bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pre- and post-weaning injections of bovine somatotropin to optimize puberty achievement of Bos indicus beef heifers1
Authors: Moriel Philipe , Cappellozza Bruno Ieda , Piccolo Matheus B , Cooke Reinaldo F , Miranda Miguel F , Batista Luis F D , Carvalho Rafael S , Colombo Eduardo A , Santili Felipe V , Filho Ramiro V O , Ferreira Vitor S M , Vasconcelos Jose L M 
Published: November 2018

Abstract
The present study evaluated the growth and puberty attainment of Bos indicus heifers administered recombinant bovine somatotropin (bST) or saline injections during preweaning and/or postweaning. On day 0, 177 suckling Nellore heifers were stratified by initial age and body weight (BW) (80 ± 10 d; 97 ± 16 kg), and randomly assigned, in a 2 × 2 factorial design (n = 44 to 45 heifers/treatment), to receive s.c. injections of saline (5 mL 0.9% NaCl) or sometribove zinc (Posilac; Elanco, Greenfield, IN; 6.14 mg/kg of BW0.75) on days 0 and 10 (PRE) and/or days 167 and 177 (POS). All heifers were managed as a single group in Brachiaria decumbens pastures from day 0 until 24 d postweaning (day 191), and then provided a corn silage–based TMR from days 191 to 380 to achieve 65% to 70% of mature BW at the end of the study (day 380). Heifer full BW was collected on days 0, 10, 167, 177, and monthly from days 191 to 380. Transrectal ultrasonography of ovaries was performed on days 1 and 10 of each month from days 229 to 380 to assess the percentage of pubertal heifers. Liver biopsies and blood samples from jugular vein were collected on days 0, 10, 167, 177, and 380. Additional blood samples were collected monthly from days 259 to 380 (n = 10 to 15 heifers/treatment). No interactions among day of the study, PRE, and POS injections of saline or bST were detected (P ≥ 0.11). Preweaning bST injections increased heifer average daily gain (ADG) from days 0 to 10 and plasma IGF-1 on day 10 (P ≤ 0.03), did not affect ADG from days 0 to 177, plasma IGF-1 from days 259 to 380, and any liver gene mRNA expression (P ≥ 0.19), but tended to decrease ADG from days 191 to 380 (P = 0.07) and percentage of pubertal heifers on days 349 (P = 0.07), 359 (P = 0.002), and 380 (P = 0.0001) compared with saline injections. Postweaning bST injections increased plasma IGF-1 on day 177 and overall liver mRNA expression of GHR-1A (P ≤ 0.05), decreased plasma IGF-1 from days 259 to 380 (P = 0.03), tended to decrease liver mRNA expression of GHR-1B on day 177 (P = 0.08), but did not affect ADG from days 167 to 177 and 191 to 380, and puberty attainment from days 229 to 380 (P ≥ 0.12) compared with saline injections. Thus, preweaning and postweaning injections of bST successfully increased heifer plasma IGF-1 concentrations 10 d after first injection. Postweaning injections of bST had no impact on puberty attainment, whereas preweaning bST injections of bST impaired puberty attainment of Nellore beef heifers.
Routine versus Selective Fortification of Human Milk with Powdered Human Milk Fortifiers in Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) Preterm Infants: A Retrospective Pre–Post Cohort Study
Authors: Agrawal Gopal , Wazir Sanjay , Kumar Surender , Yadav Bir Singh , Balde Manish 
Published: November 2018

Abstract

Objectives
The objective of this study was to show the effects of routine vs. selective fortification of human milk (HM) on short-term growth and metabolic parameters.

Methods
Single-centre retrospective pre–post cohort study in India. Preterm infants ≤32 weeks’ gestation and weighing ≤1500 g were included. Routine fortification: pre-fixed feed volume (100 ml/kg/day in our unit) at which fortification was done. Selective fortification: feed volume was gradually optimized till 180–200 ml/kg/day. If weight gain was below the expected threshold (<10 g/kg/day), then fortification was considered. Primary outcome measure was rate of growth till discharge.

