bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Electrocardiographic findings in 130 hospitalized neonatal calves with diarrhea and associated potassium balance disorders
Authors: Trefz Florian M. , Lorenz Ingrid , Constable Peter D. 
Published: June 2018

BackgroundHyperkalemia in neonatal diarrheic calves can potentially result in serious cardiac conduction abnormalities and arrhythmias.ObjectivesTo document electrocardiographic (ECG) findings and the sequence of ECG changes that are associated with increasing plasma potassium concentrations (cK+) in a large population of neonatal diarrheic calves.AnimalsOne hundred and thirty neonatal diarrheic calves (age ≤21 days).MethodsProspective observational study involving calves admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital.ResultsHyperkalemic calves (cK+: 5.8‐10.2, blood pH: 6.55‐7.47) had significantly (P < .05) longer QRS durations as well as deeper S wave, higher T wave, and higher ST segment amplitudes in lead II than calves, which had both venous blood pH and cK+ within the reference range. The first ECG changes in response to an increase in cK+ were an increase in voltages of P, Ta, S, and T wave amplitudes. Segmented linear regression indicated that P wave amplitude decreased when cK+ >6.5 mmol/L, S wave amplitude voltage decreased when cK+ >7.4 mmol/L, QRS duration increased when cK+ >7.8 mmol/L, J point amplitude increased when cK+ >7.9 mmol/L, and ST segment angle increased when cK+ >9.1 mmol/L. P wave amplitude was characterized by a second common break point at cK+ = 8.2 mmol/L, above which value the amplitude was 0.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceHyperkalemia in neonatal diarrheic calves is associated with serious cardiac conduction abnormalities. In addition to increased S and T wave amplitude voltages, alterations of P and Ta wave amplitudes are early signs of hyperkalemia, which is consistent with the known sensitivity of atrial myocytes to increased cK+.
Assessment of a pan‐dermatophyte nested‐PCR compared with conventional methods for direct detection and identification of dermatophytosis agents in animals
Authors: Piri Fahimeh , Zarei Mahmoudabadi Ali , Ronagh Ali , Ahmadi Bahram , Makimura Koichi , Rezaei‐Matehkolaei Ali 
Published: June 2018

