bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intervention for supervisors, based on social skills and leadership, in order to improve organizational climate perception and organizational performance outcomes
Authors: Cuadra-Peralta Alejandro Adrian , Veloso-Besio Constanza , Iribaren Jose , Pinto Rodrigo
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Interventions to develop leadership have attracted the interest of both the professional world and academia. The latter through review papers has highlighted the need to incorporate organizational performance outcomes when evaluating the effectiveness of programs for leadership development, because they have been particularly scarce. Keeping this in mind, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at direct supervisors, on the basis of social skills and transformational/transactional leadership, in order to improve organizational climate (OC) perception and objective outcomes of organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used, with no quasi-control group. Intervention was applied to all direct supervisors (n=8) of a private company in the industrial sector, with national implementation. The intervention covered a period of two months, with a total of eight sessions. The frequency of the intervention was a weekly session of 90 minutes each. The impact was measured in their direct subordinates (n=34). The outcome variables were OC perception and various indicators of organizational performance.

Findings

The results showed a statistically significant increase, moderate-to-high magnitude (dMR=0.38-1.21), in most sub-dimensions of OC. The various organizational performance indicators (e.g. volume of sales, positioning of the company, etc.) also showed improvements.

Practical implications

Results suggest that the authors’ intervention program, based on social skills and leadership, aimed to develop leadership, has an effect on organizational efficacy outcomes, such as OC perception and organizational performance. The implications of this study’s findings for HR managers are that there is a direct relation between improvement in outcomes associated with organizational effectiveness and the training of direct supervisors; this is because the leadership in the levels that deal directly with workers is responsible for carrying out the main tasks of the organization.

Originality/value

The overall objective of this research was to analyze the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at direct supervisors, on the basis of social skills and transformational/transactional leadership, in order to improve OC perception and objective outcomes of organizational performance.
Bottom-up learning, strategic flexibility and strategic change
Authors: Yi Yaqun , Gu Meng , Wei Zelong
Published: April 2017

Purpose

How do firms make effective strategic change when competitive advantage deteriorates fast in a dynamic environment? Based on information-processing theory and organizational inertia theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how bottom-up learning affects the speed and magnitude of strategic change and if these relationships are contingent on strategic flexibility.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data of 213 firms in China, the authors conduct an empirical test of hypotheses through a stepwise multivariate regression approach.

Findings

The empirical study suggests that resource flexibility weakens the positive relationship between bottom-up learning and the speed of strategic change while strengthens the impact of bottom-up learning on the magnitude of strategic change. In addition, coordination flexibility strengthens the positive impact of bottom-up learning on the speed and magnitude of strategic change.

Originality/value

The findings not only provide a more nuanced and in-depth understanding of strategic change, but also offer strong guidance for firms on how to make better use of strategic flexibility in order to benefit from bottom-up learning.
The role of descriptive social norms, organisational norms and personal norms in explaining solid waste management behaviours in workplaces
Authors: Janmaimool Piyapong
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Waste management behaviours (WMBs) play an important role in minimising metropolitan solid waste generation and reducing the environmental impacts caused by waste disposal. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of social norms, organisational norms and personal norms in explaining individuals’ engagement in WMBs, which include waste avoidance, green purchasing, reusing and recycling and waste disposal.

Design/methodology/approach

The metropolitan city of Bangkok, Thailand was selected as a case study – it faces waste management problems caused by a massive increase in waste over the past decade. This study distributed questionnaires to 193 public and private officers residing in the city of Bangkok. Path analyses and a multiple regression analysis were performed to test the effect of each norm and the association of various norms on individuals’ engagement in WMBs.

Findings

The results revealed that organisational norms had the strongest effect (both direct and indirect) on WMBs. Personal norms also had a direct effect on WMBs. In contrast, social norms did not directly influence WMBs; however, they did have an indirect effect on WMBs through organisational norms.

Practical implications

This study suggests that the role of organisational norms should be heavily emphasised in promoting the WMBs of public and private officers.

Originality/value

This study found that the role of organisational norms is the most significant factor influencing WMBs in workplaces. In addition, both provincial and subjective environmental norms in organisations significantly affect WMBs. They should be enhanced in order to promote WMBs in organisations.
Knowledge motives in the cross-border acquisitions
Authors: Mazon Gisele , Moreira-da-Silva Fernando , Ferreira Manuel Portugal , Serra Fernando Ribeiro
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This qualitative study, which is based on multiple cases, aims to analyze the pattern of acquisitions by Brazilian multinationals, such as Gerdau in the steel industry, Petrobrás in the oil and gas industry and Vale in the mining industry, to infer the likely knowledge motivations underlying the acquisitions of these firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The analyses of the three cases, with secondary data collected for the period from 2003 to 2007, classify the acquisitions according to the extent of the exploration or exploitation of resources and in two dimensions: business knowledge and location knowledge, in accordance with Ferreira’s (2005) model based on March (1991) and Chandler (1962).

Findings

The findings showed that the acquisitions by Gerdau, Petrobrás and Vale favored the exploitation of their resources and capabilities developed in the home market more than the exploration of new resources and capabilities. Regarding the ownership acquired, this study failed to observe the likely expected pattern of acquiring a majority stake for sustaining an exploitation strategy or a minority stake for sustaining an exploration strategy.

