bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Brief Motivational Intervention for Underage Young Adult Drinkers: Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Colby Suzanne M. , Orchowski Lindsay , Magill Molly , Murphy James G. , Brazil Linda A. , Apodaca Timothy R. , Kahler Christopher W. , Barnett Nancy P. 
Published: May 2018

BackgroundWhile there is a substantial literature on the efficacy of brief motivational intervention (BMI) for college student drinkers, research has focused less on young adults who do not attend a 4‐year college, despite their elevated risk for excessive alcohol use and associated harmful consequences.MethodsThis randomized controlled trial (NCT01546025) compared the efficacy of BMI to a time‐matched attention control intervention (relaxation training [REL]) for reducing alcohol consumption and related negative consequences in an underage young adult sample. BMI was tailored to the developmental transition out of high school for young adults who were not immediately planning to enroll in a 4‐year college. Non–treatment‐seeking underage drinkers who reported past‐month heavy drinking (N = 167; ages 17 to 20; 42% female; 59% non‐Hispanic White) were randomly assigned to receive a single session of BMI or REL. Outcomes were evaluated 6 weeks and 3 months postintervention via in‐person assessments.ResultsGeneralized estimating equation models provided strong support for the efficacy of BMI for reducing harmful drinking in these young adults. Compared to REL, and after controlling for baseline covariates including gender, those who received BMI subsequently reported significantly fewer average drinks per week, percent drinking days, percent heavy drinking days, lower peak and typical estimated blood alcohol concentration on drinking days, and fewer adverse consequences of drinking (all ps < 0.05). These between‐group effects did not weaken over the course of the 3‐month follow‐up period.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate an efficacious approach to tailoring BMI for non–college‐attending young adults. Future research should replicate and extend these findings over a longer follow‐up period.
Effects of moderate, voluntary ethanol consumption on the rat and human gut microbiome
Authors: Kosnicki Kassi L. , Penprase Jerrold C. , Cintora Patricia , Torres Pedro J. , Harris Greg L. , Brasser Susan M. , Kelley Scott T. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractMany alcohol‐induced health complications are directly attributable to the toxicity of alcohol or its metabolites, but another potential health impact of alcohol may be on the microbial communities of the human gut. Clear distinctions between healthy and diseased‐state gut microbiota have been observed in subjects with metabolic diseases, and recent studies suggest that chronic alcoholism is linked to gut microbiome dysbiosis. Here, we investigated the effects of moderate levels of alcohol consumption on the gut microbiome in both rats and humans. The gut microbiota of rats voluntarily consuming a 20 percent ethanol solution, on alternate days, were compared with a non‐exposed control group to identify differential taxonomic and functional profiles. Gut microbial diversity profiles were determined using culture‐independent amplification, next‐generation sequencing and bioinformatic analysis of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence libraries. Our results showed that, compared with controls, ethanol‐consuming rats experienced a significant decline in the biodiversity of their gut microbiomes, a state generally associated with dysbiosis. We also observed significant shifts in the overall diversity of the gut microbial communities and a dramatic change in the relative abundance of particular microbes, such as the Lactobacilli. We also compared our results to human fecal microbiome data collected as part of the citizen science American Gut Project. In contrast to the rat data, human drinkers had significantly higher gut microbial biodiversity than non‐drinkers. However, we also observed that microbes that differed among the human subjects displayed similar trends in the rat model, including bacteria implicated in metabolic disease.
