bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Static and Dynamic Pupillary Characteristics in Clinically Unilateral Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome
Authors: Tekin Kemal , Sekeroglu Mehmet Ali , Kiziltoprak Hasan , Yetkin Esat , Doguizi Sibel , Yilmazbas Pelin 
Published: March 2018

Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to perform a comparison of static and dynamic pupillometry measurements in patients with clinically unilateral pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PES) and age-matched controls.

Methods:
This prospective cross-sectional study consisted of 38 patients with unilateral PES and 40 control participants. A quantitative pupillometry system was used to evaluate the pupil characteristics of eyes with PES (group 1), clinically unaffected fellow eyes (group 2), and healthy eyes (group 3). Static pupillometry measurements including scotopic pupil diameter (PD), mesopic PD, low photopic PD, and high photopic PD were undertaken. Subsequently, dynamic pupillometry measurements including resting diameter, amplitude of pupil contraction, latency of pupil contraction, duration of pupil contraction, velocity of pupil contraction, latency of pupil dilation, duration of pupil dilation, and velocity of pupil dilation were undertaken.

Results:
There were statistically significant differences between the groups with regard to scotopic PD, mesopic PD, and low photopic PD (P<0.001). The pairwise comparisons exhibited that group 1 shows significantly lower PD values compared with groups 2 and 3. Group 2 also had significantly lower PD values compared with group 3. In addition, groups 1 and 2 had statistically significantly lower values of amplitude of pupil contraction, velocity of pupil contraction, duration of pupil dilatation, and velocity of pupil dilatation values compared with group 3. Moreover, group 1 and 2 demonstrated statistically significantly prolonged latency of pupil dilatation compared with group 3.

Conclusions:
Static and dynamic pupil characteristics of affected eyes and their fellow eyes of cases with unilateral PES are different from the healthy subjects.
Initial Palivizumab Dose Administration in Outpatient Clinic After Hospital Discharge
Authors: Stockton Winifred , Chen Yanjun , Jun Allison , Lee Tina , Chilvers Murphy Michelle , Magedman Grace 
Published: March 2018

Background:
Palivizumab provides passive immunity for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but poor adherence compromises protection. A hospital initiative promoted administration of first palivizumab doses at an outpatient clinic immediately after discharge. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of the initiative on location and timing of first palivizumab dose, patient adherence, reimbursement, acquisition cost and RSV-positive hospital readmissions.

Methods:
This retrospective cohort study included pediatric patients who received palivizumab from 2012 to 2016. Three groups were compared: “before initiative,” “transition” and “after initiative.” Patients who did not qualify for palivizumab or who were eligible for palivizumab in previous RSV seasons were excluded. Multivariable logistic and linear regressions adjusted for patients’ characteristics were used in outcome analysis.

Results:
After adjusting for patients’ characteristics, there was a 13.5-fold (95% confidence interval: 5.9–30.5, P < 0.0001) increase in odds that patients would receive outpatient administration of palivizumab and 2.7-fold (95% confidence interval: 1.3–5.7, P = 0.0103) increase in odds of receiving the second dose within 35 days after initiative implementation compared with before. Although there was no significant difference in reimbursement percentage after initiative implementation (32% ± 30% after initiative and 31% ± 22% before), calculated palivizumab acquisition costs were 20.8% lower. RSV readmissions were not significantly different.

Conclusions:
Implementation of an initiative with defined workflow, multidisciplinary collaboration, and early case management efforts to obtain insurance authorization increased outpatient administration of first palivizumab doses. Patient adherence improved as demonstrated by more timely receipt of the second palivizumab dose. There was no difference in reimbursement; however, acquisition cost decreased which is valuable considering low reimbursement rates. RSV-positive readmissions did not change significantly.
Sessile Serrated Adenomas in Young Patients may have Limited Risk of Malignant Progression
Authors: Bettington Mark , Brown Ian , Rosty Christophe , Walker Neal , Liu Cheng , Croese John , Rahman Tony , Pearson Sally-Ann , McKeone Diane , Leggett Barbara , Whitehall Vicki 
Published: March 2018

Goals:
To provide preliminary evidence that sessile serrated adenomas (SSA) are low-risk polyps in young patients.

