bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sex Differences in Circulating Soluble Urokinase‐Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) Levels and Adverse Outcomes in Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Mehta Anurag , Desai Shivang R. , Ko Yi‐An , Liu Chang , Dhindsa Devinder S. , Nayak Aditi , Hooda Ananya , Martini Mohamed A. , Ejaz Kiran , Sperling Laurence S. , Reiser Jochen , Hayek Salim S. , Quyyumi Arshed A. 
Published: February 2020

Background
Women have higher circulating levels of soluble urokinase‐type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), and elevated suPAR is associated with cardiovascular risk. The independent association of sex with suPAR and the impact of sex on its association with cardiovascular risk are unknown.

Methods and Results

Plasma suPAR was measured using ELISA in 2 cohorts of 666 asymptomatic individuals (49 years, 65% women) and 4184 patients with coronary artery disease (63 years, 37% women). Independent association of sex with suPAR was studied using linear regression models adjusted for demographics, risk factors, and visceral adiposity in asymptomatic participants. Impact of sex on association of suPAR with all‐cause mortality was studied in patients with coronary artery disease using multivariable‐adjusted Cox models. Sex‐specific suPAR cutoffs for predicting all‐cause mortality were calculated. Asymptomatic women had 10% higher suPAR compared with men after adjusting for confounders, and visceral adiposity partly accounted for this association. Over a median follow‐up of 5.2 years, 795 deaths were recorded in patients with coronary artery disease. Log
2
‐transformed suPAR was independently associated with mortality (hazard ratio per 1‐SD 1.72, 95% CI 1.60–1.85) and an interaction with sex was noted (
P
=0.005). Association of suPAR with mortality was slightly weaker in women (hazard ratio 1.61, 95% CI 1.41–1.83) compared with men (hazard ratio 1.83, 95% CI 1.67–2.00). However, using sex‐specific suPAR cut‐offs (4392 pg/mL for women and 3187 pg/mL for men), a similar mortality incidence was observed for both sexes (38.5% and 35.5%, respectively,
P
=0.3).

Conclusions
Women have 10% higher plasma suPAR levels compared with men. Elevated sex‐specific plasma suPAR levels are equally predictive of risk of adverse events in both sexes.
Digital Diaspora
Authors: Dubinsky Itamar 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
This article examines the cyberactivism of Eritrean asylum seekers in Israel. It adopts the concept of digital diasporas to probe the role that the Internet plays for members of the community. Based on interviews with Eritrean asylum seekers in Israel, content analysis of Eritrean websites and other online platforms, as well as government and third-sector reports, the article discusses the potential and limitations of the Internet in promoting the struggle of members of the Eritrean diaspora against dictatorship in their homeland, and in enabling them to deal with hardships in their host country. The research reveals three main uses of the Internet by members of the community: social-cultural uses, consumption of news, and anti-government activism. These uses enable the Eritrean diaspora in Israel to create a political sphere that cannot exist outside the web, maintain the cohesiveness of the community, make informed decisions concerning their future, and preserve individual identities.
The shapes of verbal paradigms in Kiranti languages
Authors: Lahaussois Aimée 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
The Kiranti languages of Eastern Nepal have polypersonal indexation, with two arguments encoded in verb agreement markers. In contemporary descriptions of Kiranti languages (from 1975 on), the tables presenting transitive verb paradigms are arranged according to the same layout, in a matrix format with the different person/number combinations for the agent argument represented in the vertical axis and the patient argument person/number combinations in the horizontal axis. In earlier grammars, however, a number of different formats for representing the combination of two arguments was used. In this article, I shall present the different paradigm formats found in a sampling of grammars of Kiranti languages from 1857 to the present day, with a view to tracing the origins of the current layout, and, in cases where significantly different layouts are encountered, attempting to retrace the model which may have influenced the presentation of the data
Blaming the bureaucrat: does perceived blame risk influence inspectors’ enforcement style?
Authors: Klijn Erik Hans , Eshuis Jasper , Opperhuizen Alette , Boer Noortje de 
Published: February 2020

