retrieved from patients with inflammatory diseases.
Breastfeeding and maternal health outcomes: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Chowdhury Ranadip , Sinha Bireshwar , Sankar Mari Jeeva , Taneja Sunita , Bhandari Nita , Rollins Nigel , Bahl Rajiv , Martines Jose
Published: July 2015

Aim

To evaluate the effect of breastfeeding on long‐term (breast carcinoma, ovarian carcinoma, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes mellitus) and short‐term (lactational amenorrhoea, postpartum depression, postpartum weight change) maternal health outcomes.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library and CABI databases. Outcome estimates of odds ratios or relative risks or standardised mean differences were pooled. In cases of heterogeneity, subgroup analysis and meta‐regression were explored.

Results

Breastfeeding >12 months was associated with reduced risk of breast and ovarian carcinoma by 26% and 37%, respectively. No conclusive evidence of an association between breastfeeding and bone mineral density was found. Breastfeeding was associated with 32% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Exclusive breastfeeding and predominant breastfeeding were associated with longer duration of amenorrhoea. Shorter duration of breastfeeding was associated with higher risk of postpartum depression. Evidence suggesting an association of breastfeeding with postpartum weight change was lacking.

Conclusion

This review supports the hypothesis that breastfeeding is protective against breast and ovarian carcinoma, and exclusive breastfeeding and predominant breastfeeding increase the duration of lactational amenorrhoea. There is evidence that breastfeeding reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, an association between breastfeeding and bone mineral density or maternal depression or postpartum weight change was not evident.
A rapid growth rate in early childhood is a risk factor for becoming overweight in late adolescence
Authors: Thorén Annelie , Werner Bo , Lundholm Cecilia , Bråbäck Lennart , Silfverdal Sven‐Arne
Published: July 2015

Aim

We evaluated whether body mass index (BMI) and rapid growth in early life were associated with an increased risk of becoming overweight at 16 and 18 years of age.

Methods

The study population comprised all children born in Sweden on the 15th of each month in 1981. Individuals born on the 5th, 10th and 20th of every month were added for counties with low population densities. Information on weight and height was collected from birth up to 18 years of age for 98.6% of the 3537 children identified.

Results

Weight at 12 months of age was associated with being overweight at both 16 and 18 years of age. Rapid weight gain from birth to 12 months was associated with higher odds for being overweight later in life, and the weight gain between 18 months and four years of age was the strongest risk factor for being overweight in late adolescence in both sexes. There was no association between a birthweight of <2500 g or >4500 g and being overweight at 16 or 18 years of age.

Conclusion

Fast growth during early childhood was associated with an increased risk of being overweight later in life, emphasising the importance of early prevention.
Consequences of prenatal opioid use for newborns
Authors: Anand Kanwaljeet J. S. , Campbell‐Yeo Marsha
Published: July 2015

One‐third of childbearing women take prescription opioids, previously occurring only in 6–7% of pregnant women. Prenatal opioid exposures may cause birth defects, altered brain development and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS incidence increased fourfold and length of stay increased from 13 to 19 days over 10 years (2004–2013), leading to sevenfold increases in NICU days due to NAS. Initial data suggest that recent NAS increases have resulted from increased use of prescription opioids rather than illicit drugs.

Conclusion

Paediatricians will have to manage the consequences of prenatal opioid exposures, as the offspring often have complex medical and social issues associated with these families.
The influence of light on thermal responses
Authors: te Kulve M. , Schellen L. , Schlangen L. J. M. , van Marken Lichtenbelt W. D.
Published: July 2015

Light is essential for vision and plays an important role in non‐visual responses, thus affecting alertness, mood and circadian rhythms. Furthermore, light influences physiological processes, such as thermoregulation, and therefore may be expected to play a role in thermal comfort (TC) as well. A systematic literature search was performed for human studies exploring the relation between ocular light exposure, thermophysiology and TC. Experimental results show that light in the evening can reduce melatonin secretion, delay the natural decline in core body temperature (CBT) and slow down the increase in distal skin temperature. In the morning though, bright light can result in a faster decline in melatonin levels, thus enabling a faster increase in CBT. Moreover, the colour of light can affect temperature perception of the environment. Light with colour tones towards the red end of the visual spectrum leads to a warmer perception compared to more bluish light tones. It should be noted, however, that many results of light on thermal responses are inconclusive, and a theoretical framework is largely lacking. In conclusion, light is capable of evoking thermophysiological responses and visual input can alter perception of the thermal environment. Therefore, lighting conditions should be taken into consideration during thermophysiological research and in the design of indoor climates.