bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modulatory effects of vitamin C on biochemical and oxidative changes induced by acute exposure to diazinon in rat various tissues: Prophylactic and therapeutic roles
Authors: Khazaie Saeed , Jafari Mahvash , Heydari Javad , Asgari Alireza , Tahmasebi Kavoos , Salehi Maryam , Abedini Mohammad Saleh 
Published: June 2019

AbstractDiazinon (DZN) as an organophosphate pesticide may cause oxidative stress in different tissues. Antioxidants increase tissue protection from oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to investigate prophylactic and therapeutic effects of vitamin C against oxidative stress caused by DZN in various tissues of male Wistar rats. Thirty rats were divided into five groups: control group received corn oil as DZN solvent, DZN group received 100 mg/kg of DZN, C group received 200 mg/kg of vitamin C, C‐DZN and DZN‐C groups received vitamin C before and after DZN injection. Plasma and various tissues were prepared and evaluated for measurement of the biochemical parameters and oxidative stress biomarkers. Results showed that acute administration of DZN significantly increased superoxide dismutase and glutathione‐S‐transferase activities and malondialdehyde level in all tissues, catalase (CAT) activity in liver, kidney and heart and some plasma biochemical indices, while it decreased cholinesterase and lactate dehydrogenase activities and glutathione content in all tissues. CAT activity in erythrocytes, brain and spleen was decreased in DZN‐exposed rats compared with the control group. Administration of vitamins C in both prophylactic and therapeutic groups ameliorated in these parameters, although all these tests in tissues did not return to the normal level. These data suggest that oxidative stress is an essential mechanism involved in DZN‐induced adversity effect, as evidenced by the altered activity of antioxidant enzymes, depleted GSH content and the enhanced membrane lipid peroxidation. Both the prophylactic and therapeutic treatments of rats to vitamin C have beneficial effects against oxidative stress and cholinergic hyperactivity induced by DZN in tissues especially in the brain tissue through free radical scavenging.
Corporate Logic in Clinical Care: The Case of Diabetes Management
Authors: Hunt Linda M. , Bell Hannah S. , Martinez‐Hume Anna C. , Odumosu Funmi , Howard Heather A. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractAs large corporations come to dominate U.S. health care, clinical medicine is increasingly market‐driven and governed by business principles. We examine ways in which health insurers and health care systems are transforming the goals and means of clinical practice. Based on ethnographic research of diabetes management in a large health care system, we argue that together these organizations redefine clinical care in terms that prioritize financial goals and managerial logics, above the needs of individual patients. We demonstrate how emphasis on quality metrics reduces clinical work to quantifiable outcomes, redefining diabetes management to be the pursuit of narrowly defined goal numbers, despite often serious health consequences of treatment. As corporate employees, clinicians are compelled to pursue goal numbers by the heavy emphasis payers and health systems place on quality metrics, and accessing the required medications becomes the central focus of clinical practice.
The type III effector RipB from Ralstonia solanacearum RS1000 acts as a major avirulence factor in Nicotiana benthamiana and other Nicotiana species
Authors: Nakano Masahito , Mukaihara Takafumi 
Published: June 2019

SummaryRalstonia solanacearum is the causal agent of bacterial wilt in solanaceous crops. This pathogen injects approximately 70 effector proteins into plant cells via the Hrp type III secretion system in an early stage of infection. To identify an as‐yet‐unidentified avirulence factor possessed by the Japanese tobacco‐avirulent strain RS1000, we transiently expressed RS1000 effectors in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and monitored their ability to induce effector‐triggered immunity (ETI). The expression of RipB strongly induced the production of reactive oxygen species and the expressions of defence‐related genes in N. benthamiana. The ripB mutant of RS1002, a nalixidic acid‐resistant derivative of RS1000, caused wilting symptoms in N. benthamiana. A pathogenicity test using R. solanacearum mutants revealed that the two already known avirulence factors RipP1 and RipAA contribute in part to the avirulence of RS1002 in N. benthamiana. The Japanese tobacco‐virulent strain BK1002 contains mutations in ripB and expresses a C‐terminal‐truncated RipB that lost the ability to induce ETI in N. benthamiana, indicating a fine‐tuning of the pathogen effector repertoire to evade plant recognition. RipB shares homology with Xanthomonas XopQ, which is recognized by the resistance protein Roq1. The RipB‐induced resistance against R. solanacearum was abolished in Roq1‐silenced plants. These findings indicate that RipB acts as a major avirulence factor in N. benthamiana and that Roq1 is involved in the recognition of RipB.
Sporadic progressive myoclonic epilepsy with early‐onset dementia caused by a de novo mutation in PSEN1
Authors: Taminato Tomoya , Araki Manabu , Sato Noriko , Ishiura Hiroyuki , Mitsui Jun , Yoshimura Jun , Doi Koichiro , Morishita Shinichi , Tsuji Shoji , Takahashi Yuji 
Published: June 2019

