bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Timing of hepatitis C virus infection treatment in kidney transplant candidates
Authors: Cohen‐Bucay Abraham , Francis Jean M. , Gordon Craig E. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is prevalent in patients with kidney disease including transplant candidates and recipients. It is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in end‐stage renal disease patients and also increases the risk of allograft rejection and decreases allograft and patient survival post‐transplant. Newly developed direct acting antivirals have revolutionized the way HCV is treated. Whether patients are treated before or after kidney transplantation, the cure rates with direct acting antivirals are >90%. Great debate has formed revolving the optimal timing to treat kidney transplant candidates. On the one hand, treatment before transplantation decreases early post‐transplant complications related to HCV. On the other, postponing treatment until after transplantation opens the possibility of transplanting a kidney from a HCV positive donor, which is associated with shorter waiting time and improved organ utilization by expanding the organ donor pool. Most patients living in an area where waiting time is reduced by accepting an HCV positive kidney would benefit by the strategy of treatment post‐transplantation, but this decision needs to be individualized in a patient‐by‐patient basis given that there are special circumstances (i.e., severe HCV‐related extrahepatic manifestations, availability of live donors, etc.) in which treatment before transplant might be preferred.
Treatment and management options for the hepatitis C virus infected kidney transplant candidate
Authors: Dejman Adriana , Ladino Marco A. , Roth David 
Published: April 2018

