bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cascading effects of climate extremes on vertebrate fauna through changes to low‐latitude tree flowering and fruiting phenology
Authors: Butt Nathalie , Seabrook Leonie , Maron Martine , Law Bradley S. , Dawson Terence P. , Syktus Jozef , McAlpine Clive A.
Published: January 2015

Forest vertebrate fauna provide critical services, such as pollination and seed dispersal, which underpin functional and resilient ecosystems. In turn, many of these fauna are dependent on the flowering phenology of the plant species of such ecosystems. The impact of changes in climate, including climate extremes, on the interaction between these fauna and flora has not been identified or elucidated, yet influences on flowering phenology are already evident. These changes are well documented in the mid to high latitudes. However, there is emerging evidence that the flowering phenology, nectar/pollen production, and fruit production of long‐lived trees in tropical and subtropical forests are also being impacted by changes in the frequency and severity of climate extremes. Here, we examine the implications of these changes for vertebrate fauna dependent on these resources. We review the literature to establish evidence for links between climate extremes and flowering phenology, elucidating the nature of relationships between different vertebrate taxa and flowering regimes. We combine this information with climate change projections to postulate about the likely impacts on nectar, pollen and fruit resource availability and the consequences for dependent vertebrate fauna. The most recent climate projections show that the frequency and intensity of climate extremes will increase during the 21st century. These changes are likely to significantly alter mass flowering and fruiting events in the tropics and subtropics, which are frequently cued by climate extremes, such as intensive rainfall events or rapid temperature shifts. We find that in these systems the abundance and duration of resource availability for vertebrate fauna is likely to fluctuate, and the time intervals between episodes of high resource availability to increase. The combined impact of these changes has the potential to result in cascading effects on ecosystems through changes in pollinator and seed dispersal ecology, and demands a focused research effort.
A Novel Translational Animal Model of Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias
Authors: Akerman Simon , Goadsby Peter J.
Published: January 2015

Overview

Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TACs) are highly disabling primary headache disorders that involve severe unilateral head pain coupled with significant lateralized cranial autonomic features. Our understanding of these disorders and the development of novel and more effective treatments has been limited by the lack of a suitable animal model to explore their pathophysiology and screen prospective treatments.

Discussion

This review details the development of a novel preclinical model that demonstrates activation of both the trigeminovascular system and parasympathetic projections, thought to be responsible for the severe head pain and autonomic symptoms.

Conclusion

This model demonstrates a unique response to TAC specific treatments and highlights the importance of the cranial parasympathetic pathway to the pathophysiology of TACs and as a potential locus of action for treatments. The development of this model opens up opportunities to understand the pathophysiology of these disorders further, the likely involvement of the hypothalamus, as well as providing a preclinical model with which to screen novel compounds.
Hepatitis B virus infection status and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Jian , Shen Yi , Cai Hui , Liu Yan‐Mei , Qin Gang
Published: January 2015

Aim

Whether hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is controversial. We carried out a meta‐analysis to evaluate the association between HBV infection status and the risk of T2DM.

Methods

The PubMed, Embase and Ovid databases were searched for relevant studies on an association between HBV infection and the risk of diabetes. Methodological quality was assessed using the adapted Newcastle–Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. A fix‐ or random‐effects model was used to summarize odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

We included seven cohort studies, four case–control and four cross‐sectional studies, involving 118 530 participants. The prevalence of T2DM differs by HBV infection status. Pooled estimators indicated a nearly twofold excess T2DM risk with hepatitis B cirrhosis (HBC) status. The summary OR of the risk of T2DM for HBC patients was 1.99 (95% CI, 1.08–3.65) when compared with the non‐HBV individuals, and 1.74 (95% CI, 1.43–2.13) when compared with non‐cirrhotic chronic hepatitis B (NC‐CHB) patients. In contrast, no significant correlation was found between asymptomatic HBV carriers or NC‐CHB patients and the incidence of diabetes, compared with non‐HBV controls.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that while HBV itself may not be pro‐diabetic, the HBV‐derived cirrhosis is an independent risk factor for T2DM.
Use and misuse of the term ‘glacial relict’ in the Central European biogeography and conservation ecology of insects
Authors: Sommer Robert S. , Thiele Volker , Seppä Heikki
Published: January 2015

We argue that the term ?glacial relict? is often misused in Central European biogeography and conservation ecology to refer to tyrphobiotic insect species which occur in peat bogs. There is no evidence to argue that these insect populations represent remnants dating back to the Pleistocene glacial stages. Instead, these insect species are mainly associated with colder local climate, special edaphic conditions, and the specific plant composition of the bogs. Therefore bogs are isolated habitats for cold‐adapted, tyrphobiotic species, in which they have persisted since the early or middle Holocene, and the conservation of the bogs is critically important for the future survival of the boreo‐alpine insect species in Central Europe.
Pemphigus herpetiformis: a case series and review of the literature
Authors: Laws Philip M. , Heelan Kara , Al‐Mohammedi Faisal , Walsh Scott , Shear Neil H.
Published: January 2015

Background

Pemphigus herpetiformis (PH) is a rare subtype of pemphigus that presents challenges in diagnosis.

