bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining parent and child agreement in the diagnosis of adolescent depression
Authors: Orchard Faith , Pass Laura , Cocks Laura , Chessell Chloe , Reynolds Shirley
Published: September 2019

Background

The diagnosis of depression in adolescents relies on identifying the presence of specific core and additional symptoms. Symptoms can be identified using structured or unstructured interviews and a range of questionnaire measures, which are completed by the young person and by a parent or carer. The aim of this research was to examine the inter‐ and intra‐rater reliability of parent report and adolescent self‐report of depression symptoms.

Method

In a sample of parent–child dyads, where young people aged 13–17 were referred to a mental health service for depression, we examined adolescents’ (n = 46) and parents’ (n = 46) independent responses to the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia in School‐Age Children (Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1997, 980) and the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 1988, 726).

Results

In the clinical interview, diagnostic criteria were more often met based on the adolescent's report, and adolescents endorsed more symptoms of depression than their parents. Tentative results also suggest that parent–child agreement about specific symptoms was low. Comparing different measures of depression revealed that adolescent report on the questionnaire and interview was significantly correlated. However, there was no significant correlation between parent questionnaire and interview report.

Conclusion

These results suggest that relying solely on parents to identify depression in their children may result in young people with depression being missed and therefore untreated. Young people themselves should be encouraged and enabled to recognise the symptoms of depression and have an established pathway to services that offer assessment and treatment.

Key Practitioner Message

Diagnosis of depression in adolescents requires the identification of specific symptoms and can be identified using interviews or questionnaires.

Previous research has suggested that parents and young people provide differing reports regarding symptoms of adolescent depression.

Results indicated that diagnostic criteria were more often met based on young person report and that parents reported significantly less symptoms.

Parent–child agreement about specific symptoms was found to be low.

Assessment of adolescent depression should not rely solely on parental report.

Young people should be encouraged and enabled to recognise symptoms of depression and be able to access mental health services.
Genome‐wide DNA methylation and transcriptome and proteome changes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis with para‐aminosalicylic acid resistance
Authors: Li Hai‐cheng , Chen Tao , Yu Li , Guo Hui‐xin , Chen Liang , Chen Yu‐hui , Chen Mu , Zhao Jiao , Yan Hui‐min , Zhou Lin , Wang Wei
Published: September 2019

Previous studies have reported that genome‐wide DNA methylation and differentially expressed genes and proteins are closely associated with drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). However, no reports have explored such associations in para‐aminosalicylic acid (PAS)‐resistant M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Here, we investigated genome‐wide methylation and transcriptome and proteome changes to explore the associations between specific genes and PAS resistance in M. tuberculosis H37Rv. The results revealed that 1,388 differentially methylated (1,161 hypermethylated and 227 hypomethylated) genes, 214 significantly differentially expressed (103 up‐ and 111 down‐regulated) genes and 137 differentially expressed (48 up‐ and 89 down‐regulated) proteins were regulated by PAS in M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that metabolic pathways and ABC transporters were closely associated with differentially methylated and expressed genes, respectively. In addition, correlation analysis revealed that differentially methylated genes were negatively correlated with their transcriptional levels in PAS‐resistant M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Furthermore, the existence of five hypermethylated candidate genes (esxC, fabG3, fbpB, papA1 and pks2) in PAS‐resistant M. tuberculosis H37Rv was verified using protein–protein interaction analysis in the STRING database. The integrated DNA methylation and transcriptome and proteome analysis could provide valuable resources for epigenetics studies in PAS‐resistant M. tuberculosis H37Rv.
Indian = Hindu? The Development of Nationalist Attitudes Among Hindu and Muslim Children in India
Authors: Ellwood‐Lowe Monica E. , Berner Catherine , Dunham Yarrow , Srinivasan Mahesh
Published: September 2019

Many political movements across the world today define citizenship in exclusionary ethnic or religious terms. This study extends research on ethnic–national associations in adults to children, adding to the relatively sparse literature on the development of national associations in children and in nonwestern contexts. Explicit and implicit religious–national associations were examined in a sample of 160 nine‐ to sixteen‐year‐olds (79 Hindu; 81 Muslim) in Gujarat, India. Results suggest that while Hindu children show a strong Indian = Hindu association by age 9, Muslim children appear to be buffered from this association. Furthermore, this association uniquely predicts variance in children’s attitudes about social policy and their concept of nationality, above and beyond their age, religion, and intergroup attitudes.
Is levator trauma an independent risk factor for anal incontinence?
Authors: Melendez‐Munoz J. , Subramanian N. , Friedman T. , Dietz H. P.
Published: September 2019

Aim

To determine the role of levator ani trauma in anal incontinence (AI), whilst controlling for anal sphincter injury.

Methods

The records of 1273 patients who had attended a tertiary urogynaecology unit between 1st of January to 31st December 2016 were reviewed. AI was assessed using St Mark's score and visual analogue scale (VAS). Levator muscle and anal sphincter trauma were examined by translabial ultrasound using tomographic imaging, with archived data sets investigated blinded against all clinical data. A complete avulsion was diagnosed if at least three central tomographic slices showed an abnormal muscle insertion, rated separately for each side. A significant anal sphincter defect was diagnosed if at least four out of six slices showed a defect of ≥ 30°.

