bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dexamethasone exacerbates cisplatin‐induced muscle atrophy
Authors: Sakai Hiroyasu , Kimura Minami , Tsukimura Yuka , Yabe Saori , Isa Yosuke , Kai Yuki , Sato Fumiaki , Kon Risako , Ikarashi Nobutomo , Narita Minoru , Chiba Yoshihiko , Kamei Junzo 
Published: August 2018

SummaryDexamethasone for antiemetic therapy is typically administered with anticancer drugs such as cisplatin. We previously reported that cisplatin upregulates the muscle‐specific E3 ubiquitin ligase genes, namely muscle ring‐finger protein 1 (MuRF1) and atrophy gene‐1 (atrogin‐1), and promotes muscle atrophy in mice. It is well known that dexamethasone causes upregulation of MuRF1 and Atrogin‐1 expression in skeletal muscles. Although it is speculated that a combination of dexamethasone and cisplatin worsens muscle atrophy, there are no reports based on research. We thereby investigated the effects of cisplatin and dexamethasone, alone or in combination, on the expression of MuRF1 and Atrogin‐1 in murine skeletal muscles and C2C12 myotubes. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with cisplatin or the vehicle control once daily for 4 days. Dexamethasone or the vehicle control was subcutaneously administered 30 minutes prior to the administration of cisplatin. Dexamethasone enhanced MuRF1 and Atrogin‐1 gene expression upregulated by cisplatin in murine quadriceps muscles and C2C12 myotubes. Cisplatin‐caused upregulation of myostatin and downregulation of IGF‐1 gene expression were also enhanced by co‐administration of dexamethasone in murine quadriceps muscles and C2C12 myotubes. This study shows that the combination treatment of cisplatin and dexamethasone exacerbated muscle atrophy in mice. Therefore, this treatment regimen might exacerbate muscle atrophy in cancer patients.
Aeromonas veronii and aerolysin are important for the pathogenesis of motile aeromonad septicemia in cyprinid fish
Authors: Ran Chao , Qin Chubin , Xie Mingxu , Zhang Jinxiong , Li Jie , Xie Yadong , Wang Yibing , Li Shuning , Liu Lihui , Fu Xiaozhe , Lin Qiang , Li Ningqiu , Liles Mark R. , Zhou Zhigang 
Published: August 2018

SummaryAeromonas species are ubiquitous inhabitants of freshwater environments, and are responsible for fish motile aeromonad septicemia (MAS). A. hydrophila is implicated as the primary etiologic agent of MAS. Here, we analysed MAS epidemiological data for cyprinid fish in southern China, and found that A. veronii infections dominated. Consistent with this observation, A. veronii isolates were generally more virulent than A. hydrophila isolates when infecting germ‐free zebrafish larvae via continuous immersion challenge. Through in vivo screening of the transposon library of the A. veronii strain Hm091, aerolysin was identified as the key virulence factor. Further results indicated that A. veronii Hm091 aerolysin disrupts the intestinal barrier of zebrafish, enabling systematic invasion by not only A. veronii Hm091 in a mono‐infection, but also A. hydrophila NJ‐1 in a mixed infection. Moreover, the differences in aerolysin expression and activity were the major contributor to the observed differences between the A. veronii and A. hydrophila strains regarding invasion efficacy via intestine. Together, our results provide new insights into the aetiology and pathogenesis of Aeromonas infections, and highlight the importance of A. veronii‐targeted treatments in future efforts against MAS.
A Riposte to Clive Holmes, ‘The Trial and Execution of Charles I’
Authors: KELSEY SEAN 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn a number of articles and essays, I have questioned whether regicide was the intended outcome of the trial of Charles I. Although initially well received, my scholarship has since come in for criticism from Clive Holmes. This article is one part of my response. It shows that Holmes has misunderstood my arguments about what the trial of Charles I was intended to achieve and has focused on a handful of sources which are peripheral to my case. Meanwhile, the thesis Holmes offers in place of mine appears evidentially, rhetorically and even logically flawed. It is largely reliant on unexamined articles of faith, dependent in part on literary legerdemain, and oddly reluctant to address what actually happened during the king's trial. Not only has Holmes failed to reinstate the orthodoxy that regicide was the trial's inevitable conclusion: he has underlined that orthodoxy's redundancy.
Brexit and Fisheries: A Question of Conflicting Expectations
Authors: Gallic Bertrand Le , Mardle Simon , Metz Sébastien 
Published: August 2018

