bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictors of cardiovascular outcome and rehospitalization in elderly patients with heart failure
Authors: Rosa Gian M. , Scagliola Riccardo , Ghione Paola , Valbusa Alberto , Brunelli Claudio , Carbone Federico , Montecucco Fabrizio , Monacelli Fiammetta 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBackgroundHeart failure (HF) is a major public health problem and represents the only cardiac disease continuing to increase in prevalence, in particular among elderly patients. The frequent rehospitalizations have a negative impact on quality of life of patients with HF, constituting a substantial cost for patients and the health system. The aim of this review was to look into biochemical, echocardiographic and socioeconomical parameters as predictors of clinical outcomes and rehospitalizations.MethodsThis narrative review is based on the material searched for and obtained via PubMed from January 2000 up to March 2018. The search terms we used were as follows: “elderly, heart failure, cardiovascular” in combination with “biomarker, echocardiography and hospitalization.”ResultsThis review analyses the potential predictive role of biochemical and echocardiographic and socioeconomical parameters on clinical outcomes (particularly cardiovascular) and hospital readmissions in patients with chronic HF. We focused on risk stratification of elderly patients with HF, who constitute a category of frail subjects at higher risk for readmission to hospital.ConclusionsIn elderly subjects with chronic HF, the risk stratification could benefit of a multiparametric approach combining biochemical, echocardiographic, demographic and socioeconomical parameters, thus ensuring a better quality of life and at the same time a better allocation of financial resources.
The complementary role of lentic and lotic habitats for Arctic grayling in a complex stream‐lake network in Arctic Alaska
Authors: Heim Kurt C. , Arp Christopher D. , Whitman Matthew S. , Wipfli Mark S. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractLakes can be important to stream dwelling fishes, yet how individuals exploit habitat heterogeneity across complex stream‐lake networks is poorly understood. Furthermore, despite growing awareness that intermittent streams are widely used by fish, studies documenting the use of seasonally accessible lakes remain scarce. We studied Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) in a small seasonally flowing (June–October) stream‐lake network in Alaska using PIT telemetry. Overall, 70% of fish visited two lakes, 8% used a single lake, and 22% used only stream reaches. We identified five distinct behavioural patterns that differed in dominant macrohabitat used (deep lake, shallow lake or stream reaches), entry day into the network and mobility. Some juvenile fish spent the entire summer in a shallow seasonally frozen lake (average 71 days), whereas others demonstrated prospecting behaviour and only entered the stream channel briefly in September. Another group included adult and juvenile fish that were highly mobile, moving up to 27 km while in the 3‐km stream‐lake network, and used stream reaches extensively (average 59 days). Lentic and lotic habitats served differing roles for individuals, some fish occupied stream reaches as summer foraging habitat, and other individuals used them as migration corridors to access lakes. Our study emphasises the importance of considering stream‐lake connectivity in stream fish assessments, even to shallow seasonally frozen habitats not widely recognised as important. Furthermore, we demonstrate that individuals may use temporary aquatic habitats in complex and changing ways across ontogeny that are not captured by typical classifications of fish movement behaviour.
Size‐based sexual dimorphism of nitrogen excretion in livebearing fishes
Authors: Ambus Nicholas , Moody Eric K. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractNitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are important limiting or co‐limiting nutrients in many aquatic ecosystems. Consumers such as fishes can significantly impact the balance and redistribution of these nutrients through consumer‐driven nutrient recycling. Intraspecific variation in nutrient excretion rates can therefore have significant ecosystem impacts. Among individuals of sexually dimorphic consumers, variation in population size structure and sex ratio could potentially have impacts of similar magnitude. We tested for the effects of body size and sex on consumer‐driven nutrient recycling by measuring N and P excretion rates from eight species of poeciliid fishes. We found a strong positive effect of size on N excretion rates, as has been previously described among species. However, we found no effect of size on P excretion rates, nor did we find any difference in N or P excretion rates between sexes. Our work provides a preliminary analysis of how sexual dimorphism can lead to disparate nutrient excretion rates within consumer populations. These results indicate that variation in population sex ratios of sexually dimorphic consumers could have impacts at the ecosystem scale.
Tooth identification puzzle: A method of teaching and learning tooth morphology
Authors: Risnes Steinar , Khan Qalbi , Hadler‐Olsen Elin , Sehic Amer 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIntroductionThe present report outlines a method of teaching/learning tooth morphology by tooth identification puzzle.Materials and MethodsStudents are presented with sets of extracted human teeth comprising complete dentitions except deciduous incisors and canines. The task is to place the teeth in correct positions in a schematic dentition diagram. The course, including 2‐3 introductory lectures and a final test of one hour, has a time frame of 14‐16 hours. A total of 506 2nd year students from several years participated.ResultsThe course is much appreciated by the students who experience a marked progress in skills. In the final test, 51.8% of the students had no faults, whilst 3% failed (more than 12 faults). The average number of faults per student was 2.3. Of the 20 240 positioned teeth 5.7% were misplaced. The most frequently misplaced teeth were mandibular central incisors, maxillary second premolars and mandibular first premolars. The most common type of fault was inside determination.DiscussionThe course is cost‐effective and facilitates learning through its multifaceted activity with involvement of many senses. An important asset is the appreciation of variations in tooth morphology. The course provides an arena for close and positive interaction between students and teachers.