Results

Avulsion was associated with St Mark's score (P = 0.005) and VAS bother of AI (P = 0.022) both on univariate analysis and when controlling for external anal sphincter (EAS) trauma on translabial imaging, forceps, body mass index (BMI) and age (P = 0.011 and P = 0.04, respectively). AI expressed as a binary variable was significantly associated with avulsion on univariate analysis (P = 0.011), although the association became nonsignificant after controlling for anal sphincter trauma, age, BMI and forceps delivery (P = 0.084).

Conclusion

In this retrospective observational study, we found a weak association between levator ani avulsion and measures of AI, which largely remained significant when controlling for anal sphincter trauma. However, given the large data set, any clinical effect of levator trauma on AI is likely to be minor.
Children's (and Adults') Production Adjustments to Generic and Particular Listener Needs
Authors: Grigoroglou Myrto , Papafragou Anna
Published: September 2019

Adults design utterances to match listeners' informational needs by making both “generic” adjustments (e.g., mentioning atypical more often than typical information) and “particular” adjustments tailored to their specific interlocutor (e.g., including things that their addressee cannot see). For children, however, relevant evidence is mixed. Three experiments investigated how generic and particular factors affect children's production. In Experiment 1, 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children and adults described typical and atypical instrument events to a silent listener who could either see or not see the events. In later extensions, participants described the same events to either a silent (Experiment 2) or an interactive (Experiment 3) addressee with a specific goal. Both adults and 4‐ to 5‐year‐olds performed generic adjustments but, unlike adults, children made listener‐particular adjustments inconsistently. These and prior findings can be explained by assuming that particular adjustments can be costlier for children to implement compared to generic adjustments.
Metformin‐sensitized NSCLC cells to osimertinib via AMPK‐dependent autophagy inhibition
Authors: Chen Hengyi , Lin Caiyu , Lu Conghua , Wang Yubo , Han Rui , Li Li , Hao Shuai , He Yong
Published: September 2019

Introduction

The third‐generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor osimertinib is a promising therapeutic option for patients with advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in second‐line or first‐line treatment because of its applications in selectively inhibiting EGFR T790M and EGFR‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor sensitizing mutations. However, the activation of autophagy associated with osimertinib treatment may play a protective role in NSCLC cells injury induced by osimertinib.

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to study the effects of the osimertinib‐induced autophagy in NSCLC cells and whether metformin modulates the autophagy and enhances osimertinib sensitivity.

Methods

The effect of metformin on enhancing osimertinib sensitivity was examined in vitro and in vivo using MTT, BrdUrd incorporation assay, colony formation assay, invasion assay, flow cytometry analysis, western blot analysis and siRNA technique.

Results

In the present study, we confirmed that osimertinib induced pro‐survival autophagy in H1975 and PC‐9GR cells, and metformin further sensitized H1975 and PC‐9GR cells to osimertinib via inhibiting autophagy. The potential mechanism was that the continual activation of AMPK induced by metformin could inhibit autophagy in a time‐dependent manner.

Conclusion

Metformin inhibited autophagy and enhanced osimertinib sensitivity via inducing AMPK activation in a time‐dependent manner.
Metastatic glioblastoma cells in brain biopsy rinse fluid
Authors: Humbert Carole , Gérard Delphine , Rech Fabien , Gauchotte Guillaume , Broséus Julien , Lesesve Jean‐François
Published: September 2019

Glioblastoma rarely disseminates into the CSF. An example is described in a brain biopsy rinse sample.
Multidisciplinary long‐term care and modern surgical treatment of congenital melanocytic nevi – recommendations by the CMN surgery network
Authors: Ott Hagen , Krengel Sven , Beck Otfrid , Böhler Kornelia , Böttcher‐Haberzeth Sophie , Cangir Özlem , Fattouh Miriam , Häberle Beate , Hüging Martina , Königs Ingo , Kosch Ferdinand , Rok Kralj , Marathovouniotis Nicos , Meyer Lutz , Neuhaus Kathrin , Rothe Karin , Schiestl Clemens , Sinnig Mechthild , Theiler Martin , von der Heydt Susanne , Wälchli Regula , Weibel Lisa , Wendenburg Wera , Breuninger Helmut
Published: September 2019

