bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatial structure affects phage efficacy in infecting dual-strain biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Testa Samuele , Berger Sarah , Piccardi Philippe , Oechslin Frank , Resch Grégory , Mitri Sara 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBacterial viruses, or phage, are key members of natural microbial communities. Yet much research on bacterial-phage interactions has been conducted in liquid cultures involving single bacterial strains. Here we explored how bacterial diversity affects the success of lytic phage in structured communities. We infected a sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 with a lytic phage Pseudomonas 352 in the presence versus absence of an insensitive P. aeruginosa strain PA14, in liquid culture versus colonies on agar. We found that both in liquid and in colonies, inter-strain competition reduced resistance evolution in the susceptible strain and decreased phage population size. However, while all sensitive bacteria died in liquid, bacteria in colonies could remain sensitive yet escape phage infection, due mainly to reduced growth in colony centers. In sum, spatial structure can protect bacteria against phage infection, while the presence of competing strains reduces the evolution of resistance to phage.
Catestatin prevents endothelial inflammation and promotes thrombus resolution in acute pulmonary embolism in mice
Authors: Chen Hua , Liu Dongxia , Ge Lan , Wang Tao , Ma Zhenzhen , Han Yuping , Duan Yawei , Xu Xin , Liu Wei , Yuan Jing , Liu Jing , Li Ruyi , Du Rongpin 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Catestatin (CTS), a catecholamine-release inhibitory peptide, exerts pleiotropic cardiac protective effects. Pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis involving vascular dysfunction. The present study aims to investigate the effects of CTS on thrombus formation that may inhibit the development of pulmonary embolism and its potential pathway. Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) model was developed as an in vivo model. The effects of CTS on mice with APE were examined. Human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) were pretreated with CTS before thrombin stimulation, and endothelial inflammation and underlying mechanisms were evaluated in vitro. That plasma CTS level was decreased in APE mice, while the number of platelets was significantly increased. The decreased circulating CTS level negatively associated with the number of platelets. CTS administration increased the survival rate of APE mice and protected against microvascular thrombosis in lung. APE-induced the increase in platelets number and plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF) were inhibited by CTS. Platelets from CTS-treated APE mice showed impaired agonist-induced platelets aggregation and spreading. CTS also ameliorated APE-induced the systemic inflammatory response. In in vivo study, thrombin-induced the increase in inflammation, TLR-4 expression and p38 phosphorylation were abrogated by CTS in HPAECs. Furthermore, TLR-4 overexpression inhibited the effect of CTS on VWF release and inflammation in HPAECs. Collectively, CTS increases thrombus resolution by attenuating endothelial inflammation at partially via inhibiting TLR-4-p38 pathway. The present study may provide a novel approach for anti-thrombosis.
Evaluation of a Combined Explicit–Implicit Approach to Teach Grammatical Forms to Children With Grammatical Weaknesses
Authors: Finestack Lizbeth , Engman Jennifer , Huang Timothy , Bangert Katherine J. , Bader Kaela 
Published: November 2019

Purpose
Many children with developmental disorders experience difficulty mastering grammatical forms, including children with developmental language disorder and a subset of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One of the key language features in both of these populations is a weakness in the expressive use of grammatical forms. There is a paucity of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of interventions targeting grammatical forms for populations other than developmental language disorder. The current study evaluated a combined explicit–implicit intervention approach to teach grammatical forms to children with ASD symptomology.

Method
Researchers used a single-subject, nonconcurrent multiple baseline, A-B-C study design. Three children with characteristics of ASD (2 with formal diagnoses) between the ages of 5 and 9 years participated in treatment targeting a weak grammatical structure. After baseline, each participant completed a series of treatment sessions that comprised implicit instruction, followed by a series of treatment sessions that incorporated explicit instruction. Accuracy of use was assessed during each session across baseline, implicit-only, and explicit–implicit conditions as well as 1 week, 1 month, and 2 months posttreatment.

Results
All participants produced target forms with low accuracy across baseline and implicit-only treatment sessions. Within three explicit–implicit treatment sessions, all participants demonstrated a marked increase in level and upward trend in their production accuracy. Gains in accuracy were maintained 2 months posttreatment for 2 of the 3 participants.

