bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in obese children or adolescents and association between thyroid hormone and the components of metabolic syndrome
Authors: Jin Hye Young 
Published: May 2018

AimSubclinical hypothyroidism is defined as elevated thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) levels with the normal concentrations of thyroxine (T4) or free thyroxine (fT4), and its clinical significance is unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in children and adolescents and determine the relationship between lipid profiles, insulin resistance and thyroid hormones.MethodsA retrospective, cross‐sectional study was performed using data from a subset of the KNHANES VI. The subjects whose ages were in the range of 10–19 years were enrolled when their thyroid function tests were available (n = 1104), and their laboratory and anthropometric data were analysed.ResultsSubclinical hypothyroidism was more commonly identified in the obese group (27 of 111) compared to the other groups (127 of 993) (24.3 vs. 12.8%, P = 0.002). Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were higher in a group with subclinical hypothyroidism. Body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated with serum concentrations of the TSH and negatively correlated with serum concentrations of fT4 after adjusting for age. The concentrations of total cholesterol and triglyceride were positively correlated with the TSH concentrations following adjustment for age and BMI standard deviation scores. The fT4 concentrations were negatively linked with total cholesterol after adjusting for age and BMI standard deviation scores. No significant correlation was found between insulin resistance index and TSH and fT4.ConclusionsSubclinical hypothyroidism was common in the obese group, and the concentrations of TSH were linked with the lipid profile. Subclinical hypothyroidism in obese children or adolescents should be closely monitored while also evaluating metabolic risk factors.
Lotteries and Lindahl prices in public good provision
Authors: Franke Jörg , Leininger Wolfgang 
Published: May 2018

AbstractLotteries are traditional instruments for fundraising in general. Morgan has shown that they can also be very effective in the provision of a public good. However, a fair lottery can only enhance provision but never result in the efficient amount. Franke and Leininger show how—by borrowing from optimal contest theory—biased lotteries can provide the efficient amount of the public good. This paper aligns this result with standard public good theory, in particular the classic notion of Lindahl pricing. It shows that biased lotteries can—implicitly—implement Lindahl pricing of the public good in noncooperative Nash equilibrium.
Ineffectiveness of saxagliptin as a neuroprotective drug in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats
Authors: Turnes Joelle de Melo , Bassani Taysa Bervian , Souza Leonardo C , Vital Maria A B F 
Published: May 2018

Abstract

Objectives
To determine whether the drug saxagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor which is utilized for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus, has neuroprotective effects in the animal model of Parkinson's disease (PD) induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in rats.

Methods
Male Wistar rats (weighing 280–300 g) received a bilateral infusion of 6-OHDA in the substantia nigra. Twenty-four hours later, they were treated with saxagliptin (1 mg/kg, p.o) once daily, for 21 days. The motor function was evaluated using the open field and rotarod (RT) tests. In addition, cognition was assessed with the novel object recognition test (ORT). After the evaluation of the behavioural tests, the animals were transcardially perfused to perform immunohistochemistry staining for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc).

Key findings
Saxagliptin impaired the memory of animals in the sham group.

Conclusions
Saxagliptin treatment did not exhibit neuroprotection and it did not improve the cognitive and motor deficits in the 6-OHDA model of PD. Interestingly, when saxagliptin was administered to the sham animals, a cognitive decline was observed. Therefore, this drug should be investigated as a possible treatment for PTSD.
Differential roles of melatonin in plant‐host resistance and pathogen suppression in cucurbits
Authors: Mandal Mihir Kumar , Suren Haktan , Ward Brian , Boroujerdi Arezue , Kousik Chandrasekar 
Published: May 2018

