bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Design, processing, and characterization of an optical core‐bioactive clad phosphate fiber for biomedical applications
Authors: Lopez‐Iscoa Pablo , Ojha Nirajan , Pugliese Diego , Mishra Ayush , Gumenyuk Regina , Boetti Nadia Giovanna , Janner Davide , Troles Johann , Bureau Bruno , Boussard‐Plédel Catherine , Massera Jonathan , Milanese Daniel , Petit Laeticia 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe aim of this study was to fabricate a bioactive optical fiber able to monitor “in situ” its reaction with the body through changes in its optical properties. Core and cladding preforms were prepared with the composition (97.25*(0.50P2O5‐0.40SrO‐0.10Na2O)‐2.5ZnO‐0.25Er2O3) and (98.25*(0.50P2O5‐0.40SrO‐0.10Na2O)‐1.75ZnO) (in mol%), respectively, and successfully drawn into a multimode core/clad optical fiber. Optical and near‐Infrared images assessed the proper light guiding properties of the fiber. The fibers favor the precipitation of a Ca‐P reactive layer at its surface concomitant with a reduction in the fiber diameter, when immersed in SBF, often assigned as a sign of bioactivity. It is clearly shown here that the bio‐response of the fiber upon immersion in SBF can be tracked from the decrease in the intensity of the Er3+ ions emission at 1.5 µm. This confirms that the newly developed optical fiber, which combines good optical properties with a suitable bioactive behavior, is a promising platform for the development of novel biomedical devices for biophotonic and photomedical applications. Finally, the successful splicing of the newly developed fiber with commercial optical fibers was an evidence of the possibility to integrate the newly developed phosphate fiber within existing components used in the field of biomedicine.
Systematic review of measurement properties of instruments assessing nurses’ attitudes towards the importance of involving families in their clinical practice
Authors: Alfaro Díaz Cristina , Esandi Larramendi Nuria , Gutiérrez‐Alemán Teresa , Canga‐Armayor Ana 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimsTo identify, appraise and describe the characteristics and measurement properties of instruments assessing nurses’ attitudes towards the importance of involving families in their clinical practice.DesignPsychometric systematic review.Data SourcesThe PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from their time of inception to June 2018.Review MethodsTwo reviewers independently assessed the eligibility of studies, extracted data, and appraised the methodological quality of the studies using the COSMIN checklist.ResultsA total of 19 studies representing 5 instruments were included. Two instruments—a revised version of the Families’ Importance in Nursing Care: Nurses’ Attitudes scale (FINC‐NA‐R) and the Family Nurse Practice Scale (FNPS)—obtained higher scores for most of their properties. The instruments used in the remaining eight studies require further assessment of their psychometric properties.ConclusionThis psychometric review offers a synthesis of the quality of the available instruments and gives a better understanding of nursing theory‐based tools. The FNPS and FINC‐NA‐R instruments seem to be the most suitable measures of nurses’ attitudes towards the importance of involving families in their clinical practice.ImpactThe growing emphasis on improving nurse–family relationships and the quality of care provided makes it necessary to have valid and reliable instruments for assessing nurses’ attitudes towards the importance of involving families in their clinical practice. This paper provides evidence that will help clinicians and researchers make decisions about the most suitable instrument based on a critical appraisal and comparison of the measurement properties according to a rigorous methodology.
Using traits to explain interspecific variation in diatom occupancy and abundance across lakes and streams
Authors: Vilmi Annika , Karjalainen Satu M. , Wang Jianjun , Heino Jani 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimTo discover how biological traits, ecological preferences and taxonomic relatedness are associated with occupancy and abundance of diatom species across lakes and streams.LocationFinland.TaxonDiatoms.MethodsWe studied 288 diatom species from 492 stream sites and 230 diatom species from 290 lake sites. For each species, we calculated logit‐transformed regional occupancy and log‐transformed mean local abundance, and further determined biological traits, ecological preferences and taxonomic levels for each species. Boosted regression tree (BRT) analysis was used to reveal the linear and nonlinear associations of biological, ecological and taxonomic predictors with occupancy or abundance of lake and stream diatoms.ResultsThere were strong and positive interspecific occupancy–abundance relationships across both lakes and streams. The BRT models explained more deviances in variation in occupancy and abundance and their relationship for lakes than streams. Biological traits, especially cell size, but also life‐form and guild, were the strongest predictors of diatom occupancy and abundance in lakes and streams when controlling for ecological preferences and taxonomic relatedness.Main conclusionsIn general, biological traits were the strongest predictors of occupancy and abundance in both freshwater systems. Species with similar biological traits thus tended to show similar occupancies and abundances. As indicated by lower explained deviances, occupancy and abundance in streams seemed to be more complexly structured than in lakes, suggesting that these two freshwater system types differ in the formation of biodiversity patterns. This difference may be related to the differences in hydrological connectedness between lakes and streams. Understanding how variations in species’ occupancy and abundance are formed across various waterbodies is important for meaningful biodiversity conservation.