Adverse adult consequences of different alcohol use patterns in adolescence: an integrative analysis of data to age 30 years from four Australasian cohorts
Authors: Silins Edmund , Horwood L. John , Najman Jake M. , Patton George C. , Toumbourou John W. , Olsson Craig A. , Hutchinson Delyse M. , Degenhardt Louisa , Fergusson David , Becker Denise , Boden Joseph M. , Borschmann Rohan , Plotnikova Maria , Youssef George J. , Tait Robert J. , Clare Philip , Hall Wayne D. , Mattick Richard P. ,   for the Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium
Published: May 2018

AbstractBackground and AimsStudies have linked adolescent alcohol use with adverse consequences in adulthood, yet it is unclear how strong the associations are and to what extent they may be due to confounding. Our aim was to estimate the strength of association between different patterns of adolescent drinking and longer‐term psychosocial harms taking into account individual, family and peer factors.DesignParticipant‐level data were integrated from four long‐running longitudinal studies: Australian Temperament Project, Christchurch Health and Development Study, Mater Hospital and University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy and Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study.SettingAustralia and New Zealand.ParticipantsParticipants were assessed on multiple occasions between ages 13 and 30 years (from 1991 to 2012). Number of participants varied (up to n = 9453) by analysis.MeasurementsThree patterns of alcohol use (frequent, heavy episodic and problem drinking) were assessed prior to age 17. Thirty outcomes were assessed to age 30 spanning substance use and related problems, antisocial behaviour, sexual risk‐taking, accidents, socio‐economic functioning, mental health and partner relationships.FindingsAfter covariate adjustment, weekly drinking prior to age 17 was associated with a two‐ to threefold increase in the odds of binge drinking [odds ratio (OR) = 2.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.57–2.90], drink driving (OR = 2.78; 95% CI = 1.84–4.19), alcohol‐related problems (OR = 3.04; 95% CI = 1.90–4.84) and alcohol dependence (OR = 3.30; 95% CI = 1.69–6.47) in adulthood. Frequency of drinking accounted for a greater proportion of the rate of most adverse outcomes than the other measures of alcohol use. Associations between frequent, heavy episodic and problem drinking in adolescence and most non‐alcohol outcomes were largely explained by shared risk factors for adolescent alcohol use and poor psychosocial functioning.ConclusionsFrequency of adolescent drinking predicts substance use problems in adulthood as much as, and possibly more than, heavy episodic and problem drinking independent of individual, family and peer predictors of those outcomes.
Industrial mining land use and poverty in regions of Burkina Faso
Authors: OUOBA Youmanli 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIndustrial mining generally develops in rural areas where agriculture is the main subsistence activity of the population. However, there seems to be an incompatible coexistence between agricultural and mining activities, as both require a large amount of land. Given the extensive agricultural system in Burkina Faso and the expansion of mining since 2007, this study analyzed the effect of industrial mining land use on poverty in the 13 regions of Burkina Faso. The study examined the effect of mining land use intensity on cereal production/yield before exploring its impact on poverty by using several econometric methods and various data from the National Statistics Institute. The results indicate that mining land use intensity had no direct effect on poverty; instead, the effect is indirect. Indeed, mining land use intensity negatively affects cereal yield, and that reinforces the incidence of poverty in mining regions. Moreover, the results show that cereal production increases with cropped land. As cereal yield decreases with industrial mining land use intensity, this suggests that the expansion of mining would contribute to the jeopardizing of the food supply as well as the exacerbation of poverty in mining regions. Therefore, policies are needed to encourage the sustainable management of land and mining revenue redistribution in the mining regions of Burkina Faso.
Downregulated miR‐17, miR‐29c, miR‐92a and miR‐214 may be related to BCL11B overexpression in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: He Zifan , Liao Ziwei , Chen Shaohua , Li Bo , Yu Zhi , Luo Gengxin , Yang Lijian , Zeng Chengwu , Li Yangqiu 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAimBCL11B overexpression is a characteristic of most T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T‐ALL) cases, and downregulated BCL11B in leukemic T cells inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the miRNA expression pattern that may be related to BCL11B regulation in T‐ALL.MethodsQuantitative real‐time PCR was used to detect the miRNAs miR‐17‐3p, miR‐17‐5p, miR‐29c‐3p, miR‐92a‐3p, miR‐214‐3p and miR‐214‐5p, the BCL11B expression level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells which was obtained from 17 de novo and untreated T‐ALL patients, and 15 healthy individuals (HIs) served as control. Correlations between the relative miRNA expression levels and BCL11B were analyzed.ResultsBased on the computational prediction that certain miRNAs bind the BCL11B 3′‐UTR, miR‐17‐3p, miR‐17‐5p, miR‐29c‐3p, miR‐92a‐3p, miR‐214‐3p and miR‐214‐5p were found to be candidates for regulating BCL11B. The expression levels of the six miRNAs were decreased compared with HIs, and with the exception of miR‐17‐5p, statistically significant differences in expression levels were found in the T‐ALL group. Moreover, while significantly higher BCL11B expression was found in the T‐ALL group, a negative trend in the correlation level for all six miRNAs could be found in all groups; however, statistical significance was only found for miR‐214‐3p in the T‐ALL group.ConclusionmiRNA downregulation together with BCL11B upregulation suggests that miR‐17, miR‐29c, miR‐92a and miR‐214 might be involved in BCL11B regulation. The therapeutic promise of regulating the expression of these miRNAs for T‐ALL therapy may be considered in the future.
