bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The cardiac isovolumetric contraction time is an independent predictor of incident atrial fibrillation and adverse outcomes following first atrial fibrillation event in the general population
Authors: Alhakak Alia Saed , Brainin Philip , Møgelvang Rasmus , Jensen Gorm Boje , Jensen Jan Skov , Biering-Sørensen Tor 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Aims
Colour tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) M-mode through the mitral leaflet is an easy and precise method to obtain cardiac time intervals including the isovolumic contraction time (IVCT), isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), and ejection time (ET). The myocardial performance index (MPI) was defined as [(IVCT + IVRT)/ET]. Our aim was to investigate if cardiac time intervals can be used to predict atrial fibrillation (AF) in the general population.

Methods and results
A total of 1915 participants from the general population underwent a health examination including TDI echocardiography. The primary endpoint was AF, and the secondary endpoint was complicated AF as assessed by the occurrence of either stroke or heart failure (HF) after the diagnosis of AF. Participants with known AF were excluded (n = 54). During a median follow-up of 11 years, 166 participants (9%) were diagnosed with AF and of these 44 participants (27%) developed HF or stroke. Assessing the association between IVCT and incident AF, the risk increased with 27% per 10 ms increase in IVCT [per 10 ms increase: hazard ratio (HR) 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.17–1.38); P &lt; 0.001]. The association remained significant after multivariable adjustment [per 10 ms increase: HR 1.22, 95% CI (1.09–1.35); P &lt; 0.001]. No associations between the IVRT, ET, MPI, and AF remained significant after multivariable adjustment. The IVCT also predicted complicated AF and the association remained significant even after multivariable adjustment [per 10 ms increase: HR 1.39, 95% CI (1.06–1.81); P = 0.015].

Conclusion
In the general population, the IVCT provides novel and independent prognostic information on the long-term risk of AF. Additionally, the IVCT can identify persons in risk of complicated AF.
Inadvertent transseptal puncture into the aortic root: the narrow edge between luck and catastrophe in interventional cardiology
Authors: Chen Hao , Fink Thomas , Zhan Xianzhang , Chen Minglong , Eckardt Lars , Long Deyong , Ma Jian , Rosso Raphael , Mathew Shibu , Xue Yumei , Ju Weizu , Wasmer Kristina , Ma Changsheng , Yang Jiandu , Maurer Tilman , Yang Bing , Heeger Christian-Hendrik , Ho Siew Yen , Kuck Karl-Heinz , Wu Shulin , Ouyang Feifan 
Published: March 2019

Aims
Inadvertent puncture of the aortic root (AR) is a well-known complication of transseptal puncture (TSP). Strategies for handling of this potentially lethal complication have not been identified yet. In this study, we present typical anatomical locations and clinical management of aortic root puncture (ARP) due to TSP.

Methods and results
All patients with ARP were retrospectively collected from seven hospitals. Aortic root puncture was identified and classified regarding angiographical and intraoperative findings in cardiac surgery: (i) TSP from the right atrium (RA) to the non-coronary sinus (NCS), (ii) TSP from RA to the non-coronary sinutubular junction (STJ), and (iii) TSP from RA to the ascending aorta (AA). A total of 24 patients with inadvertent ARP were identified. In 19 patients, penetration of the aorta was accomplished by the inner dilator, in 5 patients by the complete sheath. Previous cardiac surgery had been performed in six patients. There were 13 RA-to-NCS punctures, 2 RA-to-STJ punctures, and 9 RA-to-AA punctures. No cardiac tamponade (CT) occurred in patients with RA-to-NCS and RA-to-STJ punctures. In 8 of 9 patients with RA-to-AA puncture, CT occurred immediately requiring urgent pericardiocentesis and surgical repair. Two patients died after surgical repair. In the 16 patients without surgical therapy, no shunt from the AR to the RA was observed 3 months after the procedure.

