bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evidence for heightened genetic instability in precancerous spasmolytic polypeptide expressing gastric glands
Authors: Chen Jiangrong , Zhu Chunchao , Wang Chaojie , Hu Chuansheng , Czajkowsky Daniel M , Guo Yan , Liu Bingya , Shao Zhifeng 
Published: March 2019

BackgroundSpasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM) is present in more than 90% of resected gastric cancer tissues. However, although widely regarded as a pre-cancerous tissue, its genetic characteristics have not been well studied.MethodsImmunohistochemistry using Trefoil factor 2 (TFF2) antibodies was used to identify TFF2-positive SPEM cells within SPEM glands in the stomach ofHelicobacter felis (H. felis)-infected mice and human clinical samples. Laser microdissection was used to isolate specific cells from both the infected mice and the human samples. The genetic instability in these cells was examined by measuring the lengths of microsatellite (MS) markers using capillary electrophoresis. Also, genome-wide genetic variations in the SPEM cells from the clinical sample was examined using deep whole-exome sequencing.ResultsSPEM cells indeed exhibit not only heightened MS instability (MSI), but also genetic instabilities that extend genome-wide. Furthermore, surprisingly, we found that morphologically normal, TFF2-negative cells also contain a comparable degree of genomic instabilities as the co-resident SPEM cells within the SPEM glands.ConclusionThese results, for the first time, clearly establish elevated genetic instability as a critical property of SPEM glands, which may provide a greater possibility for malignant clone selection. More importantly, these results indicate that SPEM cells may not be the sole origin of carcinogenesis in the stomach and strongly suggest the common progenitor of these cells, the stem cells, as the source of these genetic instabilities, and thus, potential key players in carcinogenesis.
Preemptive Analgesia in Children: Does It Exist?
Authors: Ho John W. S. , Khambatta Hoshang J. , Pang Leila M. , Siegfried Richard N. , Sun Lena S. 
Published: March 2019

Background and ObjectivesPreemptive analgesia has been evident in animals, but few adult human studies exist demonstrating this concept exist, and there are fewer still in children. Caudal epidural blocks with local anesthetics are often placed for postoperative analgesia in children. This study evaluated whether these blocks are more effective when placed prior to surgical incision.MethodsChildren aged 1-6 years and ASA I and II (n = 51), undergoing elective herniorrhaphy, orchidopexy, or circumcision were randomly assigned to receive a caudal epidural block with 0.6 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine, either before incision (n = 28) or after surgery (n = 23). In all patients, anesthesia was induced and maintained with oxygen, nitrous oxide, and halothane, and caudal epidural blocks were placed. Postoperative pain was scored by a blinded observer using a Faces Pain Scale in the recovery room and was also assessed at home by the parents. Analgesic requirement during the 24-hour period was recorded.ResultsThe Faces Pain Scale scores and analgesic requirements did not differ between the groups, either in the recovery room or at home (P > .05).ConclusionsAlthough preemptive analgesia has been successfully demonstrated in some earlier clinical studies, our results indicate that pre- and postincisional caudal epidural blocks with 0.25% bupivacaine were equally effective in children.
Ambulatory Combined Spinal-Epidural Analgesia for Labor: Influence of Epinephrine on Bupivacaine-Sufentanil Combination
Authors: Gautier Philippe E. , Debry François , Fanard Luc , Van Steenberge Albert , Hody Jean-Luc 
Published: March 2019

Background and ObjectivesSubarachnoid sufentanil 5 μg during labor is known to have variable results. However, subarachnoid sufentanil 5 μg plus bupivacaine 1 mg provides good quality labor analgesia of 100 minutes' average duration. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of adding epinephrine 25 μg to this mixture.MethodsForty-two parturients with less than 5 cm cervical dilation participated in this double-blind, randomized study. A combined spinal-epidural technique was used for subarachnoid administration of sufentanil 5 μg and bupivacaine 1 mg with or without epinephrine 25 μg. Analgesia was assessed by visual analog scores. Time elapsed until first request for additional analgesia, blood pressure, heart rate, sensory levels, motor block, and incidence of pruritus, nausea, and sedation were noted.ResultsAddition of epinephrine prolonged the duration of analgesia from 103.8 ± 28.2 minutes to 142 ± 54.3 minutes and lowered the median cephalad level of sensory block from T3 to T6. The incidence of side effects was similar in both groups, as was the motor performance; 19 patients were able to ambulate in each group.ConclusionsThis minimal bupivacaine-sufentanil-epinephrine mixture allows high-quality analgesia of 142 ± 54.3 minutes' duration, with a low sensory block level and no motor block. However, hypotension can occur as a late side effect.
New Perspectives in the Microscopic Structure of Human Dura Mater in the Dorsolumbar Region
Authors: Reina Miguel Angel , Dittmann Martin , Garcia Andrés López , van Zundert André 
Published: March 2019