SummaryConventional direct microscopy with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and culture were found to lack the ability to establish a fast and specific diagnosis of dermatophytosis. A pan‐dermatophyte nested‐PCR assay was developed using a novel primer pair targeting the translation elongation factor 1‐α (Tef‐1α) sequences for direct detection and identification of most veterinary relevant dermatophytes in animal samples suspected to dermatophytosis. A total of 140 animal skin and hair samples were subjected to direct microscopy, culture, and ITS‐RFLP/ITS‐sequencing of culture isolates for the detection and identification of dermatophytosis agents. Nested‐PCR sequencing was performed on all the extracted DNAs using a commercial kit after dissolving the specimens by mechanical beating. Nested‐PCR was positive in 90% of samples, followed by direct microscopy (85.7%) and culture (75%). The degree of agreement between nested‐PCR and direct microscopy (94.4%) was higher than with culture (83.3%). In 105 culture‐positive cases, the measures of agreement for the identification of dermatophytosis agents were as follows: 100% between nested‐PCR sequencing and ITS‐RFLP/ITS‐sequencing and 63.8% between nested‐PCR sequencing and culture. The developed nested‐PCR was faster as well as more sensitive and specific than conventional methods for detection and identification of dermatophytes in clinical samples, which was particularly suitable for epidemiological studies.
Land–atmospheric feedbacks during droughts and heatwaves: state of the science and current challenges
Authors: Miralles Diego G. , Gentine Pierre , Seneviratne Sonia I. , Teuling Adriaan J. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractDroughts and heatwaves cause agricultural loss, forest mortality, and drinking water scarcity, especially when they occur simultaneously as combined events. Their predicted increase in recurrence and intensity poses serious threats to future food security. Still today, the knowledge of how droughts and heatwaves start and evolve remains limited, and so does our understanding of how climate change may affect them. Droughts and heatwaves have been suggested to intensify and propagate via land–atmosphere feedbacks. However, a global capacity to observe these processes is still lacking, and climate and forecast models are immature when it comes to representing the influences of land on temperature and rainfall. Key open questions remain in our goal to uncover the real importance of these feedbacks: What is the impact of the extreme meteorological conditions on ecosystem evaporation? How do these anomalies regulate the atmospheric boundary layer state (event self‐intensification) and contribute to the inflow of heat and moisture to other regions (event self‐propagation)? Can this knowledge on the role of land feedbacks, when available, be exploited to develop geo‐engineering mitigation strategies that prevent these events from aggravating during their early stages? The goal of our perspective is not to present a convincing answer to these questions, but to assess the scientific progress to date, while highlighting new and innovative avenues to keep advancing our understanding in the future.
Onychomycosis in children: Safety and efficacy of antifungal agents
Authors: Gupta Aditya K. , Mays Rachel R. , Versteeg Sarah G. , Shear Neil H. , Friedlander Sheila F. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractOnychomycosis is an uncommon condition in childhood, but prevalence in children is increasing worldwide.The objective was to review the efficacy and safety of systemic and topical antifungal agents to treat onychomycosis in children. Databases (Pubmed, OVID, Scopus, clinicaltrials.gov, Cochrane Library) were searched. Seven studies were selected for inclusion. Only one was a randomized controlled trial. In total, 208 children were administered antifungal agents for the treatment of onychomycosis. Four reports of mild adverse events were documented (1.9% of treated children), one of which discontinued treatment (0.5%). Limitations of this review are the lack of randomized controlled trials available in pediatric onychomycosis. These findings suggest that antifungal therapies used to treat onychomycosis in children are associated with a low incidence of adverse events. Current dosing regimens for antifungal drugs are effective and appear safe to use in children, notwithstanding that the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any of these agents for the treatment of onychomycosis in children. To our knowledge, this review is the most up‐to‐date, comprehensive summary of pediatric onychomycosis treatment.
Itching at night: A review on reducing nocturnal pruritus in children
Authors: Boozalis Emily , Grossberg Anna L. , Püttgen Katherine B. , Cohen Bernard A. , Kwatra Shawn G. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe most common causes of chronic nocturnal itching in children are atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, with lichen simplex chronicus and prurigo nodularis contributing to lesser degrees. Despite the prevalence of nocturnal itching, its pathophysiology remains poorly understood. The most troubling consequence of itching at night is poor quality of sleep. Poor sleep quality in children with nocturnal itching has been linked to adverse neurocognitive, behavioral, and physiologic outcomes, including poor performance in school, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, short stature, hypertension, obesity, and impaired immune function. There is no consensus on the best management of nocturnal itching in children. We conducted a review of the literature evaluating the efficacy of various treatment options for children with chronic nocturnal pruritus. Our review found three recently conducted randomized controlled trials and one case report demonstrating the efficacy of topical corticosteroids, oral melatonin, and clonidine in reducing nocturnal itching or improving sleep quality in children with nocturnal pruritus. Future research is needed to elucidate the pathophysiology of nocturnal itching to best develop targeted, effective treatment strategies.
Usefulness of high‐frequency ultrasonography in the assessment of cutaneous lesions in children with hematologic malignancies
Authors: Rodríguez Bandera Ana Isabel , Moreno Bonilla Gilberto , Feito Rodríguez Marta , Beato Merino María Jose , de Lucas Laguna Raúl 
Published: June 2018

