bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Choline and Acetylcholine Levels in Responders and Nonresponders to Anticholinergic Therapy for Overactive Bladder Syndrome
Authors: Sheyn David , Hijaz Adonis K. , Hazlett Fred E. , El-Nashar Sherif , Mangel Jeffrey M. , Li Xiaolin , Mara Emily , Mahajan Sangeeta T. 
Published: October 2019

Objective
This study aimed to determine whether levels of choline (Ch) and acetylcholine (Ach) differ between responders and nonresponders to anticholinergic therapy.

Methods
Patients prescribed an anticholinergic were evaluated using the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score; Medical, Epidemiologic and Social Aspects of Aging and Incontinence Questionnaire; and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7. A 1-day voiding diary and a urine sample were collected. After treatment for 12 weeks, the questionnaires were administered and 1-day voiding diary was completed. Levels of Ach and Ch were measured by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Subjects were divided into responders and nonresponders. Wilcoxon rank sum test and Fisher exact test were used to express differences between groups. Spearman ρ correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between Ach and Ch and symptom severity, patient demographics, and questionnaire scores.

Results
Thirty-one women were included in the analysis. The treatment response rate was 48.8%. The median age was 67 years (interquartile range, 50–76 years), and median body mass index was 32.3 kg/m2 (27.5–40.6 kg/m2), with 41.2% having an additional complaint of stress incontinence. There were no significant differences in symptom severity or questionnaire scores between groups.
The median Ch and Ach levels were higher in responders (28.6 vs 9.2 μL, P = 0.04) and (83.1 vs 18.7 nL, P = 0.02), respectively. Levels of both Ch and Ach had moderate positive correlations with the Medical, Epidemiologic and Social Aspects of Aging and Incontinence Questionnaire urgency urinary incontinence score (ρ = 0.533 [P = 0.002] and ρ = 0.453 [P = 0.01], respectively).

Conclusion
In women with overactive bladder, urinary Ach and Ch levels are higher in responders to anticholinergic therapy compared with nonresponders.
Physical Activity, Muscle Strength, and Functional Fitness
Authors: Lin Yi-Pei , Yang Yuan-Han , Hsiao Shih-Fen 
Published: October 2019

Background:
Muscle strength and fitness are important in supporting an independent lifestyle in the elderly, especially those with Alzheimer disease (AD).

Objectives:
To establish the relationships of physical activity, key muscle strength, and functional fitness on the elderly with and without AD.

Methods:
Twenty AD patients and 20 non-AD elderly were tested for senior functional fitness test, handgrip strength, and muscle strength of elbow flexors and knee extensors. The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly was also documented.

Results:
Handgrip strength and elbow flexor strength were significantly lower in the AD group, especially in those with mild severity. They also showed worst agility and least amount of physical activity weekly. Handgrip and elbow flexor strength of the AD group also correlated with the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly.

Conclusions:
Older people with AD appear to engage less in physical activity as the disease progresses. The decline in muscle strength and agility might contribute further to limited physical activity and dependent lifestyle.
Liver Retransplantation Associated With Kidney Transplantation for End-stage Liver Graft Disease and Renal Insufficiency: A Morbid Procedure on a Unique Subgroup of Patients
Authors: Cauchy François , Vibert Eric , Cherqui Daniel , Perdigao Fabiano , Sepulveda Ailton , Samuel Didier , Calmus Yvon , Conti Filomena , Adam René , Soubrane Olivier , Scatton Olivier 
Published: October 2019

Background.
Chronic renal disease (CKD) jeopardizes the long-term outcomes of liver transplant recipients. In patients with end-stage liver graft disease and CKD, liver retransplantation associated with kidney transplantation (ReLT-KT) might be necessary. Yet, this specific subset of patients remains poorly described.

Methods.
Indications, perioperative characteristics, and short- and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing ReLT-KT at 2 transplantation units from 1994 to 2012 were analyzed. Risk factors for postoperative mortality and long-term survivals were evaluated.