Background and ObjectivesThe object of this study was to describe the three-dimensional structure of the dura mater by use of scanning electron microscopy.MethodsMicroscopic dissection of the dura mater from four fresh cadavers (aged 70, 75, 76, and 80 years) 8-12 hours after death were investigated in three different planes (longitudinal, tangential, and transverse).ResultsThe external surface of the dura mater, facing the epidural space, consisted of a network of randomly oriented fine collagen fibers. The thicker elastic fibers (2 μm in diameter) were observed on the surface of the dura. In the inner part of the dura mater, there were very fine lamellae of collagen fibers, which were bundled into thicker (4-5 μm) layers. The dura mater consisted of 78-82 layers, each layer including 8-12 very fine lamellae.ConclusionsThe fibers of the dura mater do not run in a longitudinal direction and are not arranged in a parallel fashion. Cytoarchitecturally the dura mater is a laminated structure built up from well-defined layers oriented concentrically around the medulla spinalis.
Interpleural Analgesia in the Management of Esophageal Perforation
Authors: Main A. 
Published: March 2019

Background and ObjectivesInterpleural analgesia was used in a case of esophageal perforation due to surgical mishap. The medical literature cites no reference to use of this technique in this condition.MethodInterpleural bupivacaine analgesia was used along with conventional forms of pain relief.ResultsSuperior analgesia was obtained, and the method proved to be safe and complication free on a general surgical ward over the period of several days that it was used.ConclusionInterpleural analgesia is safe and effective for management of pain due to esophageal perforation.
A Comparative Study of Low-Dose Hyperbaric Spinal Lidocaine 0.5% Versus 5% for Continuous Spinal Anesthesia
Authors: Chan Vincent W.S. , Garcia John , Al-Kaisy Adnan , Drasner Kenneth 
Published: March 2019

Background and ObjectivesConcerns of cauda equina syndrome have discouraged clinicians to use 5% lidocaine for continuous spinal anesthesia. Earlier reports indicated that single-shot spinal lidocaine 0.5% is effective for minor gynecologic and perianal surgery. In the present study, we evaluate the anesthetic and hemodynamic effects of low dose hyperbaric 0.5% lidocaine for continuous spinal anesthesia and compare with those of the 5% lidocaine solution in patients undergoing urologic surgery.MethodsSpinal anesthesia was induced via an indwelling subarachnoid catheter in 42 elderly male patients (range, 57-84 years) undergoing transurethral prostate and bladder procedures. Patients were randomly assigned to receive an initial 30-mg bolus of hyperbaric lidocaine in the form of either 6 mL of 0.5% solution or 0.6 mL of 5% solution. Additional 30-mg boluses (to a total of 90 mg) were given, if necessary, to establish initial sensory block to T10 or higher and lower limb paralysis. Supplemental doses of 30 mg or less were given during surgery, as needed. Dermatomal level of sensory anesthesia and degree of motor blockade were assessed at regular intervals by a blinded observer. Heart rate and blood pressure (mean systolic and diastolic) values were monitored at regular intervals.ResultsForty patients were studied successfully. Both hyperbaric 0.5% and 5% lidocaine provided adequate surgical anesthesia in 75% (30/40) of patients after a single 30-mg dose. A median peak sensory level of T5 (range, T2-T9) achieved within 11.1 ± 4.5 minutes in patients receiving the 0.5% solution was significantly higher than the peak sensory level of T7 (range, T4-T12) in the 5% group (P = .043). The duration of surgical anesthesia after a 30-mg dose was similar in both groups—48.1 ± 12.1 minutes versus 50.8 ± 16.5 minutes respectively. Of the 30 patients (15 in each group) who received 30 mg initially, 25 required repeat lidocaine dosing through the catheter during surgery. The maximum decrease in heart rate and blood pressure values was within 10% and 20%, respectively, of baseline values in both groups. In the remaining patients (10/40), anesthesia was achieved successfully in five patients in the 0.5% group and three patients in the 5% group after two 30-mg lidocaine boluses (60 mg) and two patients in the 5% group after three 30-mg boluses (90 mg).ConclusionsContinuous spinal anesthesia produced by 0.5% lidocaine with 7.5% dextrose is as effective as that produced by the 5% lidocaine solution in elderly patients undergoing urologic surgery. An initial 30-mg bolus delivered via indwelling subarachnoid catheter was sufficient to achieve surgical anesthesia for approximately 50 minutes in most patients. Hemodynamic effects of the two lidocaine solutions were also comparable.
Severe Preeclampsia Complicating Mitral Valve Stenosis
Authors: Afrangui Beatrice , Malinow A. M. 
Published: March 2019

