bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early Warning Scores to Predict Noncritical Events Overnight in Hospitalized Medical Patients: A Prospective Case Cohort Study
Authors: Bittman Jesse , Nijjar Aman P. , Tam Penny , Khan Nadia
Published: September 2017

Background

Physicians are often called to evaluate patients overnight with varying levels of clinical deterioration. Early warning scores predict critical clinical deterioration in patients; however, it is unknown whether they are able to reliably predict which patients will need to be seen overnight and whether these patients will require further resource use.

Methods

A prospective case cohort study of 522 patient nights in a single tertiary care hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was conducted to assess the ability of Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) and National Early Warning Score (NEWS) to predict patients who will need to be seen overnight by physicians and will require other healthcare resources. Prediction ability was assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and logistic regression models.

Results

The MEWS and NEWS both significantly predicted which patients needed to be seen overnight, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (95% confidence interval) for MEWS and NEWS were 0.72 (0.66–0.78) and 0.69 (0.63–0.76), respectively. Odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for MEWS and NEWS predicting need to be seen overnight were 1.52 (1.34–1.73) and 1.22 (1.14–1.31), respectively.

Conclusions

Both MEWS and NEWS have fair ability to predict patients who will need to be seen overnight. This may be useful for improving handover and resource allocation for overnight care.
Effect of Schooling on Age-Disparate Relationships and Number of Sexual Partners Among Young Women in Rural South Africa Enrolled in HPTN 068
Authors: Stoner Marie C. D. , Edwards Jessie K. , Miller William C. , Aiello Allison E. , Halpern Carolyn T. , Julien Aimée , Selin Amanda , Hughes James P. , Wang Jing , Gomez-Olive Francesc Xavier , Wagner Ryan G. , MacPhail Catherine , Kahn Kathleen , Pettifor Audrey
Published: September 2017

Background:

Attending school may have a strong preventative association with sexually transmitted infections among young women, but the mechanism for this relationship is unknown. One hypothesis is that students who attend school practice safer sex with fewer partners, establishing safer sexual networks that make them less exposed to infection.

Setting:

We used longitudinal data from a randomized controlled trial of young women aged 13–20 years in the Bushbuckridge district, South Africa, to determine whether the percentage of school days attended, school dropout, and grade repetition are associated with having a partner 5 or more years older (age–disparate) and with the number of sexual partners in the previous 12 months.

Methods:

Risks of having an age-disparate relationship and number of sexual partners were compared using inverse probability of exposure weighted Poisson regression models. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for repeated measures.

Results:

Young women who attended fewer school days (<80%) and who dropped out of school were more likely to have an age–disparate relationship (risk difference 9.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9% to 16.0%; risk difference (%) dropout 17.2%, 95% CI: 5.4% to 29.0%) and those who dropped out reported having fewer partners (count difference dropout 0.343, 95% CI: 0.192 to 0.495). Grade repetition was not associated with either behavior.

Conclusion:

Young women who less frequently attend school or who drop out are more likely to have an age-disparate relationship. Young women who drop out have overall more partners. These behaviors may increase the risk of exposure to HIV infection in young women out of school.
Detection Rate, Anatomic Sites, and Pathologic Types of Colorectal Cancer During Colonoscopy Procedures
Authors: Liu Lan , Zhu Kongxi , Yu Weihua , Zhang Shanyan , Teng Guoxin , Guo Jianqiang
Published: September 2017

Purpose:

This study aims to help physicians obtain the detection rate and colonoscopic information of colorectal cancer (CRC) among patients in a city in China.

Methods:

A total of 15,189 participants who underwent total colonoscopy between January 2000 and December 2015 were studied. A total of 1022 CRCs were diagnosed. We analyzed the detection rate, anatomic sites, and pathologic types among different sex, age, and decade groups. Moreover, we investigated the corresponding relationships between the anatomic sites and the pathologic types.

Results:

Colonoscopic examinations revealed that the risk for CRC between men and women showed no significant difference (6.97% vs. 6.42%). The detection rate of CRC significantly increased with age (2.08% vs. 5.95% vs. 15.09%). The proportion of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma among the youth group was significantly higher than that in the other age groups (25.0% vs. 11.54% vs. 8.33%). However, the numbers of cases with well-differentiated and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma observed in the old-aged group were higher than other age groups. This finding demonstrated that the differentiation degree of adenocarcinoma increased with the age. Neuroendocrine tumor was mainly located in the rectum (95.0%), and appeared more frequently among the youth group (7.5% vs. 1.48% vs. 1.06%).

