bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐term results of ileal ureteric replacement: a 25‐year single‐centre experience
Authors: Kocot Arkadius , Kalogirou Charis , Vergho Daniel , Riedmiller Hubertus
Published: February 2017

Objective

To report the long‐term outcomes of ileal ureteric replacement (IUR) in complex reconstruction of the urinary tract.

Patients and Methods

From 1991 to 2016, IUR was performed in 157 patients with structural or functional ureteric loss. In 52 patients, bilateral IUR became necessary. Implantation sites where either the native urinary bladder (n = 79) or intestinal reservoirs (n = 78). In the latter group, the technique was used at the time of primary urinary diversion (n = 34), in a secondary approach (n = 29), and in undiversion or conversion procedures (n = 15). Anti‐refluxive implantation was performed in 37 patients. In eight patients the ileal ureter was implanted into the cutis as an ileal conduit. All patients were followed prospectively according to a standardised protocol.

Results

The mean follow‐up was 54.1 months. In 114 patients with dilatation of the upper urinary tract before surgery a significant improvement of the dilatation was confirmed in 98 patients. Serum creatinine levels decreased or remained stable in 147 of the 157 patients. Reflux was present in all cases without and in six cases with an anti‐reflux mechanism. In six patients, operative revision became necessary because of severe metabolic acidosis, mucus obstruction or stenosis of the ileal ureter.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the world's largest single‐centre series of IUR reported to date. Long‐term follow‐up confirms that this approach is a safe and reliable solution, even under complex conditions. Anti‐refluxive implantation is recommended for intestinal reservoirs, whereas reflux prevention seems to be of minor importance when the native bladder is chosen as the site of implantation.
Elastase‐2, an angiotensin II‐generating enzyme, contributes to increased angiotensin II in resistance arteries of mice with myocardial infarction
Authors: Becari Christiane , Silva Marcondes A B , Durand Marina T , Prado Cibele M , Oliveira Eduardo B , Ribeiro Mauricio S , Salgado Helio C , Salgado Maria Cristina O , Tostes Rita C
Published: February 2017

Background and Purpose

Angiotensin II (Ang II), whose generation largely depends on angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) activity, mediates most of the renin‐angiotensin‐system (RAS) effects. Elastase‐2 (ELA‐2), a chymotrypsin‐serine protease elastase family member 2A, alternatively generates Ang II in rat arteries. Myocardial infarction (MI) leads to intense RAS activation, but mechanisms involved in Ang II‐generation in resistance arteries are unknown. We hypothesized that ELA‐2 contributes to vascular Ang II generation and cardiac damage in mice subjected to MI.

Experimental Approach

Concentration‐effect curves to Ang I and Ang II were performed in mesenteric resistance arteries from male wild type (WT) and ELA‐2 knockout (ELA‐2KO) mice subjected to left anterior descending coronary artery ligation (MI).

Key Results

MI size was similar in WT and ELA‐2KO mice. Ejection fraction and fractional shortening after MI similarly decreased in both strains. However, MI decreased stroke volume and cardiac output in WT, but not in ELA‐2KO mice. Ang I‐induced contractions increased in WT mice subjected to MI (MI‐WT) compared with sham‐WT mice. No differences were observed in Ang I reactivity between arteries from ELA‐2KO and ELA‐2KO subjected to MI (MI‐ELA‐2KO). Ang I contractions increased in arteries from MI‐WT versus MI‐ELA‐2KO mice. Chymostatin attenuated Ang I‐induced vascular contractions in WT mice, but did not affect Ang I responses in ELA‐2KO arteries.

Conclusions and Implications

These results provide the first evidence that ELA‐2 contributes to increased Ang II formation in resistance arteries and modulates cardiac function after MI, implicating ELA‐2 as a key player in ACE‐independent dysregulation of the RAS.
Lamarck rises from his grave: parental environment‐induced epigenetic inheritance in model organisms and humans
Authors: Wang Yan , Liu Huijie , Sun Zhongsheng
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACT

Organisms can change their physiological/behavioural traits to adapt and survive in changed environments. However, whether these acquired traits can be inherited across generations through non‐genetic alterations has been a topic of debate for over a century. Emerging evidence indicates that both ancestral and parental experiences, including nutrition, environmental toxins, nurturing behaviour, and social stress, can have powerful effects on the physiological, metabolic and cellular functions in an organism. In certain circumstances, these effects can be transmitted across several generations through epigenetic (i.e. non‐DNA sequence‐based rather than mutational) modifications. In this review, we summarize recent evidence on epigenetic inheritance from parental environment‐induced developmental and physiological alterations in nematodes, fruit flies, zebrafish, rodents, and humans. The epigenetic modifications demonstrated to be both susceptible to modulation by environmental cues and heritable, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and small non‐coding RNAs, are also summarized. We particularly focus on evidence that parental environment‐induced epigenetic alterations are transmitted through both the maternal and paternal germlines and exert sex‐specific effects. The thought‐provoking data presented here raise fundamental questions about the mechanisms responsible for these phenomena. In particular, the means that define the specificity of the response to parental experience in the gamete epigenome and that direct the establishment of the specific epigenetic change in the developing embryos, as well as in specific tissues in the descendants, remain obscure and require elucidation. More precise epigenetic assessment at both the genome‐wide level and single‐cell resolution as well as strategies for breeding at relatively sensitive periods of development and manipulation aimed at specific epigenetic modification are imperative for identifying parental environment‐induced epigenetic marks across generations. Considering their diverse epigenetic architectures, the conservation and prevalence of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic inheritance in non‐mammals require further investigation in mammals. Interpretation of the consequences arising from epigenetic inheritance on organisms and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms will provide insight into how gene–environment interactions shape developmental processes and physiological functions, which in turn may have wide‐ranging implications for human health, and understanding biological adaptation and evolution.
Male wage inequality and marital dissolution: Is there a link?
Authors: Bellou Andriana
Published: February 2017

