bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of image‐guided radiotherapy for rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy: A population‐based propensity score‐matched analysis
Authors: Li Chia‐Chin , Liang Ji‐An , Chen William Tzu‐Liang , Chien Chun‐Ru 
Published: June 2019

AbstractAimThe effects of image‐guided radiotherapy (IGRT, an advanced RT technology) have been debated in the literature. We compared the outcomes of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients treated with neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (NCCRT; with vs without IGRT) in a large population‐based propensity score (PS)‐matched analysis.MethodsWe identified LARC patients diagnosed between 2007 and 2015 via the Taiwan cancer registry (TCR) and constructed a PS‐matched cohort to balance observable potential confounders. Outcomes (R0 resection, overall survival, incidence of local regional recurrence [ILRR], rectal cancer mortality [IRCM], other cancer mortality [IOCM] and cardiovascular mortality [ICVM]) were obtained from TCR and the national death registry. We compared the hazard ratio (HR) of death and other endpoints between IGRT and non‐IGRT groups. We performed supplementary analysis (SA) to evaluate the robustness of these results in a subgroup, taking an additional potential confounder into account.ResultsOur study population comprised of 586 patients that were balanced with regard to observed covariables. There was no significant difference in HR for death (0.99; 95% confidence interval 0.70–1.39; P = 0.94) between IGRT and non‐IGRT groups. There were also no significant differences in R0 resection, ILRR, IRCM, IOCM or ICVM. The results of our SA were consistent with these findings.ConclusionFor LARC patients treated with NCCRT, the treatment outcome was not significantly different among patients treated with and without IGRT. Further study is needed to clarify these results with consideration to additional potential confounding factors and toxicity profiles at endpoints.
Flexibility or Stability? Analyzing Proposals to Reform the Separation of Powers
Authors: Judd Gleason , Rothenberg Lawrence S. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe social welfare effects of legislatures in presidential systems, such as the U.S. Congress, are frequently lamented. In response, there are proposals to reform the separation of powers system by giving presidents control of the legislative agenda and weakening rules such as the filibuster. We provide a game‐theoretic analysis of the policy and social welfare consequences of a more executive‐centric system. Integrating standard assumptions about legislative and executive incentives into a dynamic model of decision making with private investment, we show there are a variety of conditions under which stronger executives do not produce better outcomes. Moreover, we characterize how these conditions depend on factors such as the stability of the policymaking environment or investment fundamentals. Our findings are robust and consistent with empirical observations that U.S. policy outputs are not necessarily worse than those of nations with stronger executives, which more closely approximate prominent proposals by populist‐oriented reformers.
Ageing well: Pilot evaluation of a dual‐task training program in a rural community
Authors: Nott Melissa T. , Robson Kristy M. , Murphy Kylie , Pope Rodney P. , Cuming Tana , Curtin Michael 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectiveThis pilot trial examined the feasibility and effectiveness of “Ageing Well,” a community‐based program for improving cognitive skills and mobility of rural older people.Design and settingThe non‐randomised, wait‐list–controlled pilot trial was conducted at a regional NSW university clinic.ParticipantsTwenty‐three community‐dwelling adults aged 60+ who had begun to experience a decline in their physical or cognitive abilities or both.InterventionsDual‐tasking activities simultaneously challenged participants' motor and cognitive abilities. Student facilitators encouraged participants to progress through increasing complex functional tasks in a range of contexts, including a café, supermarket and a simulated “home.”Main outcome measuresThePatient Reported Evaluation of Cognitive Statemeasured the impact of an individual's cognitive state in terms of how much they were “bothered” by problems with their cognition. Functional mobility was measured by theTimed Up‐and‐Go,a test of static and dynamic balance, and theSix Minute Walk Test.ResultsIntervention participants'Patient Reported Evaluation of Cognitive Stateratings in relation to impacts on their performance of everyday skills improved substantially, whereas the control group did not change. Intervention participants walked 12% further in theSix Minute Walk Testpost‐intervention, while the control group distance did not change. Timed Up‐and‐Go time was reduced by 1 second in the intervention group.ConclusionsThere is a strong interest in this dual‐tasking program among older community‐dwelling residents in this rural setting. The results of this pilot study support the feasibility and effectiveness of the Ageing Well program. But further trials are warranted.
