bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictors of treatment success after collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection for Peyronie's disease: development of a nomogram from a multicentre single‐arm, non‐placebo controlled clinical study
Authors: Cocci Andrea , Russo Giorgio Ivan , Briganti Alberto , Salonia Andrea , Cacciamani Giovanni , Capece Marco , Falcone Marco , Timpano Massimiliano , Cito Gianmartin , Verze Paolo , Giammusso Bruno , Morgia Giuseppe , Mirone Vincenzo , Minervini Andrea , Gacci Mauro , Cai Tommaso , Serni Sergio , Carini Marco , Giubilei Gianluca , Mondaini Nicola 
Published: May 2018

ObjectiveTo build a nomogram able to predict treatment success after collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) for Peyronie's disease (PD).Materials and MethodsBetween November 2016 and November 2017, we enrolled 135 patients with PD into a multicentre single‐arm prospective study. All patients enrolled received CCH treatment. Success of therapy was defined as a decrease in penile curvature (PC) of ≥20° from baseline. Treatment satisfaction was assessed using a scale from 1 to 10, and high satisfaction was arbitrarily defined as a score of ≥8. Calcification level was classified as: absence of calcification; low perilesional calcification; and high calcification.ResultsThe median (interquartile range [IQR]) patient age was 56.0 (45.0–65.0) years and the median (IQR) was PC was 30 (30.0–60.0)°. After the treatment protocol, we observed a significant median change in PC of −20.0° (P < 0.01). The median (IQR) PC improvement was 44 (28.0–67.0)%. Overall median (IQR) satisfaction score was 8.0 (7.0–9.0). Treatment efficacy was reported in a total of 77 patients (57.04%). When analysing factors associated with PC improvement after treatment, we found that baseline PC (odds ratio [OR] 1.14; P < 0.01), basal plaque (OR 64.27; P < 0.01), low calcification (OR 0.06; P < 0.01) and high calcification (OR 0.03; P < 0.01) were significant predictors of PC improvement. The c‐index for the model was 0.93.ConclusionsPatients with longer PD duration, greater baseline PC and basal plaque location had a greater chance of treatment success. These results could be applied to clinical practice before external validation of our nomogram.
DO WE NEED MORE TIME TO GIVE LESS? EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FROM TUNISIA
Authors: Grolleau Gilles , Sutan Angela , El Harbi Sana , Jedidi Marwa 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACTUsing a laboratory dictator game in Tunisia, we investigate whether the donation level is influenced by the time allotted to take the giving decision. We found that when participants have more time to decide, they give less compared to a situation where they have less time to take their decision. Some policy and managerial implications are drawn.
Hebei loess section in the Anyemaqen Mountains, northeast Tibetan Plateau: a high‐resolution luminescence chronology
Authors: E Chongyi , Sohbati Reza , Murray Andrew S. , Buylaert Jan‐Pieter , Liu Xiangjun , Yang Long , Yuan Jie , Yan Wenting 
Published: May 2018