Results.
Among 3060 patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT), 45 (1.5%) underwent ReLT-KT. The proportion of ReLT-KT among LT recipients continuously grew throughout the study period from 0.3% to 2.4% (P < 0.001). Median time from primary LT to ReLT-KT was 151.3 (7.5–282.9) months. The most frequent indications for liver retransplantation were recurrence of the primary liver disease and cholangitis in 15 (33.3%) cases each. CKD was related to calcineurin inhibitors toxicity in 38 (84.4%) cases. Twelve (26.7%) patients died postoperatively. D-MELD (donor age × recipients’ MELD) was associated with postoperative mortality (HR: 8.027; 95% CI: 2.387-18.223; P = 0.026) and optimal cut-off value was 1039 (AUC: 0.801; P = 0.002). Overall 1, 3, and 5 years survivals were 68.8%, 65.9%, and 59.5%, respectively. D-MELD > 1039 was the only factor associated with poor survival (P = 0.021).

Conclusions.
ReLT-KT is a highly morbid increasingly performed procedure. Refinements in the selection of grafts and transplant candidates are required to limit the postoperative mortality of these patients.
In Their Own Words
Authors: Goldstine Jimena , Leece Rebecca , Samas Salihu , Zonderland René 
Published: October 2019

PURPOSE:The aim of this study was to identify themes related to barriers and facilitators to the integration of intermittent catheterization (IC) in the daily lives or persons using the form of bladder evacuation.DESIGN:Descriptive, qualitative study.SUBJECTS AND SETTING:A purposive sample of 25 adults from 5 countries (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the Netherlands) was assembled. All participants had used IC as their primary method of bladder emptying for at least 1 year and, in that time, had used as least 2 different IC products.METHODS:Guided telephone interviews with each participant were conducted by professional staff fluent in each participant's local language as well as trained in qualitative data collection. Interviews were digitally recorded and subsequently transcribed verbatim into English for analysis. We used ATLAS.ti qualitative analysis software (version 7.5.11) to assist with data organization and identification of major themes. Descriptive statistics (eg, mean, standard deviation, or frequency) were used to characterize the sample in terms of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics as collected during the interview.RESULTS:Analysis revealed 9 main themes around individuals' lived experiences of IC: initial fear, urinary tract infection, pain/discomfort, independence, choice, community, life quality, resilience, and acceptance.DISCUSSION:Our results indicate that IC is perceived as a burden by some, but not all, users. The challenge, and opportunity, is to learn more about what has gone right for those who have adapted and to leverage the clinical, practical, psychological, and social factors that enable individuals to integrate IC into the rhythm of their daily lives.
Motor Function Improvement After Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Parkinson’s Disease Patient With Deep Brain Stimulator
Authors: Volkaerts Liesbeth , Roels Rick , Bouckaert Filip 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