SummaryThe UK fishing sector has been under the spotlight since the beginning of the Brexit debate. Political commentators claimed that up to 90 per cent of British fishers supported Brexit as they considered the UK was disadvantaged compared to other EU Member States. Their main grudge is about the equal access that all Member States have had to all EU waters – with the exception of territorial waters, up to 12 nautical miles from the coast – since the formal inception of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 1983. Combined with what they perceive to be an unbalanced allocation of fishing quotas, this legal framework is thought by the UK fishing industry to be the main reason for the poor management of EU fisheries, which could be terminated following Brexit thus regaining the UK's status as an independent coastal state. The key issue addressed in this article is the possible reallocation of fishing opportunities within British waters. It outlines the current allocation system and summarises the views of major stakeholders. This is complex as historical fishing rights may or may not be acknowledged but it remains that the UK fishing industry needs access to EU markets and EU labour to bring the fish to value.
Brexit's Agri‐trade Impacts on the Netherlands
Authors: van Berkum Siemen , Jongeneel Roel , van Leeuwen Myrna 
Published: August 2018

SummaryThe UK is an important market for the Dutch agri‐food sector, 10 per cent of all Dutch agricultural exports find their way to the UK. In this article the effects of two possible post‐Brexit trade scenarios on Dutch agricultural trade are quantified. Model simulations indicate that Dutch exports to the UK and the rest of the world will be affected only marginally under a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and the UK. A WTO scenario will have more, yet still relatively modest, impact on Dutch exports as a result of Dutch price competitiveness in the UK market. The agricultural production value in the Netherlands will decline by around 2 per cent, mainly because of declining prices that are the result of price pressure in the EU market as a consequence of Brexit‐related trade distortions. Possible impacts of non‐tariff measures on trade costs are not included in the quantification. However, the UK government could request quality and/or food safety conditions on imports that are different from the current EU trade conditions. Whether the UK will do so is yet unknown, and hence provides an enormous uncertainty to businesses engaged in trade with the UK.
Co‐occurrence network analysis reveals thermodynamics‐driven microbial interactions in methanogenic bioreactors
Authors: Narihiro Takashi , Nobu Masaru K. , Bocher Ben T. W. , Mei Ran , Liu Wen‐Tso 
Published: August 2018

SummaryMethanogenic bioreactors have been applied to treat purified terephthalic acid (PTA) wastewater containing complex aromatic compounds, such as terephthalic acid, para‐toluic acid and benzoic acid. This study characterized the interaction of microbial populations in 42 samples obtained from 10 PTA‐degrading methanogenic bioreactors. Approximately, 54 dominant populations (11 methanogens, 8 syntrophs and 35 functionally unknown clades) that represented 73.9% of total 16S rRNA gene iTag sequence reads were identified. Co‐occurrence analysis based on the abundance of dominant OTUs showed two non‐overlapping networks centred around aromatic compound‐ (group AR: Syntrophorhabdaceae, Syntrophus and Pelotomaculum) and fatty acid‐ (group FA: Smithella and Syntrophobacter) degrading syntrophs. Group AR syntrophs have no direct correlation with hydrogenotrophic methanogens, while those from group FA do. As degradation of aromatic compounds has a wider thermodynamic window than fatty acids, Group AR syntrophs may be less influenced by fluctuations in hydrogenotrophic methanogen abundance or may non‐specifically interact with diverse methanogens. In both groups, network analysis reveals full‐scale‐ and lab‐scale‐specific uncultivated taxa that may mediate interactions between syntrophs and methanogens, suggesting that those uncultivated taxa may support the degradation of aromatic compounds through uncharted ecophysiological traits. These observations suggest that organisms from multiple niches orchestrate their metabolic capacity in multiple interaction networks to effectively degrade PTA wastewater.
Paris Needs Geneva, and Vice Versa
Authors: Chu C. Y. Cyrus , Lee Po‐Ching 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThis paper proposes and seeks to explain how the launching of a new negotiation on trade in carbon‐reduction‐related goods and services in Geneva could help to restore the effective market penetration of the Paris Agreement mechanisms, and how the subsequent implementation of the Paris Agreement can revitalize the so‐called ‘paralyzed WTO‘ at Geneva. It suggests that new negotiations be dedicated to the liberalization of trade in goods that relate closely to greenhouse‐gas reduction. Drawing on experiences from the stalled Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) negotiations, this narrowing of the scope of the talks might help establish a clear theme, thus avoiding potential conflicts of interest among the negotiating parties. Moreover, if the market penetration of green technologies is to be advanced effectively, negotiations must cover trade in related services (e.g. systems engineering) as well. Inclusion of services can also mitigate the ‘critical mass’ concerns inherent in the goods‐only context. Improving market access to government procurements and facilitating technology transfer in carbon‐reduction sectors will help to spread green technologies globally, and could be the topic of the new framework. In the end, the paper envisages a scenario of high participation and offers a possible approach to the initiation of new talks.
Research on the use of financial statement information for forecasting profitability
Authors: Yohn Teri Lombardi 
Published: August 2018