The extensive aeolian deposits of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) represent important environmental archives, recording information about the past interplay between the Asian monsoon and Westerlies and the link between dust accumulation and Quaternary glaciations. In the northeast TP, mantles of sandy loess form a distinct belt lying between 3500 and 4500 m a.s.l. on the east‐facing slopes of the Anyemaqen Mountains. However, there is little chronological information about the loess deposits in this region. This study provides a detailed chronology for loess formation in the region using luminescence dating. A total of 29 samples were collected from an 8‐m‐thick homogeneous loess section at Hebei (HB) in order to date sand‐sized (63–90 μm) quartz and K‐feldspar fractions using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL and pIRIR) signals, respectively. The resulting quartz and feldspar ages are in good agreement over the last 40 ka; beyond this (i.e. De >120 Gy), the quartz age is underestimated, and the pIRIR170 feldspar ages are considered more reliable. The HB loess section records continuous environmental information from c. 50 to c. 30 ka, i.e. throughout Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Mass accumulation rates (MARs) varied considerably over this period with increased dust accumulation around c. 38 ka and after c. 32 ka; in between, and at the beginning of MIS 3 (50–40 ka), the dust accumulation rate was ~50% lower. Finally, the HB section also records a MIS 2 hiatus of c. 17 ka duration, probably resulting from deflation. This study implies that loess deposition on the TP is predominantly an interglacial/interstadial phenomenon and the TP may be deflating at the same time as the Chinese Loess Plateau is accumulating, at least during MIS 2.
Finance and Industrial Policy in Unsuccessful Developmental States: The Case of Pakistan
Authors: Naqvi Natalya 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACTWhile a large body of research indicates that state‐directed finance worked for successful East Asian developers, the dominant assumption remains that countries with a weak state capacity, where corruption is rife, should not ‘try this at home’. In this article, that narrative is questioned through a case study of the role of the financial sector in Pakistan, which is widely considered to be a successful case of financial liberalization, contrasting the role of the publicly controlled financial system in the 1970s and 1980s with that of the liberalized financial system in the 2000s. Utilizing archival firm‐level and aggregate data, historic government documents, and interviews with policy makers, financial sector employees and industrialists, it is argued that in the Pakistani case, the withdrawal of state control over the financial sector led to a deterioration of outcomes. This resulted in the allocation of credit away from the productive sectors, namely industry and agriculture, towards unproductive sectors, for speculative purposes; and in the health of the financial sector not improving as expected, with non‐performing loans and corruption remaining a problem, and banks actually becoming a greater burden on government finances. This indicates that even states with weak capacity and flawed industrial policy may be better off with some degree of public control over finance.
Presence of chronic diabetic foot ulcers is associated with more frequent and more advanced retinopathy
Authors: Sellman A. , Katzman P. , Andreasson S. , Löndahl M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAimsTo clarify the frequency and severity of diabetic retinopathy in a group of people with Type 2 diabetes and chronic diabetic foot ulcers, and to compare visual acuity, levels of retinopathy and clinical significant macular oedema with a matched control group of people with Type 2 diabetes without a history of chronic diabetic foot ulcers.MethodsVisual acuity and fundus imaging were evaluated in 90 white people with at least 3 months’ duration of full‐thickness diabetic foot ulcers below the ankle and the results compared with those in 180 white people with Type 2 diabetes without a history of chronic diabetic foot ulcers (control group). Controls were matched for age, sex and duration of diabetes.ResultsDespite similar age and diabetes duration, severe non‐proliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy was present in 41% of the people in the diabetic foot ulcer group as compared to 15% in the control group (P<0.001). Only 6% in the diabetic foot ulcer group was without any diabetic retinopathy as compared to 34% among controls. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy was more common in the diabetic foot ulcer group (31% vs 8%; P<0.001), but time‐to‐proliferative diabetic retinopathy did not differ between groups. Clinically significant macular oedema was more frequently present, and the diabetic foot ulcer group exhibited significantly worse results in best and worst eye visual acuity testing.ConclusionsIn this northern European setting almost all people with Type 2 diabetes and chronic diabetic foot ulcers had diabetic retinopathy. Almost one‐third had proliferative diabetic retinopathy as compared to <10% in our matched control group. More advanced diabetic retinopathy was linked to worse visual acuity.
Hyperkalaemia in people with diabetes: occurrence, risk factors and outcomes in a Danish population‐based cohort study
Authors: Thomsen R. W. , Nicolaisen S. K. , Adelborg K. , Svensson E. , Hasvold P. , Palaka E. , Pedersen L. , Sørensen H. T. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAimsTo examine the incidence, risk factors and clinical outcomes of hyperkalaemia in people with diabetes in a real‐world setting.MethodsUsing Danish health registries, we identified a population‐based cohort of people with first‐time drug‐treated diabetes, in the period 2000−2012. First, the cumulative incidence of hyperkalaemia, defined as first blood test with potassium level >5.0 mmol/l after diabetes treatment initiation, was ascertained. Second, in a case–control analysis, risk factors were compared in people with vs without hyperkalaemia. Third, clinical outcomes were assessed among individuals with hyperkalaemia in a before–after analysis, and among people with and without hyperkalaemia in a matched cohort analysis.ResultsOf 68 601 individuals with diabetes (median age 62 years, 47% women), 16% experienced hyperkalaemia (incidence rate 40 per 1000 person‐years) during a mean follow‐up of 4.1 years. People who developed hyperkalaemia had a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease [prevalence ratio 1.74 (95% CI 1.68−1.81)], heart failure [prevalence ratio 2.35 (95% CI 2.18−2.54)], use of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors [prevalence ratio 1.24 (95% CI 1.20−1.28)], use of spironolactone [prevalence ratio 2.68 (95% CI 2.48−2.88)] and potassium supplements [prevalence ratio 1.59 (95% CI 1.52−1.67)]. In people with diabetes who developed hyperkalaemia, 31% were acutely hospitalized within 6 months before hyperkalaemia, increasing to 50% 6 months after hyperkalaemia [before–after risk ratio 1.67 (95% CI 1.61−1.72)]. The 6‐month mortality rate after hyperkalaemia was 20%. Compared with matched individuals without hyperkalaemia, the hazard ratio for death was 6.47 (95% CI 5.81−7.21).ConclusionsOne in six newly diagnosed people with diabetes experienced a hyperkalaemic event, which was associated with severe clinical outcomes and death.
Lipid‐lowering medication is associated with decreased risk of diabetic retinopathy and the need for treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes: A real‐world observational analysis of a health claims database
Authors: Kawasaki Ryo , Konta Tsuneo , Nishida Kohji 
Published: May 2018