AbstractSince the 1950s, research on the animal neurohormone, melatonin, has focused on its multiregulatory effect on patients suffering from insomnia, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. In plants, melatonin plays major role in plant growth and development, and is inducible in response to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. However, studies on the direct role of melatonin in disease suppression and as a signaling molecule in host‐pathogen defense mechanism are lacking. This study provides insight on the predicted biosynthetic pathway of melatonin in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), and how application of melatonin, an environmental‐friendly immune inducer, can boost plant immunity and suppress pathogen growth where fungicide resistance and lack of genetic resistance are major problems. We evaluated the effect of spray‐applied melatonin and also transformed watermelon plants with the melatonin biosynthetic gene SNAT (serotonin N‐acetyltransferase) to determine the role of melatonin in plant defense. Increased melatonin levels in plants were found to boost resistance against the foliar pathogen Podosphaera xanthii (powdery mildew), and the soil‐borne oomycete Phytophthora capsici in watermelon and other cucurbits. Further, transcriptomic data on melatonin‐sprayed (1 mmol/L) watermelon leaves suggest that melatonin alters the expression of genes involved in both PAMP‐mediated (pathogen‐associated molecular pattern) and ETI‐mediated (effector‐triggered immunity) defenses. Twenty‐seven upregulated genes were associated with constitutive defense as well as initial priming of the melatonin‐induced plant resistance response. Our results indicate that developing strategies to increase melatonin levels in specialty crops such as watermelon can lead to resistance against diverse filamentous pathogens.
Perceiving the Divine: Alexander Schmemann and the Sacramental Affordances of the Liturgy
Authors: Lebzyak Victoria 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe Orthodox liturgical theologian Alexander Schmemann is well known for his view that the liturgy is the locus theologicus par excellence and the fundamental source of a sacramental worldview. In this article, I develop these insights from Schmemann by drawing upon James Gibson’s ecological psychology of perceptual affordances and the Patristic doctrine of spiritual senses. I argue that the liturgy is a privileged place for the cultivation of spiritual senses, which are necessary for perceiving the world sacramentally. I first focus on the liturgical objects of spiritual perception, which I conceptualize in terms of sacramental affordances. I then turn to the liturgical subject of spiritual perception, the homo adorans, and examine the way spiritual senses enable the perception of sacramental affordances in the liturgy. By reinforcing the philosophical and theological foundations of Schmemann’s sacramental vision, I demonstrate the continual relevance of the liturgy for Christian formation.
Evaluating the implementation of confusion assessment method‐intensive care unit using a quality improvement approach
Authors: Stewart C. , Bench S. 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACTQuality improvement (QI) is a way through which health care delivery can be made safer and more effective. Various models of quality improvement methods exist in health care today. These models can help guide and manage the process of introducing changes into clinical practice. The aim of this project was to implement the use of a delirium assessment tool into three adult critical care units within the same hospital using a QI approach. The objective was to improve the identification and management of delirium. Using the Model for Improvement framework, a multidisciplinary working group was established. A delirium assessment tool was introduced via a series of educational initiatives. New local guidelines regarding the use of delirium assessment and management for the multidisciplinary team were also produced. Audit data were collected at 6 weeks and 5 months post‐implementation to evaluate compliance with the use of the tool across three critical care units within a single hospital in London. At 6 weeks, in 134 assessment points out of a possible 202, the tool was deemed to be used appropriately, meaning that 60% of patients received timely assessment; 18% of patients were identified as delirious in audit one. Five months later, only 95 assessment points out of a possible 199 were being appropriately assessed (47%); however, a greater number (32%) were identified as delirious. This project emphasizes the complexity of changing practice in a large busy critical care centre. Despite an initial increase in delirium assessment, this was not sustained over time. The use of a QI model highlights the continuous process of embedding changes into clinical practice and the need to use a QI method that can address the challenging nature of modern health care. QI models guide changes in practice. Consideration should be given to the type of QI model used.
More than just CO2‐recycling: corticular photosynthesis as a mechanism to reduce the risk of an energy crisis induced by low oxygen
Authors: Wittmann Christiane , Pfanz Hardy 
Published: May 2018

Summary

Reassimilation of internal CO2 via corticular photosynthesis (PScort) has an important effect on the carbon economy of trees. However, little is known about its role as a source of O2 supply to the stem parenchyma and its implications in consumption and movement of O2 within trees.