Conclusion
Aortic root puncture due to mislead TSP via NCS or STJ is usually not associated with a severe clinical course while ARP into the AA via the epicardial space generally leads to CT requiring surgical repair.
Mutations of Kluyveromyces lactis dolichol kinase enhances secretion of recombinant proteins
Authors: Ziogiene Danguole , Valaviciute Monika , Norkiene Milda , Timinskas Albertas , Gedvilaite Alma 
Published: March 2019

ABSTRACT
Although there are similarities in the core steps of the secretion pathway from yeast to higher eukaryotes, significant functional differences exist even among diverse yeast species. Here, we used next-generation sequencing to identify two mutations in the Kluyveromyces lactis KlSEC59 gene, encoding dolichol kinase (DK), which are responsible for an enhanced secretion phenotype in a previously isolated mutant, MD2/1-9. Compared with the temperature-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae sec59-1 mutant, which exhibits reduced N-glycosylation and decreased secretory efficacy, the identified K. lactis DK mutations had fewer effects on glycosylation, as well as on survival at high temperature and cell wall integrity. Moreover, despite some glycosylation defects, double DK mutations (G405S and I419S) in the K. lactis mutant strain demonstrated three times the level of recombinant α-amylase secretion as the wild-type strain. Overexpression of potential suppressors KlMNN10, KlSEL1, KlERG20, KlSRT1, KlRER2, KlCAX4, KlLPP1 and KlDPP1 in the DK-mutant strain restored carboxypeptidase Y glycosylation to different extents and, with the exception of KISRT1, reduced α-amylase secretion to levels observed in wild-type cells. Our results suggest that enhanced secretion related to reduced activity of mutant DK in K. lactis results from mild glycosylation changes that affect activity of other proteins in the secretory pathway.
Erectile Dysfunction Is Highly Prevalent in Men With Newly Diagnosed Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Shmidt E , Suárez-Fariñas M , Mallette M , Moniz H , Bright R , Shah S A , Merrick M , Shapiro J , Xu F , Saha S , Sands B E 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackground and AimsCross-sectional studies on sexual function in men with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) yield mixed results. Using a prospective incidence cohort, we aimed to describe sexual function at baseline and over time and to identify factors associated with impaired sexual function in men with IBD.MethodsMen 18 years and older enrolled between April 2008 and January 2013 in the Ocean State Crohn’s and Colitis Area Registry (OSCCAR) with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up were eligible for study. Male sexual function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), a self-administered questionnaire that assesses 5 dimensions of sexual function over the most recent 4 weeks. To assess changes in the IIEF per various demographic and clinical factors, linear mixed effects models were used.ResultsSixty-nine of 82 eligible men (84%) completed the questionnaire (41 Crohn’s disease, 28 ulcerative colitis). The mean age (SD) of the cohort at diagnosis was 43.4 (19.2) years. At baseline, 39% of men had global sexual dysfunction, and 94% had erectile dysfunction. Independent factors associated with erectile dysfunction are older age and lower physical and mental component summary scores on the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).ConclusionIn an incident cohort of IBD patients, most men had erectile dysfunction. Physicians should be aware of the high prevalence of erectile dysfunction and its associated risk factors among men with newly diagnosed IBD to direct multidisciplinary treatment planning.
