bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modulation of trophoblast function by concurrent hyperglycemia and antiphospholipid antibodies is in part TLR4‐dependent
Authors: Leon‐Martinez Daisy , Mulla Melissa J. , Han Christina S. , Chamley Lawrence W. , Abrahams Vikki M. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractProblemWhile diabetes and APS are individually associated with increased risk of poor perinatal outcomes, in particular preeclampsia, recent studies have demonstrated an association between concurrent aPL and diabetes leading to an increased risk of pregnancy morbidity. Hyperglycemia and aPL have independently been shown to alter human trophoblast function by inducing a pro‐inflammatory, anti‐angiogenic, and antimigratory response. However, little is known about the effects of concurrent hyperglycemia and aPL on trophoblast function.Method of studyA human first‐trimester extravillous trophoblast cell line was exposed to glucose at 5 mmol/L (normoglycemia) or 25 mmol/L (hyperglycemia), all in the presence or absence of low‐dose aPL or control IgG. For some experiments, the TLR4 antagonist, LPS‐RS, was included. Cell culture supernatants were measured for inflammatory IL‐1β and IL‐8, and angiogenic PlGF, sFlt‐1, and sEndoglin by ELISA. Inflammasome‐associated uric acid was measured using a bioassay; caspase‐1 was measured using an activity assay. Trophoblast migration was quantified using a two‐chamber colorimetric assay.ResultsCompared to excess glucose alone, combination excess glucose and low‐dose aPL (a) further augmented trophoblast inflammatory IL‐1β, inflammasome‐associated uric acid and caspase‐1, and pro‐angiogenic PlGF; (b) dampened trophoblast inflammatory IL‐8, anti‐angiogenic sEndoglin, and sFlt‐1; and (c) further reduced trophoblast migration.ConclusionOur findings indicate that while concurrent aPL and hyperglycemia are overall detrimental to trophoblast function, the presence of two simultaneous insults triggers some protective effects.
Association between chronic viral hepatitis and metabolic syndrome in southern Taiwan: a large population‐based study
Authors: Kuo Yuan‐Hung , Kee Kwong‐Ming , Wang Jing‐Houng , Hsu Nien‐Tzu , Hsiao Chang‐Chun , Chen Yi , Lu Sheng‐Nan 
Published: September 2018