Results
The median rate of weight gain (g/kg/day) in the routine fortification group [10.8 (3.3, 17.1)] was comparable with that in the selective fortification group [8.4 (0, 14.2), p = 0.6]. Serum phosphorus showed a significantly higher value (5.9 vs. 4.8, p = 0.03), while rest of the metabolic parameters showed a trend towards a favourable outcome in the selective fortification group. Adverse outcomes showed a trend towards decreased feed intolerance, necrotizing enterocolitis, and sepsis in the selective fortification group.

Conclusions
Selective fortification had a comparable growth rate and showed a trend towards better metabolic parameters and lesser adverse outcomes compared with routine fortification of HM.
Impact of Bilateral Vestibulopathy on Spatial and Nonspatial Cognition: A Systematic Review
Authors: Dobbels Bieke , Peetermans Olivier , Boon Bram , Mertens Griet , Van de Heyning Paul , Van Rompaey Vincent 
Published: November 2018

Objectives:
Hearing loss is considered an independent risk factor for dementia. Growing evidence in animal and human studies suggest that not only hearing loss but also vestibular loss might result in cognitive deficits. The objective of this study is to evaluate the presence of spatial and nonspatial cognitive deficits in patients with bilateral vestibulopathy. As different causes of bilateral vestibulopathy are associated with hearing loss, the objective is to evaluate if these cognitive deficits are due to the vestibular loss of the patients with bilateral vestibulopathy, or to their hearing loss, or both.

Design:
We performed a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. (1) Data sources: MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library. (2) Study selection: Cross-sectional studies investigating cognitive performances in human patients with bilateral vestibulopathy confirmed by quantitative vestibular testing. (3) Data extraction: Independent extraction of articles by three authors using predefined data fields, including patient- and control characteristics and cognitive outcomes.

Results:
Ten studies reporting on 126 patients with bilateral vestibulopathy matched the inclusion criteria. Cognitive domains evaluated in patients with bilateral vestibulopathy included visuospatial abilities, memory, language, attention, and executive function. In only three studies, hearing performance of the included patients was briefly described. Nearly all studies demonstrated a significant impairment of spatial cognition in patients with bilateral vestibulopathy. In the few papers investigating nonspatial cognition, worse outcome was demonstrated in patients with bilateral vestibular loss performing cognitive tasks assessing attentional performance, memory, and executive function.

Conclusions:
Strong evidence exists that patients with bilateral vestibulopathy suffer from impaired spatial cognition. Recent studies even suggest impairment in other cognitive domains than spatial cognition. However, in all previous studies, conclusions on the link between cognitive performance and vestibular loss were drawn without taken hearing loss into consideration as a possible cause of the cognitive impairment.
Discrimination of Anti-drug Antibodies With Neutralizing Capacity in Infliximab- and Adalimumab-Treated Patients: Comparison of the Homogeneous Mobility Shift Assay and the Affinity Capture and Elution Assay
Authors: Hock Barry D. , McKenzie Judith L. , Goddard Liping , Smith Stewart M. , McEntyre Christopher J. , Keating Paula E. 
Published: November 2018

Background:
The measurement of anti-drug antibody (ADA) levels in adalimumab (ADAL)-treated and infliximab (IFX)-treated patients is critical for guiding therapeutic strategies. The homogeneous mobility shift assay (HMSA) and affinity capture elution (ACE) assay provide effective, drug-tolerant formats for measuring total ADA levels. However, their ability to discriminate between ADA from samples with or without neutralizing capacity is unclear and therefore was analyzed in this study.

Methods:
Sera from ADAL and IFX patients with low drug levels (<1 mcg/mL) were analyzed by ACE, HMSA, and bridging assay. Neutralizing capacity was determined by competitive ligand-binding assay.

Results:
HMSA and ACE detected high ADA levels in all ADAL (19/42) and IFX (27/64) samples with neutralizing capacity. ADA was also detected in most of the samples without neutralizing capacity, but levels were significantly lower (P < 0.0001). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that for both assays, ADA levels were a strong discriminatory marker of neutralizing ADA (area under the curve > 0.9, P < 0.0001). Using a signal >8× background as a cut-point, neutralizing ADA could be identified with high specificity (HMSA > 95%, ACE > 85%) and sensitivity (HMSA > 70%, ACE > 80%). The detection of multimeric drug–ADA complexes after HMSA was also a highly specific marker (specificity > 95%) of neutralizing ADA in both ADAL and IFX patients. Results using ACE and HMSA were highly correlated.