AbstractHigh‐frequency ultrasonography is a bedside tool increasingly used for the assessment of skin lesions, but there have been few reports about its importance in children with skin signs of hematologic disease. We present three cases to highlight the usefulness of high‐frequency ultrasonography in assisting with the diagnosis of these skin lesions.
Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in extremely low‐birthweight infants
Authors: Oda Arata , Kamei Yoshiya , Hiroma Takehiko , Nakamura Tomohiko 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundNeurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) is expected to improve respiratory outcomes in preterm infants, but it has not yet been evaluated. We investigated whether NAVA could improve respiratory outcomes and reduce sedation use in extremely low‐birthweight infants (ELBWI).MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted based on patient charts at the Nagano Children's Hospital neonatal intensive care unit, Japan. Infants who were born at <27 weeks’ gestation were included. We assessed the prevalence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), home oxygen therapy (HOT), duration of intubation, and sedation use.ResultsThe NAVA group consisted of 14 ELBWI who were born at <27 weeks’ gestation between September 2013 and September 2015. A total of 21 ELBWI born between September 2011 and September 2013, before NAVA implementation, served as the control group. There were no significant differences in the perinatal background characteristics between the two groups. For respiratory outcomes, no significant between‐group differences were found in the prevalence of BPD and HOT or the duration of intubation. The total duration of sedation use was not significantly different between the two groups, but in the NAVA group, midazolam was discontinued in all cases after the infants were switched to NAVA.ConclusionsNAVA was safe in preterm infants and had a similar effect to conventional mechanical ventilation with regard to respiratory outcomes and sedation use in the chronic phase; thus, NAVA could be used in the early phase, at least before BPD worsens to improve respiratory outcomes in ELBWI.
Mindreading beyond belief: A more comprehensive conception of how we understand others
Authors: Spaulding Shannon 
Published: June 2018

AbstractTraditional theories of mindreading tend to focus exclusively on attributing beliefs and desires to other agents. The literature emphasizes belief attribution in particular, with numerous debates over when children develop the concept of belief, how neurotypical adult humans attribute beliefs to others, whether non‐human animals have the concept of belief, etc. I describe a growing school of thought that the heavy focus on belief leaves traditional theories of mindreading unable to account for the complexity, diversity, and messiness of ordinary social interactions. I present a few broader, more comprehensive conceptions of mindreading that take into account how stereotypes, character trait inferences, social biases, and more influence how we understand and interact with others. These broader conceptions of mindreading promise to be more empirically adequate and have fruitful application to various debates in philosophy and cognitive science.
Aphid–hoverfly interactions under elevated CO2 concentrations: oviposition and larval development
Authors: Boullis Antoine , Francis Frédéric , Verheggen François 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe performance of predators of plant pests is mainly driven by their ability to find prey. Recent studies suggest that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations will affect the semiochemistry of plant–insect relationships, possibly altering prey‐finding behaviour. In the present study, we test the hypothesis that higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations affect the oviposition behaviour of an aphidophagous hoverfly and alter the development of its larvae. We also test the hypothesis that volatile compounds released by the plant–aphid association are modified under elevated CO2. Broad bean plants infested with pea aphids are grown under ambient (450 ppm) or elevated CO2 (800 ppm) concentrations. Plants raised under each treatment are then presented to gravid hoverfly females in a dual‐choice bioassay. In addition, emerging Episyrphus balteatus larvae are directly fed with aphids reared under ambient or elevated CO2 conditions and then measured and weighed daily until pupation. Odours emitted by the plant–aphid association are sampled. A larger number of eggs is laid on plants grown under ambient CO2 conditions. However, no significant difference is observed between the two groups of predatory larvae grown under different CO2 concentrations, indicating that the CO2 concentration does not affect the quality of their aphid diet. Although plant volatiles do not differ between the ambient and elevated CO2‐treated plants, we find that the quantity of aphid alarm pheromone is lower on the plant–aphid association raised under the elevated CO2 condition. This suggests that an alteration of semiochemical emissions by elevated CO2 concentrations impacts the oviposition behaviour of aphid predators.
Abscisic acid, cold and salt stimulate conserved metabolic regulation in the moss Physcomitrella patens
Authors: Arif M. A. , Alseekh S. , Harb J. , Fernie A. , Frank W. 
Published: June 2018

Abstract

Salt and cold are major abiotic stresses that have adverse effects on plant growth and development. To cope with these stresses and their detrimental effects plants have evolved several metabolic, biochemical and physiological processes that are mainly triggered and mediated by the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA).

To elucidate the metabolic responses of the moss Physcomitrella patens, which serves as a model plant for abiotic stress adaptation, we performed GC‐MS‐based metabolic profiling of plants challenged for 5 and 28 h with either salt, cold or ABA.

