bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Severe acute maternal morbidity trends in Victoria, 2001–2017
Authors: Duke Graeme J. , Maiden Matthew J. , Huning Emily Y. S. , Crozier Tim M. , Bilgrami Irma , Ghanpur Rashmi B.
Published: December 2019

Background

The incidence of severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) is one method of measuring the complexity of maternal health and monitoring maternal outcomes. Monitoring trends may provide a quantitative method for assessing health care at local, regional, or jurisdictional levels and identify issues for further investigation.

Aims

Identify temporal trends for SAMM event rates and maternal outcomes over 17 years in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Materials and Methods

All maternal public health service admissions were extracted from an administrative dataset from July 2000 to June 2017. SAMM‐related diagnoses were defined by matching as closely as possible with published definitions. Outcomes included annual SAMM event rates, hospital survival, and hospital length of stay (LOS). Temporal trends were analysed using mixed‐effects generalised linear models.

Results

There were 854 777 live births and 1.21 million pregnancy‐related hospital admissions which included 34 008 SAMM events in 29 273 records and in 3.42% (95%CI = 3.39–3.46) of births. Most common were severe pre‐eclampsia (0.87% of births), severe postpartum haemorrhage (0.59%), and sepsis (0.62%). SAMM‐related admissions were associated with longer LOS and higher mortality risk (P < 0.001). Maternal mortality ratio remained unchanged at 8.6 fatalities per 100 000 births (P = 0.65).

Conclusion

Over 17 years, there was a significant increase in birth rate and SAMM‐related events in Victoria. Administrative data may provide a pragmatic approach for monitoring SAMM‐related events in maternal health services.
Delays in prostate cancer care within a hospital network in Victoria, Australia
Authors: Qu Liang G. , Nzenza Tatenda , McMillan Kevin , Sengupta Shomik
Published: December 2019

Background

To characterize and identify interval delays for patients referred to a tertiary hospital with prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) elevation, as delays in prostate cancer diagnosis may result in worse outcomes.

Patients and methods

We retrospectively reviewed consecutive referrals to our urology unit for abnormal PSA assessments, over a 24‐month period. Demographics, PSA measurements, clinical staging, biopsy grade and treatment were recorded. Referral, review, biopsy and treatment intervals were calculated. Associations were analysed using Wilcoxon rank‐sum tests.

Results

Two hundred and thirty men were included, with median age 65 years and PSA 7.6 ng/mL at referral, of whom 197 (85.7%) men had cancer on biopsy. The median referral, review, biopsy and treatment intervals were 8.1 (range 0.1–109.9), 1.7 (0.1–19.4), 1.9 (0.0–31.5) and 1.9 (0.2–17.3) months respectively. One hundred and seven patients (56.6%) had more than one abnormal PSA prior to referral. Eighty‐five (60.7%) patients had referral delay ≥3 months, and were found to be: older (66 versus 63 years, P = 0.02), less likely to have family history (12 versus 24%, P = 0.07) and have a prior abnormal PSA (93 versus 0%, P < 0.0001). Treatment intervals ≥1 month occurred in 104 (70.3%) patients, associated with higher clinical stage (P = 0.0002) and biopsy grade (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Our results indicate frequent referral delays, which in some cases may be reflective of older age or a lower risk profile. However, treatment delays are associated with higher risk disease, possibly reflecting time needed for staging and treatment discussions. Further efforts are needed to optimize timely referral, investigation and treatment of men with elevated PSA.
Computed tomographic findings, surgical management and postoperative outcomes of large intermuscular lipomas in the hindlimb of 11 dogs
Authors: Crowley JD , Hosgood G , Crawford NV , Richardson JL
Published: December 2019

Objective

Lipomas are benign adipose tissue tumours of mesenchymal origin and can originate in various locations. Intermuscular lipomas in the thigh can cause substantial hindlimb expansion in the dog. We describe the computed tomography findings, surgical management and the outcomes of 11 dogs with large intermuscular lipomas of the hindlimb.

Design

Retrospective case series.

Methods

Medical records between 2009 and 2019 of dogs presenting to The Animal Hospital at Murdoch University were reviewed. Inclusion criteria included dogs with a histologically confirmed, large hindlimb lipoma that was surgically excised following preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging.

Results

CT with intravenous contrast revealed a well‐defined, smoothly marginated, fat attenuating mass with minimal vascularity, separating the muscle bellies of the caudal hindlimb. The mass was often in close proximity to the femoral artery and vein. All lipomas were marginally excised. At surgery, some lipomas were intimately associated with the sciatic nerve and some showed infiltration of, or attachment to, neighbouring muscle that could be excised en bloc with the lipoma. Postoperative closed‐suction wound drainage was used in 6 of 11 dogs. One dog required revision surgery due to partial wound dehiscence. Long‐term follow‐up with owners reported good postoperative function of the affected hindlimb in all dogs. One dog developed an infiltrative lipoma in the same location 22 months post‐excision.