AbstractA substantial body of literature has unequivocally established that prevalent hepatitis C virus infection in chronic kidney disease (CKD), end stage renal disease (ESRD) and kidney transplant recipients is associated with a negative impact on patient survival. As a consequence of remarkable work that explained the details of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome, a class of drugs referred to as the direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) agents were developed that targeted specific key sites in viral replication. Large clinical trials in the HCV‐infected general population followed soon after that demonstrated cure rates exceeding 95%. Treatment paradigms have been further refined and expanded to populations of patients that were initially excluded from the large pivotal trials. This includes the CKD and ESRD patients for whom there are now safe and effective DAAs available as well. In this context, the focus of decision making has shifted from initially demonstrating safety and efficacy to now identifying which patient should receive therapy and at what point in their CKD/ESRD journey. The specific issue of timing of treatment is particularly relevant to the HCV‐infected ESRD patient who is being considered for kidney transplantation. The option of treating with DAAs prior to the transplant or alternatively delaying therapy and treating in the posttransplant period will be influenced by several factors, including patient preference, the extent of liver injury, the availability of a living or deceased donor, and more recently the option of transplanting a kidney from HCV‐positive donor. The latter has been associated with the advantage of shortened waiting times and expansion of the organ donor pool. The optimal timing and choice of therapy will be the result of a decision that has been individualized for each patient as a consequence of a process of clear communication involving the patient, primary care physician, nephrologist, gastroenterologist (GI)/hepatologist, and local transplant center.
Pharmacokinetics and drug interactions of medications used to treat hepatitis C virus infection in the setting of chronic kidney disease and kidney transplantation
Authors: Ortiz Guillermo A. , Trivedi Hirsh D. , Nader Claudia 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHepatitis C infection in patients with chronic kidney disease or kidney transplant carries higher morbidity and mortality compared to noninfected patients. Historically, patients with advanced kidney disease and kidney transplant recipients were undertreated given the multiple adverse effects and limited efficacy of interferon‐based therapies for chronic hepatitis C. The development of direct‐acting antivirals in the past few years has opened an unprecedented opportunity for treating these populations. However, the impaired renal clearance of some of these medications in patients with kidney disease, and the potential interactions of antiviral therapies with immunosuppressants after kidney transplantation, present some challenges in choosing the proper regimen. This review provides an overview of the essential pharmacokinetics and drug interactions of relevant antiviral therapies in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in patients with advanced kidney disease and after kidney transplantation.
Treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with mixed cryoglobulinemic syndrome and cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis
Authors: Rutledge Stephanie M. , Chung Raymond T. , Sise Meghan E. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractCryoglobulinemia is a common extrahepatic manifestation of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). When signs and symptoms of systemic vasculitis or glomerulonephritis occur in the presence of circulating cryoglobulins, this syndrome is called “mixed cryoglobulinemia syndrome” (MCS). Historically, interferon‐based therapies in HCV have been associated with lower rates of viral cure in patients with MCS than in the general HCV‐infected population. The advent of direct‐acting antiviral therapies have revolutionized the treatment of HCV, dramatically increasing rates of cure. Early studies of first‐generation protease inhibitors (telaprevir and boceprevir) in combination with interferon and ribavirin demonstrated HCV cure rates of 67% and complete clinical response rates of vasculitis symptoms in 60% of patients with MCS; however, regimens were poorly tolerated by patients, 22% discontinued treatment early. More recently, all‐oral, interferon‐free regimens have become available and combination therapies are now being approved for patients with and without renal impairment. Patients with HCV‐MCS achieved sustained virologic response in 297 out of 313 patients (95%) treated with direct‐acting antiviral therapy, and 85% had a complete or partial clinical response of MCS symptoms. Current direct‐acting antiviral therapies are well tolerated in patients with HCV‐MCS and only 1.6% discontinued treatment early. Patients with cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis also had an excellent cure rate (94%). The majority improved; 17/52 (33%) experienced full remission and 15/52 (29%) experienced partial remission. There were no reports of worsening kidney function in patients treated with direct‐acting antiviral therapies. Less than 5% of patients with HCV‐MCS treated with IFN‐free direct‐acting antiviral therapy required immunosuppression. However, patients with severe vasculitis appear to still require concomitant immunosuppression.
Hepatitis C virus infection in kidney transplantation‐changing paradigms with novel agents
Authors: Reddy Yuvaram N. V. , Nunes David , Chitalia Vipul , Gordon Craig E. , Francis Jean M. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common cause of increased morbidity and mortality in kidney transplant patients. It is associated with posttransplant glomerulonephritis, chronic allograft nephropathy, and New Onset Diabetes after Transplant (NODAT). In the past, HCV was difficult to treat due to the presence of interferon alpha‐based therapies that were difficult to tolerate and were associated with adverse side‐effects, such as the risk of rejection. With the advent of oral directly acting antiviral therapies, the landscape for HCV and transplantation has changed. These agents are highly effective and well tolerated with minimal side‐effects. Sustained viral response rates in excess of 90% are achieved with most current treatment regimens active against all HCV genotypes. These new agents may show an improvement in graft and patient survival while essentially eliminating the risk of acute rejection from the use of prior interferon‐based HCV therapies. These agents may also result in an improvement in organ allocation for HCV donor/HCV recipient transplantation. This review is meant to discuss the epidemiology of HCV, the new oral direct‐acting antiviral agents (DAAs) and future opportunities for research in the field of HCV related transplantation.
Kinetics of available lysine in stored commercial skim milk powder at moderate temperatures
Authors: Aalaei Kataneh , Rayner Marilyn , Sjöholm Ingegerd 
Published: April 2018

SummaryKinetics of lysine blockage, as an early step of the Maillard reaction, was investigated in commercial skim milk powder to understand the extent of the reaction, specifically after packages are opened and during the subsequent storage. Samples were stored at six conditions including three temperatures (30, 32.5 and 35 °C) and two relative humidities (43% and 52%) for 30 days, the period in which the product is recommended to be consumed after opening. The reaction rate was determined using a dye‐binding method. Based on our findings, decrease in available lysine follows first‐order reaction kinetics model. Small changes in temperature (2.5 °C) caused significant increase in the reaction rate constants. Relative humidity affected temperature dependency of the reaction, and activation energies were estimated to be 142.5–170.8 kJ mol−1. This study aims to increase the awareness of the significance of storage quality in relation to the nutritional status of the products.
Interventions to improve medication adherence among Chinese patients with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trails
Authors: Xu Rixiang , Xie Xuefeng , Li Shuting , Chen Xiaoyu , Wang Sheng , Hu Chengyang , Lv Xiongwen 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Objective
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were performed to understand the effectiveness of medication adherence (MA) interventions among Chinese patients with hypertension.