In recent years, our knowledge of congenital melanocytic nevi (CMN) has greatly expanded. This has led to a paradigm shift. The present article represents a commentary by an interdisciplinary group of physicians from German‐speaking countries with extensive experience in long‐term care and surgical treatment of children and adults with CMN (CMN surgery network, “Netzwerk Nävuschirurgie”, NNC). The authors address aspects such as the indication for treatment as well as treatment planning and implementation under these new premises. Adequate counseling of parents on conservative and/or surgical management requires an interdisciplinary exchange among physicians and individualized planning of the intervention, which frequently involves a multi‐stage procedure. Today, the long‐term aesthetic outcome is at the center of any therapeutic endeavor, whereas melanoma prevention plays only a minor role. The premise of “removal at any cost” no longer holds. Potential treatment‐related adverse effects (hospitalization, wound healing disorders, and others) must be carefully weighed against the prospects of a beneficial outcome. In this context, the use of dermabrasion in particular must be critically evaluated. At a meeting of the NNC in September 2018, its members agreed on a consensus‐based position on dermabrasion, stating that the procedure frequently leads to impaired wound healing and cosmetically unfavorable or hypertrophic scarring. Moreover, dermabrasion is considered to be commonly associated with considerable repigmentation that usually occurs a number of years after the procedure. In addition, the NNC members saw no benefit in terms of melanoma prevention. In the future, physicians should therefore thoroughly caution about the potential risks and often limited cosmetic benefits of dermabrasion.
Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided needle‐based confocal laser endomicroscopy in gastrointestinal subepithelial lesions: Feasibility study
Authors: Terada Tsuyoshi , Tahara Tomomitsu , Hashimoto Senju , Horiguchi Noriyuki , Funasaka Kohei , Nagasaka Mitsuo , Nakagawa Yoshihito , Shibata Tomoyuki , Yoshioka Kentaro , Tsukamoto Tetsuya , Kuroda Makoto , Ohmiya Naoki
Published: September 2019

Background and Aim

Needle‐based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) allows for real‐time optical biopsies during endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (EUS‐FNA). Little is known about nCLE imaging of gastrointestinal subepithelial lesions (GI‐SEL); therefore, we determined its feasibility.

Methods

We carried out EUS, nCLE, and finally FNA in 25 patients with GI‐SEL between November 2015 and December 2018. We retrospectively compared nCLE findings with pathological findings of EUS‐FNA or surgical specimens. For concordance analysis, two endoscopists independently validated representative nCLE images 5 months or more after examinations.

Results

Adequate sample acquisition rate of EUS‐FNA was 67% per needle pass and 96% per patient. EUS‐FNA was diagnostic in 80% (20/25), suspicious in 4% (1/25), and nondiagnostic in 16% (4/25). nCLE image acquisition rate was 100% and its concordance rate with final pathology was 88% (22/25), which was not significantly different from diagnostic and suspicious EUS‐FNA. nCLE could differentiate GI stromal tumors (GISTs) from leiomyoma, in that GISTs were characterized by contrast‐enhanced densely populated spindle cell tumors with unenhanced rod‐shaped nuclei in 93% of 14 patients, whereas leiomyomas were characterized by narrower spindle cell tumors with fewer and smaller unenhanced nuclei in 100% of three patients. In rectal metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma, some pleomorphic dark nests were observed. At concordance analysis between the two endoscopists’ validation results, κ value was 0.560 (P < 0.001), indicating moderate agreement. There were no adverse events associated with nCLE and EUS‐FNA.

Conclusion

Needle‐based confocal laser endomicroscopy can be safe and useful for on‐site detection of abnormalities of GI‐SEL (UMIN 000013857).
Phenotype, genotype and glycaemic variability in people with activating mutations in the ABCC8 gene: response to appropriate therapy
Authors: Reilly F. , Sanchez‐Lechuga B. , Clinton S. , Crowe G. , Burke M. , Ng N. , Colclough K. , Byrne M. M.
Published: September 2019

Aims

To examine the phenotypic features of people identified with ABCC8‐maturity‐onset diabetes of the young (MODY) who were included in the adult ‘Mater MODY’ cohort and to establish their response to sulfonylurea therapy.

Methods

Ten participants with activating ABCC8 mutations were phenotyped in detail. A 2‐hour oral glucose tolerance test was performed to establish glycaemic tolerance, with glucose, insulin and C‐peptide measurements taken at baseline and 30‐min intervals. Insulin was discontinued and sulfonylurea therapy initiated after genetic diagnosis of ABCC8‐MODY. A blinded continuous glucose monitoring sensor was used to establish glycaemic control on insulin vs a sulfonylurea.

Results

The mean age at diagnosis of diabetes was 33.8 ± 11.1 years, with fasting glucose of 18.9 ± 11.5 mmol/l and a mean (range) HbA1c of 86 (51,126) mmol/mol [10.0 (6.8,13.7)%]. Following a genetic diagnosis of ABCC8‐MODY three out of four participants discontinued insulin (mean duration 10.6 ± 1.69 years) and started sulfonylurea treatment. The mean (range) HbA1c prior to genetic diagnosis was 52 (43,74) mmol/mol (6.9%) and the post‐treatment change was 44 (30,57) mmol/mol (6.2%; P=0.16). Retinopathy was the most common microvascular complication in this cohort, occurring in five out of 10 participants.

Conclusions

Low‐dose sulfonylurea therapy resulted in stable glycaemic control and the elimination of hypoglycaemic episodes attributable to insulin therapy. The use of appropriate therapy at the early stages of diabetes may decrease the incidence of complications and reduce the risks of hypoglycaemia associated with insulin therapy.
Migration and household finances: How a different framing can improve thinking about migration
Authors: Clemens Michael A. , Ogden Timothy N.
Published: September 2019

Motivation

It is time to reframe fundamentally the research agenda on migration, remittances, payments and development. Many policy‐makers in the developing world, and researchers, tend to view migrant remittances as windfall income, rather than as returns on investment, which is how families with migrants tend see remittances. Migration is thus, among other things, a strategy for financial management in poor households: location is an asset, migration an investment.

Purpose

We propose that this shift of perspective on remittances—from windfall to return on investment—leads to more fruitful research questions.

