bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intranasal immunization with recombinant chlamydial protease‐like activity factor attenuates atherosclerotic pathology following Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in mice
Authors: Li Weidang , Gudipaty Pareesha , Li Chuxi , Henderson Kyle K , Ramsey Kyle H , Murthy Ashlesh K 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe have shown previously that intranasal vaccination with recombinant chlamydial protease‐like activity factor (rCPAF: antigen) and interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) as an adjuvant induces robust protection against pathological consequences of female genital tract infection with Chlamydia muridarum, a closely related species and a rodent model for the human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis. Another related species Chlamydia pneumoniae, a human respiratory pathogen, has been associated with exacerbation of atherosclerotic pathology. CPAF is highly conserved among Chlamydia spp. leading us to hypothesize that immunization with rCPAF with IL‐12 will protect against high‐fat diet (HFD) and C. pneumoniae‐induced acceleration of atherosclerosis. rCPAF ± IL‐12 immunization induced robust splenic antigen (Ag)‐specific IFN‐γ and TNF‐α production and significantly elevated serum total anti‐CPAF Ab, IgG2c, and IgG1 antibody levels compared to mock or IL‐12 alone groups. The addition of IL‐12 to rCPAF significantly elevated splenic Ag‐specific IFN‐γ production and IgG2c/IgG1 anti‐CPAF antibody ratio. Following intranasal C. pneumoniae challenge and HFD feeding, rCPAF ± IL‐12‐immunized mice displayed significantly enhanced splenic IFN‐γ, not TNF‐α, response on days 6 and 9 after challenge, and significantly reduced lung chlamydial burden on day 9 post‐challenge compared to mock‐ or IL‐12‐immunized mice. Importantly, rCPAF ± IL‐12‐immunized mice displayed significantly reduced atherosclerotic pathology in the aortas after C. pneumoniae challenge. Serum cholesterol levels were comparable between the groups suggesting that the observed differences in pathology were due to protective immunity against the infection. Together, these results confirm and extend our previous observations that CPAF is a promising candidate antigen for a multisubunit vaccine regimen to protect against Chlamydia‐induced pathologies, including atherosclerosis.
Seasonality and clinical impact of human parainfluenza viruses
Authors: Maykowski Philip , Smithgall Marie , Zachariah Philip , Oberhardt Matthew , Vargas Celibell , Reed Carrie , Demmer Ryan T. , Stockwell Melissa S. , Saiman Lisa 
Published: July 2018

BackgroundWidespread availability of rapid diagnostic testing for respiratory viruses allows more in‐depth studies of human parainfluenza viruses (HPIV).ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess seasonality of HPIV types 1‐4, clinical outcomes by HPIV type, and risk factors for illness severity.Patients/MethodsThis retrospective study was performed from January 2013 to December 2015 in children and adults with HPIV, detected by multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, participating in a community surveillance study of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in New York City and patients admitted to a tertiary care center in the same neighborhood. Seasonality trends by HPIV type were compared between the community and hospital groups. The associations between HPIV type, demographics, clinical characteristics, and illness severity were assessed.ResultsHPIV was detected in 69 (4%) of 1753 community surveillance participants (median age 9.2 years) and 680 hospitalized patients (median age 6.8 years). Seasonality for HPIV types 1‐3 agreed with previously described patterns; HPIV‐4 occurred annually in late summer and fall. In the community cohort, 22 (32%) participants sought medical care, 9 (13%) reported antibiotic use, and 20 (29%) reported ≥1 day of missed work or school. Among hospitalized patients, 24% had ≥4 chronic conditions. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression demonstrated that increased severity of illness was significantly associated with HPIV‐4 and chronic cardiovascular and respiratory conditions in children and with age ≥65 years and chronic respiratory conditions in adults.ConclusionsHPIV‐4 presented late summer and early fall annually and was associated with increased severity of illness in hospitalized children.