Conclusion

Preoperative CT allowed a presumptive diagnosis of intermuscular lipoma and facilitated surgical planning for marginal excision. Large intermuscular lipomas of the hindlimb can be safely excised with minimal short‐term complications, good long‐term functional outcome and low likelihood of recurrence.
The impairment argument for the immorality of abortion revisited
Authors: Blackshaw Bruce P.
Published: December 2019

Perry Hendricks has recently presented the impairment argument for the immorality of abortion, to which I responded and he has now replied. The argument is based on the premise that impairing a fetus with fetal alcohol syndrome is immoral, and on the principle that if impairing an organism is immoral, impairing it to a higher degree is also—the impairment principle. If abortion impairs a fetus to a higher degree, then this principle entails abortion is immoral. In my reply, I argued that abortion does not impair an organism in the way fetal alcohol syndrome does, and showed that interest theorists can avoid the argument. Hendricks has responded to my criticisms by demonstrating how abortion does impair an organism. In this reply, I acknowledge Hendricks’ point, but proceed to criticize the application of the impairment principle to abortion, showing that it is invalid if we accept his explanation for why inflicting fetal alcohol syndrome is immoral. I also argue that counter‐examples show the impairment principle itself to be dubitable, concluding that the impairment argument remains unpersuasive.
What do patients want? Surgical informed‐consent and patient‐centered care – An augmented model of information disclosure
Authors: Gabay Gillie , Bokek‐Cohen Yaarit
Published: December 2019

The ideal moral standard for surgical informed‐consent calls upon surgeons to carry out a disclosure dialogue with patients so they have as full as possible an understanding of the procedure before they sign the informed‐consent form. This study is the first to empirically explore patient preferences regarding disclosure dialogue. Twelve Israelis who underwent life‐saving surgeries participated in a narrative study. Three themes emerged from the analysis: objectification of patients, anxiety provoking processes and information, and lack of information that was essential for patients. Findings contribute to existing debates among surgeons regarding the scope and importance of some disclosure components. Analysis led to our formulation of an augmented subjective model of information disclosure that participants prefer, which extends beyond the immediate present of the surgery to the period after discharge, and until return to routine. Surgeons should be aware of patient preferences in disclosure, and gaps between perceptions of surgeons, and preferences and needs of patients.
Censored linear regression in the presence or absence of auxiliary survival information
Authors: Sheng Ying , Sun Yifei , Deng Detian , Huang Chiung‐Yu
Published: December 2019

There has been a rising interest in better exploiting auxiliary summary information from large databases in the analysis of smaller‐scale studies that collect more comprehensive patient‐level information. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, we propose a novel approach to synthesize information from both the aggregate summary statistics and the individual‐level data in censored linear regression. We show that the auxiliary information amounts to a system of nonsmooth estimating equations and thus can be combined with the conventional weighted log‐rank estimating equations by using the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach. The proposed methodology can be further extended to account for the potential inconsistency in information from different sources. Second, in the absence of auxiliary information, we propose to improve estimation efficiency by combining the overidentified weighted log‐rank estimating equations with different weight functions via the GMM framework. To deal with the nonsmooth GMM‐type objective functions, we develop an asymptotics‐guided algorithm for parameter and variance estimation. We establish the asymptotic normality of the proposed GMM‐type estimators. Simulation studies show that the proposed estimators can yield substantial efficiency gain over the conventional weighted log‐rank estimators. The proposed methods are applied to a pancreatic cancer study for illustration.
Estimating overdispersion in sparse multinomial data
Authors: Afroz Farzana , Parry Matt , Fletcher David
Published: December 2019

Multinomial data arise in many areas of the life sciences, such as mark‐recapture studies and phylogenetics, and will often by overdispersed, with the variance being higher than predicted by a multinomial model. The quasi‐likelihood approach to modeling this overdispersion involves the assumption that the variance is proportional to that specified by the multinomial model. As this approach does not require specification of the full distribution of the response variable, it can be more robust than fitting a Dirichlet‐multinomial model or adding a random effect to the linear predictor. Estimation of the amount of overdispersion is often based on Pearson's statistic X2 or the deviance D. For many types of study, such as mark‐recapture, the data will be sparse. The estimator based on X2 can then be highly variable, and that based on D can have a large negative bias. We derive a new estimator, which has a smaller asymptotic variance than that based on X2, the difference being most marked for sparse data. We illustrate the numerical difference between the three estimators using a mark‐recapture study of swifts and compare their performance via a simulation study. The new estimator has the lowest root mean squared error across a range of scenarios, especially when the data are very sparse.
Improved breastfeeding duration with Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative implementation in a diverse and underserved population
Authors: Kivlighan Katie T. , Murray‐Krezan Cristina , Schwartz Thais , Shuster Geoff , Cox Kim
Published: December 2019

Background

Few studies have evaluated the impact of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) implementation on underserved populations in the United States. We undertook this study in New Mexico, a large southwestern state with a diverse population and limited health care access.

Methods

A quasi‐experimental, retrospective cohort design was used to compare short‐term breastfeeding duration between a pre‐BFHI and a post‐BFHI cohort. Among the post‐BFHI cohort, logistic regression models were fitted to predict short‐term breastfeeding duration from both individual and cumulative exposure to inpatient maternity care practices (Steps 4 to 9).

