bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The efficacy and safety of pomalidomide in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in a “real‐world” study: Polish Myeloma Group experience
Authors: Charlinski Grzegorz , Grzasko Norbert , Jurczyszyn Artur , Janczarski Mariusz , Szeremet Agnieszka , Waszczuk‐Gajda Anna , Bernatowicz Paweł , Swiderska Alina , Guzicka‐Kazimierczak Renata , Lech‐Maranda Ewa , Szczepaniak Andrzej , Wichary Ryszard , Dmoszynska Anna 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundPatients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) have poor prognosis. Pomalidomide is an immunomodulatory compound that has demonstrated activity in MM patients with disease refractory to lenalidomide and bortezomib.ObjectivesParticipants of clinical trials are highly selected populations; therefore, the aim of this study was to present observations from real practice that might provide important information for practitioners.Patients and MethodsWe analyzed retrospectively 50 patients treated with pomalidomide in 12 Polish sites between 2014 and 2017. Median age was 63 years, median time since diagnosis 4.5 years and median number of prior regimens 4.ResultsThe overall response rate was 39.1%. Median progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10.0 and 14.0 months, respectively. Previous treatment with immunomodulatory drugs, bortezomib or stem cell transplant had no impact on PFS and OS. Most frequent grade 3/4 treatment‐emergent adverse events were hematologic (neutropenia 24.0%, thrombocytopenia 10.0%, anemia 8.0%). Most common grade 3/4 non‐hematologic toxicities were respiratory tract infection (14.0%) and neuropathy (4.0%).ConclusionsThis real‐world data have confirmed that pomalidomide is an active drug in RRMM and support results of published clinical trials and other real‐world studies.
Cortical thickness and volume abnormalities in Internet gaming disorder: Evidence from comparison of recreational Internet game users
Authors: Wang Ziliang , Wu Lingdan , Yuan Kai , Hu Yanbo , Zheng Hui , Du Xiaoxia , Dong Guangheng 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAlthough online gaming may lead to Internet gaming disorder (IGD), most players are recreational game users (RGUs) who do not develop IGD. Thus far, little is known about brain structural abnormalities in IGD subjects relative to RGUs. The inclusion of RGUs as a control group could minimize the potential effects of gaming experience and gaming‐related cue familiarity on the neural mechanism of IGD subjects. In this study, structural magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 38 IGD subjects and 66 RGUs with comparable age, gender, and educational level. Group differences in cortical thickness and volume were analyzed using the FreeSurfer software. Correlations between cortical changes and addiction severity were calculated for both groups. Compared with the RGU group, the IGD group showed significantly decreased cortical thickness in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, bilateral cuneus, precentral gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus. Moreover, significantly reduced cortical volume was observed in the left superior temporal gyrus and right supramarginal gyrus in the IGD group. Whole‐brain correlational analysis indicated different correlations between the two groups. The brain regions that showed group differences were considered to be involved in cognitive control, decision making, and reward/loss processing. These functions may serve as potential mechanisms that explain why IGD individuals experience negative outcomes in frequent game playing.
Nuclear localization signal targeting to macronucleus and micronucleus in binucleated ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila
Authors: Iwamoto Masaaki , Mori Chie , Osakada Hiroko , Koujin Takako , Hiraoka Yasushi , Haraguchi Tokuko 
Published: June 2018

AbstractCiliated protozoa possess two morphologically and functionally distinct nuclei: a macronucleus (MAC) and a micronucleus (MIC). The MAC is transcriptionally active and functions in all cellular events. The MIC is transcriptionally inactive during cell growth, but functions in meiotic events to produce progeny nuclei. Thus, these two nuclei must be distinguished by the nuclear proteins required for their distinct functions during cellular events such as cell proliferation and meiosis. To understand the mechanism of the nuclear transport specific to either MAC or MIC, we identified specific nuclear localization signals (NLSs) in two MAC‐ and MIC‐specific nuclear proteins, macronuclear histone H1 and micronuclear linker histone‐like protein (Mlh1), respectively. By expressing GFP‐fused fragments of these proteins in Tetrahymena thermophila cells, two distinct regions in macronuclear histone H1 protein were assigned as independent MAC‐specific NLSs and two distinct regions in Mlh1 protein were assigned as independent MIC‐specific NLSs. These NLSs contain several essential lysine residues responsible for the MAC‐ and MIC‐specific nuclear transport, but neither contains any consensus sequence with known monopartite or bipartite NLSs in other model organisms. Our findings contribute to understanding how specific nuclear targeting is achieved to perform distinct nuclear functions in binucleated ciliates.