Background and ObjectivesWe present a report of a parturient with severe mitral valve stenosis diagnosed during a previous pregnancy who developed severe preeclampsia.MethodsLabor and subsequent abdominal delivery were managed with epidural analgesia and anesthesia. The clinical management was guided by invasive hemodynamic monitoring, including a flow-directed pulmonary artery catheter.ConclusionsPeripartum maternal and neonatal outcomes were satisfactory. Postpartum complications included pulmonary edema as well as peripartum heart failure and pulmonary thromboembolism 4 weeks postpartum.
Reduced blood oxygen levels induce changes in low-threshold motor unit firing that align with the individual’s tolerance to hypoxia
Authors: McKeown Daniel J. , Simmonds Michael J. , Kavanagh Justin J. 
Published: March 2019

This study aimed to quantify how acute hypoxia impacts firing characteristics of biceps brachii motor units (MUs) during sustained isometric elbow flexions. MU data were extracted from surface electromyography (EMG) during 25% maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) in 10 healthy subjects (age 22 ± 1 yr). Blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) was then stabilized at 80% by reducing 1% of the fraction of inspired oxygen every 3 min for 35 min. MU data were once again collected 1 h and 2 h following the 35-min desaturation phase. Although MVC remained unaffected during 2 h of 80% SpO2, subject-specific changes in MU firing rate were observed. Four of 10 subjects exhibited a decrease in firing rate 1 h postdesaturation (12 ± 11%) and 2 h postdesaturation (16 ± 12%), whereas 6 of 10 subjects exhibited an increase in firing rate 1 h (9 ± 6%) and 2 h (9 ± 4%) postdesaturation. These bidirectional changes in firing rate were strongly correlated to the desaturation phase and the subjects’ SpO2 sensitivity to oxygen availability, where subjects who had decreased firing rates reached the target SpO2 20 min into the desaturation phase ( R2 = 0.90–0.98) and those who had increased firing rates reached the target SpO2 35 min into the desaturation phase ( R2 = 0.87–0.98). It is unlikely that a single mechanism accounted for these subject-specific changes in firing rate. Instead, differences in intrinsic properties of the neurons, afferent input to the motoneurons, neuromodulators, and sympathetic nerve activity may exist between groups. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The mechanisms of compromised motor control when exposed to hypoxia are largely unknown. The current study examined how severe acute hypoxia affects motor unit firing rate during sustained isometric contractions of the bicep brachii. The response to hypoxia was different across subjects, where motor unit firing rate increased for some individuals and decreased for others. This bidirectional change in firing rate was associated with how fast subjects desaturated during hypoxic exposure.
Adapting the flow of time with dopamine
Authors: Mikhael John G. , Gershman Samuel J. 
Published: March 2019

