bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical noninvasive markers for antiviral therapy decision in chronic hepatitis B with alanine aminotransferase less than two times upper limit of normal
Authors: Wu Zhao , Dong Xiaoqin , Wang Guiqiang , Zhao Hong ,   China HepB‐Related Fibrosis Assessment Research Group
Published: October 2018

SummaryLiver biopsy is the reference method for antiviral therapy decision‐making in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) when alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is less than two times of upper limit of normal (<2ULN). Our aim was to explore noninvasive markers for antiviral therapy decision in CHB with ALT <2ULN. A total of 452 treatment‐naïve CHB patients with ALT < 2ULN who had undergone liver biopsy were analysed in this prospective multi‐centre study. If liver biopsy showed moderate or severe inflammation (histology activity index ≥ 5) or significant fibrosis (Ishak fibrosis score ≥ 3), antiviral treatment was recommended. We analysed data using univariate and multivariate analyses and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). Two hundred and sixty‐nine (59.5%) of 452 cases with ALT < 2ULN had moderate, severe or significant inflammation. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P = 0.03), anti‐hepatitis B virus core antibody (anti‐HBc) (P = 0.003) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) (P = 0.000) were independent variables for antiviral therapy decision‐making, with area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.718, 0.703 and 0.819, respectively. Our novel AAF index, which combined AST, anti‐HBc and LSM, showed better performance with AUROC of 0.876, 0.877 and 0.876 in estimation, validation and total set. Finally, 247 (54.6%) of 452 patients could avoid liver biopsy based on AAF index. Furthermore, performances of 23 noninvasive models were unsatisfactory for antiviral therapy decision with AUROC < 0.800, which were inferior to AAF index. In conclusion, AST, anti‐HBc and LSM were related to antiviral therapy decision‐making among CHB patients with ALT < 2ULN. Thus, the novel AAF index was a more reliable noninvasive model for antiviral therapy decision‐making.
Evaluation and comparison of thirty noninvasive models for diagnosing liver fibrosis in chinese hepatitis B patients
Authors: Dong Xiao‐Qin , Wu Zhao , Zhao Hong , Wang Gui‐Qiang ,   China HepB‐Related Fibrosis Assessment Research Group
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe limitations of liver biopsy have led to the development of indirect noninvasive models for liver fibrosis assessment. We aimed to evaluate and compare the performance of 30 noninvasive models to predict fibrosis stage in treatment‐naïve and treated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. A total of 576 Chinese treatment‐naïve CHB patients and 236 treated CHB patients who had undergone percutaneous liver biopsy were included in the analysis. Histological grading and staging was assessed by the Ishak scoring system. The diagnostic accuracies of 30 noninvasive models were assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs). In treatment‐naïve CHB patients, the AUROCs of the 30 noninvasive models for discriminating significant fibrosis (SF) were less than 0.800, and only the AUROC of the PP score for diagnosing advanced fibrosis (AF) was more than 0.800, while the AUROCs of FIB‐4, FibroQ, HB‐F, Lok index, PHP score and PP score for predicting cirrhosis were greater than 0.800. In treated CHB patients, only the AUROCs of APRI, GUCI, King's score and Wang I for identifying cirrhosis were more than 0.800. The Spearman correlation analysis identified that only the changes in FCI and Virahep‐C model values were weakly correlated with changes in Ishak fibrosis scores before and after treatment (r = 0.206, p = 0.008; r = 0.187, p = 0.016, respectively). In conclusion, in Chinese CHB patients, the 30 existing noninvasive models were not suitable for assessing each stage of fibrosis except cirrhosis before and after antiviral therapy, especially in gauging progression and regression of liver fibrosis following therapy.
Safety and efficacy of combined sofosbuvir/daclatasvir treatment of children and adolescents with chronic hepatitis C Genotype 4
Authors: Abdel Ghaffar Tawhida Y. , El Naghi Suzan , Abdel Gawad Manal , Helmy Sarah , Abdel Ghaffar Aisha , Yousef Medhat , Moafy Mohamad 
Published: October 2018