Conclusions:

We found the detection rate of CRC varied in terms of sex and decade. The CRC cases in the youth group exhibited a high malignant degree. The most common anatomic site was rectum, so we should focus more on digital rectal examination.
Microbiota and neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Marizzoni Moira , Provasi Stefania , Cattaneo Annamaria , Frisoni Giovanni B.
Published: September 2017

Purpose of review

Despite the extensive research carried out in the past decades, the current pathophysiological notions of neurodegenerative disease as well as effective treatments to reduce their progression are largely unknown. Alterations of the human microbiota, the plethora of different microscopic organisms that our body hosts, have been linked to neurodegenerative disease risk, onset and progression. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the possible role of microbiota in neurodegenerative disorders and briefly discusses strategies to restore microbiota homeostasis.

Recent findings

Preclinical evidences and human cross-sectional studies posit the gut microbiota as a key actor in the Parkinson's disease onset and progression, reporting the presence of a specific gut microbiota profile in association with the modulation of disease and symptoms. Gut microbiota alterations have been correlated with brain disease and peripheral inflammation also in Alzheimer's patients.

The interaction between the microbiota and the host is promising to answer clinical questions that have so far escaped clarification with the current pathophysiological notions of health and disease. However, human longitudinal studies starting in the earlier disease phases are needed to understand the causative relation between microbiota and the hallmarks of these neurodegenerative disorders and to develop innovative treatments aimed at preventing or slowing brain damages.
Tumour virus epidemiology
Authors: Lunn Ruth M. , Jahnke Gloria D. , Rabkin Charles S.
Published: September 2017

A viral etiology of cancer was first demonstrated in 1911 by Peyton Rous who injected cell-free filtrate from a chicken sarcoma into healthy chickens and found it induced a tumour. Since the discovery over 50 years ago of the Epstein-Barr virus as the cause of Burkitt lymphoma, seven other human viruses or groups of viruses—hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1, some human papillomaviruses, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Merkel cell polyomavirus—have been linked to human cancer. Collectively, these eight viruses cause over 20 different types of cancer and contribute to 10–12% of all cancer, with a greater burden in low- and middle-income countries. For many viruses, immunosuppression greatly increases the risks of persistent infection, development of chronic sequelae and cancer. Although several viruses share similar routes of transmission (especially sexual activity, injection drug use and mother-to-child transmission), the predominant route of transmission varies across viruses, and for the same virus can vary by geographical location. In general, vulnerable populations at the greatest risk for viral infections and their associated diseases include people, especially children, living in low- to middle-income countries, men who have sex with men, people who use injection drugs and female sex workers.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
Tumour virus vaccines: hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus
Authors: Stanley Margaret
Published: September 2017

Two of the most important human oncogenic viruses are hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV). HBV infection has been preventable by vaccination since 1982; vaccination of neonates and infants is highly effective, resulting already in decreased rates of new infections, chronic liver disease and hepato-cellular carcinoma. Nonetheless, HBV remains a global public health problem with high rates of vertical transmission from mother to child in some regions. Prophylactic HPV vaccines composed of virus-like particles (VLPs) of the L1 capsid protein have been licensed since 2006/2007. These target infection by the oncogenic HPVs 16 and 18 (the cause of 70% of cervical cancers); a new vaccine licensed in 2014/2015 additionally targets HPVs 31, 33, 45, 52, 58. HPV vaccines are now included in the national immunization programmes in many countries, with young adolescent peri-pubertal girls the usual cohort for immunization. Population effectiveness in women is now being demonstrated in countries with high vaccine coverage with significant reductions in high-grade cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (a surrogate for cervical cancer), genital warts and vaccine HPV type genoprevalence. Herd effects in young heterosexual men and older women are evident. Cancers caused by HBV and HPV should, in theory, be amenable to immunotherapies and various therapeutic vaccines for HPV in particular are in development and/or in clinical trial.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
Take your PIKK: tumour viruses and DNA damage response pathways
Authors: Pancholi Neha J. , Price Alexander M. , Weitzman Matthew D.
Published: September 2017

Viruses regulate cellular processes to facilitate viral replication. Manipulation of nuclear proteins and pathways by nuclear replicating viruses often causes cellular genome instability that contributes to transformation. The cellular DNA damage response (DDR) safeguards the host to maintain genome integrity, but DNA tumour viruses can manipulate the DDR to promote viral propagation. In this review, we describe the interactions of DNA tumour viruses with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-like protein kinase (PIKK) pathways, which are central regulatory arms of the DDR. We review how signalling through the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR), and DNA-dependent protein kinases (DNA-PK) influences viral life cycles, and how their manipulation by viral proteins may contribute to tumour formation.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
Epstein–Barr virus infection and nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Tsao Sai Wah , Tsang Chi Man , Lo Kwok Wai
Published: September 2017