After almost a century‐long pattern of rising marital instability, divorce rates levelled off in 1980 and have been declining ever since. The timing of deceleration and decline in the rates of marital dissolution interestingly coincides with a period of substantial growth in wage inequality. This paper establishes a novel connection between the two phenomena and discusses potential explanations for the underlying link. Using female marital histories in a duration analysis framework combined with regional and temporal variation in the pattern of male wage dispersion, I show that inequality has a significant stabilizing effect on the marriage. Quantitatively, increases in male wage dispersion can roughly explain up to 30% of the fall in the mean separation probability between 1979 and 1990. Several plausible explanations are discussed: changes in spousal labour supplies, female wage inequality, income uncertainty, social capital as well as a hypothesis where inequality renders the option to divorce less attractive by making remarriage more difficult.
Income inequality and export prices across countries
Authors: Flach Lisandra , Janeba Eckhard
Published: February 2017

This paper provides theory and evidence on the links between income inequality within a destination country and the patterns of trade and export prices. The theoretical framework relates income inequality to product quality and prices using a simple demand composition effect. The model predicts that a more unequal income distribution in a destination country leads to higher average prices, though the effect is nonlinear and disappears for rich enough countries. The predictions are tested using detailed firm‐level data. Controlling for income per capita, prices are systematically higher in more unequal destinations, and the strength of this effect depends on income per capita. Results are particularly important for middle‐income countries and hold only for differentiated goods, and in particular for products with a high degree of vertical differentiation.
Vertical integration and supplier finance
Authors: Görg Holger , Kersting Erasmus
Published: February 2017

This paper studies access to finance by suppliers that are linked to a multinational enterprise. The theoretical framework consists of a property rights model featuring suppliers that are either vertically integrated or sell to the multinational at arm's length, which in turn affects the availability of different sources of credit. Integrated suppliers are predicted to cover a relatively larger share of their costs using internal sources, consisting of initial wealth plus funds from the multinational parent. In addition, due to the diminished dependence on external funds (local bank credit), integrated suppliers' funding shares are less responsive to changes in their home country's level of financial development. We test the model's predictions using firm survey data from over 50 developing and emerging countries and find broad support.
Toward a Sociology of Oceans
Authors: Hannigan John
Published: February 2017

Despite covering around 70 percent of the earth's surface, the ocean has long been ignored by sociology or treated as merely an extension of land‐based systems. Increasingly, however, oceans are assuming a higher profile, emerging both as a new resource frontier, a medium for geopolitical rivalry and conflict, and a unique and threatened ecological hot spot. In this article, I propose a new sociological specialty area, the “sociology of oceans” to be situated at the interface between environmental sociology and traditional maritime studies. After reviewing existing sociological research on maritime topics and the consideration of (or lack of consideration) the sea by classic sociological theorists, I briefly discuss several contemporary sociological approaches to the ocean that have attracted some notice. In the final section of the paper, I make the case for a distinct sociology of oceans and briefly sketch what this might look like. One possible trajectory for creating a shared vision or common paradigm, I argue, is to draw on Deleuze and Guattari's dialectical theory of the smooth and the striated.

Même s'il couvre 70% de la surface de la Terre, l'océan a été longtemps ignoré en sociologie ou traité comme une extension des systèmes terrestres. De plus en plus, toutefois, l'océan retient l'attention, en étant vu comme une nouvelle frontière en termes de ressources, un médium pour les rivalités et les conflits géopolitiques, et un lieu écologique névralgique et unique. Dans cet article, je propose une nouvelle spécialisation sociologique, la ‘sociologie des océans’, se situant dans l'interface entre la sociologie environnementale et les études maritimes traditionnelles. Après une recension de la recherche sociologique existante sur les sujets maritimes et la prise en compte (ou l'absence de prise en compte) de l'océan par les théoriciens de la sociologie classique, je discute brièvement quelques approches sociologiques contemporaines de l'océan ayant attiré l'attention. Dans la dernière partie de l'article, j'insiste sur le besoin d'une sociologie distincte de l'océan et je présente brièvement à quoi cela pourrait ressembler. Une voie possible pour créer une vision commune ou un paradigme, selon moi, est de s'inspirer de la théorie dialectique du lisse et du strié de Deleuze et Guattari.
The Lac‐Mégantic Derailment, Corporate Regulation, and Neoliberal Sovereignty
Authors: Dunford David Tyler
Published: February 2017