AbstractResearch on the use of financial statement information for forecasting profitability has two objectives: (i) to generate improved forecasts of profitability and accurate estimates of firm value; and (ii) to identify market inefficiencies with respect to financial statement information. For these areas of research, this article describes the evolution, provides examples and shares implications of the research. It also discusses opportunities for future research. The article highlights that financial statement analysis research has slowly evolved and has received limited attention from academics. The article argues that there are vast opportunities for impactful research on fundamental analysis and market inefficiencies.
Establishing content validity and fidelity of a novel paediatric intussusception air enema reduction simulator
Authors: Nataraja Ramesh M. , Khoo Stephanie , Ditchfield Michael , Webb Nathalie R. 
Published: August 2018

BackgroundIntussusception is a common, potentially life‐threatening paediatric condition. Non‐operative treatment with an air enema has been established as the clinical gold standard. There is no validated model for the training of this procedure. Our aim was to produce a novel air enema reduction simulator and validate its use as a training tool.MethodsA low‐cost paediatric intussusception air enema simulator was created. It was designed to include essential key clinical procedural steps. Participants included both procedural experts and novices from the Departments of Paediatric Radiology and Surgery. The simulator was assessed for face and content validity and its physical, conceptual and experiential fidelity by a structured questionnaire using a 5‐point Likert's scale. Statistical analysis included a t‐test, and a P‐value of <0.05 was considered significant.ResultsTwenty‐four clinicians completed the simulation activity (expert: 13 and novices: 11). All experts had performed a minimum of 40 clinical procedures, and 46% had performed >50 procedures. All scores were favourable in all domains for face and content validity: 3.5 (physical appearance), 3.3 (insertion of the tube and taping), 3.1 (holding of the buttocks) and 3.5 (performing the air enema). The simulator also scored highly with fidelity assessment; visual 3.5, conceptual 3.4. There was no difference in procedural confidence with experts (3.8 versus 3.6, P = 0.28), but there was for novices (1.0 versus 2.9, P = 0.0002).ConclusionsThis low‐cost air enema reduction simulator for intussusception has an excellent educational potential for use in a training program in a tertiary centre, as well as, resource‐constrained environments.
Register‐based study showed that the age when children were prescribed antibiotic tablets and capsules instead of liquids increased from 2004 to 2016
Authors: Bergene E H , Nordeng H , Rø T B , Steinsbekk A 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAimWe investigated the age when the prescriptions of oral antibiotic formulations for children from birth to 12 years of age changed from being mostly liquid to mostly solid and the associations between solid formulations and child, prescriber and medication characteristics.MethodsThis register‐based study comprised data from the Norwegian Prescription Database on oral antibiotics dispensed between 2004 and 2016 when both solid and liquid dosage forms were available in appropriate doses.ResultsJust over 1.2 million prescriptions were studied, and the age when children were prescribed oral solid antibiotics gradually increased. The mean age of conversion from liquids to solid formulations was 6.9 years and ranged from 5.7 years in 2004/2005 to 7.9 years in 2015/2016. Patient factors associated with solid dosage forms were the children's increasing age and male gender. Practitioner factors were the prescribers’ increasing age, male gender, being a general practitioner and issuing fewer than 23 paediatric antibiotic prescriptions per year. Medication factors were bad‐tasting liquids and the size and shape of solid dosage forms.ConclusionThe age when children were prescribed antibiotic tablets and capsules increased from 2004 to 2016. The medicine characteristics were quite consistent, so this was probably caused by a shift in formulation preferences.
Negative feedback regulation of vasocontraction by potassium channels in 10‐ to 15‐day‐old rats: Dominating role of Kv7 channels
