bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anaerobic guilds responsible for mercury methylation in boreal wetlands of varied trophic status serving as either a methylmercury source or sink
Authors: Schaefer Jeffra K , Kronberg Rose‐Marie , Björn Erik , Skyllberg Ulf 
Published: June 2020

SummaryWetlands are common sites of active Hg methylation by anaerobic microbes; however, the amount of methylmercury produced varies greatly, as Hg methylation is dependent upon both the availability of Hg and the composition and activity of the microbial community involved. In this study, we identified the major microbial guilds responsible for Hg methylation along a trophic gradient composed of two sites and three different types of wetlands: a bog–fen peatland gradient and a black alder swamp, serving as net sources and a sink for methylmercury respectively. Iron‐reducing bacteria in the Geobacteraceae were important Hg methylators across all wetlands and seasons examined, as evidenced by abundant 16S rRNA and hgcA transcripts clustering with this family. Molybdate inhibited Hg methylation more efficiently in the peatlands than in the swamp, suggesting an increasing role of sulfate‐reducing bacteria and/or related syntrophs in the methylation of Hg with decreasing trophic status. Sulfate addition failed to increase Hg methylation rates in the peatlands, suggesting that SRBs/syntrophs were instead likely metabolizing alternative substrates such as syntrophic fermentation of organic compounds with methanogens. These results highlight the interconnectivity of anaerobic metabolism and importance of community dynamics on the methylation of Hg in wetlands with different trophic status.
Death in the town square: body performance and community healing in a Catalan traditional sport
Authors: Vaczi Mariann 
Published: June 2020

AbstractHuman tower building (castells) is a two‐hundred‐year‐old traditional sport in Catalonia (Spain), which has boomed since the democratic Transition (1975) as a national symbol and low‐cost intergenerational pastime activity. In 2006, however, a child performer died as a result of a collapse. Catalonia responded with profound grief, and the human tower community embarked on a process of ‘overcoming’ (superació), whose success was made contingent on the iconic outcome of towers ritually performed throughout a year and a half. Performers produced and deployed cultural meanings of verticality, and operationalized them for bereavement and meaning making. The case inserts the iconicity of body practice in anthropological debates about death in three ways. First, the verticality and body experience of tower building allowed the bereaved community to imagine life, death, transcendence, and ‘resurrection’, thus establishing continuing bonds and a social afterlife. Second, the structural completion of towers lent itself to stage‐ and task‐oriented interpretations of bereavement, whereby each tower level was a task the community had to execute to proceed to the next stage of bereavement. However, and third, mourning through sport performance also acknowledged the uncertainties of those cultural scripts of bereavement through the performative contingencies of the outcome of tower building.
Whole‐genome sequencing to detect mutations associated with resistance to insecticides and Bt proteins in Spodoptera frugiperda
Authors: Guan Fang , Zhang Jianpeng , Shen Huiwen , Wang Xingliang , Padovan Amanda , Walsh Tom K. , Tay Wee Tek , Gordon Karl H. J. , James William , Czepak Cecilia , Otim Michael Hilary , Kachigamba Donald , Wu Yidong 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a major pest native to the Americas that has recently invaded the Old World. Point mutations in the target‐site proteins acetylcholinesterase‐1 (ace‐1), voltage‐gated sodium channel (VGSC) and ryanodine receptor (RyR) have been identified in S. frugiperda as major resistance mechanisms to organophosphate, pyrethroid and diamide insecticides respectively. Mutations in the adenosine triphosphate‐binding cassette transporter C2 gene (ABCC2) have also been identified to confer resistance to Cry1F protein. In this study, we applied a whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) approach to identify point mutations in the target‐site genes in 150 FAW individuals collected from China, Malawi, Uganda and Brazil. This approach revealed three amino acid substitutions (A201S, G227A and F290V) of S. frugiperda ace‐1, which are known to be associated with organophosphate resistance. The Brazilian population had all three ace‐1 point mutations and the 227A allele (mean frequency = 0.54) was the most common. Populations from China, Malawi and Uganda harbored two of the three ace‐1 point mutations (A201S and F290V) with the 290V allele (0.47–0.58) as the dominant allele. Point mutations in VGSC (T929I, L932F and L1014F) and RyR (I4790M and G4946E) were not detected in any of the 150 individuals. A novel 12‐bp insertion mutation in exon 15 of the ABCC2 gene was identified in some of the Brazilian individuals but absent in the invasive populations. Our results not only demonstrate robustness of the WGS‐based genomic approach for detection of resistance mutations, but also provide insights for improvement of resistance management tactics in S. frugiperda.