On July 6, 2013, Montreal, Maine, and Atlantic railcar 5017 hauling 72 tanker cars of Bakken crude oil derailed over the town of Lac‐Mégantic, Quebec. The town erupted in a fiery inferno as 5,560,000 liters of highly flammable Bakken crude oil exploded over the town, killing 47 people and contaminating 558,000 tons of soil and local waterways. While Montreal, Maine, and Atlantic Rail Chairman Edward Burkhardt initially blamed the derailment on the lone engineer and local firefighters, this study shows how Transport Canada and the rail industry undermined regulatory and safety measures for several years before the derailment. This study uses a Foucauldian theoretical perspective to conceptualize and explain a new political mentality that transfers existing state regulatory authority to the corporate sector. This new mentality, neoliberal sovereignty, is composed of sovereign and neoliberal logics that monopolize “correct” trajectories of human economic development. This absolute market mentality merges with state sovereignty and eliminates existing safety and regulation frameworks to pursue unregulated corporate profits.

Le 6 juillet 2013, un train de 72 wagons‐citernes transportant du pétrole brute Bakken a déraillé de la ligne de chemin de fer de la Montréal, Maine et Atlantique, dans la ville de Lac‐Mégantic au Québec. La ville c'est transformé en véritable enfer, alors que 5 560 000 litre de pétrole brute Bakken très inflammable ont fait explosé la ville, tuant quarante‐sept personnes et contaminant 558 000 tonnes d'eaux et du sol de Lac‐Mégantic et ses environs. Alors que le président de la MMA, Edward Burkhart, a d'abord blâmé l'ingénieur et le service d'incendie local, les études montrent que Transport Canada et l'industrie ferroviaire ont amoindrit les mesures de réglementation et de sécurité plusieurs années avant le déraillement. Cette étude utilise une perspective théorique foucauldienne pour conceptualiser et expliquer une nouvelle mentalité politique qui transfère l'autorité de régulations gouvernementales existantes au secteur des entreprises. Cette nouvelle mentalité, souveraines et néo‐libérale, est composé de logique souveraines et néo‐libérales qui monopolise les trajectoires « respectables » de développement économique humain. Cette mentalité de marché absolu fusionne avec la souveraineté de l'État et élimine les cadres de sécurité et les réglementations existantes pour les bénéfices des entreprises non réglementaires.
Canadian University Acknowledgment of Indigenous Lands, Treaties, and Peoples
Authors: Wilkes Rima , Duong Aaron , Kesler Linc , Ramos Howard
Published: February 2017

At many Canadian universities it is now common to publicly acknowledge Indigenous lands, treaties, and peoples. Yet, this practice has yet to be considered as a subject of scholarly inquiry. How does this practice vary and why? In this paper we describe the content and practice of acknowledgment, linking this content to treaty relationships (or lack thereof). We show that acknowledgment tends to be one of five general types: of land and title (British Columbia), of specific treaties and political relationships (Prairies), of multiculturalism and heterogeneity (Ontario), of no practice (most of Quebec), and of people, territory, and openness to doing more (Atlantic). Based on these results, we conclude that the fluidity of acknowledgment as a practice, including changing meanings depending on the positionality of the acknowledger, need to be taken into account.

Plusieurs universités Canadien pratique une reconnaissance des territoires, des traités, et des peoples autochtone en publique. Cette pratique, cependant, n'a jamais été considérée comme une enquête savante. Dans ce projet nous regardons comment les reconnaissances varie par institution et pourquoi. Nous trouvons qu'il y a un lien entre le contenu des reconnaissances et les relations traité. On démontre cinq forme des reconnaissances: territoire et titre (Colombie britannique); traité spécifique and les relations politiques (Prairies); multiculturalisme et hétérogénéité (Ontario); l'absence (la majorité du Québec); et des peoples, territoire et volonté a plus faire (Atlantique). Nous concluons que la fluidité de la reconnaissance, comme pratique, est fluide et doit prendre en considération la position de la personne qui le fait.
Soft palatal melanosis, a simple predictor for neoplasia in the upper aerodigestive tract in Japanese alcoholic men
Authors: Hirata Kenro , Yokoyama Akira , Nakamura Rieko , Omori Tai , Kawakubo Hirofumi , Mizukami Takeshi , Maruyama Katsuya , Kanai Takanori , Yokoyama Tetsuji
Published: February 2017

Soft palatal melanosis can be detected by visual inspection during routine physical examination or even personally in a mirror. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between squamous cell neoplasia in the upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) and soft palatal melanosis. We reviewed digitized records of high‐quality endoscopic images of the soft palate of 1786 Japanese alcoholic men who underwent endoscopic screening. Soft palatal melanosis was observed in 381 (21.3%) of the subjects (distinct, 6.3%). Older age, an inactive heterozygous aldehyde dehydrogenase‐2 genotype, smoking, and a high mean corpuscular volume were positively associated with the presence of soft palatal melanosis. The age‐adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for UAT neoplasia was 1.92 (1.40–2.64) in the group with melanosis and 2.51 (1.55–4.06) in the group with distinct melanosis, compared with the melanosis‐free group. A multivariate analysis showed that the presence of soft palatal melanosis was independently associated with a high risk of UAT neoplasia. We calculated the individual number of risk factors out of four easily identifiable and significant factors: age ≥55 years, current/former alcohol flushing, mean corpuscular volume ≥106 fL, and distinct soft palatal melanosis. Compared with the risk‐factor‐free condition, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) values of UAT neoplasia for one, two, three, and four risk factors were 1.49 (0.97–2.30), 3.14 (2.02–4.88), 4.80 (2.71–8.51), and 7.80 (2.17–28.1), respectively. The presence of soft palatal melanosis provides a simple new strategy for identifying heavy drinkers with a high risk for UAT neoplasia.
Dental care coverage and income‐related inequalities in foregone dental care in Europe during the great recession
Authors: Elstad Jon Ivar
Published: February 2017