Antihypertensive drug use and blood pressure control among stroke survivors in the United States: NHANES 2003‐2014
Authors: Sonawane Kalyani , Zhu Yenan , Balkrishnan Rajesh , Suk Ryan , Sharrief Anjail , Deshmukh Ashish A. , Aguilar David 
Published: May 2019

AbstractUnderstanding the patterns of antihypertensive drug use and blood pressure (BP) control among stroke survivors in the “real‐world” setting is important to identify gaps in treatment and control, if any. The objective of our study was to assess trends and patterns in antihypertensive drug use and BP control among stroke survivors in the United States. We performed a retrospective cross‐sectional analysis of the 2003‐2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Stroke and hypertension diagnoses were self‐reported. Information regarding the use of antihypertensive drugs was collected during an in‐person interview. Measurement of BP was performed by trained medical professionals in mobile examination centers. A total 1244 adult stroke survivors (equating to 6 232 215 stroke survivors nationwide) were identified, of which 956 had hypertension. Antihypertensive drug use increased from 2003 (79.5%) to 2014 (92.2%; P for trend < 0.001). The prevalence of drug use was lower (52%) among survivors aged 20‐39 years compared with older age groups. Use of ≥2 antihypertensive drugs was prevalent (63.8%), but diuretics alone or in combination with angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors were underutilized (22.4%). More than one‐third of the survivors were not at BP goal (ie, BP < 140/90 mm Hg). Males were more likely to attain BP goal than female stroke survivors (odds ratio [OR] = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.34‐3.05). Our findings suggest that despite improvements in antihypertensive drug use in the recent years, BP is not adequately controlled in a significant proportion of stroke survivors. Further research focusing on understanding the reasons for unmet BP goal in stroke survivors is needed.
Implementing an intervention to improve decision making around referral and admission to intensive care: Results of feasibility testing in three NHS hospitals
Authors: Rees Sophie , Bassford Christopher , Dale Jeremy , Fritz Zoe , Griffiths Frances , Parsons Helen , Perkins Gavin D. , Slowther Anne Marie 
Published: May 2019

AbstractRationale, aims, and objectivesDecisions about whether to refer or admit a patient to an intensive care unit (ICU) are clinically, organizationally, and ethically challenging. Many explicit and implicit factors influence these decisions, and there is substantial variability in how they are made, leading to concerns about access to appropriate treatment for critically ill patients. There is currently no guidance to support doctors making these decisions. We developed an intervention with the aim of supporting doctors to make more transparent, consistent, patient‐centred, and ethically justified decisions. This paper reports on the implementation of the intervention at three NHS hospitals in England and evaluates its feasibility in terms of usage, acceptability, and perceived impact on decision making.MethodsA mixed method study including quantitative assessment of usage and qualitative interviews.ResultsThere was moderate uptake of the framework (28.2% of referrals to ICU across all sites during the 3‐month study period). Organizational structure and culture affected implementation. Concerns about increased workload in the context of limited resources were obstacles to its use. Doctors who used it reported a positive impact on decision making, with better articulation and communication of reasons for decisions, and greater attention to patient wishes. The intervention made explicit the uncertainty inherent in these decisions, and this was sometimes challenging. The patient and family information leaflets were not used.ConclusionsWhile it is feasible to implement an intervention to improve decision making around referral and admission to ICU, embedding the intervention into existing organizational culture and practice would likely increase adoption. The doctor‐facing elements of the intervention were generally acceptable and were perceived as making ICU decision making more transparent and patient‐centred. While there remained difficulties in articulating the clinical reasoning behind some decisions, the intervention offers an important step towards establishing a more clinically and ethically sound approach to ICU admission.