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is associated with multiple types of human cancer, including lymphoid and epithelial cancers. The closest association with EBV infection is seen in undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which is endemic in the southern Chinese population. A strong association between NPC risk and the HLA locus at chromosome 6p has been identified, indicating a link between the presentation of EBV antigens to host immune cells and NPC risk. EBV infection in NPC is clonal in origin, strongly suggesting that NPC develops from the clonal expansion of a single EBV-infected cell. In epithelial cells, the default program of EBV infection is lytic replication. However, latent infection is the predominant mode of EBV infection in NPC. The establishment of latent EBV infection in pre-invasive nasopharyngeal epithelium is believed to be an early stage of NPC pathogenesis. Recent genomic study of NPC has identified multiple somatic mutations in the upstream negative regulators of NF-κB signalling. Dysregulated NF-κB signalling may contribute to the establishment of latent EBV infection in NPC. Stable EBV infection and the expression of latent EBV genes are postulated to drive the transformation of pre-invasive nasopharyngeal epithelial cells to cancer cells through multiple pathways.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
Epstein–Barr virus-associated lymphomas
Authors: Shannon-Lowe Claire , Rickinson Alan B. , Bell Andrew I.
Published: September 2017

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), originally discovered through its association with Burkitt lymphoma, is now aetiologically linked to a remarkably wide range of lymphoproliferative lesions and malignant lymphomas of B-, T- and NK-cell origin. Some occur as rare accidents of virus persistence in the B lymphoid system, while others arise as a result of viral entry into unnatural target cells. The early finding that EBV is a potent B-cell growth transforming agent hinted at a simple oncogenic mechanism by which this virus could promote lymphomagenesis. In reality, the pathogenesis of EBV-associated lymphomas involves a complex interplay between different patterns of viral gene expression and cellular genetic changes. Here we review recent developments in our understanding of EBV-associated lymphomagenesis in both the immunocompetent and immunocompromised host.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
Oncogenic human papillomaviruses
Authors: McBride Alison A.
Published: September 2017

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are an ancient group of viruses with small, double-stranded DNA circular genomes. They are species-specific and have a strict tropism for mucosal and cutaneous stratified squamous epithelial surfaces of the host. A subset of these viruses has been demonstrated to be the causative agent of several human cancers. Here, we review the biology, natural history, evolution and cancer association of the oncogenic HPVs.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus pathogenesis
Authors: Mariggiò Giuseppe , Koch Sandra , Schulz Thomas F.
Published: September 2017

Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), taxonomical name human gammaherpesvirus 8, is a phylogenetically old human virus that co-evolved with human populations, but is now only common (seroprevalence greater than 10%) in sub-Saharan Africa, around the Mediterranean Sea, parts of South America and in a few ethnic communities. KSHV causes three human malignancies, Kaposi sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and many cases of the plasmablastic form of multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) as well as occasional cases of plasmablastic lymphoma arising from MCD; it has also been linked to rare cases of bone marrow failure and hepatitis. As it has colonized humans physiologically for many thousand years, cofactors are needed to allow it to unfold its pathogenic potential. In most cases, these include immune defects of genetic, iatrogenic or infectious origin, and inflammation appears to play an important role in disease development. Our much improved understanding of its life cycle and its role in pathogenesis should now allow us to develop new therapeutic strategies directed against key viral proteins or intracellular pathways that are crucial for virus replication or persistence. Likewise, its limited (for a herpesvirus) distribution and transmission should offer an opportunity for the development and use of a vaccine to prevent transmission.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
Merkel cell polyomavirus and Merkel cell carcinoma
Authors: DeCaprio James A.
Published: September 2017

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) causes the highly aggressive and relatively rare skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). MCPyV also causes a lifelong yet relatively innocuous infection and is one of 14 distinct human polyomaviruses species. Although polyomaviruses typically do not cause illness in healthy individuals, several can cause catastrophic diseases in immunocompromised hosts. MCPyV is the only polyomavirus clearly associated with human cancer. How MCPyV causes MCC and what oncogenic events must transpire to enable this virus to cause MCC is the focus of this essay.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
Making a virtue of necessity: the pleiotropic role of human endogenous retroviruses in cancer
Authors: Kassiotis George , Stoye Jonathan P.
Published: September 2017

Like all other mammals, humans harbour an astonishing number of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), as well as other retroelements, embedded in their genome. These remnants of ancestral germline infection with distinct exogenous retroviruses display various degrees of open reading frame integrity and replication capability. Modern day exogenous retroviruses, as well as the infectious predecessors of ERVs, are demonstrably oncogenic. Further, replication-competent ERVs continue to cause cancers in many other species of mammal. Moreover, human cancers are characterized by transcriptional activation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). These observations conspire to incriminate HERVs as causative agents of human cancer. However, exhaustive investigation of cancer genomes suggests that HERVs have entirely lost the ability for re-infection and thus the potential for insertional mutagenic activity. Although there may be non-insertional mechanisms by which HERVs contribute to cancer development, recent evidence also uncovers potent anti-tumour activities exerted by HERV replication intermediates or protein products. On balance, it appears that HERVs, despite their oncogenic past, now represent potential targets for immune-mediated anti-tumour mechanisms.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Human oncogenic viruses’.
APC/CFZR-1Controls SAS-5 Levels to Regulate Centrosome Duplication inCaenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Medley Jeffrey C. , DeMeyer Lauren E. , Kabara Megan M. , Song Mi Hye
Published: September 2017