Objectives

This study examines income inequalities in foregone dental care in 23 European countries during the years with global economic crisis. Associations between dental care coverage from public health budgets or social insurance, and income‐related inequalities in perceived access to dental care, are analysed.

Methods

Survey data 2008‐2013 from 23 countries were combined with country data on macro‐economic conditions and coverage for dental care. Foregone dental care was defined as self‐reported abstentions from needed dental care because of costs or other crisis‐related reasons. Age‐standardized percentages reporting foregone dental care were estimated for respondents, age 20‐74, in the lowest and highest income quartile. Associations between dental care coverage and income inequalities in foregone dental care, adjusted for macro‐economic indicators, were examined by country‐level regression models.

Results

In all 23 countries, respondents in the lowest income quartile reported significantly higher levels of foregone dental care than respondents in the highest quartile. During 2008‐2013, income inequalities in foregone dental care widened significantly in 13 of 23 countries, but decreased in only three countries. Adjusted for countries' macro‐economic situation and severity of the economic crisis, higher dental care coverage was significantly associated with smaller income inequalities in foregone dental care and less widening of these inequalities.

Conclusions

Income‐related inequalities in dental care have widened in Europe during the years with global economic crisis. Higher dental care coverage corresponded to less income‐related inequalities in foregone dental care and less widening of these inequalities.
Dietary total antioxidant capacity in early school age and subsequent allergic disease
Authors: Gref A. , Rautiainen S. , Gruzieva O. , Håkansson N. , Kull I. , Pershagen G. , Wickman M. , Wolk A. , Melén E. , Bergström A.
Published: February 2017

Background

Dietary antioxidant intake has been hypothesized to influence the development of allergic diseases; however, few prospective studies have investigated this association.

Objective

Our aim was to study the association between total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the diet at age 8 years and the subsequent development of asthma, rhinitis and sensitization to inhalant allergens between 8 and 16 years, and to assess potential effect modification by known risk factors.

Methods

A total of 2359 children from the Swedish birth cohort BAMSE were included. Dietary TAC at age 8 years was estimated by combining information on the child's diet the past 12 months from a food frequency questionnaire with a database of common foods analysed with the oxygen radical absorbance capacity method. Classification of asthma and rhinitis was based on questionnaires, and serum IgE antibodies were measured at 8 and 16 years.

Results

A statistically significant inverse association was observed between TAC of the diet and incident sensitization to inhalant allergens (adjusted odds ratio: 0.73, 95% confidence interval: 0.55–0.97 for the third compared to the first tertile, P‐value for trend = 0.031). Effect modification by traffic‐related air pollution exposure was observed, with a stronger association between dietary TAC and sensitization among children with low traffic‐related air pollution exposure (P‐value for interaction = 0.029). There was no evidence for effect modification by GSTP1 or TNF genotypes, although these results should be interpreted with caution. No clear associations were observed between TAC and development of rhinitis or asthma, although a significant inverse association was observed for allergic asthma (ORadj 0.57, 95% CI 0.34–0.94).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

Higher TAC of the diet in early school age may decrease the risk of developing sensitization to inhalant allergens from childhood to adolescence. These findings indicate that implementing an antioxidant‐rich diet in childhood may contribute to the prevention of allergic disease.
Segregation and expression analyses of hyaluronan‐binding protein 2 (HABP2): insights from a large series of familial non‐medullary thyroid cancers and literature review
Authors: Colombo Carla , Muzza Marina , Proverbio Maria Carla , Ercoli Giulia , Perrino Michela , Cirello Valentina , Vicentini Leonardo , Ferrero Stefano , Fugazzola Laura
Published: February 2017

Introduction

Recently, the G534E variant of the HABP2 gene was reported as the underlying genetic defect in a large kindred with nonsyndromic familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer (FNMTC). Nevertheless, this postulated role was not confirmed in additional cohorts. Contrasting data are also available on HABP2 expression in the thyroid.

Objectives

To investigate HABP2 as a potential susceptibility gene in a large series of 27 unrelated families with FNMTC and to test its expression in thyroid tumour and matched normal tissues.