AimsFenofibrate and statins reduced the need for diabetic retinopathy (DR)‐related treatment in clinical trials. We aimed to determine whether use of lipid‐lowering medication reduces the risk of DR and the need for treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes using a real‐world health claims database.MethodsThis was an observational analysis using a nation‐wide health claims database of the Japan Medical Data Center (JMDC). Type 2 diabetes was defined according to ICD‐10 codes for use of glucose‐lowering medication. Use of lipid‐lowering medication for at least 1 year was confirmed by the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System. DR and diabetic macular edema (DME) were determined by ICD‐10 codes. DR‐related treatments were determined by health insurance claims. A propensity score for use of lipid‐lowering medication was estimated, and a doubly robust estimator, using the inverse probability weighting model with regression adjustment, was obtained to determine odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for cumulative incidence of DR and its treatments over 3 years.ResultsThere were 69 070 individuals with type 2 diabetes at baseline, among whom DR developed in 5687 over a period of 3 years. Use of lipid‐lowering medication was associated with decreased risk of incidence of DR (OR, 0.772; 95% CI, 0.720‐0.827; P < .001). Use of lipid‐lowering medication was also associated with decreased incidence of DME, any treatments for DR, laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy in patients with DR at baseline.ConclusionsIn a population of patients with type 2 diabetes with a variety of risk profiles, use of lipid‐lowering medication reduced the risk of DR and thus the risks involved in treatment with laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy.
Aberrant learning in Parkinson's disease: A neurocomputational study on bradykinesia
Authors: Ursino Mauro , Baston Chiara 
Published: May 2018

AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive decline in motor functions, such as bradykinesia, caused by the pathological denervation of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons within the basal ganglia (BG). It is acknowledged that dopamine (DA) directly affects the modulatory role of BG towards the cortex. However, a growing body of literature is suggesting that DA‐induced aberrant synaptic plasticity could play a role in the core symptoms of PD, thus recalling for a “reconceptualization” of the pathophysiology. The aim of this work was to investigate DA‐driven aberrant learning as a concurrent cause of bradykinesia, using a comprehensive, biologically inspired neurocomputational model of action selection in the BG. The model includes the three main pathways operating in the BG circuitry, that is the direct, indirect and hyperdirect pathways, and use a two‐term Hebb rule to train synapses in the striatum, based on previous history of rewards and punishments. Levodopa pharmacodynamics is also incorporated. Through model simulations of the Alternate Finger Tapping motor task, we assessed the role of aberrant learning on bradykinesia. The results show that training under drug medication (levodopa) provides not only immediate but also delayed benefit lasting in time. Conversely, if performed in conditions of vanishing levodopa efficacy, training may result in dysfunctional corticostriatal synaptic plasticity, further worsening motor performances in PD subjects. This suggests that bradykinesia may result from the concurrent effects of low DA levels and dysfunctional plasticity and that training can be exploited in medicated subjects to improve levodopa treatment.
Intact goal‐directed control in treatment‐seeking drug users indexed by outcome‐devaluation and Pavlovian to instrumental transfer: critique of habit theory
Authors: Hogarth Lee , Lam‐Cassettari Christa , Pacitti Helena , Currah Tara , Mahlberg Justin , Hartley Lucie , Moustafa Ahmed 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAnimal studies have demonstrated that chronic exposure to drugs of abuse impairs goal‐directed control over action selection indexed by the outcome‐devaluation and specific Pavlovian to instrumental transfer procedures, suggesting this impairment might underpin addiction. However, there is currently only weak evidence for impaired goal‐directed control in human drug users. Two experiments were undertaken in which treatment‐seeking drug users and non‐matched normative reference samples (controls) completed outcome‐devaluation and specific Pavlovian to instrumental transfer procedures notionally translatable to animal procedures (Experiment 2 used a more challenging biconditional schedule). The two experiments found significant outcome‐devaluation and specific Pavlovian to instrumental transfer effects overall and there was no significant difference between groups in the magnitude of these effects. Moreover, Bayes factor supported the null hypothesis for these group comparisons. Although limited by non‐matched group comparisons and small sample sizes, the two studies suggest that treatment‐seeking drug users have intact goal‐directed control over action selection, adding uncertainty to already mixed evidence concerning the role of habit learning in human drug dependence. Neuro‐interventions might seek to tackle goal‐directed drug‐seeking rather than habit formation in drug users.
Spectrophotometric methods for lignin and cellulose in forest soils as predictors for humic substances
Authors: Danise T. , Fioretto A. , Innangi M. 
Published: May 2018