As the primary microtubule-organizing center, centrosomes play a key role in establishing mitotic bipolar spindles that secure correct transmission of genomic content. For the fidelity of cell division, centrosome number must be strictly controlled by duplicating only once per cell cycle. Proper levels of centrosome proteins are shown to be critical for normal centrosome number and function. Overexpressing core centrosome factors leads to extra centrosomes, while depleting these factors results in centrosome duplication failure. In this regard, protein turnover by the ubiquitin-proteasome system provides a vital mechanism for the regulation of centrosome protein levels. Here, we report that FZR-1, theCaenorhabditis eleganshomolog of Cdh1/Hct1/Fzr, a co-activator of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, functions as a negative regulator of centrosome duplication in theCaenorhabditis elegansembryo. During mitotic cell division in the early embryo, FZR-1 is associated with centrosomes and enriched at nuclei. Loss offzr-1function restores centrosome duplication and embryonic viability to the hypomorphiczyg-1(it25)mutant, in part, through elevated levels of SAS-5 at centrosomes. Our data suggest that the APC/CFZR-1regulates SAS-5 levels by directly recognizing the conserved KEN-box motif, contributing to proper centrosome duplication. Together, our work shows that FZR-1 plays a conserved role in regulating centrosome duplication inCaenorhabditis elegans.
Trans-omic analysis reveals fed and fasting insulin signal across phosphoproteome, transcriptome, and metabolome
Authors: Kawata Kentaro , Yugi Katsuyuki , Hatano Atsushi , Fujii Masashi , Tomizawa Yoko , Kokaji Toshiya , Sano Takanori , Tanaka Kaori Y. , Uda Shinsuke , Kubota Hiroyuki , Suzuki Yutaka , Matsumoto Masaki , Nakayama Keiichi I. , Saitoh Kaori , Kato Keiko , Ueno Ayano , Ohishi Maki , Soga Tomoyoshi , Kuroda Shinya
Published: September 2017

The concentration and temporal pattern of insulin selectively regulate multiple cellular functions. To understand how insulin dynamics are interpreted by cells, we constructed a trans-omic network of insulin action in FAO hepatoma cells from three networks—a phosphorylation-dependent cellular functions regulatory network using phosphoproteomic data, a transcriptional regulatory network using phosphoproteomic and transcriptomic data, and a metabolism regulatory network using phosphoproteomic and metabolomic data. With the trans-omic regulatory network, we identified selective regulatory networks that mediate differential responses to insulin. Akt and Erk, hub molecules of insulin signaling, encode information of a wide dynamic range of dose and time of insulin. Down-regulated genes and metabolites in glycolysis had high sensitivity to insulin (fasting insulin signal); up-regulated genes and dicarboxylic acids in the TCA cycle had low sensitivity (fed insulin signal). This integrated analysis enables molecular insight into how cells interpret physiologically fed and fasting insulin signals.

Highlights

We constructed a trans-omic network of insulin action using multi-omic data.

The trans-omic network integrates phosphorylation, transcription, and metabolism.

We classified signaling, transcriptome, and metabolome by sensitivity to insulin.

We identified fed and fasting insulin signal flow across the trans-omic network.
A Metabolic Reaction Balancing Web Service for Computational Systems Biology
Authors: Dobson Paul D. , Mendes Pedro , Kell Douglas B. , Swainston Neil
Published: September 2017

Background

In metabolic network reconstruction the stoichiometric balancing of reactions is essential to create realistic constraint-based models. At the genome scale, balancing is a repetitive task that consumes valuable curator resource that could be deployed elsewhere. Automatic reaction balancing is possible and could be useful across computational systems biology, but widespread use of the appropriate code has been limited by the diversity of non-interoperable programming languages used in the field. RESTful web services offer a language-agnostic way of binding services together.

Results

Reaction balancing can be posed as a mixed integer linear programming problem to identify stoichiometric coefficients and infer commonly missing components. This functionality has been exposed as a web service that consumes a list of reactions as JSON or SBML. The reaction balancing web service has been deployed athttp://www.nactem.ac.uk/balancer. Code is available via Github. By way of demonstration the service has been applied to a Chinese hamster ovary cell metabolic reconstruction to bring a further 219 reactions into balance.

