bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantifying the impact of pre-existing conditions on the stage of oesophagogastric cancer at diagnosis: a primary care cohort study using electronic medical records
Authors: Quiroga Myra , Shephard Elizabeth A , Mounce Luke T A , Carney Madeline , Hamilton William T , Price Sarah J 
Published: November 2020

Abstract

Background
Pre-existing conditions interfere with cancer diagnosis by offering diagnostic alternatives, competing for clinical attention or through patient surveillance.

Objective
To investigate associations between oesophagogastric cancer stage and pre-existing conditions.

Methods
Retrospective cohort study using Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) data, with English cancer registry linkage. Participants aged ≥40 years had consulted primary care in the year before their incident diagnosis of oesophagogastric cancer in 01/01/2010–31/12/2015. CPRD records pre-diagnosis were searched for codes denoting clinical features of oesophagogastric cancer and for pre-existing conditions, including those providing plausible diagnostic alternatives for those features. Logistic regression analysed associations between stage and multimorbidity (≥2 conditions; reference category: no multimorbidity) and having ‘diagnostic alternative(s)’, controlling for age, sex, deprivation and cancer site.

Results
Of 2444 participants provided, 695 (28%) were excluded for missing stage, leaving 1749 for analysis (1265/1749, 72.3% had advanced-stage disease). Multimorbidity was associated with stage [odds ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47–0.85, P = 0.002], with moderate evidence of an interaction term with sex (1.76, 1.08–2.86, P = 0.024). There was no association between alternative explanations and stage (odds ratio 1.18, 95% CI 0.87–1.60, P = 0.278).

Conclusions
In men, multimorbidity is associated with a reduced chance of advanced-stage oesophagogastric cancer, to levels seen collectively for women.
Extent of contraception methods practised by unmet need couples after counselling: a cross-sectional follow-up study in Puducherry, South India
Authors: Saya Ganesh Kumar , Premarajan Kariyarath Cheriyath , Roy Gautam , Sarkar Sonali , Kar Sitanshu Sekhar , Olickal Jeby Jose 
Published: November 2020

Abstract

Background
Information is paucity about the extent of contraception practise among the unmet need eligible couples after counselling.

Objective
To assess the prevalence and associated factors of unmet need for family planning (FP), the extent to which they practise desired contraception methods after baseline counselling and the reasons for not practicing it.

Methods
A community-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted between 2016 and 2019 among 2228 currently married couples with periodic follow ups of unmet need group. Baseline data on unmet need were collected based on the National Family Health Survey questionnaire. Individual and couple counselling were performed through informing choice and the support for decision making was based on the unmet need reasons with follow-ups. The data were analysed using Stata software version 12.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX).

Results
The total study population was 1924. The prevalence of unmet need for FP was 7.1% (137) with 2.9% (55) of unmet need for spacing and 4.3% (82) of limiting births. Age groups between 18 and 24 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.463], 25–29 (AOR = 2.339), not having a child (AOR = 0.250), having one child (AOR = 2.369) and having lower socioeconomic status (AOR = 0.155) were significantly associated with unmet need. During the follow-ups, 37.2% (29/78) received who desired limiting births, while 43.6% (34/78) changed to spacing methods. In fact, the main reason for not adopting limiting births is the fear of post-operative surgery-related health problems.

Conclusions
This study emphasizes the need for follow-up counselling for guiding contraceptive use and recorded that majority of the unmet need couples started practicing contraception methods during the follow-ups. Besides, change in desired contraception methods was observed.
Federalism’s radical potential
Authors: Webber Jeremy 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
The ability to rely on federalism as an effective response to deep divisions in post-conflict societies is often impaired by parties requiring too great a consensus on the ideological premises of the re-founded state: on the nation’s essential character; on who bears the right of self-determination; and on the historical foundations of the political community. As a result, the radical potential of federalism—its ability to accommodate, within a single political order, political communities possessing substantially different conceptions of foundational political legitimacy—is lost. This article reviews the nature and history of federations in order to establish that this radical potential is at the very heart of federalism. It describes the dynamics of allegiance in federal societies and suggests why federal states can flourish even in the presence of such significant differences. It then notes seven approaches that can facilitate the success of such federations.
Postoperative outcomes of lung transplant recipients with preformed donor-specific antibodies
Authors: Kayawake Hidenao , Chen-Yoshikawa Toyofumi F , Gochi Fumiaki , Tanaka Satona , Yurugi Kimiko , Hishida Rie , Yutaka Yojiro , Yamada Yoshito , Ohsumi Akihiro , Hamaji Masatsugu , Nakajima Daisuke , Date Hiroshi 
Published: November 2020