Originality/value

This study makes three contributions. First, the need to analyze the potential gains of new knowledge acquisition in domestic and cross-border expansion. Second, considering the opportunity to explore new resources and knowledge even for firms in commodity industries. Third, considering how the equity held is a structural solution that needs to be adjusted to the knowledge strategy.
Task-oriented work characteristics, self-efficacy, and service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior
Authors: Kao Rui-Hsin
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Border management, barring illegal foreign workers, and immigrant counseling are three major functions of the National Immigration Agency (NIA) of Taiwan. These functions are composed of traditional “job” as well as social “work” characteristics. In other words, these functions have shifted from a “position”-based job design to an “overall operation”-based work design that incorporates environmental and situational factors. The purpose of this paper is to examine frontline immigration workers in Taiwan in order to determine how the motivational (task-oriented) and social work (social-oriented) characteristics (SWCs) of the immigration work design model influence immigration workers’ organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected 312 questionnaires, of which 304 were valid, with 230 completed by men and 74 by women.

Findings

The results revealed that SWCs and collective efficacy at the group level had significantly positive effects on collective efficacy and service-oriented OCB, respectively. Task-oriented work characteristics had positive effects on self-efficacy and thus on individual level service-oriented OCB, and self-efficacy also had positive effects on individual service-oriented OCB. Both SWCs and collective efficacy had a contextual effect on individual-level outcome variables. Furthermore, the combination of SWCs with self-efficacy had cross-level effects on individuals’ service-oriented OCB.

Originality/value

These findings can enhance people’s understanding of how the social and motivational power of work characteristics can encourage employees to exhibit service-oriented OCB. This implies that the NIA can stimulate individual self-motivation and affect group-level efficacy and service-oriented OCB through the environmental context and social relationship characteristics of border affairs brigades (branches).
Financial performance and risk behavior of gender-diversified boards in the Chinese automotive industry
Authors: Horak Sven , Cui Jingjing
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Recent legislation in Europe and North America encourages women’s participation in corporate boards based on the belief that gender-diversified boards contribute positively to firm performance and increased competitiveness. Contrary to the West, the women’s participation rate in business has been traditionally high in China. The purpose of this paper is to find out whether gender-diverse corporate boards of Chinese automotive firms perform better financially than gender-homogeneous boards.

Design/methodology/approach

By drawing on data from the Chinese Government and Bloomberg, the authors compare and analyze the differences in financial performance (return on equity, asset growth, sales growth) and risk behavior (debt risk, R&D expenditure) of Chinese automotive firms with and without women on their corporate board.

Findings

There is significant evidence that firms with women on the board perform better across all three categories, with the exception of return on equity, for which they found no significant differences among the analyzed firms.

Practical implications

While women’s participation in corporate boards in China is low, the results of this study suggest to policy makers and firms alike to implement measures that support gender-diversified boards in order to take advantage of their potential to increase corporate performance.

Originality/value

So far, the performance of corporate boards of countries with a traditionally high share of female participation in the workforce has rarely been analyzed. Research focusing on the Chinese automotive industry is new and underrepresented, although China is the largest automotive market worldwide and a key industry of the domestic economy. This investigation contributes to the literature stream on board diversity in as well as to industry-related studies. With the example of the Chinese automotive industry, it provides empirical evidence of better performance of firms with gender-diversified boards within the categories tested.
Individual and organizational support
Authors: Brunetto Yvonne , Teo Stephen T.T. , Farr-Wharton Rodney , Shacklock Kate , Shriberg Art
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether management supports police officers adequately, or whether police have to rely on their individual attributes, specifically psychological capital (PsyCap), to cope with red tape and stress. Work outcomes/consequences examined were discretionary power, affective commitment and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional design using a survey-based, self-report strategy was used to collect data from 588 police officers from USA, who are most engaged with the public. The data were analysed using AMOS and a structural model to undertake structural equation modelling.

Findings

Two significant paths were identified Path 1: management support to red tape to discretionary power to affective commitment and turnover intentions; and Path 2: supervisor relationships to PsyCap to stress to affective commitment and turnover intentions. Further, management support predicted PsyCap, red tape and police stressors. Red tape increased police stressors and turnover intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The use of self-report surveys is a limitation, causing common methods bias. Using Harmon’s one-factorpost hoctest, the authors were able to provide some assurance that common method bias was of no major concern.

Originality/value

As far as is known, this study is the first to examine, for police officers, how PsyCap impacts upon negative factors (stress and red tape) and enhances positive drivers for employees. Examining the impact of an individual attribute – PsyCap – provides an important piece of the organizational puzzle in explaining the commitment and turnover intentions of police officers. By examining the impact of both organizational and individual factors, there is now more knowledge about the antecedents of police outcomes.
Dispersal and establishment limitation slows plant community recovery in post‐agricultural longleaf pine savannas
Authors: Turley Nash E. , Orrock John L. , Ledvina Joseph A. , Brudvig Lars A.
Published: April 2017

Abandoned agricultural lands often have distinct plant communities from areas with no history of agriculture because plant species fail to recolonize. This may be due to dispersal limitation from a lack of seeds, or establishment limitation because of unsuitable environmental conditions. However, few experiments have directly tested how restoration activities may overcome these limitations.