Conclusions
The current study provides preliminary evidence to support the use of explicit approaches to teach grammatical forms to children with ASD symptomology and motivates further investigation in this area.
The first steps of interstellar phosphorus chemistry
Authors: Chantzos J. , Rivilla V. M. , Vasyunin A. , Redaelli E. , Bizzocchi L. , Fontani F. , Caselli P. 
Published: November 2019

Context. Phosphorus-bearing species are essential to the formation of life on Earth, however they have barely been detected in the interstellar medium. In particular, towards star-forming regions only PN and PO have been identified so far. Since only a small number of detections of P-bearing molecules are available, their chemical formation pathways are not easy to constrain and are thus highly debatable. An important factor still missing in the chemical models is the initial elemental abundance of phosphorus, that is, the depletion level of P at the start of chemical models of dense clouds.
Aims. In order to overcome this problem, we study P-bearing species in diffuse and translucent clouds. In these objects phosphorus is expected to be mainly in the gas phase and therefore the elemental initial abundance needed in our chemical simulations corresponds to the cosmic one and is well constrained.
Methods. For the study of P-bearing chemistry we used an advanced chemical model. We updated and significantly extended the P-chemistry network based on chemical databases and previous literature. We performed single-pointing observations with the IRAM 30 m telescope in the 3 mm range towards the line of sight to the strong continuum source B0355+508 aiming for the (2–1) transitions of PN, PO, HCP, and CP. This line of sight incorporates five diffuse and/or translucent clouds.
Results. The (2–1) transitions of the PN, PO, HCP, and CP were not detected. We report high signal-to-noise-ratio detections of the (1–0) lines of 13CO, HNC, and CN along with a first detection of C34S towards this line of sight. We have attempted to reproduce the observations of HNC, CN, CS, and CO in every cloud with our model by applying typical physical conditions for diffuse or translucent clouds. We find that towards the densest clouds with vLSR = −10, − 17 km s−1 the best-fit model is given by the parameters (n(H), AV, Tgas) = (300 cm−3, 3 mag, 40 K).
Conclusions. According to our best-fit model, the most abundant P-bearing species are HCP and CP (~10−10). The molecules PN, PO, and PH3 also show relatively high predicted abundances of ~10−11. We show that the abundances of these species are sensitive to visual extinction, cosmic-ray ionization rate, and the diffusion-to-desorption energy ratio on dust grains. The production of P-bearing species is favored towards translucent rather than diffuse clouds, where the environment provides a stronger shielding from the interstellar radiation. Based on our improved model, we show that the (1–0) transitions of HCP, CP, PN, and PO are expected to be detectable with estimated intensities of up to ~200 mK.
Von Hass-Sprache zur Kriminalität
Authors: Spitzer Manfred 
Published: November 2019

ZUSAMMENFASSUNGSoziale Online-Medien verbreiten Sprache und damit auch Hass-Sprache. Sie wirken damit verstärkend auf die Auswirkungen von Hass-Sprache und befeuern Hass-Kriminalität, wie anhand zweier Studien zu den Auswirkungen von Facebook in Deutschland und von Twitter in Großbritannien gezeigt wird. Hass-Sprache als Ausdruck der freien Rede (wie in den USA) zu schützen, erscheint im Hinblick auf diese empirischen Erkenntnisse weniger geboten als behutsame Zensur, begleitet von Vernunft und dem beherzten Eintreten für Freiheit. Durch die heute mögliche Erfassung von Hass-Sprache in Echtzeit wird eine neue Form der prädiktiven Polizeiarbeit möglich, deren Vor- und Nachteile sorgfältig abzuwägen sind.
Markers of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with Pituitary Adenoma: A Case Series of 303 Patients
Authors: Altuntaş Seher Çetinkaya , Evran Mehtap , Sert Murat , Tetiker Tamer 
Published: November 2019

AbstractTo assess the demographic characteristics and hormonal status of patients who presented to our clinic with pituitary adenoma and to demonstrate the presence, prevalence, and relationship of metabolic syndrome parameters in these patients. The study included 303 patients with known or newly diagnosed pituitary adenoma and 52 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The patients were classified into 3 groups; acromegaly (ACRO) (n=54),prolactinoma (PRLoma) (n=163), and non-functional adenoma (NFA) (n=86). in 55.6% (n=172) and 52% (n=163) of the patients, respectively. The waist circumference of all patients (p<0.001) and body mass index (BMI) of patients with PRLoma (p=0.03) and ACRO (p<0.001) were found to be significantly higher than in the controls. The HbA1c, insulin and HOMA-IR values were significantly higher in the ACRO and PRLoma groups, whereas the insulin and HOMA-IR values were significantly higher in the NFA group compared with the control group (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). When the 3 patient groups were compared, waist circumference and BMI were significantly higher in the ACRO group than in the PRLoma group (p=0.04 and p=0.03, respectively). In patients developing pituitary failure after treatment, age, waist circumference, plasma glucose, low-density lipoproteins and triglyceride values were significantly increased when compared with those without pituitary failure after treatment (p<0.001). In our study, it was found that there was increased metabolic and cardiovascular risk in functional pituitary adenoma and NFA.
Photochemical Deracemization of Chiral Sulfoxides Catalyzed by a Hydrogen-Bonding Xanthone Sensitizer
Authors: Wimberger Laura , Kratz Thilo , Bach Thorsten 
Published: November 2019