In patients with a deep brain stimulator (DBS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has proven to be a safe and effective treatment option after several medication failures in major depression, especially in the presence of psychotic symptoms. Electroconvulsive therapy has also proven to be effective in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). To date, there have been no reports on the effect of ECT on motor function in PD patients with a functioning DBS. We present the case of a woman with DBS as a treatment for PD, safely treated with ECT for a psychotic depression. Depression severity and motor changes were evaluated on a weekly basis using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. During the course of ECT, the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score declined from 34 to 13, and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score from 44 to 12 with positive impact on rigidity. Considering the positive impact of ECT on the motor function in our patient, new research should look into ECT as an augmentation strategy in motor dysfunction in patients treated with DBS for PD.
Reconstructing lost BOLD signal in individual participants using deep machine learning
Authors: Yan Yuxiang , Dahmani Louisa , Shen Lunhao , Peng Xiaolong , Wang Danhong , Ren Jianxun , He Changgeng , Jiang Changqing , Gong Chen , Tian Ye , Zhang Jianguo , Guo Yi , Lin Yuanxiang , Wang Meiyun , Li Luming , Hong Bo , Liu Hesheng 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in functional neuroimaging suffers from magnetic susceptibility artifacts and interference from metal implants. The resulting signal loss hampers functional neuroimaging studies and can lead to misinterpretation of findings. Here, we reconstructed compromised BOLD signal using deep machine learning. We trained a deep learning model to learn principles governing BOLD activity in one dataset and reconstructed artificially-compromised regions in another dataset, frame by frame. Strikingly, BOLD time series extracted from reconstructed frames were correlated with the original time series, even though the frames did not independently carry information about BOLD fluctuations through time. Moreover, reconstructed functional connectivity (FC) maps exhibited good correspondence with the original FC maps, indicating that the deep learning model recovered functional relationships among brain regions. We replicated this result in patients whose scans suffered signal loss due to intracortical electrodes. Critically, the reconstructions captured individual-specific information rather than group information learned during training. Deep machine learning thus presents a unique opportunity to reconstruct compromised BOLD signal while capturing features of an individual’s own functional brain organization.
Demographic tradeoffs predict tropical forest dynamics
Authors: Rüger Nadja , Condit Richard , Dent Daisy H. , DeWalt Saara J. , Hubbell Stephen P. , Lichstein Jeremy W. , Lopez Omar R. , Wirth Christian , Farrior Caroline E. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractAssessing vegetation feedbacks with the climate system and planning sustainable management in tropical forests requires efficient, yet accurate, predictions of the joint dynamics of hundreds of tree species. With increasing information on tropical tree life-histories, our predictive understanding is no longer limited by species data, but by the ability of existing models to make use of it. Using a demographic forest model, we show that the basal area and compositional changes during forest succession in a Neotropical forest can be accurately predicted by representing tropical tree diversity (hundreds of species) with only five functional groups spanning two essential tradeoffs – the growth–survival and stature–recruitment tradeoffs. This data-driven modeling framework substantially improves our ability to predict consequences of anthropogenic impacts on tropical forests.
Gene Expression Networks in the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel
Authors: Everett Logan J. , Huang Wen , Zhou Shanshan , Carbone Mary Anna , Lyman Richard F. , Arya Gunjan H. , Geisz Matthew S. , Ma Junwu , Morgante Fabio , St. Armour Genevieve , Turlapati Lavanya , Anholt Robert R. H. , Mackay Trudy F. C. 
Published: October 2019