Objective

To review the presentation, diagnosis, and management of PH.

Methods

We reviewed the charts of all patients diagnosed and treated for PH in an immunobullous referral center between September 2007 and June 2013.

Results

Eight patients were identified with a diagnosis of PH. All presented initially with pruritus. Clinical disease was manifest as either urticated erythematous plaques or a vesiculobullous eruption. Histological evaluation demonstrated eosinophilic spongiosis in all patients with acantholysis in half of cases (n = 4/8). Peripheral eosinophilia was noted in three of eight (37.5%) patients. In all cases, direct immunofluorescence showed intercellular deposition of immunoglobulin G in the epidermis. All patients required high‐dose corticosteroid initially. All patients treated with dapsone or sulfasalazine (n = 4) achieved at least partial control. Other effective treatments included intravenous immunoglobulin (n = 2), azathioprine (n = 2), and leflunomide (n = 1). Rituximab was ineffective in two patients.

Conclusion

The clinical and histological features of PH develop over time and with treatment, making distinction between pemphigus subtypes challenging and delay in diagnosis common. Diagnosis of PH requires a high index of suspicion and is made on clinical grounds (urticated erythema) in the context of compatible histology and immunofluorescence findings. Treatment may be challenging, although efficacy of sulfonamide derivatives appears to offer a therapeutic effect.
Achieving competency in wound care: an innovative training module using the long‐term care setting
Authors: Williams Evelyn M , Deering Susan
Published: January 2015

Structured academic teaching on wound care was developed, based on the long‐term care (LTC) setting, with the goal of ensuring that postgraduate family medicine residents attain competency in assessment and treatment of wounds and pressure ulcers (PUs). The curriculum for the 1‐month learning module was based on clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, assessment, and treatment of PUs and wounds. The learning techniques used include a learners' needs assessment, a small‐group didactic session, interdisciplinary bedside case discussions and a toolkit. The curriculum is delivered in four weekly, 90‐minute interdisciplinary teaching sessions during the mandatory 1‐month geriatrics rotation for postgraduate family medicine trainees. Competency is evaluated by the end of the module by reviewing trainees' documentation of a thorough objective clinical wound assessment, diagnosis of underlying cause, significant contributing risk factors and proposed treatment plan. This approach can be used to train family medicine, hospitalist, and geriatric residents in other acute or LTC teaching facilities where there is a prevalence of PUs.
The impact of foot ulceration and amputation on mortality in diabetic patients. I: From ulceration to death, a systematic review
Authors: Jupiter Daniel C , Thorud Jakob C , Buckley Clifford J , Shibuya Naohiro
Published: January 2015

A great deal of emphasis, clinical and financial, is placed on limb salvage efforts in diabetic patients suffering from lower extremity ulceration. This is because of the impression that amputation in such patients may be a proximal cause of death. While amputation is certainly a negative clinical outcome, it is not entirely clear that it causes death.

In this systematic review, we examine the available literature to attempt to understand the role that the ulceration itself may play in mortality. In brief, we searched for human studies inOVID,CINAHLand theCOCHRANE CENTRAL DATABASEfrom 1980 to 2013, looking for articles related to ulcer or wound of the foot, in patients with diabetes or peripheral vascular disease, and death. We looked for articles with 5 years of follow‐up, or Kaplan–Meier estimates of 5‐year mortality, and excluded reviews and letters. Articles were assessed for quality and potential bias using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale.

We find that while the patient populations studied varied widely in terms of demographics and comorbidities, limiting generalisability, 5‐year mortality rates after ulceration were around 40%. Risk factors for death commonly identified were increased age, male gender, peripheral vascular disease and renal disease.
Suppression of Atrial Tachyarrhythmias by Pacing
Authors: ISRAEL CARSTEN W. , GRÖNEFELD GERIAN , EHRLICH JOACHIM R. , HOHNLOSER STEFAN H.
Published: January 2015

Pace‐Suppression of AF. Introduction: Treatment of atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATs) remains difficult in many patients. Accordingly, new therapeutic approaches for AT suppression are evaluated. Atrial pacing may prevent ATs by modifying the electrophysiologic conditions required for sustained ATs.

Methods and Results: New pacing algorithms for prevention of AT are aimed at permanent overdrive suppression of arrhythmic activity, reduction of dispersion of atrial refractoriness produced by short‐long cycles, more aggressive overdrive pacing after spontaneous sinus conversion to prevent early reinitiation of ATs, and prevention of inadequate rate decay in patients with vagally induced ATs. AT prevention may be achieved by dedicated atrial pacing sites, e.g., pacing at the insertion of Bachmann's bundle or biatrial pacing, which compensates for interatrial conduction delay. Preexciting regions of critical conduction delay, pacing at the triangle of Koch or coronary sinus os, and dual‐site right atrial pacing have shown antiarrhythmic effects. Atrial preventive pacing and pharmacologic treatment may work synergistically in the concept of hybrid therapy. To prevent atrial electrical remodeling, early termination of AT seems desirable. This may be achieved by implanted devices that automatically detect ATs and provide atrial antitachycardia pacing for organized ATs. Initial studies showed that regular AT can automatically be terminated in approximately 50% of treated episodes.