Results

Three of the 27 FNMTC families (11·1%) carried the HABP2G534E variant. The genotyping of these families showed that HABP2G534E does not segregate with cancer. Indeed, affected individuals not carrying HABP2G534E were identified, and the variant was present also in members without thyroid cancer. HABP2 mRNA had a very variable expression in tissues from FNMTC, sporadic papillary thyroid cancers (PTCs) or contralateral normal tissues, by either nonquantitative or quantitative RT‐polymerase chain reaction. In almost all cases, the gene appeared down‐ or up‐regulated in tumours with respect to the corresponding normal tissue. At immunohistochemistry, HABP2 was expressed in both tumour and matched control tissues, without differences between sporadic and familial cases.

Conclusions

This study on a wide series of FNMTC indicates that the HABP2G534E variant is frequent, but does not segregate with the disease. Nevertheless, the dysregulation of HABP2 expression found in either sporadic or familial PTCs or normal thyroid tissues is consistent with similar findings in other malignancies and could indicate a role of this gene also in thyroid cancer.
Play in Middle Childhood: Everyday Play Behaviour and Associated Emotions
Authors: Howard Justine , Miles Gareth E. , Rees‐Davies Laura , Bertenshaw Emma J.
Published: February 2017

Children's reports about their play in middle childhood and the emotions they associate with play have received limited research attention. Using focus groups, this study asked 38 children in the UK about what, where and with whom they played. They were also asked how play made them feel. Children reported a wide range of play behaviours, with outdoor and traditional games being just as prominently mentioned as play with electronic devices. The emotional importance of play in middle childhood was apparent, with children associating play with strong positive emotions, and not being able to play with negative emotions and anxiety.
Novel pre‐therapeutic scoring system using patient and haematological data to predict facial palsy prognosis
Authors: Wasano K. , Ishikawa T. , Kawasaki T. , Yamamoto S. , Tomisato S. , Shinden S. , Minami S. , Wakabayashi T. , Ogawa K.
Published: February 2017

Objectives

We describe a novel scoring system, the facial Palsy Prognosis Prediction score (PPP score), which we test for reliability in predicting pre‐therapeutic prognosis of facial palsy. We aimed to use readily available patient data that all clinicians have access to before starting treatment.

Design

Multicenter case series with chart review.

Setting

Three tertiary care hospitals.

Participants

We obtained haematological and demographic data from 468 facial palsy patients who were treated between 2010 and 2014 in three tertiary care hospitals. Patients were categorised as having Bell's palsy or Ramsey Hunt's palsy.

Main outcome measures

We compared the data of recovered and unrecovered patients. PPP scores consisted of combinatorial threshold values of continuous patient data (eg platelet count) and categorical variables (eg gender) that best predicted recovery. We created separate PPP scores for Bell's palsy patients (PPP‐B) and for Ramsey Hunt's palsy patients (PPP‐H).

Results

The PPP‐B score included age (≥65 years), gender (male) and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (≥2.9). The PPP‐H score included age (≥50 years), monocyte rate (≥6.0%), mean corpuscular volume (≥95 fl) and platelet count (≤200 000 /μL). Patient recovery rate significantly decreased with increasing PPP scores (both PPP‐B and PPP‐H) in a step‐wise manner. PPP scores (ie PPP‐B score and PPP‐H score) ≥2 were associated with worse than average prognosis.

Conclusions

Palsy Prognosis Prediction scores are useful for predicting prognosis of facial palsy before beginning treatment.
Using environmental DNA to assess population‐wide spatiotemporal reserve use
Authors: Stewart Kathryn , Ma Hongjuan , Zheng Jinsong , Zhao Jianfu
Published: February 2017

Scientists increasingly rely on protected areas to assist in biodiversity conservation, yet the efficacy of these areas is rarely systematically assessed, often because of underfunding. Still, adaptive management strategies to maximize conservation success often rely on understanding the temporal and spatial dynamism of populations therein. Examination of environmental DNA (eDNA) is a time and cost‐effective way to monitor species’ distribution, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) provides information on organismal abundance. To date, however, such techniques remain underused for population assessments in protected areas. We determined eDNA concentration of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise(Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)to describe its occurrence, range, and use of the Tian e‐Zhou National Nature Reserve in Hubei, China, across seasons and hydrological depths. Despite the observation that total eDNA concentrations were highest in surface waters in summer, finless porpoise eDNA concentrations were significantly higher in deeper waters than in surface waters in summer. During the breeding season (spring), eDNA signals were site specific and restricted to the core area of the reserve. However, postbreeding eDNA concentrations were widespread across the reserve, encompassing sites previously thought to be unfrequented by the species. Our results suggest spatiotemporal idiosyncrasies in site, depth, and seasonal use of the reserve and a propensity for postbreeding population dispersal. With eDNA and qPCR we were able to assess an entire population's use of a protected area. Illuminating nuances in habitat use via eDNA could be valuable to set pragmatic conservation goals for this, and other, species.
Assessment of morbidity and mortality associated with endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration for pancreatic cystic lesions: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhu Huiyun , Jiang Fei , Zhu Jianwei , Du Yiqi , Jin Zhendong , Li Zhaoshen
Published: February 2017

Background and Aim

With increased availability of imaging technology, detection of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCL) is on the rise. Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (EUS‐FNA) improves the diagnosis accuracy of PCL. Systematic evaluation of morbidity and mortality associated with EUS‐FNA for PCL has not been carried out. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of morbidity and mortality associated with EUS‐FNA.