Methods
A literature search was conducted with three English databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Embase) and three Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals) for the period from 1970 to October 2017. Only both RCTs with a minimum of 10 participants in each intervention group and Chinese patients with hypertension as participants were included. A random-effects model was applied to calculate pooled effect sizes with 95% CI. Subgroup analysis was conducted to identify potential sources of heterogeneity from duration of intervention, type of intervener, methods of intervention and sites of intervention. Funnel plots and Egger's test were used to evaluate for publication bias.

Key findings
A total of 48 studies met criteria for the meta-analysis, including 14 568 participants, testing 57 independent comparisons. Overall, the effect size revealed that interventions significantly improved MA (pooled relative risk = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.43 to 1.78; pooled Cohen's d = 1.42, 95% CI: 0.976 to 1.876). Interventions were found to significantly reduce blood pressure (BP) (systolic BP: Cohen's d = −0.85, 95% CI: −1.11 to −0.60 and diastolic BP: Cohen's d = −0.73, 95% CI: −1.00 to −0.46). Longer duration of intervention gave better effectiveness. Physician as interventionist, regular follow-up visits and interventions conducted at a hospital were associated with better effectiveness.

Conclusion
Adherence interventions improve MA and reduce uncontrolled BP among Chinese patients with hypertension. In the future, investigators should adopt a skill set to address the problem of poor MA.
Boosting the thermoelectric performance of Bi2O2Se by isovalent doping
Authors: Tan Xing , Lan Jin‐Le , Hu Kerong , Xu Ben , Liu Yaochun , Zhang Peng , Cao Xing‐Zhong , Zhu Yingcai , Xu Wei , Lin Yuan‐Hua , Nan Ce‐Wen 
Published: April 2018

AbstractN‐type Bi2O2Se has a bright prospect for mid‐temperature thermoelectric applications on account of the intrinsically low thermal conductivity. However, the low carrier concentration of Bi2O2Se (~1015 cm−3) severely limits its thermoelectric performance. Herein, the boosting of the carrier concentration to ~1019 cm−3 can be realized in our La‐doped Bi2O2Se ceramic samples, which could be ascribed to the formation of isoelectronic traps and the narrowing of band gap, and contribute to a marked increase in the electrical conductivity (from 0.03 S cm−1 to 182 S cm−1). Our X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure spectra results reveal that a local disordering of oxygen atoms could be an important reason for the intrinsically low thermal conductivity of Bi2O2Se, and the point defects can also suppress the lattice thermal conductivity in La‐doped Bi2O2Se. The ZT value can be enhanced by a factor of ~4.5 to 0.35 at 823 K for Bi1.98La0.02O2Se as compared to the pristine Bi2O2Se. The coordinated optimization of electrical and thermal properties demonstrates an effective method for the rational design of high‐performance thermoelectric materials.
The preparation of Yttrium Aluminosilicate (YAS) Glass Fiber with heavy doping of Tm3+ from Polycrystalline YAG ceramics
Authors: Zhang Yeming , Qian Guoquan , Xiao Xusheng , Tian Xiangling , Ding Xinqi , Ma Zhijun , Yang Luyun , Guo Haitao , Xu Shanhui , Yang Zhongmin , Qiu Jianrong 
Published: April 2018