Several chiral sulfoxides with a lactam hydrogen-bonding site were prepared and their photochemical behavior was studied in the presence of xanthone and thioxanthone sensitizers. While acyclic sulfoxides showed only decomposition, chiral benzothiazinone-1-oxides with a stereogenic sulfur atom underwent a stereomutation upon irradiation at λ = 366 nm in the presence of catalytic quantities of a xanthone sensitizer. A chiral xanthone with a 1,5,7-trimethyl-3-azabicyclo-[3.3.1]nonan-2-one backbone was employed in catalytic quantities (5 mol%) to achieve a deracemization reaction of racemic benzothiazinone-1-oxides in acetonitrile solution. Five substrates could be successfully deracemized in good yields and with up to 55% ee.
The Difference in Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Levels between Differentiated Carcinoma and Benign Enlargement
Authors: Rianto Bambang Udji Djoko , Wibowo Anton Sony , Herdini Camelia 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Introduction Papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma are common head and neck cancers. This cancer expresses a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor that plays a role as a cancer stimulant substance. This hormone has a diagnostic value in the management of thyroid carcinoma.
Objective The present study aimed to determine the difference in TSH levels between differentiated thyroid carcinoma and benign thyroid enlargement.
Methods The present research design was a case-control study. The subjects were patients with thyroid enlargement who underwent thyroidectomies at the Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Thyroid stimulating hormone levels were measured before the thyroidectomies. The inclusion criteria for the case group were: 1) differentiated thyroid carcinoma, and 2) complete data; while the inclusion criteria for the control group were: 1) benign thyroid enlargement, and 2) complete data. The exclusion criteria for both groups were: 1) patients suffering from thyroid hormone disorders requiring therapy before thyroidectomy surgery, 2) patients receiving thyroid suppression therapy before the thyroidectomy was performed, and 3) patients suffering from severe chronic diseases such as renal insufficiency, and severe liver disease.
Results There were 40 post-thyroidectomy case group patients and 40 post-thyroidectomy control group patients. There were statistically significant differences in TSH levels between the groups with differentiated thyroid carcinoma and benign thyroid enlargement (p = 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 8.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.19–36.50).
Conclusion Based on these results, it can be concluded that there were significant differences in TSH levels between the groups with differentiated thyroid carcinoma and benign thyroid enlargement.
Prevalence of Mild Hearing Loss in Schoolchildren and its Association with their School Performance
Authors: Elbeltagy Reem 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Introduction Hearing is important for the proper development of every child, especially for those younger than 5 years of age, because it helps in the development of language and speech. Emotional and social problems, as well as issues with academic performance, can result from hearing loss even of mild degree. Early diagnosis and management can overcome those negative impacts.
Objective To determine the prevalence of mild hearing loss in primary-school children and its association with their school performance.
Methods A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at a regular school. The study included the random selection of 120 apparently normal students (aged 6-9 years) who were considered as having normal hearing by their parents. A total of 20 students were excluded from the study due to the presence of wax in their ears. Finally, the study was conducted with 100 students. All participants were subjected to a basic audiological evaluation, and the Screening Instrument for Targeting Educational Risk (SIFTER) questionnaire was given to their teachers to evaluate their school performance.
Results From a total of 100 students, we confirmed that 23 (23%) had mild hearing loss, 17 (17%) had bilateral conductive hearing loss, and 6 (6%) had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The students who had low attention and communication performance were significantly associated with mild hearing loss.
Conclusion The prevalence of mild hearing loss was of 23% (23 cases). This problem had an effect on the communication and attention in school; and it might affect academic performance later in life. A hearing assessment is highly recommended for every child, especially those who have a low rate of academic performance.
Severe Dizziness Related to Postural Instability, Changes in Gait and Cognitive Skills in Patients with Chronic Peripheral Vestibulopathy
Authors: Coelho Almir Resende , Perobelli Júlia Licursi Lambertti , Sonobe Lilian Shizuka , Moraes Renato , Barros Camila Giacomo de Carneiro , Abreu Daniela Cristina Carvalho de 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Introduction Peripheral vestibular disorders can lead to cognitive deficits and are more common in elderly patients.
Objective To evaluate and correlate cognitive, balance and gait aspects in elderly women with chronic peripheral vestibular dizziness, and to compare them with elderly women without vestibular disorders.
Methods Twenty-two women presenting peripheral vestibular dizziness episodes for at least six months participated in the study. The individuals were categorized by dizziness severity level: moderate (n = 11) or severe (n = 11). The control group (n = 11) included women showing no vestibulopathy, light-headedness or dizziness. Cognitive assessments and semi-static and dynamic balance assessments were performed with the Balance Master (Neurocom International, Inc., Clackamas, OR), while the Dizziness Handicap Inventory provided a score for the severity of the symptoms. The groups were submitted to statistics of inference and correlation between cognitive, balance and stability variables.
