bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Twenty-year Longitudinal Follow-up MRI Study of Asymptomatic Volunteers
Authors: Okada Eijiro , Daimon Kenshi , Fujiwara Hirokazu , Nishiwaki Yuji , Nojiri Kenya , Watanabe Masahiko , Katoh Hiroyuki , Shimizu Kentaro , Ishihama Hiroko , Fujita Nobuyuki , Tsuji Takashi , Nakamura Masaya , Matsumoto Morio , Watanabe Kota 
Published: August 2018

Study Design:
A 20-year longitudinal study.

Objective:
To evaluate the long-term effect of sagittal alignment of the cervical spine on intervertebral disk degeneration in healthy asymptomatic subjects.

Summary of Background Data:
This study continues a previous 10-year longitudinal study to determine whether sagittal alignment affects disk degeneration during normal aging.

Materials and Methods:
We assessed 90 healthy subjects (30 men and 60 women) from among 497 volunteers who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and plain radiographs of the cervical spine between 1994 and 1996 (follow-up rate 18.1%). The mean age at the initial study was 35.5±13.4 years (11–65 y). We compared initial MRIs and follow-up MRIs, conducted at an average of 21.6 years after the initial study, for (1) decreased signal intensity of the intervertebral disks, (2) posterior disk protrusion, and (3) disk-space narrowing from C2–3 to C7–T1. Subjects were grouped by age at follow-up (under 40 vs. 40 y and older) and by a lordotic or nonlordotic cervical sagittal alignment at baseline. We assessed neck pain, stiff shoulders, and upper-arm numbness at follow-up, and examined associations between clinical symptoms and MRI parameters.

Results:
Progressive changes during the 20-year period included a decrease in disk signal intensity (84.4% of subjects), posterior disk protrusion (86.7%), and disk-space narrowing (17.8%). No significant association was observed between sagittal alignment and decreased disk signal intensity, posterior disk protrusion, or disk-space narrowing. Among subjects over the age of 40, progressive degenerative changes at C7–T1 were significantly more frequent in nonlordotic subjects (90.9%) compared with those with cervical lordosis (54.2%, P=0.032). The prevalence of clinical symptoms was similar in lordotic and nonlordotic subjects at follow-up.

Conclusions:
Nonlordotic cervical alignment was related to the progression of disk degeneration at C7–T1 but not other levels. Cervical alignment did not affect the development of clinical symptoms in healthy subjects.

Level of Evidence:
Level III.
Clinical Application of Cultured Stratified Epithelial Sheets Grown Under Feeder or Feeder-Free Conditions for Stable Vitiligo
Authors: Li Jian , Chen Shujun , Uyama Taro , Wu Wenyu , Xu Jinhua 
Published: August 2018

BACKGROUND
Autologous cultured therapy has emerged as an effective treatment for stable vitiligo. However, culture methods may include harmful agents and be unsuitable for therapeutic use in humans.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the safety and efficacy of autologous cultured epithelial sheets propagated under serum-free and feeder-free conditions for the treatment of stable vitiligo.

METHODS
Twenty-eight patients with stable vitiligo were included in this study. Keratinocytes and melanocytes from 14 patients were cultured under serum-free, feeder-free conditions (Group A). Epithelial cells from the remaining 14 patients were cultured according to Rheinward and Green's technique (Group B). Patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after transplantation.

RESULTS
The epithelial sheets cultured in Group A were thinner and more fragile than Group B, but there were no significant differences in repigmentation between the 2 groups. At 12-month follow-up, in Group A, repigmentation at graft sites was classified as excellent in 9 patients and good in 2 patients. In Group B, repigmentation was excellent in 8 patients and good in 4 patients. Scars at the donor sites were the most frequent adverse events associated with the procedure.

CONCLUSION
Autologous epithelial sheet cultured in serum-free, feeder-free conditions is a safe and efficacious approach to cure stable vitiligo.
SPONTANEOUS CLOSURE OF MACULAR HOLE IN A PATIENT WITH MACULAR TELANGIECTASIA TYPE 2
Authors: Nalcı Hilal , Batıoğlu Figen , Demirel Sibel , Özmert Emin 
Published: August 2018

Purpose:
To present a case of macular hole associated with macular telangiectasia Type 2 (Mac-Tel 2) which underwent spontaneous closure.