AbstractYttrium aluminosilicate (YAS) glass core fibers with different doping concentration of Tm3+ were fabricated by a “Melt‐in‐Tube” method from YAG polycrystalline ceramics. The effect of Tm3+ concentration on the spectroscopy of YAG ceramics and laser performance of YAS fibers were discussed. A homemade linear all‐fiber laser based on the obtained 15% Tm3+‐doped YAS fiber shows an optimized slope efficiency of 12.8%. The YAS fibers have been proven to be practical to achieve extremely high Tm3+ doping concentration and are a promising option for the 2.0 μm laser.
Enhanced thermal stability of (NaCe)‐multidoped CaBi2Nb2O9 by A‐site vacancies‐induced pseudo‐tetragonal distortion
Authors: Liu Gang , Ren Shengqiang , Wu Chao , Wang Dan , Li Fenglian , Wu Jiagang , Chen Qiang 
Published: April 2018

AbstractAlthough A‐site codoping of alkali metal and rare‐earth elements are known to effectively promote the d33 of CaBi2Nb2O9 (CBN), its thermal depoling behavior cannot be well promised. In this work, piezoelectricity of CBN was effectively promoted by (NaCe) modification, and its thermal instability was caused by the lattice evolution from orthorhombic structure to pseudo‐tetragonal structure during thermal depoling process. A‐site vacancies could induce pseudo‐tetragonal distortion in Ca0.92(Na0.5Ce0.5)0.08Bi2Nb2O9 ceramic, which obviously enhanced the thermal stability of lattice by reducing the rotation of the Nb–O octahedron during the thermal depoling process, as compared with orthorhombic structure, thereby weakening the swing of spontaneous polarization (Ps) and promoting the thermal depoling performance. Consequently, good thermal stability was obtained (remained 92% of initial d33 after depoling at 600°C). Moreover, dominant role of oxygen vacancies in the electrical conduction and relaxation process promised that the introduction of small amount of A‐site vacancies would not influence the electrical properties obviously.
Self‐reported snoring is associated with chronic kidney disease independent of metabolic syndrome in middle‐aged and elderly Chinese
Authors: Song Jun , Wang Chuan , Ma Aixia , Zheng Huizhen , Zheng Wenjian , Hou Xinguo , Hu Cheng , Chen Li , Jia Weiping 
Published: April 2018

AbstractAims/IntroductionTo investigate the correlation between snoring and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and explore whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) plays an important role in this relationship among middle‐aged and elderly Chinese.Materials and MethodsThe participants included in the present study were categorized into three subgroups based on self‐reported snoring frequency (regularly [≥3 times per week], occasionally [between ‘regularly’ and ‘never’] or never [<1 time per month]). An estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was considered as CKD. We diagnosed MetS based on the 2004 Chinese Diabetes Society criteria. We explored the relationship between snoring and CKD by using multiple logistic regressions.ResultsThe frequency of MetS, MetS components and CKD was dramatically higher in regular snorers than in non‐snorers and occasional snorers. The odds ratios for MetS and all the MetS elements, except for hyperglycemia, increased progressively with the snoring frequency (P < 0.001). Upon additional adjustment for other MetS components, snoring was not significantly related with hypertension; however, the associations between snoring frequency and overweight/obesity and dyslipidemia became attenuated, but still remained statistically significant (P < 0.01). Interestingly, odds ratios for CKD also increasingly augmented with snoring frequency (P < 0.001). Upon further adjustment for individual MetS components or MetS, regular snoring also resulted in a significantly increased odds ratio for CKD (odds ratio 1.72; P = 0.034) relative to non‐snoring.ConclusionsSelf‐reported snoring is closely associated with CKD independent of MetS among middle‐aged and elderly Chinese.
The value components of contract farming in contemporary capitalism
Authors: Dubb Alex 
Published: April 2018