Soman‐induced status epilepticus, epileptogenesis, and neuropathology in carboxylesterase knockout mice treated with midazolam
Authors: Marrero‐Rosado Brenda , de Araujo Furtado Marcio , Schultz Caroline R. , Stone Michael , Kundrick Erica , Walker Katie , O’Brien Sean , Du Fu , Lumley Lucille A. 
Published: October 2018

SummaryObjectiveExposure to chemical warfare nerve agents (CWNAs), such as soman (GD), can induce status epilepticus (SE) that becomes refractory to benzodiazepines when treatment is delayed, leading to increased risk of epileptogenesis, severe neuropathology, and long‐term behavioral and cognitive deficits. Rodent models, widely used to evaluate novel medical countermeasures (MCMs) against CWNA exposure, normally express plasma carboxylesterase, an enzyme involved in the metabolism of certain organophosphorus compounds. To better predict the efficacy of novel MCMs against CWNA exposure in human casualties, it is crucial to use appropriate animal models that mirror the human condition. We present a comprehensive characterization of the seizurogenic, epileptogenic, and neuropathologic effects of GD exposure with delayed anticonvulsant treatment in the plasma carboxylesterase knockout (ES1−/−) mouse.MethodsElectroencephalography (EEG) electrode‐implanted ES1−/− and wild‐type (C57BL/6) mice were exposed to various seizure‐inducing doses of GD, treated with atropine sulfate and the oxime HI‐6 at 1 minute after exposure, and administered midazolam at 15‐30 minutes following the onset of seizure activity. The latency of acute seizure onset and spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) was assessed, as were changes in EEG power spectra. At 2 weeks after GD exposure, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation were assessed.ResultsGD‐exposed ES1−/− mice displayed a dose‐dependent response in seizure severity. Only ES1−/− mice exposed to the highest tested dose of GD developed SE, subchronic alterations in EEG power spectra, and SRS. Degree of neuronal cell loss and neuroinflammation were dose‐dependent; no significant neuropathology was observed in C57BL/6 mice or ES1−/− mice exposed to lower GD doses.SignificanceThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) animal rule requires the use of relevant animal models for the advancement of MCMs against CWNAs. We present evidence that argues for the use of the ES1−/− mouse model to screen anticonvulsant, antiepileptic, and/or neuroprotective drugs against GD‐induced toxicity, as well as to identify mechanisms of GD‐induced epileptogenesis.
Measuring viability selection from prospective cohort mortality studies: A case study in maritime pine
Authors: Robledo‐Arnuncio Juan J. , Unger Gregor M. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBy changing the genetic background available for selection at subsequent life stages, stage‐specific selection can define adaptive potential across the life cycle. We propose and evaluate here a neutrality test and a Bayesian method to infer stage‐specific viability selection coefficients using sequential random genotypic samples drawn from a longitudinal cohort mortality study, within a generation. The approach is suitable for investigating selective mortality in large natural or experimental cohorts of any organism in which individual tagging and tracking are unfeasible. Numerical simulation results indicate that the method can discriminate loci under strong viability selection, and provided samples are large, yield accurate estimates of the corresponding selection coefficients. Genotypic frequency changes are largely driven by sampling noise under weak selection, however, compromising inference in that case. We apply the proposed methods to analyze viability selection operating at early recruitment stages in a natural maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) population. We measured temporal genotypic frequency changes at 384 candidate‐gene SNP loci among seedlings sampled from the time of emergence in autumn until the summer of the following year, a period with high elimination rates. We detected five loci undergoing allele frequency changes larger than expected from stochastic mortality and sampling, with putative functions that could influence survival at early seedling stages. Our results illustrate how new statistical and sampling schemes can be used to conduct genomic scans of contemporary selection on specific life stages.