We studied longleaf pine savannas in South Carolina abandoned from agriculture >60 years ago that were immediately adjacent to remnant habitats (areas with no history of agriculture). Using 27 sites, we conducted a factorial experiment that sowed seeds of 12 species indicative of remnant communities and conducted restoration thinning of overstorey trees in half of 126, 1‐ha patches to mimic canopy density of natural savannas. We also established vegetation transects to examine if restoration promotes spread of remnant species into post‐agricultural areas.

We found strong evidence for dispersal limitation in post‐agricultural areas as over 99% of the occurrences of our focal species were in seed addition plots. Seed additions increased total species richness by 27%.

Restoration thinning increased establishment in seed addition plots (measured as richness of sown species) by 126% and increased total richness by 88%. Restoration thinning also increased seed production in remnant habitats by an average of 6506% across our focal species. However, after 4 years, restoration thinning did not facilitate the natural spread of remnant species into adjacent post‐agricultural sites.

Synthesis and applications. We show that both dispersal and establishment limitation are key factors causing some plant species to be absent from post‐agricultural sites. Dense canopy conditions limit seed production in remnant habitats and reduce establishment in post agricultural areas. Restoration thinning helps overcome these limitations and should facilitate the natural spread of species from remnant habitats but natural recovery may still be slow. Our results suggest that accelerating the recovery of post‐agricultural habitats will require active restoration that reduces dispersal limitation (seed additions) and reinstates appropriate ecological conditions.
Auckland regional emergency medicine trainee mentoring uptake survey
Authors: Nicholls Gordon Michael (Mike) , Lawrey Emma , Jones Peter
Published: April 2017

Objective

The primary objective of this study is to quantify how many Auckland region emergency medicine (EM) trainees would like a formal mentoring programme. The secondary objectives were to quantify how many Auckland region EM trainees would like to participate in a formal mentoring programme; to determine trainees’ current understanding of mentoring; how trainees prefer mentors to be allocated; why trainees may want a mentor; what mentees perceive would be good qualities in a mentor; and trainees’ prior experience with mentoring.

Methods

Online survey of EM trainees in the Auckland region in June 2015.

Results

Of 61 potential respondents, 40 (65.6%) respondents replied to the survey. Of the 40, 38 (95%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 82.6–99.5) respondents indicated they would like some form of mentoring system, and of the 38, 25 (65.8%; 95% CI 49.8–78.9) preferred this to be formal. Of the 38, 19 (50%; 95% CI 34.9–65.2) currently wanted assistance obtaining a mentor. Of the 40, 30 (75%; 95% CI 59.6–86.0) are not currently in any form of mentoring relationship. Respondents believed that mentors would be most beneficial in critical incidents, career development and with work/life balance. The attributes participants considered most important in a mentor were respecting confidentiality, being honest and the ability to provide constructive feedback.

Conclusions

Many EM trainees in Auckland want a formal mentoring system and would like a mentor. Appropriate mentor–mentee matching through a formalised voluntary system, with adequate mentor training, may enable the Auckland region to develop a suitable mentoring programme for EM trainees.
An Open Source GIS‐Based Decision Support System for Watershed Evaluation of Best Management Practices
Authors: Shao Hui , Yang Wanhong , Lindsay John , Liu Yongbo , Yu Zhiqiang , Oginskyy Anatoliy
Published: April 2017

Economic costs, water quantity/quality benefits, and cost effectiveness of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) at a watershed scale are increasingly examined using integrated economic‐hydrologic models. However, these models are typically complex and not user‐friendly for examining the effects of various BMP scenarios. In this study, an open source geographic information system (GIS)‐based decision support system (DSS), named the watershed evaluation of BMPs (WEBs), was developed for creating BMP scenarios and simulating economic costs and water quantity/quality benefits at farm field, subbasin, and watershed scales. This DSS or WEBs interface integrated a farm economic model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and an optimization model within Whitebox Geospatial Analysis Tools (GAT), an open source GIS software. The DSS was applied to the 14.3‐km2 Gully Creek watershed, a coastal watershed in southern Ontario, Canada that drains directly into Lake Huron. BMPs that were evaluated included conservation tillage, nutrient management, cover crop, and water and sediment control basins. In addition to assessing economic costs, water quantity/quality benefits, and cost effectiveness of BMPs, the DSS can be also used to examine prioritized BMP types/locations and corresponding economic and water quantity/quality tradeoffs in the study watershed based on environmental targets or budget constraints. Further developments of the DSS including interface transfer to other watersheds are also discussed. Editor's note: This paper is part of the featured series on SWAT Applications for Emerging Hydrologic and Water Quality Challenges. See the February 2017 issue for the introduction and background to the series.
Draft genomes of the corallimorpharians Amplexidiscus fenestrafer and Discosoma sp.
Authors: Wang Xin , Liew Yi Jin , Li Yong , Zoccola Didier , Tambutte Sylvie , Aranda Manuel
Published: April 2017