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Few studies have evaluated the outcomes of lung transplantation (LTx) in recipients with preformed donor-specific antibodies (DSAs). This study investigated the postoperative changes in preformed DSAs based on prospectively collected data of DSAs, and the influences of preformed DSAs on postoperative outcomes among LTx recipients.

METHODS
Between July 2010 and December 2019, 216 recipients underwent LTx (81 living-donor lobar lung transplants and 135 deceased-donor lung transplants). We reviewed 8 cases with preformed DSAs to determine postoperative changes in DSAs and compared postoperative outcomes between recipients with and without DSAs.

RESULTS
The preoperative mean fluorescence intensity of preformed DSAs ranged from 1141 to 14 695. Two recipients experienced antibody-mediated rejection within 2 weeks after LTx. DSAs disappeared in 7 recipients; however, 1 recipient experienced the relapse of DSAs and died from chronic lung allograft syndrome (CLAD), whereas 1 recipient had persisting DSAs within the study period and died from CLAD. Neither overall survival (OS) nor CLAD-free survival was significantly different between recipients with and without DSAs (P = 0.26 and P = 0.17, respectively). However, both OS and CLAD-free survival were significantly lower in recipients with DSAs against HLA class II than in those without these antibodies {5-year OS: 25.0% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.9–66.5%] vs 72.1% (95% CI: 63.8–78.9%), P = 0.030 and 5-year CLAD-free survival: 26.7% (95% CI: 1.0–68.6%) vs 73.7% (95% CI: 66.5–79.5%), P = 0.002}.

CONCLUSIONS
Prognosis in recipients experiencing the relapse of preformed DSAs and those with persisting DSAs may be poor. The recipients with anti-HLA class II preformed DSAs had a significantly worse prognosis.
Screening for coronary artery disease in early surgical treatment of acute aortic valve infective endocarditis
Authors: Knol Wiebe G , Wahadat Ali R , Roos-Hesselink Jolien W , Van Mieghem Nicolas M , Tanis Wilco , Bogers Ad J J C , Budde Ricardo P J 
Published: November 2020

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
In patients with unknown coronary status undergoing surgery for acute infective endocarditis (IE), the need to screen for coronary artery disease (CAD) and the risk of embolization during invasive coronary angiography (ICA) are debated. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a non-invasive alternative in these patients. We aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of ICA and CCTA to diagnose CAD, and the necessity to treat CAD to prevent CAD-related postoperative complications.

METHODS
In this single-centre retrospective cohort study, all patients with acute aortic IE between 2009 and 2019 undergoing surgery were selected. Outcomes were any clinically evident embolization after preoperative ICA, in-hospital mortality, perioperative myocardial infarction or unplanned revascularization and postoperative renal function.

RESULTS
Of the 159 included patients, CAD status was already known in 14. No preoperative diagnostics for CAD was done in 46/145, a CCTA was performed in 54/145 patients and an ICA in 52/145 patients. Significant CAD was found after CCTA in 22% and after ICA in 21% of patients. In 1 of the 52 (2%) patients undergoing preoperative ICA, a cerebral embolism occurred. The rate of perioperative myocardial infarction or unplanned revascularization in patients not screened for CAD was 2% (1 out of 46 patients).

