bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of hydrocortisone dose administration via nasogastric tube
Authors: Daniel Eleni , Whitaker Martin J. , Keevil Brian , Wales Jerry , Ross Richard J. 
Published: October 2018

SummaryObjectiveHydrocortisone via nasogastric (NG) tube is used in sick children with adrenal insufficiency; however, there is no licensed formulation for NG administration.MethodsWe investigated hydrocortisone recovery after passage through NG tubes in vitro for three formulations: liquid suspension, crushed tablets mixed with water, and hydrocortisone granules designed for oral administration to children. Cortisol was measured by LC‐MS/MS.ResultsHydrocortisone content was variable and recovery low after preparation in syringe and prior to passage through NG tubes. For doses, 0.5 and 2.0 mg mean percentage recovery was as follows: liquid suspension 57% and 58%; crushed tablets 46% and 30%; and hydrocortisone granules 78% and 71%. Flushing the administering syringe increased recovery. Hydrocortisone recovery after passage with flushing through 6‐12Fr gauge NG tubes was variable: liquid suspension 61%‐92%, crushed tablets 40%‐174%, hydrocortisone granules 61%‐92%. Administration of hydrocortisone granules occluded 6 and 8Fr NG tubes; however, administration using a sampling needle to prevent granules being administered gave a recovery of 74%‐98%.ConclusionsThe administration of hydrocortisone through NG tubes is possible; however, current methods deliver a variable dose of hydrocortisone, generally less than that prescribed. Attention should be placed on the technique used to optimize drug delivery such as flushing of the administering syringe. Hydrocortisone granules block small NG tubes but behaved as well as the commonly used liquid suspension when prepared with a filtering needle that filters out granules.
Complete but not partial inhibition of glutamate transporters exacerbates cortical excitability in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease
Authors: Estrada‐Sánchez Ana María , Castro Daniel , Portillo‐Ortiz Kenia , Jang Katrina , Nedjat‐Haiem Michael , Levine Michael S. , Cepeda Carlos 
Published: October 2018

SummaryAimDeficient glutamate reuptake occurs in the cerebral cortex of Huntington's disease (HD) patients and murine models. Here, we examine the effects of partial or complete blockade of glutamate transporters on excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) of cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs).MethodsWhole‐cell patch clamp recordings of CPNs in slices from symptomatic R6/2 mice and wild‐type (WT) littermates were used to examine the effects of selective or concurrent inhibition of glutamate reuptake transporters.ResultsSelective inhibition of the glial glutamate transporter 1 (GLT‐1) or the glutamate aspartate transporter (GLAST) produced slight decreases in decay time of evoked EPSCs in CPNs from WT and R6/2 mice with no significant differences between genotypes. In contrast, concurrent inhibition of both transporters with DL‐TBOA induced a significant increase in area and decay time and this effect was significantly greater in R6/2 CPNs. Furthermore, full blockade also reduced spontaneous EPSC frequency and exacerbated epileptiform activity in CPNs from symptomatic R6/2 mice.ConclusionsR6/2 CPNs are more sensitive to glutamate accumulation during full inhibition of both glutamate transporters, and these neurons have homeostatic mechanisms to cope with inhibition of GLT‐1 or GLAST by a mechanism that involves upregulation of either transporter when the other is deficient.