Conclusions

The majority of systems biology software cannot access existing automatic reaction balancing tools due to a lack of language-specific bindings. Web services bridge different languages by using widely-spoken web communication protocols, meaning that one binding works for almost all languages. Automatic reaction balancing can now be consumed by any systems biology software via a RESTful web service.
Crystal structure and DFT study of (E)-2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-{[2-(pyridin-2-yl)hydrazin-1-ylidene)methyl}phenol
Authors: Faizi Md. Serajul Haque , Haque Ashanul , Dege Mustafa , Dege Necmi , Malysheva Maria L.
Published: September 2017

The title compound, C20H27N3O, was synthesized by condensation reaction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 2-hydrazinylpyridine, and crystallizes in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space groupC2/c. The conformation about the C=N bond isE. The dihedral angle between the rings is 18.1 (3)°. An intermolecular N—H...N hydrogen bond generates anR22(8) ring motif. In the crystal, N—H...N hydrogen bonds connect pairs of molecules, forming dimers. Density functional theory (DFT) optimized structures at the B3LYP/6–311 G(d,p) level are compared with the experimentally determined molecular structure in the solid state.
Crystal structure of flucetosulfuron
Authors: Park Hyunjin , Kim Jineun , Kwon Eunjin , Kim Tae Ho
Published: September 2017

The title compound, {systematic name: 1-[3-({[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)carbamoyl]amino}sulfonyl)pyridin-2-yl]-2-fluoropropyl 2-methoxyacetate}, C18H22FN5O8S, is used as a herbicide (pyrimidinylsulfonylurea herbicide). The dihedral angle between the mean planes of the pyridine and pyrimidine rings is 86.90 (7)°. In the crystal, N/C—H...O hydrogen bonds, C—H...F and C—H...π interactions link adjacent molecules, forming a chain along [020]. A further two C—H...O hydrogen bonds together with weak π–π interactions [ring centroid separation = 3.7584 (12) Å] further aggregate the structure into a three-dimensional architecture.
Americans’ cross-cultural schemata of Iranians: an online survey
Authors: Ameli Saied Reza , Shahghasemi Ehsan
Published: September 2017

Purpose

For about four decades, Iran and the USA have continued to be two most stubborn enemies and this has drawn much research on this subject. Yet, only a very small fraction of this body of research has been allocated to studying the perceptions that the people of the two countries have of each other. Using a mixed method survey, the purpose of this paper is to explore cross-cultural schemata US American people have of Iranians.

Design/methodology/approach

By way of an e-mail survey, the authors collected 1,752 responses from American citizens across 50 American states. The open ended responses were codified and categorized. Three out of six categories were further sub-categorized.

Findings

The outcomes showed that about 40 percent of Americans had negative cross-cultural schemata of Iranians with the media being the main source of negative cross-cultural schemata. Conversely, personal contact and communication with Iranians proved to be the source of positive cross-cultural schemata toward Iranians. Other results showed that US American exceptionalism and negative attitudes toward Iranians had a direct and positive relationship with having negative cross-cultural schemata of Iranians.

Originality/value

As the authors have explained in this paper, very few scholars have taken up the issue of cross-cultural schemata Iranian and American people have of each other. By doing this and several other works, the authors have tried to create a new research interest in academic circles.
Improved TOPSIS method for power distribution network investment decision-making based on benefit evaluation indicator system
Authors: Niu Dongxiao , Song Zongyun , Wang Meng , Xiao Xinli
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to review the current situation and existing problem, establish investment benefits evaluation indicator system and introduce synthetic approach degree containing Hamming approach degree, Euclid approach degree and gray correlation degree to improve the shortage of Euclidean distance in traditional TOPSIS method, and the evaluation result is strengthened by multiplication rule. This paper aims to solve the distribution network investment decision-making problem and construct a comprehensive distribution network investment benefit indicator system, which is more suitable for China distribution network characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

This study develops improved TOPSIS methods for decision maker in the power distribution network market and uses an example to prove its effectiveness and superiority in practice which can realize the combination of theory and practice.

Findings

The research shows that the investment evaluation indicator system built in present paper covers more investment benefit influencing factors (such as qualified rate of trunk cross-section, pass rate of N-1 lines), and the evaluation result obtained by improved TOPSIS method is more efficient and persuasive.

Originality/value

The study can help investors evaluate distribution network project more efficient, and make contribution to the choice of distribution cases with similar investment benefits.
Habitat restoration benefits wild bees: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Tonietto Rebecca K. , Larkin Daniel J.
Published: September 2017

Pollinator conservation is of increasing interest in the light of managed honeybee (Apis mellifera) declines, and declines in some species of wild bees. Much work has gone into understanding the effects of habitat enhancements in agricultural systems on wild bee abundance, richness and pollination services. However, the effects of ecological restoration targeting “natural” ecological endpoints (e.g. restoring former agricultural fields to historic vegetation types or improving degraded natural lands) on wild bees have received relatively little attention, despite their potential importance for countering habitat loss.

We conducted a meta‐analysis to evaluate the effects of ecological restoration on wild bee abundance and richness, focusing on unmanaged bee communities in lands restored and managed to increase habitat availability and quality. Specifically, we assessed bee abundance and/or richness across studies comparing restored vs. unrestored treatments and studies investigating effects of specific habitat restoration techniques, such as burning, grazing, invasive plant removal and seeding.