CONCLUSIONS
Although the risk of embolism after preoperative ICA is low, it should be carefully weighed against the estimated risk of CAD-related perioperative complications. CCTA can serve as a gatekeeper for ICA in most patients with acute aortic IE.
Pediatric ambulatory appointment scheduling: a qualitative study of stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences
Authors: Quintanilha Maira , Tink Lisa , Perez Arnaldo , G o’neill Marcus , Holt Nicholas L , Bruce Aisha , Childs Michelle , Poitras Sarah Kane , Kherani Tamizan , Ladha Tehseen , Majaesic Carina , Webber Melina , Ball Geoff DC 
Published: November 2020

AbstractObjectiveScheduling ambulatory clinic appointments includes a complex set of factors and diverse stakeholders. Families, administrative staff and clinicians may have varied experiences with scheduling clinic appointments. The objective of our study was to understand stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences with scheduling pediatric ambulatory clinic appointments.DesignGuided methodologically by qualitative description, focus groups were conducted separately with three stakeholder groups and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.SettingThis qualitative study was completed at a children’s hospital in Alberta, Canada.ParticipantsParents, administrative professionals and clinicians who used the pediatric ambulatory scheduling system regularly to elicit perceptions and experiences about issues and areas where improvements could be made.ResultsAcross 12 focus groups, parents (n = 11), administrative professionals (n = 23) and clinicians (n = 13) discussed areas for improvement related to the pediatric ambulatory scheduling system. The perceived areas for improvement were grouped into three categories regarding levels of influence: (i) ‘intrapersonal’: knowledge, skills and behaviors (e.g. insufficient training of administrative professionals); (ii) ‘interpersonal’: communication processes (e.g. parents not receiving confirmation letters); and (iii) ‘institutional’: structures and processes (e.g. varying practices and processes across clinics).ConclusionsStakeholders provided a rich description of the interrelated factors and processes that influenced the scheduling of pediatric ambulatory clinic appointments. Multilevel, experimental interventions are needed to test whether the findings described herein can enhance the structure and function of pediatric ambulatory appointment scheduling.
Repeated isolation of an antibiotic-dependent and temperature-sensitive mutant ofPseudomonas aeruginosafrom a cystic fibrosis patient
Authors: Wolter Daniel J , Scott Alison , Armbruster Catherine R , Whittington Dale , Edgar John S , Qin Xuan , Buccat Anne Marie , McNamara Sharon , Blackledge Marcella , Waalkes Adam , Salipante Stephen J , Ernst Robert K , Hoffman Lucas R 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundBacteria adapt to survive and grow in different environments. Genetic mutations that promote bacterial survival under harsh conditions can also restrict growth. The causes and consequences of these adaptations have important implications for diagnosis, pathogenesis, and therapy.ObjectivesWe describe the isolation and characterization of an antibiotic-dependent, temperature-sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutant chronically infecting the respiratory tract of a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient, underscoring the clinical challenges bacterial adaptations can present.MethodsRespiratory samples collected from a CF patient during routine care were cultured for standard pathogens. P. aeruginosa isolates recovered from samples were analysed for in vitro growth characteristics, antibiotic susceptibility, clonality, and membrane phospholipid and lipid A composition. Genetic mutations were identified by whole genome sequencing.ResultsP. aeruginosa isolates collected over 5 years from respiratory samples of a CF patient frequently harboured a mutation in phosphatidylserine decarboxylase (psd), encoding an enzyme responsible for phospholipid synthesis. This mutant could only grow at 37°C when in the presence of supplemented magnesium, glycerol, or, surprisingly, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, which the source patient had repeatedly received. Of concern, this mutant was not detectable on standard selective medium at 37°C. This growth defect correlated with alterations in membrane phospholipid and lipid A content.ConclusionsA P. aeruginosa mutant chronically infecting a CF patient exhibited dependence on sulphonamides and would likely evade detection using standard clinical laboratory methods. The diagnostic and therapeutic challenges presented by this mutant highlight the complex interplay between bacterial adaptation, antibiotics, and laboratory practices, during chronic bacterial infections.
Emerging roles of extracellular vesicles in physiology and disease
Authors: Hanayama Rikinari 
Published: November 2020

AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs), such as exosomes and microvesicles, are small membrane vesicles secreted by almost all cell types and are abundant in blood, body fluids, such as urine, spinal fluid, tears and saliva, and cell culture media. From an evolutionary perspective, they are biologically significant as a means for expelling unwanted cellular contents. Recently, EVs have received considerable attention as messengers of intercellular communication networks, allowing the exchange of proteins and lipids between the cells producing them and target cells that trigger various cellular responses. EVs also carry mRNAs and microRNAs inside them, transferring genetic information among cells. In addition, the expression pattern of these molecules is related to the cellular state and the progression of diseases, and the search for biomarkers within the EV is underway in many research fields. However, the physiological and pathophysiological roles of EVs remain largely elusive. Therefore, in this special issue, we have compiled reviews of the latest research findings on EV research.
Effects of Soybean Planting Date on Yield Loss From Defoliation
Authors: Thrash Benjamin C , Catchot Angus L , Gore Jeffrey , Cook Donald , Musser Fred R , Irby Trenton , Krutz Jason , Lorenz Gus M 
Published: November 2020

AbstractSoybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., is planted during 3.5–4 mo across the Mid-South United States. Currently, no information exists regarding the effects of planting date on soybean yield loss from early season defoliation. In 2015 and 2016, to evaluate the effects of planting date on yield loss from defoliation, soybean were planted in field plots 2 wk apart from early April to mid-June, for a total of six planting dates. Each planting date included a nondefoliated control and a 100% defoliation treatment where leaves were manually excised at the V4 growth stage. Mean yield loss from defoliation varied across planting dates, with mid-April plantings having the least amount yield reduction, 573 kg/ha, and early-June plantings having the greatest yield reduction, 904 kg/ha. Percent yield reduction from defoliation increased as planting was delayed, suggesting that defoliation thresholds might need adjustment based on planting date and yield potential. However, more research is needed at lower levels of defoliation to accurately delineate such thresholds.
The congestion relief benefit of public transit: evidence from Rome
Authors: Adler Martin W , Liberini Federica , Russo Antonio , Ommeren Jos N. van 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
We estimate the effect of public transport supply on travel times of motor-vehicle and bus users in Rome, Italy. We apply a quasi-experimental methodology exploiting hourly information on public transport service reductions during strikes. We find that a 10-percentage point reduction in public transit supply increases the travel time of motor-vehicles by about 1.6% in the morning peak. The effect on bus travel time is similar. The congestion-relief benefit of public transport is thus sizeable and bus travel time gains account for an important share of it.
Baseline diet of an urban carnivore on an expanding range front
Authors: Duncan N , Asher O , Weckel M , Nagy C , Henger C , Yau F , Gormanzano L 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
For the past 200 years, coyotes have steadily expanded their range eastward from the Midwestern USA. They have successfully colonized the contiguous landscape east of the Mississippi River and have been documented on Long Island, New York since 2009 with successful breeding confirmed in 2016. Occupying a diverse array of habitat types along the way, they are now commonplace in many urban and suburban landscapes as well. Using 149 scats and 13 stomachs collected from 2009 to 2017 and analyzed by traditional scat analysis methods, we described the diet of coyotes found in the New York City. The most common prey items, as a percentage of scats, were rodents (35.2%), birds (27.7%), followed by anthropogenic items (26.4%). These results were similar when compared to that of seven other urban centers in North America.
Wind-evoked anemotropism affects the morphology and mechanical properties of Arabidopsis
Authors: Zhdanov Oleksandr , Blatt Michael R , Zare-Behtash Hossein , Busse Angela 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Plants are known to exhibit a thigmomorphogenetic response to mechanical stimuli by altering their morphology and mechanical properties. Wind is widely perceived as mechanical stress and in many experiments its influence is simulated by applying mechanical perturbations. However, it is known that wind-induced effects on plants can differ and at times occur even in the opposite direction compared with those induced by mechanical perturbations. In the present study, the long-term response of Arabidopsis thaliana to a constant unidirectional wind was investigated. We found that exposure to wind resulted in a positive anemotropic response and in significant alterations to Arabidopsis morphology, mechanical properties, and anatomical tissue organization that were associated with the plant’s strategy of acclimation to a windy environment. Overall, the observed response of Arabidopsis to wind differs significantly from previously reported responses of Arabidopsis to mechanical perturbations. The presented results suggest that the response of Arabidopsis is sensitive to the type of mechanical stimulus applied, and that it is not always straightforward to simulate one type of perturbation by another.