Results The group with severe dizziness showed higher sway speed of the center of pressure in the anteroposterior direction, smaller step length, and slower gait than the control group. Regarding the cognitive variables, the group with severe dizziness symptoms presented significant correlations with stability and gait variables.
Conclusion The relationship between cognitive aspects, balance and gait was stronger in women with severe dizziness than in those with no vestibulopathy.
Audiological Abnormalities in Vitiligo Patients: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Prabha Neel , Arora Ripudaman , Chhabra Namrata , Jati Monalisa , Nagarkar Nitin M. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Introduction There are some discrepancies in the literature about the influence of vitiligo on auditory functions. According to some authors, vitiligo influences hearing, whereas others question such influence. Therefore, we conducted a study to evaluate audiological functions in vitiligo patients.
Objectives To determine the effect of vitiligo on auditory functions.
Methods A hospital-based observational study was done from January 2017 to July 2017. Clinically diagnosed cases of vitiligo were enrolled for the study. A complete otological examination was conducted in all patients.
Results Fifty-two patients (male: female 28:24) were included in the study. Ten patients (19.2%) had sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Seven patients (13.5%) had bilateral and 3 (5.7%) had unilateral SNHL. High frequency loss was seen in 17 out of 20 ears (10 affected patients), 6 ears had both low and high-frequency hearing loss. Of 12 ears with speech frequency involvement, mild hearing loss was seen in 5 and moderate to severe in 1 ear. Most cases of SNHL were detected in the age group 41 to 60 years old (63.6%), which was statistically significant (p-value 0.00).
Conclusion The results of this study suggest that vitiligo patients require routine monitoring for auditory functions for early identification of SNHL. Older subjects with vitiligo might be at a higher risk for audiological abnormalities. These patients should also be informed regarding the associated risk with noise and ototoxic drug exposure.
Anatomical Variation in the Drainage Pattern of Frontal Sinus – A Cadaveric Study
Authors: Gnanavelraja C. , Nalinakumari S. D. , Rajajeyakumar M. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Background A proper and detailed knowledge about the frontal sinus drainage pathway is essential for the radiologist to interpret the computed tomography scan of the paranasal air sinuses to find out normal and variant in the anatomy of frontal sinus ostium, and also for the surgeons to do endonasal sinus surgery particularly in the frontal sinus area with enough confidence and to give good postoperative result. With this background, the present study was focused to study the variation in the drainage pattern of frontal sinus in relation to uncinate process in cadaveric specimens.
Materials and Methods The midsagittal section of head and neck portion of 40 cadaveric specimens with intact frontal sinus and frontal sinus drainage pattern were selected. By careful dissection, pattern of frontal sinus drainage was identified and pattern of drainage of frontal sinus in relation with uncinate process was studied.
Result Frontal sinus drainage pattern is anteromedial to uncinate process (Type 1) in 28 specimens (70%) and posterolateral to uncinate process (Type 2) in 12 specimens (30%).
Conclusion The results of our study show that the frontal sinus drainage pattern is more commonly present anteromedial to uncinate process compared with posterolateral position. This variation in the drainage pattern of frontal sinus should be kept in mind by the radiologist to give proper radiological interpretation and by the surgeons to avoid intraoperative complications and also to give good postoperative result.
Appropriateness of Antibiotic Treatment Review following Blood Culture Collection
Authors: Dhanda Jaspreet , Gray James , Bashir Amreen , Khan Sanna 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Objective Inappropriate antibiotic treatment can significantly affect antimicrobial resistance, resulting in treatments becoming less effective in the future. Previous studies have not identified the possible de-escalation rate. The aim of this study was to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic treatment in patients who have a blood culture collected, in particular, calculating how many days of antibiotics can be de-escalated.
Methods A patient series, observational study was conducted that included all patient blood culture, regardless of whether they were positive or negative, over a period of 4 days. The study was repeated three times to attain a larger sample. The adequacy of antibiotic treatment was determined based on microbiology results, prescription drug administration, and patient notes/charts.
Results Of the 69 suitable cases, 36 (52.17%) received appropriate treatment and 33 (47.83%) received inappropriate treatment. Of the inappropriate cases, it was calculated that 83 days of de-escalation were possible. Fifteen (21%) of the cases could have de-escalated use of meropenem.
Conclusion The results highlight that there is opportunity to review and de-escalate patient's treatment, after taking a blood culture and practices such as rationalizing antibiotic choices and educating physicians on reviewing antibiotics is appropriate.