Outpatient influenza antivirals in a distributed data network for influenza surveillance
Authors: Cocoros Noelle M. , Panucci Genna , Haug Nicole , Maher Carmen , Reichman Marsha , Toh Sengwee 
Published: July 2018

Electronic data collected from routine health care can be used for public health surveillance. To examine the Sentinel System, a distributed data network of health plans, as a source for influenza surveillance, we compared trends in outpatient prescription dispensings of influenza antivirals in Sentinel to trends in CDC's ILINet and NREVSS systems over five seasons. There were 2 102 885 dispensed prescriptions of oseltamivir capsules, 494 188 of oseltamivir powder, and 7955 of zanamivir. Across all seasons, the magnitude and timing of peaks in drug utilization were highly comparable to those in ILINet and NREVSS. Oseltamivir capsules and powder were well correlated with ILINet and NREVSS. This lays the foundation for further exploration of Sentinel's utility for influenza surveillance.
Do parenting behaviors modify the way sensation seeking influences antisocial behaviors?
Authors: Okuda Mayumi , Martins Silvia S. , Wall Melanie M. , Chen Chen , Santaella‐Tenorio Julian , Ramos‐Olazagasti Maria , Wei Chiaying , Canino Glorisa , Bird Hector R. , Duarte Cristiane S. 
Published: July 2018

BackgroundParenting behaviors have been shown to moderate the association between sensation seeking and antisocial behaviors.MethodsData were obtained from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of 2,491 Puerto Rican youth living in the South Bronx, New York, and the metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. First, we examined the prospective relationship between sensation seeking and antisocial behaviors across 3 yearly waves and whether this relationship varied by sociodemographic factors. Second, we examined the moderating role of parenting behaviors—including parental monitoring, warmth, and coercive discipline—on the prospective relationship between sensation seeking and antisocial behaviors.ResultsSensation seeking was a strong predictor of antisocial behaviors for youth across two different sociocultural contexts. High parental monitoring buffered the association between sensation seeking and antisocial behaviors, protecting individuals with this trait. Low parental warmth was associated with high levels of antisocial behaviors, regardless of the sensation seeking level. Among those with high parental warmth, sensation seeking predicted antisocial behaviors, but the levels of antisocial behaviors were never as high as those of youth with low parental warmth.ConclusionsStudy findings underscore the relevance of person–family context interactions in the development of antisocial behaviors. Future interventions should focus on the interplay between individual vulnerabilities and family context to prevent the unhealthy expression of a trait that is present in many individuals.
Rethinking disease in psychiatry: Disease models and the medical imaginary
Authors: Radden Jennifer 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe first decades of the 21st century have seen increasing dissatisfaction with the diagnostic psychiatry of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals (DSMs). The aim of the present discussion is to identify one source of these problems within the history of medicine, using melancholy and syphilis as examples. Coinciding with the 19th‐century beginnings of scientific psychiatry, advances that proved transformative and valuable for much of the rest of medicine arguably engendered, and served to entrench, mistaken, and misleading conceptions of psychiatric disorder. Powerful analogical reasoning based on what is assumed, projected, and expected (and thus occupying the realm of the medical imaginary), fostered inappropriate models for psychiatry. Dissatisfaction with DSM systems have given rise to alternative models, exemplified here in (i) network models of disorder calling for revision of ideas about causal explanation, and (ii) the critiques of categorical analyses associated with recently revised domain criteria for research. Such alternatives reflect welcome, if belated, revisions.
Multilocus sequence typing reveals clonality in Saprolegnia parasitica outbreaks
Authors: Ravasi Damiana , De Respinis Sophie , Wahli Thomas 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe molecular epidemiology of fish pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica is still largely unknown. We developed a multilocus sequence typing scheme based on seven housekeeping genes to characterize 77 S. parasitica strains isolated from different fish host species at different times and from different geographic areas in Switzerland between 2015 and 2017. Ten different diploid sequence types (DSTs) were identified. The majority (52%) of outbreaks in Switzerland seemed to be caused by one genotype, namely DST3, which was recovered from farm‐raised and wild‐caught fish in all the geographic areas and river basins included in the study. DST3 was also recovered from the rivers Bienne (eastern France) and Doubs, where the episodes of massive mortality due to saprolegniosis started in 2009. Another genotype (DST7) showed, to a lesser extent, a distribution across different river basins, while eight DSTs were unique to a defined geographic area or river basin. The occurrence of sporadic DSTs indicates a certain degree of diversity within S. parasitica in the environment. The wide distribution of DST3 suggests that a clonal population may have spread in eastern France and Switzerland across geographic barriers, with strong implications for the management of both captive and wild fish populations.