Authors: Shvetsova Anastasia A. , Gaynullina Dina K. , Tarasova Olga S. , Schubert Rudolf 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAimPotassium channels are key regulators of smooth muscle membrane potential and arterial tone. However, the roles of potassium channels in vascular tone regulation in the systemic circulation during early postnatal development are poorly understood. Therefore, this study tested the hypothesis that the negative feedback regulation of vasocontraction by potassium channels changes during maturation.MethodsExperiments were performed on endothelium‐denuded saphenous arteries from 10‐ to 15‐day‐old and 2‐ to 3‐month‐old male rats. Isometric force and membrane potential were recorded using wire myography and the sharp microelectrode technique respectively; mRNA and protein contents were determined by qPCR and Western blotting.ResultsThe effects of Kv1, Kir and Kv7 channel blockers (DPO‐1, BaCl2, XE991) on methoxamine‐induced contraction were larger in arteries of 10‐ to 15‐day‐old compared to 2‐ to 3‐month‐old animals. In contrast, the BKCa channel blocker iberiotoxin had a stronger influence in 2‐ to 3‐ month‐old rats. The effects of KATP and Kv2 channel blockers (glibenclamide, stromatoxin) were not pronounced at both ages. The larger influence of Kv7 and Kir channel blockade on arterial contraction in 10‐ to 15‐day‐old rats was associated with more prominent smooth muscle depolarization. The developmental alterations in potassium channel functioning were generally consistent with their mRNA and protein expression levels in arterial smooth muscle.ConclusionThe negative feedback regulation of vasocontraction by potassium channels varies during maturation depending on the channel type. A dominating contribution of Kv7 channels to the regulation of basal tone and agonist‐induced contraction was observed in arteries of 10‐ to 15‐day‐old animals.
Political legitimacy and research ethics
Authors: Smith Maxwell J. , Weinstock Daniel 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn democratic theory, “legitimacy” refers to the set of conditions that must be in place in order for the claims to authority of somebody to be deemed appropriate, and for their claims to compliance to be warranted. Though criteria of legitimacy have been elaborated in the context of democratic states, there is no reason for them not to be drawn up, with appropriate amendments, for other kinds of authority structures. This paper examines the claims to authority made over researchers by international bodies governing research ethics, who exercise their authority by the research ethics guidelines they produce (including recent revisions to the Declaration of Helsinki and CIOMS Guidelines). We argue that discussions of such bodies and sets of guidelines often elide questions of justification and questions of legitimacy, and that the grounds that might allow us to mount a strong case for the latter are at present sorely underdeveloped.
Speech and language characteristics in individuals with nonsyndromic submucous cleft palate—A systematic review
Authors: Boyce Jessica O. , Kilpatrick Nicky , Morgan Angela T. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractBackgroundUp to 80% of individuals with unrepaired submucous cleft palate (SMCP) experience speech difficulties secondary to velopharyngeal insufficiency. Language delays are reported in the broader cleft lip and/or palate population, suggesting that individuals with SMCP may also be at risk. However, contemporary understanding of this population remains limited as there has been no systematic examination of the literature. This review aims to systematically review and document the speech and language characteristics of individuals with nonsyndromic SMCP and, in addition, to identify factors reported to impact speech and language outcomes.MethodThis review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Five databases were comprehensively searched using keywords and indexed headings. Included studies had to report speech or language outcomes of individuals with nonsyndromic SMCP. Risk of bias and methodological design quality were examined using tools from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Relevant data were extracted for analysis.ResultsEighteen studies met inclusion criteria, yielding 598 participants. Study results showed that individuals with unrepaired nonsyndromic SMCP may have speech difficulties secondary to velopharyngeal insufficiency including increased nasal resonance and palatalized or glottal articulation. Lower age at primary surgical repair led to better postsurgical speech outcomes. There is a paucity of literature outlining motor or phonological aspects of speech and receptive or expressive language abilities of this population.ConclusionIndividuals with nonsyndromic SMCP present with speech difficulties similar to those experienced by individuals with overt cleft palate. Health care professionals should be aware of possible presenting symptoms and consider early SMCP diagnoses where appropriate. Further research is needed to specify the broader communication profile in this population.
DPP‐4 inhibitors promote proliferation and migration of rat brain microvascular endothelial cells under hypoxic/high‐glucose conditions, potentially through the SIRT1/HIF‐1/VEGF pathway
Authors: Mi Dong‐Hua , Fang Hong‐Juan , Zheng Guang‐Hui , Liang Xian‐Hong , Ding Ya‐Rong , Liu Xin , Liu Li‐Ping 
Published: August 2018