PScort of young Populus nigra (black poplar) trees was investigated by combining optical micro‐optode measurements with monitoring of stem chlorophyll fluorescence.

During times of zero sap flow in spring, stem oxygen concentrations (cO2) exhibited large temporal changes. In the sapwood, over 80% of diurnal changes in cO2 could be explained by respiration rates (Rd(mod)). In the cortex, photosynthetic oxygen release during the day altered this relationship. With daytime illumination, oxygen levels in the cortex steadily increased from subambient and even exhibited a diel period of superoxia of up to 110% (% air sat.). By contrast, in the sapwood, cO2 never reached ambient levels; the diurnal oxygen deficit was up to 25% of air saturation.

Our results confirm that PScort is not only a CO2‐recycling mechanism, it is also a mechanism to actively raise the cortical O2 concentration and counteract temporal/spatial hypoxia inside plant stems.
Unique causes of esophageal inflammation: a histopathologic perspective
Authors: Gopal Purva , Gibson Joanna A. , Lisovsky Mikhail , Nalbantoglu ILKe 
Published: May 2018

AbstractGastroenterologists frequently perform endoscopic esophageal mucosal biopsies for pathologic diagnosis in patients experiencing symptoms of esophagitis. The more common causes of esophagitis diagnosed on esophageal mucosal biopsy include reflux esophagitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, and infectious esophagitis caused by Candida albicans, herpes simplex virus, and/or cytomegalovirus. However, there are several causes of esophagitis seen less frequently by pathologists that are very important to recognize. We discuss unique types of esophageal inflammation, including acute bacterial esophagitis, esophageal manifestations of dermatologic diseases, medication‐induced esophageal injury, and sloughing esophagitis; and we review their clinical and histopathologic features.
Current and future perspectives in the management of gastroesophageal reflux disease
Authors: Akiyama Junichi , Kuribayashi Shiko , Baeg Myong Ki , de Bortoli Nicola , Valitova Elen , Savarino Edoardo V. , Kusano Motoyasu , Triadafilopoulos George 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAlthough the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) used to be lower in East Asia as compared to Western countries, it has recently been increasing, most likely due to the socioeconomic development in the East. The prevalence of both GERD and functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) ranges between 10% and 25% worldwide and there are distinct subgroups of patients with overlapping of GERD and FGIDs. However, the true prevalence of an overlap between GERD and FGIDs can be determined only when a formal pathophysiological evaluation has been performed. Nocturnal reflux symptoms have a significant impact on patients’ sleep quality and quality of life. Although proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) can improve both reflux and sleep‐related symptoms, the relationship between nocturnal reflux events and sleep disturbance is not fully understood. GERD plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis, and PPIs or fundoplication may decrease the likelihood of pulmonary exacerbation or even improve pulmonary function. Refractory reflux symptoms without esophagitis have become one of the most common presentations of GERD in gastroenterology clinics. There are several new medical therapies, and endoscopic as well as laparoscopic techniques that have been increasingly used in these patients. The selection of options should be tailored and individualized based on the pathophysiology of refractory GERD.
Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation on uninterrupted direct oral anticoagulants: A safe approach
Authors: Sawhney Vinit , Shaukat Masooma , Volkova Elena , Jones Nicola , Providencia Rui , Honarbakhsh Shoreh , Dhillon Gurpreet , Chow Anthony , Lowe Martin , Lambiase Pier D. , Dhinoja Mehul , Sporton Simon , Earley Mark James , Schilling Richard John , Hunter Ross Jacob 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBackgroundCurrent consensus guidelines suggest direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are interrupted periprocedurally for catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, this may predispose patients to thromboembolic complications. This study investigates the safety of CA for AF on uninterrupted DOACs compared to uninterrupted warfarin.MethodsThis was a single‐center, retrospective study of consecutive patients undergoing CA for AF. All patients were heparinized prior to transseptal puncture with a target‐activated clotting time (ACT) of 300–350 seconds. Patients who had procedures performed on continuous DOAC were compared to those on continuous warfarin. Clinical, procedural data, and complications occurring up to 3 months were analyzed from a prospective registry with additional review of electronic health records.ResultsA total of 1,884 procedures were performed over 28 months: 761 (609 patients) on uninterrupted warfarin and 1,123 (900 patients) on uninterrupted DOAC (rivaroxaban 64%, apixaban 32%, and dabigatran 4%). There was no difference in the composite endpoint of death, thromboembolism, or major bleeding complication (2.2% vs 1.4%, P = 0.20). There was no difference in the complications comprising this, including tamponade, hematoma, pseudoaneurysm, and transfusion (P‐values 0.28, 0.13, 0.45, and 0.36). There were no strokes, transient ischemic attacks, or other thromboembolic complications. There was no difference between groups in the proportion of tamponades requiring reversal of oral anticoagulation, the volume of blood lost, the proportion transfused, or the proportion drained percutaneously (P‐values 0.50, 0.51, 0.36, and 0.38).ConclusionCatheter ablation for AF can be performed safely and effectively in patients anticoagulated with DOACs and heparinized with a therapeutic ACT. There is no increased risk of periprocedural bleeding when compared to uninterrupted warfarin.
Assessing metabolic constraints on the maximum body size of actinopterygians: locomotion energetics of Leedsichthys problematicus (Actinopterygii, Pachycormiformes)
Authors: Ferrón Humberto G. , Holgado Borja , Liston Jeffrey J. , Martínez‐Pérez Carlos , Botella Héctor 
Published: May 2018