The effect of β‐1,3‐glucan derived from Euglena gracilis (Algamune™) on the innate immunological responses of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.)
Authors: Yamamoto Fernando Y. , Sutili Fernando J. , Hume Michael , Gatlin Delbert M. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractAlgamune™ is a commercial additive produced from Euglena gracilis, providing a rich source of the β‐1,3‐glucan paramylon. Isolated kidney phagocytes of Nile tilapia were incubated with graded doses (0, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 μg/ml) of Algamune™ and purified paramylon to gauge their ability to elicit the production of reactive oxygen species. A linear response was observed for extracellular superoxide anion for both sources but only Algamune™ for intracellular superoxide anion. After corroborating the immunostimulant properties ex vivo, a feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the dietary supplementation of Algamune™ (0, 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of diet) for Nile tilapia. Fish were fed for 3 weeks, after which, fish were sampled for blood and head kidney phagocytes. The remaining fish were challenged with Streptococcus iniae. Macrophage extracellular superoxide anion production was significantly elevated in fish fed diets with 200 mg of Algamune™ kg−1 when compared to fish fed the basal diet. Even though the disease challenge did not show statistical differences, it is worth mentioning that fish fed intermediate doses of Algamune™ had lowest numerical mortality values. Therefore, Algamune™ was demonstrated to enhance some immunological responses of tilapia both in ex vivo and in vivo.
pirA‐ and pirB‐like gene identification in Micrococcus luteus strains in Mexico
Authors: Durán‐Avelar Ma. de Jesús , Vázquez‐Reyes Alejandro , González‐Mercado Ana Lourdes , Zambrano‐Zaragoza José Francisco , Ayón‐Pérez Miriam Fabiola , Agraz‐Cibrián Juan Manuel , Gutiérrez‐Franco Jorge , Vibanco‐Pérez Norberto 
Published: July 2018

AbstractAcute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) was first reported in China in 2009 and afterwards in Mexico in 2013. AHPND is caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus and affects Penaeus monodon and Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp cultures. The bacterium contains the pirA‐ and pirB‐like genes in 69‐ to 70‐Kb plasmids, which encode the toxins that produce the disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether pirA‐ and pirB‐like genes existed in bacterial genera distinct from Vibrio before the first cases of AHPND were documented in Mexico. Two bacterial isolates were selected from shrimp farms in Nayarit in 2006 and analysed by nested‐PCR to determine the presence of pirA‐ and pirB‐like genes. The two isolates chosen did indeed show the presence of these genes, and those findings were confirmed by sequencing. Both strains matched to the bacterial species Micrococcus luteus. Results revealed two important situations: (a) the pirA‐ and pirB‐like genes were present in a bacterial species that has not been reported previously (Micrococcus luteus); and (b) pirA‐ and pirB‐like bacterial genes were present in Mexico before the first AHPND outbreak was reported in China.
Biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease: current status and prospects for the future
Authors: Blennow K. , Zetterberg H. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractAccumulating data from the clinical research support that the core Alzheimer's disease (AD) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers amyloid‐β (Aβ42), total tau (T‐tau), and phosphorylated tau (P‐tau) reflect key elements of AD pathophysiology. Importantly, a large number of clinical studies very consistently show that these biomarkers contribute with diagnostically relevant information, also in the early disease stages. Recent technical developments have made it possible to measure these biomarkers using fully automated assays with high precision and stability. Standardization efforts have given certified reference materials for CSF Aβ42, with the aim to harmonize results between assay formats that would allow for uniform global reference limits and cut‐off values. These encouraging developments have led to that the core AD CSF biomarkers have a central position in the novel diagnostic criteria for the disease and in the recent National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer's Association biological definition of AD. Taken together, this progress will likely serve as the basis for a more general introduction of these diagnostic tests in clinical routine practice. However, the heterogeneity of pathology in late‐onset AD calls for an expansion of the AD CSF biomarker toolbox with additional biomarkers reflecting additional aspects of AD pathophysiology. One promising candidate is the synaptic protein neurogranin that seems specific for AD and predicts future rate of cognitive deterioration. Further, recent studies bring hope for easily accessible and cost‐effective screening tools in the early diagnostic evaluation of patients with cognitive problems (and suspected AD) in primary care. In this respect, technical developments with ultrasensitive immunoassays and novel mass spectrometry techniques give promise of biomarkers to monitor brain amyloidosis (the Aβ42/40 or APP669‐711/Aβ42 ratios) and neurodegeneration (tau and neurofilament light proteins) in plasma samples, but future studies are warranted to validate these promising results further.
RNA interference of long noncoding RNA HOTAIR suppresses autophagy and promotes apoptosis and sensitivity to cisplatin in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Wang Xia , Liu Wei , Wang Peiyuan , Li Shu 
Published: July 2018

BackgroundLong noncoding RNA HOX transcript antisense RNA (lncRNA HOTAIR) is overexpressed in many types of human cancers and is correlated with clinical stage and lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Autophagy, an important mechanism of self‐protection, plays vital roles in adapting to hypoxia, tolerating external stimulation, and inducing chemotherapy resistance in OSCC cells. This study aims to investigate the effect of HOTAIR on autophagy, apoptosis, and invasion of OSCC cells.MethodsHOTAIR expression in OSCC cells was knocked down by small RNA interference. Transmission electron microscope, Western blot, and flow cytometry assay were used to detect the level of autophagy and apoptosis. OSCC cells were medicated with cisplatin, and median lethal dose (LD50) was performed to evaluate the effect on chemosensitivity of HOTAIR.ResultsAfter HOTAIR silence, autophagy was inhibited with the downregulated expression of MAP1LC3B (microtubule‐associated protein 1 light chain 3B), beclin1, and autophagy‐related gene (ATG) 3 and ATG7. The expressions of mTOR increased. Proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells were suppressed. Furthermore, apoptosis rate was enhanced, and the sensitivity to cisplatin was promoted when compared with the negative control group.ConclusionHOTAIR acts as an oncogene in OSCC cells, and HOTAIR silence may be a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.
Lacosamide in children with drug‐resistant epilepsy
Authors: Rüegger Andrea D , Freeman Jeremy L , Harvey A Simon 
Published: July 2018

AimTo assess the effectiveness and tolerability of lacosamide in paediatric clinical practice.MethodsA search of our hospital's pharmacy database yielded all children <16 years old dispensed lacosamide for drug‐resistant epilepsy between January 2011 and June 2016. Medical records were reviewed for clinical and drug details. Continued treatment for ≥12 months was considered an indicator of effectiveness and tolerability.ResultsA total of 107 children (61 boys) satisfied inclusion criteria. Median age at lacosamide commencement was 9.9 years (interquartile range 6.7–13.7). Of those children, 57 (53%) children had focal epilepsy, with focal motor or impaired awareness seizures most commonly reported; 50 (47%) children had generalised epilepsy, most with tonic–clonic seizures, tonic seizures or epileptic spasms; 83 (78%) children had an intellectual disability, 24 (22%) had a physical disability and 22 (21%) had an autism spectrum disorder; 69 (65%) children continued lacosamide for ≥12 months. Reasons for discontinuation before 12 months in 38 (35%) children included ineffectiveness in 25 (66%), adverse events in 7 (18%) and worsening of seizures in 2 (5%). The most common adverse events were drowsiness, behavioural changes, unsteadiness, nausea and vomiting. Epilepsy type and comorbidities were not associated with continuation or reasons for discontinuation.ConclusionsMost children continued treatment with lacosamide, suggesting effectiveness and tolerability. Lacosamide may prove to be a useful, ‘broad‐spectrum’ antiepileptic medication in children for focal and generalised epilepsies and in association with comorbidities.