Results

Implementation of the BFHI and cumulative exposure to the Ten Steps increased short‐term duration of any breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding at 2‐6 weeks postpartum. Exposure to all six of the inpatient Ten Steps increased the odds of any breastfeeding by 34 times and exclusive breastfeeding by 24 times. Exposure to Step 9 (“Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples”) uniquely increased the likelihood of any breastfeeding at 2‐6 weeks postpartum by 5.7 times, whereas Step 6 (“Give infants no food or drink other than breastmilk”) increased the rate of exclusive breastfeeding by 4.4 times at 2‐6 weeks postpartum.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate that the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative can have a positive impact on breastfeeding among underserved populations.
Patient survival following renal transplantation in Indigenous populations: A systematic review
Authors: McGuire Connor , Kannathasan Sreedharan , Lowe Matthew , Dow Todd , Bezuhly Michael
Published: December 2019

Background

Inequities in health care predispose Indigenous populations to poor health outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine patient survival and other post‐transplant outcomes of kidney transplantation among Indigenous patients compared with non‐Indigenous populations.

Methods

A systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Google Scholar was undertaken from inception to September 30, 2019, using a computerized search. Publication descriptors and methodological and statistical details were extracted. Articles were assessed using the methodological index for non‐randomized studies (MINORS) scale.

Results

Twelve studies were included. All studies were retrospective and published between 2004 and 2018. Mean Indigenous patient age was 40 (range: 8‐76), while non‐Indigenous was 41 (range: 6‐74). Mean sample size for Indigenous populations was 398 (range: 24‐1459), while for non‐Indigenous patients was 1102 (range: 53‐7555). Eight studies examined indigenous populations in Australia, two in Canada, one in the United States, and one in New Zealand. All studies were considered of high methodological quality and clinically homogenous. Results indicated that patient survival, graft survival, and delayed graft function were significantly reduced among Indigenous populations compared with non‐Indigenous populations.

Conclusions

Post‐transplant outcomes among various Indigenous populations are significantly worse compared with non‐Indigenous populations. The reasons for poor outcomes are likely multifactorial. Improved standardized reporting of transplant outcomes of Indigenous patients is necessary to better inform healthcare services and improve clinical outcomes.
Differences between patients with type 1 diabetes with optimal and suboptimal glycaemic control: A real‐world study of more than 30 000 patients in a US electronic health record database
Authors: Pettus Jeremy H. , Zhou Fang Liz , Shepherd Leah , Mercaldi Katie , Preblick Ronald , Hunt Phillip R. , Paranjape Sachin , Miller Kellee M. , Edelman Steven V.
Published: December 2019

Aims

To use electronic health record data from real‐world clinical practice to assess demographics, clinical characteristics and disease burden of adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the United States.

Materials and methods

Retrospective observational study of adults with T1D for ≥24 months at their first visit with a T1D diagnosis code (“index date”) between July 2014 and June 2016 in the Optum Humedica database. Demographic characteristics, acute complications (severe hypoglycaemia [SH], diabetic ketoacidosis [DKA]), microvascular complications, cardiovascular (CV) events and health care resource utilization during the 12 months before the index date (“baseline period”) were compared between patients with optimal versus suboptimal glycaemic control (glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c] <7.0% vs. ≥7.0% [53 mmol/mol]) at the closest measurement to the index date.

Results

Of 31 430 adults with T1D, 79.9% had suboptimal glycaemic control (mean HbA1c 8.8% [73 mmol/mol]). These patients were more likely to be younger, African American, uninsured or on Medicaid, obese, smokers, have uncontrolled hypertension and have depression. Despite worse glycaemic control and increased CV risk factors of uncontrolled hypertension, obesity and smoking, rates of coronary heart disease and stroke were not higher in these patients. Patients with suboptimal glycaemic control also experienced more diabetes complications (including SH, DKA and microvascular disease) and utilized more emergency care, with more emergency department visits and inpatient stays.

Conclusion

This real‐world study of >30 000 adults with T1D showed that individuals with suboptimal versus optimal glycaemic control differed significantly in terms of health care coverage, comorbidities, diabetes‐related complications, health care utilization and CV risk factors. However, suboptimal control was not associated with increased risk of CV outcomes.
DECENTRALIZATION AND PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PERFORMANCE: NEW EVIDENCE FROM ITALY
Authors: Chiappinelli Olga
Published: December 2019

We exploit a new dataset based on European Union (EU) procurement award notices to investigate the relationship between the degree of centralization of public procurement and its performance. We focus on the case of Italy, where all levels of government, along with a number of other public institutions, are involved in procurement and are subject to the same EU regulation. We find that (a) municipalities and utilities, which currently award among the largest shares of contracts, achieve lower rebates than other institutional categories; and (b) decentralization implies lower rebates only when it comes with weak competences of procurement officials. The evidence seems to suggest that a reorganization of the procurement system, both in terms of partial centralization and increased professionalization of procurement officials, would help improve award‐stage procurement performance. (JEL H11, H57, H71, H77)
Biotic predictors with phenological information improve range estimates for migrating monarch butterflies in Mexico
Authors: Kass Jamie M. , Anderson Robert P. , Espinosa‐Lucas Alejandro , Juárez‐Jaimes Verónica , Martínez‐Salas Esteban , Botello Francisco , Tavera Gloria , Flores‐Martínez José Juan , Sánchez‐Cordero Víctor
Published: December 2019