Methods

Reviewing the literature, we summarize the research questions that have dominated the literature on migration and remittances and why, owing largely to unhelpful perspectives, they lead us to less informative answers.

Findings

We suggest 12 new and alternative research questions that have received relatively little attention in the literature on migration and remittances, to spur new, more productive research.

Policy Implications

Migrant remittances are now several times larger than foreign aid. The effects of migration regulation and financial regulation on remittances have directly and significantly affect poverty and human security worldwide. But some of the most basic questions about remittances and their effects remain inadequately answered, in part because of a blinded research agenda. Asking better questions is a step toward better policies, programmes and regulations and, above all, to enable people on low incomes to improve their lives.
The politics of promoting social cash transfers in Uganda: The potential and pitfalls of “thinking and working politically”
Authors: Hickey Sam , Bukenya Badru
Published: September 2019

Motivation

Social cash transfer programmes (SCTs) have spread rapidly in sub‐Saharan Africa during the last decade. However, there is little consensus on how this has happened, particularly in terms of the relative roles of international development agencies and national‐level political factors.

Uganda is one of several countries to have adopted cash transfers since 2010 and can offer important insights into how this process has unfolded.

Purpose

Theoretical advances suggest that transnational policy transfer is most effective when international actors are able to align their proposals with domestic political dynamics. This article examines how the adoption of a “thinking and working politically” approach enabled donors to shape the uptake of SCTs in Uganda. It investigates what happens when a “going with the grain” approach is deployed in a context where domestic political dynamics are moving further away from the progressive forms of politics that proponents of social protection in Africa have often heralded.

Approach and methods

The article is based on an in‐depth qualitative case study of the promotion of SCTs in Uganda. Over 35 key informant interviews were undertaken with all key stakeholders, particularly between 2014–2016 after the government of Uganda announced a scaling‐up of SCTs. The triangulation of these accounts within a rigorous process‐tracing methodology enables us to link key turning points in this process to donor strategies and Uganda’s changing political settlement.

Findings

Donor efforts to promote SCTs in Uganda prospered when a shift was made from a technocratic to a more politically informed approach in the late 2000s. By employing strategies from the new “thinking and working politically” agenda, an alignment was eventually achieved between SCTs and Uganda’s shifting political settlement, including the president’s increased vulnerability to popular pressures and the commercialization of patron–client politics. However, cash transfers have been adopted primarily as a form of clientelism rather than as a strategy for promoting either significant levels of poverty reduction or an improved social contract.

Policy implications

The findings suggest that the “thinking and working politically” agenda carries significant risks when applied in contexts such as Uganda, where the political conditions for development are deteriorating.
Environmental hotspots of lactic acid production systems
Authors: Ögmundarson Ólafur , Sukumara Sumesh , Laurent Alexis , Fantke Peter
Published: September 2019

Using selected bio‐based feedstocks as alternative to fossil resources for producing biochemicals and derived materials is increasingly considered an important goal of a viable bioeconomy worldwide. However, to ensure that using bio‐based feedstocks is aligned with the global sustainability agenda, impacts along the entire life cycle of biochemical production systems need to be evaluated. This will help to identify those processes and technologies, which should be targeted for optimizing overall environmental sustainability performance. To address this need, we quantify environmental impacts of biochemical production using distinct bio‐based feedstocks, and discuss the potential for reducing impact hotspots via process optimization. Lactic acid (LA) was used as an example biochemical derived from corn, corn stover, and macroalgae (Laminaria sp.) as feedstocks of different technological maturity. We used environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), a standardized methodology, considering the full life cycle of the analyzed biochemical production systems and a broad range of environmental impact indicators. Across production systems, feedstock production and biorefinery processes dominate life cycle impact profiles, with choice in energy mix and biomass processing as main influencing aspects. Results show that uncertainty decreases with increasing technological maturity. When using Laminaria sp. (least mature among selected feedstocks), impacts are mainly driven by energy utilities (up to 86%) due to biomass drying. This suggests to focus on optimizing or avoiding this process for significantly increasing environmental sustainability of Laminaria sp.‐based LA production. Our results demonstrate that applying LCA is useful for identifying environmental impact hotspots at an earlier stage of technological development across biochemical production systems. With that, our approach contributes to improving the environmental sustainability of future biochemical production as part of moving toward a viable bioeconomy worldwide.
High‐Precision, High‐Accuracy Oxygen Isotope Measurements of Zircon Reference Materials with the SHRIMP‐SI
Authors: Ávila Janaína N. , Ireland Trevor R. , Holden Peter , Lanc Peter , Latimore Andrew , Schram Norm , Foster John , Williams Ian S. , Loiselle Liane , Fu Bin
Published: September 2019

