bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Habitat alteration modifies the structure and function of mixed‐species flocks in an Andean landscape
Authors: Vásquez‐Ávila Bernarda , Knowlton Jessie L. , Espinosa Carlos I. , Tinoco Boris A. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractUnderstanding the responses of species interactions to land‐use change is a key challenge in ecology and conservation. In the tropical Andes, a large proportion of birds interact with other bird species and create networks of mixed‐species flocks; however, the widespread effects of land‐use change in the region raise concerns about the alteration of these interactions. Here we explored how structural (i.e., species richness and size) and functional (i.e., network connectivity indices) parameters of mixed flocks change along a gradient from open vegetation to native forest habitats. This study was conducted in the southern Andes of Ecuador, where we sampled mixed‐species flocks in 12 areas for five consecutive months, and applied network analysis tools to characterize structural parameters (observed richness, flock size, flock encounter rate, composition) and functional parameters (degree, weighted degree, cluster, and skewness) of flocks. We found that the network indices, degree and weighted degree of species, were positively associated with areas of dense vegetation and native trees. These two network indices indicated that mixed flocks occupying native forest have higher connectivity, a factor that can promote the stability of flocks. The structural parameters of flocks, species richness, and abundance, were not associated with the vegetation structure. Overall, our results show that functional parameters of flocks can be more sensitive than structural parameters to the effects of land‐use change in our study area. We demonstrate the importance of combining the analysis of structure and functionality of flocks to reveal the effects of land‐use change. Lastly, our results highlight the importance of mature native forest for the conservation of species and the maintenance of non‐trophic interactions.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Prognostic significance of carcinoembryonic antigen combined with carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer
Authors: Zheng Zhifang , Wang Xiaojie , Lu Xingrong , Huang Ying , Chi Pan 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAimThe clinical significance of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) combined with carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA19‐9) in patients with rectal cancer is not well established. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of these combined tumour markers in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT).MethodA total of 687 consecutive patients with LARC who underwent nCRT and radical surgery were analysed. Tumour characteristics, recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared according to the number of elevated tumour markers measured before and after nCRT. In addition, the prognostic significance of perioperative changes in the combined tumour markers was further evaluated.ResultThe RFS and OS rates decreased in a stepwise manner in association with the number of elevated pre‐ and post‐nCRT tumour markers (all p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that only the number of elevated post‐nCRT tumour markers was an independent prognostic factor (both p < 0.05). For 311 patients with elevated pre‐nCRT tumour markers, normalization of the tumour markers after nCRT was an independent prognostic protective factor (both p < 0.05), and patients with both markers elevated post‐nCRT had a 2.5‐ and 3.7‐fold increased risk of recurrence and death, respectively (p < 0.05). Furthermore, normalization of post‐nCRT tumour markers after surgery was also closely related to an improved prognosis.ConclusionThis combination of post‐nCRT tumour markers can accurately predict the long‐term survival of patients with LARC treated with nCRT and curative resection, and normalization of the combined tumour markers after either nCRT or surgery was associated with better survival.
A retrospective analysis of the safety and efficacy of apixaban use after lung transplant
Authors: Reininger Kevin A. , Sam Teena , Patel Raksha S. , Grazia Todd J. , Naik Chetan A. , Ausloos Kenneth A. , Rosenblatt Randall L. , Lam In Lok L. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractDirect acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become the mainstay of treatment for patients requiring anticoagulation for atrial arrhythmias and venous thromboembolism (VTE) but safety and efficacy has not been established in lung transplantation. This is a retrospective review of 28 adult lung transplant patients who were prescribed apixaban for stroke prevention in atrial arrhythmias or treatment of VTE between October 15, 2015 and December 31, 2018. The primary outcome was a composite of efficacy and safety measured by recurrence or breakthrough of stroke or thromboembolism and bleeding events. Seven patients were treated for atrial arrhythmias and 21 treated for VTE. Fifteen patients received CYP3A4 or P‐gp inhibitors at initiation of anticoagulation, and 4 of these patients received strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. During the follow‐up period, one breakthrough DVT and one clinically relevant non‐major bleed were observed. These data suggest that apixaban may be safe to use for lung transplant patients, and larger studies are warranted to assess long‐term outcomes as well as safety and efficacy of alternative DOACs.
Synaptic NMDA receptor signalling controls R‐type calcium channel recruitment
Authors: Feng Zhendong , Glebov Oleg O. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractRegulation of extracellular Ca2+ influx by neuronal activity is a key mechanism underlying synaptic plasticity. At the neuronal synapse, activity‐dependent Ca2+ entry involves N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and voltage‐gated calcium channels (VGCCs); the relationship between NMDARs and VGCCs, however, is poorly understood. Here, we report that neuronal activity rapidly (1h) regulates recruitment of R‐type VGCCs in hippocampal neurons through synaptic NMDAR signalling. This finding reveals a link between two key neuronal signalling pathways, suggesting a feedback mode for regulation of synaptic Ca2+ signalling.