The many ways to mend your liver: A critical appraisal
Authors: Alison Malcolm R. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryIn the latter half of the 20th century, our understanding of mammalian liver regeneration was shaped by the manner of compensatory hyperplasia occurring after a partial rat liver resection. This response involves almost all hepatocytes and thus is unlikely to be the outcome of the multiple cycling of a small stem cell population. It was most intense in the outer third of lobule, the location closest to the afferent arterial blood supply. With the advent of heritable genetic labelling techniques, usually applied to mice, hitherto unrecognized hepatocytes with clonogenic potential have been discovered, contributing to homoeostatic renewal and/or regenerative responses after tissue loss. This review combines observations from cell lineage tracing studies with other data to summarize the Four proposed anatomical locations for hepatocyte stem cells: the periportal zone, the pericentral zone, a randomized distribution and finally within the intrahepatic biliary tree. As in other endodermal‐derived tissues, it appears that there are both homoeostatic stem cells and regenerative stem cells, while some normally homoeostatic stem cells can become more active to boost regeneration.
Part 4: Improving the Financial Health of Rural Hospitals
Authors: Riley Katherine K. , Elder William G. 
Published: June 2018

Sound financial management has been identified as a critical component of effective hospital administration. Inadequate financial practices are a leading factor in the failure of hospitals. As part of the Rural Hospital Project (RHP), which operated in six rural Northwest communities from 1985 to 1988, detailed and extensive analyses of financial practices were conducted to identify strengths and weaknesses of the hospitals’ financial management. In addition, 15 hours of formal education covering a variety of financial topics were presented to project participants.Results of the evaluation demonstrated that the greatest degree of change occurred in the financial management leadership capacity of the hospitals. All five hospitals, which either had no chief financial officer initially or subsequently experienced a turnover in the position, recruited individuals with strong qualifications. Vacancies in the administrator position in three of the four hospitals were filled by individuals with stronger financial management qualifications than their predecessors. Hospital board finance committees were formed in three of the four communities which previously did not have them. The biggest changes in financial practices occurred in the budgeting processes, which by 1989 better reflected the goals and strategies of the hospital's strategic plans.The financial performance of the six hospitals varied considerably over the study period. As a group, the RHP hospitals continued to require substantial nonoperating subsidies to remain solvent, despite improved financial practices. Despite the methodological limitations of this evaluation, we conclude that the intervention improved the capacity of the hospital administrations’ financial leadership, as well as that of the governing boards, and led to substantial improvement in selected financial practices at all sites. Rural hospitals continue to operate in a hostile and precarious financial environment that limits their ability to sustain themselves on the basis of operating revenue alone.
The WAMI Rural Hospital Project Part 6: Overview and Conclusions
Authors: Amundson Bruce A. , Rosenblatt Roger A. 