We analysed 28 studies that met our selection criteria: these represented 11 habitat types and 7 restoration techniques. Nearly all restorations associated with these studies were performed without explicit consideration of habitat needs for bees or other pollinators. The majority of restorations targeted plant community goals, which could potentially have ancillary benefits for bees.

Restoration had overall positive effects on wild bee abundance and richness across multiple habitat types. Specific restoration actions, tested independently, also tended to have positive effects on wild bee richness and abundance.

Synthesis and applications. We found strong evidence that ecological restoration advances wild bee conservation. This is important given that habitat loss is recognized as a leading factor in pollinator decline. Pollinator responses to land management are rarely evaluated in non‐agricultural settings and so support for wild bees may be an underappreciated benefit of botanically focused management. Future restoration projects that explicitly consider the needs of wild bees could be more effective at providing nesting, foraging and other habitat resources. We encourage land managers to design and evaluate restoration projects with the habitat needs of wild bee species in mind.
Crisis and Change: The Making of a French FDA
Authors: NATHANSON CONSTANCE A. , BERGERON HENRI
Published: September 2017

Policy Points:

Introducing a recent special issue ofThe Lanceton the health system in France, Horton and Ceschia observe that “the dominance of English as the language of science and, increasingly, global health too often closes the door on the history and experiences of others.”1

In that spirit, this manuscript presents a detailed case study of public health policy transformation in France in the early 1990s. It casts light on processes of policy change in a political and cultural environment very different from that of the United States, showing how the public health policy process is shaped by multiple contingencies of history, ideology, and politics.

More specifically, we describe the transformation of a disease catastrophe into a political crisis and the deployment of that crisis to precipitate reform of the French public health system.

Context

Until the last decade of the 20th century, France had no equivalent to the US Food and Drug Administration. In this paper we describe and interpret the complex series of events that led to the passage by the French Parliament in December 1992 of a law incorporating such an agency, the Agence du Médicament (literally, “medicines agency”). The broad aim of this project was to learn how public health policy change comes about by detailed analysis of a specific instance. More specifically, we aimed to better understand the circumstances under which public health crisis leads to significant public health policy reform.

Methods

This paper is based on detailed analysis of primary documents (eg, archived French health ministry papers, recorded parliamentary debates, government reports, newspaper articles) and oral history interviews covering a period from 1988 to 1993. Thematic analysis of these materials was initially grounded in theories of organizational change, moving to constructs that emerged from the data themselves.

Findings

Policy entrepreneurs positioned to frame adverse events and seize opportunities are key to public health policy reform. However, whether these entrepreneurs will have the requisite institutional power is contingent both on political structure and on the power of competing institutional actors. Health crisesmaycatalyze institutional reform, but our analysis suggests that whether reform occurs, or even whether adverse episodes are labeled as crises, is highly contingent on circumstances of history, political structure, and political ideology and is extremely difficult to predict or control.

Conclusions

Actors positioned to shape public health policy need to have a detailed understanding of the circumstances that facilitate or impede policy reform. Health crises are now more often global than not. Comparative, theoretically grounded, cross‐national research that looks in detail at how different countries respond to similar health crises would be extremely valuable in informing both policymakers and researchers.
Changing Trends in Therapeutic Plasmapheresis: An Indian Perspective
Authors: Tiwari Aseem K , Bhardwaj Gunjan , Aggarwal Geet , Arora Dinesh , Dara Ravi C , Acharya Devi P , Gayam Sangeetha , Choudhuri Jui
Published: September 2017

Indications for therapeutic apheresis (TA) are dynamic; they keep changing and expanding because of introduction of newer treatment modalities and accumulating evidence in the form of case‐reports, case‐series and original articles. We evaluated our therapeutic plasmapheresis (TP) data and compared this data with an earlier published Indian report for indications, frequency, response rate and adverse reactions. We conducted a retrospective analysis of all TP procedures performed from January 2014 to June 2016 in department of Transfusion Medicine at a tertiary care hospital. All TP procedures performed for various clinical disorders including neurological, hematological, renal, hepatic and rheumatologic indications were included in the study. Analysis was performed with respect to demography, procedure details and response. 187 patients (118 Males and 69 females) underwent 683 TP procedures during study period. According to 2013 ASFA guidelines, 99, 59 and 29 patients belonged to category I, II and III respectively. In comparison with the earlier report, the number of patients and procedures have increased, indications have changed, response rate is comparable, and the frequency of adverse reactions have decreased. In the last decade there has been increase in number and spectrum of indications for therapeutic apheresis and frequency of procedures. The response rate and safety of these procedures have also improved.
Phenological behaviour of Parthenium hysterophorus in response to climatic variations according to the extended BBCH scale
Authors: Kaur A. , Batish D.R. , Kaur S. , Singh H.P. , Kohli R.K.
Published: September 2017

