bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Histology of the spermateca and stored sperm of Tenuisvalvae notata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Authors: Túler Amanda C. , Silva‐Torres Christian S. A. , Teixeira Valéria W. , Teixeira Alvaro A. C. , Guedes Carolina A. , D'Assunção Carolline G. , Brayner Fábio A. , Alves Luiz C. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe predatory ladybird beetle Tenuisvalvae notata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) (Mulsant) is a polygamous species and its morphology, as well as the storage capacity of seminal fluid in the spermatheca, may affect its reproductive performance. Thus, the present study evaluates the spermatheca morphology of virgin and mated T. notata females using light and scanning microscopy. The results show that the spermatheca of T. notata is kidney shaped and consists only of the receptacle and spermathecal duct, being morphologically similar in virgin and mated females. There is no secretion in the spermathecae of virgin females and, in mated females, only once it was not possible to observe the presence of spermatozoa. By contrast, females mate multiple times it is possible to observe spermatozoa in the lumen of the spermatheca surrounding the secreted material. Polygamy in T. notata might be related to the maintenance of viable spermatozoa in the spermatheca, in which case the female would prefer to copulate more times during its adult life than to store spermatozoa for a longer period of time.
Quantifying Direct DNA Damage in the Basal Layer of Skin Exposed to UV Radiation from Sunbeds
Authors: Barnard Isla Rose Mary , Tierney Patrick , Campbell Catherine Louise , McMillan Lewis , Moseley Harry , Eadie Ewan , Brown Christian Thomas Alcuin , Wood Kenneth 
Published: May 2018

AbstractNonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancers are attributable to DNA damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure. One DNA photoproduct, the cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD), is believed to lead to DNA mutations caused by UV radiation. Using radiative transfer simulations, we compare the number of CPDs directly induced by UV irradiation from artificial and natural UV sources (a standard sunbed and the midday summer Mediterranean sun) for skin types I and II on the Fitzpatrick scale. We use Monte Carlo radiative transfer (MCRT) modeling to track the progression of UV photons through a multilayered three dimensional (3D) grid that simulates the upper layers of the skin. By recording the energy deposited in the DNA‐containing cells of the basal layer, the number of CPDs formed can be quantified. The aim of this work was to compare the number of CPDs formed in the basal layer of the skin and by implication the risk of developing cancer, as a consequence of irradiation by artificial and natural sources. Our simulations show that the number of CPDs formed per second during sunbed irradiation is almost three times that formed during solar irradiation.
Haematological and immunological reference intervals for adult population in the state of Amhara, Ethiopia
Authors: Enawgaw Bamlaku , Birhan Wubet , Abebe Molla , Terefe Betelihem , Baynes Habtamu Wondifraw , Deressa Tekalign , Melku Mulugeta 
Published: May 2018

AbstractObjectiveReference intervals (RIs) currently being used in Ethiopia are derived from western populations. Thus, this study aimed to establish locally derived haematological and immunological RIs.MethodThe study was conducted in Amhara State, Ethiopia with a total of 967 (55.2% males) participants. 56.9% of males and 43.1% of females were eligible for haematological and immunological RI determination. A non‐parametric test was used for the determination of upper (97.5th percentile) and lower (2.5th percentile) reference interval limits with 95% CI. The Harris and Boyd Rule was used to determine the need of partitioning of reference intervals based on gender.ResultThe established 95% reference intervals (2.5th–97.5th percentile) were: for WBC: 3–11.2 × 109/l; for platelet: 90–399 × 109/l; for RBC: 4–6 × 1012/l for males and 3.5–5.6 × 1012/l for females; for haemoglobin: (Hgb) 12–18.9 g/dl for males and 10.7–17.5 g/dl for females; for PCV: 35.7–55.3% for males and 32.2–50.1% for females; for CD4: 400–1430 × 109/l for males and 466–1523 × 109/l for females; for CD4 percentage: 18–49.1% for males and 21.3–52.9% for females; for MCV: 81–100 fl; for MCH: 25.3–34.6 pg; MCHC: 28.8–36.9%; for RDW: 11.6–15.4% and for MPV: 8–12.3 fl. Males had significantly higher RBC, Hgb and PCV than females. CD4 counts and CD4 percentage were significantly higher in females.ConclusionThe reference intervals established in this study differ from others and thus should be used for the interpretation of laboratory results in diagnosis and safety monitoring in clinical trials in Amhara.
Urine Specific Gravity as a Practical Marker for Identifying Suboptimal Fluid Intake of Runners ∼12-hr Postexercise
Authors: O’Neal Eric Kyle , Johnson Samantha Louise , Davis Brett Alan , Pribyslavska Veronika , Stevenson-Wilcoxson Mary Caitlin 
Published: May 2018