Physical and cognitive profiles in motoric cognitive risk syndrome in an older population from Southern Italy
Authors: Bortone Ilaria , Griseta Chiara , Battista Petronilla , Castellana Fabio , Lampignano Luisa , Zupo Roberta , Sborgia Giancarlo , Lozupone Madia , Moretti Biagio , Giannelli Gianluigi , Sardone Rodolfo , Panza Francesco 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackground and purposeIn older age, physical and cognitive declines have been shown to occur simultaneously or consequent to one another, and several operational definitions have been proposed to consider the co‐presence of the two declines; for example, “Motoric cognitive risk syndrome” (MCR) has been proposed as a definition for the coexistence of slow gait plus subjective cognitive complaints. Given the increasing interest in MCR and its potential role as both biomarker and therapeutic target, we aimed to estimate its prevalence in a large cohort of non‐demented older subjects, and to examine the associations between physical status, global cognitive dysfunction, and impairment in various cognitive domains in MCR.MethodsA population‐based sample of 1041 older people in Southern Italy (mean age 75.15 years) was enrolled. We defined MCR using slowness and a single question for subjective cognitive complaints. We also administered a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery, together with tests assessing physical function.ResultsThe prevalence of MCR was 9.9% (95% confidence interval 8.2–11.9). MCR was associated with decreased processing speed and executive function after adjusting for all relevant confounders. However, we found no significant association of MCR with decreased global cognition and immediate/delayed free recall of verbal memory. MCR was also associated with increased exhaustion, low muscle strength, and low physical activity, and increased levels of C‐reactive protein and interleukin‐6.ConclusionsThe present findings on MCR prevalence and associated cognitive and physical domains and inflammatory biomarkers may help to uncover altered pathways and therapeutic targets for intervention during the long preclinical phase of neurodegenerative dementia.
Hay versus haylage: Forage type influences the equine urinary metabonome and faecal microbiota
Authors: Leng Joy , McNally Susan , Walton Gemma , Swann Jonathan , Proudman Chris , Argo Caroline , Emery Sue , La Ragione Roberto , Eustace Robert 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundGut microbial communities are increasingly being linked to diseases in animals and humans. Obesity and its associated diseases are a concern for horse owners and veterinarians, and there is a growing interest in the link among diet, the intestinal microbiota and metabolic disease.ObjectivesAssess the influence of long‐term hay or haylage feeding on the microbiota and metabolomes of 20 Welsh mountain ponies.Study designLongitudinal study.MethodsUrine, faeces and blood were collected from 20 ponies on a monthly basis over a 13‐month period. Urine and faeces were analysed using proton magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy and faecal bacterial DNA underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing.ResultsFaecal bacterial community profiles were observed to be different for the two groups, with discriminant analysis identifying 102 bacterial groups (or operational taxonomic units, OTUs) that differed in relative abundance in accordance with forage type. Urinary metabolic profiles of the hay‐ and haylage‐fed ponies were significantly different during 12 of the 13 mo of the study. Notably, the urinary excretion of hippurate was greater in the hay‐fed ponies for the duration of the study, while ethyl‐glucoside excretion was higher in the haylage‐fed ponies.Main limitationsThe study was undertaken over a 13‐month period and both groups of ponies had access to pasture during the summer months.ConclusionsThe data generated from this study suggest that the choice of forage may have implications for the intestinal microbiota and metabolism of ponies and, therefore, potentially their health status. Understanding the potential implication of feeding a particular type of forage will enable horse owners to make more informed choices with regard to feed, especially if their horse or pony is prone to weight gain.
Revisiting sardine recruitment hypotheses: Egg‐production‐based survival index improves understanding of recruitment mechanisms of fish under climate variability
Authors: Takasuka Akinori , Nishikawa Haruka , Furuichi Sho , Yukami Ryuji 
Published: April 2021

AbstractProportionality between spawning stock biomass (SSB) and annual total egg production (TEP) has been an inherent assumption in spawner–recruitment models for fisheries management and studies on recruitment mechanisms in fish. However, recent evidence of density dependence in egg production has led to a need to reconsider the validity of recruitment per spawning stock biomass (RPS), which is a SSB‐based survival index from hatching to recruitment, in recruitment studies. Here we revisit sardine recruitment hypotheses based on recruitment per egg production (RPE), which is a TEP‐based survival index, by reanalyzing published data for the Pacific stock of Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) in the Kuroshio Current system at a multidecadal scale. By adopting RPE, we detected statistically significant relationships of the survival from hatching to recruitment to large‐scale ocean climate anomaly, ambient temperature in the nursery grounds and growth rate during the early life stages. None of these relationships were detected by RPS. We propose the adoption of TEP‐based survival indices rather than SSB‐based ones in future studies on recruitment mechanisms of fish in relation to environmental and biological factors. Developing egg‐production‐based survival indices has the potential to improve understanding of recruitment mechanisms of fish under climate variability.