AbstractContract farming (CF) has generally been understood as, essentially, a market institution—by both (approving) “mainstream” and (critical) “radical” perspectives. Analyses of relations of production have, meanwhile, tended towards a problematic “peasantist” frame, where contracts undermine farmer “autonomy” in processes of “flexible” corporate agro‐industrial restructuring. This paper argues that a materialist analysis of CF from within capital–labour relations offers a stronger conceptual foundation for re‐synthesizing questions of market‐power. It first argues that radical notions of “peasant subsumation” conceptually mirror Marx's “formal subsumption of capital” but underplay dynamics of “real subsumption” accompanying capitalism's wider development. Drawing on the “petty commodity production” concept, it then argues that CF's “flexibility” rests in its differential content. CF's fungibility to contradictory movements of “integration” and “dispersion” enables it to emphasize different methods of surplus appropriation under shifting conditions; each corresponding to a different dominant social tendency. On the one hand, conditions of market expansion inspire integration for relative surplus appropriation through raised productivity, and CF tends to act as a “tool of proletarianization” in the wider centralization of capital. On the other, conditions of contraction motivate the dispersal of unvalorized capital, prompting efforts to raise absolute surplus appropriation, and CF tends to act as a “tool of differentiation” to concentrate agricultural capital.
Milk feeding and first complementary foods during the first year of life in the TEDDY study
Authors: Riikonen Anne , Hadley David , Uusitalo Ulla , Miller Nicole , Koletzko Sibylle , Yang Jimin , Andrén Aronsson Carin , Hummel Sandra , Norris Jill M. , Virtanen Suvi M. ,   on behalf of the TEDDY Study Group
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe aim was to describe milk feeding patterns and first weaning foods during the first year of life in a large prospective birth cohort of infants with increased genetic risk for Type 1 diabetes (T1D) recruited in 4 different countries: the United States, Finland, Germany, and Sweden. All enrolled children with dietary information (n = 8,673) were included in the analyses; 1,307 (15%) children who dropped out before the first birthday were excluded from some analyses. Supplementary milk feeding in the first 3 days of life was common in all the four countries, although the type of the supplementary milk differed by country and by maternal T1D. Donated human milk was commonly used only in Finland. In all the countries, the most common first supplementary food was cow's milk‐based infant formula, especially among offspring of mothers with T1D. The use of specific types of infant formulas differed notably by country: Extensively hydrolysed formulas were most used in Finland, partially hydrolysed ones in the United States and in Germany, and soy formulas only in the United States. Infant formulas commonly included probiotics, prebiotics, and starches. During the first year of life, most of the infants received conventional cow's milk. Overall, milk feeding during the first 3 days of life and thereafter until the first birthday differed markedly by maternal T1D status and across countries. These descriptive data may be useful in understanding early infant feeding practices and in planning potential interventions, which affect infant feeding.
A fungal avirulence factor encoded in a highly plastic genomic region triggers partial resistance to septoria tritici blotch
Authors: Meile Lukas , Croll Daniel , Brunner Patrick C. , Plissonneau Clémence , Hartmann Fanny E. , McDonald Bruce A. , Sánchez‐Vallet Andrea 
Published: April 2018

Summary

Cultivar‐strain specificity in the wheat–Zymoseptoria tritici pathosystem determines the infection outcome and is controlled by resistance genes on the host side, many of which have been identified. On the pathogen side, however, the molecular determinants of specificity remain largely unknown.

We used genetic mapping, targeted gene disruption and allele swapping to characterise the recognition of the new avirulence factor Avr3D1. We then combined population genetic and comparative genomic analyses to characterise the evolutionary trajectory of Avr3D1.

Avr3D1 is specifically recognised by wheat cultivars harbouring the Stb7 resistance gene, triggering a strong defence response without preventing pathogen infection and reproduction. Avr3D1 resides in a cluster of putative effector genes located in a genome region populated by independent transposable element insertions. The gene was present in all 132 investigated strains and is highly polymorphic, with 30 different protein variants identified. We demonstrated that specific amino acid substitutions in Avr3D1 led to evasion of recognition.

These results demonstrate that quantitative resistance and gene‐for‐gene interactions are not mutually exclusive. Localising avirulence genes in highly plastic genomic regions probably facilitates accelerated evolution that enables escape from recognition by resistance proteins.