bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soil moisture heterogeneity regulates water use in Populus nigra L. by altering root and xylem sap phytohormone concentrations
Authors: Puértolas Jaime , Pardos Marta , de Ollas Carlos , Albacete Alfonso , Dodd Ian C 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Soil moisture heterogeneity in the root zone is common both during the establishment of tree seedlings and in experiments aiming to impose semi-constant soil moisture deficits, but its effects on regulating plant water use compared with homogenous soil drying are not well known in trees. Pronounced vertical soil moisture heterogeneity was imposed on black poplar (Populus nigra L.) grown in soil columns by altering irrigation frequency, to test whether plant water use, hydraulic responses, root phytohormone concentrations and root xylem sap chemical composition differed between wet (well-watered, WW), and homogeneously (infrequent deficit irrigation, IDI) and heterogeneously dry soil (frequent deficit irrigation, FDI). At the same bulk soil water content, FDI plants had greater water use than IDI plants, probably because root abscisic acid (ABA) concentration was low in the upper wetter layer of FDI plants, which maintained root xylem sap ABA concentration at basal levels in contrast with IDI. Soil drying did not increase root xylem concentration of any other hormone. Nevertheless, plant-to-plant variation in xylem jasmonic acid (JA) concentration was negatively related to leaf stomatal conductance within WW and FDI plants. However, feeding detached leaves with high (1200 nM) JA concentrations via the transpiration stream decreased transpiration only marginally. Xylem pH and sulphate concentration decreased in FDI plants compared with well-watered plants. Frequent deficit irrigation increased root accumulation of the cytokinin trans-zeatin (tZ), especially in the dry lower layer, and of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), in the wet upper soil layer. Root hormone accumulation might explain the maintenance of high root hydraulic conductance and water use in FDI plants (similar to well-watered plants) compared with IDI plants. In irrigated tree crops, growers could vary irrigation scheduling to control water use by altering the hormone balance.
Atrial arrhythmias in heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction
Authors: Dewland Thomas A. , Nazer Babak 
Published: March 2020

Purpose of review
Atrial arrhythmias are common among individuals with heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). This review describes management options for these arrhythmias and discusses emerging clinical data supporting catheter ablation.

Recent findings
Several recent clinical trials indicate that catheter ablation is superior to pharmacologic therapy for management of symptomatic atrial fibrillation in the setting of HFrEF. Restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm appears to have the greatest benefit with regard to ejection fraction improvement among individuals with a nonischemic heart failure etiology and minimal left ventricular fibrosis.

Summary
A rhythm control strategy should be strongly considered in patients with HFrEF, especially when the atrial arrhythmia is symptomatic or is present at the time of a heart failure diagnosis. Catheter ablation may be the preferred strategy for maintenance of sinus rhythm in this patient population.
Inhibiting Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Mitigates the Hematopoietic Acute Radiation Syndrome in a Sex- and Strain-dependent Manner in Mice
Authors: Daniel Andrea R. , Lee Chang-Lung , Oh Patrick , Luo Lixia , Ma Yan , Kirsch David G. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
The Radiation and Nuclear Countermeasures Program at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) mandated that medical countermeasures for treating Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) must have efficacy when administered at least 24 h after radiation exposure. At this time point, many cells within key target tissues, such as the hematopoietic system and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, will already be dead. Therefore, drugs that promote the regeneration of surviving cells may improve outcomes. The serine/threonine kinase glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) regulates stem and progenitor cell self-renewal and regeneration in the hematopoietic and GI compartments. We tested inhibition of GSK-3β by SB216763 24 h after total body irradiation (TBI) and sub-total body irradiation (SBI). Here, we show that subcutaneous administration of SB216763 promotes the regeneration of surviving hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), including myeloid progenitor cells, and improves survival of C57Bl/6 male mice when administered 24 h after TBI. However, these results were not recapitulated in female C57Bl/6 animals, suggesting a sex difference in GSK-3β signaling in HSPCs. Subcutaneous administration of SB216763 in male mice stimulated activation of Sox2 transcription but failed to induce Sox2 transcription in female C57Bl/6 mice. Using TCF/lef-GFP reporter mice, we examined Wnt signaling in HSPCs of irradiated male and female mice treated with SB216763. GSK-3 inhibition elevated Wnt reporter activity in HSPCs isolated from male but not female mice. SB216763 did not mitigate hematopoietic ARS in males or females of a second strain of wild-type mice, C3H. In addition, administration of SB216763 did not mitigate hematopoietic ARS beyond the currently available standard approved therapy of ciprofloxacin and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in male C57Bl/6 mice. Further, SB216763 did not mitigate GI-ARS after SBI in C57Bl/6 male mice. The lack of efficacy in both sexes and multiple strains of mice indicate that SB216763 is not suitable for further drug development as a mitigator of ARS. Our studies demonstrate that activation of Wnt signaling in HSPCs promotes hematopoietic regeneration following radiation exposure, and targeting this pathway downstream of GSK-3β may mitigate ARS in a sex- and strain-independent manner.
Complications of vitreoretinal surgery
Authors: Belin Peter J. , Parke D. Wilkin 
Published: March 2020