The legitimacy of urine specific gravity (USG) as a stand-alone measure to detect hydration status has recently been challenged. As an alternative to hydration status, the purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic capability of using the traditional USG marker of >1.020 to detect insufficient recovery fluid consumption with consideration for moderate versus high sweat losses (2.00–2.99 or >3% body mass, respectively). Adequate recovery fluid intake was operationally defined as ≥100% beverage fluid intake plus food water from one or two meals and a snack. Runners (n = 59) provided 132 samples from five previous investigations in which USG was assessed 10–14 hr after 60–90 min runs in temperate-to-hot environments. Samples were collected after a meal (n = 58) and after waking (n = 74). When sweat losses exceeded 3% body mass (n = 60), the relationship between fluid replacement percentage and USG increased from r = −.55 to −.70. Correct diagnostic decision improved from 66.6 to 83.3%, and receiver operating characteristic area under the curve increased the diagnostic accuracy score from 0.76 to approaching excellent (0.86). Artifacts of significant prerun hyperhydration (eight of 15 samples has USG <1.005) may explain false positive diagnoses, while almost all (84%) cases of false positives were found when sweat losses were <3.0% of body mass. Evidence from this study suggests that euhydrated runners experiencing significant sweat losses who fail to reach adequate recovery fluid intake levels can be identified by USG irrespective of acute meal and fluid intake ∼12-hr postrun.
Molecular Epidemiology of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) on New Zealand Dairy Farms: Application of a Culture-Independent Assay and Whole-Genome Sequencing
Authors: Browne A. Springer , Midwinter Anne C. , Withers Helen , Cookson Adrian L. , Biggs Patrick J. , Marshall Jonathan C. , Benschop Jackie , Hathaway Steve , Haack Neville A. , Akhter Rukhshana N. , French Nigel P. 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACT

New Zealand has a relatively high incidence of human cases of Shiga toxin-producing
Escherichia coli
(STEC), with 8.9 STEC cases per 100,000 people reported in 2016. Previous research showed living near cattle and contact with cattle feces as significant risk factors for STEC infections in humans in New Zealand, but infection was not linked to food-associated factors. During the 2014 spring calving season, a random, stratified, cross-sectional study of dairy farms (
n
= 102) in six regions across New Zealand assessed the prevalence of the “Top 7” STEC bacteria (serogroups O157, O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) in young calves (
n
= 1,508), using a culture-independent diagnostic test (PCR/MALDI-TOF). Twenty percent (306/1,508) of calves on 75% (76/102) of dairy farms were positive for at least one of the “Top 7” STEC bacteria. STEC carriage by calves was associated with environmental factors, increased calf age, region, and increased number of calves in a shared calf pen. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ρ) indicated strong clustering of “Top 7” STEC-positive calves for O157, O26, and O45 serogroups within the same pens and farms, indicating that if one calf was positive, others in the same environment were likely to be positive as well. This finding was further evaluated with whole-genome sequencing, which indicated that a single
E. coli
O26 clonal strain could be found in calves in the same pen or farm, but different strains existed on different farms. This study provides evidence that would be useful for designing on-farm interventions to reduce direct and indirect human exposure to STEC bacteria.