Background:
SSAs are the dominant polyp of the serrated neoplasia pathway and as such are the precursor of up to 20% of colorectal carcinomas (CRC). Up to 90% of these cancers are expected to harbor a BRAF mutation. SSAs are being diagnosed with increasing frequency in young patients, placing a significant burden on colonoscopic services. Evidence to direct the surveillance intervals for these young patients is not available.

Study:
We utilized 2 patient cohorts comprising (1) a consecutive series of patients who underwent outpatient colonoscopy through a tertiary hospital and (2) a consecutive series of resection specimens for CRC processed through a gastrointestinal pathology service. The prevalence of SSAs by age was determined in the patients undergoing colonoscopy and compared with the ages of patients with BRAF mutated CRC in the pathology series.

Results:
The prevalence of SSAs was similar irrespective of age. By comparison, BRAF mutated CRCs were very rare (3.8% of cases) in patients younger than 50 years of age and uncommon (9.3% of cases) in patients younger than 60 years of age, but increased to 39.8% in patients older than 80 years of age.

Conclusions:
These results suggest that SSAs develop at a young age, but have a prolonged dwell time and are unlikely to develop into cancer in patients younger than 60 years of age. These findings highlight the need for further targeted research to determine the most appropriate surveillance intervals for young patients with sporadic SSAs.
Factors Associated With Health Care Utilization of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection in New York State
Authors: Mathews Steven N. , Lamm Ryan , Yang Jie , Park Jihye , Tzimas Demetrios , Buscaglia Jonathan M. , Pryor Aurora , Talamini Mark , Telem Dana , Bucobo Juan C. 
Published: March 2018

Background:
The incidence of infection due to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and subsequent economic burden are substantial.

Goals:
The impact of changing practice patterns on demographics at risk and utilization of health care resources for recurrence of CDI remains unclear.

Study:
A total of 291,163 patients hospitalized for CDI were identified from 1995 to 2014 from the New York SPARCS database. The χ2 test, the Welch t test, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate factors related to readmission.

Results:
Hospital admissions and readmissions for CDI peaked in 2008 at 20,487 and 13,795, respectively, and have since decreased (linear trend, 0.9706 and 0.9464, respectively; P<0.0001). In total, 60,077 (21%) patients required ≥2 admissions. Risk factors for readmission included: age 55 to 74, government insurance, hypertension, diabetes, anemia, hypothyroidism, chronic pulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, renal failure, peripheral vascular disease, and depression (all P<0.05). Trends in surgery showed a similar peak in 2008 at 165 and have since decreased (linear trend, 0.8660; P<0.0001). A total of 1830 (0.63%) patients with CDI underwent surgery, with emergent being more common than elective (71% vs. 29%).

Conclusions:
Hospital admissions and readmissions for CDI peaked in 2008 and have since been steadily declining. These trends may be secondary to improved diagnostic capabilities and evolving antibiotic regimens. More than 1 in 5 hospitalized patients had at least 1 readmission. Numerous risk factors for these patients have been identified. Although <1% of all patients with CDI undergo surgery, these rates have also been declining.
Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy Prior to Spinal Fusion for Patients With Gross Motor Function Classification System IV-V Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Buxton Kristin , Difazio Rachel , Morgan Ann , McCabe Margaret , Forbes Peter W. 
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND:
Patients with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) IV–V cerebral palsy (CP) have significant spasticity and frequently develop scoliosis. Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pumps are effective in managing spasticity. The effect of ITB therapy on the postoperative course following spinal fusion in patients with GMFCS IV–V CP has not been described. This study sought to compare postoperative recovery, including complications, in patients using ITB therapy with those with no ITB therapy.

PURPOSE:
Evaluate the effect of ITB on the postoperative recovery for patients with GMFCS IV–V CP who undergo spinal fusion for scoliosis.

METHODS:
Health records for patients with GMFCS IV–V CP who underwent a spinal fusion for scoliosis at a major quaternary-care children's hospital from January 2009 to October 2015 were reviewed and relevant data were abstracted. Descriptive statistics and regression models were used to compare patients.