Although long‐standing theory suggests that biotic variables are only relevant at local scales for explaining the patterns of species' distributions, recent studies have demonstrated improvements to species distribution models (SDMs) by incorporating predictor variables informed by biotic interactions. However, some key methodological questions remain, such as which kinds of interactions are permitted to include in these models, how to incorporate the effects of multiple interacting species, and how to account for interactions that may have a temporal dependence. We addressed these questions in an effort to model the distribution of the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus during its fall migration (September–November) through Mexico, a region with new monitoring data and uncertain range limits even for this well‐studied insect. We estimated species richness of selected nectar plants (Asclepias spp.) and roosting trees (various highland species) for use as biotic variables in our models. To account for flowering phenology, we additionally estimated nectar plant richness of flowering species per month. We evaluated three types of models: climatic variables only (abiotic), plant richness estimates only (biotic) and combined (abiotic and biotic). We selected models with AICc and additionally determined if they performed better than random on spatially withheld data. We found that the combined models accounting for phenology performed best for all three months, and better than random for discriminatory ability but not omission rate. These combined models also produced the most ecologically realistic spatial patterns, but the modeled response for nectar plant richness matched ecological predictions for November only. These results represent the first model‐based monarch distributional estimates for the Mexican migration route and should provide foundations for future conservation work. More generally, the study demonstrates the potential benefits of using SDM‐derived richness estimates and phenological information for biotic factors affecting species distributions.
Tomato variety affects larval survival but not female preference of the generalist moth Trichoplusia ni
Authors: Meneses‐Arias María Guadalupe , Solis‐Montero Lislie , Malo Edi A. , Rojas Julio C.
Published: December 2019

In herbivorous insects, the choice that females make for a suitable host plant is crucial for survival of its offspring because the neonate larvae are generally not capable of moving great distances. The preference‐performance hypothesis states that herbivore females will choose to oviposit on hosts on which their offspring will have better performance. In this study, we investigated whether Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) females are able to discriminate among a weedy race, a landrace, and a commercial cultivar of tomato plants, Solanum lycopersicum L. (Solanaceae), and how their choice affects the offspring performance. Additionally, we identified the volatile compounds and recorded the density of glandular trichomes of the tomato plants. Females did not show a preference for any of the three types of tomato plants. Females oviposited more on the adaxial surface of leaves of commercial cultivar plants than on (any surface of) leaves of weedy‐race plants. The relative abundance of volatiles varied quantitatively among the three types of tomato plants. Commercial cultivar plants released a higher abundance of volatiles than weedy race and landrace plants. Weedy‐race plants had a higher density of glandular trichomes types I and VI than the commercial cultivar. More neonate larvae died if fed on the weedy race and landrace plants than when reared on commercial cultivar plants. Results suggested that the higher mortality of T. ni larvae may be related to a higher density of glandular trichomes on landrace and weedy‐race plants than on commercial cultivar plants, although other constitutive and induced defenses may be involved. Our results do not support the preference‐performance hypothesis.
Ecological divergence among morphologically and genetically related Asphondylia species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), with new life history data for three congeners including the Alpinia fruit gall midge
Authors: Yukawa Junichi , Tokuda Makoto , Uechi Nami , Yasuda Keiji , Ganaha‐Kikumura Tomoko , Matsuo Kazunori , Shimizu Yuko , Yamaguchi Daisuke
Published: December 2019

Ecological data is crucial for determining the degree of reproductive isolation among closely related species, and in identifying the factors that have produced this divergence. We studied life history traits for three Asphondylia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) species that induce fruit galls either on Alpinia, Ligustrum or Aucuba, and we compared the traits with those published for three other closely related Japanese Asphondylia species. We found that the six species were significantly differentiated in important life history traits, such as host range, voltinism, lower developmental threshold temperature, thermal constant and diapausing season. The data indicate that divergence in the assessed life history traits evolves before morphological divergence, and such ecological divergence could strengthen isolating barriers among the taxa. We present scenarios on how host range expansion, host plant shift and host organ shift for galling initiate the early stages of speciation. We also highlight the importance of ecological data in identifying cryptic species. Specifically, we confirm that Alpinia intermedia (Zingiberaceae) is not an autumn–spring host of the soybean pod gall midge Asphondylia yushimai based on many differences in the life history traits between the Alpinia fruit gall midge Asphondylia sp. and A. yushimai.
Prospective validation of a machine learning model that uses provider notes to identify candidates for resective epilepsy surgery
Authors: Wissel Benjamin D. , Greiner Hansel M. , Glauser Tracy A. , Holland‐Bouley Katherine D. , Mangano Francesco T. , Santel Daniel , Faist Robert , Zhang Nanhua , Pestian John P. , Szczesniak Rhonda D. , Dexheimer Judith W.
Published: December 2019

Objective

Delay to resective epilepsy surgery results in avoidable disease burden and increased risk of mortality. The objective was to prospectively validate a natural language processing (NLP) application that uses provider notes to assign epilepsy surgery candidacy scores.

Methods

The application was trained on notes from (1) patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy and a history of resective epilepsy surgery and (2) patients who were seizure‐free without surgery. The testing set included all patients with unknown surgical candidacy status and an upcoming neurology visit. Training and testing sets were updated weekly for 1 year. One‐ to three‐word phrases contained in patients’ notes were used as features. Patients prospectively identified by the application as candidates for surgery were manually reviewed by two epileptologists. Performance metrics were defined by comparing NLP‐derived surgical candidacy scores with surgical candidacy status from expert chart review.