Engaging the Non‐Flat World: Anarchism and the Promise of a Post‐Capitalist Collaborative Commons
Authors: Gerhardt Hannes 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis paper challenges the use of a geographically site‐centred, flat ontology to justify contemporary anarchists’ predisposition to espouse exclusively prefigurative forms of action. By considering the anarchist, post‐capitalist potential of a technologically enabled peer‐to‐peer (P2P) economy and Collaborative Commons movement, the case is made for the need to acknowledge and engage the higher‐order (emergent) nexuses between state apparatuses and capitalist flows. Doing so, it is argued, makes envisioning the process of creating anarchist oriented, post‐capitalist futures significantly more tangible and convincing.
Review about the impact of growing up with a chronic disease showed delays achieving psychosocial milestones
Authors: Maurice‐Stam Heleen , Nijhof Sanne L. , Monninkhof Anneke S. , Heymans Hugo S. A. , Grootenhuis Martha A. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractAimThis review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the psychosocial developmental trajectory of various diseases during childhood and adolescence.MethodsStudies of Dutch young adults aged 18‐35 years, who had grown up with a chronic disease, were included if the Course of Life Questionnaire had been used to assess psychosocial developmental milestones in three domains: social, autonomy and psychosexual. Differences between the disease groups and the general population were presented as Cohen's d and odds ratios.ResultsWe included 17 studies comprising 1899 young adults, who had grown up with 18 different paediatric diseases. Psychosocial development was delayed in all three questionnaire domains. Remarkable findings with regard to specific milestones were as follows: less participation in sports clubs in the social domain, less likely to have had paid jobs in the autonomy domain and later sexual intimacy in the psychosexual domain. End‐stage renal disease, galactosaemia (males), childhood cancer and orthotopic liver transplants were the most affected disease groups.ConclusionChildren and adolescents with chronic diseases risked delays in psychosocial development. This should be addressed by healthcare providers, along with the physical aspects of diseases, and they should focus on the optimal psychosocial development of the patient.
The PNPLA3 rs738409 C>G variant influences the association between low skeletal muscle mass and NAFLD: the Shanghai Changfeng Study
Authors: Xia Ming‐Feng , Chen Ling‐Yan , Wu Li , Ma Hui , Li Qian , Aleteng Qiqige , Hu Yu , He Wan‐Yuan , Gao Jian , Lin Huan‐Dong , Gao Xin 
Published: June 2019

SummaryBackgroundAge‐related skeletal muscle loss and patatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing 3 (PNPLA3) polymorphisms are both associated with increased liver steatosis and fibrosis in the absence of obesity.AimTo investigate the influence of PNPLA3 polymorphism on the relationship between skeletal muscle loss and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).MethodsLiver fat content was measured using a quantitative ultrasound method, and liver fibrosis was assessed by NAFLD fibrosis, BARD and FIB‐4 scores in 3969 Chinese adults. The degree of sarcopenia was measured by weight‐adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM% = appendicular skeletal muscle mass(kg)/body weight(kg) 100%).ResultsThe NAFLD proportion increased from 19.9% to 41.2% in men and 26.3% to 42.3% in women with decreasing ASM% quartiles (P < 0.001). Low ASM% was inversely associated with NAFLD in PNPLA3 CC (odds ratio [OR]: men, 0.735 [0.610‐0.885] and women, 0.812 [0.718‐0.918], both P = 0.001) and CG (OR: men, 0.673 [0.573‐0.790] and women, 0.798 [0.713‐0.893], both P < 0.001) but not GG genotype carriers. The association remained significant after adjustment for age, cigarette smoking, fat mass, interaction between fat mass and ASM%, obesity, diabetes and all components of metabolic syndrome. Subgroup analyses found that PNPLA3 GG gene variant did not increase the risk for NAFLD in individuals with low ASM% regardless of obesity status. Low ASM% also increased risk for liver fibrosis (all P < 0.05), which became insignificant after multiple adjustments.ConclusionsLow ASM% is associated with NAFLD and liver fibrosis. Dissociation of sarcopenia and NAFLD was found in PNPLA3 GG genotype carriers. A stratification based on PNPLA3 genotypes might facilitate personalised treatment for NAFLD.