Published: June 2018

The Rural Hospital Project (RHP) appeared to make a meaningful difference in the six Northwest rural communities that participated in this integrated community development and strategic planning effort. Although the methodological approach used in the evaluation precludes us from attributing observed changes in outcomes solely to the project interventions themselves, several elements of the process appear to be useful in stabilizing or expanding local health care systems. These include: (1) the involvement of outside organizations in fostering community change, (2) a high degree of community commitment and investment in all stages of the process, (3) comprehensive identification of problems in the health care system by outside consultants, (4) the use of periodic meetings of communities confronting similar issues, (5) identification and development of local leadership, (6) enhancing teamwork among local health care providers, and (7) the development of conflict‐ resolution mechanisms within health care organizations.Future attempts to use this strategy to strengthen rural health care systems can be enhanced by broadening the range of participation in health services planning, enlisting involvement of medical staff throughout the strategic planning cycle, addressing the issue of physician recruitment, and clarifying responsibility for implementation of community plans. Rural communities will predictably need to identify and resolve a set of core issues. To the extent that external organizations such as medical schools can strengthen the ability of rural health professionals and community leaders to identify and address these issues, the quality and viability of rural health care systems will be enhanced.
The impact of truncating data on the predictive ability for single‐step genomic best linear unbiased prediction
Authors: Howard Jeremy T. , Rathje Tom A. , Bruns Caitlyn E. , Wilson‐Wells Danielle F. , Kachman Stephen D. , Spangler Matthew L. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractSimulated and swine industry data sets were utilized to assess the impact of removing older data on the predictive ability of selection candidate estimated breeding values (EBV) when using single‐step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP). Simulated data included thirty replicates designed to mimic the structure of swine data sets. For the simulated data, varying amounts of data were truncated based on the number of ancestral generations back from the selection candidates. The swine data sets consisted of phenotypic and genotypic records for three traits across two breeds on animals born from 2003 to 2017. Phenotypes and genotypes were iteratively removed 1 year at a time based on the year an animal was born. For the swine data sets, correlations between corrected phenotypes (Cp) and EBV were used to evaluate the predictive ability on young animals born in 2016–2017. In the simulated data set, keeping data two generations back or greater resulted in no statistical difference (p‐value > 0.05) in the reduction in the true breeding value at generation 15 compared to utilizing all available data. Across swine data sets, removing phenotypes from animals born prior to 2011 resulted in a negligible or a slight numerical increase in the correlation between Cp and EBV. Truncating data is a method to alleviate computational issues without negatively impacting the predictive ability of selection candidate EBV.
Past vegetation dynamics in the Yellowstone region highlight the vulnerability of mountain systems to climate change
Authors: Iglesias Virginia , Whitlock Cathy , Krause Teresa R. , Baker Richard G. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimReconstruct the long‐term ecosystem dynamics of the region across an elevational gradient as they relate to climate and local controls. In particular, we (1) describe the dominant conifers' history; (2) assess changes in vegetation composition and distribution; and (3) note periods of abrupt change versus stability as means of better understanding vegetation responses to environmental variability.LocationGreater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE; USA).Time period16.5 ka bp‐present.Major taxa studiedJuniperus, Picea, Abies, Pinus, Pseudotsuga.MethodsThe vegetation reconstruction was developed from 15 pollen records. Results were interpreted based on modern pollen–vegetation relationships estimated from a suite of regression‐based approaches.ResultsCalibrated pollen data suggest that late‐glacial vegetation, dominated by shrubs and Juniperus, lacks a modern counterpart in the area. Picea, Abies and Pinus expanded at 16 ka bp in association with postglacial warming and co‐occurred in mixed‐conifer parkland/forest after 12 ka bp. This association along with Pinus contorta forest, which was present after 9 ka bp, has persisted with little change at middle and high elevations to the present day. This stability contrasts with the dynamic history of plant communities at low elevations, where shifts between parkland, steppe and forest over the last 8,000 years were likely driven by variations in effective moisture and fire.Main conclusionsThe postglacial vegetation history of the GYE highlights the dynamic nature of mountain ecosystems and informs on their vulnerability to future climate change: (1) most of the conifers have been present in the area for >12,000 years and survived climate change by adjusting their elevational ranges; (2) some plant associations have exhibited stability over millennia as a result of nonclimatic controls; and (3) present‐day forest cover is elevationally more compressed than at any time in history, probably due to the legacy of the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age.