A GRASP/Path‐Relinking algorithm for the traveling purchaser problem
Authors: Cuellar‐Usaquén Daniel , Gomez Camilo , Álvarez‐Martínez David 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe Traveling Purchaser Problem (TPP) is a generalization of the TSP that consists in choosing which nodes (markets) to visit to create a tour that allows to buy a set of products at minimum transportation and purchasing cost. The TPP has gained attention due to the computational challenges it poses and the potential applications it can support in today's technology‐driven industry. This paper presents a GRASP‐based methodology for the TPP based on three constructive procedures (route‐first, purchase‐first, and purchase‐and‐route) and two local search operators (insert and remove). The methodology is strengthened with a Path Relinking strategy to improve the GRASP performance by re‐combining a set of elite solutions and with a Filtering strategy to improve the algorithm's efficiency by avoiding local search operations on the least promising solutions. The algorithm is tested with 855 instances of the asymmetric TPP and 190 instances of the symmetric TPP. Computational results prove the benefit of including the Path Relinking and Filtering strategies and suggest that the purchase‐first constructive procedure is the most competitive in terms of objective function value with little extra effort in execution time with respect to the other constructive procedures. Our results outperform published results for the asymmetric TPP in a statistically significant way and show competitive performance for the symmetric TPP.
Restricted mean survival time versus conventional measures for treatment decision‐making
Authors: Kim Dae Hyun , Shi Sandra M. , Carroll Danette , Najafzadeh Mehdi , Wei Lee‐Jen 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackground/objectivesRestricted mean survival time (RMST) summarizes treatment effect in terms of a gain or loss in the event‐free days. It remains uncertain whether communicating treatment benefit and harm using RMST‐based summary is more effective than conventional summary based on absolute and relative risk reduction. We compared the effect of RMST‐based approach and conventional approach on decisional conflict using an example of intensive versus standard blood pressure‐lowering strategies.DesignOn‐line survey.SettingA convenience sample of patients in the United States.ParticipantsTwo hundred adults aged 65 and older with hypertension requiring anti‐hypertensive treatment (response rate 85.5%).InterventionsParticipants were randomly assigned to either RMST‐based summary or conventional summary about the benefit and harm of blood pressure‐lowering strategies.MeasurementsDecisional Conflict Scale (DCS), ranging from 0 (no conflict) to 100 (high conflict), and preference for intensive blood pressure‐lowering strategy.ResultsParticipants assigned to RMST‐based approach (n = 100) and conventional approach (n = 100) had similar age (mean [standard deviation, SD]: 72.3 [5.6] vs 72.8 [5.5] years) and proportions of female (50 [50.0%] vs 61 [61.0%]) and white race (92 [92.0%] vs 92 [92.0%]). The mean (SD) DCS score was 25.2 (15.0) for RMST‐based approach and 25.6 (14.1) for conventional approach (p = 0.84). The number (%) of participants who preferred intensive strategy was 10 (10.0%) for RMST‐based approach and 14 (14.0%) for conventional approach (p = 0.52). The results were consistent in subgroups defined by age, sex, education level, cardiovascular disease status, and predicted mortality risk categories.ConclusionIn a sample of relatively healthy older adults with hypertension, RMST‐based approach was as effective as conventional approach on decisional conflict about choosing a blood pressure‐lowering strategy. This study provides proof‐of‐concept evidence that RMST‐based approach can be used in conjunction with absolute and relative risk reduction for communicating treatment benefit and harm in a decision aid.