Circuit‐theory applications to connectivity science and conservation
Authors: Dickson Brett G. , Albano Christine M. , Anantharaman Ranjan , Beier Paul , Fargione Joe , Graves Tabitha A. , Gray Miranda E. , Hall Kimberly R. , Lawler Josh J. , Leonard Paul B. , Littlefield Caitlin E. , McClure Meredith L. , Novembre John , Schloss Carrie A. , Schumaker Nathan H. , Shah Viral B. , Theobald David M. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractConservation practitioners have long recognized ecological connectivity as a global priority for preserving biodiversity and ecosystem function. In the early years of conservation science, ecologists extended principles of island biogeography to assess connectivity based on source patch proximity and other metrics derived from binary maps of habitat. From 2006 to 2008, the late Brad McRae introduced circuit theory as an alternative approach to model gene flow and the dispersal or movement routes of organisms. He posited concepts and metrics from electrical circuit theory as a robust way to quantify movement across multiple possible paths in a landscape, not just a single least‐cost path or corridor. Circuit theory offers many theoretical, conceptual, and practical linkages to conservation science. We reviewed 459 recent studies citing circuit theory or the open‐source software Circuitscape. We focused on applications of circuit theory to the science and practice of connectivity conservation, including topics in landscape and population genetics, movement and dispersal paths of organisms, anthropogenic barriers to connectivity, fire behavior, water flow, and ecosystem services. Circuit theory is likely to have an effect on conservation science and practitioners through improved insights into landscape dynamics, animal movement, and habitat‐use studies and through the development of new software tools for data analysis and visualization. The influence of circuit theory on conservation comes from the theoretical basis and elegance of the approach and the powerful collaborations and active user community that have emerged. Circuit theory provides a springboard for ecological understanding and will remain an important conservation tool for researchers and practitioners around the globe.
Preoperative beta blockade and severe intraoperative bradycardia in liver transplantation
Authors: Fu Hong , Sun Kai , Li Jun , Gong Weiyi , Agopian Vatche , Yan Min , Busuttil Ronald W. , Steadman Randolph H. , Xia Victor W. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractNonselective Beta blockade (NSBB) is commonly prescribed for liver transplantation (LT) candidates, but its impact on intraoperative hemodynamics is not well understood. In this study, we investigated if preoperative NSBB was associated with severe bradycardia during LT and if severe intraoperative bradycardia was associated with 30‐day mortality. Adult patients undergoing LT between 2005 and 2014 were included. Propensity matching was used to control selection bias. Intraoperative hemodynamics were compared between patients with and without preoperative NSBB. Univariate and multivariate methods were used in statistical analysis. Of 1452 patients, 370 who received preoperative NSBB were matched in a 1:1 ratio with those who did not. Propensity matching eliminated all significant differences between the two groups. Patients who received preoperative NSBB had a significantly higher incidence of severe intraoperative bradycardia compared with the non‐BB group (9.6% vs 3.2%, P = 0.001, OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.42‐6.12, P = 0.004). Intraoperative hypotension and postreperfusion syndrome were not significantly different between the two groups. Severe intraoperative bradycardia was associated with increased 30‐day mortality. In conclusion, preoperative NSBB was associated with severe intraoperative bradycardia in LT. In patients who receive preoperative NSBB, severe intraoperative bradycardia should be closely monitored in LT. Further studies assessing safety of preoperative NSBB and intraoperative bradycardia in LT are warranted.
The relationships between markers of tubular injury and intrarenal haemodynamic function in adults with and without type 1 diabetes: Results from the Canadian Study of Longevity in Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Bjornstad Petter , Singh Sunita K. , Snell‐Bergeon Janet K. , Lovshin Julie A. , Lytvyn Yuliya , Lovblom Leif E. , Rewers Marian J. , Boulet Genevieve , Lai Vesta , Tse Josephine , Cham Leslie , Orszag Andrej , Weisman Alanna , Keenan Hillary A. , Brent Michael H. , Paul Narinder , Bril Vera , Perkins Bruce A. , Cherney David Z. I. 