SummaryDirect‐acting antivirals have become available for treating chronic HCV (hepatitis C virus) infection in adults and, recently, in children at least 12 years old. Our aim was to investigate the safety and efficacy of combined sofosbuvir (SOF)/daclatasvir (DCV) for HCV Genotype 4 in children aged 8 to 18 years or weighing 17 kg or more. A total of 40 chronic HCV‐infected, treatment‐naïve children with well compensated livers were recruited from two sites. Patients received combined therapy of SOF (400 mg/d for patients weighing greater than 45 kg; 200 mg/d for patients weighing 17 to 45 kg) and DCV (60 mg/d for patients weighing greater than 45 kg; 30 mg/d for patients weighing 17 to 45 kg) for 12 weeks. They were followed up regularly by clinical examination and laboratory tests during treatment (weekly in the first month then monthly to the end of treatment), every 3 months for 6 months post‐treatment, and at 48 weeks post‐treatment. In our cohort, which included 45% of children below the age of 12 years (72.5% genotype 4 and 27.5% mixed genotype 4 and 1), end of treatment response (ETR) was 97.5%. Sustained virologic response for weeks 12 and 24 post‐treatment (SVR12 and SVR24) were 97.5% and 95%, respectively, on an intention to treat basis, and 100% and 100% for those who completed the study protocol. Observed side effects were mild and none required drug cessation. Combined SOF/DCV was found to be effective and safe for treating HCV Genotype 4‐infected children, 8 years of age and above.
Safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir‐based direct‐acting antiviral regimens for hepatitis C virus genotype 6 in Southwest China: Real‐world experience of a retrospective study
Authors: Wu Dong‐Bo , Jiang Wei , Wang Yong‐Hong , Chen Bin , Wang Meng‐Lan , Tao Ya‐Chao , Chen En‐Qiang , Tang Hong 
Published: October 2018

SummaryOptional treatments for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) 6 infection have not been extensively studied. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir (SOF)‐based direct‐acting antiviral agents (DAAs) for HCV GT6. We performed a retrospective study at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University in Southwest China from January 2016 to May 2017. Our study screened 130 treatment‐naïve patients with chronic HCV GT6 and without liver cirrhosis. A total of 60 HCV GT6 patients were ultimately enrolled. All patients received SOF‐based DAAs therapy, including SOF 400 mg plus daclatasvir (DCV) 60 mg daily or SOF 400 mg plus velpatasvir (VEL) 100 mg daily for 12 weeks. The sustained virological response 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12) was 100% (60/60) in treatment‐naïve patients with HCV GT6, including 100% (37/37) of patients receiving SOF plus DCV therapy and 100% (23/23) of patients receiving SOF plus VEL therapy. Measurements of liver stiffness were significantly decreased in patients at week 12 (P = 0.014) and week 24 (P < 0.001) of DAAs treatment compared to baseline values. The serum biomarker aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis‐4 score were also significantly reduced at week 12 and week 24 compared to before treatment (both P < 0.001). SOF‐based therapy was well‐tolerated, and no serious adverse events were reported. In conclusion, SOF plus DCV and SOF plus VEL were safe and achieved a high SVR12 rate for treatment‐naïve patients with HCV GT6 without liver cirrhosis.
A God of Vengeance and of Reward? Voters and Accountability
Authors: Griffin John D. , Newman Brian , Nickerson David W. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractTheories of democratic politics prize congruence between citizens’ preferences and their elected representatives’ actions in office. Elections are a critical means for achieving such policy congruence, providing voters the opportunity to chasten representatives who are out of step with constituent preferences and to reward the faithful. Do voters act this way? Recent studies based on observational data find they do, but these data are somewhat limited. We employ a survey experiment to estimate the extent to which information about policy congruence affects voters’ evaluations of representatives. We informed some subjects how often their member of Congress’s voting decisions match their own stated preferences on the same policies. We find that information about congruence enhances accountability by affecting constituent evaluations of representatives and may also affect citizens’ propensity to participate in upcoming elections.
Implications of population connectivity studies for the design of marine protected areas in the deep sea: An example of a demosponge from the Clarion‐Clipperton Zone
Authors: Taboada Sergi , Riesgo Ana , Wiklund Helena , Paterson Gordon L. J. , Koutsouveli Vasiliki , Santodomingo Nadiezhda , Dale Andrew C. , Smith Craig R. , Jones Daniel O. B. , Dahlgren Thomas G. , Glover Adrian G. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe abyssal demosponge Plenaster craigi inhabits the Clarion‐Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the northeast Pacific, a region with abundant seafloor polymetallic nodules with potential mining interest. Since P. craigi is a very abundant encrusting sponge on nodules, understanding its genetic diversity and connectivity could provide important insights into extinction risks and design of marine protected areas. Our main aim was to assess the effectiveness of the Area of Particular Environmental Interest 6 (APEI‐6) as a potential genetic reservoir for three adjacent mining exploration contract areas (UK‐1A, UK‐1B and OMS‐1A). As in many other sponges, COI showed extremely low variability even for samples ~900 km apart. Conversely, the 168 individuals of P. craigi, genotyped for 11 microsatellite markers, provided strong genetic structure at large geographical scales not explained by isolation by distance (IBD). Interestingly, we detected molecular affinities between samples from APEI‐6 and UK‐1A, despite being separated ~800 km. Although our migration analysis inferred very little progeny dispersal of individuals between areas, the major differentiation of OMS‐1A from the other areas might be explained by the occurrence of predominantly northeasterly transport predicted by the HYCOM hydrodynamic model. Our study suggests that although APEI‐6 does serve a conservation role, with species connectivity to the exploration areas, it is on its own inadequate as a propagule source for P. craigi for the entire eastern portion of the CCZ. Our new data suggest that an APEI located to the east and/or the south of the UK‐1, OMS‐1, BGR, TOML and NORI areas would be highly valuable.
Histological heterogeneity in a large clinical cohort of juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathy: analysis by myositis autoantibody and pathological features
Authors: Yasin S. A. , Schutz P. W. , Deakin C. T. , Sag E. , Varsani H. , Simou S. , Marshall L. R. , Tansley S. L. , McHugh N. J. , Holton J. L. , Wedderburn L. R. , Jacques T. S. ,   the UK Juvenile Dermatomyositis Research Group (UK and Ireland)
Published: October 2018

AimJuvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies have been recently reclassified into clinico‐serological subgroups. Myopathological correlates of the subgroups are incompletely understood.MethodsWe studied muscle biopsies from 101 children with clinically and serologically defined juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies from the UK JDM Cohort and Biomarker Study by applying the international JDM score tool, myopathological review and C5b‐9 complement analysis.ResultsAutoantibody data were available for 90/101 cases with 18/90 cases positive for anti‐TIF1γ, 15/90 anti‐NXP2, 11/90 anti‐MDA5, 5/90 anti‐Mi2 and 6/90 anti‐PmScl. JDM biopsy severity scores were consistently low in the anti‐MDA5 group, high in the anti‐Mi2 group, and widely distributed in the other groups. Biopsies were classified histologically as perifascicular atrophy (22/101), macrophage‐rich necrosis (6/101), scattered necrosis (2/101), clustered necrosis (2/101), inflammatory fibre invasion (2/101), chronic myopathic change (1/101), diffuse endomysial macrophage infiltrates (40/101) and minimal change (24/101). MDA5 cases segregated with the minimal change group and showed no capillary C5b‐9‐deposition. The Mi2 group displayed high severity scores and a tendency towards sarcolemmal complement deposition. NXP2 and TIF1γ groups showed a variety of pathologies with a high proportion of diffuse endomysial macrophage infiltrates and a high proportion of capillary C5b‐9 deposition.ConclusionWe have shown that juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies have a spectrum of histopathological phenotypes and show distinct complement attack complex deposition patterns. Both correlate in some cases with the serological subtypes. Most cases do not show typical histological features associated with dermatomyositis (e.g. perifascicular atrophy). In contrast, more than half show relatively mild histopathological changes.
Sebastian Faulks's Genesis Obsession – and Related Issues
Authors: Fitzpatrick Joseph 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIn this article I discuss the surprising similarity between the interpretation of the story told in chapter 3 of Genesis put forward in several of his novels by Sebastian Faulks and my own interpretation set out in my book, The Fall and the Ascent of Man: How Genesis Supports Darwin. Faulks and I argue that Genesis 3 is about hominization, the achievement of human status by a proto-human couple by the acquisition of self-awareness. However, that is where the similarity ends. I consider Faulks's understanding of self-awareness to be seriously mistaken, reductive and incoherent, and I take issue with what I consider to be the consequences of this mistaken understanding.
Lipo‐chitooligosaccharide signalling blocks a rapid pathogen‐induced ROS burst without impeding immunity
Authors: Rey Thomas , André Olivier , Nars Amaury , Dumas Bernard , Gough Clare , Bottin Arnaud , Jacquet Christophe 
Published: October 2018

Summary

Molecular signals released by microbes at the surface of plant roots and leaves largely determine host responses, notably by triggering either immunity or symbiosis. How these signalling pathways cross‐talk upon coincident perception of pathogens and symbionts is poorly described in plants forming symbiosis.