Methods

A literature search for relevant English‐language articles was conducted on PubMed and EMBASE databases. Main outcome measures for this analysis were adverse effects of diagnostic EUS‐FNA, and the associated morbidity and mortality, in patients with PCL.

Results

Forty studies, with a combined subject population of 5124 patients with PCL, satisfied the inclusion criteria. Overall morbidity as a result of adverse events of EUS‐FNA was 2.66% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84–3.62%), and the associated mortality was 0.19% (95% CI: 0.09–0.32%). Common post‐procedure adverse events included pancreatitis 0.92% (95% CI: 0.63–1.28%), hemorrhage 0.69% (95% CI: 0.42–1.02%), pain 0.49% (95% CI: 0.27–0.79%), infection 0.44% (95% CI: 0.27–0.66%), desaturation 0.23% (95% CI: 0.12–0.38%) and perforation 0.21% (95% CI: 0.11–0.36%). There was no peritoneal seeding in our study. Incidence of adverse events associated with prophylactic periprocedural antibiotic use was 2.77% (95% CI: 1.87–3.85%).

Conclusions

EUS‐FNA is a safe procedure for diagnosis of PCL and is associated with a relatively low incidence of adverse events. Most adverse events were mild, self‐limiting, and did not require medical intervention.
The Impact of Social Safety Net Programs on Household Savings in Colombia
Authors: Tovar Jorge , Urrutia Miguel
Published: February 2017

This paper seeks to understand and quantify how social safety net programs impact household savings in developing countries, considering the case of Colombia using two complementary approaches. The first approach explores how the health regime affects savings in the country. The second evaluates the impact on savings offamilias en acción, a major antipoverty conditional cash transfer program. The results suggest that the savings of informal households are higher than those of formal households, because, with little incentive to enter the formal job market, informal households need to cover slightly greater non‐covered risks. The results also show thatfamilias en acciónrecipients save more than non‐recipients because recipients favorably adjust their expenditure patterns.
Healthcare resource utilization and related financial costs associated with glucose lowering with either exenatide or basal insulin: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Holden Sarah E. , Morgan Christopher Ll. , Qiao Qing , Jenkins‐Jones Sara , Berni Ellen R. , Currie Craig J.
Published: February 2017

Aims

Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem placing increasing demands on healthcare systems. Our objective was to estimate healthcare resource use and related financial costs following treatment with exenatide‐based regimens prescribed as once‐weekly (EQW) or twice‐daily (EBID) formulations, compared with regimens based on basal insulin (BI).

Materials and methods

This retrospective cohort study used data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) linked to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). Patients with type 2 diabetes who received exenatide or BI between 2009 and 2014 as their first recorded exposure to injectable therapy were selected. Costs were attributed to primary care contacts, diabetes‐related prescriptions and inpatient admissions using standard UK healthcare costing methods (2014 prices). Frequency and costs were compared between cohorts before and after matching by propensity score using Poisson regression.

Results

Groups of 8723, 218 and 2180 patients receiving BI, EQW and EBID, respectively, were identified; 188 and 1486 patients receiving EQW and EBID, respectively, were matched 1:1 to patients receiving BI by propensity score. Among unmatched cohorts, total crude mean costs per patient‐year were £2765 for EQW, £2549 for EBID and £4080 for BI. Compared with BI, the adjusted annual cost ratio (aACR) was 0.92 (95% CI, 0.91‐0.92) for EQW and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.82‐0.82) for EBID. Corresponding costs for the propensity‐matched subgroups were £2646 vs £3283 (aACR, 0.80, 0.80‐0.81) for EQW vs BI and £2532 vs £3070 (aACR, 0.84, 0.84‐0.84) for EBID vs BI.

Conclusion

Overall, exenatide once‐weekly and twice‐daily‐based regimens were associated with reduced healthcare resource use and costs compared with basal‐insulin‐based regimens.
Visual appearance of a virtual upper limb modulates the temperature of the real hand: a thermal imaging study in Immersive Virtual Reality
Authors: Tieri Gaetano , Gioia Annamaria , Scandola Michele , Pavone Enea F. , Aglioti Salvatore M.
Published: February 2017

To explore the link between Sense of Embodiment (SoE) over a virtual hand and physiological regulation of skin temperature, 24 healthy participants were immersed in virtual reality through a Head Mounted Display and had their real limb temperature recorded by means of a high‐sensitivity infrared camera. Participants observed a virtual right upper limb (appearing either normally, or with the hand detached from the forearm) or limb‐shaped non‐corporeal control objects (continuous or discontinuous wooden blocks) from a first‐person perspective. Subjective ratings of SoE were collected in each observation condition, as well as temperatures of the right and left hand, wrist and forearm. The observation of these complex, body and body‐related virtual scenes resulted in increased real hand temperature when compared to a baseline condition in which a 3d virtual ball was presented. Crucially, observation of non‐natural appearances of the virtual limb (discontinuous limb) and limb‐shaped non‐corporeal objects elicited high increase in real hand temperature and low SoE. In contrast, observation of the full virtual limb caused high SoE and low temperature changes in the real hand with respect to the other conditions. Interestingly, the temperature difference across the different conditions occurred according to a topographic rule that included both hands. Our study sheds new light on the role of an external hand's visual appearance and suggests a tight link between higher‐order bodily self‐representations and topographic regulation of skin temperature.
Genetic risk factors for cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease: a review of the literature
Authors: Fagan E. S. , Pihlstrøm L.
Published: February 2017

