bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fecal microbiota transplantation therapy in Crohn's disease: Systematic review
Authors: Fehily Sasha R , Basnayake Chamara , Wright Emily K , Kamm Michael A 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe gastrointestinal microbiota is the key antigenic drive in the inflammatory bowel diseases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in ulcerative colitis have established fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as an effective therapy. We have conducted a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of FMT in Crohn's disease.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed through to August 2020 (MEDLINE; Embase). Studies were included if they reported FMT administration in patients with Crohn's disease, and reported on clinical outcomes.ResultsFifteen studies published between 2014 and 2020, comprising 13 cohort studies and two RCTs, were included in the analysis. The majority of trials evaluated FMT for induction of remission, with follow‐up duration varying from 4 to 52 weeks. One RCT in 21 patients, of single‐dose FMT versus placebo, following steroid‐induced remission, showed a higher rate of steroid‐free clinical remission in the FMT group compared to the control group: 87.5% vs 44.4% at week 10 (P = 0.23). Another RCT, two‐dose FMT in 31 patients, showed an overall clinical remission rate of 36% at week 8, however, with no difference in clinical or endoscopic endpoints between FMT administered by gastroscopy and colonoscopy. Considering all studies, the clinical response rates in early follow up were higher following multiple FMT than with single FMT. FMT dose did not appear to influence clinical outcomes, nor did whether FMT was fresh or frozen. FMT delivered via upper gastrointestinal route demonstrated higher early efficacy rates of 75 to 100% compared with lower delivery route rates of 30% to 58%, but on follow up beyond 8 weeks, this difference was not maintained. Whether pre‐FMT antibiotic administration was beneficial was not able to be determined due to the limited number of patients receiving antibiotics and varying antibiotic regimens. No serious adverse events were reported.ConclusionsPreliminary studies suggest that FMT may be an effective therapy in Crohn's disease. However large controlled trials are needed. No serious safety concerns have been identified.
Neurochemical biomarkers to study CNS effects of COVID‐19: A narrative review and synthesis
Authors: Edén Arvid , Simrén Joel , Price Richard W. , Zetterberg Henrik , Gisslén Magnus 
Published: June 2021