Purpose of review
The present article reviews the most common and most serious vision-threatening and life-threatening complications of vitreoretinal surgery.

Recent findings
Serious complications after vitreroretinal surgery are rare. Endophthalmitis for example has recently been estimated to occur in 0.08% of small gague vitrectomy. Other complications such as cataract are almost unavoidable, becoming visually significant in up to 80% of patients. The introduction of smaller gauge vitrectomy systems has reduced surgical times, conjunctival scarring and inflammation, and the rate of some complications such as retinal tears. Ocular venous air embolism is an exceedingly rare complication that is potentially life threating and therefore important for all vitreoretinal surgeons to be aware of.

Summary
Though vitreoretinal surgery is well tolerated and effective, it is inevitable that all surgeons will experience complications and are therefore best served by understanding the potential complications, strategies to reduce the likelihood of them occurring, and ways to address them when they do happen.
Echocardiographic Follow-up of Perinatally HIV-infected Children and Adolescents
Authors: Vallilo Nathália Gaspar , Durigon Giuliana Stravinskas , Lianza Alessandro Cavalcanti , de Fátima Rodrigues Diniz Maria , Shiraishi Sawamura Karen Saori , Brito Carolina Rocha , de Souza Marques Heloisa Helena , Ferraro Alexandre Archanjo , Leal Gabriela Nunes 
Published: March 2020

Background:
The effects of HIV and antiretroviral therapy on cardiovascular system of perinatally infected children throughout their development are not fully understood.

Objectives:
To determine the prevalence of cardiac abnormalities in a retrospective cohort of perinatally HIV-infected patients and to investigate associations between echocardiographic and clinical data during their follow-up.

Methods:
Review of medical records and echocardiogram reports of 148 perinatally HIV-infected patients between January 1991 and December 2015.

Results:
Four hundred and eighty echocardiograms were analyzed and 46 (31%) patients showed cardiac abnormalities, frequently subclinical and transient. Nadir CD4 count was higher in patients with consistently normal echocardiogram: 263 (4–1480) versus 202 (5–1746) cells/μL, P = 0.021. Right ventricular (RV) dilation was detected in 18.9%, left ventricular (LV) dilation in 21.6%, septal hypertrophy in 12.2%, LV posterior wall hypertrophy in 6%, LV systolic dysfunction in 8% and pulmonary hypertension in 8.7% of patients. Opportunistic infections were associated with RV dilation [odds ratio (OR = 4.34; 1.78–10.53; P < 0.01)], pulmonary hypertension (OR = 8.78; 2.80–27.51; P < 0.01) and LV systolic dysfunction (OR = 5.38; 1.55–18.71; P < 0.01). Longer duration of highly active antiretroviral therapy was associated with reduced risk of LV dilation (OR = 0.91; 0.85–0.97; P < 0.01) and systolic dysfunction (OR = 0.71; 0.59–0.85; P < 0.01). Protease inhibitors use was associated with reduced risk of RV dilation (OR = 0.54; 0.30–0.97; P < 0.05), LV dilation (OR = 0.35; 0.21–0.60; P < 0.01) and LV systolic dysfunction (OR = 0.07; 0.02–0.31; P < 0.01). Higher CD4 count was associated with lower risk of LV systolic dysfunction (OR = 0.82; 0.69–0.98; P < 0.05).