Overcoming among‐lineage rate heterogeneity to infer the divergence times and biogeography of the clubmoss family Lycopodiaceae
Authors: Testo Weston , Field Ashley , Barrington David 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimTo infer divergence times and historical biogeography of the cosmopolitan lycophyte family Lycopodiaceae.LocationWorldwide.MethodsWe generated time‐calibrated phylogenies of the Lycopodiaceae based on six regions of chloroplast DNA using a node‐dating approach implemented in beast with eight fossil calibrations. To investigate effects of among‐lineage substitution rate heterogeneity on divergence time estimation, we compared the performance of two relaxed clock models: an uncorrelated lognormal clock model and a random local clock (RLC) model. The historical biogeography of the family was inferred using two Bayesian models implemented in BioGeoBEARS.ResultsDivergence time estimates for major groups of the Lycopodiaceae obtained using the two substitution clock models differed substantially, and the RLC model was a better fit. The Lycopodiaceae crown group age is estimated to be late Devonian, and most deep divergence events date to the Carboniferous, with most extant species diversity accumulating during the Cenozoic. The timing of divergences of major clades in the Lycopodiaceae corresponds to the breakup of the Pangaean and Gondwanan supercontinents. Long‐distance dispersal events are relatively common, but generally do not appear to be followed by subsequent radiations.Main conclusionsAccounting for among‐lineage substitution rate heterogeneity improves divergence time estimates for the Lycopodiaceae. The family has a deep evolutionary history, and continent‐scale vicariance events in the Mesozoic appear to have been associated with major cladogenesis events, with long‐distance dispersal playing a relatively minor role.
Alexithymia and autistic traits as possible predictors for traits related to depression, anxiety, and stress: A multivariate statistical approach
Authors: Fietz Julia , Valencia Noel , Silani Giorgia 
Published: June 2018

AbstractRationale, aims, and objectivesOur study focused on the general population and explored the relationships between autistic traits and alexithymia, on the one hand, and traits related to depression, anxiety, and stress, on the other, using a multivariate statistical approach. In previous research, autistic traits and alexithymia have been linked to these traits both in clinical populations and in the general population. We also investigated a possible multiplicative effect of autistic traits and alexithymia and attempted to determine which of these two variables is the better predictor for health outcomes.MethodsAn online survey was conducted, and 302 participants were included in the statistical analysis. A structural equation modelling approach was chosen, and a model based on prior findings was designed and tested by using IBM SPSS AMOS 21.ResultsThe results showed significant, medium‐sized effects of alexithymia on depression, anxiety, and stress. Additionally, a medium‐sized significant effect of autistic traits on depression, a small significant effect on stress, and a small nonsignificant effect on anxiety were found. The interaction term of alexithymia and autistic traits had no significant effects on any of the endogenous variables.ConclusionsAlexithymia can be considered the better predictor for anxiety in this sample, and it is unlikely that a multiplicative effect of alexithymia and autistic traits exists. The use of multivariate statistical methods provided additional information for understanding the investigated constructs and their interdependence.