Single intracerebroventricular progranulin injection adversely affects the blood–brain barrier in experimental traumatic brain injury
Authors: Hummel Regina , Lang Manuel , Walderbach Simona , Wang Yong , Tegeder Irmgard , Gölz Christina , Schäfer Michael K. E. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractProgranulin (PGRN) is a neurotrophic and anti‐inflammatory factor with protective effects in animal models of ischemic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Administration of recombinant (r) PGRN prevents exaggerated brain pathology after TBI in Grn‐deficient mice, suggesting that local injection of recombinant progranulin (rPGRN) provides therapeutic benefit in the acute phase of TBI. To test this hypothesis, we subjected adult male C57Bl/6N mice to the controlled cortical impact model of TBI, administered a single dose of rPGRN intracerebroventricularly (ICV) shortly before the injury, and examined behavioral and biological effects up to 5 days post injury (dpi). The anti‐inflammatory bioactivity of rPGRN was confirmed by its capability to inhibit the inflammation‐induced hypertrophy of murine primary microglia and astrocytes in vitro. In C57Bl/6N mice, however, ICV administration of rPGRN failed to attenuate behavioral deficits over the 5‐day observation period. (Immuno)histological gene and protein expression analyses at 5 dpi did not reveal a therapeutic benefit in terms of brain injury size, brain inflammation, glia activation, cell numbers in neurogenic niches, and neuronal damage. Instead, we observed a failure of TBI‐induced mRNA upregulation of the tight junction protein occludin and increased extravasation of serum immunoglobulin G into the brain parenchyma at 5 dpi. In conclusion, single ICV administration of rPGRN had not the expected protective effects in the acute phase of murine TBI, but appeared to cause an aggravation of blood–brain barrier disruption. The data raise questions about putative PGRN‐boosting approaches in other types of brain injuries and disease.
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Predictors of health service use by family caregivers of persons with multimorbidity
Authors: Canca‐Sánchez José C. , García‐Mayor Silvia , Morales‐Asencio José Miguel , Gómez‐Gónzalez Alberto José , Kaknani‐Uttumchandani Shakira , Cuevas Fernández‐Gallego Magdalena , Lupiáñez‐Pérez Inmaculada , Caro‐Bautista Jorge , León‐Campos Álvaro 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundInformal caregivers of patients with multiple chronic conditions are socially good, promoting the sustainability of a large part of home care provision. However, this very demanding activity causes health problems that increase their own need for health services. This study analyses the use of health services by informal carers, comparing it with the use made by the general population with similar characteristics.MethodologyCross‐sectional analytical study carried out in the Malaga‐Valle Guadalhorce Primary Health Care District (Spain). Healthcare demand and perceived health were measured in the family caregivers, compared to the general population. Strobe Statement for observational studies has been used to strength the report of the results.ResultsFinal sample consisted of 314 family caregivers together with a subsample of 2.290 non‐caregivers taken from data of the National Health Survey. This subsample was paired by gender with our sample. Formal caregivers make fewer annual visits to the health services, with respect to the general population, regardless of the perceived level of health. The difference of the means between those who perceive their health as very poor was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.20) consultations with the family doctor, 0.21 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.26) consultations with medical specialists and 1.70 (95% CI: 1.52 to 1.87) emergency room attention. Three independent factors were identified that predispose to the increased use of health services: background of greater education achievement (OR 8.13, 95% CI: 1.30 to 50.68), non‐cohabitation with the care recipient (OR 3.57, 95% CI: 1.16 to 11.11) and a more positive physical quality of life component (OR 1.06; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.09).Discussion and ImplicationsIntrinsic components of the caregiver reveal their independent relationship with the provision of informal care and the use of health services. A broader vision is needed for the factors that influence the health of these caregivers to develop multipurpose interventions and improve the consistency and effectiveness of the health services offered to the caregiver.
Influence of contextual factors on death by suicide in rural and urban settings
Authors: Shiner Brian , Peltzman Talya , Cornelius Sarah L. , Gui Jiang , Jiang Tammy , Riblet Natalie , Gottlieb Daniel J. , Watts Bradley V. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPurposeTo examine the association between contextual factors, represented by geographic and community health variables, and suicide among rural and urban Department of Veterans Affairs health care users (VA users).MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of 12,700,847 VA users between 2003 and 2017. We assigned contextual factors based on individuals’ home address at the ZIP Code (area deprivation), county (sunlight exposure, altitude, and community health), and state level (firearm ownership), using publicly available data sources. We grouped contextual factors by quintiles or prespecified thresholds, depending on the nature of each variable. We obtained mortality data from the National Death Index. We measured the effect of living in a place with the highest versus lowest level of each contextual factor on odds of suicide using logistic regression, adjusting for individual compositional factors abstracted from VA electronic medical records data. We used random forest modeling to build prediction models for suicide based on contextual factors among rural and urban veterans.FindingsAlmost all contextual factors we examined were significantly associated with suicide among rural and urban VA users, even after adjusting for individual compositional factors. However, no contextual variables were strong protective or risk factors (0.5<OR>2.0), and prediction models leveraging these contextual factors had poor accuracy among both rural (0.51, 95% CI: 0.48‐0.54) and urban (0.53, 95% CI: 0.51‐0.55) VA users.ConclusionsA wide variety of contextual factors is significantly associated with suicide among rural and urban VA users. However, the factors we measured contributed very little to individual‐level suicide risk.