bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Non-communicable Diseases among Refugee Claimants in Greek Refugee Camps: Are Their Health-care Needs Met?
Authors: Jervelund Signe Smith , Nordheim Oda , Stathopoulou Theoni , Eikemo Terje Andreas 
Published: July 2019

AbstractLittle is known about the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among newly arrived refugees in Europe and whether their medical needs are met. To elucidate the prevalence of NCDs and unmet medical needs in the different migration phases, we used survey data on 267 adult asylum seekers at Greek refugee camps in 2016. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, we estimated determinants for unmet medical needs in Greece. The most prevalent reported NCDs in Greece were: back or neck pain (26.6 per cent) and severe headache (24.7 per cent). The prevalence of most NCDs in the migration phases followed a U- or J-shaped pattern: decreased during migration and increased after migration to Greece; thus, new cases of NCDs after arrival in Greece made up the vast majority of all cases. Accordingly, the refugee claimants were worse off further in the migration process. Unmet medical-care needs were reported by 41.3 per cent with one NCD after arrival in Greece. Compared with young adults, adults aged 51+ years were in increased risk of reporting unmet medical needs in Greece (odds ratio = 7.59; p = 0.015). This knowledge is important for health-care systems in receiving countries to plan for improved access to health-care services for refugees with NCDs.
Cooperative DNA binding by proteins through DNA shape complementarity
Authors: Hancock Stephen P , Cascio Duilio , Johnson Reid C 
Published: July 2019

AbstractLocalized arrays of proteins cooperatively assemble onto chromosomes to control DNA activity in many contexts. Binding cooperativity is often mediated by specific protein–protein interactions, but cooperativity through DNA structure is becoming increasingly recognized as an additional mechanism. During the site-specific DNA recombination reaction that excises phage λ from the chromosome, the bacterial DNA architectural protein Fis recruits multiple λ-encoded Xis proteins to the attR recombination site. Here, we report X-ray crystal structures of DNA complexes containing Fis + Xis, which show little, if any, contacts between the two proteins. Comparisons with structures of DNA complexes containing only Fis or Xis, together with mutant protein and DNA binding studies, support a mechanism for cooperative protein binding solely by DNA allostery. Fis binding both molds the minor groove to potentiate insertion of the Xis β-hairpin wing motif and bends the DNA to facilitate Xis-DNA contacts within the major groove. The Fis-structured minor groove shape that is optimized for Xis binding requires a precisely positioned pyrimidine-purine base-pair step, whose location has been shown to modulate minor groove widths in Fis-bound complexes to different DNA targets.
Zika virus NS3 is a canonical RNA helicase stimulated by NS5 RNA polymerase
Authors: Xu Shan , Ci Yali , Wang Leijie , Yang Yang , Zhang Leiliang , Xu Caimin , Qin Chengfeng , Shi Lei 
Published: July 2019

Abstract
Zika virus is a positive single-strand RNA virus whose replication involved RNA unwinding and synthesis. ZIKV NS3 contains a helicase domain, but its enzymatic activity is not fully characterized. Here, we established a dsRNA unwinding assay based on the FRET effect to study the helicase activity of ZIKV NS3, which provided kinetic information in real time. We found that ZIKV NS3 specifically unwound dsRNA/dsDNA with a 3′ overhang in the 3′ to 5′ direction. The RNA unwinding ability of NS3 significantly decreased when the duplex was longer than 18 base pairs. The helicase activity of NS3 depends on ATP hydrolysis and binding to RNA. Mutations in the ATP binding region or the RNA binding region of NS3 impair its helicase activity, thus blocking viral replication in the cell. Furthermore, we showed that ZIKV NS5 interacted with NS3 and stimulated its helicase activity. Disrupting NS3-NS5 interaction resulted in a defect in viral replication, revealing the tight coupling of RNA unwinding and synthesis. We suggest that NS3 helicase activity is stimulated by NS5; thus, viral replication can be carried out efficiently. Our work provides a molecular mechanism of ZIKV NS3 unwinding and novel insights into ZIKV replication.
Recurrent acute kidney injury: predictors and impact in a large population-based cohort
Authors: Holmes Jennifer , Geen John , Williams John D , Phillips Aled O 
Published: July 2019

Abstract

Background
This study examined the impact of recurrent episodes of acute kidney injury (AKI) on patient outcomes.