Results

The training set was updated weekly and included notes from a mean of 519 ± 67 patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) from 10‐fold cross‐validation was 0.90 ± 0.04 (range = 0.83‐0.96) and improved by 0.002 per week (P < .001) as new patients were added to the training set. Of the 6395 patients who visited the neurology clinic, 4211 (67%) were evaluated by the model. The prospective AUC on this test set was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.62‐0.96). Using the optimal surgical candidacy score threshold, sensitivity was 0.80 (95% CI = 0.29‐0.99), specificity was 0.77 (95% CI = 0.64‐0.88), positive predictive value was 0.25 (95% CI = 0.07‐0.52), and negative predictive value was 0.98 (95% CI = 0.87‐1.00). The number needed to screen was 5.6.

Significance

An electronic health record–integrated NLP application can accurately assign surgical candidacy scores to patients in a clinical setting.
Isoliquiritigenin inhibits melanogenesis, melanocyte dendricity and melanosome transport by regulating ERK‐mediated MITF degradation
Authors: Lv Jinpeng , Fu Ying , Cao Yan , Jiang Songzhou , Yang Ying , Song Guoqiang , Yun Changjun , Gao Rongyin
Published: December 2019

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a flavonoid component from the hydrolysis products of licorice root. It has been reported that ISL inhibited melanogenesis by suppressing the tyrosinase activity in human melanocytes. Recently, ISL was found to induce melanin degradation in human epidermal keratinocytes. However, the role of ISL in pigmentation is not fully understood. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effects of ISL on pigmentation, and further explored the underlying mechanism. Our results suggested that ISL suppressed basal and α‐MSH‐, ACTH‐ and UV‐induced melanin synthesis, in addition to inhibiting melanocyte dendricity and melanosome transport. ISL played these roles mainly by activating the extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase pathway. Once activated, it induced microphthalmia‐associated transcription factor degradation and decreased the expression of tyrosinase, TRP‐1, DCT, Rab27a and Cdc42, finally inhibited melanogenesis, melanocyte dendricity and melanosome transport. Our findings suggested that ISL exhibited no cytotoxicity in our research, it may prove quite useful as a safer natural skin‐whitening agent.
Different thermal conditions of lakes affect host–parasite systems: A case study of Viviparus contectus (Millet, 1813) and digenean trematodes
Authors: Cichy Anna , Marszewska Anna , Ciapka Przemysław , Żbikowska Elżbieta
Published: December 2019

Thermal disturbance of aquatic ecosystems directly and/or indirectly affects interspecific interactions, including parasitism. Both hosts and parasites respond differently to environmental changes, thus, predicting how host–parasite systems behave under the influence of disturbance remains a challenge. The aim of the study was to check how the differences in thermal conditions of lakes affect life‐history traits of hosts and the level of parasitism, using a Viviparus contectus–digenean trematodes model.

Overall, we examined 480 individuals of V. contectus collected from a thermally polluted lake (TPL) and a natural lake (NL). Host features, including body size and fecundity, as well as the prevalence and species richness of digenean trematodes in snail populations were investigated.

We found that V. contectus from the TPL were significantly larger, heavier, and females were more fertile than snails collected from the NL. A total of 20.4% of the collected snails were infected with digenean larvae. The species richness of parasites was twice as high in the NL compared to the TPL (six and three species, respectively). A significant difference in the percentage of snails infected with parasites was identified between both types of lakes, with a higher prevalence of V. contectus in the NL (31.3%) compared to the TPL (7.3%).

These results indicate that host–parasite systems follow the environmental changes in lakes due to thermal pollution by increasing fertility and metabolism rate of viviparid hosts and by decreasing the prevalence and diversity of digenean trematodes.
A deep learning approach to conflating heterogeneous geospatial data for corn yield estimation: A case study of the US Corn Belt at the county level
Authors: Jiang Hao , Hu Hao , Zhong Renhai , Xu Jinfan , Xu Jialu , Huang Jingfeng , Wang Shaowen , Ying Yibin , Lin Tao
Published: December 2019

Understanding large‐scale crop growth and its responses to climate change are critical for yield estimation and prediction, especially under the increased frequency of extreme climate and weather events. County‐level corn phenology varies spatially and interannually across the Corn Belt in the United States, where precipitation and heat stress presents a temporal pattern among growth phases (GPs) and vary interannually. In this study, we developed a long short‐term memory (LSTM) model that integrates heterogeneous crop phenology, meteorology, and remote sensing data to estimate county‐level corn yields. By conflating heterogeneous phenology‐based remote sensing and meteorological indices, the LSTM model accounted for 76% of yield variations across the Corn Belt, improved from 39% of yield variations explained by phenology‐based meteorological indices alone. The LSTM model outperformed least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and random forest (RF) approaches for end‐of‐the‐season yield estimation, as a result of its recurrent neural network structure that can incorporate cumulative and nonlinear relationships between corn yield and environmental factors. The results showed that the period from silking to dough was most critical for crop yield estimation. The LSTM model presented a robust yield estimation under extreme weather events in 2012, which reduced the root‐mean‐square error to 1.47 Mg/ha from 1.93 Mg/ha for LASSO and 2.43 Mg/ha for RF. The LSTM model has the capability to learn general patterns from high‐dimensional (spectral, spatial, and temporal) input features to achieve a robust county‐level crop yield estimation. This deep learning approach holds great promise for better understanding the global condition of crop growth based on publicly available remote sensing and meteorological data.
Things Are How They Are Because of How They Got That Way: Thoughts from the Beach, on 50 Years of Geographical Analysis
Authors: O'Sullivan David
Published: December 2019