AbstractMaximum sizes attained by living actinopterygians are much smaller than those reached by chondrichthyans. Several factors, including the high metabolic requirements of bony fishes, have been proposed as possible body‐size constraints but no empirical approaches exist. Remarkably, fossil evidence has rarely been considered despite some extinct actinopterygians reaching sizes comparable to those of the largest living sharks. Here, we have assessed the locomotion energetics of Leedsichthys problematicus, an extinct gigantic suspension‐feeder and the largest actinopterygian ever known, shedding light on the metabolic limits of body size in actinopterygians and the possible underlying factors that drove the gigantism in pachycormiforms. Phylogenetic generalized least squares analyses and power performance curves established in living fishes were used to infer the metabolic budget and locomotion cost of L. problematicus in a wide range of scenarios. Our approach predicts that specimens weighing up to 44.9 tonnes would have been energetically viable and suggests that similar body sizes could also be possible among living taxa, discarding metabolic factors as likely body size constraints in actinopterygians. Other aspects, such as the high degree of endoskeletal ossification, oviparity, indirect development or the establishment of other large suspension‐feeders, could have hindered the evolution of gigantism among post‐Mesozoic ray‐finned fish groups. From this perspective, the evolution of anatomical innovations that allowed the transition towards a suspension‐feeding lifestyle in medium‐sized pachycormiforms and the emergence of ecological opportunity during the Mesozoic are proposed as the most likely factors for promoting the acquisition of gigantism in this successful lineage of actinopterygians.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease photolocalized to sunburn
Authors: Murphrey Morgan , Casselman Samantha , Yarbrough Kevin B. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractHand, foot, and mouth disease is a common exanthem linked to infection with several non‐polio enteroviruses. This case of an 11‐year‐old boy with an enteroviral infection limited to areas of sunburn is an atypical presentation of hand, foot, and mouth disease. Recognition of this unusual distribution will allow pediatricians and pediatric dermatologists to appropriately manage and counsel patients and parents.
Early burial mud diapirism and its impact on stratigraphic architecture in the Carboniferous of the Shannon Basin, County Clare, Ireland
Authors: Blanchard Sébastien , Matheson Edward J. , Fielding Christopher R. , Best James L. , Bryk Alexander B. , Howell Kalin J. , Monson Charles C. , Mahoney Gosia , Peakall Jeffrey 
Published: May 2018