Conclusion: Pacing for prevention of AT and termination of organized AT episodes may become important steps within the concept of hybrid therapy of AT. However, their clinical efficacy and optimal patient selection remain to be evaluated in prospective, well‐designed clinical trials.
Continuous Hemodynamic Monitoring in Heart Failure
Authors: BRAUNSCHWEIG FRIEDER , LINDE CECILIA
Published: January 2015

Continuous Hemodynamic Monitoring. Chronic congestive heart failure is associated with high morbidity and mortality, frequent hospital admissions, and high treatment costs. As the prevalence and incidence of the disease are increasing, there is a clear need to improve the management of heart failure patients. Continuous hemodynamic monitoring with an implanted device is technically feasible and safe. It provides reliable information on central hemodynamic parameters and allows for analysis of long‐term hemodynamic trends. It has been suggested that continuous hemodynamic monitoring might improve the management of patients with chronic heart failure. This article describes the technical details of the monitoring system and presents possible clinical applications, with a focus on beta‐blocker therapy, diuretics, and volume management. A case is reported, illustrating how hemodynamic long‐term trends might add valuable information during up‐titration of beta‐blockers. Future implications of hemodynamic monitoring are discussed.
Outcome Studies with Device Therapy in Patients with Heart Failure
Authors: CLELAND JOHN G.F. , THACKRAY SIMON , GOODGE LYNDSEY , KAYE GERRY , COOKLIN MICHAEL
Published: January 2015

Device Therapy for Heart Failure. Heart failure is a common debilitating condition for which pharmacologic therapy thus far has provided only partial relief. Despite, and sometimes because of, medical therapy, the overall prognosis remains poor, with high rates of sudden death and death from progressive heart failure. Device‐based therapies offer considerable promise for relief of symptoms and for improving prognosis. It is clear that implantable defibrillators should be considered for patients with heart failure who have been resuscitated from ventricular fibrillation or sustained ventricular tachycardia. Several large studies currently are investigating the effects of implantable defibrillators on total mortality in patients with major left ventricular systolic dysfunction but without other risk factors for sudden death. Cardiac resynchronization is a promising new therapy that may relieve the symptoms of heart failure in appropriately selected patients resistant to optimal pharmacologic therapy. Two large trials (CARE‐HF and COMPANION) currently are investigating the effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on morbidity and mortality. It is important that those involved in these trials enroll patients quickly and minimize device implantation into patients who have not been assigned this therapy (cross‐overs). Overenthusiasm for the benefits that doctors believe devices might bring could destroy the future basis for our clinical practice, denying future generations of patients and the doctors themselves access to what they believe to be effective treatments.
Cost‐Effectiveness of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Therapy
Authors: MORGAN JOHN M.
Published: January 2015

ICD Cost‐Effectiveness. Cost‐efficacy assessment of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy has proved contentious and may have limited uptake of ICD therapy, particularly in Europe. Published modeling assessments are too inaccurate to determine clinical practice, and assessments based on clinical studies are incomplete (from the cost‐efficacy viewpoint). Although ICD therapy seems certain to be most cost‐effective in patients who are likely to have good longevity if their risk of sudden cardiac death is countered, the benefit of ICD therapy is not necessarily limited to such groups. Physicians and health economists need to develop a better understanding of how to assess high‐technology therapy costs so that uptake of such therapy is appropriately expedited with due regard to ethical and cost constraints.
Future of Device Therapy for Arrhythmias
Authors: WELLENS HEIN J.J.
Published: January 2015

Future of Device Therapy. During the last three decades, implantable devices have been developed that are able to treat complex arrhythmias on an individualized basis, with emphasis on rapid restoration of normal cardiac rhythm or creation of the best physiologic alternative. Currently, new areas for device therapy include atrial fibrillation, life‐threatening ventricular arrhythmias (with or without heart failure), and out‐of‐hospital sudden death. To improve resuscitation from circulatory arrest, the development and widespread use of dependable devices continuously registering cardiac rhythm and able to localize the victim are needed to shorten the time interval to successful defibrillation.
Telocytes transfer extracellular vesicles loaded with microRNAs to stem cells
Authors: Cismasiu Valeriu B. , Popescu Laurentiu M.
Published: January 2015