Nitrogen fixing symbiotic Rhizobia spp. and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi produce lipo‐chitooligosaccharides (LCOs) to initiate host symbiotic programmes. In Medicago truncatula roots, the perception of LCOs leads to reduced efflux of reactive oxygen species (ROS). By contrast, pathogen perception generally triggers a strong ROS burst and activates defence gene expression.

Here we show that incubation of M. truncatula seedlings with culture filtrate (CF) of the legume pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches alone or simultaneously with Sinorhizobium meliloti LCOs, resulted in a strong ROS release. However, this response was completely inhibited if CF was added after pre‐incubation of seedlings with LCOs. By contrast, expression of immunity‐associated genes in response to CF and disease resistance to A. euteiches remained unaffected by LCO treatment of M. truncatula roots.

Our findings suggest that symbiotic plants evolved ROS inhibition response to LCOs to facilitate early steps of symbiosis whilst maintaining a parallel defence mechanisms toward pathogens.
Analysis of lettuce evapotranspiration across soil water
Authors: Pereira Omar Cléo Neves , Suguiura Tiago Peres da Silva , Pereira Anaih Pastana , Bertonha Altair , Previdelli Isolde 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIn this study, we evaluated the lettuce accumulated evapotranspiration (ET) across four levels of irrigation, using a nonlinear mixed‐effects model. The plants were grown in protected environments and monitored over 23 consecutive days. When the moisture of the substrate in the vessels reached 50% of their maximum retention capacity, the water levels were elevated according to four treatments: , , , and . The model appeared to provide a good fit to the data and showed that the estimates of the maximum amount of accumulated ET were similar for the three treatments with soil water deficit and lower for . The results of the study supported the idea that optimization of the ET of lettuce plants could be achieved through irrigation with deficit, also indicating that the economical use of water was the most efficient way to boost agricultural production.Recommendations for resource managers

The continued growth of the world population will result in a decrease of quality and availability of water and also an increase in demand for food. Therefore, sustainability will depend on high agricultural productivity with rational use of water.
Considered the most efficient technology for boosting agricultural productivity, irrigation is also the largest water consumer in the world. With any kind of irrigation in the vegetable production area, the water intake for the plants must be treated with great caution.
Both a lack or excess in water can decrease plant productivity. The amount of water available in the soil should be enough to maximize production. It is shown that high levels of irrigation are not necessary for this.
It is important to balance the amount of irrigated water for an optimal level, in order that the production has its the production is maximized and valuable water resources are not wasted.
Explosive Asset Price Bubble Detection with Unknown Bubble Length and Initial Condition
Authors: Whitehouse Emily J. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractRecent research has proposed a method of detecting explosive processes that is based on forward recursions of OLS, right‐tailed, Dickey–Fuller [DF] unit root tests. In this paper, an alternative approach using GLS DF test statistics is considered. We derive limiting distributions for both mean‐invariant and trend‐invariant versions of OLS and GLS‐based Phillips, Wu and Yu (2011, International Economic Review 52, 201–226) [PWY] test statistics under a temporary, locally explosive alternative. These limits are shown to be dependent on both the value of the initial condition and the start and end points of the temporary explosive regime. Local asymptotic power simulations show that a GLS version of the PWY statistic offers superior power when a large proportion of the data is explosive, but that the OLS approach is preferred for explosive periods of short duration as a proportion of the total sample. These power differences are magnified by the presence of an asymptotically non‐negligible initial condition. We propose a union of rejections procedure that capitalizes on the respective power advantages of both OLS and GLS‐based approaches. This procedure achieves power close to the effective envelope provided by the two individual PWY tests across all settings of the initial condition and length of the explosive period considered in this paper. These results are shown to be robust to the point in the sample at which the temporary explosive regime occurs. An application of the union procedure to NASDAQ prices confirms the empirical value of this testing strategy.
Overexpression and silent expression ofCrGA20ox1fromCamellia reticulata‘Hentiangao’ and its effect on morphological alterations in transgenic tobacco plants
Authors: Wang Jiangying , Wu Bin , Li Jiyuan , Yin Hengfu , Fan Zhengqi , Li Xinlei , He Libo 
Published: October 2018