SummaryA major challenge in modern biology is to understand how naturally occurring variation in DNA sequences affects complex organismal traits through networks of intermediate molecular phenotypes. Here, we performed deep RNA sequencing of 200 Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel inbred lines with complete genome sequences, and mapped expression quantitative trait loci for annotated genes, novel transcribed regions (most of which are long noncoding RNAs), transposable elements and microbial species. We identified host variants that affect expression of transposable elements, independent of their copy number, as well as microbiome composition. We constructed sex-specific expression quantitative trait locus regulatory networks. These networks are enriched for novel transcribed regions and target genes in heterochromatin and euchromatic regions of reduced recombination, and genes regulating transposable element expression. This study provides new insights regarding the role of natural genetic variation in regulating gene expression and generates testable hypotheses for future functional analyses.
A data-driven method for reconstructing and modelling social interactions in moving animal groups
Authors: Escobedo R. , Lecheval V. , Papaspyros V. , Bonnet F. , Mondada F. , Sire C. , Theraulaz G. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractGroup-living organisms that collectively migrate range from cells and bacteria to human crowds, and include swarms of insects, schools of fish and flocks of birds or ungulates. Unveiling the behavioural and cognitive mechanisms by which these groups coordinate their movements is a challenging task. These mechanisms take place at the individual scale and they can be described as a combination of pairwise interactions between individuals and interactions between these individuals and the physical obstacles in the environment. Thanks to the development of novel tracking techniques that provide large and accurate data sets, the main characteristics of individual and collective behavioural patterns can be quantified with an unprecedented level of precision. However, in a large number of works, social interactions are usually described by force map methods that only have a limited capacity of explanation and prediction, being rarely suitable for a direct implementation in a concise and explicit mathematical model. Here, we present a general method to extract the interactions between individuals that are involved in the coordination of collective movements in groups of organisms. We then apply this method to characterize social interactions in two species of shoaling fish, the rummynose tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus) and the zebrafish (Danio rerio), which both present a burst-and-coast motion. The detailed quantitative description of microscopic individual-level interactions thus provides predictive models of the emergent dynamics observed at the macroscopic group-level. This method can be applied to a wide range of biological and social systems.
Accounting for diverse evolutionary forces reveals the mosaic nature of selection on genomic regions associated with human preterm birth
Authors: LaBella Abigail L. , Abraham Abin , Pichkar Yakov , Fong Sarah L. , Zhang Ge , Muglia Louis J. , Abbot Patrick , Rokas Antonis , Capra John A. 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTHuman pregnancy requires the coordinated function of multiple tissues in both mother and fetus and has evolved in concert with major human adaptations. As a result, pregnancy-associated phenotypes and related disorders are genetically complex and have likely been sculpted by diverse evolutionary forces. However, there is no framework to comprehensively evaluate how these traits evolved or to explore the relationship of evolutionary signatures on trait-associated genetic variants to molecular function. Here we develop an approach to test for signatures of diverse evolutionary forces, including multiple types of selection, and apply it to genomic regions associated with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB), a complex disorder of global health concern. We find that sPTB-associated regions harbor diverse evolutionary signatures including evolutionary sequence conservation (consistent with the action of negative selection), excess population differentiation (local adaptation), accelerated evolution (positive selection), and balanced polymorphism (balancing selection). Furthermore, these genomic regions show diverse functional characteristics which enables us to use evolutionary and molecular lines of evidence to develop hypotheses about how these genomic regions contribute to sPTB risk. In summary, we introduce an approach for inferring the spectrum of evolutionary forces acting on genomic regions associated with complex disorders. When applied to sPTB-associated genomic regions, this approach both improves our understanding of the potential roles of these regions in pathology and illuminates the mosaic nature of evolutionary forces acting on genomic regions associated with sPTB.
An insulin-stimulated proteolytic mechanism links energy expenditure with glucose uptake
Authors: Habtemichael Estifanos N. , Li Don T. , Camporez João Paulo , Westergaard Xavier O. , Sales Chloe I. , Liu Xinran , López-Giráldez Francesc , DeVries Stephen G. , Li Hanbing , Ruiz Diana M. , Wang Kenny Y. , Sayal Bhavesh S. , Hirabara Sandro , Vatner Daniel F. , Philbrick William , Shulman Gerald I. , Bogan Jonathan S. 
Published: October 2019

