bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prospective Cohort Study of Next-Generation Sequencing as a Diagnostic Modality for Unexplained Encephalitis in Children
Authors: Haston Julia C , Rostad Christina A , Jerris Robert C , Milla Sarah S , McCracken Courtney , Pratt Catherine , Wiley Michael , Prieto Karla , Palacios Gustavo , Shane Andi L , McElroy Anita K 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackgroundEncephalitis is an inflammatory condition of the brain associated with long-term neurologic sequelae and even death in children. Although viruses are often implicated, an etiology is not identified in the majority of cases. Metagenomics-based next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a high-throughput sequencing technique that can enhance the detection of novel or low-frequency pathogens.MethodsHospitalized immunocompetent children aged 6 months to 18 years with encephalitis of unidentified etiology were eligible for enrollment. Demographic, historical, and clinical information was obtained, and residual blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were subjected to mNGS. Pathogens were identified by querying the sequence data against the NCBI GenBank database.ResultsTwenty children were enrolled prospectively between 2013 and 2017. mNGS of CSF identified 7 nonhuman nucleic acid sequences of significant frequency in 6 patients, including that of Mycoplasma bovis, parvovirus B19, Neisseria meningitidis, and Balamuthia mandrillaris. mNGS also detected Cladophialophora species, tobacco mosaic virus, and human bocavirus, which were presumed to be contaminants or nonpathogenic organisms. One patient was found to have positive serology results for California encephalitis virus, but mNGS did not detect it. Patients for whom mNGS identified a diagnosis had a significantly higher CSF white blood cell count, a higher CSF protein concentration, and a lower CSF glucose level than patients for whom mNGS did not identify a diagnosis.ConclusionWe describe here the results of a prospective cohort analysis to evaluate mNGS as a diagnostic tool for children with unexplained encephalitis. Although mNGS detected multiple nonpathogenic organisms, it also identified multiple pathogens successfully and was most useful in patients with a CSF abnormality.
Specific chromatin changes mark lateral organ founder cells in the Arabidopsis inflorescence meristem
Authors: Frerichs Anneke , Engelhorn Julia , Altmüller Janine , Gutierrez-Marcos Jose , Werr Wolfgang 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) were combined to analyse the chromatin state of lateral organ founder cells (LOFCs) in the peripheral zone of the Arabidopsis apetala1-1 cauliflower-1 double mutant inflorescence meristem. On a genome-wide level, we observed a striking correlation between transposase hypersensitive sites (THSs) detected by ATAC-seq and DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs). The mostly expanded DHSs were often substructured into several individual THSs, which correlated with phylogenetically conserved DNA sequences or enhancer elements. Comparing chromatin accessibility with available RNA-seq data, THS change configuration was reflected by gene activation or repression and chromatin regions acquired or lost transposase accessibility in direct correlation with gene expression levels in LOFCs. This was most pronounced immediately upstream of the transcription start, where genome-wide THSs were abundant in a complementary pattern to established H3K4me3 activation or H3K27me3 repression marks. At this resolution, the combined application of FACS/ATAC-seq is widely applicable to detect chromatin changes during cell-type specification and facilitates the detection of regulatory elements in plant promoters.
Cute Jews: Modernist Photographic Forms and Minor Aesthetic Categories in ‘Jüdische Kinder in Erez Israel. Ein Fotobuch’
Authors: Magilow Daniel H 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Jüdische Kinder in Erez Israel was the last overtly Jewish-themed photobook published in Germany before the Holocaust. Although it consists only of a six-page introduction by the scholar-activist Bertha Badt-Strauß, one page of captions, and twenty-one photographs by photographer Nachum ‘Tim’ Gidal of adorable young children in Mandatory Palestine, its propaganda mission transcends its diminutive size and surface superficiality. This article interprets this photobook as an example of the photo essay, a modernist form that emerged from Weimar Germany’s unique media environment, in which photographs assumed rhetorical and argumentative functions generally associated with written language. To encourage German Jews and particularly German-Jewish women to emigrate, Jüdische Kinder in Erez Israel creates an allegory of the children’s vulnerability by eliciting responses associated