SummaryBackgroundThe impact of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on hepatitis is an interesting issue.AimTo evaluate the association of MetS and chronic viral hepatitis including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in southern Taiwan.MethodsFrom 2004 to 2013, a series of community‐based health screenings for residents aged 40 and older were held in Tainan city. MetS was defined according to the Joint Scientific Statement. Cut‐offs of body‐mass index measures of 24 kg/m2 and 27 kg/m2 were used to stratify lean, overweight and obese subjects.ResultsWe enrolled 180 359 participants; the prevalence of MetS was 30.1%, which was significantly associated with advanced age and female sex. There were 18 726 (10.4%) HBV, 13 428 (7.4%) HCV, 1337 (0.7%) HBV plus HCV (B+C) and 146 868 (81.5%) non‐HBV non‐HCV participants (NBNC). Prevalence rates of MetS in subjects with HBV, HCV, B+C and NBNC were 25.2%, 31.5%, 28.9% and 30.7% respectively (P < 0.001). There were 18.8% lean body, 35.4% overweight and 45.8% obese participants among 54 361 MetS subjects. Lean MetS subjects were older, had more diabetes, and had higher metabolic component levels, but lower alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase‐platelet ratio index levels compared with obese MetS subjects. HCV infection was positively associated with MetS (P < 0.001). However, HBV infection was inversely associated with MetS only among lean subjects (P = 0.002), but not among the general population.ConclusionsThis large population‐based study indicated that HCV infection was positively associated with MetS. However, HBV infection was inversely associated with MetS only among lean subjects.
Retesting the income inequality hypothesis: Pooled time‐series–cross‐section regression with a new statistical case selection method
Authors: Baek Seung‐ho , Kim Ki‐tae 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe Wilkinson hypothesis, which posits that it is income inequality, rather than economic growth, that determines population health in wealthy societies has been widely debated over decades. This article, with an original case selection process, retests the controversial hypothesis with the time‐series–cross‐section (TSCS) regression model. The main findings are that disposable income inequality is not statistically significantly associated with life expectancy, and its influences on the health of the elderly population are counterintuitively beneficial. Infant mortality rate is the only health indicator that both has the statistically significant association with income inequality and corresponds with the Wilkinson hypothesis. Finally, the relationship between income inequality and population health is not as simple as the hypothesis suggests and found to be dynamic and complex depending on what health indicator is used for the test.
Children's perspectives on neighbourhood barriers and enablers to active school travel: A participatory mapping study
Authors: Wilson Katherine , Coen Stephanie E. , Piaskoski Angela , Gilliland Jason A. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractChildren today are spending more sedentary time indoors than time playing and being active outdoors. The daily journey to and from school represents a valuable opportunity for children to be physically active through active school travel. The majority of research on children's active school travel omits children from the research process even though children interpret their environments in fundamentally different ways than adults. Our research uses innovative participatory mapping and qualitative GIS methods to examine how children's perceptions of their environments influence their school journey experiences. Through our thematic analysis of 25 map‐based focus groups, we identified three main themes characterizing barriers and enablers to active school travel: safety‐related, material, and affective features. By positioning children as experts of their environments in our participatory methodology, our findings provide an important counterpoint to the adultist privilege characterizing the majority of research on children's active school travel. Environmental features that mattered for children's school journeys took on multiple meanings in their eyes, demonstrating that children's perspectives must be engaged to inform interventions to promote active school travel. We thus argue that identifying barriers and enablers to active school travel for children requires engaging children's views.
Immunoglobulin A anti-phospholipid antibodies in Swedish cases of systemic lupus erythematosus: associations with disease phenotypes, vascular events and damage accrual
Authors: Frodlund M , Vikerfors A , Grosso G , Skogh T , Wetterö J , Elvin K , Gunnarsson I , Kastbom A , Dahlström Ö , Rönnelid J , Svenungsson E , Sjöwall C 
Published: September 2018

Summary
Immunoglobulin (Ig) G- and IgM-class anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and lupus anti-coagulant (LA) are included in the 1997 update of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR-97) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) criteria. Despite limited evidence, IgA-aCL and IgA anti-β2-glycoprotein-I (anti-β2GPI) were included in the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics criteria. The present study aimed to evaluate IgG-/IgA-/IgM-aCL and anti-β2GPI occurrence in relation to disease phenotype, smoking habits, pharmacotherapy, anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) and organ damage among 526 Swedish SLE patients meeting ACR-97. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 100), primary Sjögren's syndrome (n = 50) and blood donors (n = 507) served as controls. Anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) were analysed by fluoroenzyme-immunoassays detecting aCL/anti-β2GPI. Seventy-six (14%) SLE cases fulfilled the Sydney APS-criteria, and ≥ 1 aCL/anti-β2GPI isotype (IgG/IgA/IgM) occurred in 138 SLE patients (26%). Forty-five (9%) of the SLE cases had IgA-aCL, 20 of whom (4%) lacked IgG-/IgM-aCL. Seventy-four (14%) tested positive for IgA anti-β2GPI, 34 (6%) being seronegative regarding IgG/IgM anti-β2GPI. Six (1%) had APS manifestations but were seropositive regarding IgA-aCL and/or IgA anti-β2GPI in the absence of IgG/IgM-aPL and LA. Positive LA and IgG-aPL tests were associated with most APS-related events and organ damage. Exclusive IgA anti-β2GPI occurrence associated inversely with Caucasian ethnicity [odds ratio (OR) = 0·21, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0·06–0·72) and photosensitivity (OR = 0·19, 95% CI = 0·05–0·72). Nephritis, smoking, LA-positivity and statin/corticosteroid-medication associated strongly with organ damage, whereas hydroxychloroquine-medication was protective. In conclusion, IgA-aPL is not rare in SLE (16%) and IgA-aPL analysis may have additional value among SLE cases with suspected APS testing negative for other isotypes of aPL and LA.
STAT6 and IL-10 are required for the anti-arthritic effects ofSchistosoma mansonivia different mechanisms
Authors: Osada Y , Horie Y , Nakae S , Sudo K , Kanazawa T 
Published: September 2018