Is there a relation between street-level bureaucrats’ enforcement style and their perception of the risk of getting blamed? This article answers this question on the basis of a survey ( n = 507) among inspectors of the Netherlands Food and Product Safety Authority. We included perceived media attention on their work as a factor that might influence street-level bureaucrats’ perception of blame risk and their enforcement style. Three dimensions of enforcement style were distinguished from earlier research: legal, facilitative and accommodative. We found that when inspectors perceive more blame risk, they employ a slightly less legal style and, instead, employ a more accommodative style. Thus, they act a little less formally and less coercively (i.e. legal) and take greater account of their peers’ opinions (i.e. accommodative). However, perceived media attention did not have a significant influence on enforcement style. Points for practitioners 1. When inspectors perceive more blame risk, they tend to pay more attention to the opinion of peers (other inspectors, supervisors, etc.). 2. Blame risk does not lead to the use of a more formal inspection style. 3. Media attention does not play an important role in enhancing the blame risk perception of inspectors. 4. This media and blame risk is less important than often found in the case of politicians. This may be connected to the fact that the work of inspectors as street-level bureaucrats is less visible to the wider public (and the media).
Indigenous Micropolitics of Reconciliation in Jimaín, Colombia
Authors: Santamaría Angela 
Published: February 2020

The Colombian postconflict period requires titanic efforts on the part of the local government of the Arhuaco of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, caught between their own ancestral battles and the demands of central government institutions that may not even reach this region to administer justice and reintegration for territorial peace building. The reintegration of Arhuaco ex-combatants into their home communities has posed one of the greatest challenges. The interaction between Arhuaco justice and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace adopted in March 2017 is crucial for their effective reincorporation. Examination of the experiences of a group of Arhuaco authorities that has succeeded in building peace in a territory plagued by paramilitary and guerrilla violence, the military action of the Colombian government, and the entry of mega-projects into the region reveals the obstacles and the individual and collective development opportunities that have shaped those experiences. El período posconflicto colombiano requiere esfuerzos titánicos por parte del gobierno local del Arhuaco de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, atrapado entre sus propias batallas ancestrales y las demandas de las instituciones del gobierno central que quizás ni siquiera lleguen a esta región para administrar justicia y reintegración para la construcción de la paz territorial. La reintegración de los excombatientes de Arhuaco en sus comunidades de origen ha planteado uno de los mayores desafíos. La interacción entre la justicia de Arhuaco y la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz adoptada en marzo de 2017 es crucial para su reincorporación efectiva. El examen de las experiencias de un grupo de autoridades de Arhuaco que ha logrado construir la paz en un territorio plagado de violencia paramilitar y guerrillera, la acción militar del gobierno colombiano y la entrada de megaproyectos en la región revela los obstáculos y las oportunidades individuales y colectivos de desarrollo que han dado forma a esas experiencias.
Prevalence of Urologic Disease Among Patients Investigated for Hematuria With CT Urography
Authors: Fenwick Andrew K. C. , Sala Eric , Canales Donaldo D. 
Published: February 2020

Purpose: The current study evaluated the prevalence of urologic disease among patients with hematuria referred for computerized tomography (CT) urography to determine which patients require investigation with CT urography. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed radiology reports of 1046 CT urograms performed for the indication of microscopic (43.7%) or gross hematuria (56.3%). Urological findings were categorized as negative, benign, or suspicious (pathologically confirmed) for malignancy. Results: Of 1046 CT urograms performed, 53.5% were negative, 36.4% were benign, and 10% were suspicious for malignancy. The most common benign finding was urolithiasis (22.3%). Overall, urinary tract malignancies were present in 3.6% of patients, and the rate was significantly higher ( P < .001) for gross (5.8%) than microscopic hematuria (0.9%). CT urography identified 0.6% patients with upper urinary tract malignancies; the malignancy rate was significantly higher ( P = .038) for gross (1%) than microscopic hematuria (0%), and no significant sex ( P = 1.00; male = 0.6%, female = 0.6%) or age ( P = .600; < 50 years = 0%, ≥ 50 years = 0.7%) differences were observed. Logistic regression revealed that being male was associated with gross hematuria (odds ratio [OR] = 2.92), and that both age and gross hematuria (ORs = 1.06 and 5.13, respectively) were associated with malignancy. Conclusions: CT urography found no upper urinary tract malignancies in 99.4% of patients presenting with hematuria, including all patients with microscopic hematuria and those with gross hematuria <50 years old. Investigating these subgroups with CT urography may be unnecessary and result in increased patient morbidity and health-care costs.
Peritoneal Membrane Transport and Hypoalbuminemia: Cause or Effect?
Authors: Margetts Peter J. , McMullin Joseph P. , Rabbat Christian G. , Churchill David N. 
Published: February 2020