with the minor aesthetic category of ‘cuteness’. To this end, it draws on two important photo essay genres of interwar Germany: photobooks and illustrated magazine photostories about cute children and about Palestine. By synthesizing these discourses, Gidal and Badt-Strauß create a cultural artifact that aims to establish positive, affective relationships between German-Jewish readers and Mandatory Palestine, and to convince the former to visualize and embrace the latter as they might imagine their own children. In this way, Jüdische Kinder in Erez Israel broadens our understandings of both the media constellation from which photo essays emerged, and how this form helped broaden the visual lexicon and aesthetic strategies central to the project of Jewish cultural and political regeneration.
Unprecedented Parallel Photosynthetic Losses in a Heterotrophic Orchid Genus
Authors: Barrett Craig F , Sinn Brandon T , Kennedy Aaron H 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHeterotrophic plants are evolutionary experiments in genomic, morphological, and physiological change. Yet, genomic sampling gaps exist among independently derived heterotrophic lineages, leaving unanswered questions about the process of genome modification. Here, we have sequenced complete plastid genomes for all species of the leafless orchid genus Hexalectris, including multiple individuals for most, and leafy relatives Basiphyllaea and Bletia. Our objectives are to determine the number of independent losses of photosynthesis and to test hypotheses on the process of genome degradation as a result of relaxed selection. We demonstrate four to five independent losses of photosynthesis in Hexalectris based on degradation of the photosynthetic apparatus, with all but two species displaying evidence of losses, and variation in gene loss extending below the species level. Degradation in the atp complex is advanced in Hexalectris warnockii, whereas only minimal degradation (i.e., physical loss) has occurred among some “housekeeping” genes. We find genomic rearrangements, shifts in Inverted Repeat boundaries including complete loss in one accession of H. arizonica, and correlations among substitutional and genomic attributes. Our unprecedented finding of multiple, independent transitions to a fully mycoheterotrophic lifestyle in a single genus reveals that the number of such transitions among land plants is likely underestimated. This study underscores the importance of dense taxon sampling, which is highly informative for advancing models of genome evolution in heterotrophs. Mycoheterotrophs such as Hexalectris provide forward-genetic opportunities to study the consequences of radical genome evolution beyond what is possible with mutational studies in model organisms alone.
Protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 biology in nephrotic syndrome: implications for use as therapy
Authors: Busuioc Ruxandra Mihaela , Covic Adrian , Kanbay Mehmet , Banach Maciej , Burlacu Alexandru , Mircescu Gabriel 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels almost constantly increased in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS). Protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) [accelerates LDL-receptor (LDL-R) degradation] is overexpressed by liver cells in NS. Their levels, correlated inversely to LDL-R expression and directly to LDL-C, seem to play a central role in hypercholesterolaemia in NS. Hypersynthesis resulting from sterol regulatory element-binding protein dysfunction, hyperactivity induced by c-inhibitor of apoptosis protein expressed in response to stimulation by tumour necrosis factor-α produced by damaged podocytes and hypo-clearance are the main possible mechanisms. Increased LDL-C may damage all kidney cell populations (podocytes, mesangial and tubular cells) in a similar manner. Intracellular cholesterol accumulation produces oxidative stress, foam cell formation and apoptosis, all favoured by local inflammation. The cumulative effect of cellular lesions is worsened proteinuria and kidney function loss. Accordingly, NS patients should be considered high risk and treated by lowering LDL-C. However, there is still not enough evidence determining whether lipid-lowering agents are helpful in managing dyslipidaemia in NS. Based on good efficacy and safety proved in the general population, therapeutic modulation of PCSK9 via antibody therapy might be a reasonable solution. This article explores the established and forthcoming evidence implicating PCSK9 in LDL-C dysregulation in NS.
Styloidogenic Jugular Venous Compression Syndrome: Clinical Features and Case Series
Authors: Zhao Xiaochun , Cavallo Claudio , Hlubek Randall J , Mooney Michael A , Belykh Evgenii , Gandhi Sirin , Moreira Leandro Borba , Lei Ting , Albuquerque Felipe C , Preul Mark C , Nakaji Peter 
Published: April 2019