Different sensitivities of senescent breast cancer cells to immune cell‐mediated cytotoxicity
Authors: Inao Touko , Kotani Hitoshi , Iida Yuichi , Kartika Irna Diyana , Okimoto Tamio , Tanino Ryosuke , Shiba Eiichi , Harada Mamoru 
Published: June 2019

AbstractSenescence is a state of growth arrest induced not only in normal cells but also in cancer cells by aging or stress, which triggers DNA damage. Despite growth suppression, senescent cancer cells promote tumor formation and recurrence by producing cytokines and growth factors; this state is designated as the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype. In this study, we examined the susceptibility of senescent human breast cancer cells to immune cell‐mediated cytotoxicity. Doxorubicin (DXR) treatment induced senescence in 2 human breast cancer cell lines, MDA‐MB‐231 and BT‐549, with the induction of γH2AX expression and increased expression of p21 or p16. Treatment with DXR also induced the expression of senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase and promoted the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Importantly, DXR‐treated senescent MDA‐MB‐231 cells showed increased sensitivity to 2 types of immune cell‐mediated cytotoxicity: cytotoxicity of activated CD4+ T cells and Ab‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity by natural killer cells. This increased sensitivity to cytotoxicity was partially dependent on tumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand and perforin, respectively. This increased sensitivity was not observed following treatment with the senescence‐inducing cyclin‐dependent kinase‐4/6 inhibitor, abemaciclib. In addition, treatment with DXR, but not abemaciclib, decreased the expression of antiapoptotic proteins in cancer cells. These results indicated that DXR and abemaciclib induced senescence in breast cancer cells, but that they differed in their sensitivity to immune cell‐mediated cytotoxicity. These findings could provide an indication for combining anticancer immunotherapy with chemotherapeutic drugs or molecular targeting drugs.
Expression analysis of cytokine coding genes in blood samples of clozapine‐treated patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Eftekharian Mohammad Mahdi , Komaki Alireza , Omrani Mir Davood , Arsang‐Jang Shahram , Ganji Maziar , Taheri Mohammad , Ghaforui‐Fard Soudeh 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectivesDysregulation of peripheral immune responses has been detected in schizophrenic patients. Cytokines as the main regulators of immunological processes are also involved in brain development, which supports their putative role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.MethodsIn the present study, we compared transcript levels of interleukin (IL)‐1, IL‐2, IL‐6, chemokine (C‐X‐C) ligand 8 (CXCL8), transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) in the blood of 50 schizophrenic patients and 50 healthy participants.ResultsIL‐6 transcript levels were significantly higher in male participants compared with female participants (P = 0.005). TGF‐β transcript levels were significantly higher in patients compared with healthy participants (P = 0.001). In addition, there was a significant difference in its expression between cases and controls based on the sex of the participants. TNF‐α transcript levels were higher in male schizophrenic patients (P = 0.007) and in female patients aged <50 years compared with the age‐ and sex‐matched healthy participants (P = 0.048). Transcript levels of other cytokines were not significantly different between cases and controls, which might be due to the effects of antipsychotic treatment in patients.ConclusionThe present study provides further evidence for abnormal transcript levels of cytokines in schizophrenic patients, as well as distinct regulation of cytokine expression in women and men.