Analytical protocols for SHRIMP‐SI oxygen isotope analysis (δ18O) of a suite of zircon reference materials (RMs) are presented. Data reduction involved a robust estimate of uncertainties associated with the individual spot as well as for groups where the spot data are combined. The repeatability of δ18O measurements is dependent on both the analytical conditions and the choice of the primary reference material. Under optimised conditions, repeatability was often better than 0.4‰ (2s) allowing sample uncertainties to be obtained to better than 0.2‰ (at 95% confidence limit). Single spot uncertainty combined the within‐spot precision with the scatter associated with repeated measurements of the primary zircon reference material during a measurement session. The uncertainty for individual spots measured under optimised conditions was between 0.3 and 0.4‰ (at 95% confidence). The analytical protocols described were used to assess a variety of zircon RMs that have been used for geochronology and for which laser fluorination oxygen isotope data are available (Temora 2, FC1, R33, QGNG and Plešovice), as well as zircons that have been used as RMs for trace element or other types of determination (Mud Tank, Monastery, 91500, AS57, AS3, KIM‐5, OG1, SL13, CZ3 and several other Sri Lankan zircons). Repeated analyses over nine sessions and seven different mounts show agreement within analytical uncertainty for Temora 2, FC1, R33, QGNG, Plešovice and 91500, when normalised to Mud Tank. For existing ion microprobe mounts with these materials, an appropriate δ18O can be determined. However, care should be taken when using zircons from the Duluth Complex (i.e., FC1, AS57 and AS3) as reference materials as our data indicated an excess scatter on δ18O values associated with low‐U zircon grains.
Barium Isotopic Compositions in Thirty‐Four Geological Reference Materials Analysed by MC‐ICP‐MS
Authors: An Ya‐Jun , Li Xin , Zhang Zhao‐Feng
Published: September 2019

Measurement of Ba isotope ratios of widely available reference materials is required for interlaboratory comparison of data. Here, we present new Ba isotope data for thirty‐four geological reference materials, including silicates, carbonates, river/marine sediments and soils. These reference materials (RMs) cover a wide range of compositions, with Ba mass fractions ranging from 6.4 to 1900 µg g−1, SiO2 from 0.62% to 90.36% m/m and MgO from 0.08% to 41.03% m/m. Accuracy and precision of our data were assessed by the analyses of duplicate samples and USGS rock RMs. Barium isotopic compositions for all RMs were in agreement with each other within uncertainty. The variation of δ138/134Ba in these RMs was up to 0.7‰. The shale reference sample, affected by a high degree of chemical weathering, had the highest δ138/134Ba (0.37 ± 0.03‰), while the stream sediment obtained from a tributary draining carbonate rocks was characterised by the lowest δ138/134Ba (−0.30 ± 0.05‰). Geochemical RMs play a fundamental role in the high‐precision and accurate determination of Ba isotopic compositions for natural samples with similar matrices. Analyses of these RMs could provide universal comparability for Ba isotope data and enable assessment of accuracy for interlaboratory data.
Postoperative pain following endodontic irrigation using 1.3% versus 5.25% sodium hypochlorite in mandibular molars with necrotic pulps: a randomized double‐blind clinical trial
Authors: Mostafa M. E. H. A. A. , El‐Shrief Y. A. I. , Anous W. I. O. , Hassan M. W. , Salamah F. T. A. , El Boghdadi R. M. , El‐Bayoumi M. A. A. , Seyam R. M. , Abd‐El‐Kader K. G. , Amin S. A. W.
Published: September 2019

Aim

This randomized, prospective, double‐blind, clinical trial assessed the effect of 1.3% and 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) as irrigants on post‐endodontic pain and medication intake following root canal treatment of mandibular molars with nonvital pulps.

Methodology

Three hundred and eight patients, each with one symptomatic or asymptomatic molar, were randomly assigned, using the permuted‐block method, into two equal groups according to NaOCl concentration: 1.3% or 5.25% (n = 154). For both groups, syringe irrigation was performed using a 27‐gauge needle advanced into the canal to a depth of 3 mm from the working length; 3 mL were used between every two consecutive instruments. All root canal treatments were carried out in two visits, with no intracanal medication, by trained postgraduate students. The canals were prepared using the ProTaper Universal rotary system during the first visit. In the second visit 7 days later, the same irrigant per group was used and the canal walls were reprepared with the final instrument before filling the canal using the modified single‐cone technique with an epoxy resin‐based sealer. Patients assessed their postoperative pain using a 0–10 numerical rating scale immediately after instrumentation, 3, 24, 48 h and 7 days after the first visit and immediately following root canal filling. The incidence of rescue medication intake (Sham or analgesic) was also recorded; patients received a sham capsule to be used first, but, if pain persisted, an analgesic was prescribed. Outcome data were analysed using Mann–Whitney U‐test, Friedman's test, Wilcoxon's rank test and chi‐square (χ2) test. Relative risk reduction (RRR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for binary data.

Results

The incidence and intensity of postoperative pain were significantly lower with 1.3% NaOCl than 5.25% NaOCl at all time‐points (P < 0.05). Postoperative pain intensity exceeded preoperative pain at 3 and 24 h with 5.25% NaOCl only (P < 0.05). The RRR in pain incidence was 38% (95% CI: 17%, 54%) immediately after instrumentation, 41% (95% CI: 31%, 49%) at 3 h, 42% (95% CI: 32%, 51%) at 24 h, 59% (95% CI: 45%, 69%) at 48 h, 62% (95% CI: 27%, 80%) at 7 days and 81% (95% CI: 68%, 89%) after root filling. RRR was 38% (95% CI: 1%, 61%) for sham intake and 69% (95% CI: 37%, 85%) for analgesic intake.