Considering the importance of ecological and biological traits in imparting invasive success to the alien species, the phenological behaviour of an alien invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus was documented according to the extended BBCH scale in four different seasons. A phenological calendar was prepared using both two‐ and three‐ digit coding system, precisely describing the developmental stages of the weed. The phenological documentation is further supplemented with the dates corresponding to a particular growth stage, pictures of the representative growth stages and meteorological data of all the four seasons. Results revealed that the phenology of the weed altered in response to the changing temperature and humidity conditions but no apparent climatic condition could inhibit its germination or flowering. However, the emergence of inflorescence was highly sensitive to the temperature/photoperiodic conditions. Variations in the phenological traits of P. hysterophorus with changing environmental conditions explain the acclimatisation potential of the weed permitting its vast spread in the non‐native regions. Since the given phenological illustrations are accurate, unambiguous and coded as per an internationally recognised scale, they could be exploited for agronomic practices, weed management programmes, and research purposes.
Ancestry Informative Marker Panel to Estimate Population Stratification Using Genome‐wide Human Array
Authors: Barbosa Fernanda B. , Cagnin Natalia F. , Simioni Milena , Farias Allysson A. , Torres Fábio R. , Molck Miriam C. , Araujo Tânia K. , Gil‐Da‐Silva‐Lopes Vera L. , Donadi Eduardo A. , Simões Aguinaldo L.
Published: September 2017

Case‐control studies are a powerful strategy to identify candidate genes in complex diseases. In admixed populations, association studies can be affected by population stratification, leading to spurious genetic associations. Ancestry informative markers (AIMs) can be used to minimise this effect. The aim of this work was to select a set of AIMs to estimate population stratification in a Brazilian case‐control study performed using a genome‐wide array. A total of 345 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) AIMs, selected from the Cytoscan HD array and based on previously reported panels, was used to discriminate between European, African, and Amerindian populations. These SNP‐AIMs were used to infer ancestry in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients (n  =  23) and in healthy subjects (n  =  110). Moderate population substructure was observed between SLE and control groups (Fst  =  0.0113). Although patients and controls have shown a major European genomic contribution, significant differences in the European (P  =  6.47 × 10−5) and African (P  =  1.14 × 10−3) ancestries were detected between the two groups. We performed a two‐step validation of the 345 SNP‐AIMs panel estimating the ancestral contributions using a panel of 12 AIMs and approximately 70K SNPs from the array. Evaluation of population substructure in case‐control studies, avoiding spurious genetic associations, can be performed using our panel of 345 SNP‐AIMs.
Evaluation of CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein (C/EBP) Alpha (CEBPA) and Runt‐Related Transcription Factor 1 (RUNX1) Expression in Patients with De Novo Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Salarpour Fatemeh , Goudarzipour Kourosh , Mohammadi Mohammad Hossein , Ahmadzadeh Ahmad , Faraahi Sara , Farsani Mehdi Allahbakhshian
Published: September 2017

The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) alpha (CEBPA) and Runt‐related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) genes have been traditionally regarded as two essential genes involved in normal myeloid maturation. Although the link between mutations in these genes and the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been extensively documented, the ramifications of gene expression dysregulations of CEBPA and RUNX1 has drawn less attention. The present study investigated CEBPA and RUNX1 gene expression levels in 96 primary AML specimens against a normal control group by way of real‐time RT‐PCR. Our results reveal that CEBPA and RUNX1 gene expression levels were unexpectedly and significantly higher in patients with AML when compared to the levels detected in the normal control group (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, the correlation between CEBPA and RUNX1 was significant and positive (P‐value: 0.011, r: 0.257).

Our data contradicts the widely established role of CEBPA and RUNX1 in myeloid differentiation, as we saw lower levels of CEBPA and RUNX1 expression to be exhibited in patients with AML. Likely, our data demonstrates that higher levels of CEBPA and RUNX1 expression were closely correlated with reduced myeloid maturation, but this idea needs to approved. It suggests that despite the current established functions of genes involved in cell differentiation, the leukemogenesis process has the capability to transform normal hematopoietic precursors in a manner that may employ the differentiation related gene at the service of malignancy.
Construction of an Exome‐Wide Risk Score for Schizophrenia Based on a Weighted Burden Test
Authors: Curtis David
Published: September 2017

Polygenic risk scores obtained as a weighted sum of associated variants can be used to explore association in additional data sets and to assign risk scores to individuals. The methods used to derive polygenic risk scores from common SNPs are not suitable for variants detected in whole exome sequencing studies. Rare variants, which may have major effects, are seen too infrequently to judge whether they are associated and may not be shared between training and test subjects. A method is proposed whereby variants are weighted according to their frequency, their annotations and the genes they affect. A weighted sum across all variants provides an individual risk score. Scores constructed in this way are used in a weighted burden test and are shown to be significantly different between schizophrenia cases and controls using a five‐way cross‐validation procedure. This approach represents a first attempt to summarise exome sequence variation into a summary risk score, which could be combined with risk scores from common variants and from environmental factors. It is hoped that the method could be developed further.
Race War and the Global Imperial Order: The Armenian Genocide of 1915
Authors: Barder Alexander D.
Published: September 2017