Telocytes (TCs) are cells ubiquitously distributed in the body and characterized by very long and thin prolongations named telopodes (Tps). Cardiac TCs are the best characterized TCs for the moment. Tps release extracellular vesicles (EVs) in vivo and in vitro suggesting that TCs regulate the activity of other cells by vesicular paracrine signals. TCs have been found within the stem cell niche of several organs. Electron microscopy or electron tomography has shown that Tps are located in close vicinity of stem cells (SC). Since stem cell regulation by niche components involves paracrine signalling, we have investigated if TCs could be part of this mechanism. Using fluorescent labelling of cells and EVs with calcein and Cy5‐miR‐21 oligos, we provide evidence that TCs can modulate SC through EVs loaded with microRNAs. TCs deliver microRNA to cardiac stem cells (CSCs), as well as to other types of SCs (e.g. hematopoietic SC) indicating that this mechanism is not restricted to cardiac tissue. We also found that CSCs deliver microRNA loaded EVs to TCs, suggesting that there is a continuous, post‐transcriptional regulatory signal back and forth between TCs and SC. In conclusion, our data reveal the existence of a reciprocal (bidirectional) epigenetic signalling between TCs and SC.
Frequency of primary cutaneous lymphoma variants in Austria: retrospective data from a dermatology referral centre between 2006 and 2013
Authors: Eder J. , Kern A. , Moser J. , Kitzwögerer M. , Sedivy R. , Trautinger F.
Published: January 2015

Background

Primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCL) are a heterogenous group of rare lymphoid neoplasms with incomplete information on global and regional prevalence. The recently introduced lymphoma classifications define distinctive clinicopathological disease entities that should allow for more accurate epidemiological assessment.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical spectrum of PCL diagnosed and treated at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology in St. Pölten, Lower Austria, a dermatology referral centre providing secondary and tertiary care for a population of about 600 000.

Methods

In this retrospective study pathology reports, electronically archived between 2006 and 2013, were screened for the terms lymphoma, mycosis fungoides (MF) and lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP). Patients were diagnosed according to the current WHO‐EORTC classification for cutaneous lymphomas and results were compared with data from European, US and Asian centres.

Results

Among 86 patients with PCL (age 58.3 ± 17.35 years, mean ± SD; women 38%, n = 33; men 62%, n = 53) 83% (n = 71) were classified as cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (CTCL) and 17% (n = 15) as cutaneous B‐cell lymphomas (CBCL). Nine patients with CTCL showed associated haematological disorders and malignomas. Among 47 MF patients following variants were observed: pilotropic MF (n = 2), follicular mucinosis (n = 1), unilesional MF (n = 1), large‐cell transformation (n = 3), erythrodermic MF (n = 1), poikilodermatous MF (n = 2) and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (CD8+ MF with gamma/delta phenotype after renal transplantation) (n = 1). One patient had MF concurrent with lymphomatoid papulosis. The group of CBCL comprised six cases (40%) of PCMZL and PCFCL each, 20% (n = 3) were classified as PCLBCL, LT.

Conclusion

This study for the first time provides data on the distribution of PCL clinicopathologic variants and stages according to the latest classification and staging systems in an Austrian referral centre.
CEO Stock‐Based Incentive Compensation and Firm Performance: A Quantile Regression Approach
Authors: Li Ming‐Yuan Leon , Yang Tung‐Hsiao , Yu Shang‐En
Published: January 2015

This study employs the quantile regression model to examine the non‐monotonic impact of CEO stock‐based compensation on firm performance, using the data for U.S. non‐financial firms from 1993 to 2005. The results indicate that while the impact of CEO stock‐based pay on firm performance is positive for firms in the higher earnings quantile levels, the impact is negative for firms in the lower levels. In addition, the “V‐shaped” relationship between CEO stock‐based pay and firm performance satisfactorily explains the longstanding disagreement among earlier studies with regard to whether CEO stock‐based pay can enhance firm performance. Furthermore, the quantile‐varying pattern of the impact of stock‐based compensation on firm performance is robust after controlling for the industrial and yearly effects. It is also robust to the use of the pay‐for‐performance sensitivity as an alternative explanatory variable or the market‐based measure of performance as the dependent variable, or the consideration of the suspected endogenous problem between firm performance and stock‐based compensation.
The IASB's Discussion Paper on the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting: A Commentary and Research Review
Authors: Gordon Elizabeth A. , Bischof Jannis , Daske Holger , Munter Paul , Saka Chika , Smith Kimberly J. , Venter Elmar R.
Published: January 2015

Consistent with the mission of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER) to “promote global excellence in accounting education and research, and to maximize accounting academics' contribution to the development and maintenance of high‐quality, globally recognized standards of accounting practice,” this paper provides a commentary and research review by an ad hoc committee of the IAAER on the IASB's Discussion Paper DP/2013/1—A Review of the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting. The comments focus on four main areas about which prior academic research can inform standard setters in their consideration of the revised Conceptual Framework: (1) recognition and derecognition, (2) measurement, (3) presentation and disclosure, and (4) other comprehensive income. The views expressed here by the ad hoc committee are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect a consensus view of the IAAER membership or its Executive Committee. The paper supports the IASB's general objective of developing one set of globally acceptable accounting standards based on a cohesive and complete Conceptual Framework.
An Exploration of How Midwives and Physicians Manage the Third Stage of Labor in the United States
Authors: Schorn Mavis N. , Minnick Ann , Donaghey Beth
Published: January 2015

Introduction

Care of the woman during the third stage of labor is a critical component of good patient outcomes. The type and extent of activities used in the United States, including those suggested for active management of the third stage of labor, are unknown. This study obtained preliminary data for the development of a national study of interventions used by US birth attendants during the third stage of labor, work that will ultimately lead to a study examining links between activities and outcomes. The specific aims were to identify provider‐reported assessments and interventions used during the third stage of labor and to examine which management steps or interventions providers believe should always be used during the third stage of labor.