AbstractNeurological symptoms are frequently reported in patients suffering from COVID‐19. Common CNS‐related symptoms include anosmia, caused by viral interaction with either neurons or supporting cells in nasal olfactory tissues. Diffuse encephalopathy is the most common sign of CNS dysfunction, which likely results from the CNS consequences of the systemic inflammatory syndrome associated with severe COVID‐19. Additionally, microvascular injuries and thromboembolic events likely contribute to the neurologic impact of acute COVID‐19. These observations are supported by evidence of CNS immune activation in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in autopsy tissue, along with the detection of microvascular injuries in both pathological and neuroimaging studies. The frequent occurrence of thromboembolic events in patients with COVID‐19 has generated different hypotheses, among which viral interaction with perivascular cells is particularly attractive, yet unproven. A distinguishing feature of CSF findings in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is that clinical signs characteristic of neurotropic viral infections (CSF pleocytosis and blood–brain barrier injury) are mild or absent. Moreover, virus detection in CSF is rare and often of uncertain significance. In this review, we provide an overview of the neurological impact that occurs in the acute phase of COVID‐19, and the role of CSF biomarkers in the clinical management and research to better treat and understand the disease. In addition to aiding as diagnostic and prognostic tools during acute infection, the use of comprehensive and well‐characterized CSF and blood biomarkers will be vital in understanding the potential impact on the CNS in the rapidly increasing number of individuals recovering from COVID‐19.image
Potential crosstalk between sonic hedgehog‐WNT signaling and neurovascular molecules: Implications for blood–brain barrier integrity in autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Gozal Evelyne , Jagadapillai Rekha , Cai Jun , Barnes Gregory N. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease originating from combined genetic and environmental factors. Post‐mortem human studies and some animal ASD models have shown brain neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and changes in blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity. However, the signaling pathways leading to these inflammatory findings and vascular alterations are currently unclear. The BBB plays a critical role in controlling brain homeostasis and immune response. Its dysfunction can result from developmental genetic abnormalities or neuroinflammatory processes. In this review, we explore the role of the Sonic Hedgehog/Wingless‐related integration site (Shh/Wnt) pathways in neurodevelopment, neuroinflammation, and BBB development. The balance between Wnt‐β‐catenin and Shh pathways controls angiogenesis, barriergenesis, neurodevelopment, central nervous system (CNS) morphogenesis, and neuronal guidance. These interactions are critical to maintain BBB function in the mature CNS to prevent the influx of pathogens and inflammatory cells. Genetic mutations of key components of these pathways have been identified in ASD patients and animal models, which correlate with the severity of ASD symptoms. Disruption of the Shh/Wnt crosstalk may therefore compromise BBB development and function. In turn, impaired Shh signaling and glial activation may cause neuroinflammation that could disrupt the BBB. Elucidating how ASD‐related mutations of Shh/Wnt signaling could cause BBB leaks and neuroinflammation will contribute to our understanding of the role of their interactions in ASD pathophysiology. These observations may provide novel targeted therapeutic strategies to prevent or alleviate ASD symptoms while preserving normal developmental processes.
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Cover Image for this issue: https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15081
The consequences of living longer—Effects of an experimentally extended velvet antler phase on the histomorphology of antler bone in fallow deer (Dama dama)
Authors: Kierdorf Uwe , Schultz Michael , Kierdorf Horst 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAntlers are periodically regenerated paired cranial appendages of male deer (both sexes in reindeer) that constitute the fastest‐growing bones in the animal kingdom. The annual antler cycle of male deer is linked to testicular activity and largely controlled by seasonal fluctuations of testosterone concentrations in their blood. We studied the effects of an experimental doubling (to eight months) of the velvet antler phase, during which the antlers are covered by skin (velvet), on the histomorphology of antler bone in three adult fallow bucks. Extension of the velvet antler phase in the experimental animals had been caused by administration of the antiandrogen cyproterone acetate (CPA). The distal portions of the antlers from two of the CPA‐treated bucks exhibited partial sequestration of the antler cortex, with the separation plane typically located along the border between cortex and spongiosa. It is hypothesized that this was caused by cortical necrosis due to severe ischemia during later stages of the extended velvet antler phase. In places, new cancellous bone had been deposited on the resorption surface of the spongiosa, indicating a regeneration process. Normal fallow deer antlers (“controls”) from this and a previous study, that is, antlers with a timespan of about four months between onset of new antler growth and velvet shedding, exhibited no or only minor bone remodeling and still contained remnants of calcified cartilage in their distal portions. In contrast, the antlers of the three CPA‐treated bucks showed evidence (secondary osteons and resorption cavities) of marked bone remodeling along their entire length and lacked remnants of calcified cartilage. Our results underscore that the typical histological features of antler bone reflect its short‐lived nature. Antlers are not mechanically loaded during the velvet stage, and it is presently unclear what triggered remodeling activity in the antlers whose lifespan had been experimentally extended.
Familial occurrence of skeletal developmental anomalies as a reflection of biological relationships in a genealogically documented Central European sample (19th to 20th centuries)
Authors: Cvrček Jan , Kuželka Vítězslav , Jor Tomáš , Dupej Ján , Horák Martin , Naňka Ondřej , Brůžek Jaroslav , Velemínský Petr 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSkeletal developmental anomalies (SDA) are a subject of constant interest across scientific disciplines, but still mostly as isolates and curiosities. The aim of this study was to find out to what extent the occurrence of SDA reflects documented biological relationships. The skeletal remains of 34 individuals with known genealogical data were available, members of one family over four generations (19th to 20th centuries, Bohemia, Czech Republic), including some inbred individuals. The occurrence of 89 SDA was assessed on the basis of scopic morphological evaluation and X‐ray and CT examinations. The degree of similarity between individuals was calculated using a “similarity coefficient” (SC). A linear model was used to test the relationship between positive values of the SC and the relatedness of biologically related individuals. Simultaneously, based on population frequencies of the evaluated anomalies, those that could be considered familial were recorded. A statistically significant relationship between morphological similarity and the biological distance between individuals was found. The greatest similarity was found among close relatives such as parents and children, siblings, or grandparents and grandchildren. The effect of increased consanguinity on the occurrence of anomalies was not confirmed, however. Seventeen SDA shared by closely related individuals were found in the sample, supporting the documented family relationships among them. Eleven of these were selected as possibly familial, but only five were statistically significant: an elongated styloid process, a cervical block vertebrae (arch, facet joints), hamate hamulus aplasia, anteater nose sign, and incomplete fusion of the S1 spinous process. There were also 28 cases of individual occurrences of 17 different SDA, without connection to the documented relationships between individuals.
A Novel Technique to Align the Intraoral Scans to the Virtual Articulator and Set the Patient‐Specific Sagittal Condylar Inclination
Authors: Yang Shengtao , Feng Ning , Li Dan , Wu Yunshu , Yue Li , Yuan Quan 
Published: June 2021