The centenary of the genocide of the Ottoman Armenians was commemorated in 2015 by the world‐wide Armenian diaspora community, as well as within Armenia itself. This article critically examines the ways in which the memory of the genocide of the Armenians has been framed in terms of race, with Western observers from 1915 on applying racialized discourses to the Ottomans and the events of the Armenian genocide. The article considers the evolution of notions of “racial extermination” and racial incompatibility and incommensurability in the era of imperialism prior to and during the First World War, and draws attention to the nexus between imperial revisionism, global politics and genocidal racial violence. Finally, the article considers the links between the Armenian genocide and the genocidal politics of the Nazi regime.
Gutenberg's Europe: The Book and the Invention of Western Modernity
Authors: Lyons Martyn
Published: September 2017

Gutenberg's Europe: The Book and the Invention of Western Modernity. By Frédéric Barbier, translated by Jean Birrell (Cambridge UK and Malden MA: Polity Press, 2016), pp.xiv +312, illustrated, £55.00 (cloth).
The “Greatness” of the Great War: Commemoration and the Politics of Soldier Dead
Authors: Auchter Jessica
Published: September 2017

A wise philosopher once said that “wars do not make one great”. Yet the idea of war as a test of power remains a strong disciplinary norm within international relations. Disciplinary history is temporalized, with key eras defined as significant, as in the key division of the study of international politics into eras (the interwar period, the post‐Second World War international order, the post‐Cold War era), and wars demarcate these eras and act as defining moments in international politics. As we now reflect on the centenary of the First World War, it bears reflecting on the position this particular war occupies within the study of international politics.
IMPACT OF COOPERATIVES MEMBERSHIP ON ECONOMY IN EASTERN OROMIA: THE CASE OF HARAMAYA AGRICULTURAL FARMERS’ COOPERATIVE UNION (HAFCU)
Authors: DEBELA Megersa , DIRIBA Sisay , BEKELE Hailemichael
Published: September 2017

This study attempts to analyse the impact of cooperatives on the smallholders’ income, productivity, marketed surplus and saving in East Hararghe Zone of Haramaya District. The study is based on primary cross‐sectional data collected from cooperative member and non‐cooperative member household heads. The propensity score matching (PSM) estimates complemented by a bias correction matching (BCM) and Lewbel instrumental variable (IV) regression estimation shows that cooperatives have a positive impact on smallholders’ income and productivity. The findings have strong policy implications. The rural development of the country should work toward strengthening and expanding the existing rural organizations through training and capacity building programmes. It is important particularly establishing new rural‐based organizations that enable rural households to engage in business activities. Doing that may help reduce poverty and increase smallholders’ income, productivity, and capital accumulation.
Differential diagnosis and comorbidity of ADHD and anxiety in adults
Authors: Grogan Katie , Gormley Claire I. , Rooney Brendan , Whelan Robert , Kiiski Hanni , Naughton Marie , Bramham Jessica
Published: September 2017

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine symptom profiles of people diagnosed with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or anxiety (ANX) in order to determine the validity of widely used ADHD and ANX rating scales for differential diagnostic use and to develop modified measures that take symptom overlap into account.

Design

A cross‐sectional design was used to assess differences in rating scale scores between clinical (n = 52) and control (n = 74) samples as well as differences among subgroups of the clinical sample (22 ADHD; 16 ADHD + ANX; 14 ANX).

Method

Participants completed an online questionnaire where they responded to the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS; Conners, Erhardt, & Sparrow, ) and State Trait Anxiety Inventory scales (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, ).

Results

Results showed that the CAARS and STAI had limited sensitivity and specificity and may lack in ability to differentially diagnose ADHD and/or ANX. Cluster analysis was used to guide the proposal of modifications for the two scales, which were to use inattentive items only for the CAARS and to exclude state ANX‐present items on the STAI for use in differential diagnosis. Further parametric analysis supported these proposed modifications.

Conclusions

Clinicians should be made aware of the limitations of the CAARS and STAI scales in terms of specificity, when used to inform differential diagnosis of ADHD and ANX. Further analysis on the psychometric properties of these modified scales is needed in order to confirm that they are valid and reliable scales.

Practitioner points

Clinical implications

It is possible that widely used self‐report rating scales are not valid for use in the context of assessing adult ADHD when ANX is present.

Clinicians should take alternative approaches to measuring ADHD symptoms in the context of ANX.

Findings of the present study suggest the use of inattentive items only for the CAARS and to exclude state ANX‐present items on the STAI for differential diagnostic use.

Limitations of the study

The sample sizes of the clinical subgroups were relatively small.

Diagnoses were not confirmed using a semi‐structured clinical interview.

Alternative cluster approaches (e.g., two‐step clustering using larger samples) would provide further insight.