Natural regeneration following wind disturbance increases the diversity of managed lowland forests in NE Poland
Authors: Szwagrzyk Jerzy , Gazda Anna , Dobrowolska Dorota , Chećko Ewa , Zaremba Jakub , Tomski Andrzej 
Published: July 2018

AbstractQuestionsAre there significant differences in the density and composition of natural regeneration among habitat types? Is the abundance of regeneration higher in patches more seriously damaged by a windstorm than in patches not affected by the wind? Is the species diversity of regeneration greater than the diversity of mature trees prior to disturbance?LocationSzast Protected Forest, NE Poland.MethodsThroughout the Szast P.F., 111 sample plots were distributed in a regular grid 13 years after a windstorm. In plots located in disturbed forests, we measured all the canopy trees and the 30 young individuals of each size class (seedlings, short saplings and tall saplings) closest to the plot centre. In non‐disturbed patches, we measured all trees within a plot of predefined radius. For statistical analyses of differences in the diversity between mature stands and young generation, we used the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Dunn's multiple comparison test. The relationship between the canopy layer and the young generation of trees was analysed using Spearman's rank correlation and a classic negative binomial regression.ResultsNatural regeneration was more abundant in the coniferous and mixed coniferous habitat types than in the mixed deciduous type. The density of young trees was negatively correlated with the basal area of the trees that survived the windstorm and was positively correlated with canopy tree mortality. After the windstorm, Pinus sylvestris lost more trees than the other species; Picea abies and Betula pendula slightly increased their share; and the species that benefited most from the disturbance was Quercus robur. In the coniferous habitat type, the species diversity of the young generation of trees was higher than the diversity of the canopy trees prior to the windstorm.ConclusionsLeaving wind‐disturbed areas to natural regeneration could be a viable option for converting coniferous plantations into more diverse and species‐rich stands.
Spatiotemporal dynamics and genome‐wide association analysis of desiccation tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Rajpurohit Subhash , Gefen Eran , Bergland Alan O. , Petrov Dmitri A. , Gibbs Allen G. , Schmidt Paul S. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWater availability is a major environmental challenge to a variety of terrestrial organisms. In insects, desiccation tolerance varies predictably over spatial and temporal scales and is an important physiological determinant of fitness in natural populations. Here, we examine the dynamics of desiccation tolerance in North American populations of Drosophila melanogaster using: (a) natural populations sampled across latitudes and seasons; (b) experimental evolution in field mesocosms over seasonal time; (c) genome‐wide associations to identify SNPs/genes associated with variation for desiccation tolerance; and (d) subsequent analysis of patterns of clinal/seasonal enrichment in existing pooled sequencing data of populations sampled in both North America and Australia. A cline in desiccation tolerance was observed, for which tolerance exhibited a positive association with latitude; tolerance also varied predictably with culture temperature, demonstrating a significant degree of thermal plasticity. Desiccation tolerance evolved rapidly in field mesocosms, although only males showed differences in desiccation tolerance between spring and autumn collections from natural populations. Water loss rates did not vary significantly among latitudinal or seasonal populations; however, changes in metabolic rates during prolonged exposure to dry conditions are consistent with increased tolerance in higher latitude populations. Genome‐wide associations in a panel of inbred lines identified twenty‐five SNPs in twenty‐one loci associated with sex‐averaged desiccation tolerance, but there is no robust signal of spatially varying selection on genes associated with desiccation tolerance. Together, our results suggest that desiccation tolerance is a complex and important fitness component that evolves rapidly and predictably in natural populations.