Methods

Four provider‐specific focus groups (certified nurse‐midwives, certified professional midwives, obstetricians, and family practice physicians) were held using a nominal group technique. Two researchers analyzed audio‐recorded transcriptions independently.

Results

More than 100 assessments, 110 interventions, and 65 “always used” activities were identified. There was variation within and across groups. Midwife groups were more likely to specify maternal preference activities, and physician groups were more likely to specify drug‐related actions.

Discussion

Surveys of third‐stage labor practices must include large numbers of actions to represent what may be the state of US practices. Survey design may need to include a multiple‐forms approach to avoid participant burden. Designs should include the exploration of differences by provider type as well as within provider variation.
Circadian timing of metabolism in animal models and humans
Authors: Dibner C. , Schibler U.
Published: January 2015

Most living beings, including humans, must adapt to rhythmically occurring daily changes in their environment that are generated by the Earth's rotation. In the course of evolution, these organisms have acquired an internal circadian timing system that can anticipate environmental oscillations and thereby govern their rhythmic physiology in a proactive manner. In mammals, the circadian timing system coordinates virtually all physiological processes encompassing vigilance states, metabolism, endocrine functions and cardiovascular activity. Research performed during the past two decades has established that almost every cell in the body possesses its own circadian timekeeper. The resulting clock network is organized in a hierarchical manner. A master pacemaker, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, is synchronized every day to the photoperiod. In turn, the SCN determines the phase of the cellular clocks in peripheral organs through a wide variety of signalling pathways dependent on feeding cycles, body temperature rhythms, oscillating bloodborne signals and, in some organs, inputs of the peripheral nervous system. A major purpose of circadian clocks in peripheral tissues is the temporal orchestration of key metabolic processes, including food processing (metabolism and xenobiotic detoxification). Here, we review some recent findings regarding the molecular and cellular composition of the circadian timing system and discuss its implications for the temporal coordination of metabolism in health and disease. We focus primarily on metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, although circadian misalignments (shiftwork or ‘social jet lag’) have also been associated with the aetiology of human malignancies.
Effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on Prevotella intermedia lipopolysaccharide‐induced production of proinflammatory mediators in murine macrophages
Authors: Choi E.‐Y. , Choe S.‐H. , Hyeon J.‐Y. , Choi J.‐I. , Choi I. S. , Kim S.‐J.
Published: January 2015

Background and Objective

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) has numerous potentially beneficial properties, including antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anti‐inflammatory activities. However, the effect of CAPE on periodontal disease has not been studied before. This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of CAPE in ameliorating the production of proinflammatory mediators in macrophages activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Prevotella intermedia, a pathogen implicated in periodontal disease.

Material and Methods

LPS from P. intermedia ATCC 25611 was isolated by using the standard hot phenol–water method. Culture supernatants were assayed for nitric oxide (NO), interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐6. We used real‐time polymerase chain reaction to quantify inducible NO synthase, IL‐1β, IL‐6, heme oxygenase (HO)‐1 and suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) 1 mRNA expression. HO‐1 protein expression and levels of signaling proteins were assessed by immunoblot analysis. DNA‐binding activities of NF‐κB subunits were analyzed by using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay‐based kits.

Results

CAPE exerted significant inhibitory effects on P. intermedia LPS‐induced production of NO, IL‐1β and IL‐6 as well as their mRNA expression in RAW264.7 cells. CAPE‐induced HO‐1 expression in cells activated with P. intermedia LPS, and selective inhibition of HO‐1 activity by tin protoporphyrin IX attenuated the inhibitory effect of CAPE on LPS‐induced NO production. CAPE did not interfere with IκB‐α degradation induced by P. intermedia LPS. Instead, CAPE decreased nuclear translocation of NF‐κB p65 and p50 subunits induced with LPS, and lessened LPS‐induced p50 binding activity. Further, CAPE showed strong inhibitory effects on LPS‐induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 and 3 phosphorylation. Besides, CAPE significantly elevated SOCS1 mRNA expression in P. intermedia LPS‐stimulated cells.

Conclusion

Modulation of host response by CAPE may represent an attractive strategy towards the treatment of periodontal disease. In vivo studies are required to appraise the potential of CAPE further as an immunomodulator in the treatment of periodontal disease.
Cancer Survivorship in Rural and Urban Adults: A Descriptive and Mixed Methods Study
Authors: McNulty Julie A. , Nail Lillian
Published: January 2015

Purpose

Rural‐dwelling cancer survivors (CSs) are at risk for decrements in health and well‐being due to decreased access to health care and support resources. This study compares the impact of cancer in rural‐ and urban‐dwelling adult CSs living in 2 regions of the Pacific Northwest.