Methods
The Welsh National electronic AKI reporting system was used to identify all cases of AKI in patients ≥18 years of age between April 2015 and September 2018. Patients were grouped according to the number of AKI episodes they experienced with each patient’s first episode described as their index episode. We compared the demography and patient outcomes of those patients with a single AKI episode with those patients with multiple AKI episodes. Analysis included 153 776 AKI episodes in 111 528 patients.

Results
Of those who experienced AKI and survived their index episode, 29.3% experienced a second episode, 9.9% a third episode and 4.0% experienced fourth or more episodes. Thirty-day mortality for those patients with multiple episodes of AKI was significantly higher than for those patients with a single episode (31.3% versus 24.9%, P &lt; 0.001). Following a single episode, recovery to baseline renal function at 30 days was achieved in 83.6% of patients and was significantly higher than for patients who had repeated episodes (77.8%, P &lt; 0.001). For surviving patients, non-recovery of renal function following any AKI episode was significantly associated with a higher probability of a further AKI episode (33.4% versus 41.0%, P &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, with each episode of AKI the likelihood of a subsequent episode also increased (31.0% versus 43.2% versus 51.2% versus 51.7% following a first, second, third and fourth episode, P &lt; 0.001 for all comparisons).

Conclusions
The results of this study provide an important contribution to the debate regarding the need for risk stratification for recurrent AKI. The data suggest that such a tool would be useful given the poor patient and renal outcomes associated with recurrent AKI episodes as highlighted by this study.
Examination of Regional Interdependence Theory in Chronic Neck Pain: Interpretations from Correlation of Strength Measures in Cervical and Pain-Free Regions
Authors: Ghamkhar Leila , Arab Amir Massoud , Nourbakhsh Mohammad Reza , Kahlaee Amir Hossein , Zolfaghari Reyhaneh 
Published: July 2019

AbstractObjectiveImpairments present in chronic pain conditions have been reported not to be limited to the painful region. Pain-free regions have also been proposed to be adversely affected as a cause or consequence of the painful condition. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between muscle strength in painful and pain-free regions and chronic neck pain.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingRehabilitation hospital laboratory.SubjectsOne hundred twenty-two patients with chronic neck pain (87 female) and 98 asymptomatic volunteers (52 female) were included in the study.MethodsMaximal isometric strength measures of the neck, scapulothoracic, shoulder, trunk, and hip muscles were assessed using a hand-held dynamometer in all participants. Pain intensity and pain-related disability were also assessed in patients through visual analog scale and Neck Disability Index scores, respectively.ResultsPrincipal component analysis revealed one component for each of the studied regions. Multivariate analysis of variance found neck (d = 0.46), scapulothoracic (d = 0.46), shoulder (d = 0.60), trunk flexor (d = 0.38), extensor (d = 0.36), and hip (d = 0.51) strength components to be lower in the neck pain patients compared with asymptomatic participants (P < 0.01). Logistic and linear regression analyses found the shoulder strength component both to be a significant predictor for neck pain occurrence (β = 0.53, P < 0.01) and to have a considerable effect on pain intensity score (β=–0.20, P = 0.02), respectively.ConclusionsThe results found that some pain-free regions in addition to the cervical spine to exhibit lower levels of muscular strength in neck pain patients. These findings support the regional interdependence theory, which proposes that impairments are not limited to the painful area and are possibly mediated by central mechanisms.
Do CEOs Affect Employees’ Political Choices?
Authors: Babenko Ilona , Fedaseyeu Viktar , Zhang Song 
Published: July 2019