The subtitle of Geographical Analysis is “An International Journal of Theoretical Geography”, yet in fifty years of publication little has been published in the journal that fits that remit. In this short commentary I reflect on the nature of theory and explanation in geography and call for more sustained engagement with these themes in the pages of the journal in the years to come.
Nitrogen fertilization in tall fescue: Productivity, agronomic efficiency and relative profitability
Authors: Islam M. Anowarul , Adjesiwor Albert T.
Published: December 2019

Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus [Schreb.] Dumort.) is a perennial forage grass with good nutritive value and has the potential to be grown in many parts of the world. Field experiments were conducted over a 3‐year period (2010–2012) at two locations [University of Wyoming Powell Research and Extension Center (PREC) and a producer field (Stroh farm) in Powell, Wyoming] to evaluate forage accumulation, forage nutritive value, agronomic efficiency (AE) and relative profitability (RP) of using different cultivars or lines and nitrogen (N) rates in tall fescue production systems. The study design was factorially arranged in a randomized complete block with four replications at PREC and three replications at Stroh farm. Treatments comprised seven tall fescue cultivars ('97TF584,' 'Cowgirl,' 'Fawn,' 'Kentucky‐31,' 'Maximize,' 'Soft,' and 'Texoma') and three N rates (0, 56 and 112 kg/ha). There was a linear response (p = .02) of annual forage accumulation to year × N. Crude protein, in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility, acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber ranged from 90 to 102, 704–719, 360–383 and 555–581 g/kg, respectively. There were main effects (p < .01) of year, cultivar and N rate on AE and RP. Kentucky‐31 had the highest AE (53 kg DM/kg N), and AE was greater in the 56 kg N/ha (48 kg DM/kg N) compared to the 112 kg N/ha (39 kg DM/kg N). However, RP (where RP greater than 1 means revenue from N application is greater than the 0 kg N/ha treatment) was greater in the 112 kg N/ha (2.44) compared to the 56 kg N/ha (1.93). Among the cultivars, Kentucky‐31 had the highest RP of 2.56. Overall, all cultivars were responsive to added N and showed potential to be profitable under grass hay production systems.
Role of TrkA signaling during tadpole tail regeneration and early embryonic development in Xenopus laevis
Authors: Iimura Akira , Nishida Eisuke , Kusakabe Morioh
Published: December 2019

Neurotrophic signaling regulates neural cell behaviors in development and physiology, although its role in regeneration has not been fully investigated. Here, we examined the role of neurotrophic signaling in Xenopus laevis tadpole tail regeneration. After the tadpole tails were amputated, the expression of neurotrophin ligand family genes, especially ngf and bdnf, was up‐regulated as regeneration proceeded. Moreover, notochordal expression of the NGF receptor gene TrkA, but not that of other neurotrophin receptor genes TrkB and TrkC, became prominent in the regeneration bud, a structure arising from the tail stump after tail amputation. The regenerated tail length was significantly shortened by the pan‐Trk inhibitor K252a or the TrkA inhibitor GW‐441756, but not by the TrkB inhibitor ANA‐12, suggesting that TrkA signaling is involved in elongation of regenerating tails. Furthermore, during Xenopus laevis embryonic development, TrkA expression was detected in the dorsal mesoderm at the gastrula stage and in the notochord at the neurula stage, and its knockdown led to gastrulation defects with subsequent shortening of the body axis length. These results suggest that Xenopus laevis TrkA signaling, which can act in the mesoderm/notochord, plays a key role in body axis elongation during embryogenesis as well as tail elongation during tadpole regeneration.
Markers of mineral metabolism and vascular access complications: The Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for ESRD (CHOICE) study
Authors: Gardezi Ali I. , Karim Muhammad S. , Rosenberg Joel E. , Scialla Julia J. , Banerjee Tanushree , Powe Neil R. , Shafi Tariq , Parekh Rulan S. , Yevzlin Alexander S. , Astor Brad C.
Published: December 2019

Introduction: Vascular access dysfunction is a major cause of morbidity in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) on chronic hemodialysis. The effects of abnormalities in mineral metabolism on vascular access are unclear. In this study, we evaluated the association of mineral metabolites, including 25‐hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and fibroblast growth factor‐23 (FGF‐23), with vascular access complications.

Methods: We included participants from the Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for ESRD (CHOICE) Study who were using an arteriovenous fistula (AVF; n = 103) or arteriovenous graft (AVG; n = 116). Serum levels of 25(OH)D, FGF‐23, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, phosphorus, C‐reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) were assessed from stored samples. Participants were followed for up to 1 year or until a vascular access intervention or replacement.