Conclusions:
Echocardiograms identified cardiac abnormalities among children with perinatally acquired HIV infection, and data suggest that immunologic status and therapeutic strategies throughout development can influence cardiac disease burden in this population.
Intraoperative aberrometry vs modern preoperative formulas in predicting intraocular lens power
Authors: Raufi Nikolas , James Charlene , Kuo Anthony , Vann Robin 
Published: March 2020

Purpose:
To compare the outcomes of an intraoperative aberrometer (ORA) to the Barrett Universal II (Barrett II) and Hill-RBF 2.0 (Hill-RBF) intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas.

Setting:
Duke University Eye Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Design:
Retrospective study.

Methods:
Patients without history of refractive corneal surgery who had an uneventful cataract surgery from April 2016 to June 2018 were enrolled. Refractive prediction error was calculated with the Barrett II formula, the Hill-RBF formula, and the ORA intraoperative aberrometer (OIA) and was stratified by axial length, IOL type, and the percentage of eyes within a diopteric range of target refraction.

Results:
Nine-hundred forty-nine eyes were included. The mean and median absolute predictive errors were 0.29 diopters (D) and 0.23 D (Barrett II), 0.31 D and 0.24 D (Hill-RBF), and 0.31 D and 0.25 D (intraoperative aberrometry), respectively (P > .05). Axial length stratification did not influence statistical difference in the IOL prediction methods. Barrett II outperformed the OIA toric multifocal (P = .011) group. Postoperative refraction was within 0.50 D of target in 84% (Barrett II), 83% (Hill-RBF), and 82% (OIA) of eyes (P > .05).

Conclusions:
Comparing the OIA to the Barrett II and Hill-RBF calculators, there was minimal clinical difference in the toric multifocal group. Regarding postoperative predicted spherical equivalent, for patients without a history of refractive surgery and good potential visual acuity, refractive outcome was not improved by utilizing the OIA.
Long-term follow-up of a custom-made prosthetic iris device in patients with congenital aniridia
Authors: Figueiredo Gabriel B. , Snyder Michael E. 
Published: March 2020

Purpose:
To investigate the effectiveness and safety of a custom-made iris prosthetic device used to reduce photic symptoms in patients with congenital aniridia.

Setting:
Cincinnati Eye Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Design:
Retrospective single-surgeon case series.

Methods:
The charts of all eyes of patients diagnosed with congenital aniridia syndrome who underwent implantation of the custom-made iris prosthesis at the setting institution between 2008 and 2018 were reviewed. Eyes with more than 6 months of follow-up were included in evaluation. Charts were carefully reviewed for comorbid conditions, interventions, and outcomes.

Results:
Ninety-six eyes of 50 patients were included in the study. Subjective reduction in photophobia and glare was reported in 95.7% and 95.2% of cases, respectively. The incidence of aniridia fibrosis syndrome (AFS) in this study (3.1%; 95% confidence interval, 0.6%-8.9%) was similar to previous studies in the literature.

Conclusions:
The custom-made iris prosthesis was an effective and safe option to reduce photic symptoms in patients with congenital aniridia. The custom, flexible iris implant does not appear to alter the risk for AFS. These highly complex eyes with significant comorbid pathologies demand an individualized approach and careful long-term follow-up.
Caregivers of Patients With Brain Metastases: A Description of Caregiving Responsibilities and Psychosocial Well-being
Authors: Ketcher Dana , Otto Amy K. , Reblin Maija 
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND
There are increasing numbers of cancer patients with brain metastases, and there is a high potential for caregiving burden. Little work has explored caregiving responsibilities and psychosocial well-being in informal family caregivers (FCGs) of cancer patients with brain metastases. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature.

METHODS
Data were drawn from baseline pilot study data. Caregivers completed demographic information and provided a self-report of their caring responsibilities and psychosocial well-being via questionnaire.

RESULTS
Participants were 21 FCGs of patients with brain metastases. Many caregivers are devoting extensive time to providing care; there was high variability in the number and types of caregiving activities reported. Although many caregivers report feeling well supported, other aspects of psychosocial well-being were less robust, including anxiety, depression, burden, and coping self-efficacy.