IMPORTANCE
Cattle are asymptomatic carriers of Shiga toxin-producing
E. coli
(STEC) bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea and kidney failure in humans if ingested. New Zealand has relatively high numbers of STEC cases, and contact with cattle feces and living near cattle are risk factors for human infection. This study assessed the national prevalence of STEC in young dairy cattle by randomly selecting 102 farms throughout New Zealand. The study used a molecular laboratory method that has relatively high sensitivity and specificity compared to traditional methods. “Top 7” STEC was found in 20% of calves on 75% of the farms studied, indicating widespread prevalence across the country. By examining the risk factors associated with calf carriage, potential interventions that could decrease the prevalence of “Top 7” STEC bacteria at the farm level were identified, which could benefit both public health and food safety.
Comparative Genomics Reveals the Core Gene Toolbox for the Fungus-Insect Symbiosis
Authors: Wang Yan , Stata Matt , Wang Wei , Stajich Jason E. , White Merlin M. , Moncalvo Jean-Marc 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACT
Modern genomics has shed light on many entomopathogenic fungi and expanded our knowledge widely; however, little is known about the genomic features of the insect-commensal fungi. Harpellales are obligate commensals living in the digestive tracts of disease-bearing insects (black flies, midges, and mosquitoes). In this study, we produced and annotated whole-genome sequences of nine Harpellales taxa and conducted the first comparative analyses to infer the genomic diversity within the members of the Harpellales. The genomes of the insect gut fungi feature low (26% to 37%) GC content and large genome size variations (25 to 102 Mb). Further comparisons with insect-pathogenic fungi (from both Ascomycota and Zoopagomycota), as well as with free-living relatives (as negative controls), helped to identify a gene toolbox that is essential to the fungus-insect symbiosis. The results not only narrow the genomic scope of fungus-insect interactions from several thousands to eight core players but also distinguish host invasion strategies employed by insect pathogens and commensals. The genomic content suggests that insect commensal fungi rely mostly on adhesion protein anchors that target digestive system, while entomopathogenic fungi have higher numbers of transmembrane helices, signal peptides, and pathogen-host interaction (PHI) genes across the whole genome and enrich genes as well as functional domains to inactivate the host inflammation system and suppress the host defense. Phylogenomic analyses have revealed that genome sizes of Harpellales fungi vary among lineages with an integer-multiple pattern, which implies that ancient genome duplications may have occurred within the gut of insects.

IMPORTANCE
Insect guts harbor various microbes that are important for host digestion, immune response, and disease dispersal in certain cases. Bacteria, which are among the primary endosymbionts, have been studied extensively. However, fungi, which are also frequently encountered, are poorly known with respect to their biology within the insect guts. To understand the genomic features and related biology, we produced the whole-genome sequences of nine gut commensal fungi from disease-bearing insects (black flies, midges, and mosquitoes). The results show that insect gut fungi tend to have low GC content across their genomes. By comparing these commensals with entomopathogenic and free-living fungi that have available genome sequences, we found a universal core gene toolbox that is unique and thus potentially important for the insect-fungus symbiosis. This comparative work also uncovered different host invasion strategies employed by insect pathogens and commensals, as well as a model system to study ancient fungal genome duplication within the gut of insects.
Fighting Antibiotic-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae with “Sweet” Immune Targets
Authors: Adamo Roberto , Margarit Immaculada 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACT

Antibiotics and vaccines have greatly impacted human health in the last century by dramatically reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases. The recent challenge posed by the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria could possibly be addressed by novel immune prophylactic and therapeutic approaches. Among the newly threatening pathogens,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
is particularly worrisome in the nosocomial setting, and its surface polysaccharides are regarded as promising antigen candidates. The majority of
Klebsiella
carbapenem-resistant strains belong to the sequence type 158 (ST258) lineage, with two main clades expressing capsular polysaccharides CPS1 and CPS2. In a recent article, S. D. Kobayashi and colleagues (mBio 9:e00297-18, 2018,
https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00297-18
) show that CPS2-specific IgGs render ST258 clade 2 bacteria more sensitive to human serum and phagocytic killing. E. Diago-Navarro et al. (mBio 9:e00091-18, 2018,
https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00091-18
) generated two murine monoclonal antibodies recognizing distinct glycotopes of CPS2 that presented functional activity against multiple ST258 strains. These complementary studies represent a step toward the control of this dangerous pathogen.
Tipifarnib Inhibits HRAS-Driven Dedifferentiated Thyroid Cancers
Authors: Untch Brian R. , Dos Anjos Vanessa , Garcia-Rendueles Maria E.R. , Knauf Jeffrey A. , Krishnamoorthy Gnana P. , Saqcena Mahesh , Bhanot Umeshkumar K. , Socci Nicholas D. , Ho Alan L. , Ghossein Ronald , Fagin James A. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
Of the three RAS oncoproteins, only HRAS is delocalized and inactivated by farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTI), an approach yet to be exploited clinically. In this study, we treat mice bearing Hras-driven poorly differentiated and anaplastic thyroid cancers (Tpo-Cre/HrasG12V/p53flox/flox) with the FTI tipifarnib. Treatment caused sustained tumor regression and increased survival; however, early and late resistance was observed. Adaptive reactivation of RAS–MAPK signaling was abrogated in vitro by selective RTK (i.e., EGFR, FGFR) inhibitors, but responses were ineffective in vivo, whereas combination of tipifarnib with the MEK inhibitor AZD6244 improved outcomes. A subset of tumor-bearing mice treated with tipifarnib developed acquired resistance. Whole-exome sequencing of resistant tumors identified a Nf1 nonsense mutation and an activating mutation in Gnas at high allelic frequency, supporting the on-target effects of the drug. Cell lines modified with these genetic lesions recapitulated tipifarnib resistance in vivo. This study demonstrates the feasibility of targeting Ras membrane association in cancers in vivo and predicts combination therapies that confer additional benefit.
Significance: Tipifarnib effectively inhibits oncogenic HRAS-driven tumorigenesis and abrogating adaptive signaling improves responses. NF1 and GNAS mutations drive acquired resistance to Hras inhibition, supporting the on-target effects of the drug. Cancer Res; 78(16); 4642–57. ©2018 AACR.
Nanoparticles That Reshape the Tumor Milieu Create a Therapeutic Window for Effective T-cell Therapy in Solid Malignancies
Authors: Zhang Fan , Stephan Sirkka B. , Ene Chibawanye I. , Smith Tyrel T. , Holland Eric C. , Stephan Matthias T. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
A major obstacle to the success rate of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-) T-cell therapy against solid tumors is the microenvironment antagonistic to T cells that solid tumors create. Conventional checkpoint blockade can silence lymphocyte antisurvival pathways activated by tumors, but because they are systemic, these treatments disrupt immune homeostasis and induce autoimmune side effects. Thus, new technologies are required to remodel the tumor milieu without causing systemic toxicities. Here, we demonstrate that targeted nanocarriers that deliver a combination of immune-modulatory agents can remove protumor cell populations and simultaneously stimulate antitumor effector cells. We administered repeated infusions of lipid nanoparticles coated with the tumor-targeting peptide iRGD and loaded with a combination of a PI3K inhibitor to inhibit immune-suppressive tumor cells and an α-GalCer agonist of therapeutic T cells to synergistically sway the tumor microenvironment of solid tumors from suppressive to stimulatory. This treatment created a therapeutic window of 2 weeks, enabling tumor-specific CAR-T cells to home to the lesion, undergo robust expansion, and trigger tumor regression. CAR-T cells administered outside this therapeutic window had no curative effect. The lipid nanoparticles we used are easy to manufacture in substantial amounts, and we demonstrate that repeated infusions of them are safe. Our technology may therefore provide a practical and low-cost strategy to potentiate many cancer immunotherapies used to treat solid tumors, including T-cell therapy, vaccines, and BITE platforms.
Significance: A new nanotechnology approach can promote T-cell therapy for solid tumors. Cancer Res; 78(13); 3718–30. ©2018 AACR.
Al-Jāḥiẓ on Misarticulation: Bayān 1.34.4-74.8
Authors: Montgomery James E. 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The Kitāb al-Bayān wa-l-Tabyīn (The Book of Clear Communication) by Abū ʿUthmān al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 255/868) is an encyclopaedic study of communication and its place within human societies—specifically of communication through Arabic, the language of divine revelation, and its place within the ʿAbbasid polity. God’s use of Arabic in the Qurʾān endowed the community of Muslims with a special status. The proper use of Arabic was central to how man fully and appropriately thanked God for His gift of creation. It was also central to how the Qurʾān was properly recited and explicated. This article presents a translation of the majority of a chapter from the first volume of Kitāb al-Bayān wa-l-Tabyīn in which al-Jāḥiẓ explores the phenomenon of misarticulation (luthghah). His exploration of this phenomenon touches on phonetics, physiology and anatomy, speech disorders (considered by al-Jāḥiẓ to be ‘defects’), linguistic barbarisms, and mimicry, and thus it becomes an exposition of what clear communication is not.
In Search of an “Argentine Philology”: The Instituto de Filología at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1923-1929
Authors: Gramuglia Pablo Martínez 
Published: May 2018