Methods:
A 58-year-old woman is admitted with complaints of blurred and distorted vision. Optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, and optical coherence tomography angiography were performed for diagnosis and follow-up.

Results:
Optical coherence tomography revealed hyporeflective cavitations in both eyes, and full-thickness macular hole covered with internal limiting membrane drape in the left eye. Fundus autofluorescence showed loss of hypoautofluorescence in temporal parafoveal area in the right eye, and centrally in the left one. Vascular irregularities were detected in optical coherence tomography angiography images. The patient was diagnosed as Mac-Tel 2. During the follow-up, the macular hole underwent a process of spontaneous closure, starting as bridging at the level of external limiting membrane and outer nuclear layer followed by further repairment and organization of the outer plexiform layer, accompanied with visual gain.

Conclusion:
Spontaneous closure of macular hole in patients with Mac-Tel 2 is a rare entity. We hypothesize that extension or proliferation of Muller cells, which leads to reconstruction of normal foveal structure, is the main mechanism for this phenomenon.
Female Sport Participation Effect on Long-Term Health-Related Quality of Life
Authors: Stracciolini Andrea , Amar-Dolan Laura , Howell David R. , Alex Taylor , Berkner Paul , Sandstrom Noah J. , Peluso Mark , Kurtz Mathew , Mannix Rebekah , Meehan William P. 
Published: August 2018

Background:
Female participation in sport has grown substantially over the last 4 decades.

Objectives:
We investigated the association between sports participation and (1) later-life health outcomes and (2) later-life quality-of-life (QoL) measures among female college alumni.

Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional study of female alumni between the ages of 40 and 70 years. Participants completed a questionnaire that included QoL measures assessing general health, negative consequences of alcohol use, mental health, and other self-reported health outcomes. We divided alumni into athletes and nonathletes. Between-group comparisons of health outcomes were adjusted for age; QoL measures were adjusted for age, exercise habits, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and comorbidities.

Results:
Questionnaires were sent to 47 836 alumni, 3702 (8%) responded. Forty-four percent of female respondents participated in collegiate sports. After adjusting for age, female respondents who participated in collegiate sports were more likely to exercise >3×/week (61.8% vs 50.2%; P ≤ 0.001), view themselves in good/great health (91% vs 85%; P < 0.001), and less likely to have ever smoked (13.6% vs 25.3%; P ≤ 0.001) or used recreational drugs (7.5% vs 9.5%; P = 0.018). A smaller proportion of female athletes reported hypertension (5.5% vs 13.5%; P ≤ 0.001), high cholesterol (9.9% vs 17.0%; P < 0.001), and obesity (3.1% vs 6.8%; P = 0.001) compared with nonathletes. Participation in sports was, however, associated with decreased mobility (R
2 = 0.1826; P = 0.002) and increased anxiety (R
2 = 0.039; P = 0.016) QoL scores.

Conclusions:
Sports participation for female collegiate athletes was associated with mostly positive health outcomes, but also with lower mobility and increased anxiety QoL scores.
Characteristics of Adults Managing Vitamins/Supplements and Prescribed Medications–Who Is Using, Not Using, and Abandoning Use of Pillboxes?
Authors: Bartlett Ellis Rebecca J. , Ganci Aaron , Head Katharine J. , Ofner Susan 
Published: August 2018

Purpose:
Evidence suggests pillboxes are effective for improving medication adherence. However, prior descriptive studies about pillbox use are limited to studies of older adults or condition-specific studies. This study describes characteristics of adults with chronic conditions and their use of pillboxes.

Methods:
A survey questionnaire link was posted on a social media recruitment page from August 2016 to April 2017.