Abstract
We study the relation between CEO and employee campaign contributions and find that CEO-supported political candidates receive 3 times more money from employees than candidates not supported by the CEO. This relation holds around CEO departures, including plausibly exogenous departures due to retirement or death. Equity returns are significantly higher when CEO-supported candidates win elections than when employee-supported candidates win, suggesting that CEOs’ campaign contributions are more aligned with the interests of shareholders than are employee contributions. Finally, employees whose donations are misaligned with their CEOs’ political preferences are more likely to leave their employer. (JEL G30, G38, D72, P48)
Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix and Data Supplement, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
The Importance of Employment in the Acculturation Process of Well-Educated Iraqis in Finland: A Qualitative Follow-up Study
Authors: Yijälä Anu , Luoma Tiina 
Published: July 2019

Abstract
This study considers long-term adaptation among well-educated Iraqis who applied for international protection in Finland in 2015. We interviewed the participants approximately 3 months after their arrival, and subsequently after being granted international protection 1.5 and 2.5 years after arrival. We apply a theoretically constructed Benefits of Employment in Intercultural Contexts model in the context of skilled refugees to examine the role of employment in their acculturation process. We analysed the data using qualitative content analysis. Despite the difficulties faced at the beginning of the asylum and job-search processes, employment – including inadequate employment that connected an individual to a work community – enhanced participants’ subjective well-being and promoted their whole acculturation process. The key explanation seems to lie not in increasing economic wealth but in the establishment of social networks, a sense of collective purpose, a possibility to maintain a positive identity, and importantly, the accumulation of cultural capital that employment or active functioning in work-life-related contexts enabled. By the end of the follow-up period, the aforementioned latent benefits of employment were more salient, while the urge to manifest benefits, i.e. salary, had lessened due to reconciling with having to make ends meet with the help of social benefits.
Laughter is in the air: involvement of key nodes of the emotional motor system in the anticipation of tickling
Authors: Wattendorf Elise , Westermann Birgit , Fiedler Klaus , Ritz Simone , Redmann Annetta , Pfannmöller Jörg , Lotze Martin , Celio Marco R 
Published: July 2019

AbstractIn analogy to the appreciation of humor, that of tickling is based upon the re-interpretation of an anticipated emotional situation. Hence, the anticipation of tickling contributes to the final outburst of ticklish laughter. To localize the neuronal substrates of this process, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted on 31 healthy volunteers. The state of anticipation was simulated by generating an uncertainty respecting the onset of manual foot tickling. Anticipation was characterized by an augmented fMRI signal in the anterior insula, the hypothalamus, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area, as well as by an attenuated one in the internal globus pallidus. Furthermore, anticipatory activity in the anterior insula correlated positively with the degree of laughter that was produced during tickling. These findings are consistent with an encoding of the expected emotional consequences of tickling and suggest that early regulatory mechanisms influence, automatically, the laughter circuitry at the level of affective and sensory processing. Tickling activated not only those regions of the brain that were involved during anticipation, but also the posterior insula, the anterior cingulate cortex and the periaqueductal gray matter. Sequential or combined anticipatory and tickling-related neuronal activities may adjust emotional and sensorimotor pathways in preparation for the impending laughter response.
REM Sleep without atonia correlates with abnormal vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder
Authors: Puligheddu Monica , Figorilli Michela , Serra Alessandra , Laccu Ilaria , Congiu Patrizia , Tamburrino Ludovica , de Natale Edoardo Rosario , Ginatempo Francesca , Deriu Franca , Loi Gianluigi , Fantini Maria Livia , Schenck Carlos H , Ferri Raffaele 
Published: July 2019