SummaryTo investigate possible roles of T helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines in the anti-arthritic effects of a blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni (Sm), for mouse collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), wild-type (WT), signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) knock-out (KO) and interleukin (IL)-10 KO mice were infected with Sm. Three weeks after infection, the mice were immunized with bovine type II collagen (IIC). Arthritis severity was monitored by scoring, measurement of paw thickness and the presence of ankylosis. Serum anti-IIC IgG levels, splenic cytokine production and cytokine gene expression in the popliteal lymph nodes (PLNs) were measured and compared among WT and gene-KO mice. Consistent with our previous findings, Sm infection reduced the arthritis severity in WT mice. Splenic production of IL-17A and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α was reduced by the infection. In contrast, Sm infection markedly exacerbated CIA in STAT6 KO mice. In the KO mice, IL-17A production was increased by the infection. Conversely, Sm infection did not affect the exacerbated arthritis in IL-10 KO mice, although IL-17A production was reduced by the helminth. Our results suggest that signaling via STAT6 (presumably IL-4 and/or IL-13) and IL-10 is required for the suppression of CIA by Sm infection, but through different mechanisms. STAT6 was essential for helminth-induced reduction of IL-17A, whereas regulation of the basal arthritis severity by IL-10 was needed in order for it to be sufficiently suppressed by the helminth.
Fertility induction in hypogonadotropic hypogonadal men
Authors: Prior Matthew , Stewart Jane , McEleny Kevin , Dwyer Andrew A. , Quinton Richard 
Published: September 2018

SummaryMen with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) are typically azoospermic, and yet HH is one of the few treatable forms of male infertility. Sperm induction protocols using gonadotrophins aim to replicate the natural endocrine control of spermatogenesis. Previously virilised men with adult‐onset HH and normal testicular volume respond well to monotherapy in which human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) acts as a long‐acting LH‐analogue stimulating spermatogenesis. However, this approach is rarely successful for men with congenital HH (CHH) (eg, Kallmann syndrome), for whom combined gonadotrophin therapy (hCG + follicle‐stimulating hormone [FSH]) is an absolute requirement to maximise fertility potential. Key baseline predictors of successful spermatogenesis‐induction include prior spontaneous testicular development (ie, testicular volume [TV] > 4 mL), serum inhibin B (IB) concentration >60 pg/mL and no history of maldescended testes (cryptorchidism).
Cable Joints
Authors: Müller Matthias , Chentanez Nuttapong , Jeschke Stefan , Macklin Miles 
Published: September 2018

AbstractRobustly and efficiently simulating cables and ropes that are part of a larger system such as cable driven machines, cable cars or tendons in a human or robot is a challenging task. To be able to adapt to the environment, cables are typically modeled as a large number of small segments that are connected via joints. The two main difficulties with this approach are to satisfy the inextensibility constraint and to handle the typically large mass ratio between the small segments and the larger objects they connect.In this paper we present a new approach which solves these problems in a simple and effective way. Our method is based on the idea to simulate the effect of the cables instead of the cables themselves. To this end we propose a new special type of distance constraint we call cable joint that changes both its attachment points and its rest length dynamically. A cable connecting a series of objects is then modeled as a sequence of cable joints which reduces the complexity of the simulation from the order of the number of segments to just the number of connected objects. This makes simulations both faster and more robust as we will demonstrate on a variety of examples.
Collision‐Aware and Online Compression of Rigid Body Simulations via Integrated Error Minimization
Authors: Jeruzalski Timothy , Kanji John , Jacobson Alec , Levin David I.W. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractMethods to compress simulation data are invaluable as they facilitate efficient transmission along the visual effects pipeline, fast and efficient replay of simulations for visualization and enable storage of scientific data. However, all current approaches to compressing simulation data require access to the entire dynamic simulation, leading to large memory requirements and additional computational burden. In this paper we perform compression of contact‐dominated, rigid body simulations in an online, error‐bounded fashion. This has the advantage of requiring access to only a narrow window of simulation data at a time while still achieving good agreement with the original simulation. Our approach is simulator agnostic allowing us to compress data from a variety of sources. We demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithm by compressing contact‐dominated rigid body simulations from a number of sources, achieving compression rates of up to 360 times over raw data size.
Robust Physics‐based Motion Retargeting with Realistic Body Shapes
Authors: Al Borno Mazen , Righetti Ludovic , Black Michael J. , Delp Scott L. , Fiume Eugene , Romero Javier 
Published: September 2018