The use of CMVIg rescue therapy in cardiothoracic transplantation: A single‐center experience over 6 years (2011‐2017)
Authors: Santhanakrishnan Karthik , Yonan Nizar , Callan Paul , Karimi Ebrahim , Al-Aloul Mohamed , Venkateswaran Rajamiyer 
Published: June 2019

AbstractCytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most important infectious agent in solid organ transplant recipients and has a major impact on morbidity and mortality. Most cases are well managed with antiviral agents, but CMV hyperimmune globulin (CMVIg) can be used alongside antiviral therapy for prophylaxis in high‐risk thoracic organ recipients and to treat life‐threatening CMV infection or disease. CMVIg may also improve antiviral host defences when genetic resistance to antivirals or unwanted side effects occur. In this single‐center, retrospective study, we reviewed the CMVIg use to supplement antiviral therapy as a “rescue therapy” in cardiothoracic transplant recipients. These comprised 12 single lung, 11 double lung, and 12 heart transplant recipients. Patients received a median of 2 doses of CMVIg, most often in combination with ganciclovir or valganciclovir, and reduced immunosuppression. One week after rescue therapy was initiated, CMV DNA levels were significantly reduced, and after four weeks, CMV DNA was undetectable in 73% patients. Only one patient died as a result of CMV‐related disease. No significant adverse effects were observed. We conclude that CMVIg rescue therapy is safe, well tolerated, and effective at controlling viral replication in cardiothoracic transplant recipients.
Postsurgical thrombotic microangiopathy: Case series and review of the literature
Authors: Sridharan Meera , Hook C. Christopher , Leung Nelson , Winters Jeffrey L. , Go Ronald S. ,   Mayo Clinic Complement Alternative Pathway‐Thrombotic Microangiopathy Disease‐Oriented Group
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectivesDescribe the clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes of postsurgical thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA).MethodsIn this retrospective study, records of individuals diagnosed with TMA developing within 30 days of a surgical procedure at Mayo Clinic from 2000 to 2016 were reviewed. Available literature regarding postsurgical TMA was comparatively reviewed.ResultsTwenty patients were diagnosed with TMA developing within 30 (median 6.5, range (1‐28)) days) following a procedure. Preceding procedures included orthopedic (n = 4), vascular (n = 4), abdominal (n = 8), thoracic (n = 2), and other (n = 2). Review of the literature identified 65 patients with postsurgical TMA and cardiovascular procedures were the most common preceding surgery. The majority of patients in the current cohort and literature were treated with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). Among the evaluable patients in the current cohort, 100% demonstrated response to TPE; however, 25% required the addition of other therapy including eculizumab to maintain a response 80% of patients in the literature demonstrated a response to TPE.ConclusionsAlthough rare, early recognition and treatment of postsurgical TMA can lead to good outcomes. More research is necessary to determine the underlying pathophysiology and optimal treatment for postsurgical TMA.
How can we quantitatively study insects whose larvae live beneath the forest floor? A case study at an experimental long‐term log‐removal site in Japan
Authors: Tsunoda Tomonori , Hyodo Fujio , Sugiura Daisuke , Kaneko Nobuhiro , Suzuki Satoshi N. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis study quantified the numbers and sex ratio of adult Sericania hidana (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a subalpine forest in 2017. Data from an area littered with coarse woody debris (CWD) created by a typhoon in 1959 were compared with those from an area where CWD had been cleared by salvage logging. Three types of traps were used: flight interception traps (FITs) with a black light, pitfall traps (PITs), and soil emergence traps (SETs). Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes were analyzed to evaluate S. hidana diets and habitats. Overall, there were more S. hidana in the unsalvaged sites than in the salvaged sites. The FITs captured only males but SETs captured both males and females. The SETs on CWD captured more S. hidana than did SETs on soil in both the salvaged and unsalvaged sites. The PITs captured only a few individuals; thus, PITs are not suitable for studying this insect, although such traps were previously reported to capture S. hidana adults. Stable isotope analyses suggested that S. hidana feeds on a variety of plant materials, including living plants and CWD. These results suggest that CWD has long‐term effects on insect populations. Soil emergence traps provide an effective method to quantitatively evaluate insect ecology, and FITs can effectively screen for the existence of insects.