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Styloidogenic jugular venous compression syndrome (SJVCS) is a rare cause of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

OBJECTIVE
To elucidate the pathophysiology and the hemodynamics of SJVCS.

METHODS
We conducted a retrospective review of medical records, clinical images, dynamic venography, and manometry for consecutive patients with SJVCS undergoing microsurgical decompression from April 2009 to October 2017. Patients with IIH with normal venography and manometry findings served as controls.

RESULTS
Data were analyzed for 10 patients with SJVCS who presented with headaches. Neck flexion exacerbated headaches in 7 patients. Eleven patients with IIH provided control data for normal intracranial venous pressure and styloid process anatomy. Patients with SJVCS had bilateral osseous compression of venous outflow. The styloid processes were significantly longer in patients with SJVCS than in those with IIH (mean [standard deviation (SD)] distance, 31.0 [10.6] vs 19.0 [14.1] mm; P < .01). The styloid process–C1 lateral tubercle distance was shorter in patients with SJVCS than in those with IIH (mean [SD] distance, 2.9 [1.0] vs 9.9 [2.8] mm; P < .01). Patients with SJVCS had significantly higher global venous pressure and a higher pressure gradient across the stenosis site than controls (mean [SD] pressure, 2.86 [2.61] vs 0.13 [1.09] cm H2O; P = .09). All 10 patients with SJVCS experienced venous pressure elevation during contralateral neck turning (mean [SD] pressure, 4.29 [2.50] cm H2O). All 10 patients with SJVCS underwent transcervical microsurgical decompression, and 9 experienced postoperative improvement or resolution of symptoms. One patient had transient postoperative dysphagia and facial drooping, and another patient reported jaw numbness.

CONCLUSION
SJVCS is a novel clinical entity causing IIH. Patients should be evaluated with dynamic venography with manometry. Surgical decompression with removal of osseous overgrowth is an effective treatment in select patients.
Paediatric health care access in community health centres is associated with survival for critically ill children who undergo inter-facility transport: A province-wide observational study
Authors: Tijssen Janice A , To Teresa , Morrison Laurie J , Alnaji Fuad , MacDonald Russell D , Cupido Cynthia , Lee Kyong-Soon , Parshuram Christopher S 
Published: April 2019

Abstract

Background
Diverse settlement makes inter-facility transport of critically ill children a necessary part of regionalized health care. There are few studies of outcomes and health care services use of this growing population.

Methods
A retrospective study evaluated the frequency of transports, health care services use, and outcomes of all critically ill children who underwent inter-facility transport to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Ontario from 2004 to 2012. The primary outcome was PICU mortality. Secondary outcomes were 24-hour and 6-month mortality, PICU and hospital lengths of stay, and use of therapies in the PICU.

Results
The 4,074 inter-facility transports were for children aged median (IQR) 1.6 (0.1 to 8.3) years. The rate of transports increased from 15 to 23 per 100,000 children. There were 233 (5.7%) deaths in PICU and an additional 78 deaths (1.9%) by 6 months. Length of stay was median (IQR) 2 (1 to 5) days in PICU and 7 (3 to 14) days in the receiving hospital. Lower PICU mortality was independently associated with prior acute care contact (odds ratio [OR]=0.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2 to 0.6) and availability of paediatric expertise at the referral hospital (OR=0.7, 95% CI: 0.5 to 1.0).