AbstractMotion capture is often retargeted to new, and sometimes drastically different, characters. When the characters take on realistic human shapes, however, we become more sensitive to the motion looking right. This means adapting it to be consistent with the physical constraints imposed by different body shapes. We show how to take realistic 3D human shapes, approximate them using a simplified representation, and animate them so that they move realistically using physically‐based retargeting. We develop a novel spacetime optimization approach that learns and robustly adapts physical controllers to new bodies and constraints. The approach automatically adapts the motion of the mocap subject to the body shape of a target subject. This motion respects the physical properties of the new body and every body shape results in a different and appropriate movement. This makes it easy to create a varied set of motions from a single mocap sequence by simply varying the characters. In an interactive environment, successful retargeting requires adapting the motion to unexpected external forces. We achieve robustness to such forces using a novel LQR‐tree formulation. We show that the simulated motions look appropriate to each character's anatomy and their actions are robust to perturbations.
Governing Global Displacement in Austerity Urbanism: The Case of Berlin's Refugee Housing Crisis
Authors: Soederberg Susanne 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACTA surge of forcibly displaced migrants into Europe in 2015 culminated in what has been referred to as the ‘refugee crisis’. As the continent's top destination country, Germany has been widely praised for its welcoming culture while heavily criticized for failures of integration. This is particularly true of Berlin — a city that has absorbed the highest number of war refugees in Europe, many of whom remain without stable accommodation. Despite its significance, the scholarship has largely neglected the housing question within the European refugee crisis. The aim of this article is to cast a critical light on the complexities and contradictions glossed over by the refugee crisis trope. Drawing on the Berlin case, the author argues that resettlement initiatives need to be understood against the backdrop of austerity urbanism, particularly its insistence that markets can meet housing demand. By focusing on three types of shelter provisioning for refugees, the article reveals the multifaceted and nuanced ways in which the Berlin government, refugees and grassroots organizations contest, produce and navigate the moving frames of austerity urbanism in search of stable housing.
Acute renal outcomes with sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors: Real‐world data analysis
Authors: Cahn Avivit , Melzer‐Cohen Cheli , Pollack Rena , Chodick Gabriel , Shalev Varda 
Published: September 2018

