bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The association between hypozincemia and aortic stenosis prevalence in hemodialysis patients: a single-center cross-sectional study
Authors: Matsui Satoshi , Ameku Tomonaga , Takada Daisuke , Ono Shinji 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundHypozincemia contributes to phosphate-induced vascular calcification in model animals of renal failure, but the association between hypozincemia and aortic stenosis (AS) prevalence in patients with end-stage kidney disease remains unreported in clinical settings.MethodsTo investigate the association between hypozincemia and AS prevalence in patients undergoing hemodialysis, we designed a single-center cross-sectional study. Our outcome “AS” was defined as prevalence of moderate or severe AS or surgical history for AS. Depending on serum zinc levels, we divided patients undergoing hemodialysis into deciles. The association between hypozincemia and AS prevalence was analyzed via logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, dialysis vintage, diabetes history, serum albumin, and history of taking calcium-containing phosphate binder.ResultsNinety-three patients undergoing hemodialysis were eligible. The mean serum zinc level was 61.3 ± 13.9 μg/dL. Twelve patients who belonged to 1st decile had serum zinc levels ≤ 48 μg/dL. Of these twelve patients, six patients (50 %) had AS. On the other hand, of eighty one patients who belonged to 2nd–10th deciles (serum zinc levels > 48 μg/dL), thirteen patients (16 %) had AS. Hypozincemia (serum zinc levels ≤ 48 μg/dL) was associated with AS prevalence (P= 0.038; odds ratio 4.43; 95% confidence interval 1.09–18.0).ConclusionsAS was more prevalent in patients undergoing hemodialysis with severe hypozincemia in our cross-sectional study, although interventional studies are required to elucidate the benefit of zinc supplementation for AS progression.
A machine learning-based classification approach on Parkinson’s disease diffusion tensor imaging datasets
Authors: Prasuhn Jannik , Heldmann Marcus , Münte Thomas F. , Brüggemann Norbert 
Published: November 2020

Abstract

Introduction
The presence of motor signs and symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the result of a long-lasting prodromal phase with an advancing neurodegenerative process. The identification of PD patients in an early phase is, however, crucial for developing disease-modifying drugs. The objective of our study is to investigate whether Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) of the Substantia nigra (SN) analyzed by machine learning algorithms (ML) can be used to identify PD patients.

Methods
Our study proposes the use of computer-aided algorithms and a highly reproducible approach (in contrast to manually SN segmentation) to increase the reliability and accuracy of DTI metrics used for classification.

Results
The results of our study do not confirm the feasibility of the DTI approach, neither on a whole-brain level, ROI-labelled analyses, nor when focusing on the SN only.

Conclusions
Our study did not provide any evidence to support the hypothesis that DTI-based analysis, in particular of the SN, could be used to identify PD patients correctly.
Impact of schizophrenia genetic liability on the association between schizophrenia and physical illness: data-linkage study
Authors: Kendall Kimberley M. , John Ann , Lee Sze Chim , Rees Elliott , Pardiñas Antonio F. , Banos Marcos Del Pozo , Owen Michael J. , O'Donovan Michael C. , Kirov George , Lloyd Keith , Jones Ian , Legge Sophie E. , Walters James T. R. 
Published: November 2020

Background
Individuals with schizophrenia are at higher risk of physical illnesses, which are a major contributor to their 20-year reduced life expectancy. It is currently unknown what causes the increased risk of physical illness in schizophrenia.

Aims
To link genetic data from a clinically ascertained sample of individuals with schizophrenia to anonymised National Health Service (NHS) records. To assess (a) rates of physical illness in those with schizophrenia, and (b) whether physical illness in schizophrenia is associated with genetic liability.

Method
We linked genetic data from a clinically ascertained sample of individuals with schizophrenia (Cardiff Cognition in Schizophrenia participants, n = 896) to anonymised NHS records held in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank. Physical illnesses were defined from the General Practice Database and Patient Episode Database for Wales. Genetic liability for schizophrenia was indexed by (a) rare copy number variants (CNVs), and (b) polygenic risk scores.

Results
Individuals with schizophrenia in SAIL had increased rates of epilepsy (standardised rate ratio (SRR) = 5.34), intellectual disability (SRR = 3.11), type 2 diabetes (SRR = 2.45), congenital disorders (SRR = 1.77), ischaemic heart disease (SRR = 1.57) and smoking (SRR = 1.44) in comparison with the general SAIL population. In those with schizophrenia, carrier status for schizophrenia-associated CNVs and neurodevelopmental disorder-associated CNVs was associated with height (P = 0.015–0.017), with carriers being 7.5–7.7 cm shorter than non-carriers. We did not find evidence that the increased rates of poor physical health outcomes in schizophrenia were associated with genetic liability for the disorder.