Objective Peritoneal membrane transport has been associated with serum albumin and clinical outcome. We examined the relationship between serum albumin and peritoneal membrane transport status before and after the initiation of peritoneal dialysis. Setting Patients were followed at a tertiary-care regional nephrology program at St. Joseph's Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Methods Incident peritoneal dialysis patients between 1 January 1995 and 31 May 1998 were eligible if there was a peritoneal equilibration test within 180 days of starting dialysis, and a serum albumin value measured within 90 days prior to, and 20 to 70 days after initiating dialysis. Main Outcome Measures Serum albumin, before and after the initiation of dialysis, and the presence of proteinuric renal disease were compared with the peritoneal equilibration test results. Results Among 67 identified patients, there were 7 high, 27 high-average, 26 low-average, and 7 low transporters and the mean serum albumin values before dialysis were 35.1, 37.4, 37.8, and 40.4 g/L, respectively ( p < 0.001). Serum albumin values prior to the initiation of dialysis correlated significantly with the 4-hour D/P creatinine ratio ( r = –0.251, p = 0.040). After initiation of dialysis, the correlation was stronger ( r = –0.447, p < 0.001). Serum albumin prior to initiation of dialysis was lower for those with proteinuric than nonproteinuric renal disease (36.4 g/L vs 38.8 g/L, p = 0.04). The trend to lower serum albumin in high transporters was seen in patients with both proteinuric and nonproteinuric renal disease. Conclusion The association between higher peritoneal membrane transport and lower serum albumin is present before initiation of dialysis in both proteinuric and nonproteinuric renal disease. The poor outcomes associated with low serum albumin and higher peritoneal membrane transport might be explained by other underlying factors. The contribution of inflammation, malnutrition, and fluid overload requires further study.
Influence of Initial Nutritional Status on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patient Survival
Authors: Chung Sung Hee , Lindholm Bengt , Lee Hi Bahl 
Published: February 2020

Objectives To evaluate the influence of initial nutritional status on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patient survival and to identify factors determining initial nutritional status and patient mortality. Design Prospective single-center study. Setting Kidney Center, Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital. Patients A total of 91 consecutive CAPD patients, who underwent initial nutritional assessment at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea, between September 1994 and January 1999, was included in this study. All patients were assessed at a mean of 7 days after beginning CAPD (range 3 – 24 days). Forty-eight patients were male, 50 were diabetics, and their mean age was 53.9 years (range 22 – 76 years). Methods Nutritional status was assessed by subjective global assessment (SGA), biochemical and anthropometric measurements, fat-free edema-free (FFEF) body mass by creatinine kinetics, urea kinetic studies, and calculation of the normalized protein equivalent of total nitrogen appearance (nPNA). Results By SGA, 55% were classified as having normal nutrition while 45% had signs of malnutrition; 61% of female and 31% of male patients, and 54% of diabetics and 34% of nondiabetics were classified as malnourished. Initial FFEF body mass, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum albumin (sAlb), residual renal function (RRF), and weekly total creatinine clearance were significantly lower in the malnourished patients than in the patients with normal nutrition. On multiple regression analysis, only FFEF body mass was an independent determinant of SGA score. On 31 January 1999, 41 patients were still on CAPD, 15 patients had died, and 27 patients had been transferred to hemodialysis. Those who died during observation were older and had lower initial FFEF body mass, % lean body mass, BUN, sAlb, RRF, and SGA score. The 2-year patient survival rate was significantly lower in the malnourished than in normal patients (67.1% vs 91.7%, p = 0.02). On Cox proportional hazards analysis, initial age, malnutrition assessed by SGA, and FFEF body mass were identified as factors determining death. Conclusion Malnutrition was present in 45% of patients commencing CAPD when assessed by SGA. Initial FFEF body mass was a determinant of SGA score and predicted death. Malnutrition as assessed by SGA was also an independent predictor of death. Initial nutritional status, therefore, appears to exert a powerful influence on CAPD patient survival.
Discriminative Impact of Ultrafiltration on Peritoneal Protein Transport
Authors: Waniewski Jacek , Wang Tao , Heimbürger Olof , Werynski Andrzej , Lindholm Bengt 
Published: February 2020