RESULTS:
Sixty-nine patients were included—19 ITB therapy and 50 no ITB therapy. Demographic and operative characteristics were similar across groups. The mean length of stay for patients in the ITB therapy group was 11.2 days and 14.3 days for the no ITB therapy group, with no difference between groups (p = .12). Pain scores in both groups decreased at the same rate, with scores in the ITB therapy group averaging one-half point lower (p = .32). The average amount of morphine equivalents (p = .71) and benzodiazepine equivalents (p = .53) used were similar between groups. Complication rates were significantly different between groups. Four (21%) of the ITB therapy patients had 1 or more complications whereas 28 (56%, p = .01) in the no ITB therapy group had 1 or more complications. The average number of complications per patient in the ITB therapy group was 0.3 (SD: 0.075, range: 0–3) and the no ITB therapy group was 1.1 (SD: 1.1, range: 0–6, p = .01).

CONCLUSIONS:
There was no significant difference in length of stay, pain scores, or pain/spasticity medication use between groups after spinal fusion, but there was a significantly lower incidence of complications in the ITB therapy group.
Are Patients Willing to Travel for Better Ovarian Cancer Care?
Authors: Shalowitz David I. , Nivasch Esther , Burger Robert A. , Schapira Marilyn M. 
Published: March 2018

(Abstracted from Gynecol Oncol 2018;148:42–48)
Superior survival outcomes are obtained by patients with ovarian cancer who are treated by experienced gynecologic oncologists and in hospitals with high case volumes. The relationship between ovarian cancer case volume and survival outcomes has led to recommendations for centralizing ovarian cancer care in high-volume institutions in the United States.
Stillbirth and Neonatal Mortality in Pregnancies Complicated by Major Congenital Anomalies: Findings From a Large European Cohort
Authors: Groen Henk , Bouman Katelijne , Pierini Anna , Rankin Judith , Rissmann Anke , Haeusler Martin , Yevtushok Lyubov , Loane Maria , Erwich Jan Jaap H. M. , de Walle Hermien E. K. 
Published: March 2018

(Abstracted from Prenat Diagn 2017;37:1100–1111)
Modern ultrasound technology has revolutionized prenatal screening and provided women with a means of obtaining clinical information that can help inform their decision making about their pregnancy through detection of congenital anomalies (CAs). Not all CAs are detectable in the gestational window where abortion is legally allowed.
Taste alterations and cancer treatment
Authors: van Oort Sophie , Kramer Ellen , de Groot Jan-Willem , Visser Otto 
Published: March 2018

Purpose of review
In this review, we explore issues on the physiology of taste and smell and we critically review recent literature of taste and smell changes and the impact on food preferences throughout the cancer treatment trajectory.

Recent findings
Subjective measurements such as validated questionnaires can be valuable for the clinical setting and many studies describe taste and smell changes by self-report. Because both smell and taste are interrelated, these subjective results are difficult to interpret. Recent studies have looked more specifically at one type of malignancy with a consistent and homogeneous treatment with chemotherapy using objective taste assessment such as electrogustometry, liquid tastants or filter paper strips.