Clearance of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine by the Seraph® 100 Microbinda Affinity Blood Filter ‐a device approved for the treatment of COVID‐19 patients
Authors: Seffer Malin‐Theres , Martens‐Lobenhoffer Jens , Schmidt Julius J. , Eden Gabriele , Bode‐Böger Stefanie M. , Kielstein Jan T. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractOn April 17 2020, the United States Food and Drug Administration granted Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) emergency use authorizations for the Seraph 100 Microbind Affinity Blood Filter. The medical device is aimed to treat critically ill COVID‐19 patients with confirmed or imminent respiratory failure. The aim of this life size in vitro pharmacokinetic study was to investigate the in vitro adsorption of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine from human plasma using equipment that is also used at the bedside. After start of the hemoperfusion, Pre (Cpre) Seraph plasma levels were obtained at 5 (C5), 10 (C10), 15 (C15), 30 (C30), 60 (C60), and 120 (C120) minutes into the procedure. At two timepoints (5 and 120 minutes) post (Cpost) Seraph plasma levels were determined that were used to calculate the plasma clearance of the Seraph. Both drugs were determined using a validated HPLC method. Median [IQR] plasma clearance of the Seraph for chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine was 1.71 [0.51‐4.38] mL/min/1.79 [0.21‐3.68] mL/min respectively. The lack of elimination was also confirmed by the fact that plasma levels did not change over the 120 minutes treatment. As neither chloroquine nor hydroxychloroquine were removed by the treatment with the Seraph dose adjustments in COVID‐19 patients undergoing this treatment are not necessary.
Incidence and factors associated with discontinuation of opioid agonist therapy among people who inject drugs in Australia
Authors: Geddes Louise , Iversen Jenny , Wand Handan , Maher Lisa 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAimsTo estimate incidence and predictors of opioid agonist therapy (OAT) discontinuation in a national cohort of people who inject drugs (PWID).Design and SettingAnnually repeated cross‐sectional serosurveillance among PWID attending ~50 needle–syringe programmes across Australia.ParticipantsBetween 1995 and 2018, 2651 PWID who reported current OAT and had subsequent survey participation completed 6739 surveys. Respondents were followed over 11 984 person‐years of observation (PYO). Respondents were predominantly male (60%), and the median age was 34 years. Heroin was the most commonly reported drug last injected (46%), and methadone was the most commonly prescribed OAT (77%).MeasurementsThe primary outcome was discontinuation of OAT (methadone, buprenorphine or buprenorphine–naloxone). Among respondents who reported current OAT, those who did not report current OAT in all subsequent records were defined as discontinued, and those with current OAT at all subsequent records were defined as retained. Predictors of discontinuation included self‐reported demographic (sex, location, Indigenous status) and drug use characteristics (drug last injected, frequency of injection).FindingsJust fewer than one‐third of respondents (29%) reported an OAT discontinuation event. The crude discontinuation rate was 6.3 [95% confidence intervals (CI) = 5.9–6.8] per 100 PYO. Discontinuation was significantly higher among respondents who reported last injecting pharmaceutical opioids [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.41–2.17,P < 0.001], being prescribed buprenorphine (aHR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.18–1.76,P = 0.001) or buprenorphine–naloxone (aHR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.20–2.34,P = 0.002), daily or more frequent injection (aHR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.23–1.85,P < 0.001), recent public injecting (aHR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.17–1.60,P < 0.001), incarceration in the previous 12 months (aHR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.05–1.64,P = 0.017), recent receptive syringe or injection equipment sharing (aHR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.10–1.48,P = 0.001) and male sex (aHR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.09–1.47,P = 0.002).ConclusionPeople who inject drugs attending needle–syringe programmes in Australia appear to be significantly more likely to discontinue opioid agonist treatment if they were prescribed buprenorphine or buprenorphine–naloxone compared with methadone, are male or report injection risk behaviours and recent incarceration.