Conclusions
This study demonstrates the value of and potential for linking genetic data from clinically ascertained research studies to anonymised health records. The increased risk for physical illness in schizophrenia is not caused by genetic liability for the disorder.
Effect of Proposed Episode-Based Payment Models on Advanced Radiotherapy Procedures
Authors: Meeks Sanford L. , Shah Amish P. , Sood Gaurav , Dvorak Tomas , Zeidan Omar A. , Meeks Dylan T. , Kelly Patrick 
Published: November 2020

PURPOSE: An episode-based payment model, the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model (RO-APM), has been proposed for Medicare reimbursement of radiation services provided to oncology patients. RO-APM may have significant impact on reimbursement for specific patient populations. METHODS: This investigation compares historical fee-for-service technical reimbursement estimates at a large hospital-based system to the RO-APM for advanced radiotherapy treatment of specific cancer types. These advanced techniques, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), online-adaptive SBRT, and proton therapy, were specifically chosen because they are resource intensive and are correspondingly among the most expensive radiation oncology procedures. A total of 203 Medicare patients were analyzed. RESULTS: RO-APM base-rate reimbursements were similar for SRS and were 38%-47% higher for SBRT. The proposed rates were 1%-31% lower for online-adaptive SBRT, and 48%-71% lower for proton therapy. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the RO-APM may have the desired effect of encouraging shorter courses of radiotherapy, such as SBRT. However, emerging technologies that require large capital and operating investments may see an overall significant reduction in proposed reimbursement.
The pivotal role of ERp44 in patrolling protein secretion
Authors: Tempio Tiziana , Anelli Tiziana 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACT
Interactions between protein ligands and receptors are the main language of intercellular communication; hence, how cells select proteins to be secreted or presented on the plasma membrane is a central concern in cell biology. A series of checkpoints are located along the secretory pathway, which ensure the fidelity of such protein signals (quality control). Proteins that pass the checkpoints operated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by the binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP; also known as HSPA5 and GRP78) and the calnexin–calreticulin systems, must still overcome additional scrutiny in the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) and the Golgi. One of the main players of this process in all metazoans is the ER-resident protein 44 (ERp44); by cycling between the ER and the Golgi, ERp44 controls the localization of key enzymes designed to act in the ER but that are devoid of suitable localization motifs. ERp44 also patrols the secretion of correctly assembled disulfide-linked oligomeric proteins. Here, we discuss the mechanisms driving ERp44 substrate recognition, with important consequences on the definition of ‘thiol-mediated quality control’. We also describe how pH and zinc gradients regulate the functional cycle of ERp44, coupling quality control and membrane trafficking along the early secretory compartment.
Fission yeast Opy1 is an endogenous PI(4,5)P2 sensor that binds to the phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase Its3
Authors: Snider Chloe E. , Willet Alaina H. , Brown HannahSofia T. , Chen Jun-Song , Evers Joshua M. , Gould Kathleen L. 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACT
Phosphoinositides (PIPs) are a dynamic family of lipids that execute diverse roles in cell biology. PIP levels are regulated by numerous enzymes, but our understanding of how these enzymes are controlled in space and time is incomplete. One role of the PIP phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] is to anchor the cytokinetic ring (CR) to the plasma membrane (PM) in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. While examining potential PI(4,5)P2-binding proteins for roles in CR anchoring, we identified the dual pleckstrin homology (PH) domain-containing protein Opy1. Although related proteins are implicated in PIP regulation, we found no role for S. pombe Opy1 in CR anchoring, which would be expected if it modulated PM PI(4,5)P2 levels. Our data indicate that although Opy1 senses PM PI(4,5)P2 levels and binds to the phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PI5-kinase) Its3, Opy1 does not regulate Its3 kinase activity or PM PI(4,5)P2 levels, a striking difference from its Saccharomyces cerevisiae homolog. However, overexpression of Opy1 resulted in cytokinesis defects, as might be expected if it sequestered PI(4,5)P2. Our results highlight the evolutionary divergence of dual PH domain-containing proteins and the need for caution when interpreting results based on their overexpression.
This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Spatial constraints on chromosomes are instrumental to meiotic pairing
Authors: Tian Miao , Agreiter Christiane , Loidl Josef 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACT
In most eukaryotes, the meiotic chromosomal bouquet (comprising clustered chromosome ends) provides an ordered chromosome arrangement that facilitates pairing and recombination between homologous chromosomes. In the protist Tetrahymena thermophila, the meiotic prophase nucleus stretches enormously, and chromosomes assume a bouquet-like arrangement in which telomeres and centromeres are attached to opposite poles of the nucleus. We have identified and characterized three meiosis-specific genes [meiotic nuclear elongation 1-3 (MELG1-3)] that control nuclear elongation, and centromere and telomere clustering. The Melg proteins interact with cytoskeletal and telomere-associated proteins, and probably repurpose them for reorganizing the meiotic prophase nucleus. A lack of sequence similarity between the Tetrahymena proteins responsible for telomere clustering and bouquet proteins of other organisms suggests that the Tetrahymena bouquet is analogous, rather than homologous, to the conserved eukaryotic bouquet. We also report that centromere clustering is more important than telomere clustering for homologous pairing. Therefore, we speculate that centromere clustering may have been the primordial mechanism for chromosome pairing in early eukaryotes.
Evidence of predictive selective attention in fiddler crabs during escape in the natural environment
Authors: Bagheri Zahra M. , Donohue Callum G. , Hemmi Jan M. 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTSelective attention is of fundamental relevance to animals for performing a diversity of tasks such as mating, feeding, predation and avoiding predators. Within natural environments, prey animals are often exposed to multiple, simultaneous threats, which significantly complicates the decision-making process. However, selective attention is rarely studied in complex, natural environments or in the context of escape responses. We therefore asked how relatively simple animals integrate the information from multiple, concurrent threatening events. Do they identify and respond only to what they perceive as the most dangerous threat, or do they respond to multiple stimuli at the same time? Do simultaneous threats evoke an earlier or stronger response than single threats? We investigated these questions by conducting field experiments and compared escape responses of the fiddler crab Gelasimus dampieri when faced with either a single or two simultaneously approaching dummy predators. We used the dummies' approach trajectories to manipulate the threat level; a directly approaching dummy indicated higher risk while a tangentially approaching dummy that passed the crabs at a distance represented a lower risk. The crabs responded later, but on average more often, when approached more directly. However, when confronted with the two dummies simultaneously, the crabs responded as if approached only by the directly approaching dummy. This suggests that the crabs are able to predict how close the dummy's trajectory is to a collision course and selectively suppress their normally earlier response to the less dangerous dummy. We thus provide evidence of predictive selective attention within a natural environment.
Copper(I)-catalyzed Stereoselective Silylative Dearomatization of Indoles and Pyrroles Using Silylboronates
Authors: Hayama Keiichi , Takahashi Rikuro , Kubota Koji , Ito Hajime 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Silylative dearomatizations of indole-2-carboxylates were accomplished using a copper(I) catalyst and silylboronates. This reaction presumably proceeds through regioselective addition of silylcopper(I) species to indole substrates followed by highly diastereoselective protonation of the resulting copper(I) enolate intermediates to afford the corresponding dearomative silylation products. The first silylative dearomatization of pyrroles using the developed catalytic system is also described.
Non-intertwined strands of plasmid DNA contradict the Watson and Crick model of DNA structure
Authors: Kumar Pawan 
Published: November 2020