Our results indicate significant changes in the accumulation of several sugars including maltose, isomaltose and trehalose, amino acids including arginine, histidine, ornithine, tryptophan and tyrosine, and organic acids mainly citric acid and malonic acid. The metabolic responses provoked by ABA, cold and salt show considerable similarities. The accumulation of certain metabolites positively correlates with gene expression data whereas some metabolites do not show correlation with cognate transcript abundance.

To place our results into an evolutionary context we compared the ABA‐ and stress‐induced metabolic changes in moss to available metabolic profiles of the seed plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We detected considerable conservation between the species, indicating early evolution of stress‐associated metabolic adaptations that probably occurred at the plant water‐to‐land transition.
The impact of installation of automatic milking system on production and reproduction traits of dairy cows
Authors: Brzozowski Marcin , Piwczyński Dariusz , Sitkowska Beata , Kolenda Magdalena 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe objective of the research was the evaluation of change in the traditional milking system using automatic milking system in the scope of the selected reproduction features of dairy cows of the Polish Holstein–Friesian breed. Animal material consisted of 2,818 cows used on nine farms equipped with the automatic milking system Astronaut A4 made by Lely. The cows were controlled in the scope of services per conception, service period, length of pregnancy, calving interval and calving to conception period, milk yield, protein and fat content obtained in lactations of 305 days. The selected traits were observed between 2005 and 2015. In this period, the milking system was changed from the conventional to automated one. The collected data material was statistically processed, using the multifactorial analysis of variance. The period between the first calving and the second effective insemination was reduced by 11.8 days, and the period between the second calving and the third effective insemination was shortened by 4 days after the installation of the automatic milking system. The increase in milk yield by 466 kg during 305‐day lactation was observed among primiparous cows. The percentage of protein and fat content in the researched groups decreased; moreover, the fall of intergroup variability was noticeable, which may be a sign of the levelling of the yield within the herd.
Expression of melatonin and its related synthase and membrane receptors in the oestrous corpus luteum and corpus luteum verum of sheep
Authors: Xiao Longfei , Hu Junjie , Zhao Xingxu , Song Liangli , Zhang Yong , Dong Weitao , Zhang Quanwei , Ma Youji , Li Fadi 
Published: June 2018

AbstractMelatonin is an important factor involved in regulating reproduction; it is synthesized enzymatically by the sequential action of melatonin‐synthesizing enzymes, arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase (AANAT) and hydroxyindole‐O‐methyltransferase (HIOMT), and exerts its biological functions mainly through receptor‐mediated action. To evaluate the expression of melatonin, two melatonin‐synthesizing enzymes (HIOMT and AANAT), and membrane receptors (MT1 and MT2) in oestrous corpus luteum (CL) and CL verum of sheep (Ovis aries), we performed ELISA, qRT‐PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The quantitative results showed that melatonin, HIOMT and AANAT levels in the CL verum were significantly higher than those in oestrous CL (p < 0.05), whereas MT1 and MT2 exhibited no change between the oestrous CL and CL verum (p > 0.05); moreover, the localization results showed that HIOMT, AANAT, MT1 and MT2 were mainly expressed in large luteal cells (LLCs). In summary, the above results suggested that sheep CL has potential for the synthesis of melatonin; meanwhile, they also suggested that CL is one of the targets of melatonin. These results provide not only a basis for whether sheep CL can synthesize melatonin but also provide a reference for further study on the mechanism of melatonin in the CL.
A decline in molluscan carbonate production driven by the loss of vegetated habitats encoded in the Holocene sedimentary record of the Gulf of Trieste
Authors: Tomašových Adam , Gallmetzer Ivo , Haselmair Alexandra , Kaufman Darrell S. , Mavrič Borut , Zuschin Martin 
Published: June 2018