Objective The dialysate concentration of large proteins increases, on average, linearly during the whole peritoneal dialysis dwell, and this linear pattern seems to be independent of the rate of ultrafiltration induced by dialysis fluid. However, we observed a high variability of protein kinetics in individual dwell studies. Therefore, we studied the details of the kinetic pattern of peritoneal transport. Design and Methods Kinetics of β2-microglobulin, albumin, and total protein was examined in 23 clinically stable continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients using Dianeal 3.86% (15 dwell studies) or Dianeal 1.36% (9 dwell studies) dialysis fluid. Dialysate volume was measured using radioisotopically labeled albumin as a volume marker, with corrections for sample volume and absorption of fluid and marker from the peritoneal cavity. The generalized version of the Babb–Randerson–Farrell model was applied to estimate diffusive mass transport coefficient (KBD) and sieving coefficient (S) for proteins and small solutes (urea, creatinine, glucose, sodium, potassium). To quantify deviations from the linear pattern of protein dialysate concentration increase, the ratio (SR) of the slope of the linear regression line for the initial 3 – 30 minutes, divided by the slope for the next 60 – 360 minutes, was evaluated for albumin. Results In 5 dwell studies with Dianeal 3.86% fluid, SR was lower than 1 [low albumin transport (LAT) group, median SR = 0.49, range –4.39 – 0.71], while in the other 10 dwell studies with this solution, SR was higher than 1 [high albumin transport (HAT) group, median SR = 2.77, range 1.32 – 7.56]. Clearances of albumin up to 120 minutes were higher in the HAT group than in the LAT group. The transport of fluid, β2-microglobulin, and small solutes did not differ between the LAT and the HAT groups. KBD values for proteins did not differ between the groups, but S values for albumin and total protein were lower for the LAT group than for the HAT group. A similar diversity was found in the dwell studies with Dianeal 1.36%: In three dwell studies, SR for albumin was lower than 1 (median SR = 0.95, range 0.70 – 0.97), and in six dwells it was higher than 1 (median SR = 1.55, range 1.23 – 1.98). In general, the SR values observed with Dianeal 1.36% were closer to 1 than those for Dianeal 3.86%. Conclusions Ultrafiltration may affect the initial kinetic patterns of large protein (such as albumin) transport in two opposing ways: ( 1 ) by slowing the increase of protein concentration in dialysate (due to a low sieving coefficient, LAT group), and ( 2 ) by speeding up the increase of protein concentration in dialysate (due to a high sieving coefficient, HAT group). The average pattern in a non-selected group of studies is, however, close to a steady (linear) increase.
Effect of Pyrazinamide and Probenecid on Peritoneal Urate Transport Kinetics during Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Spaia Sophia , Magoula Ifigenia , Tsapas George , Vayonas George 
Published: February 2020

Objective We administered pyrazinamide (PZA) and probenecid (PB) — two well-known modulators of urate transport via the proximal tubules — to evaluate their impact on urate transport through the peritoneal membrane and to clarify mechanisms affecting peritoneal transport. Setting A continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) unit in 2nd Hospital of IKA (Social Services Institute), Greece. Patients In 20 stable CAPD patients, on the study day, a 4-hour, 2-L, 1.36% glucose exchange was performed (control exchange). Pyrazinamide 3 g was given orally and another identical exchange was performed (study exchange). The same protocol was repeated with 2 g PB. Kt/V, peritoneal clearances of urea, creatinine, and urate for each exchange, and mass transfer area coefficients (MTAC) for the three solutes and their dialysate-to-plasma concentration (D/P) ratios were used to estimate peritoneal transport. Results Administration of PZA resulted in decreased clearances and MTAC values for the three solutes. The D/P ratio decreased significantly only for urate, indicating a more intense influence of PZA on urate. After PB administration, clearances of urea, creatinine, and urate were increased. MTAC and D/P ratio increased significantly only for urate ( p < 0.05), demonstrating an action similar to that exerted on renal tubules. Conclusions These findings provide evidence that unrestricted diffusion is not the only transport mechanism in the case of urate, and demonstrate the existence of an active mechanism in peritoneal urate transport with a reabsorptive and, probably, a secretive component that resembles that of renal tubule urate transport. Attention should be given in the case of CAPD patients undergoing antituberculous (PZA) treatment: it might have a negative impact on urea, creatinine, and urate peritoneal transport rates.
Normalization of Clearances in Peritoneal Dialysis Using a Formula for Body Water Derived from an End-Stage Renal Disease Population
Authors: Tzamaloukas Antonios H. , Murata Glen H. , Malhotra Deepak , Piraino Beth , Rao Panduranga , Bernardini Judith , Oreopoulos Dimitrios G. 
Published: February 2020