SummaryMechanisms to coordinately regulate energy expenditure and glucose uptake into muscle and fat cells are not well described. Insulin stimulates glucose uptake in part by causing site-specific endoproteolytic cleavage of TUG, which mobilizes GLUT4 glucose transporters to the cell surface. Here, we show that the TUG C-terminal cleavage product enters the nucleus, binds the transcriptional regulators PGC-1α and PPARγ, and increases oxidative metabolism and thermogenic protein expression. Muscle-specific genetic manipulation of this pathway impacts whole-body energy expenditure, independent of glucose uptake. The PPARγ2 Pro12Ala polymorphism, which reduces diabetes risk, enhances TUG binding. The TUG cleavage product stabilizes PGC-1α and is itself susceptible to an Ate1 arginyltransferase -dependent degradation mechanism; binding of the TUG product confers Ate1-dependent stability upon PGC-1α. We conclude that TUG cleavage coordinates energy expenditure with glucose uptake, that this pathway may contribute to the thermic effect of food, and that its attenuation may be important in obesity.
Distinct patterns of surround modulation in V1 and hMT+
Authors: Er Gorkem , Pamir Zahide , Boyaci Huseyin 
Published: October 2019

AbstractModulation of a neuron’s responses by the stimuli presented outside of its classical receptive field is ubiquitous in the visual system. This “surround modulation” mechanism is believed to be critical for efficient processing and leads to many well-known perceptual effects. The details of surround modulation, how-ever, are still not fully understood. One of the open questions is related to the differences in surround modulation mechanisms in different cortical areas, and their interactions. Here we study patterns of surround modulation in primary visual cortex (V1) and middle temporal complex (hMT+) utilizing a well-studied effect in motion perception, where human observers’ ability to discriminate the drift direction of a grating improves as its size gets bigger if the grating has a low contrast, and deteriorates if it has a high contrast. We first replicated the findings in the literature with a behavioral experiment using small and large (1.06 and 8.05 degrees of visual angle) drifting gratings with either low (2%) or high (99%) contrast presented at the periphery. Next, using functional MRI, we found that in V1 with increasing size cortical responses increased at both contrast levels, but they increased more at high contrast. Whereas in hMT+ with increasing size cortical responses remained unchanged at high contrast, and increased at low contrast. These findings show that surround modulation in V1 and hMT+ are distinct. Furthermore these findings provide evidence that the size-contrast interaction in motion perception is likely to originate in hMT+.
A Francisella tularensis L,D-carboxypeptidase plays important roles in cell morphology, envelope integrity, and virulence
Authors: Zellner Briana , Mengin-Lecreulx Dominique , Tully Brenden , Gunning William T. , Booth Robert , Huntley Jason F. 
Published: October 2019

SummaryFrancisella tularensis is a Gram-negative, intracellular bacterium that causes the zoonotic disease tularemia. Intracellular pathogens, including F. tularensis, have evolved mechanisms to survive in the harsh environment of macrophages and neutrophils, where they are exposed to cell envelope-damaging molecules. The bacterial cell wall, primarily composed of peptidoglycan (PG), maintains cell morphology, structure, and membrane integrity. Intracellular Gram-negative bacteria protect themselves from macrophage and neutrophil killing by recycling and repairing damaged PG – a process that involves over 50 different PG synthesis and recycling enzymes. Here, we identified a PG recycling enzyme, L,D-carboxypeptidase A (LdcA), of F. tularensis that is responsible for converting PG tetrapeptide stems to tripeptide stems. Unlike E. coli LdcA and most other orthologs, F. tularensis LdcA does not localize to the cytoplasm and also exhibits L,D-endopeptidase activity, converting PG pentapeptide stems to tripeptide stems. Loss of F. tularensis LdcA led to altered cell morphology and membrane integrity, as well as attenuation in a mouse pulmonary infection model and in primary and immortalized macrophages. Finally, an F. tularensis ldcA mutant protected mice against virulent Type A F. tularensis SchuS4 pulmonary challenge.
State Change Probability: A Measure of the Complexity of Cardiac RR Interval Time Series Using Physiological State Change with Statistical Hypothesis Testing
Authors: Chao Hsuan-Hao , Huang Han-Ping , Wei Sung-Yang , Hsu Chang Francis , Hsu Long , Chi Sien 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe complexity of biological signals has been proposed to reflect the adaptability of a given biological system to different environments. Two measures of complexity—multiscale entropy (MSE) and entropy of entropy (EoE)—have been proposed, to evaluate the complexity of heart rate signals from different perspectives. The MSE evaluates the information content of a long time series across multiple temporal scales, while the EoE characterizes variation in amount of information, which is interpreted as the “state changing,” of segments in a time series. However, both are problematic when analyzing white noise and are sensitive to data size. Therefore, based on the concept of “state changing,” we propose state change probability (SCP) as a measure of complexity. SCP utilizes a statistical hypothesis test to determine the physiological state changes between two consecutive segments in heart rate signals. The SCP value is defined as the ratio of the number of state changes to total number of consecutive segment pairs. Two common statistical tests, the t-test and Wilcoxon rank–sum test, were separately used in the SCP algorithm for comparison, yielding similar results. The SCP method is capable of reasonably evaluating the complexity of white noise and other signals, including 1/f noise, periodic signals, and heart rate signals, from healthy subjects, as well as subjects with congestive heart failure or atrial fibrillation. The SCP method is also insensitive to data size. A universal SCP threshold value can be applied, to differentiate between healthy and pathological subjects for data sizes ranging from 100 to 10,000 points. The SCP algorithm is slightly better than the EoE method when differentiating between subjects, and is superior to the MSE method.