Beyond consensus: perceptions of risk from petroleum developments in Lofoten, Vesterålen, and Senja, Norway
Authors: Bjørkan Maiken , Veland Siri 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe proposed petroleum developments in the Lofoten, Vesterålen, and Senja are a controversial issue in Norway. We ask how insights into legitimacy and risk perception can help to illuminate the disputed policy process for petroleum developments in Lofoten, Vesterålen, and Senja. Our Q-methodology elicits three key narratives that steer the policy process: (i) best practice and knowledge does not permit coexistence, and fishing takes priority; (ii) coexistence is possible with good process where the nation-state manages risk; and (iii) the state and industry cannot facilitate coexistence, science and conservation come first. We argue these narratives reflect divergence in worldview in three key ways: (i) differential perspectives on the priority of local, national, and global scales; (ii) emphasis on the role of knowledge, skill, and rectitude in finding best policy; and (iii) differential concern for fish, the nation-state, and conservation. We argue for a more realistic approach to coexistence in deliberative democracy that does not aim for consensus and win-win outcomes, and assert that disagreement and partial victories and losses is a natural and healthy state of affairs in a democracy.
The Anatomy of Apology and Forgiveness: Towards Transformative Apology and Forgiveness
Authors: Tarusarira Joram 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The central thesis of this article is that while apology and forgiveness are vital for dealing with a violent past, there is a need to critically transform the sociopolitical epistemic subjectivities that underpin a wrongdoing. These include political discourses, narratives, ideas and ideologies that justified the wrongdoing in the first place and are thus its bedrock. This is against the understanding that brutality and violence are sustained by particular epistemologies, logics and reasonings. Failure to bring about their transformation results in not stopping the repetition of brutality and not realizing sustainable reconciliation, as well as stifling key aspects of dealing with the past, such as truth seeking, truth telling, justice and accountability. By drawing on the state-sponsored massacres in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces in Zimbabwe in the early 1980s – the Gukurahundi massacres – this article argues that current calls for, and implementations of, apologies and forgiveness are often undertaken without considering the need to transform the epistemic bedrock of conflict and violence which engenders apology and forgiveness. This lack of focus on transformation makes apology and forgiveness susceptible to abuse or underutilization, and thus impotent in facilitating sustainable reconciliation. The article emphasizes the need to transform the cognitive and epistemic subjectivities underpinning wrongdoing, thus making a case for transformative apology and forgiveness.
Impact of Pretransplant Donor BK Viruria in Kidney Transplant Recipients
Authors: Tan Susanna K , Huang Chunhong , Sahoo Malaya K , Weber Jenna , Kurzer Jason , Stedman Margaret R , Concepcion Waldo , Gallo Amy E , Alonso Diane , Srinivas Titte , Storch Gregory A , Subramanian Aruna K , Tan Jane C , Pinsky Benjamin A 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Background
BK virus (BKV) is a significant cause of nephropathy in kidney transplantation. The goal of this study was to characterize the course and source of BKV in kidney transplant recipients.