Summary
Taste is a combination of different sensations: smell, texture, temperature and saliva play an important role in determining the overall flavor of food. The mechanism for taste and smell abnormalities in cancer patients treated with systemic therapies remains unclear.
Structure of the human lipid-sensitive cation channel TRPC3
Authors: Fan Chen , Choi Wooyoung , Du Juan , Lü Wei 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe TRPC channels are crucially involved in store-operated calcium entry and calcium homeostasis, and they are thus implicated in human diseases such as neurodegenerative disease, cardiac hypertrophy, and spinocerebellar ataxia. We present structure of the full-length human TRPC3, a lipid-gated TRPC member, in a lipid-occupied, closed state at 3.3 Angstrom. TRPC3 has an acorn-like shape with four elbow-like membrane reentrant helices prior to the first transmembrane helix. The TRP helix is perpendicular to, and thus disengaged from, the pore-lining S6, suggesting a different gating mechanism. The third transmembrane helix S3 is remarkably long, resulting in a windmill-like transmembrane domain, and constituting an extracellular domain that may serve as a sensor of external stimuli. We identified two lipid binding sites, one being sandwiched between the pre-S1 elbow and the S4-S5 linker, and the other being close to the ion-conducting pore, where the conserved LWF motif of the TRPC family is located.
The Functional effects of voluntary and involuntary visual phantom color on conscious awareness
Authors: Chang Shuai , Pearson Joel 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe constructive nature of vision is perhaps most evident during hallucinations, mental imagery, synesthesia, perceptual filling-in, and many illusions in which conscious visual experience does not overtly correspond to retinal stimulation: phantom vision. However, the relationship between voluntary and involuntary phantom vision remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated two forms of visual phantom color, neon phantom color spreading and voluntary color mental imagery and their effect on subsequent binocular rivalry perception. Passively viewing neon phantom color induced time sensitive, suppressive effects on spatially non-overlapping subsequent binocular rivalry. These effects could be attenuated by rotating the color-inducers, or like color imagery, by concurrent uniform luminance stimulation. The degree of neon color induced rivalry suppression predicted the degree of voluntary color imagery facilitation, both on subsequent rivalry perception. Further, these suppressive and facilitative effects were additive when experienced successively. Our results suggest potential sensory mechanistic commonalities between voluntary and involuntary phantom vision.
Lost in translation: egg transcriptome reveals molecular signature to predict developmental success and novel maternal-effect genes
Authors: Cheung Caroline T. , Nguyen Thaovi , Cam Aurélie Le , Patinote Amélie , Journot Laurent , Reynes Christelle , Bobe Julien 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBackgroundGood quality or developmentally competent eggs result in high survival of progeny. Previous research has shed light on factors that determine egg quality, however, large gaps remain. Initial development of the embryo relies on maternally-inherited molecules, such as transcripts, deposited in the egg, thus, they would likely reflect egg quality. We performed transcriptome analysis on zebrafish fertilized eggs of different quality from unrelated, wildtype couples to obtain a global portrait of the egg transcriptome to determine its association with developmental competence and to identify new candidate maternal-effect genes.ResultsFifteen of the most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Gene ontology analysis showed that enriched terms included ribosomes and translation. In addition, statistical modeling using partial least squares regression and genetics algorithm also demonstrated that gene signatures from the transcriptomic data can be used to predict reproductive success. Among the validated DEGs,otulinaandslc29a1awere found to be increased in good quality eggs and to be predominantly localized in the ovaries. CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutants of each gene revealed remarkable subfertility whereby the majority of their embryos were unfertilizable. The Wnt pathway appeared to be dysregulated in theotulinaknockout-derived eggs.ConclusionsOur novel findings suggested that even in varying quality of eggs due to heterogeneous causes from unrelated wildtype couples, gene signatures exist in the egg transcriptome, which can be used to predict developmental competence. Further, transcriptomic profiling revealed two new potential maternal-effect genes that have essential roles in vertebrate reproduction.
Preclinical Study: Sunitinib-suppressed MiR-452-5p Facilitates Renal Cancer Cell Invasion and Metastasis Through Modulating SMAD4/SMAD7/EMT Signals
Authors: Li Saiyang , Zhang Jin , Chen Yonghui , Ma Junjie , Kong Wen , Gong Dongkui , Zheng Junhua , Xue Wei , Zhai Wei , Xu Yunfei 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAlthough microRNAs (miRNAs) have been revealed as crucial modulators in tumor metastasis and target therapy, our understanding of their roles in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and Sunitinib treatment is limited. Here, We focused on 2 published microarray data to select out our anchored miRNA which was downregulated after Sunitinib treatment while upregulated in metastasis RCC tissues. Then we discovered that treating with Sunitinib, the targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), inhibited renal cell migration and invasion via attenuating the expression of miR-452-5p. The novel identified miR-452-5p was upregulated and associated with poor prognosis in RCC. Preclinical studies using multiple RCC cells and xenografts model illustrated that miR-452-5p could promote RCC cell migration and invasionin vitroandin vivo. Mechanistically, P65 could directly bind to the miR-452-5p promoter and thus transcriptionally induce miR-452-5p expression, which led to post-transcriptionally abrogate SMAD4 expression, thus inhibition of its downstream signals including SMAD7 and EMT (Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition) associated genes. Our study presented a road map for targeting this newly identified miR-452-5p and its SMAD4/SMAD7/EMT signals pathway, which imparted a new potential therapeutic strategy for mRCC treatment.
Arabidopsis thaliana egy2 mutants display altered expression level of genes encoding crucial photosystem II proteins
Authors: Adamiec Małgorzata , Misztal Lucyna , Kosicka Ewa , Paluch-Lubawa Ewelina , Luciński Robert 
Published: March 2018