Published: October 2018

ObjectiveOur aim was to define the relationships between plasma biomarkers of kidney injury and intrarenal haemodynamic function (glomerular filtration rate [GFR], effective renal plasma flow [ERPF], renal vascular resistance [RVR]) in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).MethodsThe study sample comprised patients with longstanding T1D (duration ≥50 years), among whom 44 were diabetic kidney disease (DKD) resistors (eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and <30 mg/d urine albumin excretion) and 22 had DKD, in addition to 73 control participants. GFRINULIN and ERPFPAH were measured, RVR was calculated, and afferent (RA)/efferent (RE) areteriolar resistances were derived from Gomez equations. Plasma neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL), β2 microglobulin (B2M), osteopontin (OPN) and uromodulin (UMOD) were measured using immunoassay kits from Meso Scale Discovery.ResultsPlasma NGAL, B2M and OPN were higher and UMOD was lower in DKD patients vs DKD resistors and non‐diabetic controls. In participants with T1D, plasma NGAL inversely correlated with GFR (r = −0.33; P = 0.006) and ERPF (r = −0.34; P = 0.006), and correlated positively with RA (r = 0.26; P = 0.03) and RVR (r = 0.31; P = 0.01). In participants without T1D, NGAL and B2M inversely correlated with GFR (NGAL r = −0.18; P = 0.13 and B2M r = −0.49; P < 0.0001) and with ERPF (NGAL r = −0.19; P = 0.1 and B2M r = −0.42; P = 0.0003), and correlated positively with RA (NGAL r = 0.19; P = 0.10 and B2M r = 0.3; P = 0.01) and with RVR (NGAL r = 0.20; P = 0.09 and B2M r = 0.34; P = 0.003). Differences were significant after adjusting for age, sex, HbA1c, SBP and LDL. There were statistical interactions between T1D status, B2M and intrarenal haemodynamic function (P < 0.05).ConclusionsElevated NGAL relates to intrarenal haemodynamic dysfunction in T1D, whereas elevated NGAL and B2M relate to intrarenal haemodynamic dysfunction in adults without T1D. These data may define a diabetes‐specific interplay between tubular injury and intrarenal haemodynamic dysfunction.
Degree of feeding niche overlap uniformises the distribution of interspecific territories in a Malawian cichlid community
Authors: Kawakami Masaki , Zatha Richard , Rusuwa Bosco , Maruyama Atsushi 
Published: October 2018

AbstractCichlid fishes in the rocky littoral zones of Lake Malawi are among the most diverse endemic fish communities of the world. They segregate food resources, but considerable niche overlaps have been reported by numerous studies in this field. If their niches largely overlap, the heterospecific individuals are expected to behave like conspecific individuals. Instead of studying their niche segregation, we investigated the spatial distribution patterns of adult males of nine abundant cichlid species by point process analysis, with due attention to niche partitioning, as measured by stable isotope analysis. Because their feeding habitats are restricted by intra‐ and interspecific interferences over the mating and feeding territories respectively, we hypothesised that the interspecific feeding territories of species with nearly similar niche tended to be distributed uniformly. Although the typical territorial animals are expected to be distributed uniformly, the distribution pattern of intraspecific mating territory was judged to be uniform only for two out of nine species. This result suggests that each species has its specific preference for territorial locations or their locations are restricted by interspecific interactions. The latter explanation was partially supported by the agreed locations of gravity centres between intraspecific mating and interspecific feeding territories. Species pairs with similar isotope ratios tended to show a uniform distribution of interspecific feeding territories. Thus, individual species pairs keep a certain distance from each other by using nearly similar food resources. This result suggests that some cichlid species coexist not only through niche segregation but also through territorial interactions, like conspecific individuals.
An expanded modern coexistence theory for empirical applications
Authors: Ellner Stephen P. , Snyder Robin E. , Adler Peter B. , Hooker Giles 
Published: October 2018

AbstractUnderstanding long‐term coexistence of numerous competing species is a longstanding challenge in ecology. Progress requires determining which processes and species differences are most important for coexistence when multiple processes operate and species differ in many ways. Modern coexistence theory (MCT), formalised by Chesson, holds out the promise of doing that, but empirical applications remain scarce. We argue that MCT's mathematical complexity and subtlety have obscured the simplicity and power of its underlying ideas and hindered applications. We present a general computational approach that extends our previous solution for the storage effect to all of standard MCT's spatial and temporal coexistence mechanisms, and also process‐defined mechanisms amenable to direct study such as resource partitioning, indirect competition, and life history trade‐offs. The main components are a method to partition population growth rates into contributions from different mechanisms and their interactions, and numerical calculations in which some mechanisms are removed and others retained. We illustrate how our approach handles features that have not been analysed in the standard framework through several case studies: competing diatom species under fluctuating temperature, plant–soil feedbacks in grasslands, facilitation in a beach grass community, and niche differences with independent effects on recruitment, survival and growth in sagebrush steppe.