According to Watson and Crick (W/C) model of DNA structure, a DNA molecule consists of two antiparallel polynucleotide chains, intertwined with each other. Although W/C model is accepted widely, some researchers have raised questions against it and proposed alternative structures for DNA. In the present study, we examined W/C model using plasmid DNA. It was hypothesized that two strands of plasmid will remain intertwined (and not separate from each other) under denaturing conditions if it follows W/C model. To test this, plasmid DNA was denatured using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. It was observed that addition of 0.5 N NaOH to pUC19 or pBR322 plasmids resulted in a new form of DNA having higher electrophoretic mobility in agarose gel. Higher electrophoretic mobility DNA (HmDNA) in NaOH-denatured pUC19 was digestible with S1 nuclease, but not with HindIII and ‘exonuclease I + alkaline phosphatase’. These results demonstrated that HmDNA is single-stranded circular DNA, formed due to separation of two strands of NaOH-denatured plasmid. Single-stranded and circular nature of HmDNA was corroborated by its comparable electrophoretic mobility with purified top and bottom strands of plasmid DNA. Next, we examined whether HmDNA can re-anneal into the native plasmid. Interestingly, when subjected to renaturing conditions, HmDNA from NaOH-denatured pUC19 re-annealed to form native pUC19 plasmid, which was digestible with HindIII and induced ampicillin resistance in Escherichia coli. These findings demonstrated the reversible separation of two strands of plasmid DNA and contradicted the W/C model of DNA structure.
Use of 16s rRNA to identify non-lactose-fermenting bacilli and molecular detection of ESBL resistance genes associated with hospital-acquired infection in Soba University Hospital, Sudan
Authors: Al Hag Wissam Ahmed , Elbadawi Hana , Abdel Hamid Muzamil Mahdi 
Published: November 2020