Methods

A convenience sample of posttreatment adult CSs (N = 132) completed the Impact of Cancer version 2 (IOCv2) and the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale‐short form. High and low scorers on the IOCv2 participated in an in‐depth interview (n = 19).

Findings

The sample was predominantly middle‐aged (mean age 58) and female (84%). Mean time since treatment completion was 6.7 years. Cancer diagnoses represented included breast (56%), gynecologic (9%), lymphoma (8%), head and neck (6%), and colorectal (5%). Comparisons across geographic regions show statistically significant differences in body concerns, worry, negative impact, and employment concerns. Rural‐urban differences from interview data include access to health care, care coordination, connecting/community, thinking about death and dying, public/private journey, and advocacy.

Conclusion

The insights into the differences and similarities between rural and urban CSs challenge the prevalent assumptions about rural‐dwelling CSs and their risk for negative outcomes. A common theme across the study findings was community. Access to health care may not be the driver of the survivorship experience. Findings can influence health care providers and survivorship program development, building on the strengths of both rural and urban living and the engagement of the survivorship community.
Disambiguating with Bourdieu: unravelling policy from practice in the teaching of children with English as an additional language
Authors: Flynn Naomi
Published: January 2015

This article explores the use of Bourdieusian analysis for examining how policy and practice interact in the teaching of English and therefore in the development of children's language and literacy, in particular how.

Bourdieusian analysis uncovers the ways in which teachers' practice has been influenced unconsciously by centralised shaping of the curriculum for English in England while the pupil demographic in schools has become more linguistically diverse. Data were collected during interviews with both newly qualified and experienced primary school (pupil ages 5–11 years) teachers, whose pedagogical norms for the teaching of English were challenged by the arrival of non‐English speakers in their classrooms. The discussion highlights how the use of Bourdieusian constructs of field, habitus and capital can disambiguate teachers' practical classroom decisions from the influences of policy expectations.
A ghrelin receptor agonist is an effective colokinetic in rats with diet‐induced constipation
Authors: Pustovit R. V. , Furness J. B. , Rivera L. R.
Published: January 2015

Background

Despite constipation being a common problem, the treatments that are available have side effects and are only partly effective. Recent studies show that centrally penetrant ghrelin receptor agonists cause defecation in humans and other species. Here, we describe some features of a rat model of low fiber‐induced constipation, and investigate the effectiveness of the ghrelin agonist, capromorelin.

Methods

Rats were given low‐fiber diets for 5 weeks. Their colorectal responsiveness to distension and to a behavioral test, water avoidance and colon histology were compared to those of rats on a standard diet.

Key Results

After the low‐fiber diet, distension of the colon produced fewer propulsive contractions, behaviorally induced defecation was reduced, and the lining of the colorectum was inflamed. However, capromorelin was similarly effective in causing defecation in constipated and non‐constipated rats.

Conclusions & Inferences

Low‐fiber diet in rats produces a constipation phenotype, characterized by reduced responsiveness of the colorectum to distension and to a behavioral stimulus of defecation, water avoidance. The effectiveness of capromorelin suggests that centrally penetrant ghrelin receptor stimulants may be effective in treating constipation.
Effect of brief cetylpyridinium chloride treatments during early and mature cariogenic biofilm formation
Authors: Pandit S , Cai J‐N , Jung J‐E , Lee Y‐S , Jeon J‐G
Published: January 2015

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the antibiofilm activity of brief cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) treatments during early and mature Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation.

Methods

Streptococcus mutans biofilms were formed on saliva‐coated hydroxyapatite disks. The biofilms were treated with CPC twice daily (1 min/treatment) from 0 to 50 h or from 48 to 98 h. Acidogenicity, dry weight, viability, and water‐insoluble extracellular polysaccharides of the biofilms were analyzed. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images were obtained to confirm the antibiofilm activity during mature biofilm formation and to evaluate the relationship between treatment time and the antibiofilm activity.

Results

CPC showed complete antibiofilm activity during early biofilm formation at 0.025% to 0.1%. During mature biofilm formation, CPC inhibited dry weight, viability, and acidogenicity at 0.075% and 0.1%. CLSM images showed an increase in dead cells at 0.075% and 0.1% CPC. The antibiofilm activity during mature biofilm formation increased as the concentration of CPC increased. Images from the CLSM study also showed that antibiofilm activity increased as treatment time increased.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that brief CPC treatments have strong anti‐S. mutans biofilm activity. The antibiofilm activity was dependent on the stage of biofilm formation, CPC concentration, and treatment time.
Very Late Follow‐Up of a Passive Defibrillator Lead Under Recall: Do Failure Rates Increase during Long‐Term Observation
Authors: FREY SIMON MARTIN , STICHERLING CHRISTIAN , KRAUS REGULA , AMMANN PETER , KÜHNE MICHAEL , OSSWALD STEFAN , SCHAER BEAT
Published: January 2015

Background

The Medtronic Sprint Fidelis lead (SFL; Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) has a significantly impaired long‐term survival, and active fixation leads fare worse than passive leads. The goal of this study was to present data of a series of passive SFL only with very long mean follow‐up of more than 6 years.