Corallimorpharia are the closest noncalcifying relatives of reef‐building corals. Aside from their popularity among aquarium hobbyists, their evolutionary position between the Actiniaria (sea anemones) and the Scleractinia (hard corals) makes them ideal candidates for comparative studies aiming at understanding the evolution of hexacorallian orders in general and reef‐building corals in particular. Here we have sequenced and assembled two draft genomes for the Corallimorpharia species Amplexidiscus fenestrafer and Discosoma sp. The draft genomes encompass 370 and 445 Mbp, respectively, and encode for 21,372 and 23,199 genes. To facilitate future studies using these resources, we provide annotations for the predicted gene models—not only at gene level, by annotating gene models with the function of the best‐matching homologue, and GO terms when available; but also at protein domain level, where gene function can be better verified through the conservation of the sequence and order of protein domains. Further, we provide an online platform (http://corallimorpharia.reefgenomics.org), which includes a blast interface and a genome browser to facilitate the use of these resources. We believe that these two genomes are important resources for future studies on hexacorallian systematics and the evolutionary basis of their specific traits such as the symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium or the evolution of calcification in reef‐building corals.
Influence of Tanshinone IIA on apoptosis of human esophageal carcinoma Eca‐109 cells and its molecular mechanism
Authors: Zhang Yan , Li Shan , He Hang , Han Qianqian , Wang Baiyan , Zhu Yanqin
Published: April 2017

Background

Previous studies have shown that Tanshinone (Tan) IIA exerts obvious antitumor efficacy; however, its molecular mechanism remains unclear. This study was conducted to identify the influence of Tan IIA on Eca‐109 cell apoptosis, explore its molecular mechanism, and provide a theoretical basis for clinical application.

Methods

Eca‐109 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with different concentrations of Tan IIA. Morphologic changes were viewed under inverted fluorescence microscope with dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining assay. Methyl‐thiazolyl‐tetrazolium and Annexin V propidium iodide assays were respectively used to measure cell viability and apoptosis rate. The protein and messenger (m)RNA expression of binding immunoglobulin protein (BIP), mitochondrial cytochrome c (CytC), and caspase‐9 were detected by Western blot and quantitative real‐time PCR, respectively.

Results

Cell viability decreased and the apoptosis rate significantly increased with increasing concentrations of Tan IIA (0, 20, 40, 60 μg/mL), which indicated that Tan IIA inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of Eca‐109 cells in a dose‐dependent manner. Eca‐109 cells treated with 60 μg/mLTan IIA showed typical morphological changes of apoptosis under the inverted microscope. Moreover, compared with the negative control group, protein and mRNA expression of BIP decreased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas protein and mRNA expression of CytC and caspase‐9 increased significantly (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Tan IIA can induce apoptosis in human esophageal carcinoma Eca‐109 cells by regulating BIP, CytC, and caspase‐9 expression. Endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial‐dependent may be involved in Tan IIA‐induced Eca‐109 cell apoptosis.
Weight gain with add‐on second‐generation antipsychotics in bipolar disorder: a naturalistic study
Authors: Najar H. , Joas E. , Kardell M. , Pålsson E. , Landén M.
Published: April 2017

Objective

Our aim was to investigate the prevalence and magnitude of weight gain in‐patients with bipolar disorder when treated with a second‐generation antipsychotic as an add‐on treatment to a mood stabilizer in routine clinical practice.

Methods

Data were derived from the quality register for bipolar disorder in Sweden (BipoläR). Patients with bipolar disorder who started add‐on treatment with a SGA (n = 575) were compared at next yearly follow‐up with age and sex matched patients who were only treated with a mood stabilizer (n = 566). The primary outcome measure was change in body weight and body mass index (BMI). We also assessed the prevalence of clinically significant weight gain defined as ≥7% gain in body weight.

Results

The group that received add‐on treatment with antipsychotics neither gained more weight nor were at higher risk for a clinically significant weight gain than the reference group. Instead, factors associated with clinically significant weight gain were female sex, young age, low‐baseline BMI, and occurrence of manic/hypomanic episodes.

Conclusion

We found no evidence of an overall increased risk of weight gain for patients with bipolar disorder after receiving add‐on SGA to a mood stabilizer in a routine clinical setting.
Comorbidity of chronic spontaneous urticaria and autoimmune thyroid diseases: A systematic review
Authors: Kolkhir P. , Metz M. , Altrichter S. , Maurer M.
Published: April 2017

Patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) are widely held to often have other autoimmune disorders, including autoimmune thyroid disease. Here, we systematically evaluated the literature on the prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in CSU and vice versa. There is a strong link between CSU and elevated levels of IgG antithyroid autoantibodies (AAbs), with most of a large number of studies reporting rates of ≥10%. Levels of IgG against thyroid peroxidase (TPO) are more often elevated in CSU than those of other IgG antithyroid AAbs (strong evidence). Levels of IgG antithyroid AAbs are more often elevated in adult patients with CSU than in children (strong evidence). Patients with CSU exhibit significantly higher levels of IgG antithyroid AAbs (strong evidence) and IgE‐anti‐TPO (weak evidence) than controls. Elevated IgG antithyroid AAbs in CSU are linked to the use of glucocorticoids (weak evidence) but not to disease duration or severity/activity, gender, age, or ASST response (inconsistent evidence). Thyroid dysfunction rates are increased in patients with CSU (strong evidence). Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis are more common than hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease (strong evidence). Thyroid dysfunction is more common in adult patients with CSU than in children (strong evidence) and in female than in male patients with CSU (weak evidence). Urticaria including CSU is more prevalent in patients with thyroid autoimmunity than in controls (weak evidence). CSU can improve in response to treatment with levothyroxine or other thyroid drugs (strong evidence). Pathogenic mechanisms in CSU patients with thyroid autoimmunity may include IgE against autoantigens, immune complexes, and complement.
Transcriptome analysis of severely active chronic spontaneous urticaria shows an overall immunological skin involvement
Authors: Giménez‐Arnau A. , Curto‐Barredo L. , Nonell L. , Puigdecanet E. , Yelamos J. , Gimeno R. , Rüberg S. , Santamaria‐Babi L. , Pujol R.M.
Published: April 2017

Background

The knowledge about chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) phenotypes is based on its clinical characteristics, associated comorbidities, course of the disease, and its response to the available effective drugs. Genotype expression and its further correlation with CSU phenotypes are still unknown. We describe the cutaneous transcriptome of patients suffering a severely active CSU refractory to antihistamine treatment.

Methods

Through the bioinformatic analysis of the whole Human Genome with Oligo Microarrays and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), relevant genes expressed in nonlesional (NLS‐CSU) and lesional skin (LS‐CSU) and peripheral blood were identified in 20 patients suffering from severely active CSU and 10 healthy controls (HCs).

Results

From 39 genes differentially expressed in NLS‐CSU when compared with HCs, 31 (79.48%) were confirmed by qPCR corresponding to genes involved in epidermal homeostasis and dermal repair. From the analysis comparing LS‐CSU with NLS‐CSU, a selection of 142 genes was studied with qPCR, and 103 (72.53%) were confirmed. Differentially expressed genes in the phenomenon of wheal development are involved in a variety of biological functions as, epidermal differentiation, intracellular signal function, transcriptional factors cell cycle differentiation, inflammation, or coagulation. Differentially expressed genes that uniformly increase or decrease along the skin worsening until the wheal appearance is shown.

Conclusion

The skin of CSU patients with a severely active disease shows an overall immunological skin involvement showing a peculiar gene profile.
Clinical, functional and inflammatory characteristics in patients with paucigranulocytic stable asthma: Comparison with different sputum phenotypes
Authors: Ntontsi P. , Loukides S. , Bakakos P. , Kostikas K. , Papatheodorou G. , Papathanassiou E. , Hillas G. , Koulouris N. , Papiris S. , Papaioannou A. I.
Published: April 2017

Background

According to induced sputum cell count, four different asthma phenotypes have been recognized (eosinophilic, neutrophilic, mixed and paucigranulocytic). The aim of this study was to detect functional and inflammatory characteristics of patients with paucigranulocytic asthma.

Methods

A total of 240 asthmatic patients were categorized into the four phenotypes according to cell counts in induced sputum. All patients underwent pulmonary function tests, and measurement of fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). The levels ofIL‐8,IL‐13 and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) were also measured in sputum supernatant. Treatment, asthma control and the presence of severe refractory asthma (SRA) were also recorded.

Results

Patients were categorized into the four phenotypes as follows: eosinophilic (40%), mixed (6.7%), neutrophilic (5.4%) and paucigranulocytic (47.9%). Although asthma control test did not differ between groups (P=.288), patients with paucigranulocytic asthma had better lung function (FEV1% pred) [median (IQR): 71.5 (59.0‐88.75) vs 69.0 (59.0‐77.6) vs 68.0 (60.0‐85.5) vs 80.5 (69.7‐95.0),P=.009] for eosinophilic, mixed, neutrophilic and paucigranulocytic asthma, respectively,P=.009).SRAoccurred more frequently in the eosinophilic and mixed phenotype (41.6% and 43.7%, respectively) and less frequently in the neutrophilic and paucigranulocytic phenotype (25% and 21.7%, respectively,P=.01). FeNO,ECPandIL‐8 were all low in the paucigranulocytic, whereas as expected FeNO andECPwere higher in eosinophilic and mixed asthma, whileIL‐8 was higher in patients with neutrophilic and mixed asthma (P<.001 for all comparisons). Interestingly, 14.8% of patients with paucigranulocytic asthma had poor asthma control.