Natural killer cells and reproductive success
Authors: Sacks Gavin , Finkelstein Emma 
Published: June 2020

AbstractNatural killer (NK) cell assessment has been attempted since the 1990s and, apart from antibody testing, is probably the commonest immune test available to clinicians. It is clear that simple enumeration of uterine NK cells by immunohistochemistry is inadequate, although better methodology such as flow cytometry may prove to be more beneficial in the future. Blood testing is an appealing noninvasive test that may be a marker for immune dysfunction, rather than a guide to uterine numbers per se. It is currently performed in women with repeated reproductive failure and should be done using tests of activation. Patients value investigation and clinicians should prefer it to blind empirical immune therapy in repeated reproductive failure cases. But, in addition to blood NK testing, a fundamental new NK genetic test (the KIR/HLA‐C interaction) is likely to provide an even more effective diagnostic tool. Insights from KIR/HLA‐C analysis imply that new immune therapy trials will need to take KIR/HLA‐C results into account.
EAACI Guidelines on the effective transition of adolescents and young adults with allergy and asthma
Authors: Roberts Graham , Vazquez‐Ortiz Marta , Knibb Rebecca , Khaleva Ekaterina , Alviani Cherry , Angier Elizabeth , Blumchen Katharina , Comberiati Pasquale , Duca Bettina , DunnGalvin Audrey , Garriga‐Baraut Teresa , Gore Claudia , Gowland M. Hazel , Hox Valérie , Jensen Britt , Mortz Charlotte G. , Pfaar Oliver , Pite Helena , Santos Alexandra F. , Sanchez‐Garcia Silvia , Timmermans Frans 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAdolescent and young adult (AYA) patients need additional support, while they experience the challenges associated with their age. They need specific training to learn the knowledge and skills required to confidently self‐manage their allergies and/or asthma. Transitional care is a complex process, which should address the psychological, medical, educational and vocational needs of AYA in the developmentally appropriate way. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has developed a clinical practice guideline to provide evidence‐based recommendations for healthcare professionals to support the transitional care of AYA with allergy and/or asthma. This guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary working panel of experts and patient representatives based on two recent systematic reviews. It sets out a series of general recommendations on operating a clinical service for AYA, which include the following: (a) starting transition early (11‐13 years), (b) using a structured, multidisciplinary approach, (c) ensuring AYA fully understand their condition and have resources they can access, (d) active monitoring of adherence and (e) discussing any implications for further education and work. Specific allergy and asthma transition recommendations include (a) simplifying medication regimes and using reminders; (b) focusing on areas where AYA are not confident and involving peers in training AYA patients; (c) identifying and managing psychological and socio‐economic issues impacting disease control and quality of life; (d) enrolling the family in assisting AYA to undertake self‐management; and (e) encouraging AYA to let their friends know about their allergies and asthma. These recommendations may need to be adapted to fit into national healthcare systems.
Family history and risk of miscarriage: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies
Authors: Woolner Andrea M. F. , Nagdeve Priti , Raja Edwin‐Amalraj , Bhattacharya Siladitya , Bhattacharya Sohinee 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIntroductionMiscarriage, a spontaneous pregnancy loss at <24 weeks’ gestation, is a common complication of pregnancy but the etiologies of miscarriage and recurrent miscarriage are not fully understood. Other obstetric conditions such as preeclampsia and preterm birth, which may share similar pathophysiology to miscarriage, exhibit familial patterns, suggesting inherited predisposition to these conditions. Parental genetic polymorphisms have been associated with unexplained miscarriage, suggesting there could be a genetically inherited predisposition to miscarriage. This systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies aimed to assess the association between family history of miscarriage and the risk of miscarriage in women.Material and methodsA systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies was carried out in accordance with Meta‐analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. Electronic searches using databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL) were carried out to identify eligible studies from 1946 until 2019. Observational studies (cohort or case‐control) were included. Human studies only were included. Participants were women of reproductive age. Exposure was a family history of one or more miscarriage(s). The primary outcome was miscarriage in women. Abstracts were screened and data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Study quality was assessed using Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) tools. Data were pooled from individual studies using the Mantel‐Haenszel method to produce pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Systematic review registration number (PROSPERO): CRD42019127950.ResultsThirteen studies were identified in the systematic review; 10 were eligible for inclusion in the meta‐analysis. Twelve studies reported an association between family history of miscarriage and miscarriage in women. In all, 41 287 women were included in the meta‐analysis. Women who miscarried were more likely to report a family history of miscarriage (pooled unadjusted OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.37‐2.63). Overall study quality and size varied, with few adjusting for confounding factors. Results should be interpreted with caution as the associations presented are based on unadjusted analyses only.ConclusionsWomen who miscarry may be more likely to have a family history of miscarriage. Further research is required to confirm or refute the findings.