Conclusions:
Results obtained after HMSA and ACE analysis are strongly correlated, and in both assays, high ADA levels are a specific marker of neutralizing capacity. The detection of multimeric complexes by HMSA also selectively identifies sera with neutralizing capacity. These data support the use of these assays as quantitative rather than simple qualitative measures of ADA.
Evaluation of Big Bubble Technique for Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty in Patients With Radial Keratotomy
Authors: Einan-Lifshitz Adi , Belkin Avner , Sorkin Nir , Mednick Zale , Boutin Tanguy , Kreimei Mohammad , Chan Clara C. , Rootman David S. 
Published: November 2018

Purpose:
To report the outcome of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) and success rates of the big-bubble (BB) technique or manual dissection after a failed use of the BB technique in eyes that underwent prior radial keratotomy (RK).

Methods:
A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent DALK after RK at Toronto Western Hospital, Canada, between 1999 and 2017 was performed. Demographic characteristics, success rates of the BB technique and manual dissection, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity before and after corneal transplant were analyzed.

Results:
Ten eyes of 9 patients were included in the analysis. The average age was 64 ± 10 years (range 49–82). The average time between the RK surgery and the corneal transplant was 20 ± 5 years (range 8–24). Indications for corneal transplant were significant irregular astigmatism in 5 eyes (50%), central scarring or haze in 4 eyes (40%), and progressive hyperopia with visual fluctuation in one eye (10%). BB was successfully achieved in one eye (10%). In 6 eyes (60%), manual dissection was performed, and in 3 eyes (30%), DALK surgery was converted to penetrating keratoplasty. The average best spectacle-corrected visual acuity on the last follow-up visit was 0.26 ± 0.08 logMAR (Snellen equivalent 20/36). One eye that underwent manual DALK and one eye that underwent penetrating keratoplasty developed a rejection episode 4 and 2 months after keratoplasty, respectively. In both cases, rejection resolved with topical steroids.

Conclusions:
In eyes that underwent prior RK, DALK by manual dissection should be considered as a preferable surgical technique.
Current Characteristics of Native Valve Infective Endocarditis in Japan
Authors: Kobayashi Daiki , Kuriyama Nagato , Takahashi Osamu , Hirano Keita , Nanki Nobuki , Arioka Hiroko , Osugi Yasuhiro , Yokota Kyoko 
Published: November 2018

Objectives
The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of infective endocarditis (IE) over 10 years in Japan, where many elderly people are expected to develop aortic valvular diseases.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective cohort study with all IE adult patients who were admitted to St Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, from 2003 to 2015. All patients who were clinically diagnosed with IE by infectious disease doctors were enrolled. Our primary outcomes were in-hospital all-cause mortality and an indication for valvular surgery. Secondary outcomes were the types of infected valves and causative pathogens.

Results
A total of 101 patients had IE. The mean age was 67.4 (SD, 18.3) years, and 60.4% were men. In terms of outcomes, dose-dependent trends were observed in the various age groups. The trend test for operation by age group was significant (P = 0.03), but it was not for mortality (P = 0.18), Staphylococcus aureus infection (P = 0.25), or for atrial valve infection (P = 0.17). Patients who were younger than 40 years tended to have operations more frequently than did those who were 65 years or older (odds ratio [OR], 4.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–23.75). Those whose body mass index was 25 kg/m2 or higher (OR, 7.18; 95% CI, 1.03–50.26) and those who had diabetes (OR, 6.29; 95% CI, 1.82–21.72) were more likely to be infected by S. aureus. Those who had hypertension tended to suffer from aortic valve IE (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.05–10.75).