Epilepsy and associated mortality in patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Chou I. J. , Kuo C. F. , Tanasescu R. , Tench C. R. , Tiley C. G. , Constantinescu C. S. , Whitehouse W. P. 
Published: October 2018

Background and purposeWe aimed to determine the prevalence of epilepsy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at diagnosis, the risk of developing epilepsy after the diagnosis of MS and the relative risk of mortality associated with epilepsy.MethodsWe used the UK Clinical Practice Research Data‐link to identify 2526 patients with incident MS and 9980 age‐, sex‐ and index year‐matched non‐MS controls from 1997 to 2006. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios [95% confidence interval (CI)] for epilepsy and Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CI) for epilepsy and mortality.ResultsPatients with incident MS were on average 45 years old and 70.9% were female. At diagnosis, the prevalence of epilepsy in patients with MS was 1.30% compared with 0.57% in non‐MS controls. At diagnosis, MS was associated with an adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of 2.11 (1.36–3.27) for pre‐existing epilepsy. Among epilepsy‐free patients, the cumulative probabilities of developing epilepsy, first recorded within 10 years of the index date, were 2.77% for patients with MS and 0.90% for controls. MS was associated with an adjusted HR (95% CI) of 6.01 (2.94–12.29) for epilepsy. Among patients with MS, epilepsy was associated with an HR (95% CI) of 2.23 (1.02–4.84) for all‐cause mortality.ConclusionsThis population‐based study found an increased prevalence of epilepsy in patients with MS at diagnosis when compared with non‐MS controls and the risk of developing epilepsy was also higher following the MS diagnosis. Patients with MS with epilepsy had a higher risk of mortality compared with those without.
Central nervous system involvement in late‐onset Pompe disease: clues from neuroimaging and neuropsychological analysis
Authors: Musumeci O. , Marino S. , Granata F. , Morabito R. , Bonanno L. , Brizzi T. , Lo Buono V. , Corallo F. , Longo M. , Toscano A. 
Published: October 2018

Background and purposeLate‐onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a rare, multisystem disorder that is well established to mainly impair skeletal muscle function. Systematic studies exploring brain functions in LOPD are lacking. The aim of this study was to detect morphological and functional brain alterations as well as neuropsychological impairment in LOPD.MethodsWe studied 21 patients (10 male, mean age 49 ± 18.4 years) with defined diagnosis of LOPD, divided into two groups: one with pre‐symptomatic hyperCKemia with no muscle weakness and the second with limb‐girdle muscle weakness. All patients underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to obtain morphological/angiographic evaluation as well as normalized cortical brain volume and resting‐state functional MRI. Fazekas score was applied to quantify white matter lesions, whereas Smoker's criteria were used to examine dolichoectasia. A complete neuropsychological assessment was performed.ResultsThe MRI data showed that 12/21 patients (57%) demonstrated signs of cerebral vasculopathy, with a Fazekas score >2 in 67%. According to Smoker's criteria, 11/21 patients (52%) had a dolichoectasia of the vertebrobasilar system; an intracranial aneurysm was detected in 3/21 patients (14%). Resting‐state functional MRI demonstrated significantly decreased brain connectivity in the salience network with a more relevant reduction in the bilateral middle and superior frontal gyrus. Gray matter atrophy correlated with age and disease duration. A mild impairment in executive functions was also identified.ConclusionsIn this LOPD cohort the results showed morphological and functional brain alterations with mild neuropsychological dysfunction, mainly in the limb‐girdle muscle weakness group. Cerebrovascular alterations seemed to be not related to common risk factors, suggesting a major role of enzymatic deficiency in the pathogenesis of brain abnormalities.