AimTo assess the possible risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) with the use of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors (SGLT2‐i) as well as changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), hospitalizations and mortality in a real‐world setting.Materials and methodsIncluded in this historical cohort study were patients with type 2 diabetes in a large health organization in Israel who initiated therapy with SGLT2‐i or dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors (DPP‐4i) during 1 April 2015 to 30 June 2017. We collected data on serum creatinine measurements taken between 180 days prior to and 24 weeks after therapy initiation. Study endpoints included ≥30% reduction in eGFR, hospitalization with AKI, any hospitalization and all‐cause mortality.ResultsOverall 6418 and 5604 patients initiated SGLT2‐i and DPP‐4i, respectively. Baseline mean (SD) eGFR was higher among the SGLT2‐i group compared with the DPP‐4i group (88.3 [17.4] and 82.8 [23.7], respectively) but were similar when stratifying by chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for ≥30% reduction in eGFR with SGLT2‐i versus DPP4‐i was 0.70 (0.49‐1.00) and ORs ranged from 1.97 (0.62‐6.26) to 0.45 (0.21‐0.99) in patients with baseline eGFR 30 to 45 and ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. Risks of AKI (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.27‐0.80), hospitalization (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.56‐0.78) or all‐cause mortality (OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.20‐0.95) were lower in patients initiating SGLT2‐i versus DPP‐4i.ConclusionsThis real‐world data analysis supports reassuring findings from previous randomized clinical trials showing no increased AKI risk among SGLT2‐i users. Nevertheless, because of the more prominent decrease in eGFR in patients with moderate CKD, cautious use of SGLT2‐i in patients with reduced eGFR is advised.
An efficient market? Going public in London, 1891–1911
Authors: Fjesme Sturla , Galpin Neal , Moore Lyndon 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThere have been claims that British capital was not well deployed in Victorian Britain. There was, allegedly, a lack of support for new and dynamic companies in comparison to the situation in Germany and the US. We find no evidence to support these claims. The London Stock Exchange welcomed young, old, domestic, and foreign firms. It provided funds to firms in old, existing industries as well as patenting firms in ‘new‐tech’ industries at similar costs of capital. If investors did show a preference for older and foreign firms, it was because those firms offered investors better long‐run performance. In addition, we show some evidence that investors who worked in the same industry and lived close to the firm going public were allotted more shares in high‐quality initial public offerings.
Roles and relationships: On whether social roles ground associative reasons
Authors: Brewer‐Davis Nina 
Published: September 2018

AbstractA common theory of associative reasons is that they attach to a social role, and when an individual identifies with that role, she acquires the attached reasons. I argue that associative reasons are different in kind from those provided by social roles. Social roles are self‐referential rather than interpersonal. That is, role reasons apply to someone depending on whether or how the individual inhabits her role, rather than whether or how she participates in a relationship with another individual. A justification of associative reasons should start from a theory of relationships' normative significance, such as its shared history. Finally, I give a brief account of the normative significance of shared history, psychological connectedness. Shared history matters in virtue of the connectedness it produces between people.
Activation of the innate immune system is evident throughout epileptogenesis and is associated with blood‐brain barrier dysfunction and seizure progression
Authors: Broekaart Diede W. M. , Anink Jasper J. , Baayen Johannes C. , Idema Sander , de Vries Helga E. , Aronica Eleonora , Gorter Jan A. , van Vliet Erwin A. 
Published: September 2018

SummaryObjectiveBecause brain inflammation may contribute to the pathophysiology of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), we investigated the expression of various inflammatory markers of the innate and adaptive immune system in the epileptogenic human and rat hippocampus in relation to seizure activity and blood‐brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction.MethodsImmunohistochemistry was performed using various immune cell markers (for microglia, monocytes, macrophages, T lymphocytes, and dendritic cells) on hippocampal sections of drug‐resistantTLEpatients and patients who died after status epilepticus. The expression of these markers was also studied in the electrical post–status epilepticus rat model forTLE, during the acute, latent, and chronic epileptic phase.BBBdysfunction was assessed using albumin immunohistochemistry and theBBBtracer fluorescein.ResultsMonocyte infiltration, microglia, and perivascular macrophage activation were persistently increased in both epileptogenic human and rat hippocampus, whereas T lymphocytes and dendritic cells were not or were scarcely detected. In addition to this, increased expression of C‐C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) and osteopontin was observed. In humans, the expression ofCD68 andCCL2 was related to the duration of epilepsy and type of pathology. In rats, the expression ofCD68,CCL2, and the perivascular macrophage markerCD163 was related to the duration of the initial insult and to the number of spontaneous seizures. Interestingly, the number ofCD163‐positive perivascular macrophages was also positively correlated toBBBdysfunction in chronic epileptic rats.SignificanceThese data suggest a proepileptogenic role for monocytes/macrophages and other cells of the innate immune response, possibly via increasedBBBleakage, and indicate that T cells and dendritic cells, which are closely associated with the adaptive immune response, are only sparsely infiltrated during epileptogenesis in the electrical post–status epilepticus rat model. Future studies should reveal the relative importance of these immune cells and whether specific manipulation can modify or prevent epileptogenesis.