Conclusion
Elderly patients had lower rates of surgical intervention but similar mortality to younger patients. Obesity and diabetes were risk factors for S. aureus IE, and hypertension was a risk factor for aortic valve IE.
Impact of direct-acting antivirals on leukocytic DNA telomere length in hepatitis C virus-related hepatic cirrhosis
Authors: Demerdash Hala M. , Elyamany Amany S. , Arida Emad 
Published: November 2018

Background
Direct-acting antiviral (DAAs) represent advancement in the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatic cirrhosis. A high proportion of patients achieve a sustained virologic response; eradication of HCV is coupled with a decreased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent evidence suggests that shortening of the DNA telomere may be linked to cellular senescence as well as predisposition to malignant transformation.

Objective
This study aimed to assess pretreatment leukocytic DNA telomere length in HCV-related cirrhosis and post viral eradication using DAAs.

Patients and methods
This study included 24 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis, Child–Pugh A. Whole-blood samples were obtained from patients before treatment and 12 weeks after the end of treatment, as well as from 24 healthy controls. Terminal restriction fragment, corresponding to telomere length, was measured using a nonradioactive Southern blot technique, detected by chemiluminescence.

Results
DNA telomere length was significantly shorter before treatment compared with 12 weeks after end of treatment in HCV-related cirrhotic patients. Also, it was significantly shorter in patients before treatment compared with healthy individuals.

Conclusion
Telomere elongation in blood leukocytes can be considered a marker of recovery of inflammation after DAAs-induced HCV eradication. Still, the possibility of activation by cancer initiation cannot be excluded.
Oxaliplatin-Induced Neurotoxic Side Effects and Their Impact on Daily Activities
Authors: Drott Jenny , Fomichov Victoria , Starkhammar Hans , Börjeson Sussanne , Kjellgren Karin , Berterö Carina 
Published: November 2018

Background:
Oxaliplatin (OXA) is frequently used in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer, and OXA-induced neurotoxic side effects are common. Reports on real-time patient-reported neurotoxic side effects and impact on the patient's daily activities are sparse in existing studies.

Objective:
The aim of this study was to identify and assess patient-reported OXA-induced neurotoxic side effects and their impact on the patient's daily activities, during and after chemotherapy.

Methods:
In a multicenter prospective longitudinal study, 46 chemo-naïve patients with colorectal cancer treated with postoperative adjuvant OXA-based chemotherapy were monitored during treatment and at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-ups. Patients were recruited from September 2013 to June 2016. In total, 370 Oxaliplatin-Associated Neurotoxicity Questionnaire responses were available for analysis. A mobile phone-based system was used to receive real-time assessments.

Results:
All patients reported neurotoxic side effects and impact on daily activities during treatment. The side effects changed in character and body location over time and had an impact on the daily activities.

Conclusions:
The high prevalence of OXA-induced neurotoxic side effects significantly interfered with the patients' daily activities. We found significant differences between baseline data and follow-up time points for neurotoxicity, and the patients had not returned to baseline after 1 year.

Implications for Practice:
The real-time assessment using mobile phone technology seems to be a valuable tool for monitoring patient-reported neurotoxicity and interventions for tailored care. Effectively identifying neurotoxicity and its impact on the patient's daily activities is important in supportive cancer care.
Function and Strength after Free Abdominally Based Breast Reconstruction: A 10-Year Follow-Up
Authors: Nelson Jonas A. , Tecci Michael G. , Lanni Michael A. , Fischer John P. , Fosnot Joshua , Selber Jesse C. , Wu Liza C. , Serletti Joseph M. 
Published: November 2018

Background:
The long-term impact of abdominally based free flap breast reconstruction is incompletely understood. The aim of this study is to provide long-term, subjective and objective health data on abdominally based free flap breast reconstruction patients, with specific attention to the effects of laterality, flap type, and obesity.

Methods:
Patients were enrolled in this prospective study between 2005 and 2010 and completed preoperative, early (<1 year), and long-term (5 to 10 years) evaluations. Objective examination included an assessment of upper and lower abdominal function and a functional independence measure. Patient-reported outcomes included the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and the BREAST-Q abdominal well-being module. Scores were compared by laterality (unilateral versus bilateral), flap type (muscle-sparing free transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous versus deep inferior epigastric artery perforator), and presence of obesity.