AbstractProgressive myoclonic epilepsy contains wide variety of diseases in which differential diagnosis is challenging. Here, we report a 36 year‐old female patient presenting with sporadic myoclonic epilepsy and cognitive decline. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed increased level of total tau and phosphorylated tau and decreased level of amyloid beta‐42 protein, although the extent was modest. Whole‐exome sequencing analysis revealed a known heterozygous de novo mutation p.Phe177Ser in PSEN1, a causative gene for familial Alzheimer's disease. A previously reported pedigree with the same mutation presented with similar phenotypes, indicating genotype‐phenotype correlation. This report illustrated that familial Alzheimer's disease with PSEN1 mutations should be considered in the differential diagnosis of progressive myoclonus epilepsy.
Changes in root‐exudate‐induced respiration reveal a novel mechanism through which drought affects ecosystem carbon cycling
Authors: de Vries Franciska T. , Williams Alex , Stringer Fiona , Willcocks Robert , McEwing Rosie , Langridge Holly , Straathof Angela L. 
Published: June 2019

Summary

Root exudates play an important role in ecosystem response to climate change, but the functional consequences of drought‐induced changes in the quality of root exudates are unknown. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap in a unique experimental approach.

We subjected two common grassland species that differ widely in their growth strategies and root systems, the grass Holcus lanatus and the forb Rumex acetosa, to 2 wk of drought. We collected root exudates and soils at the end of the drought and after 2 wk of recovery and readded all root exudates to all soils in a fully reciprocal set‐up to measure root‐exudate‐induced respiration.

We found that soil treatment was unimportant for determining root‐exudate‐induced respiration. By contrast, root exudates collected from plants that had experienced drought clearly triggered more soil respiration than exudates from undroughted plants. Importantly, this increased respiration compensated for the lower rates of root exudation in droughted plants.

Our findings reveal a novel mechanism through which drought can continue to affect ecosystem carbon cycling, and a potential plant strategy to facilitate regrowth through stimulating microbial activity. These findings have important implications for understanding plant and ecosystem response to drought.
Political discourse in the hospital heterotopia
Authors: Carter Melody 
Published: June 2019

AbstractTo what extent do we pay attention to the text and images that cover our hospital walls and do we offer any critique either as professionals or service users? In the past we might have expected to see functional or helpful instructions about where to go (or not to go) and in more well‐endowed buildings, perhaps we would see some works of art, sculpture, stained glass even, with the intention to encourage, distract or even forewarn us. However, it is now common in UK hospitals, for wall space to be used as a portal for a range of institutional political messages, that convey information about everything from its own values, behaviours to advertisements for products and services to requirements for rule following. Michel Foucault's ideas about Heterotopic space can help us to see that hospitals tend to fall (awkwardly) between being a public and personal health care space, and this is a possible explanation for the confused material culture and messages that are shared there. This paper draws on ethnographic methods to reflect on personal experience in order to offer a critique of the contemporary political discourse which has become 'literally' written onto our hospital walls.
Trade liberalization, firm entry, and income inequality
Authors: Chao Chi‐Chur , Ee Mong Shan , Nguyen Xuan , Yu Eden S. H. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis paper examines the short‐ and long‐run effects of trade liberalization via tariff reductions on income inequality in an economy, which is characterized by an imperfectly competitive urban manufacturing sector and a perfectly competitive rural agricultural sector. Tariff reductions reduce domestic output in the importable urban manufacturing sector, leading to shifts of capital from the urban sector to the rural agricultural sector. This can narrow the wage gap between skilled and unskilled labor in the short run. However, the lowered capital cost attracts new firms, and subsequently excessive entry of firms, to the urban manufacturing sector. This firm entry effect can mitigate the favorable effect of tariff reductions on wage inequality in the long run. Empirical study confirms the findings.
Germ granules in Drosophila
Authors: Trcek Tatjana , Lehmann Ruth 
Published: June 2019