Brachyury oncogene is a prognostic factor in high‐risk testicular germ cell tumors
Authors: Pinto F. , Cárcano F. M. , da Silva E. C. A. , Vidal D. O. , Scapulatempo‐Neto C. , Lopes L. F. , Reis R. M. 
Published: May 2018

SummaryThe T‐box transcription factor Brachyury has been considered a cancer‐specific marker and a novel oncotarget in solid tumors. Brachyury overexpression has been described in various cancers, being associated with epithelial–mesenchymal transition, metastasis, and poor prognosis. However, its clinical association with testicular germ cell tumor is unknown. We analyzed the expression of Brachyury by immunohistochemistry in a series of well‐characterized testicular germ cell tumor samples and at transcript level by in silico analysis. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the clinical significance of Brachyury in testicular germ cell tumor. Brachyury cytoplasm immunostaining was present in 89.6% (86/96) of cases with nuclear staining observed in 24% (23/96) of testicular germ cell tumor. Bioinformatics microarray expression analysis of two independent cohorts of testicular germ cell tumors showed similar results with increased levels of Brachyury in testicular germ cell tumors and metastasis compared with normal testis. Clinically, Brachyury nuclear staining was statistically associated with lower event‐free survival (p = 0.04) and overall survival (p = 0.01) in intermediate/high‐risk testicular germ cell tumors. Univariate analysis showed that Brachyury nuclear subcellular localization was a predictor of poor prognosis (p = 0.02), while a tendency was observed by multivariate analysis (HR: 3.56, p = 0.06). In conclusion, these results indicate that Brachyury plays an oncogenic role in testicular germ cell tumors and its subcellular localization in the nucleus may constitute a novel biomarker of poor prognosis and a putative oncotarget for intermediate/high‐risk testicular germ cell tumor patients.
Vitamin D was not associated with survival or cerebrospinal fluid cathelicidin levels in children with bacterial meningitis
Authors: Savonius Okko , Pelkonen Tuula , Roine Irmeli , Viljakainen Heli , Andersson Sture , Fernandez Josefina , Peltola Heikki , Helve Otto 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAimVitamin D deficiency impairs the immunological system and has been associated with worse outcomes of infectious diseases, but its role in bacterial meningitis remains unknown. We investigated whether serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentrations related to disease outcomes and to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cathelicidin concentrations in childhood bacterial meningitis.MethodsAll consecutively enrolled patients in a clinical trial on childhood bacterial meningitis in Latin America in 1996–2003 were considered, and 142 children, with a median age of seven months who had a confirmed bacterial aetiology and frozen serum available for further analyses, were included in this study. Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were determined with a chemiluminescence immunoassay analyser, while CSF cathelicidin was measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsThe median serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentration was 96 (range 19–251) nmol/L. No relationship was found with patient survival, but children with any neurological sequelae had lower serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels than children without sequelae. Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D was unrelated to cathelicidin concentrations in CSF.ConclusionAlthough serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D in children with bacterial meningitis was not associated with survival or CSF cathelicidin concentrations, its relationship with more detailed disease outcomes warrants further study.
Doubly Robust Matching Estimators for High Dimensional Confounding Adjustment
Authors: Antonelli Joseph , Cefalu Matthew , Palmer Nathan , Agniel Denis 
Published: May 2018

Summary
Valid estimation of treatment effects from observational data requires proper control of confounding. If the number of covariates is large relative to the number of observations, then controlling for all available covariates is infeasible. In cases where a sparsity condition holds, variable selection or penalization can reduce the dimension of the covariate space in a manner that allows for valid estimation of treatment effects. In this article, we propose matching on both the estimated propensity score and the estimated prognostic scores when the number of covariates is large relative to the number of observations. We derive asymptotic results for the matching estimator and show that it is doubly robust in the sense that only one of the two score models need be correct to obtain a consistent estimator. We show via simulation its effectiveness in controlling for confounding and highlight its potential to address nonlinear confounding. Finally, we apply the proposed procedure to analyze the effect of gender on prescription opioid use using insurance claims data.