AbstractStudy ObjectivesThe neurophysiological hallmark of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is loss of atonia during REM sleep. Indeed, signs and symptoms of neurodegeneration can occur after years, even decades, from its beginning. This study aimed to measure neurophysiological alterations of the brainstem that potentially correlate with the severity of atonia loss, and determining whether a prodromal neurodegenerative disorder underlines this condition when it occurs as an isolated condition (iRBD).MethodsSubjects with iRBD and matched healthy controls were recruited. The study included the recording of one-night polysomnography, vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs), and a [123I]-FP-CIT dopamine transporter (DAT) scan. The quantification of REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) was made according to two previously published manual methods and one automated method.ResultsThe rate of alteration of VEMPs and VEMP score were significantly higher in iRBD patients than controls. Moreover, VEMP score was negatively correlated with the automated REM atonia index; a marginal statistical significance was also reached for the positive correlation with the visual tonic electromyographic parameter, while the other correlations, including that with DAT-scan score were not statistically significant.ConclusionsBrainstem neurophysiology in iRBD can be assessed by VEMPs and their alterations may possibly indicate an early expression of the neurodegenerative process underlying this disorder at the brainstem level, which awaits future longitudinal confirmation. The correlation between RSWA and VEMP alteration might also represent a prodromal aspect anticipating the possible evolution from iRBD to neurodegeneration, whereas DAT-scan abnormalities might represent a later step in this evolution.
Evidence-based practice: a comparison of International Clinical Practice Guidelines and current research on physical activity for mild to moderate depression
Authors: Hess Courtney Wynne , Karter Justin , Cosgrove Lisa , Hayden Laura 
Published: July 2019

AbstractIn 2016, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended routine depression screening for individuals aged 13 and above. Questionnaire-based screening will likely increase treatment in patients with milder symptoms. Although professional groups who develop clinical practice guidelines recognize the importance of considering the risks and benefits of interventions, no official mandate exists for a stepped-care approach. Physical activity warrants increased consideration in guidelines, given the optimal risk/benefit profile and the increasing evidence of efficacy for the treatment and prevention of depression. The aim of the current study was to evaluate clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of major depressive disorder, specifically the recommendation of physical activity and adherence to a stepped-care approach. Authors searched three databases to identify treatment guidelines for depression. Guidelines were reviewed on the following domains regarding recommendation of physical activity: (a) front-line intervention, (b) explicit but not front-line recommendation, (c) inexplicit recommendation, (d) no mention, (e) adherence to a stepped-care approach, and (f) presentation of empirical support for their recommendation. Seventeen guidelines met inclusion criteria. Four guidelines recommended physical activity as a front-line intervention, two did not mention physical activity, eleven made some mention of physical activity, seven presented evidence to support their recommendation, and seven employed a stepped-care approach. The majority of guidelines did not use a stepped-care approach and varied greatly in their inclusion of physical activity as a recommended intervention for mild to moderate depression. Implications for practice, research, and policy are discussed.
Metabolic labelling of RNA uncovers the contribution of transcription and decay rates on hypoxia-induced changes in RNA levels
Authors: Tiana Maria , Galiana Clara , Fernández-Moreno Miguel Ángel , Jimenez Benilde , del Peso Luis 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACTCells adapt to environmental changes, including fluctuations in oxygen levels, through the induction of specific gene expression programs. However, most transcriptomic studies do not distinguish the relative contribution of transcription, RNA processing and RNA degradation processes to cellular homeostasis. Here we used metabolic labeling followed by massive parallel sequencing of newly transcribed and preexisting RNA fractions to simultaneously analyze RNA synthesis and decay in primary endothelial cells exposed to low oxygen tension. We found that the changes in transcription rates induced by hypoxia are the major determinant of RNA levels. However, degradation rates also had a significant contribution, accounting for 24% of the observed variability in total mRNA. In addition, our results indicated that hypoxia led to a reduction of the overall mRNA stability from a median half-life in normoxia of 8.7 hours, to 5.7 hours in hypoxia. Analysis of RNA content per cell confirmed a decrease of both mRNA and total RNA in hypoxic samples and that this effect was mimicked by forced activation of the Hypoxia Inducible Factor pathway and prevented by its interference. In summary, our study provides a quantitative analysis of the contribution of RNA synthesis and stability to the transcriptional response to hypoxia and uncovers an unexpected effect on the latter.
Non-rainfall moisture: a key driver of carbon flux from standing litter in arid, semiarid, and mesic grasslands
Authors: Evans Sarah E. , Todd-Brown Katherine E. O. , Jacobson Kathryn , Jacobson Peter 
Published: July 2019