Findings: A total of 24 participants using an AVF and 43 participants using an AVG experienced access intervention. Those with 25(OH)D level in the lowest tertile (<11 ng/mL) had an increased risk of AVF intervention compared to those with higher 25(OH)D levels (adjusted relative hazard [aHR] = 3.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.31, 8.20). The highest tertile of FGF‐23 (>3750 RU/mL) was associated with greater risk of AVF intervention (aHR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.06, 6.18). Higher PTH was associated with higher risk of AVF intervention (aHR = 1.64 per SD of log(PTH); 95% CI: 1.02, 2.62). These associations were not observed in participants using an AVG. None of the other analytes were significantly associated with AVF or AVG intervention.

Discussion: Low levels of 25(OH)D and high levels of FGF‐23 and PTH are associated with increased risk of AVF intervention. Abnormalities in mineral metabolism are risk factors for vascular access dysfunction and potential therapeutic targets to improve outcomes.
Serum IgA Fc effector functions in infectious disease and cancer
Authors: Davis Samantha K , Selva Kevin J , Kent Stephen J , Chung Amy W
Published: December 2019

Immunoglobulin (Ig) A is the most abundant antibody isotype present at mucosal surfaces and the second most abundant in human serum. In addition to preventing pathogen entry at mucosal surfaces, IgA can control and eradicate bacterial and viral infections through a variety of antibody‐mediated innate effector cell mechanisms. The role of mucosal IgA in infection (e.g. neutralization) and in inflammatory homeostasis (e.g. allergy and autoimmunity) has been extensively investigated; by contrast, serum IgA is comparatively understudied. IgA binding to fragment crystallizable alpha receptor plays a dual role in the activation and inhibition of innate effector cell functions. Mounting evidence suggests that serum IgA induces potent effector functions against various bacterial and some viral infections including Neisseria meningitidis and rotavirus. Furthermore, in the era of immunotherapy, serum IgA provides an interesting alternative to classical IgG monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and infectious pathogens. Here we discuss the role of serum IgA in infectious diseases with reference to bacterial and viral infections and the potential for IgA as a monoclonal antibody therapy.
Crystallization control in Ni2+‐doped glass‐ceramics for broadband near‐infrared luminesce
Authors: Mao Qiannan , Lan Bijiao , Zhou Shifeng
Published: December 2019

The research of doped photonic glass has recently attracted much attention owning to the significant applications in various fields, including lasers, photovoltaics, and optical amplification. In this work, we present the design, fabrication, and experimental implementation of a novel fluorosilicate photonic glass‐ceramics with broadband luminescence. We demonstrate that precipitated nanocrystals can be tuned by changing the heat‐treatment temperature. This proposal offers an excellent opportunity for controlling the local environment around Ni2+ dopant. Consequently, the broadband and flat emission covering a waveband from 1200 to 2400 nm with a bandwidth of 605 nm can be realized. The possible physical mechanism, which can be attributed to the gradual change of nanocrystals from K2SiF6 to KCdF3 with the enhancement of the heat‐treatment temperature, is also discussed.
Linc01014 regulates gefitinib resistance in oesophagus cancer via EGFR‐PI3K‐AKT‐mTOR signalling pathway
Authors: Fu Xiao , Cui Guanghui , Liu Shuaishuai , Zhao Song
Published: December 2019

This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of linc01014 in oesophagus cancer gefitinib resistance. Gefitinib‐resistant oesophagus squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC gefitinibR) cell lines were constructed by using different gefitinib treatment in FLO‐1, KYAE‐1, TE‐8 and TE‐5 cell lines and confirmed by MTS50 and proliferation assays. Expression of linc01014 was overexpressed/silenced in FLO‐1 cells followed by gefitinib treatment, and then, the apoptosis‐associated markers Bax and Bcl‐2, and PI3KCA in PI3K signalling pathway were determined using Western blotting. MST50 and morphology analyses showed that ESCC gefitinibR cell lines presented obvious gefitinib resistance than their parental ESCC cell lines. ESCC gefitinibR cell lines showed significantly higher proliferation abilities than their parental ESCC cell lines after treating with gefitinib. Overexpression of linc01014 significantly inhibited the apoptosis of FLO‐1 cells induced by gefitinib and silencing linc01014 obviously promoted the apoptosis of FLO‐1 cells induced by gefitinib. Silencing linc01014 could significantly increase the gefitinib chemotherapy sensitivity of oesophagus cancer via PI3K‐AKT‐mTOR signalling pathway.
Measuring nutrition‐related outcomes in a cohort of multi‐trauma patients following intensive care unit discharge
Authors: Wittholz K. , Fetterplace K. , Clode M. , George E. S. , MacIsaac C. M. , Judson R. , Presneill J. J. , Deane A. M.
Published: December 2019

Background

Functional recovery is an important outcome for those who survive critical illness. The present study aimed to assess nutrition provision and nutrition‐related outcomes in a multi‐trauma cohort following intensive care unit (ICU) discharge.

Methods

The present study investigated a prospective cohort of patients discharged from an ICU, who had been admitted because of major trauma and required mechanical ventilation for at least 48 h. Nutrition‐related outcomes, including body weight, quadriceps muscle layer thickness (QMLT), handgrip strength and subjective global assessment, were recorded on ICU discharge, days 5–7 post‐ICU discharge and then weekly until hospital discharge. Nutrition intake was recorded for 5 days post‐ICU discharge. Unless otherwise stated, data are presented as the mean (SD).