Methods
We prospectively collected pretransplant plasma and urine samples from living and deceased kidney donors and performed BKV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) testing on pretransplant and serially collected posttransplant samples in kidney transplant recipients.

Results
Among deceased donors, 8.1% (17/208) had detectable BKV DNA in urine prior to organ procurement. BK viruria was observed in 15.4% (6/39) of living donors and 8.5% (4/47) of deceased donors of recipients at our institution (P = .50). BKV VP1 sequencing revealed identical virus between donor–recipient pairs to suggest donor transmission of virus. Recipients of BK viruric donors were more likely to develop BK viruria (66.6% vs 7.8%; P < .001) and viremia (66.6% vs 8.9%; P < .001) with a shorter time to onset (log-rank test, P < .001). Though donor BKV IgG titers were higher in recipients who developed BK viremia, pretransplant donor, recipient, and combined donor/recipient serology status was not associated with BK viremia (P = .31, P = .75, and P = .51, respectively).

Conclusions
Donor BK viruria is associated with early BK viruria and viremia in kidney transplant recipients. BKV PCR testing of donor urine may be useful in identifying recipients at risk for BKV complications.
The Immature Stages, Biology, and Phylogenetic Relationships of Rotunda rotundapex (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)
Authors: Lin Rung-Juen , Braby Michael F , Hsu Yu-Feng 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The life history, morphology, and biology of the immature stages and phylogenetic relationships of Rotunda rotundapex (Miyata & Kishida, 1990) are described and illustrated for the first time. The species is univoltine: eggs hatch in spring (March or April) and the life cycle from egg to adult is completed in about 3 wk, with larvae developing rapidly on young leaves of the host plants, Morus australis and to a lesser extent Broussonetia monoica (Moraceae), and adults emerging in April–May. Eggs are laid in clusters on twigs of the host plant, are covered by scales during female oviposition, and remain in diapause for the remainder of the year (i.e., for 10–11 mo). Larvae (all instars) are unique among the Bombycidae in that they lack a horn on abdominal segment 8. A strongly supported molecular phylogeny based on six genes (5.0 Kbp: COI, EF-1α, RpS5, CAD, GAPDH, and wgl) representing seven genera of Bombycinae from the Old World revealed that Rotunda is a distinct monotypic lineage sister to Bombyx. This phylogenetic position, together with morphological data of the immature stages (egg and larval chaetotaxy), supports the current systematic classification in which the species rotundapex has been placed in a separate genus (Rotunda) from Bombyx in which it was previously classified.
Clinical Impact of Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Testing at a US Children’s Hospital
Authors: Enane Leslie A , Sullivan Kaede V , Spyridakis Evangelos , Feemster Kristen A 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Background
Children who develop malaria after returning to a setting in which the disease is not endemic are at high risk for critical delays in diagnosis and initiation of antimalarial therapy. We assessed the clinical impact of the implementation of malaria rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) on the management of children with malaria at an urban US children’s hospital that serves a large immigrant population.

Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study of all children diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed malaria at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) between 2000 and 2014. RDT using a US Food and Drug Administration–approved immunochromatographic assay was introduced at CHOP on August 1, 2007. We compared clinical management and outcomes of patients with malaria diagnosed before and after RDT introduction.

Results
We analyzed 82 pediatric malaria cases (32 before and 50 after RDT implementation). The majority of these patients had traveled to West Africa (91.5%) and were infected with Plasmodium falciparum (80.5%). The mean time to a positive result decreased from 10.4 to 0.9 hours (P &lt; .001) after the introduction of RDT for patients with P falciparum. The mean time to antimalarial therapy decreased from 13.1 to 6.9 hours (P =; .023) in hospitalized patients. We found no significant reduction in the mean number of clinical signs of severe malaria between 0 and 48 hours of hospitalization and no difference in the need for exchange transfusion, time to resolution of parasitemia, or length of hospital stay.

Conclusions
Implementation of RDT for malaria was associated with shorter times to malaria diagnosis and initiation of antimalarial therapy. The results of this study support RDT in the optimal management of patients with malaria who present in settings in which the disease is not endemic.
Formation, vertex deviation, and age of the Milky Way’s bulge: input from a cosmological simulation with a late-forming bar
Authors: Debattista Victor P , Gonzalez Oscar A , Sanderson Robyn E , El-Badry Kareem , Garrison-Kimmel Shea , Wetzel Andrew , Faucher-Giguère Claude-André , Hopkins Philip F 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
We present the late-time evolution of m12m, a cosmological simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy from the FIRE project. The simulation forms a bar after redshift z = 0.2. We show that the evolution of the model exhibits behaviours typical of kinematic fractionation, with a bar weaker in older populations, an X-shape traced by the younger, metal-rich populations, and a prominent X-shape in the edge-on mean metallicity map. Because of the late formation of the bar in m12m, stars forming after $10\mbox{$\:{\rm Gyr}$}$ (z = 0.34) significantly contaminate the bulge, at a level higher than is observed at high latitudes in the Milky Way, implying that its bar cannot have formed as late as in m12m. We also study the model’s vertex deviation of the velocity ellipsoid as a function of stellar metallicity and age in the equivalent of Baade’s Window. The formation of the bar leads to a non-zero vertex deviation. We find that metal-rich stars have a large vertex deviation (∼40°), which becomes negligible for metal-poor stars, a trend also found in the Milky Way, despite not matching in detail. We demonstrate that the vertex deviation also varies with stellar age and is large for stars as old as $9 \mbox{$\:{\rm Gyr}$}$, while $13\mbox{$\:{\rm Gyr}$}$ old stars have negligible vertex deviation. When we exclude stars that have been accreted, the vertex deviation is not significantly changed, demonstrating that the observed variation of vertex deviation with metallicity is not necessarily due to an accreted population.
Configuration entropy of the cosmic web: can voids mimic the dark energy?
Authors: Pandey Biswajit 
Published: March 2019