Recognition of the storage life of mitten crab by a machine olfactory system with deep learning
Authors: Zhu Peiyi , Zhang Yulin , Chou Yongxin , Gu Ya 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn recent years, research on the qualitative analysis of aquatic product using ultrasonic or biological impedance has received increasing attention. Unfortunately, aquatic product safety incidents occur now and then, thus new kinds of analytical techniques that are fast, nondestructive, and simple to operate would be advantageous. This article addressed a machine olfactory system for recognition of the storage life of a whole living mitten crab. A type of deep learning algorithm, namely stacked denoising auto‐encoders algorithm (SdA), was applied to extract effective features of the machine olfactory system sensors' responses. The traditional feature extraction methods such as principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis were used for the purposes of comparison. Then the support vector machine (SVM) classifier was implemented for further qualitative classification. In addition, the crabs were analyzed for total volatile basic nitrogen and total viable counts during storage process. Validation experiments showed that the highest recognition rate (96.67%) was achieved by using SdA with SVM. This study may present a promising instruction for the storage life recognition of the living crab.Practical ApplicationEvaluation of the freshness of mitten crab is of considerable importance to guarantee mitten crab quality. However, to our best knowledge, few reports on the development of an electronic‐nose for nondestructive evaluation of the quality of whole living crab are available. A machine olfactory system for recognition of the storage life of a whole living mitten crab was present in this study. Validation experiments showed the highest recognition rate based on the system. In summary, the metal‐semiconductor sensor‐based machine olfactory system presents some advantages including fast detecting, repeatability, and nondestructive. In the future, with the improvement of sensor performance and development of pattern recognition, it will be a favorable weapon for protecting the interests of consumers in aquatic market.
Comparative study for the detection of Egyptian buffalo butter adulteration with vegetable oils using conventional and advanced methods
Authors: Hamed Ahmed M. , Aborass Mahmoud , El‐Kafrawy Israa , Safwat Gehan 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAdulteration of butter can occur when milk fat is replaced with cheaper oils due to the economic advantage of such substitution. With potential health risks on consumers, the issue raises alarming public health concerns. The adulteration of the Egyptian buffalo butter (EBB) with vegetable oils (VOs) was detected by conventional and advanced techniques. EBB was mixed with VOs at different ratios 25, 50, and 75% (w/w). The conventional methods (saponification number, iodine value, polenskee value, and Reichert‐Meissl value) were compared with advanced methods (GC, HPLC, and FTIR). The results indicated that the assurance of conventional methods is not adequate at expansion levels under 50.0% VOs in EBB. In light of the progressions prompted by advanced methods using GC and HPLC, the debasement of EBB with 25.0% VOs can be detected and are more accurate in detecting the sterols and their fractions in butter.
Arabidopsis PEAPODs function with LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN1 to regulate lateral organ growth
Authors: Zhu Ying , Luo Xiao , Liu Xuxin , Wu Wenjuan , Cui Xiaofeng , He Yuehui , Huang Jirong 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn higher plants, lateral organs are usually of determinate growth. It remains largely elusive how the determinate growth is achieved and maintained. Previous reports have shown that Arabidopsis PEAPOD (PPD) proteins suppress proliferation of dispersed meristematic cells partly through a TOPLESS corepressor complex. Here, we identified a new PPD‐interacting partner, LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN1 (LHP1), using the yeast two‐hybrid system, and their interaction is mediated by the chromo shadow domain and the Jas domain in LHP1 and PPD2, respectively. Our genetic data demonstrate that the phenotype of ppd2 lhp1 is more similar to lhp1 than to ppd2, indicating epistasis of lhp1 to ppd2. Microarray analysis reveals that PPD2 and LHP1 can regulate expression of a common set of genes directly or indirectly. Consistently, chromatin immunoprecipitation results confirm that PPD2 and LHP1 are coenriched at the promoter region of their targets such as D3‐TYPE CYCLINS and HIGH MOBILITY GROUP A, which are upregulated in ppd2, lhp1 and ppd2 lhp1 mutants, and that PPDs mediate repressive histone 3 lysine‐27 trimethylation at these loci. Taken together, our data provide evidence that PPD and LHP1 form a corepressor complex that regulates lateral organ growth.