AbstractGibberellin 20‐oxidase (GA20ox) is a multifunctional enzyme that is involved in the regulation of GA biosynthesis and the control of plant growth. We identified and characterized aGA20oxgene (CrGA20ox1) inCamellia reticulata‘Hentiangao’; subsequently, expression levels ofCrGA20ox1in four phenotypically different camellias were analysed using fluorescent quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR). The results demonstrated that theCrGA20ox1gene was expressed in all four camellias at various levels, indicating that the gene's expression intensity was positively associated with camellia height. In addition, phenotypic comparison among transgenic tobacco plants saw a nearly 3.6‐fold increase in height of senseCrGA20ox1lines as contrasted with wild‐type tobacco. Interestingly and contrarily, the height of the transgenic plants expressing antisenseCrGA20ox1copies decreased by only around 0.5‐fold of the controls’ height. Endogenous hormone measurements illustrated that bioactive GA4predominantly increased in sense transgenic plants, whereas an obvious drop was observed in the antisense lines. Hence, overexpression of theCrGA20ox1gene could accelerate vegetative growth; however, silent expression of theCrGA20ox1gene impelled plants towards dwarfism.
Association of Increased Sun Exposure Over the Life‐course with a Reduced Risk of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: Chiaroni‐Clarke Rachel C. , Munro Jane E. , Pezic Angela , Cobb Joanna E. , Akikusa Jonathan D. , Allen Roger C. , Dwyer Terence , Ponsonby Anne‐Louise , Ellis Justine A. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractCutaneous sun exposure is an important determinant of circulating vitamin D. Both sun exposure and vitamin D have been inversely associated with risk of autoimmune disease. In juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), low circulating vitamin D appears common, but disease‐related behavioral changes may have influenced sun exposure. We therefore aimed to determine whether predisease sun exposure is associated with JIA. Using validated questionnaires, we retrospectively measured sun exposure for 202 Caucasian JIA case–control pairs born in Victoria Australia, matched for birth year and time of recruitment. Measures included maternal sun exposure at 12 weeks of pregnancy and child sun exposure across the life‐course prediagnosis. We converted exposure to UVR dose and looked for case–control differences using logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Higher cumulative prediagnosis UVR exposure was associated with reduced risk of JIA, with a clear dose–response relationship (trend P = 0.04). UVR exposure at 12 weeks of pregnancy was similarly inversely associated with JIA (trend P = 0.011). Associations were robust to sensitivity analyses for prediagnosis behavioral changes, disease duration and knowledge of the hypothesis. Our data indicate that lower UVR exposure may increase JIA risk. This may be through decreased circulating vitamin D, but prospective studies are required to confirm this.
Influence of functional, psychological, and environmental factors on falls among community‐dwelling older adults in Hong Kong
Authors: Leung Daniel D.M. 
Published: October 2018

AimThe growth of the ageing population has been rapid. However, this ageing population is not homogeneous; individuals have different levels of functionality and psychosocial status, and some are members of at‐risk or high‐risk groups. As such, studies on the functional, psychological, and environmental factors of falls among community‐dwelling older adults are imperative. By investigating the effect of life satisfaction, as well as environmental and functional factors, on falls among community‐dwelling older adults in Hong Kong, this study aims to address this concern.MethodsThe study recruited 249 participants. Both self‐reported questionnaires and home safety assessments were administrated.ResultsLogistic regression analysis showed that life satisfaction and instrumental activities of daily living were significant predictors of falls. Significant differences between fallers and non‐fallers were found in functional and psychological areas. The presence of home hazards was low and not associated with falls in this population. However, this variable was negatively associated with life satisfaction and predicted by one of its domains, satisfaction of possession.ConclusionThese results can help health‐care and social service providers to identify the needs and types of support required for effective fall prevention and to better tailor and target community intervention for older adults.