Abstract
The Instituto de Filología at the Universidad de Buenos Aires owed its creation in 1922 to an eminent intellectual, Ricardo Rojas, dean of the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras at the time, who expected that the development of the humanities would help to reinvigorate and nationalise a society considered too materialistic and without identity. The first directors of the Institute were part of Ramón Menéndez Pidal’s school in Madrid, who went to Buenos Aires to collaborate with the new institution, but with their own research interests and a political neo-colonialist agenda. The expected encounter between an Argentine nationalist institution and a group of well-trained philologists from another country was forceful and had a different outcome, giving birth to a centre of scientific excellence, but with different goals and tasks.
Tellings of an Encounter: A Meeting between Muḥammad ʿAbduh, Herbert Spencer and Wilfrid Blunt (1903)
Authors: Kateman Ammeke 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn 1903, the Islamic reformist Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849-1905), the English philosopher Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) and the English writer Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (1840-1922) met in Spencer’s home in Brighton. This article focuses on the history of the various tellings of this encounter that brought together three intellectuals from a globalizing and colonial world. It shows that the various renditions were creative negotiations of the encounter’s meaning across times, places and languages in the twentieth century. Specifically, this article’s comparison of the content, form and role of the accounts in Rashīd Riḍā’sAl-Manār(1915 and 1922), Blunt’sMy Diaries(1920), Riḍā’s biography of ʿAbduh (theTārīkh, 1931) and ʿImārah’s collection of ʿAbduh’s works (Al-Aʿmāl al-Kāmilah, 1972), and the way these accounts relate to each other through creative borrowing and translation, demonstrate the way European dominance in the global political and intellectual realm was confronted, negotiated and reiterated in the various tellings of the encounter.
Cross-Sectional Assessment of Achievement of Therapeutic Goals in a Canadian Multidisciplinary Clinic for Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Rinfret Félix , Lambert France , Youmbissi Joseph Tchetagni , Arcand Jean-François , Turcot Richard , Bessette Maral Alimardani , Bourque Solange , Moreau Vincent , Tousignant Karine , Deschênes Diane , Cloutier Lyne 
Published: May 2018

Background: The implementation of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) multidisciplinary clinics has now demonstrated their effectiveness in delaying and even avoiding dialysis for patients with CKD. However, very little has been documented on the management and achievement of targets for a number of parameters in this context. Objective: Our goal was to assess our multidisciplinary clinic therapy performance in relation to the targets for hypertension, anemia, and calcium phosphate assessment. Methods Design and setting: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a cohort including all patients followed up in our multidisciplinary clinic in July 2014. Measurements: Comorbidity, laboratory, and clinical data were collected and compared with the recommendations of scientific organizations. Results: The cohort included 128 patients, 37.5% of whom were women. Mean follow-up time was 26.6 ± 25.1 months and mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 14.0 ± 4.7 mL/min/1.73 m2. A total of 24.2% of patients with diabetes achieved blood pressure targets of <130/80 mm Hg, while 56.5% of patients without diabetes achieved targets of <140/90 mm Hg. Hemoglobin of patients treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents was 100 to 110 g/L in 36.2% of the patients, below 100 for 39.7% of them, and above 110 for 24.1%, whereas 67.2% were within the acceptable limits of 95 to 115 g/L. In addition, 63.4% of patients had a serum phosphate of <1.5 mmol/L, and 90.9% of patients had total serum calcium <2.5 mmol/L. Limitations: Our study is a single center study with the majority of our patients being Caucasian. This limits the generalizability of our findings. Conclusion: The control rates of various parameters were satisfactory given the difficult clinical context, but could be optimized. We publish these data in the hope that they are helpful to others engaged in quality improvement in their own programs or more generally.