In developing mouse kidneys, orientation of loop of Henle growth is adaptive and guided by long‐range cues from medullary collecting ducts
Authors: Chang C‐Hong , Davies Jamie A. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe path taken by the loop of Henle, from renal cortex to medulla and back, is critical to the ability of the kidney to concentrate urine and recover water. Unlike most developing tubules, which navigate as blind‐ended cylinders, the loop of Henle extends as a sharply bent loop, the apex of which leads the double tubes behind it in a ‘V’ shape. Here, we show that, in normal kidney development, loops of Henle extend towards the centroid of the kidney with an accuracy that increases the longer they extend. Using cultured kidney rudiments, and manipulations that rotate or remove portions of the organ, we show that loop orientation depends on long‐range cues from the medulla rather than either the orientation of the parent nephron or local cues in the cortex. The loops appear to be attracted to the most mature branch point of the collecting duct system but, if this is removed, they will head towards the most mature collecting duct branch available to them. Our results demonstrate the adaptive nature of guidance of this unusual example of a growing epithelium, and set the stage for later work devoted to understanding the molecules and mechanisms that underlie it.
Fetal heart rate monitoring and neonatal outcome in a population of early‐ and late‐onset intrauterine growth restriction
Authors: Esposito Francesca G. , Tagliaferri Salvatore , Giudicepietro Antonia , Giuliano Natascia , Maruotti Giuseppe M. , Saccone Gabriele , Signorini Maria G. , Magenes Giovanni , Campanile Marta , Zullo Fulvio 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimThe early‐onset intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with severe placental insufficiency and Doppler abnormalities. The late‐onset IUGR is associated with mild placental insufficiency and normal Doppler velocimetry. The computerized cardiotocographic (cCTG) monitoring is used to evaluate the fetal well‐being in pregnancies complicated by IUGR. Our aim was to investigate the cardiotocographic characteristics of IUGR fetuses and to identify every cCTG difference between Healthy and IUGR fetuses.MethodsFour hundred thirty pregnant women were enrolled starting from the 28th week of gestation until the time of delivery: 200 healthy and 230 IUGR fetuses. Fetal heart rate (FHR) baseline (FHR), short‐term variability (STV), long‐term irregularity (LTI), delta, interval index (II), approximate entropy (ApEn), high frequency (HF), low frequency (LF), movement frequency (MF), LF/(HF + MF) ratio (LF/(HF + MF)) and number of decelerations were examined. Newborn baby data were also collected.ResultsThe parameters of short‐ and medium‐term variability discriminate between IUGR and healthy fetuses before 36 weeks including FHR, STV, LTI and delta discriminate between each subgroup of IUGR were compared to each one of the other two (P < 0.05).ConclusioncCTG is a useful tool for the evaluation of chronic hypoxemia, which causes a delay in the maturation of all components of the autonomic and central nervous system. However, cCTG requires integration with fetal ultrasound and Doppler vessels evaluation to improve the ability to predict the neonatal outcome.
Effects of phytoestrogens on the activity and growth of primary breast cancer cells ex vivo
Authors: Chen Fang‐Ping , Chien Mei‐Hua 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimTo explore the ex vivo effects of phytoestrogens on primary human breast cancer cells.MethodsBreast cancer cells were obtained from patients who underwent primary breast cancer surgery, which were treated with 10−8 M 17β‐estradiol (E2), one of three phytoestrogens (genistein, resveratrol and quercetin, 10−7 M), and a combination of E2 and one of the three phytoestrogens for 48 h. These cells were then extracted for viability and apoptosis assay. The proteins involved in the proliferative and apoptotic pathways were evaluated by western blot analysis.ResultsHuman breast cancer cell viability was inhibited by all phytoestrogens but induced by E2 with or without phytoestrogen. Apoptotic cells, as well as the proteins involved in apoptotic pathway and estrogen receptor (ER) β, were significantly increased in the cells treated with phytoestrogen alone. The use of E2 with or without a phytoestrogen revealed completely opposite results. The proteins involved in the proliferative pathway and ER α expression were all increased in the cultures with E2 with or without phytoestrogens.ConclusionIn the presence of E2, these phytoestrogens lose the effects of suppressing breast cancer cells; contrastingly, induce growth stimulatory effects by inhibiting apoptosis and stimulating proliferation in primary breast cancer cells. Thus, the effects of phytoestrogens on breast cancer should be considered as E2 still present in breast cancer tissue.