AbstractGerm granules are hallmarks of all germ cells. Early ultrastructural studies in Drosophila first described these membraneless granules in the oocyte and early embryo as filled with amorphous to fibrillar material mixed with RNA. Genetic studies identified key protein components and specific mRNAs that regulate germ cell‐specific functions. More recently these ultrastructural studies have been complemented by biophysical analysis describing germ granules as phase‐transitioned condensates. In this review, we provide an overview that connects the composition of germ granules with their function in controlling germ cell specification, formation and migration, and illuminate these mysterious condensates as the gatekeepers of the next generation.
A pilot study evaluating the effects of prestorage leukoreduction on markers of inflammation in critically ill dogs receiving a blood transfusion
Authors: Bosch Lozano Luis , Blois Shauna L. , Wood R. Darren , Abrams‐Ogg Anthony C. G. , Bersenas Alexa M. , Bateman Shane W. , Richardson Danielle M. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectivesTo compare markers of inflammation after transfusion of leukoreduced (LR) packed RBCs (pRBCs) versus non‐LR pRBCs in dogs with critical illness requiring blood transfusion, and to report survival to discharge and rates of transfusion reactions in these dogs.DesignProspective randomized blinded clinical study June 2014–September 2015.SettingUniversity veterinary teaching hospital.AnimalsTwenty‐three client‐owned critically ill dogs, consecutively enrolled.InterventionsDogs requiring a single pRBC transfusion were randomized into the LR or non‐LR pRBC group. Exclusion criteria included: requirement for multiple blood products, history of previous blood transfusion, and administration of anti‐inflammatory or immunosuppressive medication prior to enrollment.MeasurementsBlood samples were obtained immediately prior to transfusion, then 2 and 24 hours following transfusion. Parameters measured at each time point included: PCV, WBC count, segmented and band neutrophil counts, fibrinogen, and plasma lactate and C‐reactive protein concentrations. Acute patient physiologic and laboratory evaluation fast score was calculated on admission.ResultsEleven dogs were included in the LR group and 12 in the non‐LR group; scores of illness severity were not significantly different between groups. Total WBC count was significantly higher in the non‐LR versus LR group 24 hours following pRBC transfusion, but this difference was not evident 2 hours following transfusion. No other inflammatory parameters at any time point were significantly different between LR versus non‐LR pRBC transfused dogs. Survival rates to discharge for LR and non‐LR groups were 8/11 and 9/12, respectively. Acute transfusion reactions were identified in 1/11 and 2/12 dogs in the LR and non‐LR group, respectively. All transfused blood was stored ≤12 days.ConclusionsMost markers of inflammation did not significantly increase following transfusion of LR versus non‐LR pRBCs stored ≤12 days in ill dogs. Further prospective, randomized trials are needed in clinically ill dogs to determine the benefit of prestorage leukoreduction.
Surgical intervention for vertebral osteomyelitis in a calf
Authors: Shivapour Sara K. , Jackson Nicole D. , Schleining Jennifer A. , Kreuder Amanda J. , Miles Kristina G. , Jeffery Nicholas D. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectiveTo report the surgical treatment and outcome of a non‐ambulatory calf with cervical vertebral ostoeomyelitis.Study designClinical report.Sample populationOne 3.5‐month‐old female mixed‐breed calf with tetraparesis of 3 months duration.MethodsAfter computed tomography‐guided bone biopsy, a bacterial osteolytic lesion within the body of the fourth cervical vertebrae (C4) and resultant pathologic compression fracture clinically resulting in full tetraparesis was diagnosed in the calf. Culture results from the lesion within C4 confirmed a diagnosis of Trueperella pyogenes.ResultsPoor response to medical management justified surgical debridment of the lesion in C4 and subsequent stabilization of the cervical vertebral column. A three‐part procedure was performed including (1) debridement of the C4, (2) bilateral ventral vertebral stabilization from C3 to C5, and (3) placement of ampicillin‐impregnated plaster of Paris beads within the body of C4. With postoperative physical rehabilitation, the calf regained full ambulatory function. At 1‐month follow‐up, the calf remained ambulatory with mild proprioceptive ataxia and no evidence of implant failure. At annual recheck, the calf had gained 208 kg and remained fully ambulatory with no residual neurologic deficits.ConclusionSurgical intervention and use of antibiotic‐impregnated implants offered a viable alternative to long‐term medical management of vertebral osteomyelitis in the calf reported here.Clinical significanceThis case identifies surgical intervention as a potential means for improving outcomes in a historically fatal condition of production animals.
Mesenchymal stem cells prolong survival and prevent lethal complications in a porcine model of fulminant liver failure
Authors: Lin Niang‐Cheng , Wu Hao‐Hsiang , Ho Jennifer Hui‐Chun , Liu Chin‐Su , Lee Oscar Kuang‐Sheng 
Published: June 2019