Objective To compare body water (V) estimates from the Chertow formula (VC), which was derived in an end-stage renal disease population, to V estimates from the Watson formulas (VW) in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. To identify CAPD patients in whom VC is preferred to VW for clearance studies. Design Retrospective analysis of clearance studies. Setting Dialysis units of four academic medical centers. Participants 302 subjects on CAPD. Intervention 613 clearance studies by standard methods. Main Outcome Measures Comparisons between VC and VW, and between urea clearance normalized by VC [(Kt/VC)ur] and VW [(Kt/VW)ur]. Results VC exceeded VW by 3.5 ± 1.6 L ( p < 0.001), or 9.6% on average. This degree of overestimation of VW is in the range of body water estimates found in CAPD subjects with severe volume overload (> 5% of body weight) in previous studies. Total (Kt/VW)ur exceeded total (Kt/VC)ur by 8.6%. By linear regression, VC = –0.589 + (1.112 x VW), r = 0.983. VW exceeded VC in only 12 studies. Young age, short height, low body weight, and low prevalence of diabetes characterized the studies with VW > VC. Total (Kt/VW)ur was adequate (≥ 2.0 weekly) in 276 studies. Among these, 74 studies had inadequate total (Kt/VC)ur (< 2.0 weekly). By logistic regression, the predictors of inadequate (Kt/VC)ur, when (Kt/VW)ur was adequate, included the presence of diabetes, great height, and long duration of CAPD. Conclusions VC provides estimates of body water exceeding those provided by VW in a great majority of CAPD patients. Consequently, approximately 25% of the clearance studies that are adequate when VW is used as the normalizing parameter may be inadequate when VC is used. VC may provide a more appropriate estimate of body water than VW in CAPD patients with volume overload.
Prevalence of TT Virus in Serum and Peripheral Mononuclear Cells from a CAPD Population
Authors: Barril Guillermina , López–Alcorocho Juan M. , Bajo Auxiliadora , Ortiz–Movilla Nuria , Sánchez–Tomero Jose A. , Bartolomé Javier , Selgas Rafael , Carreño Vicente 
Published: February 2020

Background A novel virus named TT virus (TTV) has been isolated recently from patients with posttransfusional hepatitis of unknown etiology. The prevalence of TTV in several groups at risk has been reported, however, there is no information about the prevalence of TTV in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) without blood transfusions or hemodialysis antecedents. Objective To study the incidence of TTV in serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of CAPD patients. Design TTV DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction, using primers from the open reading frames (ORF) 1 and 2, in serum and PBMC from 22 CAPD patients who had not received blood transfusions or hemodialysis therapy prior to CAPD. As controls, sera from 20 patients with chronic viral hepatitis (10 with HBV and 10 with HCV) and 20 healthy donors were included in the study. Results TTV DNA was detected in the serum of 5 of 22 (22.7%) CAPD patients with both sets of primers. Four of the 5 (80%) patients with TTV DNA in their serum were TTV positive in their PBMC with primers from ORF1 and ORF2. Five of 20 (25%) patients with chronic viral hepatitis (2 patients with HBV and 3 with HCV) and 4 of 20 (20%) healthy donors were TTV DNA positive in serum. No relation was found between TTV infection and the underlying kidney disease, previous surgery, and abnormal alanine aminotranferase levels. Conclusion We have found a relatively high prevalence of TTV that is similar to that found in healthy donors and in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.