A fossil aphid gall from the middle Pleistocene sediment in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan
Authors: Tsukagoshi Minoru , Sawada Ken , Akimoto Shin‐ichi 
Published: June 2019

AbstractWe described the external morphology of a fossil insect gall collected from the middle Pleistocene sediment in the Osaka Group of Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan. The fossil was well preserved without major compression and was identified as a gall induced by an aphid species of the genus Nipponaphis (Nipponaphidini: Hormaphidinae: Aphididae), based on its external morphology. This is the first reliable fossil record of an Aphididae gall. This fossil provides evidence that the intimate aphid–plant association can be traced back to the middle Pleistocene, approximately 0.4 million years ago.
Cortical naming sites and increasing age in adults with refractory epilepsy: More might be less
Authors: Hamberger Marla J. , Schevon Catherine A. , Seidel William T. , McKhann Guy M. , Morrison Chris 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectiveCritical decisions regarding resection boundaries for epilepsy surgery are often based on results of electrical stimulation mapping (ESM). Despite the potentially serious implications for postoperative functioning, age‐referenced data that might facilitate the procedure are lacking. Age might be particularly relevant, as pediatric ESM studies have shown a paucity of language sites in young children followed by a rapid increase at approximately 8‐10 years. Beyond adolescence, it has generally been assumed that the language system remains stable, and therefore, potential age‐related changes across the adult age span have not been examined. However, increasing age during adulthood is associated with both positive and negative language‐related changes, such as a broadening vocabulary and increased word finding difficulty. Because most patients who undergo ESM are adults, we aimed to determine the potential impact of age on the incidence of ESM‐identified naming sites across the adult age span in patients with refractory epilepsy.MethodsWe analyzed clinical language ESM results from 47 patients, ages 17‐64 years, with refractory dominant‐hemisphere epilepsy. Patients had comparable location and number of cortical sites tested. The incidence of naming sites was examined as a function of age, and compared between younger and older adults.ResultsSignificantly more naming sites were found in older than younger adults, and age was found to be a significant predictor of number of naming sites identified.SignificanceUnlike the developmental changes that coincide with increased naming sites in children, increased naming sites in older adults might signify greater vulnerability of the language system to disruption. Because preservation of language sites can limit the extent of the resection, and thereby reduce the likelihood of seizure freedom, further work should aim to determine the clinical relevance of increased naming sites in older adults.
Passenger travel behaviour on Chinese high‐speed railways using machine learning based on revealed‐preference data
Authors: Jing Yun , Liu Yingke , Zhang Zhenhua , Su Yunhan 
Published: June 2019

AbstractExisting studies on the selection of railway travel modes almost always compare high‐speed trains and regular‐speed trains. In this study, three high‐speed trains (Revival, Harmony, and Electric multiple unites (EMU)) on the Beijing–Shanghai line, and the first‐ and second‐class seats on these three trains are selected as research objects to analyse the travel selection behaviour of Chinese high‐speed train passengers. Three methods are selected to study this behaviour: the Support Vector Machine, Nested Logit model, and Multiple Logit model. The results of these three models are calibrated using LIBSVM software and STATA software and show that age, funding source, income level, and purpose of travel are major factors that affect Chinese railway passengers' choices on high‐speed railways. Finally, it is shown that the Support Vector Machine is the most accurate of these three methods, followed by the Nested Logit model. The results of this study can complement existing research on the travel selection behaviour of Chinese railway passengers and has important implications for enabling China's high‐speed rail operators to adjust their passenger transportation products.