Conclusions
We found that in Ontario, children undergoing inter-facility transport to PICUs are increasing in number, consume significant acute care resources, and have a high PICU mortality. Access to paediatric expertise is a potentially modifiable factor that can impact mortality and warrants further evaluation.
Effects of Thiosulfate as a Sulfur Source on Plant Growth, Metabolites Accumulation and Gene Expression in Arabidopsis and Rice
Authors: Nakajima Takatsugu , Kawano Yusuke , Ohtsu Iwao , Maruyuama-Nakashita Akiko , Allahham Alaa , Sato Muneo , Sawada Yuji , Hirai Masami Yokota , Yokoyama Tadashi , Ohkama-Ohtsu Naoko 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Plants are considered to absorb sulfur from their roots in the form of sulfate. In bacteria like Escherichia coli, thiosulfate is a preferred sulfur source. It is converted into cysteine (Cys). This transformation consumes less NADPH and ATP than sulfate assimilation into Cys. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, thiosulfate promoted growth more than sulfate. In the present study, the availability of thiosulfate, the metabolite transformations and gene expressions it induces were investigated in Arabidopsis and rice as model dicots and monocots, respectively. In Arabidopsis, the thiosulfate-amended plants had lower biomass than those receiving sulfate when sulfur concentrations in the hydroponic medium were above 300 μM. In contrast, rice biomass was similar for plants raised on thiosulfate and sulfate at 300 μM sulfur. Therefore, both plants can use thiosulfate but it is a better sulfur source for rice. In both plants, thiosulfate levels significantly increased in roots following thiosulfate application, indicating that the plants absorbed thiosulfate into their root cells. Thiosulfate is metabolized in plants by a different pathway from that used for sulfate metabolism. Thiosulfate increases plant sulfide and cysteine persulfide levels which means that plants are in a more reduced state with thiosulfate than with sulfate. The microarray analysis of Arabidopsis roots revealed that 13 genes encoding Cys-rich proteins were upregulated more with thiosulfate than with sulfate. These results together with those of the widely targeted metabolomics analysis were used to proposes a thiosulfate assimilation pathway in plants.
In Their Own Words: A Phenomenological Exploration of Student Mental Health and Success in College
Authors: Sherman Megan Callahan 
Published: April 2019

AbstractNational statistics suggest that an increasing number of students are exhibiting mental health symptoms while in college. Despite this alarming trend, limited research has been conducted for the purpose of better understanding the complex dynamics at play for individuals navigating these challenges. This phenomenological research study provides a descriptive analysis of the lived experience shared by successful college students dealing with a mental health condition. In adopting a strengths perspective that acknowledges achievement, this exploratory research serves as a platform for future studies and introduces several common elements of the phenomena. Five emerging essential themes are defined and discussed: meaning making, goal setting and purpose, spirituality, reciprocal relationships, and altruism. This investigation provides insight into the common factors that promote success for college students living with mental health issues. Study findings should be considered when developing intervention initiatives on college campuses for these historically marginalized students.
Mechanical Performance of Posterior Spinal Instrumentation and Growing Rod Implants
Authors: Foltz Mary H. , Freeman Andrew L. , Loughran Galyna , Bechtold Joan E. , Barocas Victor H. , Ellingson Arin M. , Polly David W. 
Published: April 2019

Study Design.
Experimental and computational study of posterior spinal instrumentation and growing rod constructs per ASTM F1717-15 vertebrectomy methodology for static compressive bending.

Objective.
Assess mechanical performance of standard fusion instrumentation and growing rod constructs.

Summary of Background Data.
Growing rod instrumentation utilizes fewer anchors and spans longer distances, increasing shared implant loads relative to fusion. There is a need to evaluate growing rod's mechanical performance. ASTM F1717-15 standard assesses performance of spinal instrumentation; however, effects of growing rods with side-by-side connectors have not been evaluated.

Methods.
Standard and growing rod constructs were tested per ASTM F1717-15 methodology; setup was modified for growing rod constructs to allow for connector offset. Three experimental groups (standard with active length 76 mm, and growing rods with active lengths 76 and 376 mm; n = 5/group) were tested; stiffness, yield load, and load at maximum displacement were calculated. Computational models were developed and used to locate stress concentrations.