AbstractCustomized cast orientations and parameter settings of the virtual articulator according to the patient's condyles are indispensable parts of today's digital workflows in prosthodontics. This article describes a digital technique to align the intraoral scans to a virtual articulator by using a facial scanner to locate the patient's cutaneous landmarks of the arbitrary hinge axis and the reference plane, and to customize the sagittal condylar inclination of the virtual articulator through a digital protrusive interocclusal record and a dental computer‐aided design software program. It enables individual cast orientations and virtual articulator parameter settings without conventional facebow transferring and bite registration procedures and can be easily integrated with most virtual articulator systems on the market to allow clinicians and technicians to work in a complete digital workflow and facilitate customized treatment planning and dental prosthesis fabrication.
Oxygen concentration of gut luminal contents varies post‐prandially in growing pigs
Authors: Montoya Carlos A. , Maier Eva , Banic Milena , McNabb Warren C. , Moughan Paul J. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe oxygen (O2) concentration of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) contents decreases distally, but little is known about how O2 concentrations are influenced by ingestion of a meal. The O2 concentration in luminal contents at different GIT locations (stomach [cardia and pylorus], proximal, mid‐ and distal small intestine and caecum) and how these concentrations changed post‐prandially were determined. Fifty entire male pigs (22 kg bodyweight at the start of study) were fed semi‐synthetic diets containing casein, α‐lactalbumin, whey protein isolate or zein as the sole source of protein for 8 days. A further group of pigs received the casein diet for six days and a semi‐synthetic protein‐free diet for a further 2 days. On day 8, pigs (n = 2 per diet and time point) were euthanized post‐prandially (0, 1, 2, 4 and 6 h), and the stomach, small intestine and caecum were isolated and O2 determined in the GIT contents. Observations at each time point were averaged across the diets (n = 10). The mean O2 concentration was markedly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in the stomach compared with the rest of the GIT. The O2 concentration was similar in the small intestinal regions (p > 0.05; 1.0%–1.1%) and the caecum (0.9%), apart for the proximal small intestine which had a 24% higher (p ≤ 0.05) O2 concentration than the caecum. The mean O2 concentration in the GIT varied post‐prandially (p ≤ 0.05). The O2 concentration in the cardia decreased 1.8%/h over the first two hours post‐feeding and thereafter increased 0.3%/h (p ≤ 0.05). In the caecum, the O2 concentration was constant during the first 4 h and thereafter increased slightly (p ≤ 0.05). The flow of food through the GIT influenced both the concentration and amount of O2 in GIT luminal contents.
Concurrent diagnosis of sinus fungus ball and invasive fungal sinusitis: A retrospective case series
Authors: Assiri Abdullah M. , Ryu Sungseok , Kim Ji Heui 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackgroundSinus fungal ball (SFB) is the most common type of non‐invasive fungal sinusitis and develops mostly in immunocompetent individuals, whereas invasive fungal sinusitis (IFS), with high mortality, develops mostly in immunocompromised patients. SFB may progress to IFS depending on the patient's immune status and underlying diseases.ObjectivesTo investigate the possibility of SFB progressing to IFS.Patients/MethodsA total of 10 patients histopathologically diagnosed with concurrent IFS and SFB from January 2013 to December 2019 were enrolled. Their clinical characteristics, histopathology and clinical course information were obtained and compared with those of 56 patients with IFS alone and 617 patients with SFB alone.ResultsAcute, chronic and chronic granulomatous IFS was diagnosed in two (20%), five (50%) and three (30%) patients, respectively. All patients had severe facial pain and/or headache, with the most common comorbidity being diabetes (n = 5, 50%). SFB was identified in the maxillary (60%) and sphenoid (40%) sinuses. The tissue culture was positive for Aspergillus species in five (50%) patients. Eight patients with chronic or chronic granulomatous IFS were successfully treated by debridement with voriconazole, and the two patients with acute IFS and severe neutropenia due to haematologic malignancy died. Compared to patients with IFS alone, patients with combined SFB and IFS were older, female dominant, and commonly had chronic or chronic granulomatous IFS. In addition, they were older and more commonly diabetic and immunocompromised than patients with SFB alone.ConclusionsSFB may progress to IFS particularly in elderly and immunocompromised patients.
A phylogeny of Antirrhinum reveals parallel evolution of alpine morphology
Authors: Durán‐Castillo Mario , Hudson Andrew , Wilson Yvette , Field David L. , Twyford Alex D. 
Published: June 2021

Summary

Parallel evolution of similar morphologies in closely related lineages provides insight into the repeatability and predictability of evolution. In the genus Antirrhinum (snapdragons), as in other plants, a suite of morphological characters are associated with adaptation to alpine environments.

We tested for parallel trait evolution in Antirrhinum by investigating phylogenetic relationships using restriction‐site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing. We then associated phenotypic information to our phylogeny to reconstruct the patterns of morphological evolution and related this to evidence for hybridisation between emergent lineages.

Phylogenetic analyses showed that the alpine character syndrome is present in multiple groups, suggesting that Antirrhinum has repeatedly colonised alpine habitats. Dispersal to novel environments happened in the presence of intraspecific and interspecific gene flow.