SummaryThe origin and fate of humus, a soil organic matter fraction that is most resistant to decomposition, are not yet completely understood. Humus derives mainly from plant structural components; that is, lignin and cellulose, together with several other primary and secondary compounds. There are several methods to estimate lignin and cellulose in plant material; however, the applications to soil are limited and usually complicated and expensive. Conversely, humus can be estimated in soil by chemical titration methods, which estimate the carbon linked to humic and fulvic acids (HAC and FAC). Therefore, we carried out analyses that aimed to compare, within beech forest soils, spectrophotometric data for lignin and cellulose with those of HAC and FAC. We used soil samples from six different beech woods in Italy, sampling in four layers from 0–5 to 30–40 cm. The relations between spectrophotometric cellulose and lignin and HAC and FAC were tested by linear mixed models. Our results showed that both lignin and cellulose were significant predictors for HAC and FAC, even if cellulose had a larger conditional coefficient of determination (R2c). The best fit was between cellulose and the sum of HAC and FAC (R2c = 0.675). Our novel approach proved that spectrophotometric lignin and cellulose provide reliable results in both organic and mineral beech forest soils, even though lignin had a greater random variation than cellulose. Thus, spectrophotometric lignin and cellulose provide reliable and rapidly obtained predictors of humic substances in beech forest soils, with appropriate conversion factors to estimate HAC and FAC.Highlights

Humic substances are of pivotal importance in the global carbon cycle.
There is a need for simple and rapid methods to estimate humic substances.
Spectrophotometric methods provide fast results for cellulose and lignin in soils.
Lignin and cellulose function as good predictors for humic substances in forest soils.
Evaluating the predicted extinction risk of living amphibian species with the fossil record
Authors: Tietje Melanie , Rödel Mark‐Oliver 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBridging the gap between the fossil record and conservation biology has recently become of great interest. The enormous number of documented extinctions across different taxa can provide insights into the extinction risk of living species. However, few studies have explored this connection. We used generalised boosted modelling to analyse the impact of several traits that are assumed to influence extinction risk on the stratigraphic duration of amphibian species in the fossil record. We used this fossil‐calibrated model to predict the extinction risk for living species. We observed a high consensus between our predicted species durations and the current IUCN Red List status of living amphibian species. We also found that today's Data Deficient species are mainly predicted to experience short durations, hinting at their likely high threat status. Our study suggests that the fossil record can be a suitable tool for the evaluation of current taxa‐specific Red Listing status.
The impact of the Morningstar Sustainability Rating on mutual fund flows
Authors: Ammann Manuel , Bauer Christopher , Fischer Sebastian , Müller Philipp 
Published: May 2018

AbstractWe examine the effect of the introduction of Morningstar's Sustainability Rating in March 2016 on mutual fund flows. Exploiting this shock to the availability of sustainability information, we find strong evidence that retail investors shift money away from low‐rated and into high‐rated funds. An average high‐rated retail fund receives between $ 4.1 million and $ 10.1 million higher net flows and an average low‐rated retail fund suffers from $ 1.0 million to $ 5.0 million lower net flows than an average‐rated fund during the first year after the publication of the Rating. Institutional investors react much more weakly to the publication of the Rating.
Increased body size along urbanization gradients at both community and intraspecific level in macro‐moths
Authors: Merckx Thomas , Kaiser Aurélien , Van Dyck Hans 
Published: May 2018

AbstractUrbanization involves a cocktail of human‐induced rapid environmental changes and is forecasted to gain further importance. Urban‐heat‐island effects result in increased metabolic costs expected to drive shifts towards smaller body sizes. However, urban environments are also characterized by strong habitat fragmentation, often selecting for dispersal phenotypes. Here, we investigate to what extent, and at which spatial scale(s), urbanization drives body size shifts in macro‐moths—an insect group characterized by positive size‐dispersal links—at both the community and intraspecific level. Using light and bait trapping as part of a replicated, spatially nested sampling design, we show that despite the observed urban warming of their woodland habitat, macro‐moth communities display considerable increases in community‐weighted mean body size because of stronger filtering against small species along urbanization gradients. Urbanization drives intraspecific shifts towards increased body size too, at least for a third of species analysed. These results indicate that urbanization drives shifts towards larger, and hence, more mobile species and individuals in order to mitigate low connectivity of ecological resources in urban settings. Macro‐moths are a key group within terrestrial ecosystems, and since body size is central to species interactions, such urbanization‐driven phenotypic change may impact urban ecosystem functioning, especially in terms of nocturnal pollination and food web dynamics. Although we show that urbanization's size‐biased filtering happens simultaneously and coherently at both the inter‐ and intraspecific level, we demonstrate that the impact at the community level is most pronounced at the 800 m radius scale, whereas species‐specific size increases happen at local and landscape scales (50–3,200 m radius), depending on the species. Hence, measures—such as creating and improving urban green infrastructure—to mitigate the effects of urbanization on body size will have to be implemented at multiple spatial scales in order to be most effective.