Results:
The sample of 179 people was middle-age (47.7 ± 15.4 years), predominantly white (90.4%), educated (>93% educated beyond high school), female (n = 148; men n = 26), married/partner (58.2%), and working full time (55.9%). Pillboxes were used by 66% (n = 118) of the sample at some point; 22.9% reported pillbox abandonment. Compared with people who never used a pillbox, current pillbox users were older (53.2 ± 14.3 vs 42.0 ± 14.4 years; P < .001) and took more vitamins/supplements (3.9 ± 3.8 vs 2 ± 1.8, P = .002) and prescribed medications (4.2 ± 2.2 vs 2.6 ± 1.9, P < .001). Adherence did not differ between groups; pillbox users were more likely to refill medications before running out compared with those abandoning use, P < .001.

Conclusion:
Age and number of medications may affect pillbox use. Future research should explore barriers to continued use of pillboxes and uptake in younger populations.
Maximizing Recovery From Concussions for Youth Participating in Sports and Recreational Activities
Authors: Murata Nathan M. , Oshiro Ross , Furutani Troy , Tsushima William T. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractConcussions have become a public health issue. This public health concern has drawn the attention of many states in which laws were created to address concussions safety, recognition of signs and symptoms, immediate removal, medical clearance, and return-to-play protocols. Most state legislation focused on student athletes participating in organized sports. However, the rise in concussion can be directly attributed to children, youth, and adolescents participating in nonsports-related events. Maximizing recovery from a concussion involves implementing education programs that focus on recognition of symptoms, treatment, and return-to-learn options. Treatment strategies used to address concussed youth include physical and cognitive rest and minimizing external stimuli that can increase symptoms. Because learning is a direct outcome for all youth, a return-to-learn protocol based on a collaborative school-based team approach is suggested.
Breast Implant Mycobacterial Infections: An Epidemiologic Review and Outcome Analysis
Authors: Al-Halabi Becher , Viezel-Mathieu Alex , Shulman Zachary , Behr Marcel A. , Fouda Neel Omar 
Published: August 2018

Background:
Epidemiologic evidence of periprosthetic mycobacterial infections is limited. The recent boom in cosmetic surgery tourism has been associated with a rise of surgical-site infections in returning patients. This review aims to explore available data, examine trends of documented periprosthetic mycobacterial infections, and analyze outcomes of management techniques.

Methods:
A search in the Biosis, Embase, LILACS, MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases from inception until December of 2017 for “Breast Implants” and “Mycobacterial Infections” and equivalents was performed. Data were pooled after two screening rounds following full-text retrieval and cross-referencing.

Results:
Forty-one reports describing 171 female patients who had breast prosthesis–related mycobacterial infections were identified. Bibliometric case-based analysis revealed a rise of periprosthetic mycobacterial infections in developing countries since the start of the millennium. The mean patient’s age was 37.9 years and the majority of patients had undergone bilateral breast augmentation. Most patients presented with breast pain or tenderness, after an average incubation period of 9 months. Mycobacterium fortuitum was isolated from 90 cases (52.6 percent). Immediate explantation with or without delayed reimplantation was the most commonly used surgical strategy, complemented by combination antimicrobial therapy for an average of 4.6 months. The mean follow-up time was 39.7 months, during which recurrence was observed in 21 of 171 patients (12.3 percent).