AbstractCarbonate sediments in non‐vegetated habitats on the north‐east Adriatic shelf are dominated by shells of molluscs. However, the rate of carbonate molluscan production prior to the 20th century eutrophication and overfishing on this and other shelves remains unknown because: (i) monitoring of ecosystems prior to the 20th century was scarce; and (ii) ecosystem history inferred from cores is masked by condensation and mixing. Here, based on geochronological dating of four bivalve species, carbonate production during the Holocene is assessed in the Gulf of Trieste, where algal and seagrass habitats underwent a major decline during the 20th century. Assemblages of sand‐dwelling Gouldia minima and opportunistic Corbula gibba are time‐averaged to >1000 years and Corbula gibba shells are older by >2000 years than shells of co‐occurring Gouldia minima. This age difference is driven by temporally disjunct production of two species coupled with decimetre‐scale mixing. Stratigraphic unmixing shows that Corbula gibba declined in abundance during the highstand phase and increased again during the 20th century. In contrast, one of the major contributors to carbonate sands – Gouldia minima – increased in abundance during the highstand phase, but declined to almost zero abundance over the past two centuries. Gouldia minima and herbivorous gastropods associated with macroalgae or seagrasses are abundant in the top‐core increments but are rarely alive. Although Gouldia minima is not limited to vegetated habitats, it is abundant in such habitats elsewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. This live–dead mismatch reflects the difference between highstand baseline communities (with soft‐bottom vegetated zones and hard‐bottom Arca beds) and present‐day oligophotic communities with organic‐loving species. Therefore, the decline in light penetration and the loss of vegetated habitats with high molluscan production traces back to the 19th century. More than 50% of the shells on the sea floor in the Gulf of Trieste reflect inactive production that was sourced by heterozoan carbonate factory in algal or seagrass habitats.
Newborn screening using TREC/KREC assay for severe T and B cell lymphopenia in Iran
Authors: Nourizadeh Maryam , Shakerian Leila , Borte Stephan , Fazlollahi Mohammadreza , Badalzadeh Mohsen , Houshmand Massoud , Alizadeh Zahra , Dalili Hossein , Rashidi‐Nezhad Ali , Kazemnejad Anoshirvan , Moin Mostafa , Hammarström Lennart , Pourpak Zahra 
Published: June 2018

AbstractT‐cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and κ‐deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) are recently used for detection of T or B cell lymphopenia in neonates based on region‐specific cutoff levels. Here, we report cutoffs for TREC and KREC copies useful for newborn screening and/or diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) in Iran. DNA was extracted from a single 3.2 mm punch of dried blood spots collected from 2160 anonymized newborns referred to two major referral health centres between 2014 and 2016. For refinement of the cutoffs, 51 patients with a definite diagnosis of severe combined immunodeficiency, X‐linked agammaglobulinaemia and combined immunodeficiency, including ataxia telangiectasia, human phosphoglucomutase 3 and Janus kinase‐3 deficiency, as well as 47 healthy controls were included. Samples from patients with an X‐linked hyper‐IgM‐syndrome, Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome and DNA ligase 4 deficiency were considered as disease controls. Triplex‐quantitative real‐time PCR was used. Cutoffs were calculated as TRECs < 11 and KRECs < 6 copies with an ACTB > 700 copies with sensitivity of 100% for TREC and 97% for KREC. Among thirty anonymized newborn samples (1.5%) with abnormal results for TREC and/or KREC, only twenty‐one available cases were retested and shown to be in the normal range except for three samples (0.15%). All of the patients with a definitive diagnosis were correctly identified based on our established TREC/KREC copy numbers. Determining cutoffs for TREC/KREC is essential for correctly identifying children with PID in newborn screening. Early diagnosis of PID patients enables appropriate measures and therapies like stem cell transplantation.
Generalisations of DNA Splicing Systems with One Palindromic Restriction Enzyme
Authors: Heng Fong Wan , Ismail Nurul Izzaty 
Published: June 2018

In DNA splicing system, the potential effect of sets of restriction enzymes and a ligase that allow DNA molecules to be cleaved and re-associated to produce further molecules is modelled mathematically. This modelling is done in the framework of formal language theory, in which the nitrogen bases, nucleotides and restriction sites are modelled as alphabets, strings and rules respectively. The molecules resulting from a splicing system is depicted as the splicing language. In this research, the splicing language resulting from DNA splicing systems with one palindromic restriction enzyme for one and two (non-overlapping) cutting sites are generalised as regular expressions.