Conclusion

Paucigranulocytic asthma most likely represents a “benign” asthma phenotype, related to a good response to treatment, rather than a “true” phenotype of asthma. However, paucigranulocytic patients that remain not well controlled despite optimal treatment represent an asthmatic population that requires further study for potential novel targeted interventions.
Analysis of Multiple Diverse Phenotypes via Semiparametric Canonical Correlation Analysis
Authors: Agniel Denis , Cai Tianxi
Published: April 2017

Studying multiple outcomes simultaneously allows researchers to begin to identify underlying factors that affect all of a set of diseases (i.e., shared etiology) and what may give rise to differences in disorders between patients (i.e., disease subtypes). In this work, our goal is to build risk scores that are predictive of multiple phenotypes simultaneously and identify subpopulations at high risk of multiple phenotypes. Such analyses could yield insight into etiology or point to treatment and prevention strategies. The standard canonical correlation analysis (CCA) can be used to relate multiple continuous outcomes to multiple predictors. However, in order to capture the full complexity of a disorder, phenotypes may include a diverse range of data types, including binary, continuous, ordinal, and censored variables. When phenotypes are diverse in this way, standard CCA is not possible and no methods currently exist to model them jointly. In the presence of such complications, we propose a semi-parametric CCA method to develop risk scores that are predictive of multiple phenotypes. To guard against potential model mis-specification, we also propose a nonparametric calibration method to identify subgroups that are at high risk of multiple disorders. A resampling procedure is also developed to account for the variability in these estimates. Our method opens the door to synthesizing a wide array of data sources for the purposes of joint prediction.
Nano‐curcumin safely prevents streptozotocin‐induced inflammation and apoptosis in pancreatic beta cells for effective management of Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Ganugula Raghu , Arora Meenakshi , Jaisamut Patcharawalai , Wiwattanapatapee Ruedeekorn , Jørgensen Heather G , Venkatpurwar Vinod P , Zhou Beiyan , Rodrigues Hoffmann Aline , Basu Rita , Guo Shaodong , Majeti Naga Venkata Ravi Kumar
Published: April 2017

Background and Purpose

Approaches to prevent selective and progressive loss of insulin‐producing beta cells in Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) will help to manage this prevalent and devastating disease. Curcumin (CUR), a natural anti‐inflammatory substance, suppresses diabetes‐associated inflammation and cell death. However, very high doses need to be used because of poor oral bioavailability, making it difficult to translate the anti‐inflammatory actions to clinical situations.

Experimental Approach

We have prepared biodegradable nanosystems encapsulating curcumin (nCUR), resulting in at least nine‐fold improvement in oral bioavailability. Here, we tested the ability of nCUR to prevent streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced inflammation and apoptosis in pancreatic islets and beta cells, in rats.

Key Results

Non‐fasted rats pretreated with 10 or 50 mg·kg−1 nCUR 6 h prior to STZ challenge had up to 37% reduction in the glucose levels, while plain CUR (50 mg·kg−1) results in 12% reduction. This treatment with nCUR was accompanied by decreased islet or beta cell death, as shown by TUNEL assay and H&E staining. Both CUR and nCUR significantly decreased levels of inflammatory cytokines in pancreatic tissue homogenates that correlated well with minimal histiocytic infiltration. Pre‐treatment with nCUR, but not CUR, decreased 8‐oxo‐2′‐deoxyguanosine, a sensitive biomarker of ROS‐induced DNA damage, in pancreas. In normal rodents, daily dosing for 28 days, with nCUR (25‐100 mg·kg−1) did not cause any deleterious health issues by the carrier.

Conclusions and Implications

Together, these data indicate a potentially translatable dose of nCUR that is safe and efficacious in improving beta cell function, which could prevent T1DM.
Dietary salt blunts vasodilation by stimulating epithelial sodium channels in endothelial cells from salt‐sensitive Dahl rats
Authors: Wang Zi‐Rui , Liu Hui‐Bin , Sun Ying‐Ying , Hu Qing‐Qing , Li Yu‐Xia , Zheng Wei‐Wan , Yu Chang‐Jiang , Li Xin‐Yuan , Wu Ming‐Ming , Song Bin‐Lin , Mu Jian‐Jun , Yuan Zu‐Yi , Zhang Zhi‐Ren , Ma He‐Ping
Published: April 2017

Background and Purpose

Our recent studies show that the reduced activity of epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) in endothelial cells accounts for the adaptation of vasculature to salt in Sprague–Dawley rats. The present study examines a hypothesis that enhanced ENaC activity mediates the loss of vasorelaxation in Dahl salt‐sensitive (SS) rats.

Experimental Approach

We used the cell‐attached patch‐clamp technique to record ENaC activity in split‐open mesenteric arteries. Western blot and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the levels of aldosterone, ENaC, eNOS and NO. Blood pressure was measured with the tail‐cuff method and the artery relaxation was measured with the wire myograph assay.

Key Results

High‐salt (HS) diet significantly increased plasma aldosterone and ENaC activity in the endothelial cells of Dahl SS rats. The endothelium‐dependent artery relaxation was blunted by HS challenge in these rats. Amiloride, a potent blocker of ENaC, increased both phosphorylated eNOS and NO and therefore prevented the HS‐induced loss of vasorelaxation. As, in SS rats, endogenous aldosterone was already elevated by HS challenge, exogenous aldosterone did not further elevate ENaC activity in the rats fed with HS. Eplerenone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, attenuated the effects of HS on both ENaC activity and artery relaxation.