AbstractBackgroundFulminant liver failure (FLF) is a life‐threatening disease.MethodsLethal FLF was induced by ischemia‐reperfusion (I‐R) injury in mini‐pigs, and MSCs were infused via splenic vein after reperfusion.ResultsAccumulated survival within 28 days was significantly improved by MSCs (P = 0.0348). Notably, MSCs maintained blood‐gas homeostasis in the first 24 hours and prevented FLF‐induced elevation of prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, and creatinine and ammonia levels in the first 3 days. With MSCs, serum levels of liver enzymes gradually decreased after 3 days, and platelet count was back to normal at 1 week of FLF. MSCs promoted liver regeneration within 2 weeks and differentiated into functional hepatocytes at 2‐4 weeks after transplantation, evidenced by increase in Ki67‐positive cells, detectable human hepatocyte growth factor, human vascular endothelial growth factor, human hepatocyte‐specific antigen, and human albumin‐expressing cells in the liver at different time points. Reactive oxidative species (ROS) were accumulated after FLF and eliminated at 4 weeks after MSC transplantation.ConclusionsTogether, MSCs prolong the survival and prevent lethal sequelae of I‐R injury‐induced FLF by maintenance of liver‐function homeostasis and rescue of ROS in the acute stage and by homing and differentiation into hepatocytes in the subacute stage.
Childhood haemorrhagic stroke: a 7-year single-centre experience
Authors: Gerstl Lucia , Badura Katharina , Heinen Florian , Weinberger Raphael , Peraud Aurelia , Dorn Franziska , Bonfert Michaela V , Berweck Steffen , O’Callaghan Finbar J 
Published: June 2019

BackgroundIn recent years, there has been increasing research interest in improving diagnostic and management protocols in childhood arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS). However, childhood stroke comprises, in approximately equal parts, both arterial ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke (HS).ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to focus on the aetiology, clinical presentation, treatment and short-term outcome of children with spontaneous intracranial bleeding in a university hospital and elucidate differences to childhood AIS.DesignWe performed a retrospective analysis of electronic medical records of children (28 days–18 years) diagnosed with HS between 2010 and 2016.ResultsWe included 25 children (male child, n=11) with a median age of 8 years 1 month. The most common clinical presentations were vomiting (48%), headache (40%) and altered level of consciousness (32%). In more than half of the patients, HS was caused by vascular malformations. Other risk factors were brain tumour, coagulopathy and miscellaneous severe underlying diseases. Aetiology remained unclear in one child. Therapy was neurosurgical in most children (68%). Two patients died, 5 patients needed further (rehabilitation) treatment and 18 children could be discharged home.ConclusionsHS differs from AIS in aetiology (vascular malformations as number one risk factor), number of risk factors (‘mono-risk’ disease), clinical presentation (vomiting, headache and altered level of consciousness) and (emergency) therapy.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin in patients with genotype 2 chronic hepatitis C: an analysis with real world outcomes from a multicentre cohort in Japan
Authors: Igarashi Ataru , Furusyo Norihiro , Ogawa Eiichi , Nomura Hideyuki , Dohmen Kazufumi , Higashi Nobuhiko , Takahashi Kazuhiro , Kawano Akira , Azuma Koichi , Satoh Takeaki , Nakamuta Makoto , Koyanagi Toshimasa , Kato Masaki , Shimoda Shinji , Kajiwara Eiji , Hayashi Jun 
Published: June 2019