CONCLUSION
Although FCGs reported mitigating factors such as social support, they still experience significant distress. Findings support previous work suggesting that neuro-oncology caregiving is burdensome, with adverse effects on health and well-being. Foundational work, such as this, will set the stage to identify areas for future intervention.
The Quality of Life as a Predictor of Social Support for Multiple Sclerosis Patients and Caregivers
Authors: Dębska Grażyna , Milaniak Irena , Skorupska-Król Agnieszka 
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Coping with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is challenging. MS is one of the most common causes of nontraumatic disability in young adults, and patients may need assistance with daily life activities. This article explores the relation between quality of life (QOL) and the perceived available social support among patients with MS and their families. METHODS: The study included 120 subjects (60 patient-caregiver dyads). The average age of the patients was 53.95 ± 10.19 years, and for caregivers, it was 50.8 ± 13.3 years. The study used 2 subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scale (perceived availability of social support and need for social support) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire for the assessment of QOL. RESULTS: QOL in MS is lower compared with that of their caregivers in all dimensions except the social domain (P < .001, r = 0.54–0.64). A higher need for social support was experienced by caregivers. The need for support in this group is affected by 3 predictors: QOL in the environmental domain and in the physical domain as well as their subjective health. An improvement in QOL in all the domains is related to an increase of perceived available support, in both the group of patients and that of their caregivers (P < .05, ρ = 0.28–0.59). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived available support is of great importance for both patients and their caregivers to enable them to function better in the physical, mental, social, and environmental domains of their QOL, where social relationships play a predictive role.
Minimally Invasive Cochlear Implantation Assisted by Intraoperative CT Scan Combined to Neuronavigation
Authors: Duret Sonia , Guigou Caroline , Grelat Mickael , Bozorg-Grayeli Alexis 
Published: March 2020

Objective:
The objective of this work was to study the feasibility of minimally invasive cochlear implantation under intraoperative computerized tomography-scan coupled to navigation.

Materials and Methods:
Five human resin temporal bones (two adults and three children) were used. Initially, a temporal bone imaging was obtained by the intraoperative CT-scan coupled to the navigation (O-ARM). The navigation-assisted drilling began at the mastoid surface creating a conical tunnel (4–2 mm in diameter) through the facial recess and down to the round window. A cochleostomy was performed based on the navigation. A sham electrode array was inserted in the drilled tunnel and into the cochlea.
Postoperative CT-scan and dissection were performed to evaluate the trajectory, and possible injury to the external auditory canal, ossicles, or facial nerve.

Results:
The mean duration of the procedure was 24.4 ± 3.79 minutes (range, 15–35). Cochleostomy was possible in all cases without injury to other structures. The sham array was inside the cochlea in all cases. The mean distance between the drilled canal and the mastoid portion of the facial nerve was 1.2 ± 0.07 mm (range, 1.08–1.38). The mean tracking error was 0.6 ± 0.26 mm (range, 0.20–0.72) at the entry point, 0.6 ± 0.33 mm (range, 0.2–1.02) at the facial nerve and 0.4 ± 0.07 mm (range, 0.36–0.51) at the cochleostomy.

Conclusion:
Cochlear implantation through a minimally invasive approach assisted by intraoperative imaging combined with navigation was feasible in operating room environment and experimental conditions.
Comparison of a Mid Scala and a Perimodiolar Electrode in Adults: Performance, Impedances, and Psychophysics
Authors: Battmer Rolf-Dieter , Scholz Sandra , Gazibegovic Dzemal , Ernst Arne , Seidl Rainer O. 
Published: March 2020

Objectives:
The HiFocus Mid-Scala electrode array (HFms) is designed to sit within the scala tympani without touching either the lateral wall or the modiolus. The aim of this study was to compare the HFms to the Helix perimodiolar electrode array.

Method:
Two groups of recipients with Helix (n = 22 ears) and HFms (n = 29 ears) electrode arrays were retrospectively identified and matched by age at implantation and duration of severe to profound deafness. Most comfortable listening levels (M), impedances, Freiburger Monosyllables in quiet, and Oldenburg sentences in adaptive noise were compared at 3, 6, and 12 months postimplant.