Conclusions

Using 1.3% NaOCl was associated with less intense and less frequent post‐endodontic pain than 5.25% NaOCl in mandibular molars with nonvital pulps treated in two visits. The incidence of pain was reduced by up to 60% within the week post‐instrumentation and 80% after root canal filling and the rescue analgesic intake by about 70% on using 1.3% NaOCl compared to 5.25% NaOCl.
Cutting efficiency of conventional and heat‐treated nickel–titanium rotary or reciprocating glide path instruments
Authors: Pedullà E. , Leanza G. , La Rosa G. R. M. , Gueli A. M. , Pasquale S. , Plotino G. , Rapisarda E.
Published: September 2019

Aim

To compare the cutting efficiency of several glide path files: HyFlex EDM Glidepath File (HEGF), One G (OG), R‐Pilot (RP) and WaveOne Gold Glider (WOGG) at different cutting inclinations.

Methodology

Cutting efficiency of 120 new HEGF, OG, RP and WOGG was tested at 90°, 70° and 45° inclination in relation to the sample. Depending on manufacturer instructions, instruments were tested in continuous rotation or reciprocating motion against standardized gypsum samples for 120 s using a customized apparatus. Cutting efficiency was determined by measuring the weight loss and the length of the sample cut. Data were analysed using two‐way analysis of variance and Tukey t‐test (P < 0.05).

Results

RP and WOGG had greater cutting ability than HEGF and OG in all tested angles. RP tested at 45° had significantly greater cutting efficiency than when tested at 90° and 70° (P < 0.05). OG was not significantly different in terms of cutting ability at 90°, 70° and 45° (P > 0.05). HEGF and WOGG had significantly greater cutting efficiency at 45° and 70° compared to 90° (P < 0.05), with no significant difference between 45° and 70° (P > 0.05). RP had the greatest cutting ability at all tested angles.

Conclusions

Reciprocating glide path instruments had greater cutting efficiency compared to those in continuous rotation. An inclined insertion (45° or 70°) increased the cutting ability of glide path files except for One G conventional NiTi files.
Pyropia columbina phycocolloids as microencapsulating material improve bioaccessibility of brewers’ spent grain peptides with ACE‐I inhibitory activity
Authors: Cian Raúl E. , Salgado Pablo R. , Mauri Adriana N. , Drago Silvina R.
Published: September 2019

The effects of wall hydrocolloids on delivery and bioaccessibility of encapsulated brewers’ spent grain ACE‐I inhibitory peptides after simulated gastrointestinal digestion were assessed. Microencapsulation of peptides was carried out by spray drying using locust bean gum, P. columbina phycocolloids, or its mixtures as wall materials. Microcapsules presented round external surfaces with some concavities, negative surface charge and encapsulation efficiencies higher than 90%. The incorporation of phycocolloids to formulations increased the encapsulation efficiency, negative surface charge and resistance against digestive enzymes of microcapsules. Encapsulated peptides with P. columbina phycocolloids showed lower IC50 value of ACE‐I inhibition than un‐encapsulated peptides (2.4 ± 0.2 vs. 7.2 ± 0.3 mg mL−1 protein), but higher than that obtained for hydrolysate (1.5 ± 0.2 mg mL−1 protein), indicating a 75% protection of bioactivity. Electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between P. columbina phycocolloids and brewers’ spent grain peptides could be implicated in the protection of peptides during gastrointestinal digestion.
Synchronised interrelationship between lipid/protein oxidation analysis and sensory attributes in refrigerated minced beef meat formulated with Punica granatum peel extract
Authors: Fourati Mariam , Smaoui Slim , Ben Hlima Hajer , Ennouri Karim , Chakchouk Mtibaa Ahlem , Sellem Imen , Elhadef Khaoula , Mellouli Lotfi
Published: September 2019

Microbiological, chemical and sensory effects of pomegranate peel ethanol extract (EE) at 0.1, 0.5 and 1% (w w−1) on refrigerated minced beef meat were undertaken. Chemical analyses revealed that the treated meat underwent significant decrease (P < 0.05) of primary and secondary lipid oxidation. By the end of storage, EE at 1% reduced the MetMb, carbonyl group accumulation and the disappearance of sulphydryl proteins by 56.68, 65.71 and 59.69% respectively, compared with control samples. EE at 1% showed also the highest scores for colour, appearance, odour and overall acceptability (OA) attributes using a 9‐point hedonic scale. Chemometric approaches showed that lipid/protein oxidation analysis, sensory attributes and storage time allowed the samples discrimination. Oxidative stability parameters were equally used to predict OA by linear regression analysis. The reported data provide an approach to strengthen the interpretation of sensory quality and how they are affected by chemical changes in newly formulated meat products.
Cerebral Plasmodium falciparum malaria: The role of PfEMP1 in its pathogenesis and immunity, and PfEMP1‐based vaccines to prevent it
Authors: Jensen Anja Ramstedt , Adams Yvonne , Hviid Lars
Published: September 2019