Persulfide synthases that are functionally coupled with translation mediate sulfur respiration in mammalian cells
Authors: Fujii Shigemoto , Sawa Tomohiro , Motohashi Hozumi , Akaike Takaaki 
Published: May 2018

Cysteine persulfide and polysulfide are produced in cells and exist in abundance in both low MW and protein fractions. However, the mechanism of regulation of the formation of cellular cysteine polysulfides and the physiological functions of cysteine persulfides/polysulfides produced in cells are not fully understood. We recently demonstrated that cysteinyl‐tRNA synthetase (CARS) is a novel cysteine persulfide synthase. CARS is involved in protein polysulfidation that is coupled with translation. In particular, mitochondria function in biogenesis and bioenergetics is also supported and up‐regulated by cysteine persulfide derived from mitochondrial CARS (also known as CARS2). Here, we provide an overview of recent advances in reactive persulfide research and our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the formation and the physiological roles of reactive persufides, with a primary focus on the formation of cysteine persulfide by CARS and the most fundamental mitochondrial bioenergetics mediated by persulfides, that is, sulfur respiration.Linked ArticlesThis article is part of a themed section on Chemical Biology of Reactive Sulfur Species. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v176.4/issuetoc
Folding, thrusting and diapirism: Competing mechanisms for shaping the structure of the north Dezful Embayment, Zagros, Iran
Authors: Najafi Mahdi , Vergés Jaume , Etemad‐Saeed Najmeh , Karimnejad Hamid Reza 
Published: May 2018

AbstractDifferentiating compressional growth strata from halokinetic sequences is not straightforward in foreland fold‐and‐thrust belts where compressional and diapiric processes were coeval. Although there are numerous studies on the role of salt layers in fold‐and‐thrust belts, very few focus on syntectonic evaporites where they are thick enough to develop diapirism. The tectonic structures of the northern Dezful Embayment, along the footwall of the Zagros Mountain Front Fault, show a complex evolution interpreted in this study by the concurrence of folding, thrusting and pre‐ and syn‐shortening diapirism of the lower Miocene Gachsaran evaporites. We explore this tectonic–diapiric–sedimentary interplay by combining field studies and remote‐sensing mapping, detailed stratigraphy and sedimentology, high‐quality seismic data, and step‐by‐step balanced tectono‐sedimentary restorations. Initial diapirism occurred soon after the deposition of at least 1.5 km thick Miocene Gachsaran evaporites during the sedimentation of up to 5 km thick Aghajari, Lahbari and Bakhtyari formations, which display syntectonic mixed growth strata and halokinetic sequences. These sedimentary sequences filled salt‐related minibasins, from which the Azanak Minibasin is the deepest, limited by growing salt walls and salt anticlines (Azanak thrust‐weld and the Saland–Lali anticline). Palaeocurrents and clasts compositions document fluvial diversions and exposure and erosion of Gachsaran evaporites along the active salt walls. Although, by further shortening, the precursor salt walls squeezed and reactivated as thrust‐welds structuring a duplex of overriding minibasins. During the deposition of the middle‐late Miocene Aghajari Formation, Kazhdumi and Pabdeh source rocks were buried to oil‐expulsion depths, and Sarvak and Asmari reservoirs were mildly folded in large and open anticlines. The Gachsaran system in the northern Dezful Embayment is collated with the structures of preshortening Hormuz salt and syn‐shortening Fars salt to highlight the important role of these ductile units in the tectonic evolution of the Zagros fold belt that is compared to syn‐compressional salt‐related Pyrenees, Carpathians, Sivas and Kuga fold belts.