Results:
Median scores for monosyllables in quiet for the HFms group were significantly better than the Helix group at each test interval (p < 0.05). Speech perception in quiet also significantly improved from 3 to 12 months for both groups (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the groups for speech in noise. Impedances were significantly lower for the HFms group at 12 months (p < 0.05) except at the basal end and M levels were generally higher.

Conclusions:
The HFms group had better median performance for monosyllables in quiet than the Helix group at each test interval, although performance in noise was similar. For speech in noise, the HFms group appear to reach optimum performance quicker than the Helix group. Impedances were lower in the HFms group across the array, other than at the most basal end, and support our hypothesis that the HFms assumes a more lateral position within the cochlea than the Helix electrode, although our article did not include imaging data.
Prevalence and correlation of anxiety and depression on the prognosis of postoperative non-small-cell lung cancer patients in North China
Authors: Huang Xuan , Zhang Tian-Ze , Li Guang-Hua , Liu Lei , Xu Guang-Quan 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Identify the prevalence of postoperative anxiety and depression as well as their correlations with clinical features and survival profiles in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who underwent resection.
Four hundred NSCLC patients who underwent resection were recruited, and their anxiety and depression were assessed by hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) at discharge after surgery. Besides, 480 healthy controls (HCs) were also enrolled and assessed by HADS.
The HADS-Anxiety score of NSCLC patients (7.8 ± 3.9) was greatly higher than that of HCs (4.8 ± 2.7), and the anxiety prevalence of NSCLC patients (49.6%) were dramatically increased compared with HCs (13.8%). Furthermore, the HADS-Depression score (7.2 ± 3.6) of NSCLC patients was considerably increased compared with HCs (4.2 ± 2.6), and the depression prevalence of NSCLC patients (38.3%) was significantly raised compared with HCs (10.0%). Besides, anxiety correlated with gender, marital status, hypertension, diabetes, pathological differentiation, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage and carcinoembryonic antigen level, meanwhile, depression correlated with marital status, employment status before surgery, diabetes, pathological differentiation, and TNM stage in NSCLC patients. Additionally, the anxiety and depression predicted shorter disease-free survival in NSCLC patients. And the anxiety predicted worse overall survival (OS), while no association of depression with OS was observed in NSCLC patients.
Post-operative anxiety and depression are highly prevalent and implicated in the ongoing care and prognosis prediction in NSCLC patients who underwent resection.
The correlation between recurrent risk and CYP2C19 gene polymorphisms in patients with ischemic stroke treated with clopidogrel for prevention
Authors: Liu Guohua , Yang Sufang , Chen Siqia 
Published: March 2020

Abstract

Background:
To explore the correlation between recurrent risk and CYP2C19 gene polymorphisms in patients with ischemic stroke (IS) treated with clopidogrel for prevention.

Methods:
A total of 289 patients with IS treated with clopidogrel regularly were enrolled in this study, and stroke recurrence of all patients were recorded by follow-up. The correlation between CYP2C19 gene polymorphism and stroke recurrence in patients taking clopidogrel regularly was analyzed.

Results:
After a mean follow-up period of 6 months, there were 289 patients who took clopidogrel regularly, and 41 of which occurred recurrent stroke. Patients of poor metabolizer and intermediate metabolizer had higher risk of recurrent stroke comparing with patients of extensive metabolize, and the odds ratios were 2.88 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31–6.33, P = .068) and 3.00 (95% CI 1.09–8.22, P = .027), respectively. The recurrence risk of ∗2 (G681A)A allele carriers was 3.30 times that of G allele carriers (P = .0065). The recurrence rate of stroke in patients carrying heterozygous and homozygous ∗2 allele mutant was 1.96 times (P = .071) and 3.30 times (P = .012) that of patients with wild-type genes. Multifactor logistic regression analysis result indicated carrying loss of function (LOF) allele was an independent risk factor of stroke recurrence.

Conclusion:
For patients with IS treated with clopidogrel regularly for secondary prevention, poor metabolizer, and intermediate metabolizer patients had higher risk of recurrent stroke comparing with extensive metabolize ones. Carrying CYP2C19 LOF allele is an independent risk factor of stroke recurrence in patients with IS.