Malaria, a mosquito‐borne infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium continues to be a major health problem worldwide. The unicellular Plasmodium‐parasites have the unique capacity to infect and replicate within host erythrocytes. By expressing variant surface antigens Plasmodium falciparum has evolved to avoid protective immune responses; as a result in endemic areas anti‐malaria immunity develops gradually over many years of multiple and repeated infections. We are studying the role of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) expressed by asexual stages of P. falciparum responsible for the pathogenicity of severe malaria. The immunopathology of falciparum malaria has been linked to cyto‐adhesion of infected erythrocytes to specific host receptors. A greater appreciation of the PfEMP1 molecules important for the development of protective immunity and immunopathology is a prerequisite for the rational discovery and development of a safe and protective anti‐disease malaria vaccine. Here we review the role of ICAM‐1 and EPCR receptor adhering falciparum‐parasites in the development of severe malaria; we discuss our current research to understand the factors involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria and the feasibility of developing a vaccine targeted specifically to prevent this disease.
BAFF inhibition in SLE—Is tolerance restored?
Authors: Jackson Shaun W , Davidson Anne
Published: September 2019

The B cell activating factor (BAFF) inhibitor, belimumab, is the first biologic drug approved for the treatment of SLE, and exhibits modest, but durable, efficacy in decreasing disease flares and organ damage. BAFF and its homolog APRIL are TNF‐like cytokines that support the survival and differentiation of B cells at distinct developmental stages. BAFF is a crucial survival factor for transitional and mature B cells that acts as rheostat for the maturation of low‐affinity autoreactive cells. In addition, BAFF augments innate B cell responses via complex interactions with the B cell receptor (BCR) and Toll like receptor (TLR) pathways. In this manner, BAFF impacts autoreactive B cell activation via extrafollicular pathways and fine tunes affinity selection within germinal centers (GC). Finally, BAFF and APRIL support plasma cell survival, with differential impacts on IgM‐ and IgG‐producing populations. Therapeutically, BAFF and combined BAFF/APRIL inhibition delays disease onset in diverse murine lupus strains, although responsiveness to BAFF inhibition is model dependent, in keeping with heterogeneity in clinical responses to belimumab treatment in humans. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms whereby BAFF/APRIL signals promote autoreactive B cell activation, discuss whether altered selection accounts for therapeutic benefits of BAFF inhibition, and address whether new insights into BAFF/APRIL family complexity can be exploited to improve human lupus treatments.
A new microinvertebrate with features of mites and tardigrades in Dominican amber
Authors: Poinar George , Nelson Diane R.
Published: September 2019

From time to time, small, fragile, previously unknown fossil invertebrates are found in specialized habitats. Occasionally, as in the present case, a fragment of the original habitat that existed millions of years ago is also preserved. The present article describes a previously unknown microinvertebrate in Dominican amber that cannot be placed in any group of extant invertebrates. Placed in a new family, genus, and species, the fossil shares characters with both tardigrades and mites, but clearly belongs to neither group. The several hundred fossil individuals preserved in the amber shared their moist, warm habitat with pseudoscorpions, nematodes, fungi, and protozoa. The large number of fossils provided additional evidence of their biology, including their reproductive behavior, developmental stages, and food. While there is no extant group that can accommodate these fossils, and we have no knowledge of any extant descendants, this discovery shows that unique lineages of minute invertebrates were surviving in the mid‐Tertiary.
Origin of the existence of inter‐granular glassy films in β‐Si3N4
Authors: Adhikari Puja , Shafei Layla , San Saro , Rulis Paul , Ching Wai‐Yim
Published: September 2019

Inter‐granular glassy films (IGFs) are ubiquitous in structural ceramics and they play a critical role in defining their properties. The detailed origin of IGFs has been debated for decades with no firm conclusion. Herein, we report the result of quantum mechanical modeling on a realistic IGF model in β‐Si3N4 that unravels the fundamental reason for its development. We calculate the electronic structure, interatomic bonding, and mechanical properties using ab initio density functional theory with parallel calculations on crystalline β‐Si3N4, α‐Si3N4, γ‐Si3N4, and Si2N2O. The total bond order density—a quantum mechanical metric characterizing internal cohesion—of the IGF model and crystalline β‐Si3N4 are found to be identical. Detailed analysis shows that weakening of the bonds in the glassy film is compensated by strengthening of the interfacial bonds between the crystalline grain and the glassy layer. This provides a natural explanation for the ubiquitous existence of IGFs in silicon nitride and other structural ceramics. Moreover, the mechanical properties of this IGF model reveal its structural flexibility due to the presence of the less rigid glassy layer. This work demonstrates that high‐level computational modeling can now explain some of the most intriguing phenomena in nanoscale ceramic materials.
Rare species, Restionaceae, and the Cape flora
Authors: Linder Hans Peter
Published: September 2019

Aim

I test whether species range size variation is driven by the age of the species, their intrinsic traits, environment or by historical‐geographical patterns (e.g. the location of climatic or environmental refugia).

Location

Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa.

Taxon

Angiosperms, Restionaceae (restios).

Methods

I determined the area of occupancy and extent of occurrence of all restios in the GCFR, and derive a list of “single‐site endemics” (SSE). I inferred a rate‐corrected and dated phylogeny which includes 98% of the species. I explored the correlates of range size variation with phylogenetically corrected regressions, focussing on likely candidate traits (dispersal and fire survival modes), habitats (soil drainage, elevation), climatic variables (rainfall and temperature) and history (age of species). I calculated the species richness, community mean range sizes and numbers of SSE for 49 sites and 938 10 m diameter circular relevés across the GCFR, and sought correlates of these, specifically testing for historical‐geographical patterns in relationship to the distance from the centre of the region.