Mechanisms underlying insect freeze tolerance
Authors: Toxopeus Jantina , Sinclair Brent J. 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACTFreeze tolerance – the ability to survive internal ice formation – has evolved repeatedly in insects, facilitating survival in environments with low temperatures and/or high risk of freezing. Surviving internal ice formation poses several challenges because freezing can cause cellular dehydration and mechanical damage, and restricts the opportunity to metabolise and respond to environmental challenges. While freeze‐tolerant insects accumulate many potentially protective molecules, there is no apparent ‘magic bullet’ – a molecule or class of molecules that appears to be necessary or sufficient to support this cold‐tolerance strategy. In addition, the mechanisms underlying freeze tolerance have been minimally explored. Herein, we frame freeze tolerance as the ability to survive a process: freeze‐tolerant insects must withstand the challenges associated with cooling (low temperatures), freezing (internal ice formation), and thawing. To do so, we hypothesise that freeze‐tolerant insects control the quality and quantity of ice, prevent or repair damage to cells and macromolecules, manage biochemical processes while frozen/thawing, and restore physiological processes post‐thaw. Many of the molecules that can facilitate freeze tolerance are also accumulated by other cold‐ and desiccation‐tolerant insects. We suggest that, when freezing offered a physiological advantage, freeze tolerance evolved in insects that were already adapted to low temperatures or desiccation, or in insects that could withstand small amounts of internal ice formation. Although freeze tolerance is a complex cold‐tolerance strategy that has evolved multiple times, we suggest that a process‐focused approach (in combination with appropriate techniques and model organisms) will facilitate hypothesis‐driven research to understand better how insects survive internal ice formation.
Measuring Social Capital with Twitter within the Electronics and ICT Cluster of the Basque Country
Authors: Etxabe Igor 
Published: May 2018

Social network sites like Twitter enable the creation of virtual environments where online communities are formed around specific topics. Lately, due to their increasing success, these platforms are turning out to be effective for electronic word–of–mouth communication since they can be used as another means to spread information and build a network of contacts. In this paper, Twitter is used as a proxy to measure social capital in the electronics and ICT cluster, one of the 22 clusters integrated in the Basque cluster policy. Tweets were extracted through REST and Streaming API and later on studied using Social Network Analysis, both from the static and dynamic perspective. Above all, I highlight a strong correlation at the structural and relational level, intra and inter dimensionally. The social and organizational proximity may explain the tighter relationships among affiliates, where the association that rules the cluster and other firms play an important role.
IntAct: intra‐operative fluorescence angiography to prevent anastomotic leak in rectal cancer surgery: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Armstrong G. , Croft J. , Corrigan N. , Brown J. M. , Goh V. , Quirke P. , Hulme C. , Tolan D. , Kirby A. , Cahill R. , O'Connell P. R. , Miskovic D. , Coleman M. , Jayne D. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAimAnastomotic leak (AL) is a major complication of rectal cancer surgery. Despite advances in surgical practice, the rates of AL have remained static, at around 10–15%. The aetiology of AL is multifactorial, but one of the most crucial risk factors, which is mostly under the control of the surgeon, is blood supply to the anastomosis. The MRC/NIHR IntAct study will determine whether assessment of anastomotic perfusion using a fluorescent dye (indocyanine green) and near‐infrared laparoscopy can minimize the rate of AL leak compared with conventional white‐light laparoscopy. Two mechanistic sub‐studies will explore the role of the rectal microbiome in AL and the predictive value of CT angiography/perfusion studies.MethodIntAct is a prospective, unblinded, parallel‐group, multicentre, European, randomized controlled trial comparing surgery with intra‐operative fluorescence angiography (IFA) against standard care (surgery with no IFA). The primary end‐point is rate of clinical AL at 90 days following surgery. Secondary end‐points include all AL (clinical and radiological), change in planned anastomosis, complications and re‐interventions, use of stoma, cost‐effectiveness of the intervention and quality of life. Patients should have a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the rectum suitable for potentially curative surgery by anterior resection. Over 3 years, 880 patients from 25 European centres will be recruited and followed up for 90 days.DiscussionIntAct will rigorously evaluate the use of IFA in rectal cancer surgery and explore the role of the microbiome in AL and the predictive value of preoperative CT angiography/perfusion scanning.