Methods

Patients in whom a passive SFL was implanted in two large Swiss centers were followed. We excluded eight (5.5%) patients with a follow‐up of <6 months. Patients who died or were lost during follow‐up were censored at death or last device check, all others on January 31, 2014. We employed two different definitions of failure: strict = fracture with inappropriate discharge; sudden increase in impedance >1,500 or high‐voltage impedance >100 Ohm; >300 nonphysiological short interventricular‐intervals. Lenient = any of the above plus a linear increase in impedance >1,500 Ohm or a linear decrease in sensing to a level that treating cardiologists considered inappropriate.

Results

We included 137 patients. Age was 60 ± 12 years. Mean and median follow‐up were 6.2 ± 2.1 and 6.8 (interquartile range 4.8–7.8) years. Applying the strict definition, 12 leads (8.8%) were replaced after 4.9 ± 2.4 years (range 1.2–8.1). Applying the lenient definition, 14 leads (10.2%) failed.

Cumulative lead survival was 98.5% at 3, 96.9% at 4, 94.2% at 5, and 93.1% at 6 years. Leads “at risk” were: n = 122 (89%), 115 (84%), 101 (74%), and 88 (64%).

Conclusions

In this population with passive SFLs, 5‐year lead survival is impaired with 94.2% based on 74% of leads “at risk” at this time point.
Accessibilism and the Challenge from Implicit Bias
Authors: Puddifoot Katherine
Published: January 2015

Recent research in social psychology suggests that many beliefs are formed as a result of implicit biases in favour of members of certain groups and against members of other groups. This article argues that beliefs of this sort present a counterexample to accessibilism in epistemology because the position cannot account for how the epistemic status of a belief that is the result of an implicit bias can differ from that of a counterpart belief that is the result of an unbiased response to the available evidence.
Relationships among medication adherence, insight, and neurocognition in chronic schizophrenia
Authors: Na Euihyeon , Yim Seon Jin , Lee Joon‐Noh , Kim Jung Min , Hong Kyungki , Hong Moon‐Hwa , Han Hyeree
Published: January 2015

Aims

In order to improve long‐term prognosis in schizophrenia, enhancing medication adherence is essential. The aim of this study was thus to identify the association between medication non‐adherence and possible risk factors in a large sample of patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Methods

One hundred and four patients with schizophrenia with a disease duration of over 10 years were enrolled in this cross‐sectional study. The subjects were assessed with the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disease–Korean version, the Korean version of the Medication Adherence Rating Scale, a neurocognition battery designed for this study, and the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale. An anova and multiple regression models were conducted to identify the correlations among variables and the factors that contribute to medication adherence.

Results

The adherence score measured on the Korean version of the Medication Adherence Rating Scale was 7.60 ± 2.12; 88 (84.62%) patients were categorized as well‐adherent and 16 (15.38%) as poorly adherent to their medication. Patients with good insight were more likely to maintain their medication (P = 0.0005), and better executive function was associated with increased medication adherence (P = 0.0008). Furthermore, fewer depressive symptoms were associated with good medication adherence (P = 0.0304).

Conclusions

This study is the first in the Republic of Korea to identify the relationship between medication adherence, insight, and neurocognition in a large sample of patients with chronic schizophrenia. These results could be used to establish a strategy for improving the prognosis of chronic schizophrenia.
Art, Activism, and Democracy: WochenKlausur's Social Interventions
Authors: Hawley Elizabeth S.
Published: January 2015

This essay explores the sociopolitical practice of the Austrian art group WochenKlausur. Since 1993, members of this collective have produced what they call “concrete interventions”; using funds provided by various cultural institutions, they enact long‐term, problem‐solving measures in the surrounding communities. Mobilizing their status as an “art” group, they are able to draw attention to otherwise overlooked social ills. Their practice foregrounds the critical issues that arise when art is paired with activism, including the crucial and much‐contested differentiation between ethics and aesthetics. I ultimately find that this group's practical successes productively, if only locally, intervene in areas that have traditionally been the purview of democratic governments, while their works that fail in these terms serve as a mirror to governments' own failures to create and maintain programs of social betterment and to promote democratic inclusion.
War During Peacetime: Mainstream Theater, Mass Media, and the 1985 Premiere of The Normal Heart
Authors: Juntunen Jacob
Published: January 2015

Many twentieth‐century theater scholars declared contemporary mainstream theater drained of any political efficacy. To them, the financing of mainstream productions necessitated giving no offense to elite investors who tend to hold the dominant ideology. These scholars advocated relinquishing mainstream spaces to capitalists and creating a radical theater outside the spotlight. This essay argues, however, that only in mainstream venues can progressive ideologies be assimilated and disseminated.