Results

Narrow‐range restios are correlated with higher elevations, rainfall and rainfall seasonality; are found more likely in marshes and seepages; and are more likely killed by fire and have to re‐establish from seed after fire. Wide‐ranging species are found in areas with lower rainfall, at lower elevations, in well‐drained habitats, and resprout after fire. Community mean ranges sizes are larger towards the eastern part of the GCFR; and relevé data show that sandstones, shale, laterite and granites are associated with wider distribution ranges, as are soils with pebbles or sandy soils without rocks, and limestones with smaller community mean ranges than other bedrock types. The number of SSE is largely correlated with species richness, except that SSE are more likely at higher elevations.

Main Conclusion

Range size variation in the restios is largely driven by history (expressed as the distance from the Kogelberg region), suggesting that the Kogelberg region may have been most climatically stable during the Neogene and Pleistocene. The second‐most important driver is the environment (i.e. rock type, elevation, rainfall), generally with spatially restricted habitats hosting range‐restricted species.
Climate rather than dung resources predict dung beetle abundance and diversity along elevational and land use gradients on Mt. Kilimanjaro
Authors: Gebert Friederike , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf , Moretto Philippe , Peters Marcell K.
Published: September 2019

Aim

While elevational gradients in species richness constitute some of the best depicted patterns in ecology, there is a large uncertainty concerning the role of food resource availability for the establishment of diversity gradients in insects. Here, we analysed the importance of climate, area, land use and food resources for determining diversity gradients of dung beetles along extensive elevation and land use gradients on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Location

Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Taxon

Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera).

Methods

Dung beetles were recorded with baited pitfall traps at 66 study plots along a 3.6 km elevational gradient. In order to quantify food resources for the dung beetle community in form of mammal defecation rates, we assessed mammalian diversity and biomass with camera traps. Using a multi‐model inference framework and path analysis, we tested the direct and indirect links between climate, area, land use and mammal defecation rates on the species richness and abundance of dung beetles.

Results

We found that the species richness of dung beetles declined exponentially with increasing elevation. Human land use diminished the species richness of functional groups exhibiting complex behaviour but did not have a significant influence on total species richness. Path analysis suggested that climate, in particular temperature and to a lesser degree precipitation, were the most important predictors of dung beetle species richness while mammal defecation rate was not supported as a predictor variable.

Main conclusions

Along broad climatic gradients, dung beetle diversity is mainly limited by climatic factors rather than by food resources. Our study points to a predominant role of temperature‐driven processes for the maintenance and origination of species diversity of ectothermic organisms, which will consequently be subject to ongoing climatic changes.
Multiple colonizations of the Pacific by Peperomia (Piperaceae): Complex patterns of long‐distance dispersal and parallel radiations on the Hawaiian Islands
Authors: Lim Jun Y. , Marshall Charles R. , Zimmer Elizabeth A. , Wagner Warren L.
Published: September 2019

Aim

Our understanding of the biogeographical history of the flora of the Pacific is hampered by limited geographical sampling, and the evolutionary history for many species‐rich lineages in the Pacific remain poorly known. Here, we examine the spatial and temporal context of the evolutionary history of Peperomia (Piperaceae) in the Pacific, where it is one of the largest angiosperm groups (c. 100 species) and a ubiquitous part of wet forests. We focus on the native taxa on the Hawaiian Islands (25 species) where they represent a hotspot of diversity for the genus in the Pacific.

Location

Islands of the Pacific, with focus on the Hawaiian Islands.

Taxon

Peperomia (Piperaceae).

Methods

Phylogenetic analyses of Pacific taxa were performed using full chloroplast genomes for 115 accessions of Peperomia, including 42 Pacific species (∼40% of the diversity in the Pacific). To examine the timing of colonization and diversification of Peperomia in the Pacific, we implemented a Bayesian relaxed‐clock model for the Piperales, using multiple fossils in a fossilized‐birth death framework.

Results

The Hawaiian Islands (and the Pacific) have been colonized by four separate Peperomia lineages originating from the Neotropics. Endemic Hawaiian taxa are derived from independent radiations from two different ancestors, and represent the first documented case of multiple radiations among species‐rich plant groups on the Hawaiian Islands. While extant Peperomia originated in the Eocene (∼54.2 million years old, Ma), most lineages in the Pacific are young and originated in the Pliocene (5.33–2.58 Ma), consistent with the ages of the major islands in the Pacific.

Main conclusions

The multiple colonizations and radiations of Peperomia in the Pacific attest to the efficacy of their epizoochorous mode of dispersal. The diversification of two clades in parallel on the Hawaiian Islands suggests that the effect of niche‐preemption from the earlier‐arriving clade on the diversification of the later‐arriving lineage has been weak. Ecological release due to the paucity of large native vertebrate herbivores and the relatively open understoreys of Hawaiian wet forests may have allowed both lineages to flourish, and suggests a context‐dependent role of niche‐preemption in the assembly of oceanic island biotas.