ABSTRACT
We propose an alternative physical mechanism to explain the observed accelerated expansion of the Universe based on the configuration entropy of the cosmic web and its evolution. We show that the sheets, filaments, and clusters in the cosmic web act as sinks whereas the voids act as the sources of information. The differential entropy of the cosmic velocity field increases with time and also acts as a source of entropy. The growth of non-linear structures and the emergence of the cosmic web may lead to a situation where the overall dissipation rate of information at the sinks is about to dominate the generation rate of information from the sources. Consequently, the Universe either requires a dispersal of the overdense non-linear structures or an accelerated expansion of the underdense voids to prevent a violation of the second law of thermodynamics. The dispersal of the sheets, filaments, and clusters is not a viable option due to the attractive nature of gravity but the repulsive and outward peculiar gravitational acceleration at the voids makes it easier to stretch them at an accelerated rate. We argue that this accelerated expansion of the voids inside the cosmic web may mimic the behaviour of dark energy.
Automatic Segmentation of the Subthalamic Nucleus: A Viable Option to Support Planning and Visualization of Patient-Specific Targeting in Deep Brain Stimulation
Authors: Reinacher Peter C , Várkuti Bálint , Krüger Marie T , Piroth Tobias , Egger Karl , Roelz Roland , Coenen Volker A 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Automatic segmentation is gaining relevancy in image-based targeting of neural structures.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate its feasibility, we retrospectively analyzed the concordance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based automatic segmentation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and intraoperative microelectrode recordings (MERs).

METHODS
Electrodes (n = 60) for deep brain stimulation were implanted in the STN of patients (n = 30; median age 57 yr) with Parkinson disease (n = 29) or rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism (n = 1). Elements (Brainlab, Munich, Germany) were used to segment the STN, using 2 volumetric T1 (±contrast) and volumetric T2 images as input. The stereotactic computed tomography was coregistered with the imaging, and the original stereotactic coordinates were imported. MERs (0.5-1 mm steps) along the anterior, central, and lateral trajectories were used to determine differences between the image-segmented STN boundary and MER-based STN entry and exit.

RESULTS
Of 175 trajectories, 105 penetrated or touched (≤0.7 mm) the STN. The overall median deviation between the segmented STN boundary and electrophysiological recordings was 1.1 mm for MER-based STN entry and 2.0 mm for STN exit. Regarding the entry point of the STN, there was no statistically significant difference between MRI-based automatic segmentation and the electrophysiological trajectories analyzed with intraoperative MER. The exit point was significantly different between both methods in the central and lateral trajectories.

CONCLUSION
MRI-based automatic segmentation of the STN is a viable, patient-specific targeting approach that can be used alongside traditional targeting methods in deep brain stimulation to support preoperative planning and visualization of target structures and aid postoperative optimization of programming.
From egg to maturity: a closed system for complete life cycle studies of the holopelagic jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca
Authors: Ramondenc Simon , Ferrieux Mathilde , Collet Sophie , Benedetti Fabio , Guidi Lionel , Lombard Fabien 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Despite its wide spatial distribution and its high abundance in the Mediterranean Sea, the biology and the ecology of the scyphozoan species Pelagia noctiluca remain poorly understood. This is mainly due to difficulties related to sampling and its maintenance in laboratory conditions. Thus, only a few studies exist on the ecophysiology of this jellyfish species under laboratory conditions. As an example, the maximum sizes of individuals obtained in previous culturing systems were not comparable to the ones found in the environment and the authors could not obtain a second generation. Here we present an improved rearing system for P. noctiluca employing a new enclosed system running with artificial seawater. The monitoring of the jellyfish in this new system highlights the importance of the quality of the food sources provided to the cultures, as well as the volume available for jellyfish growth. We obtain adults similar in size to the ones found in the open ocean (>11 cm), and we were able to obtain a second generation, 140 days after the first one. Our system is both less time-consuming and less stressful for the jellyfish.