AbstractEGY2 is a zinc – containing, intramembrane protease, located in the thylakoid membrane. It is consider to be involved in the regulated intramembrane proteolysis - a mechanism leading to activation of membrane-anchored transcription factors through proteolytic cleavage, which causes them to be released from the membrane. The physiological functions of EGY2 in chloroplasts remains poorly understood. To answer the question what is the significance of EGY2 in chloroplast functioning two T-DNA insertion lines devoid of EGY2 protein were obtained and the mutants phenotype and photosystem II parameters were analyzed. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements revealed that the lack of EGY2 protease caused changes in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and minimum fluorescence yield (F0) as well as higher sensitivity of photosystem II (PSII) to photoinhibition. Further immunoblot analysis revealed significant changes in the accumulation levels of the three chloroplast-encoded PSII core apoproteins: PsbA (D1) and PsbD (D2) forming the PSII reaction centre and PsbC – a protein component of CP43, a part of inner PSII antennae. The accumulation level of nuclear-encoded proteins Lhcb1-3 - a components of the major light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) as well as proteins forming minor peripheral antennae complexes, namely Lhcb4 (CP29), Lhcb5 (CP26), and Lhcb6 (CP24) remain, however, unchanged. The lack of EGY2 led to a significant increase in the level of PsbA (D1) with simultaneous decrease in accumulation levels of PsbC (CP43) and PsbD (D2). To test the hypothesis that the observed changes in the abundance of chloroplast-encoded proteins are a consequence of changes in gene expression levels, real-time PCR was performed. The obtained results shown that egy2 mutants display an increased expression of PSBA and reduction in the PSBD and PSBC genes. Simultaneously pTAC10, pTAC16 and FLN1 proteins were found to accumulate in thylakoid membranes of analyzed mutant lines. These proteins interact with core complex of plastid encoded RNA polymerase and may be involved in the regulation of chloroplast gene expression.
Horizontal transfer and proliferation of Tsu4 in Saccharomyces paradoxus
Authors: Bergman Casey M. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBackgroundRecent evidence suggests that horizontal transfer plays a significant role in the evolution of of transposable elements (TEs) in eukaryotes. Many cases of horizontal TE transfer (HTT) been reported in animals and plants, however surprisingly few examples of HTT have been reported in fungi.FindingsHere I report evidence for a novel HTT event in fungi involvingTsu4inSaccharomyces paradoxusbased on (i) high similarity betweenTsu4elements inS. paradoxusandS. uvarum, (ii) a patchy distribution ofTsu4inS. paradoxusand general absence from its sister speciesS. cerevisiae, and (iii) discordance between the phylogenetic history ofTsu4sequences and species in theSaccharomyces sensu strictogroup. Available data suggests the HTT event likely occurred somewhere in the Nearctic, Neotropic or Indo-Australian part of theS. paradoxusspecies range, and that a lineage related toS. uvarumorS. eubayanuswas the donor species. The HTT event has led to massive proliferation ofTsu4in the South American lineage ofS. paradoxus, which exhibits partial reproductive isolation with other strains of this species because of multiple reciprocal translocations. Full-lengthTsu4elements are associated with both breakpoints of one of these reciprocal translocations.ConclusionsThis work shows that comprehensive analysis of TE sequences in essentially-complete genome assemblies derived from long-read sequencing provides new opportunities to detect HTT events in fungi and other organisms. This work also provides support for the hypothesis that HTT and subsequent TE proliferation can induce genome rearrangements that contribute to post-zygotic isolation in yeast.