AbstractModels assume that rainfall is the major source of moisture driving decomposition. Non-rainfall moisture (NRM: high humidity, dew, and fog) can also induce standing litter decomposition, but there have been few standard measurements of NRM-mediated decompositions across sites, and no efforts to extrapolate the contribution of NRM to larger scales to assess whether this mechanism can improve model predictions. Here we show that NRM is an important, year-round source of moisture in grassland sites with contrasting moisture regimes using field measurements and modeling. We first characterized NRM frequency and measured NRM-mediated decomposition in sites on the extreme dry and wet end of grassland systems: at two sites in the Namib Desert, Namibia (hyperarid desert) and at one site in Iowa, USA (tallgrass prairie). NRM was frequent at all sites (85-99% of hours that litter was likely to be wet were attributed to NRM) and tended to occur in cool, high-humidity periods for several hours or more at a time. NRM also caused respiration of standing litter at all sites when litter became sufficiently wet (>5% for fine litter and >13% for coarse), and contributed to mass loss, even in the Namib West site that had almost no rain. When we modeled annual mass loss induced by NRM and rain, and extrapolated our characterization of NRM decomposition to a final site with intermediate rainfall (Sevilleta, New Mexico, semiarid grassland), we found that models driven by rainfall alone underestimated mass loss, while including NRM produced estimates within the range of observed mass loss. Together these findings suggest that NRM is an important missing component in quantitative and conceptual models of litter decomposition, but there is nuance involved in modeling NRM at larger scales. Specifically, temperature and physical features of the substrate emerge as factors that affect the common microbial response to litter wetting under NRM across grasslands sites, and require further study. Hourly humidity can provide an adequate proxy of NRM frequency, but site-specific calibration with litter wetness is needed to accurately attribute decomposition to periods when NRM wets litter. Greater recognition of NRM-driven decomposition and its interaction with other processes (e.g. photodegradation) is needed, especially since fog, dew, and humidity are likely to shift under future climates.Manuscript highlightsNon-rainfall moisture (NRM; humidity, fog, dew) induces decomposition in grasslandsNRM decomposition depends on substrate type, and occurs at colder times than rainIncluding NRM (instead of rain alone) improved predictions of litter decomposition
Inflammatory agents partially explain changes in cortical thickness and surface area related to body mass index in adolescence
Authors: Prats-Soteras X. , Jurado M.A. , Ottino-González J. , García-García I. , Segura B. , Caldú X. , Sánchez-Garre C. , Miró N. , Tor C. , Sender-Palacios M. , Garolera M. 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACTBackground/ObjectivesExcessive body mass index (BMI) has been linked to a low-grade chronic inflammation state. Unhealthy BMI has also been related to neuroanatomical changes in adults. However, research in adolescents is relatively limited and has produced conflicting results. This study aims to address the relationship between BMI and adolescents’ brain structure as well as to test the role that inflammatory adipose-related agents might have over this putative link.MethodsWe studied structural MRI and serum levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein and fibrinogen in 65 adolescents (aged 12-21 years). Relationships between BMI, cortical thickness and surface area were tested with a vertex-wise analysis. Subsequently, we used backward multiple linear regression models to explore the influence of inflammatory parameters in each brain-altered area.ResultsWe found a negative association between cortical thickness and BMI in the left lateral occipital cortex (LOC), the left fusiform gyrus and the right precentral gyrus as well as a positive relationship between surface area and BMI in the left rostral middle frontal gyrus and the right superior frontal gyrus. In addition, we found that higher fibrinogen serum concentrations were related to thinning within the left LOC (β = −0.45, p < 0.001) and the left fusiform gyrus (β = - 0.33, p = 0.035), while higher serum levels of TNF-α were associated to a greater surface area in the right superior frontal gyrus (β = 0.32, p = 0.045).ConclusionsThese results suggest that adolescents’ body mass increases are related with brain abnormalities in areas that could play a relevant role in some aspects of feeding behavior. Likewise, we have evidenced that these cortical changes were partially driven by inflammatory agents such as fibrinogen and TNF-α.