Optimal cannula positioning of HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device
Authors: Imamura Teruhiko , Narang Nikhil , Nitta Daisuke , Fujino Takeo , Nguyen Ann , Kim Gene , Raikhelkar Jayant , Rodgers Daniel , Ota Takeyoshi , Jeevanandam Valluvan , Sayer Gabriel , Uriel Nir 
Published: June 2020

AbstractCannula position in HeartMate II and HeartWare left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is associated with clinical outcome. This study aimed to investigate the clinical implication of the device positioning in HeartMate 3 LVAD cohort. Consecutive patients who underwent HeartMate 3 LVAD implantation were followed for one year from index discharge. At index discharge, chest X‐ray parameters were measured: (a) cannula coronal angle, (b) height of pump bottom, (c) cannula sagittal angle, and (d) cannula lumen area. The association of each measurement of cannula position with one‐year clinical outcomes was investigated. Sixty‐four HeartMate 3 LVAD patients (58 years old, 64% male) were enrolled. In the multivariable Cox regression model, the cannula coronal angle was a significant predictor of death or heart failure readmission (hazard ratio 1.27 [1.01‐1.60], P = .045). Patients with a cannula coronal angle ≤28° had lower central venous pressure (P = .030), lower pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (P = .027), and smaller left ventricular size (P = .019) compared to those with the angle >28°. Right ventricular size and parameters of right ventricular function were also better in the narrow angle group, as was one‐year cumulative incidence of death or heart failure readmission (10% vs. 50%, P = .008). Narrow cannula coronal angle in patients with HeartMate 3 LVADs was associated with improved cardiac unloading and lower incidence of death or heart failure readmission. Larger studies to confirm the implication of optimal device positioning are warranted.
Choriocapillaris thickness and density in axially elongated eyes
Authors: Panda‐Jonas Songhomitra , Holbach Leonard , Jonas Jost B. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractPurposeAxial myopia is characterized by a thinning of the choroid. We examined whether the myopic choroidal thinning also includes a thinning of the choriocapillaris.MethodsUsing light microscopy, we measured thickness and density of the choriocapillaris at the posterior pole, posterior pole–equator midpoint (PPEMP), equator and close to the ora serrata on histological sections of 58 enucleated human globes (mean age: 62.4 ± 17.8 years; range: 24–88 years; mean axial length: 27.8 ± 4.0 mm; range: 22.0–37.0 mm).ResultsChoriocapillaris thickness decreased (p < 0.001) from the posterior pole (median: 3.9 µm; interquartile range (IQR): 3.3–6.0) to the equator (median: 2.7 µm; IQR: 1.5, 4.2). It was not significantly associated with axial length, neither at the posterior pole (p = 0.25), the PPEMP (p = 0.81), equator (p = 0.80) or ora serrata (p = 0.50). Mean choriocapillaris density decreased from the posterior pole to the equator (198 µm/300 µm; IQR: 152/300, 246/300 versus 156 µm/300 µm; IQR: 72/300, 216/300; p < 0.001). Choriocapillaris density was not significantly associated with axial length (posterior pole: p = 0.07; PPEMP: p = 0.33; equator: p = 0.22; ora serrata: p = 0.36).ConclusionsThe choriocapillaris thickness and density, decreasing from the posterior pole to the fundus periphery, were not significantly associated with axial length. These findings may be of interest for the understanding of high myopia and pathologic myopia.