The modulation of interval timing by dopamine (DA) has been well established over decades of research. The nature of this modulation, however, has remained controversial: Although the pharmacological evidence has largely suggested that time intervals are overestimated with higher DA levels, more recent optogenetic work has shown the opposite effect. In addition, a large body of work has asserted DA’s role as a “reward prediction error” (RPE), or a teaching signal that allows the basal ganglia to learn to predict future rewards in reinforcement learning tasks. Whether these two seemingly disparate accounts of DA may be related has remained an open question. By taking a reinforcement learning-based approach to interval timing, we show here that the RPE interpretation of DA naturally extends to its role as a modulator of timekeeping and furthermore that this view reconciles the seemingly conflicting observations. We derive a biologically plausible, DA-dependent plasticity rule that can modulate the rate of timekeeping in either direction and whose effect depends on the timing of the DA signal itself. This bidirectional update rule can account for the results from pharmacology and optogenetics as well as the behavioral effects of reward rate on interval timing and the temporal selectivity of striatal neurons. Hence, by adopting a single RPE interpretation of DA, our results take a step toward unifying computational theories of reinforcement learning and interval timing.NEW & NOTEWORTHY How does dopamine (DA) influence interval timing? A large body of pharmacological evidence has suggested that DA accelerates timekeeping mechanisms. However, recent optogenetic work has shown exactly the opposite effect. In this article, we relate DA’s role in timekeeping to its most established role, as a critical component of reinforcement learning. This allows us to derive a neurobiologically plausible framework that reconciles a large body of DA’s temporal effects, including pharmacological, behavioral, electrophysiological, and optogenetic.
Cassius Dio (51.20.6-8) and the Worship of the Living Emperor in Italy
Authors: Antoniou Alex Andrew 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThis article challenges accepted interpretations of Cassius Dio (51.20.6-8) concerning the worship of the living emperor in Rome and the Italian peninsula. I offer a new interpretation of this frequently discussed passage by demonstrating that Dio was keen to emphasise that Augustus, as Dio’s model emperor, was not himself responsible for the temples and cults raised to him in Rome and Roman Italy. I also briefly explore the beneficial consequences of this interpretation in our wider study of emperor worship in the Italian peninsula.
Who’s a clever bird — now? A brief history of parrot cognition
Authors: Auersperg Alice M.I. , von Bayern Auguste M.P. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Parrots are renowned for their intelligence and ability to imitate human speech ever since they have been kept as pets. Despite of impressive pioneering work on the cognitive abilities of parrots, research on parrot cognition has only recently gained momentum, probably given the new wave of interest in possible convergent evolution of complex cognition within the vertebrates. Together with corvids, they often parallel primates if not great apes in cognitive performance and have become important model systems to study the evolution of cognition. We briefly review the history of parrot cognition within the field of comparative cognition and introduce some of the laboratories that have contributed to this special issue as well as the studies they present.
Primate cognition test battery in parrots
Authors: Krasheninnikova Anastasia , Berardi Roberta , Lind Mari-Ann , O’Neill Laurie , von Bayern Auguste M.P. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Systematic, broad phylogenetic comparisons of diverse cognitive abilities are essential to understand cognitive evolution. Few studies have examined multiple skills comparatively, using identical tasks across species. Previous research centered on primates, but recent evidence suggests that complex cognition may have evolved in distantly related taxa. We administered the tasks of the primate cognition test battery (PCTB) to 4 parrot species for a first direct comparison with primates. The parrots did not perform significantly worse than the previously tested primates in all but one of the test scales, but remained at chance levels throughout. Chimpanzees outperformed them in the physical but not the social domain. No differences between the domains nor across the parrot species were detected. It remains questionable whether the chance level performance reflects the parrots’ cognitive capacity or results from task constraints, which would limit the suitability of PCTB for phylogenetic comparisons. Possible implications for the field are discussed.
Reproductive characteristics of the freshwater shrimp, Macrobrachium macrobrachion (Herklots, 1851) in the water bodies of Benin, West Africa
Authors: Koussovi G. , Niass F. , Bonou C. A. , Montchowui E. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The palaemonid shrimp Macrobrachium macrobrachion is widely distributed in coastal rivers, estuaries and inland waters of West Africa. This species is economically important because it is the one of the two main freshwater shrimp commercially exploited by artisanal fisheries in southern Benin, besides showing great potential for aquaculture. Despite this, little is known about its reproductive biology in the natural environment. Considering these facts, the present study aimed to establish some breeding parameters for M. macrobrachion in Benin. Overall, 2424 specimens were collected between May 2015 and October 2016. Monthly changes in gonado-somatic index (GSI) and hepato-somatic index (HSI) suggest that the breeding season runs from July to October. In the Ouémé River Delta, the estimated size at first maturity is 8.16 cm TL in females, while it is 7.47 cm TL in males. In the Mono River/Grand-Popo Lagoon complex, the size at first maturity is 7.27 cm TL in females while it is 6.56 cm TL in males. The structure of the ovary as observed in females from either site just before spawning, shows the presence of two types of oocytes at different sizes and various developmental stages. Analysis of such ovarian structure suggests that M. macrobrachion has a synchronous oogenesis with a breeding season limited to a few months of the year. Fecundity was found to be between 3144 and 26 489 eggs in the Ouémé Delta, while it goes from 3124 to 22 660 eggs in the Mono River/Grand-Popo Lagoon complex. The present study provides important information on the reproductive biology of M. macrobrachion and of freshwater shrimp in general, and can also serve as a significant foundation for the aquaculture of species of freshwater shrimp.
Description of Labrys fuzhouensis sp. n. and first record of Coslenchus rafiqi (Nematoda: Tylenchidae) from China
Authors: Qiao Kaikai , Bai Mengxin , He Yadeng , Chen Jingwei , Xiao Shun , Cheng Xi , Liu Guokun , Braun-Miyara Sigal , Qing Xue 
Published: March 2019