Parkinson's disease is a highly heterogeneous disorder, where genetic factors are likely to contribute to clinical variability, including susceptibility to cognitive impairment and dementia. Monogenic forms of parkinsonism show distinct cognitive profiles, yet less is known about the impact of common genetic variants on cognition in sporadic Parkinson's disease. In a systematic review of the literature, the current results from genetic association studies of cognitive outcomes are summarized and prospects and challenges for future studies are discussed. Literature searches of the PubMed database were performed and studies using statistical methods to assess associations between genetic variation and any cognitive outcome in Parkinson's disease patients were included. For each of the candidate loci investigated in several studies, the current evidence is summarized and discussed. Sixty‐one articles meeting our inclusion criteria were identified, which were highly heterogeneous with respect to study design, size and cognitive outcome measures. GBA mutations have a negative impact on cognition, whereas LRRK2‐associated disease may have a milder cognitive phenotype than idiopathic Parkinson's disease. For common variants, reported results are partly conflicting, even across the larger studies, with some evidence to suggest a potential effect of APOE, MAPT, COMT and SNCA on cognitive outcomes. Future investigations should aim to collect high‐quality cognitive data in a standardized way that allows for direct comparison across studies and large‐scale meta‐analysis. Linking genetic profiles to cognitive outcomes may have an important clinical impact, facilitating the stratification of patients for clinical trials and, ultimately, individualized treatment in Parkinson's disease.
Effect of organizational features on patient satisfaction with care in Italian multiple sclerosis centres
Authors: Mattarozzi K. , Baldin E. , Zenesini C. , Solari A. , Amato M. P. , Leone M. , Mancardi G. , Martinelli V. , Savettieri G. , Solaro C. , Tola M. R. , D'Alessandro R. ,   the Agorà Study Group
Published: February 2017

Background and purpose

Receiving clear, complete and up‐to‐date information and having a satisfying relationship with the health professional (HP) are of primary importance for MS patients. Healthcare organization plays a key role in promoting an effective relationship and communication between patients and HPs. The present study aims to explore which care organization and service characteristics provided by Italian MS centres best predict patients’ satisfaction with healthcare.

Methods

Eighty‐one centres and 707 patients (502 women, mean age 40.5 years, SD 10.2; mean education 12.2 years, SD 3.6; time since diagnosis 5.9 years, SD 1.5) were included in the analysis. The care organization and service provided by each centre were evaluated in comparison with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on management of MS. Patients’ satisfaction with care was measured using the patient self‐assessed questionnaire ‘Comunicazione medico‐paziente nella Sclerosi Multipla, revised’ section 2 (COSM‐R section 2).

Results

The clinical characteristics of patients significantly affected their satisfaction. A multivariate regression model showed that higher patients’ satisfaction (COSM‐R score) was inversely associated with hospital size (number of patients under care) (β = −0.21, 95% confidence interval −0.35; −0.07) and directly associated with psychological interventions (β = 2.44, 95% confidence interval 0.29; 4.59).

Conclusions

Multiple sclerosis patients from larger hospitals are less satisfied with the information received and the relationship with HPs. Building an individualized relationship between patients and HPs and tailoring the communication of information improve patients’ satisfaction. Such a goal is probably less likely to be accomplished in larger centres with many incoming patients. Moreover, when the centres also provide structured psychological interventions, the patients are more satisfied.
Information technology outsourcing relationship integration: a critical success factors study based on ranking problems (P.γ) and correlation analysis
Authors: de Carvalho Victor Diogho Heuer , Poleto Thiago , Seixas Ana Paula Cabral
Published: February 2017

Information technology (IT) outsourcing is an interesting alternative for companies that want to obtain certain benefits by delegating IT activities to a provider to keep their focus on their core activities. This outsourcing involves a process that begins with the provider selection, passing through a series of negotiations, and reaching the definition of a contract, which will guide and delimitate the execution of activities, the interaction, and the relationship between the involved parties. To ensure the success of this relationship, several factors under contractual and relational governances have been defined in the literature. This work aims to corroborate the importance of literature findings about contractual aspects and critical success factors by presenting a ranking and correlation analysis and emphasize that companies may use these factors as criteria to improve their outsourcing relationships by developing a partnership status. To meet this objective, we established the main aspects and factors based on the literature, resulting in specific sets. Then, a survey was conducted with outsourcers and providers in the Recife's IT pole (Pernambuco, Brazil) to collect data and determine the relative importance and correlations between the elements of these sets using a methodology based on ranking problems (P.γ) and nonparametrical correlation analysis.
Functional reconstitution of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis long‐chain acyl‐CoA carboxylase from multiple acyl‐CoA subunits
Authors: Bazet Lyonnet Bernardo , Diacovich Lautaro , Gago Gabriela , Spina Lucie , Bardou Fabienne , Lemassu Anne , Quémard Annaïk , Gramajo Hugo
Published: February 2017

Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces a large number of structurally diverse lipids that have been implicated in the pathogenicity, persistence and antibiotic resistance of this organism. Most building blocks involved in the biosynthesis of all these lipids are generated by acyl‐CoA carboxylases whose subunit composition and physiological roles have not yet been clearly established. Inconclusive data in the literature refer to the exact protein composition and substrate specificity of the enzyme complex that produces the long‐chain α‐carboxy‐acyl‐CoAs, which are substrates involved in the last step of condensation mediated by the polyketide synthase 13 to synthesize mature mycolic acids. Here we have successfully reconstituted the long‐chain acyl‐CoA carboxylase (LCC) complex from its purified components, the α subunit (AccA3), the ε subunit (AccE5) and the two β subunits (AccD4 and AccD5), and demonstrated that the four subunits are essential for its activity. Furthermore, we also showed by substrate competition experiments and the use of a specific inhibitor that the AccD5 subunit's role in the carboxylation of the long acyl‐CoAs, as part of the LCC complex, was structural rather than catalytic. Moreover, AccD5 was also able to carboxylate its natural substrates, acetyl‐CoA and propionyl‐CoA, in the context of the LCC enzyme complex. Thus, the supercomplex formed by these four subunits has the potential to generate the main substrates, malonyl‐CoA, methylmalonyl‐CoA and α‐carboxy‐C24–26‐CoA, used as condensing units for the biosynthesis of all the lipids present in this pathogen.
Mean stress and ratcheting corrections in fatigue life prediction of metals
Authors: Zhu S. P. , Lei Q. , Wang Q. Y.
Published: February 2017

Ratcheting occurs easily because of the presence of mean stress during the stress‐control fatigue of engineering components. For ductility exhaustion dominated fatigue failure, a new fatigue life prediction model is developed by introducing the mean ratcheting strain rate to incorporate the effects of ratcheting and mean stress on fatigue life. The prediction accuracy of the proposed model was compared with that of the generalised damage parameter, Xia–Kujawski–Ellyin, Walker and Goswami models. Specifically, the model predictions and tested lives were compared using nine sets of experimental data from the literature. In the statistical analysis of these five models, the proposed model provides the highest accuracy and robust life predictions with the lowest model prediction errors.
Long‐term effects of climate change on carbon storage and tree species composition in a dry deciduous forest
Authors: Fekete István , Lajtha Kate , Kotroczó Zsolt , Várbíró Gábor , Varga Csaba , Tóth János Attila , Demeter Ibolya , Veperdi Gábor , Berki Imre
Published: February 2017

Forest vegetation and soils have been suggested as potentially important sinks for carbon (C) with appropriate management and thus are implicated as effective tools in stabilizing climate even with increasing anthropogenic release ofCO2. Drought, however, which is often predicted to increase in models of future climate change, may limit net primary productio (NPP) of dry forest types, with unknown effects on soil C storage. We studied C dynamics of a deciduous temperate forest of Hungary that has been subject to significant decreases in precipitation and increases in temperature in recent decades. We resampled plots that were established in 1972 and repeated the full C inventory by analyzing more than 4 decades of data on the number of living trees, biomass of trees and shrubs, and soil C content. Our analyses show that the decline in number and biomass of oaks started around the end of the 1970s with a 71% reduction in the number of sessile oak stems by 2014. Projected growth in this forest, based on the yield table's data for Hungary, was 4.6 kg C/m2. Although new species emerged, this new growth and small increases in oak biomass resulted in only 1.9 kg C/m2increase over 41 years. The death of oaks increased inputs of coarse woody debris to the surface of the soil, much of which is still identifiable, and caused an increase of 15.5%, or 2.6 kg C/m2, in the top 1 m of soil. Stability of this fresh organic matter input to surface soil is unknown, but is likely to be low based on the results of a colocated woody litter decomposition study. The effects of a warmer and drier climate on the C balance of forests in this region will be felt for decades to come as woody litter inputs decay, and forest growth remains impeded.
Molecular diagnosis of von Willebrand disease
Authors: Baronciani L. , Goodeve A. , Peyvandi F.
Published: February 2017

The role of molecular characterization in the diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD) is not essential if the patients have been extensively investigated using phenotypic analysis. On the other hand, if some of these phenotype assays are not available, the identification of the mutation causing the disease could be crucial for an accurate diagnosis. Nevertheless, there are several reasons for performing molecular analysis in patients phenotypically well characterized, e.g. to identify the mutation causing VWD can be useful for patients and their family members when prenatal diagnosis is required (type 3 or severe type 2). In this manuscript, we report the techniques used for the molecular characterization of suspected VWD patients. We describe the use of online von Willebrand factor database and online single nucleotide variation databases, the former to verify whether a candidate mutation has been previously identified in other VWD patients and the latter to ascertain whether a putative mutation has been reported earlier in healthy individuals. We listed the available in silico analysis tools, to determine the predicted pathogenicity of a sequence variant and to establish its possible negative effect on the normal splicing process. We also report the strategy that can be used to identify VWD type 2 patients' mutations in subjects who have been fully characterized using the phenotype assays.