SummaryBackgroundVascular disease in diabetes, for example, stroke, presents a significant public health burden. Recently, the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP‐4) inhibitor linagliptin has been found to counteract stroke among diabetic patients, showing great promise in drug repurposing and indication expansion. However, the molecular basis of this protection mechanism remains unknown.MethodsThe expression and localization of DPP‐4 in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells (rBMVECs) were assessed with immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting. The effects of DPP‐4 inhibitors on cell proliferation and migration of rBMVECs were determined using MTT and transwell assays, separately. The influence of DPP‐4 inhibition on the expression of molecular markers (eg, VEGF, eNOS, HIF‐1α. SIRT1) was examined at both mRNA and protein levels with qRT‐PCR and Western blotting, individually.ResultsDPP‐4 inhibitors (40 nmol/L linagliptin, 30 μmol/L berberine) offer protection from hypoxia/high glucose induced impairments in the proliferation and migration of rBMVECs. Treatment with DPP‐4 inhibitors counteracted the attenuating effects of hypoxic/high‐glucose conditions on the expression of VEGF, eNOS, HIF‐1α, and SIRT1, which can be completely eliminated by the inhibition of SIRT1 with 1 mmol/L nicotinamide.ConclusionsThe protection of rBMVECs from hypoxia/high‐glucose induced impairment by DPP‐4 inhibitors may be mediated by the SIRT1/HIF‐1α/VEGF pathway.
Commune Kabuki: Development and Productivity Growth under Maoist China's Rural Collectives
Authors: Eisenman Joshua 
Published: August 2018

ABSTRACTThe key question for a developing country with a fast‐growing population is how to increase savings rates and make productive investments that take advantage of high returns to capital. This study demonstrates that after the disastrous Great Leap Forward (1958–1961), China's commune system administered a nationwide agricultural modernization programme that was able to deliver continuous robust increases in agricultural productivity throughout the 1970s. Through the extraction of household savings primarily via the workpoint remuneration system, China's communes impoverished the local populace while funding investments that increased agricultural production. The workpoint remuneration system constituted a ‘kabuki theatre’ that used countless meetings about job allocations, work evaluations, and the exchange of points for cash or grain to draw members’ attention away from the extraction of their savings and towards the size of their own portion relative to other workers. China's research and extension system, which was nested into the commune and its sub‐units, prioritized locally appropriate capital investments and technical innovations that were both labour‐ and land‐saving. These two systems worked together to extract an increasing percentage of household savings and underwrite investments in productive capital and technology that produced a decade of rapid increases in food output.