Specific item patterns in comparison to generalized sum score—the Care Dependency Scale (CDS) as a screening tool for specific care problems
Authors: Kuntz Simone , Dassen Theo , Lahmann Nils A. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimsThe aim of this study is to identify items of the Care Dependency Scale (CDS) with overriding importance for the specific nursing care problems of pressure ulcers, falls, and malnutrition.MethodSecondary data analysis of 5 multicentre consecutive annual cross‐sectional surveys from 2008 to 2012. For the study, data were analysed from 19 787 individuals in 262 long‐term care facilities throughout Germany. Based on a standardized study protocol and international definitions, data regarding care dependency and care problems were gathered by direct examination. To identify the most relevant items of the CDS regarding pressure ulcers, falls, and malnutrition, classification trees (Classification and Regression Trees) were calculated. The validity of the identified items was then confirmed by applying “area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)” statistics.ResultsThe Classification and Regression Tree analysis showed a total of 6 nodes for pressure ulcer prevalence on 2 levels. Both levels provided the CDS item mobility as the most important predictor for the prevalence of pressure ulcers with a prevalence of 9.0% for these being completely dependent. The most important CDS item to determine malnutrition is completely dependent on eat and drink with a malnutrition prevalence of 25.2%. Of all CDS items that have been entered into the model, the item mobility showed the strongest association with falls. For pressure ulcers, the CDS items mobility (0.72) and body posture (0.71) provided a higher AUC than the total CDS sum score. Furthermore, for malnutrition, we measured an AUC of 0.63 for item eat and drink while the total CDS provided an AUC of 0.62.ConclusionsThe results of our study suggest that the CDS may be a useful tool for screening patients regarding the risk of pressure ulcers and/or malnutrition. According to our study, the CDS can be used as an assessment for many different care problems.
Multilocus sequence analysis of Vibrionaceae isolated from farmed amberjack and the development of a multiplex PCR assay for the detection of pathogenic species
Authors: Nishiki Issei , Minami Takayuki , Murakami Ayana , Hoai Truong Dinh , Fujiwara Atushi 
Published: June 2018

AbstractSince 2011, high mortality rates and symptoms consistent with vibriosis have been observed in farmed amberjack (Seriola dumerili) in Japan. To identify 41 strains isolated from diseased amberjack, a multilocus sequence analysis using nine concatenated genes (ftsZ, gapA, gyrB, mreB, pyrH, recA, rpoA, topA and 16S rRNA) was conducted. Twenty‐seven strains were identified as Vibrio harveyi, suggesting an epidemic of V. harveyi infection in amberjack farms. Other strains were identified as Vibrio anguillarum, Vibrio owensii and Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae. To develop an efficient diagnostic method for vibriosis in amberjack, a multiplex PCR system was developed to identify V. anguillarum, V. harveyi and P. damselae subsp. damselae. The method successfully discriminated between these three bacterial species, with amplification products of 350 bp for V. anguillarum, 545 bp for V. harveyi and 887 bp for P. damselae subsp. damselae and can be used for diagnosis in aquaculture farms.
Nutritional status and interventions in hospice: physician assessment of cancer patients
Authors: Flynn B. , Barrett M. , Sui J. , Halpin C. , Paz G. , Walsh D. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundCancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterised by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass. It adversely influences quality of life, treatment response and survival. Early identification and multimodal interventions can potentially treat cancer cachexia. However, healthcare professionals demonstrate a lack of understanding and the ability to identify cancer cachexia early. The present study aimed to evaluate the assessment by physicians of nutritional status in cancer patients admitted to hospice.MethodsA retrospective medical record review was conducted on all cancer admissions to a specialist in‐patient palliative care unit over a 4‐month period between October 2016 and January 2017. Charts were reviewed for evidence of documented nutritional assessment by physicians. Data were collected from the referral letter, admission notes, drug kardex and discharge letter. The information extracted included: (i) patient demographics and characteristics; (ii) terms used by physicians to describe nutritional status; (iii) any record of nutritional impact symptoms (NIS) experienced by the patient; and (iv) nutritional interventions prescribed.ResultsOne hundred and forty admissions were evaluated. Nutritional terminology and NIS were most commonly documented on the admission notes. Only 41% of documents recorded any nutritional term used by physicians to assess nutritional status. Furthermore, 71% of documents recorded at least one NIS experienced by the patient. Fatigue was the most frequent NIS.ConclusionsWe identified an inadequate nutritional assessment of cancer patients admitted to hospice. Implementation of a nutritional symptom checklist and nutrition screening tools, along with enhanced physician education and multidisciplinary nutrition care, could improve the identification and management of cancer cachexia in the palliative care setting.