AbstractDelta fronts are often characterized by high rates of sediment supply that result in unstable slopes and a wide variety of soft‐sediment deformation, including the formation of overpressured and mobile muds that may flow plastically during early burial, potentially forming mud diapirs. The coastal cliffs of County Clare, western Ireland, expose Pennsylvanian (Namurian) delta‐front deposits of the Shannon Basin at large scale and in three dimensions. These deposits include decametre‐scale, internally chaotic mudstone masses that clearly impact the surrounding sedimentary strata. Evidence indicates that these were true mud (unlithified sediment) diapirs that pierced overlying strata. This study documents a well‐exposed ca 20 m tall mud diapir and its impact on the surrounding mouth‐bar deposits of the Tullig Cyclothem. A synsedimentary fault and associated rollover dome, evident from stratal thicknesses and the dip of the beds, define one edge of the diapir. These features are interpreted as recording the reactive rise of the mud diapir in response to extensional faulting along its margin. Above the diapir, heterolithic sandstones and siltstones contain evidence for the creation of localized accommodation, suggesting synsedimentary filling, tilting and erosion of a shallow sag basin accommodated by the progressive collapse of the diapir. Two other diapirs are investigated using three‐dimensional models built from ‘structure from motion’ drone imagery. Both diapirs are interpreted to have grown predominantly through passive rise (downbuilding). Stratal relationships for all three diapirs indicate that they were uncompacted and fluid‐rich mud beds that became mobilized through soft‐sediment deformation during early burial (i.e. <50 m, likely <10 m depth). Each diapir locally controlled the stratigraphic architecture in the shallow subsurface and potentially influenced local palaeocurrents on the delta. The mud diapirs studied herein are distinct from deeper ‘shale diapirs’ that have been inferred from seismic sections worldwide, now largely disputed.
Water harvesting from fog using building envelopes: part I
Authors: Caldas Luisa , Andaloro Annalisa , Calafiore Giuseppe , Munechika Keiko , Cabrini Stefano 
Published: May 2018

AbstractNew sources of clean water are currently being researched and implemented, to face global water shortage. Techniques such as desalination or cloud seeding can have a high yield but present problems such as excessive energy consumption or consistent environmental impacts. Fog harvesting stands out for being considerably simpler and inexpensive compared to the previous. In the last decades researchers have developed detailed studies and numerical models, supported by a number of successful examples located mainly in arid or seasonally arid climates. This study surveys existing methods to collect water from fog, such as drop coalescence on vertically placed meshes, chemical absorption and desorption and radiative condensers. Yields from different collectors are compared and some considerations on influencing climatic factors are discussed, suggesting that radiative systems may be applied on building envelopes as collection devices. A follow‐up paper will present experimental results on applying radiative collection systems in buildings.
High Dose and Delayed Treatment with Bile Acids Ineffective in RML Prion-Infected Mice
Authors: Norman Grant , Campeau Jody , Sim Valerie L. 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACT

Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative diseases associated with the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrP
C
) into the infectious form (PrP
Sc
). There are currently no treatments for prion disease. Bile acids have the ability to protect hepatocytes from apoptosis and are neuroprotective in animal models of other protein-folding neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease. Importantly, bile acids are approved for clinical use in patients with cirrhosis and have recently been shown to be safe and possibly effective in pilot trials of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We previously reported that the bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), given early in disease, prolonged incubation periods in male RML-infected mice. Here, we expand on this result to include tauro-ursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) treatment trials and delayed UDCA treatment. We demonstrate that despite a high dose of TUDCA given early in disease, there was no significant difference in incubation periods between treated and untreated cohorts, regardless of sex. In addition, delayed treatment with a high dose of UDCA resulted in a significant shortening of the average survival time for both male and female mice compared to their sex-matched controls, with evidence of increased BiP, a marker of apoptosis, in treated female mice. Our findings suggest that treatment with high-dose TUDCA provides no therapeutic benefit and that delayed treatment with high-dose UDCA is ineffective and could worsen outcomes.