Results:
Fifty-one patients were included, with an average 8.1-year follow-up. Overall, 78.8 percent of patients had stable or improved scores across the upper and lower abdominal function and functional independence measures, and minimal objective differences across flap laterality or types were observed. Postoperative scores improved for 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey physical health (p < 0.001) and mental health (p < 0.001), and did not differ based on laterality or flap type. Obesity negatively impacted physical health (p = 0.002) and mental health (p = 0.006).

Conclusions:
Abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction is associated with significant improvements in long-term quality of life across key domains of physical and mental health with little functional impairment and no long-term differences across flap type or laterality. Obese patients, however, may be at risk for subjective physical and mental health impairment, perhaps unrelated to the surgery itself.
Modular organization of the murine locomotor pattern in presence and absence of sensory feedback from muscle spindles
Authors: Santuz Alessandro , Akay Turgay , Mayer William P. , Wells Tyler L. , Schroll Arno , Arampatzis Adamantios 
Published: November 2018

AbstractFor exploiting terrestrial and aquatic locomotion, vertebrates must build their locomotor patterns based on an enormous amount of variables. The great number of muscles and joints, together with the constant need for sensory feedback information (e.g. proprioception), make the task of creating and controlling movement a problem with overabundant degrees of freedom. It is widely accepted that the central nervous system might simplify the creation and control of movement. This could happen through the generation of activation patterns, which are common to many different muscles, rather than specific to individual muscles. These activation patterns, called muscle synergies, can be extracted from electromyographic data and describe the modular organization of movement. We extracted muscle synergies from the hindlimb muscle activities of wild type and genetically modified mice, in which sensory feedback from muscle spindles is eliminated. Muscle spindle-deficient mice underwent a modification of the temporal structure (motor primitives) of muscle synergies that resulted in diminished functionality during walking. In addition, both the temporal and spatial components (motor modules) of muscle synergies were severely affected when external perturbations were introduced of when animals were immersed in water. These findings show that group Ia/II sensory feedback from muscle spindles regulates motor function in normal and perturbed walking. Moreover, when group Ib Golgi tendon organ feedback is lacking due to the reduction of gravitational load in conditions of enhanced buoyancy, the modular organization of swimming is almost completely compromised.Significance statementLocomotion on land and in water requires the coordination of a great number of muscle activations and joint movements. Moreover, constant feedback about the position of own body parts in relation to the surrounding environment and the body itself (proprioception) is required to maintain stability and avoid failure. The theory of muscle synergies states that the central nervous system might control muscles in orchestrated groups (synergies) rather than individually. We used this concept on genetically modified mice, lacking one of the two classes of proprioceptors. Our results provide evidence that proprioceptive feedback is required by the central nervous system to accurately tune the modular organization of locomotion.
Nonlinear Effects of Intraspecific Competition Alter Landscape-Wide Upscaling of Ecosystem Function
Authors: Little Chelsea J. , Fronhofer Emanuel A. , Altermatt Florian 
Published: November 2018

AbstractA major focus of ecology is to understand and predict ecosystem function across scales. Many ecosystem functions are only measured at local scales, while their effects occur at a landscape level. Here, we investigate how landscape-scale predictions of ecosystem function depend on intraspecific competition, a fine-scale process, by manipulating intraspecific density of shredding macroinvertebrates and examining effects on leaf litter decomposition, a key function in freshwater ecosystems. Across two species, we found that leaf processing rates declined with increasing density following a negative exponential function, likely due to interference competition. To demonstrate consequences of this nonlinearity, we upscaled estimates of leaf litter processing from shredder abundance surveys in 10 replicated headwater streams. In accordance with Jensen’s inequality, applying density-dependent consumption rates reduced estimates of catchment-scale leaf consumption up to 60-fold versus using density-independent rates. Density-dependent consumption estimates aligned closely with metabolic requirements in catchments with large, but not small, shredder populations. Importantly, shredder abundance was not limited by leaf litter availability and catchment-level leaf litter supply was much higher than estimated consumption, thus leaf litter processing was not limited by resource supply. Our work highlights the need for upscaling which accounts for intraspecific interactions.