Prescription patterns of outpatients and the potential of multiplexed pharmacogenomic testing
Authors: Chan Sze Ling , Liew Hariz Zhen Wei , Nguyen Francis , Thumboo Julian , Chow Wan Cheng , Sung Cynthia 
Published: June 2020

BackgroundPre‐emptive pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing is potentially an efficient approach to improve drug safety and efficacy but the target population to test is unclear.ObjectivesWe aim to describe the prescription pattern of PGx drugs among adult medical outpatients.MethodsWe estimated the 5‐year cumulative incidence (CI) for receiving three groups of PGx drugs using competing risks analysis: (i) all PGx drugs, (ii) PGx drugs with guidelines and (iii) PGx drugs with serious clinical effects. Comparisons of CIs were also done by patient characteristics using Gray's test.ResultsThe 5‐year CIs of receiving any new PGx drug, PGx drug with guidelines and serious clinical effects were 42.6%, 37.3% and 13.7%, respectively. The 5‐year CI of receiving any new PGx drug was higher for patients >40 years old (43.6% vs ≤40 years old 36.0%, P < 2.2 × 10−22), Malays and Indians (50.3% and 49.8% vs Chinese 31.1%, P < 2.2 × 10−22), those who attended one of the following four specialties at the index visit compared to other specialties (infectious diseases [46.2% vs 42.6%, P = 2.9 × 10−4], psychiatry [48.3% vs 42.3%, P = 7.4 × 10−13], renal [49.8% vs 40.9%, P < 2.2 × 10−22], and rheumatology and immunology [54.8% vs 41.7%, P < 2.2 × 10−22]) and those prescribed ≥5 drugs at index visit (51.7% vs 0‐4 drugs 41.7%, P < 2.2 × 10−22).ConclusionsMedical outpatients have a substantial probability of benefiting from pre‐emptive PGx testing and this is higher in certain subgroups of patients.
Evaluation of ABC gene polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of capecitabine in colorectal patients: Implications for dosing recommendations
Authors: Sáez‐Belló Marina , Mangas‐Sanjuán Víctor , Martínez‐Gómez Mª. Amparo , López‐Montenegro Soria Mª. Ángeles , Climente‐Martí Mónica , Merino‐Sanjuán Matilde 
Published: June 2020

AimsThe aims are to develop a population pharmacokinetic model of capecitabine (CAP) and its main metabolites after the oral administration of CAP in colorectal cancer patients with different polymorphisms of the ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) gene and a population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model capable of accounting for the neutropenic effects, and to optimize the dosing strategy based on the polymorphisms of the ABC gene and/or the administration regimen as a single agent or in combination.MethodsForty‐eight patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer were included, with 432 plasma levels of CAP, 5′‐desoxi‐5‐fluorouridine (5′‐DFUR) and 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU), and 370 neutrophil observations. Capecitabine doses ranged from 1250 to 2500 mg/m2/24 h. Plasma measurements of CAP, 5′‐DFUR and 5‐FU were obtained at 1, 2 and 3 hours post administration. Neutrophil levels were measured between day 15 and day 24 post administration.ResultsThe pharmacokinetic model incorporates oxaliplatin as a covariate on absorption lag time, rs6720173 (ABCG5 gene) on clearance of 5′‐DFUR (182% increase for mutated rs6720173) and rs2271862 (ABCA2 gene) on clearance of 5‐FU (184% increase for mutated rs2271862). System‐ (Circ0 = 3.54 × 109 cells/mL, MTT = 204 hours and γ = 6.0 × 10−2) and drug‐related (slope [SLP] = 3.1 × 10−2mL/mg). Co‐administration of oxaliplatin resulted in a 2.84‐fold increase in SLP. The predicted exposure thresholds to G3/4 neutropenia in combination and monotherapy were 26 and 70 mg·h/L, respectively.ConclusionsThe population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model characterized the time course of capecitabine and its metabolites in plasma. Dose recommendations of capecitabine in patients with mutated and wild allele for single nucleotide polymorphisms rs2271862 of ≤3000 and ≤2400 mg/m2/24 h in monotherapy and ≤1750 and ≤600 mg/m2/24 h in combination with oxaliplatin, respectively, have been proposed.