Conclusions:
The emergence of periprosthetic mycobacterial infections in relation to cosmetic medical tourism alerts clinicians to the importance of educating the public about the associated risks. In addition, this study identifies risk factors associated with recurrence of periprosthetic mycobacterial infections.
A bispecific immunotweezer prevents soluble PrP oligomers and abolishes prion toxicity
Authors: Bardelli Marco , Frontzek Karl , Simonelli Luca , Hornemann Simone , Pedotti Mattia , Mazzola Federica , Carta Manfredi , Eckhardt Valeria , D’Antuono Rocco , Virgilio Tommaso , González Santiago F. , Aguzzi Adriano , Varani Luca 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAntibodies to the prion protein, PrP, represent a promising therapeutic approach against prion diseases but the neurotoxicity of certain anti-PrP antibodies has caused concern. Here we describe scPOM-bi, a bispecific antibody designed to function as a molecular prion tweezer. scPOM-bi combines the complementarity-determining regions of the neurotoxic antibody POM1 and the neuroprotective POM2, which bind the globular domain (GD) and flexible tail (FT) respectively. We found that scPOM-bi confers protection to prion-infected organotypic cerebellar slices even when prion pathology is already conspicuous. Moreover, scPOM-bi prevents the formation of soluble oligomers that correlate with neurotoxic PrP species. Simultaneous targeting of both GD and FT was more effective than concomitant treatment with the individual molecules or targeting the tail alone, possibly by preventing the GD from entering a toxic-prone state. We conclude that simultaneous binding of the GD and flexible tail of PrP results in strong protection from prion neurotoxicity and may represent a promising strategy for anti-prion immunotherapy.Author summaryAntibody immunotherapy is considered a viable strategy against prion disease. We previously showed that antibodies against the so-called globular domain of Prion Protein (PrP) can cause PrP dependent neurotoxicity; this does not happen for antibodies against the flexible tail of PrP, which therefore ought to be preferred for therapy.Here we show that simultaneous targeting of both globular domain and flexible tail by a bispecific, combination of a toxic and a non-toxic antibody, results in stronger protection against prion toxicity, even if the bispecific is administered when prion pathology is already conspicuous.We hypothesize that neurotoxicity arises from binding to specific “toxicity triggering sites” in the globular domain. We designed our bispecific with two aims: i) occupying one such site and preventing prion or other factors from docking to it and ii) binding to the flexible tail to engage the region of PrP necessary for neurotoxicity.We also show that neurotoxic antibodies cause the formation of soluble PrP oligomers that cause toxicity on PrP expressing cell lines; these are not formed in the presence of prion protective antibodies. We suggest that these soluble species might play a role in prion toxicity, similarly to what is generally agreed to happen in other neurodegenerative disorders.
Resolving the individual contribution of key microbial populations to enhanced biological phosphorus removal with Raman-FISH
Authors: Fernando Eustace Y. , Mcllroy Simon Jon , Nierychlo Marta , Herbst Florian-Alexander , Schmid Markus C. , Wagner Michael , Nielsen Jeppe Lund , Nielsen Per Halkjær 
Published: August 2018

AbstractEnhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is a globally important biotechnological process and relies on the massive accumulation of phosphate within special microorganisms.CandidatusAccumulibacter conform to classical physiology model for polyphosphate accumulating organisms and are widely believed to be the most important player for the process in full-scale EBPR systems. However, it was impossible till now to quantify the contribution of specific microbial clades to EBPR. In this study, we have developed a new tool to directly link the identity of microbial cells to the absolute quantification of intracellular poly-P and other polymers underin situconditions, and applied it to eight full-scale EBPR plants. BesidesCa. Accumulibacter, members of the genusTetrasphaerawere found to be important microbes for P accumulation, and in six plants they were the most important. As theseTetrasphaeracells did not exhibit the classical phenotype of poly-P accumulating microbes, our entire understanding of the microbiology of the EBPR process has to be revised. Furthermore, our new single-cell approach can now also be applied to quantify storage polymer dynamics in individual populationsin situin other ecosystems and might become a valuable tool for many environmental microbiologists.
Persistent activity in primate auditory cortex evoked by sensory stimulation
Authors: Cooke James E. , Lee Julie J. , Bartlett Edward L. , Wang Xiaoqin , Bendor Daniel 
Published: August 2018