Conclusions and Implications

These data suggest that HS diet blunts artery relaxation and causes hypertension via a pathway associated with aldosterone‐dependent activation of ENaC in endothelial cells. This pathway provides one of the mechanisms by which HS causes hypertension in Dahl SS rats.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Spotlight on Small Molecules in Cardiovascular Diseases. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.8/issuetoc
Targeting inflammation to reduce cardiovascular disease risk: a realistic clinical prospect?
Authors: Welsh Paul , Grassia Gianluca , Botha Shani , Sattar Naveed , Maffia Pasquale
Published: April 2017

Data from basic science experiments is overwhelmingly supportive of the causal role of immune‐inflammatory response(s) at the core of atherosclerosis, and therefore, the theoretical potential to manipulate the inflammatory response to prevent cardiovascular events. However, extrapolation to humans requires care and we still lack definitive evidence to show that interfering in immune‐inflammatory processes may safely lessen clinical atherosclerosis. In this review, we discuss key therapeutic targets in the treatment of vascular inflammation, placing basic research in a wider clinical perspective, as well as identifying outstanding questions.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Targeting Inflammation to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk. To view the other articles in this section visithttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.22/issuetocandhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcp.v82.4/issuetoc
Rotavirus capsid VP6 tubular and spherical nanostructures act as local adjuvants when co-delivered with norovirus VLPs
Authors: Malm M , Heinimäki S , Vesikari T , Blazevic V
Published: April 2017

A subunit protein vaccine candidate based on norovirus (NoV) virus-like particles (VLPs) and rotavirus (RV) VP6 protein against acute childhood gastroenteritis has been proposed recently. RV VP6 forms different oligomeric nanostructures, including tubes and spheres when expressed in vitro, which are highly immunogenic in different animal models. We have shown recently that recombinant VP6 nanotubes have an adjuvant effect on immunogenicity of NoV VLPs in mice. In this study, we investigated if the adjuvant effect is dependent upon a VP6 dose or different VP6 structural assemblies. In addition, local and systemic adjuvant effects as well as requirements for antigen co-delivery and co-localization were studied. The magnitude and functionality of NoV GII.4-specific antibodies and T cell responses were tested in mice immunized with GII.4 VLPs alone or different combinations of VLPs and VP6. A VP6 dose-dependent adjuvant effect on GII.4-specific antibody responses was observed. The adjuvant effect was found to be strictly dependent upon co-administration of NoV GII.4 VLPs and VP6 at the same anatomic site and at the same time. However, the adjuvant effect was not dependent on the types of oligomers used, as both nanotubes and nanospheres exerted adjuvant effect on GII.4-specific antibody generation and, for the first time, T cell immunity. These findings elucidate the mechanisms of VP6 adjuvant effect in vivo and support its use as an adjuvant in a combination NoV and RV vaccine.
The influence of the emergence profile on the amount of undetected cement excess after delivery of cement‐retained implant reconstructions
Authors: Sancho‐Puchades M. , Crameri D. , Özcan M. , Sailer I. , Jung R. E. , Hämmerle C. H. F. , Thoma D. S.
Published: April 2017

Objective

To test whether or not one of two emergence profile designs (concave or convex) is superior to the other in terms of remaining cement following cementation of reconstructions on individualized abutments and careful cement removal.

Materials and methods

A central incisor with a single implant‐supported reconstruction was selected as a model. Six types of abutments (n = 10) with two different emergence profile designs (concave (CC) and convex (CV)) and three crown–abutment margin depths (epimucosal, 1.5 mm submucosal, 3 mm submucosal) were fabricated through a CAD/CAM procedure. Lithium disilicate reinforced ceramic crowns were cemented with chemically polymerized resin cement. A blinded investigator attempted to remove all cement excess. Thereafter, the entire reconstruction was unscrewed and analyzed for the overall amount and the depth of cement excess. Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests were used to investigate differences between groups. When more than two groups were compared between each other, a Bonferroni correction of the P value was performed.

Results

Concave abutments presented significantly more cement remnants than CV abutments when the entire abutment area of the epimucosal margin groups was evaluated (CC0 mm: mean 2.31 mm2 (SD 0.99) vs. CV0 mm: mean 1.57 mm2 (SD 0.55); P = 0.043). A statistically significant increase in remnants was detected when the crown–abutment margin was located more submucosally for every abutment studied (0 mm vs. 1.5 mm: P < 0.000, 0 mm vs 3 mm: P < 0.000, 1.5 mm vs. 3 mm: P < 0.000). The buccal quadrant demonstrated the least, whereas the oral and interdental quadrants showed the greatest amount of cement excess.

Conclusions

Concave emergence profile abutments and deep crown–abutment margin positions increased the risk of cement excess. Oral and interdental areas are more prone to cement remnants than other surface areas.
Mediterranean diet decreases adolescent waist circumference
Authors: Bacopoulou Flora , Landis Georgios , Rentoumis Anastasios , Tsitsika Artemis , Efthymiou Vasiliki
Published: April 2017

Background

To explore the effects of a multicomponent–multilevel school‐based educational intervention on the nutritional habits and abdominal obesity indices of a representative adolescent sample.