Abundance of metalloprotease FtsH12 modulates chloroplast development in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Mielke Kati , Wagner Raik , Mishra Laxmi S , Demir Fatih , Perrar Andreas , Huesgen Pitter F , Funk Christiane 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
The ATP-dependent metalloprotease FtsH12 (filamentation temperature sensitive protein H 12) has been suggested to participate in a heteromeric motor complex, driving protein translocation into the chloroplast. FtsH12 was immuno-detected in proplastids, seedlings, leaves, and roots. Expression of Myc-tagged FtsH12 under its native promotor allowed identification of FtsHi1, 2, 4, and 5, and plastidic NAD-malate dehydrogenase, five of the six interaction partners in the suggested import motor complex. Arabidopsis thaliana mutant seedlings with reduced FTSH12 abundance exhibited pale cotyledons and small, deformed chloroplasts with altered thylakoid structure. Mature plants retained these chloroplast defects, resulting in slightly variegated leaves and lower chlorophyll content. Label-free proteomics revealed strong changes in the proteome composition of FTSH12 knock-down seedlings, reflecting impaired plastid development. The composition of the translocon on the inner chloroplast membrane (TIC) protein import complex was altered, with coordinated reduction of the FtsH12-FtsHi complex subunits and accumulation of the 1 MDa TIC complex subunits TIC56, TIC214 and TIC22-III. FTSH12 overexpressor lines showed no obvious phenotype, but still displayed distinct differences in their proteome. N-terminome analyses further demonstrated normal proteolytic maturation of plastid-imported proteins irrespective of FTSH12 abundance. Together, our data suggest that FtsH12 has highest impact during seedling development; its abundance alters the plastid import machinery and impairs chloroplast development.
Chromatin dynamics during DNA damage and repair in plants: new roles for old players
Authors: Casati Paula , Gomez Maria Sol 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
The genome of plants is organized into chromatin. The chromatin structure regulates the rates of DNA metabolic processes such as replication, transcription, DNA recombination, and repair. Different aspects of plant growth and development are regulated by changes in chromatin status by the action of chromatin-remodeling activities. Recent data have also shown that many of these chromatin-associated proteins participate in different aspects of the DNA damage response, regulating DNA damage and repair, cell cycle progression, programmed cell death, and entry into the endocycle. In this review, we present different examples of proteins and chromatin-modifying enzymes with roles during DNA damage responses, demonstrating that rapid changes in chromatin structure are essential to maintain genome stability.
Predestination in Dante’s Commedia in Light of Augustine
Authors: Graff Thomas 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
If Virgil’s damnation motivates Dante in the heaven of Jupiter to interrogate the inner workings of divine justice, the ultimate theological point in contention is the nature of predestination. This article offers Augustine as an unconsidered textual anchor and hermeneutic lens for illuminating predestination in the Commedia: a doctrine concerning not so much humanity’s attempt at impossible comprehension of God’s salvific will, as an invitation to creative participation in it, realized in and through ongoing, historical practices of caritas conforming the self to the body of Christ.
Birthing a Graphic Archive of Memory: Re-Viewing the Refugee Experience in Thi Bui’sThe Best We Could Do
Authors: Oh Stella 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe Vietnam War is the topic of books, comics, documentaries, films, and television shows. Contrary to popular filmic and literary representations of the Vietnam War, which feature violence and militant hypermasculinity, Thi Bui's The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir (2017) weaves a tapestry of stories about the Vietnam War through memories of her family members. Rather than reiterating a shibboleth of masculine struggle and American exceptionalism during the war, Bui's narrative centers on women, specifically their experiences with birthing and motherhood. Her graphic novel offers us an alternative lens to view the Vietnam War and the experiences of those whose stories were often excluded. The Best We Can Do illustrates memories of women and families commonly disregarded as unimportant and affirms their importance in understanding history and identities shaped by such exclusions. In mapping bodies and their various connections and separations to the nation and to each other, Bui invokes a new archive of memory in which the female body becomes a site for reframing the discourse of the Vietnam War.