Background: Non-lactose-fermenting gram-negative bacilli (NLFGNB) have become significant nosocomial pathogens and often exhibit intrinsic multidrug resistance. Sequencing of 16s rRNA genes could be utilized for robust identification of NLFGNB. This study aimed to identify resistant NLFGNB associated with hospital-acquired infections using 16s rRNA sequencing and to detect the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes of isolates in Soba Hospital, Khartoum State, Sudan. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, laboratory-based study was conducted from October 2017 to March 2018 at the Microbiology Department of Soba University Hospital. A total of 100 randomly selected NLFGNB samples were isolated from blood and urine during the time of the study. All the isolates were identified using standard biochemical tests and antimicrobial sensitivity testing, 16s rRNA gene sequencing, and bioinformatics techniques. Results: The biochemical tests revealed that, out of the 100 NLFGNB isolates, the Pseudomonas species was predominant (57 isolates), followed by gram-negative bacilli (33 isolates), Coccobacilli (9 isolates) and Coliform (1 isolate) species. Sequencing of 16s rRNA genes identified all the resistant isolates at the species level: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (26%), Acinetobacter baumannii (22%), Burkholderia cepacia (13%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (10%), Enterococcus species (E. faecalis, E. faecium) (10%), and other GNB (Acinetobacter variabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Morganella morganii, Escherichia fergusonii, Enterobacter hormaechei and Pseudomonas stutzeri) (19%). The antimicrobial susceptibility tests indicated that 31 isolates were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics and contain the highest level of ESBL resistance genes. Conclusions: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii were the most widely recognized NLFGNB identified from hospital-acquired infections in Soba hospital. Among the NLFGNB, antimicrobial resistance and ESBL resistance genes were observed at a high frequency.
Influence of Workplace management initiatives on talent engagement in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Falola Hezekiah O. , Ogueyungbo Opeyemi O. , Ojebola Oluwatunmise O. 
Published: November 2020

Background: Talent engagement is increasingly gaining the attention of pharmaceutical industry, particularly in developing nations like Nigeria. The existing literature shows that the subject of workplace management initiatives and talent engagement in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry has not been sufficiently researched. This study investigates the influence of workplace management initiatives on talent engagement in some selected pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria. Methods: In total, 600 respondents were surveyed across various departments and units of ten selected pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria using multiple sampling techniques. Only 429 copies of the questionnaire, representing a 71.5% response rate, were returned and analyzed using Smart PLS 3.0. Results: The outcomes of the statistical analysis show that recognition, employees’ wellbeing, learning and development as well as diversity and inclusion had significant influence on talent, emotional, cognitive and behavioural engagements. Conclusions: In line with the statistical results, the study concludes that workplace management initiatives influenced talent engagement. The study emphasized the need for the review of many workplace management initiatives in order to determine its suitability within the context of pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria.
Breastfeeding assessment tools for at-risk and malnourished infants aged under 6 months old: a systematic review
Authors: Brugaletta Concetta , Le Roch Karine , Saxton Jennifer , Bizouerne Cécile , McGrath Marie , Kerac Marko 
Published: November 2020

Background: Many small and malnourished infants under 6 months of age have problems with breastfeeding and restoring effective exclusive breastfeeding is a common treatment goal. Assessment is a critical first step of case management, but most malnutrition guidelines do not specify how best to do this. We aimed to identify breastfeeding assessment tools for use in assessing at-risk and malnourished infants in resource-poor settings. Methods: We systematically searched: Medline and Embase; Web of Knowledge; Cochrane Reviews; Eldis and Google Scholar databases. Also the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), CAse REport guidelines, Emergency Nutrition Network, and Field Exchange websites. Assessment tool content was analysed using a framework describing breastfeeding ‘domains’ (baby’s behaviour; mother’s behaviour; position; latching; effective feeding; breast health; baby’s health; mother’s view of feed; number, timing and length of feeds). Results: We identified 29 breastfeeding assessment tools and 45 validation studies. Eight tools had not been validated. Evidence underpinning most tools was low quality and mainly from high-income countries and hospital settings. The most comprehensive tools were the Breastfeeding, Evaluation and Education Tool, UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative tools and CARE training package. The tool with the strongest evidence was the WHO/UNICEF B-R-E-A-S-T-Feed Observation Form. Conclusions: Despite many possible tools, there is currently no one gold standard. For assessing malnourished infants in resource-poor settings, UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative tools, Module IFE and the WHO/UNICEF B-R-E-A-S-T-Feed Observation Form are the best available tools but could be improved by adding questions from other tools. Allowing for context, one tool for rapid community-based assessment plus a more detailed one for clinic/hospital assessment might help optimally identify breastfeeding problems and the support required. Further research is important to refine existing tools and develop new ones. Rigorous testing, especially against outcomes such as breastfeeding status and growth, is key.