Occurrence and management of fungicide resistance in Botrytis cinerea on tomato from greenhouses in Hebei, China
Authors: Zhao Jianjiang , Bi Qiuyan , Wu Jie , Lu Fen , Han Xiuying , Wang Wenqiao 
Published: May 2019

AbstractGrey mould, caused by the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, is one of the most devastating tomato diseases, and the control of this disease is mainly by the application of chemicals. In this study, 512 isolates of B. cinerea were collected from tomato grown in greenhouses at 10 locations in 10 cities of Hebei Province from 2011 to 2016 and tested for their sensitivities to carbendazim (Car), diethofencarb (Die), iprodione (Ipr) and pyrimethanil (Pyr). Of these tested isolates, 95.7%, 95.2%, 31.6% and 89.4% were resistant to Car, Die, Ipr and Pyr, respectively. There were nine fungicide‐resistant phenotypes in the tested isolates. CarRPyrRDieRIPRS and CarRPyrRDieRIPRR were the most common phenotypes, accounting for 59.6%, and 31.1% of the tested isolates, respectively. The field trials showed that the control efficacies (CE) of carbendazim + diethofencarb (WP, 25% + 25%), pyrimethanil (EC, 40%) and iprodione (WP, 50%) at the recommended doses were 22.75%–29.23%, 58.44%–64.19% and 61.02%–65.17%, respectively, significantly lower than those of boscalid (WG, 50%) and pyrisoxazole (EC, 25%). The resistance management trial conducted from 2015 to 2017 indicated that the CE of tomato grey mould in the experimental fields was higher than 90% and the sensitivity to carbendazim, diethofencarb and pyrimethanil of B. cinerea isolates from the experimental fields increased on a yearly basis. These results showed that the frequency of resistance to Car, Die, Ipr and Pyr was high, and these four fungicides could not effectively control tomato grey mould. Tomato grey mould could be controlled by using biopesticides and newly synthesized fungicides with different modes of action. Our findings would be useful in designing and implementing fungicide resistance management spray programmes for the control of tomato grey mould.
Fecal short‐chain fatty acid concentrations and dysbiosis in dogs with chronic enteropathy
Authors: Minamoto Yasushi , Minamoto Tomomi , Isaiah Anitha , Sattasathuchana Panpicha , Buono Agostino , Rangachari Venkat R. , McNeely Isaac H. , Lidbury Jonathan , Steiner Jörg M. , Suchodolski Jan S. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundAccumulating evidence shows an important relationship between the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota and host health. Microbial metabolites are believed to play a critical role in host‐microbial interactions. Short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are major end products of bacterial carbohydrate fermentation in the intestinal tract. Decreased concentrations of SCFAs have been observed in humans with GI disease. However, large‐scale clinical data in dogs are lacking.Hypothesis/ObjectiveTo evaluate fecal concentrations of SCFAs and the fecal microbiota in healthy control (HC) dogs and dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE).AnimalsForty‐nine privately owned HC dogs and 73 dogs with CE.MethodsProspective cohort study. Fecal concentrations of SCFAs were measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Illumina sequencing and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction were utilized to evaluate the fecal microbiota.ResultsFecal concentrations (median [range] μmol/g of dry matter) of acetate were lower (P = .03) in dogs with CE (185.8 [20.1‐1042.1]) than in HC dogs (224.0 [87.7‐672.8]). Propionate were also lower (P < .001) in dogs with CE (46.4 [0.4‐227.9]) than in HC dogs (105.9 [1.6‐266.9]). Moreover, total SCFAs were lower (P = .005) in dogs with CE (268.1 [21.8‐1378.2]) than in HC dogs (377.2 [126.6‐927.0]). Dysbiosis in dogs with CE was characterized by decreased bacterial diversity and richness, distinct microbial community clustering compared with that in HC dogs, and a higher dysbiosis index.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceDogs with CE had an altered fecal SCFA concentration accompanied by significant changes of the fecal microbiota.