Results.
For both constructs at 76 mm active length, growing rod stiffness (49 ± 0.8 N/mm) was significantly greater than standard (43 ± 0.4 N/mm); both were greater than growing rods at 376 mm (10 ± 0.3 N/mm). No significant difference in yield load was observed between growing rods (522 ± 12 N) and standard (457 ± 19 N) constructs of 76 mm. Growing rod constructs significantly decreased from 76 mm (522 ± 12 N) to 376 mm active length (200 ± 2 N). Maximum load of growing rods at 76 mm (1084 ± 11 N) was significantly greater than standard at 76 mm (1007 ± 7 N) and growing rods at 376 mm active length (392 ± 5 N). Simulations with active length of 76 mm were within 10% of experimental mechanical characteristics; stress concentrations were at the apex and cranial to connector–rod interaction for standard and growing rod models, respectively.

Conclusion.
Growing rod constructs are stronger and stiffer than spinal instrumentation constructs; with an increased length accompanied a decrease in strength. Growing rod construct stress concentration locations observed during computational simulation are consistent with clinically observed failure locations.

Level of Evidence: 5
Genetic Variants of ABO and SOX6 are Associated With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in Chinese Han Population
Authors: Wu Zhichong , Wang Yuwen , Dai Zhicheng , Qiu Yong , Xu Leilei , Zhu Zezhang 
Published: April 2019

Study Design.
A genetic association study.

Objective.
The aim of this study was to determine whether variants of ABO, SOX6, and CDH13 are associated with the susceptibility of AIS in Chinese Han population.

Summary of Background Data.
A recent large-scale genome-wide association study reported three novel loci in CDH13, ABO, and SOX6 genes associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in Japanese population. However, the association of these three genes with AIS in other populations remains obscure.

Methods.
The SNPs rs4513093, rs687621, and rs1455114 were genotyped in 1208 female patients and 2498 healthy controls. Samples for the expression analysis in paraspinal muscles were collected from 49 AIS and 33 congenital scoliosis (CS) patients during surgical interventions. Chi-square analysis was used to assess the difference regarding genotype and allele frequency between cases and controls. Tissue expressions of ABO, CDH13, and SOX6 were compared between AIS and CS patients by the Student t test.

Results.
SNPs rs4513093 of CDH13 and rs687621 of ABO were found to be significantly associated with AIS with an odds ratio of 0.8691 and 1.203, respectively. There was no significant association of rs1455114 with AIS. Moreover, AIS patients were found to have significantly increased expression of ABO. As for expression of CDH13 and SOX6, no remarkable difference was found between the two groups.

Conclusion.
The association of CDH13 and ABO variants with AIS was successfully replicated in the Chinese Han population. More studies are warranted to explore the functional role of ABO in the development of AIS.

Level of Evidence: N/A
Balance Measures Over 12 Months in Individuals With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Harrison Samantha Louise , Araujo Tamara , Goldstein Roger , Brooks Dina 
Published: April 2019

Purpose:
To describe balance for 12 mo in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods:
Individuals with COPD completed the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BEST), and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale before pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), post-PR and at 3, 6, and 12 mo. If an acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) occurred, balance measures were repeated after 7 d and 1 mo. Descriptive data are displayed for balance measures at 5 time-points (pre-PR, post-PR, 3 mo, 6 mo, and 12 mo) in those without exacerbations. The outcome score at 7 d and 1 mo post-AECOPD was compared with the assessment closest to the AECOPD.

Results:
A total of 42 patients were recruited and 32 patients (17 male; mean age ± standard deviation = 68.5 ± 9.9 yr; FEV1 % predicted =38 ± 15%) completed balance measures post-PR. Seventeen, 11, and 6 patients, who did not exacerbate, completed balance measures at 3, 6, and 12 mo, respectively, with no overall change in balance measures over time. Of 32 patients, 15 experienced an AECOPD and of these, 8 and 11 completed measures at 7 d and 1 mo, respectively. Balance declined from baseline to 7 d (BBS, P = .010; BEST, P = .002) and to 1 mo post-AECOPD (BBS, P = .035). Balance recovered from 7 d to 1 mo post-AECOPD but did not return to baseline levels (BBS, P = .045; BEST, P = .006). There were no changes in balance confidence post-AECOPD.

Conclusions:
Balance remained stable over 12 mo after completion of PR in those who remained exacerbation-free. The impact of an AECOPD on measures of balance persisted after 1 mo.