ObjectivesA number of publications have demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin (SOF+RBV) compared with the former standard therapy with interferon (IFN)-containing regimens. Unlike these cost-effective analyses, where efficacy parameters were obtained from registration trials for drug approval, this analysis is a cost-effectiveness analysis of SOF+RBV for genotype (GT) 2 non-cirrhosis (NC) and compensated cirrhosis (CC) patients using efficacy parameters obtained from a multicentre cohort study (Kyushu University Liver Disease Study; KULDS) in Kyushu area in Japan in order to reflect real-world clinical practice in Japan.MethodA Markov model followed 10 000 patients (62 years old) over their lifetime. Four populations were followed: treatment-naïve (TN)-NC, treatment-experienced (TE)-NC, TN-CC and TE-CC. Comparators were Peg-IFNα2b+RBV for TN-NC and CC patients and telaprevir (TVR)+Peg-IFNα2b+RBV for TE-NC patients. The sustained virological response (SVR) rates of SOF+RBV were taken from KULDS and those of comparators were obtained from systematic literature reviews. There were nine states (NC, CC, decompensated cirrhosis [DC], hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC], SVR [NC], SVR [CC], liver transplantation [LT], post-LT and death) in this model, and an increase in the progression rate to HCC due to ageing was also considered. The analysis was conducted from the perspective of a public healthcare payer, and a discount rate of 2% was set for both cost and effectiveness.ResultsIncremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of SOF+RBV versus Peg-IFNα2b+RBV were ¥323 928 /quality-adjusted life year (QALY) for TN-NC patients, ¥92 256/QALY for TN-CC patients and ¥1 519 202/QALY for TE-CC patients. The ICER of SOF+RBV versus TVR+Peg-IFNα2b+RBV was ¥849 138/QALY for TE-NC patients. The robustness of the results was determined by sensitivity analysis.ConclusionsThe results of this analysis strongly demonstrate the robustness of our previous findings that SOF+RBV regimens are cost-effective in the real world and clinical trial settings for Japanese GT2 NC and CC patients.
Effects of global and domestic tobacco control policies on cigarette consumption per capita: an evaluation using monthly data in China
Authors: Xu Xiaoxin , Zhang Xiulan , Hu Teh Wei , Miller Leonard S , Xu Mengnan 
Published: June 2019

IntroductionChina consumes 44% of the world’s cigarettes. Robust tobacco control measures are needed to contain the trend of increasing cigarette consumption. This paper examines the effectiveness of policy interventions introduced in China on reducing the country’s tobacco use.MethodsThe paper uses data on China’s monthly cigarette consumption per capita from January 2000 to June 2017 to estimate the impact of specific policies on China’s tobacco consumption. Tobacco consumption is calculated from monthly sales data from the China National Tobacco Corporation and demographic data from the China National Bureau of Statistics. The policies studied include the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), national tobacco-related policy changes and two tobacco tax increases implemented in China during the study period. Segmented regression analysis is used to estimate the immediate effects of the policies studied and changes in the time trends resulted from these policy changes.FindingsThe impact of national policy changes in China is almost 20 times greater than the impact of the WHO FCTC treaty itself, and national policy changes in tobacco control are a determining factor in reversing the trend of increasing tobacco consumption in China. The 2015 tax increase, which raised retail cigarette prices, produced both immediate and trend effects, with a total incremental effect 7.8 times that of the 2009 tax increase, which did not result in higher cigarette prices for the consumer.InterpretationsTranslating global tobacco control policies into domestic policies will generate a much greater impact on reducing average cigarette consumption, and tobacco taxes that are reflected in the retail prices of cigarettes will be more effective in reducing cigarette consumption.