We found support for a model of parallel evolution in Antirrhinum. Hybridisation in natural populations, and a complex genetic architecture underlying the alpine morphology syndrome, support an important role of natural selection in maintaining species divergence in the face of gene flow.
Fear‐related barriers to physical activity among adults with overweight and obesity: A narrative synthesis scoping review
Authors: Hamer Oliver , Larkin Derek , Relph Nicola , Dey Paola 
Published: June 2021

SummaryPhysical activity is a health behavior contributing to successful weight management. Adults with overweight and obesity find it challenging to meet recommended activity guidelines because of a range of barriers, some of which are not yet fully understood. A barrier receiving limited consideration, compared with other literature within this field, is that of fear. The purpose of this scoping review was to establish the extent of literature on fear‐related barriers to physical activity in adults with overweight or obesity and to identify gaps in this literature. The review followed the scoping review framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. The findings of the identified papers were charted thematically using a framework of fears and age group. In total, 34 studies were included that identified nine different fears related to barriers to activity in this population. However, only a small number of studies (n = 5) had explicitly intended to explore fear‐related barriers. There were notable knowledge gaps including activity‐related fear of pain and movement in adults under 45 years of age. There is a strong rationale to further explore these fears because they may restrict health promoting behavior.
A role for metabolism in determining neonatal immune function
Authors: Holm Sean R. , Jenkins Ben J. , Cronin James G. , Jones Nicholas , Thornton Catherine A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractImmune responses of neonates differ markedly to those of adults, with skewed cytokine phenotypes, reduced inflammatory properties and drastically diminished memory function. Recent research efforts have started to unravel the role of cellular metabolism in determining immune cell fate and function. For studies in humans, much of the work on metabolic mechanisms underpinning innate and adaptive immune responses by different haematopoietic cell types is in adults. Studies investigating the contribution of metabolic adaptation in the unique setting of early life are just emerging, and much more work is needed to elucidate the contribution of metabolism to neonatal immune responses. Here, we discuss our current understanding of neonatal immune responses, examine some of the latest developments in neonatal immunometabolism and consider the possible role of altered metabolism to the distinctive immune phenotype of the neonate. Understanding the role of metabolism in regulating immune function at this critical stage in life has direct benefit for the child by affording opportunities to maximize immediate and long‐term health. Additionally, gaining insight into the diversity of human immune function and naturally evolved immunometabolic strategies that modulate immune function could be harnessed for a wide range of opportunities including new therapeutic approaches.
Detection of QTLs in a Mediterranean climate associated with fire blight necrosis length in Pyrus communis using a high‐resolution genetic linkage map
Authors: Gabay Gilad , Dahan Yardena , Cohen Oded , Barshan Idan , Itzhaki Yacov , Flaishman Moshe A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractFire blight caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is the most critical disease of European pear. Breeding of resistant cultivars is a possible solution for a growing demand for healthier alternative practices for disease control. In this study, we present a pear fire blight genetic study using a large F1 population. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected using a high‐resolution genetic map, allowing detection of QTLs with small intervals. A total of 162 offspring crossbred between ‘Harrow Sweet’ (HS, low susceptibility cultivar) and ‘Spadona’ (SPD, high susceptibility cultivar) were studied. We detected a significant genotype effect (p < .0001), which explained 46.4% of the variance of the necrosis length. A major QTL of the main genotype effect (AVG) was detected at 8.8 cM in linkage group (LG) 2 (LOD = 7.7). Additional QTLs were detected in LGs 7, 13 and 15. These markers can greatly contribute to pear breeding programs in a Mediterranean climate and can shed light on potential candidate genes that control fire blight resistance.
Chinese women with melasma exhibit a low minimal erythema dose to both UVA and UVB
Authors: Wang Zixu , Lu Fengyan , Li Xing , Guo Yanni , Li Jiajing , He Li 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackgroundMelasma is a common disorder manifested by symmetric hyperpigmentation of sun‐exposed skin. Although ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a known risk factor of melasma, whether skin sensitivities to UVA and/or UVB differ between healthy controls and female patients with melasma is unknown.MethodsMinimal erythema dose (MED)‐UVA and MED‐UVB results were compared between female patients with melasma and healthy controls. Additionally, relationships between MED values and Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) scores, and skin color were assessed.ResultsThe melasma and control groups included 142 and 137 subjects, respectively. Compared with healthy control group, our melasma group had lower MED‐UVA (P < .001) and MED‐UVB (P < .05). MASI scores were negatively correlated with MED‐UVA and MED‐UVB (P < .001). Additionally, Skin a* values in melasma‐involved skin were negatively correlated with MED‐UVA (P < .05). Skin b* values in melasma‐involved skin were negatively correlated with MED‐UVB and MED‐UVA (P < .05).ConclusionsPatients with melasma exhibit a low MED to both UVA and UVB, rendering them have a predisposition to an increased UV sensitivity. Because of the association between melasma and UV sensitivity, sun exposure should be avoided to alleviate or prevent melasma.