Results

Twenty‐eight patients [75% males, 55 (22.5) years] were included. Intake met 64% (28%) of estimated energy and 72% (32%) of protein requirements over the 5 days post‐ICU discharge, which was similar to over the ICU admission. From ICU admission to hospital discharge, the mean reduction in weight was 4.2 kg (95% confidence interval = 2.2–6.3, P < 0.001) and after ICU discharge, the mean reduction in weight and QMLT was 2.6 kg (95% confidence interval = 1.0–4.2, P = 0.004) and 0.23 cm (95% confidence interval = 0.06–0.4, P = 0.01), respectively.

Conclusions

Patients received less energy and protein than estimated requirements after ICU discharge. Weight loss and reduction in QMLT also occurred during this period.
Enteric short‐chain fatty acids promote proliferation of human neural progenitor cells
Authors: Yang Liu L. , Millischer Vincent , Rodin Sergey , MacFabe Derrick F. , Villaescusa Juan C. , Lavebratt Catharina
Published: December 2019

Short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are a group of fatty acids predominantly produced during the fermentation of dietary fibers by the gut anaerobic microbiota. SCFAs affect many host processes in health and disease. SCFAs play an important role in the ‘gut‐brain axis’, regulating central nervous system processes, for example, cell–cell interaction, neurotransmitter synthesis and release, microglia activation, mitochondrial function, and gene expression. SCFAs also promote the growth of neurospheres from human neural stem cells and the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into neural cells. It is plausible that maternally derived SCFAs may pass the placenta and expose the fetus at key developmental periods. However, it is unclear how SCFA exposure at physiological levels influence the early‐stage neural cells. In this study, we explored the effect of SCFAs on the growth rate of human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs), generated from human embryonic stem cell line (HS980), with IncuCyte live‐cell analysis system and immunofluorescence. We found that physiologically relevant levels (µM) of SCFAs (acetate, propionate, butyrate) increased the growth rate of hNPCs significantly and induced more cells to undergo mitosis, while high levels (mM) of SCFAs had toxic effects on hNPCs. Moreover, no effect on apoptosis was observed in physiological‐dose SCFA treatments. In support, data from q‐RT PCR showed that SCFA treatments influenced the expression of the neurogenesis, proliferation, and apoptosis‐related genesATR,BCL2,BID,CASP8,CDK2,E2F1,FAS,NDN, andVEGFA. To conclude, our results propose that SCFAs regulates early neural system development. This might be relevant for a putative ‘maternal gut‐fetal brain‐axis’.

image

Cover Image for this issue: doi:10.1111/jnc.14761.
Re–Inventing the American Modern Interior: Visual Dissections and Retroactive Montages
Authors: Patrizio M. Martinelli
Published: December 2019

This visual essay is the outcome of a research trip through Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, an “on the road trip” designed to discover some of the most representative domestic and urban Modern American interiors. The focus of this work was an investigation of places, cities, and buildings, dealing with the experience of space in the first place but, most of all, aims to understand and develop architectural themes, design processes, compositional principles, and project strategies. The tool for this analysis is a montage (of photographs, images, documents, textures, materials) that, after dissections and distillations, expresses the character and the concept of the building.
The potential influence of long non‐coding RNA PRKG1‐AS1 on oral squamous cell carcinoma: A comprehensive study based on bioinformatics and in vitro validation
Authors: Wu Ting , Zhang Shi‐Yang , Dong Wen‐Jie , Wang Mei , Sun Yu‐Bin
Published: December 2019

Background

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most frequent malignancies in oral cancer. Herein, we aimed to investigate the influence of lncRNA protein kinase cGMP‐dependent type I‐Antisense RNA 1 (PRKG1‐AS1) in OSCC progression.

Methods

Basing on the data acquired from TCGA database, the expression and prognostic value of PRKG1‐AS1 in OSCC patients were assessed. The expression of PRKG1‐AS1 in OSCC cells was determined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Cell growth was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK8) and colony‐forming assays. Transwell assay was employed to test cell invasion and migration. The protein expression of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related markers was detected by Western blotting.

Results

The consequences displayed that PRKG1‐AS1 was highly expressed in OSCC tissues and high expression of PRKG1‐AS1 predicted poor outcomes. The expression of PRKG1‐AS1 was higher in CAL27, SCC‐9, and SCC‐4 than that in normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOK). The results of biological experiments showed that deficiency of PRKG1‐AS1 suppressed cell growth, invasion, and migration in CAL27 cells, and over‐expression of PRKG1‐AS1 accelerated cell growth, invasion, and migration in SCC‐4 cells. Finally, silencing of PRKG1‐AS1 obviously facilitated the protein expression levels of E‐cadherin and reduced levels of N‐cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail in CAL27 cells whereas over‐expression of PRKG1‐AS1 led to opposite results in SCC‐4 cells.

Conclusion

These outcomes indicated that PRKG1‐AS1 functioned as a facilitator in OSCC cell growth, migration, and invasion, which all might be achieved by regulating EMT.