Summary
In this study, we describe Labrys fuzhouensis sp. n. based on detailed morphology revealed by scanning electron microscopy and molecular data inferred from 18S and 28S rRNA. The new species differs from other Labrys species by a combination of several morphometric and morphological characters: vulva-anus distance 66-74 μm, tail length 172-182 μm, post-uterine sac 11-12 μm, excretory duct less sclerotised, and hexagon-shaped labial disc. The novelty of L. fuzhouensis sp. n. is also confirmed by multi-dimensional scaling analysis. The 18S and 28S rRNA-based phylogenies suggest that the new species nested in the Labrys clade as sister to L. chinensis. In addition to the new species description, Coslenchus rafiqi is reported from China for the first time, the description being supplemented by the first molecular data (18S and 28S rRNA) for this species.
Capital’s Artificial Intellect Becoming Uber’s Means of Autonomous Immaterial Production
Authors: Diab Ramon Salim 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The global path of capitalist development is continuously transformed as a result of the production and integration of advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs) within various forms of production. The first half of this paper conceptualises ICTs as capital’s appropriation and objectification of the productive forces of the general intellect in ‘the general artificial intellect’, a category that refers to the total processing power of networked ICTs in global society. The second half of the paper analyses Uber’s development of the elements of capital’s artificial intellect as the cybernetic means of real subsumption in its immaterial production process. The paper concludes that Uber’s development of autonomous vehicles is an example of the global trend in transport automation that could raise the organic composition of capital of the transport industry, which I suggest would advance the stage of real subsumption toward a third and final stage of autonomous subsumption.
Παρρησία in John Chrysostom’s Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew
Authors: Pavlík Jiří 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The article deals with John Chrysostom’s usage of the expression παρρησία. It takes its starting point from an article by G.J.M. Bartelink from 1997, but unlike Bartelink it focuses on the instances where Chrysostom exploited the classical meaning of the word, i.e. boldness to speak in public and frankness in admonishing or rebuking a friend or ruler. It analyses typical occurrences of the word with these meanings in Chrysostom’s homilies on the Gospel of Matthew. As this gospel contains no occurrence of παρρησία, this word’s use can be understood as a mark of the interpreter’s exegetical point of view which is deeply rooted in his classical cultural background and his conception of the ethical ideal.
Consequences of Excluding Armed Groups from Peace Negotiations: Chad and the Philippines
Authors: Ghais Suzanne 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
This article examines the relationship between inclusion/exclusion of armed groups and the achievement of durable peace, using process tracing in two case studies: the peace process between the government of Chad and the rebel group Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad, and the one between the government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front. The cases support theoretical arguments that excluded armed actors are more likely to renew armed confrontation after the peace accord. The study further elaborates the causal link: included armed rebels tend to negotiate for private benefits such as government posts and amnesty but also moderate their stances and emerge committed to the agreement; excluded armed actors lack any such commitment and still have unresolved grievances. They are thus more likely to renew armed action against the government.