Examining the 1985 production of The Normal Heart proves this thesis and demonstrates the political vitality of U.S. mainstream theater. The big‐budget and much‐marketed production used its position of high visibility—particularly in newspapers—to support organizations fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in ways radical performances in marginal venues could not. This article is a gesture toward a larger theory about the political potential mainstream theater wields in its interpolation by the mass media. Mainstream theater can act as a negotiating force between emergent and dominant ideologies.
Four types of Ipsilateral Breast Tumor Recurrence (IBTR) after breast‐conserving surgery: Classification of IBTR based on precise pathological examination
Authors: Sakai Takehiko , Nishimura Seiichiro , Ogiya Akiko , Tanabe Masahiko , Kimura Kiyomi , Morizono Hidetomo , Iijima Kotaro , Miyagi Yumi , Makita Masujiro , Ito Yoshinori , Oguchi Masahiko , Horii Rie , Akiyama Futoshi , Iwase Takuji
Published: January 2015

We classified ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences (IBTRs) based on strict pathological rules. Ninety‐six women who were surgically treated for IBTR were included. IBTRs were classified according to their origins and were distinguished based on strict pathological rules: relationship between the IBTR and the primary lumpectomy scar, surgical margin status of the primary cancer, and the presence of in situ lesions of IBTR. The prognosis of these subgroups were compared to that of new primary tumors (NP) in the narrow sense (NPn) that occurred far from the scar. Distant‐disease free survival of IBTR that occurred close to the scar with in situ lesions and a negative surgical margin of the primary cancer (NP occurred close to the scar, NPcs) was similar to that of NPn. In contrast, IBTR that occurred close to the scar without in situ lesions (true recurrence (TR) that arose from residual invasive carcinoma foci, TRinv) had significantly poorer prognosis than NPn. IBTR that occurred close to the scar with in situ lesions and a positive surgical margin of the primary cancer (TR arising from a residual in situ lesion, TRis) had more late recurrences than NPcs. Precise pathological examinations indicated four distinct IBTR subtypes with different characteristics.
The Job of Government: Interweaving Public Functions and Private Hands
Authors: Kettl Donald F.
Published: January 2015

Lively and sometimes raucous debate about the job of government has increasingly engulfed American politics. Much of that debate has swirled around government's size, with conservatives arguing the case for shrinking government and liberals fighting to grow it. In reality, however, neither of these debates engages the critical underlying trend: the increasing interweaving of governmental functions deeply into every fiber of the nongovernmental sectors. Many reforms have sought to rein in government's power, but none has engaged the fundamental interweaving of policy implementation, and, not surprisingly, most have failed. Indeed, many have eroded the public's trust in the governmental institutions on which they depend. This process raises fundamental challenges for defining government's core role, for building the capacity to govern effectively, and for enhancing the accountability of governmental programs. Many of government's administrative tools are a poor match for the governance problems they seek to solve.
Top Wealth Shares in Australia 1915–2012
Authors: Katic Pamela , Leigh Andrew
Published: January 2015

Combining data from surveys, inheritance tax records, and rich lists, we estimate top wealth shares for Australia from World War I until the present day. We find that the top 1 percent share declined by two‐thirds from 1915 until the late 1960s, and rose from the late 1970s to 2010. The recent increase is sharpest at the top of the distribution, with the top 0.001 percent wealth share tripling from 1984 to 2012. The trend in top wealth shares is similar to that in Australian top income shares (though the drop in the first half of the twentieth century is larger for wealth than income shares). Since the early twentieth century, top wealth shares in Australia have been lower than in the U.K. and U.S.
The impact of surgical timing and intervention on outcome in traumatized dogs and cats
Authors: Peterson Nathan W. , Buote Nicole J. , Barr James W.
Published: January 2015

Objective

To review the relevant human and veterinary literature regarding the timing of surgical intervention for trauma patients and the impact on outcome.

Data Sources

Original research, clinical studies, and review articles with no date restrictions from both human and veterinary literature.

Human Data Synthesis

Despite extensive research into the ideal timing of surgical intervention for human trauma victims, debate is ongoing and views are still evolving. Prior to the 1970s, the standard of care consisted of delayed surgical treatment, as these patients were considered too ill to undergo surgery. Beginning in the 1970s, and continuing for nearly 2 decades, early definitive surgical treatment was recommended. The most recent evolution of human trauma management incorporates the concept of damage control surgery, which acknowledges the importance of early skeletal stabilization or laparotomy for reducing morbidity while attempting to avoid complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

Veterinary Data Synthesis

Despite a relatively large amount of literature available regarding veterinary trauma, no evidence exists to provide the clinician guidance as to the ideal timing of surgery for trauma patients. With the exception of diaphragmatic hernia, no studies were identified that attempted to evaluate this variable.

Conclusions

Veterinary‐specific studies are needed to evaluate the impact of surgical timing on outcome following trauma. The information that can be obtained from studies in this area can improve veterinary trauma care and may be used as models for human trauma care through translational applications.