AbstractPersistent activity, the elevated firing of a neuron after the termination of a stimulus, is hypothesized to play a critical role in working memory. This form of activity is therefore typically studied within the context of a behavioural task that includes a working memory component. Here we investigated whether persistent activity is observed in sensory cortex and thalamus in the absence of any explicit behavioural task. We recorded spiking activity from single units in the auditory cortex (fields A1, R and RT) and thalamus of awake, passively-listening marmosets. We observed persistent activity that lasted for hundreds of milliseconds following the termination of the acoustic stimulus, in the absence of a task. Persistent activity was observed following both adapting and sustained responses during the stimulus and showed similar stimulus tuning to these evoked responses. Persistent activity was also observed following suppression in firing during the stimulus. These response types were observed across all cortical fields tested, but were largely absent from thalamus. As well as being of shorter duration, thalamic persistent activity emerged following a longer latency than in cortex, indicating that persistent activity may be generated within auditory cortex during passive listening. Given that these responses were observed in the absence of a explicit behavioural task, persistent activity in sensory cortex may have functional importance beyond storing task-relevant information in working memory.
Tree Shape-based approaches for the Comparative study of Cophylogeny
Authors: Avino Mariano , Ng Garway T. , He Yiying , Renaud Mathias S. , Jones Bradley R. , Poon Art F. Y. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractCophylogeny is the congruence of phylogenetic relationships between two different groups of organisms due to their long-term interaction, such as between host and pathogen species. Discordance between host and pathogen phylogenies may occur due to pathogen host-switch events, pathogen speciation within a host species, and extinction. Here, we investigated the use of tree shape distance measures to quantify the degree of cophylogeny for the comparative analysis of host-pathogen interactions across taxonomic groups.We firstly implemented a coalescent model to simulate pathogen phylogenies within a fixed host tree, given the cospeciation probability, migration rate between hosts, and pathogen speciation rate within hosts.Next, we used simulations from this model to evaluate 13 distance metrics between these trees and the host tree, including Robinson-Foulds distance and two kernel distances that we developed for labeled and unlabeled trees, which use branch lengths and can accommodate trees of different sizes. Finally, we used these distance metrics to revisit actual datasets from published cophylogenetic studies across all taxonomic groups, where authors described the observed associations as representing a high or low degree of cophylogeny.Our simulation analyses demonstrated that some metrics are more informative than others with respect to specific coevolution parameters. For example, the Sim metric was the most responsive to variation in coalescence rates, whereas the unlabeled kernel metric was the most responsive to cospeciation probabilities. We also determined that distance metrics were more informative about the model parameters when the underlying parameter values did not assume extreme values,e.g.,rapid host switching. When applied to real datasets, projection of these trees’ associations into a parameter space defined by the 13 distance metrics revealed some clustering of studies reporting low concordance. This suggested that different investigators are describing concordance in a consistent way across biological systems, and that these expert subjective assessments can be at least partly quantified using distance metrics.Our results support the hypothesis that tree distance measures can be useful for quantifying host and pathogen cophylogeny. This motivates the usage of distance metrics in the field of coevolution and supports the development of simulation-based methods,i.e.,approximate Bayesian computation, to estimate coevolutionary parameters from the discordant shapes of host and pathogen trees. [tree shape; cophylogeny; codivergence; coevolution; host switching; tree metrics; kernel]
Fluorescence-Based Detection of Fusion State on a Cryo-EM Grid using Correlated Cryo-Fluorescence and Cryo-Electron Microscopy
Authors: Metskas Lauren Ann , Briggs John A. G. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractCorrelated light and electron microscopy (CLEM) has become a popular technique for combining the protein-specific labeling of fluorescence with electron microscopy, both at room and cryogenic temperatures. Fluorescence applications at cryo-temperature have typically been limited to localization of tagged protein oligomers due to known issues of extended triplet state duration, spectral shifts, and reduced photon capture through cryo-CLEM objectives. Here, we consider fluorophore characteristics and behaviors that could enable more extended applications. We describe how dialkylcarbocanine DiD and its autoquenching by resonant energy transfer can be used to distinguish the fusion state of a lipid bilayer at cryo-temperatures. By adapting an established fusion assay to work under cryo-CLEM conditions, we identified areas of fusion between influenza virus-like particles and fluorescently labeled lipid vesicles on a cryo-EM grid. This result demonstrates that cryo-CLEM can be used to localize functions in addition to tagged proteins, and that fluorescence autoquenching by resonant energy transfer can be incorporated successfully into cryo-CLEM approaches. In the case of membrane fusion applications, this method provides both an orthogonal confirmation of functional state independent of the morphological description from cryo-EM and a way to bridge room-temperature kinetic assays and the cryo-EM images.