Phylogenetic homogenization of bee communities across ecoregions
Authors: Harrison Tina , Gibbs Jason , Winfree Rachael 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAimLand use change reorganizes local communities, resulting in complex changes in biodiversity at larger scales. The biotic homogenization hypothesis predicts that the replacement of sensitive loser species with widespread winner species will lead to loss of beta diversity and ultimately loss of regional diversity at multiple levels of ecological organization. We ask if land use is associated with biotic homogenization patterns in bee communities at two large spatial scales, using both species and phylogenetic dissimilarity indices.LocationNorth‐eastern USA (New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania).Time period2013–2015.Major taxa studiedSuperfamily Apoidea (bees).MethodsWe sampled bee communities from replicated sites in forest, agriculture and urban land use types within a large spatial extent spanning four distinct ecoregions. We compared pairwise compositional dissimilarity within and between ecoregions, using both species and phylogenetic dissimilarity indices. We also investigated how compositional difference is related to geographic distance between sites.ResultsForested, agricultural and urban landscapes did not differ detectably in either mean pairwise species dissimilarity or slope of distance‐decay. Dissimilarity among both agricultural and urban bee communities increased with geographic distance. However, urban landscapes had significantly lower phylogenetic pairwise dissimilarity, indicating strong phylogenetic homogenization at within‐ and between‐ecoregion scales.Main conclusionsWe did not detect bee species homogenization in agricultural or urban land use types. However, urban land use was associated with phylogenetic homogenization across a large regional extent. Urban bee communities are dominated by closely related species that maintain beta diversity at the species level, but contribute to low phylogenetic beta diversity relative to forest and agricultural bee communities. We observed similar levels of homogenization at landscape and regional spatial extents, despite inter‐site distances differing by an order of magnitude between these scales. Further urbanization could result in loss of bee biodiversity and evolutionary history at multiple spatial scales.
Does long‐term care insurance reduce the burden of medical costs? A retrospective elderly cohort study
Authors: Choi Jae Woo , Park Eun‐Cheol , Lee Sang Gyu , Park Sohee , Ryu Hwang‐Gun , Kim Tae Hyun 
Published: October 2018

AimTo examine whether long‐term care insurance (LTCI) reduces medical utilization and the burden of medical costs of beneficiaries.MethodsThe elderly cohort database of the National Health Insurance Service during 2005–2013 was used. The participants were 3029 beneficiaries who received consecutive LTCI services. We carried out a 1:3 case–control match on the propensity score to select a comparison group, and the final participants were 12 116 people, including 9087 who formed the control group. The dependent variables were semi‐annually measured medical utilizations (inpatient, outpatient and drug prescription) and the burden of medical costs at the individual level. This study applied the method of generalized estimating equations to the data.ResultsThe present study showed that the number of hospitalizations of beneficiaries significantly decreased compared with non‐beneficiaries (ratio 0.95, 95% CI 0.95–0.96). Similarly, the length of stay of beneficiaries also showed a significant reduction compared with non‐beneficiaries (ratio 0.76, 95% CI 0.73–0.79). The number of outpatient visits and receipt of drug prescriptions of beneficiaries and non‐beneficiaries increased marginally. The burden of medical costs of beneficiaries reduced considerably compared with non‐beneficiaries (ratio 0.80, 95% CI 0.77–0.83).ConclusionsThe study results show that the burden of medical costs for LTCI beneficiaries were significantly reduced compared with non‐beneficiaries, despite the rise in medical costs among older adults. The positive effect of LTCI supports continuous implementation and expansion of the LTCI service for non‐beneficiaries who require care assistance. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1641–1646.