Materials and methods

A representative sample of 1610 adolescents aged 12–17 years in 23 public high schools of three municipalities in the Attica region in Greece participated in a programme funded by the European Union (August 2013–August 2014). Participants underwent dietary assessment with the use of the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index in children and adolescents (KIDMED), blood pressure (BP) assessment and screening for general and abdominal obesity by measuring body mass index, waist circumference (WC) and waist‐to‐height ratio (WHtR), at baseline and following a 6‐month school‐based intervention. The intervention involved nutritional education, physical activity and body image awareness using a multilevel approach to the adolescent participants, their parents, school teachers and health staff.

Results

Analysis included 1032 adolescents (mean age ± SD 14·1 ± 1·6 years). Following intervention, mean KIDMED score ± SD increased significantly from 5·6 ± 2·4 to 5·8 ± 2·4 (P = 0·004). Higher percentage of boys (P = 0·028) and younger adolescents (P < 0·001) had optimal KIDMED scores ≥ 8. Significant decreases were observed in overweight and obesity (P = 0·033), mean systolic (P = 0·049) and diastolic (P < 0·001) BP, WC (P < 0·001) and WHtR (P < 0·001). WC decreased as the KIDMED score increased (P = 0·020). Living with both parents (P = 0·036), higher maternal (P = 0·039) and paternal (P = 0·004) education and having a younger father (P = 0·034) were associated with better adherence to Mediterranean diet, post‐intervention.

Conclusions

Increased adherence to MD was associated with decreased WC, indicating a potential of multicomponent–multilevel school‐based interventions to combat adolescent abdominal obesity.
Finding the optimal dose of vitamin K1 to treat vitamin K deficiency and to avoid anaphylactoid reactions
Authors: Mi Yan‐ni , Ping Na‐na , Li Bo , Xiao Xue , Zhu Yan‐bing , Cao Lei , Ren Jian‐kang , Cao Yong‐xiao
Published: April 2017

Vitamin K1 injection induces severe dose‐related anaphylactoid reactions and overdose for the treatment of vitamin K deficiency. We aimed to find an optimal and small dose of vitamin K1 injection to treat vitamin K deficiency and avoid anaphylactoid reactions in animal. Rats were administered a vitamin K‐deficient diet and gentamicin to establish vitamin K deficiency model. Behaviour tests were performed in beagle dogs to observe anaphylactoid reactions. The results showed an increased protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II (PIVKA‐II) levels, a prolonging of prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and a decrease in vitamin K‐dependent coagulation factor (F) II, VII, IX and X activities in the model group. In vitamin K1 0.01 mg/kg group, the liver vitamin K1 levels increased fivefold and the liver vitamin K2 levels increased to the normal amount. Coagulation markers PT, APTT, FVII and FIX activities returned to normal. Both in the 0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg vitamin K1 groups, coagulation functions completely returned to normal. Moreover, the amount of liver vitamin K1 was 40 (0.1 mg/kg) or 100 (1.0 mg/kg) times as in normal. Vitamin K2 was about 4 (0.1 mg/kg) or 5 (1.0 mg/kg) times as the normal amount. There was no obvious anaphylactoid symptom in dogs with the dose of 0.03 mg/kg, which is equivalent to the dose of 0.01 mg/kg in rats. These results demonstrated that a small dose of vitamin K1 is effective to improve vitamin K deficiency and to prevent anaphylactoid reactions, simultaneously.
Changes in nutrient concentrations of leaves and roots in response to global change factors
Authors: Sardans Jordi , Grau Oriol , Chen Han Y. H. , Janssens Ivan A. , Ciais Philippe , Piao Shilong , Peñuelas Josep
Published: April 2017

Global change impacts on biogeochemical cycles have been widely studied, but our understanding of whether the responses of plant elemental composition to global change drivers differ between above‐ and belowground plant organs remains incomplete. We conducted a meta‐analysis of 201 reports including 1,687 observations of studies that have analyzed simultaneously N and P concentrations changes in leaves and roots in the same plants in response to drought, elevated [CO2], and N and P fertilization around the world, and contrasted the results within those obtained with a general database (838 reports and 14,772 observations) that analyzed the changes in N and P concentrations in leaves and/or roots of plants submitted to the commented global change drivers. At global level, elevated [CO2] decreased N concentrations in leaves and roots and decreased N:P ratio in roots but no in leaves, but was not related to P concentration changes. However, the response differed among vegetation types. In temperate forests, elevated [CO2] was related with lower N concentrations in leaves but not in roots, whereas in crops, the contrary patterns were observed. Elevated [CO2] decreased N concentrations in leaves and roots in tundra plants, whereas not clear relationships were observed in temperate grasslands. However, when elevated [CO2] and N fertilization coincided, leaves had lower N concentrations, whereas root had higher N concentrations suggesting that more nutrients will be allocated to roots to improve uptake of the soil resources not directly provided by the global change drivers. N fertilization and drought increased foliar and root N concentrations while the effects on P concentrations were less clear. The changes in N and P allocation to leaves and root, especially those occurring in opposite direction between them have the capacity to differentially affect above‐ and belowground ecosystem functions, such as litter mineralization and above‐ and belowground food webs.