Crystal structure of afifavidin reveals common features of molecular assemblage in the bacterial dimeric avidins
Authors: Avraham Orly , Bayer Edward A. , Livnah Oded 
Published: October 2018

The subfamily of bacterial dimeric avidins is being extended through the discovery of additional members originating from diverse sources. All of these newly discovered dimeric avidin forms exhibit high affinity towards biotin, despite their lack of critical Trp in the classical tetrameric forms. The common feature of forming cylinder‐like multimers (hexamers and octamers) seems to be more than a random occurrence, which generally characterizes their apo forms in the crystalline state and also in some cases in solution. Afifavidin from the Gram‐negative α‐proteobacteriumAfifella pfennigiiis the fourth member of the subfamily of dimers, which, in the intact apo form, also congregates into octamers both in the solution and in the crystalline state, whereby the C‐terminal extended segments stretch into the biotin‐binding sites of adjacent non‐canonical monomers. The intact apo afifavidin molecule self‐assembles into toroid‐shaped nanostructures that dissociate into the inherent dimers upon binding biotin. On removal of the C‐terminal regions, the short‐form of afifavidin forms dimers both in the solution and in the crystalline states. The high affinity of the dimeric forms of afifavidin towards biotin is maintained, due to the conserved disulfide bridge between L3,4 and L5,6 and the presence of Phe50 in L3,4 that compensate for the lack of the critical Trp in the tetrameric avidins. These cyclic multimeric‐avidin assemblies may be exploited in the future to further diversify biotin‐based nanotechnology or to serve as building blocks in the construction of bio‐inspired materials.DatabaseStructural data are available in thePDBdatabases under the accession numbers:6HDV,6HDS,6HDT.
Intersectoral strategies between health and education for preventing adolescent pregnancy in Chile: Findings from a qualitative study
Authors: Obach Alexandra , Sadler Michelle , Cabieses Báltica 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBackgroundIn Chile, despite its steady decrease overall, adolescent pregnancy is concentrated in the most vulnerable population. Efforts in intersectoral collaboration between health and education to address the problem are being developed, but they have not been assessed.ObjectiveTo describe intersectoral strategies between health and education to address adolescent sexual and reproductive health, prevent adolescent pregnancy, and to explore adolescents’ and health professionals’ perceptions regarding those strategies.DesignA qualitative ethnographic study was carried out in five municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. A sample of five key informants, 23 health professionals and 50 adolescents participated in a total of 38 semi‐structured interviews and five discussion groups.ResultsTwo intersectoral strategies to respond to adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health needs were identified: (a) the “in‐and‐out” strategy, where health professionals provide health care mostly in health centres and carry out specific actions in schools and (b) the school‐based strategy in which health professionals carry out continuous actions in schools as part of the curriculum. The second is perceived as responding better to adolescents’ needs in sexual and reproductive health issues and in preventing adolescent pregnancy.DiscussionThe school‐based strategy, with the constant presence of health professionals and lack of bureaucratic procedures, facilitates adolescents to access sexual and reproductive health care. This strategy enables sexual and reproductive health to be understood as an integral dimension of adolescents’ lives, and it reinforces a holistic idea of health in which it is approached as a whole.
Cutaneous expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in vitiligo patients: a case‐control study
Authors: Elmasry Maha Fathy , Nagui Noha Abdel Rehim , Rashed Laila Ahmed , El Darbi Reem 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBackgroundThymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a major pro‐allergic cytokine promoting T helper‐2 responses. Our aim was to study and verify the hypothesis of the role of TSLP in the pathogenesis of vitiligo.MethodsThis case‐control study was conducted on 25 patients with generalized non‐segmental vitiligo (recruited from the Dermatology outpatient clinic, Kasr El Ainy, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University) and 25 healthy controls fulfilling the inclusion criteria over a period of 7 months (January 2017–July 2017). Patients underwent complete medical history, detailed assessment of vitiligo, and photographic documentation. Skin biopsies were taken from the back from both patients’ vitiliginous skin and from normal skin of controls for which relative TSLP messenger RNA (mRNA) tissue expression levels were measured using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction technique.ResultsThere was a statistically significant difference between the TSLP mRNA expression levels in patients and controls (P < 0.001) with lower levels in the former group.ConclusionThis study revealed lower TSLP mRNA expression levels in vitiliginous skin than in normal skin suggesting an imminent role of TSLP in the pathogenesis of vitiligo.
(Re)producing Statelessness via Indirect Gender Discrimination: Descendants of Haitian Migrants in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Petrozziello Allison J. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractGender discrimination as a risk factor for statelessness has been understood as direct discrimination whereby legal frameworks prohibit mothers from conferring their nationality. This article discusses research findings from the Dominican Republic where indirect gender discrimination, evident in documentation and birth registration practices applicable to Haitian migrants and descendants, is causing matrilineal transmission of statelessness. Restricting access to citizenship has become a form of migration control, just as the creation of temporary, ad hoc status forms allows the state to sidestep responsibilities for migrant incorporation. If the links between gender and statelessness are not only legal, but also historical, structural, and procedural, then disrupting this cycle requires more than legal reform. For advocacy campaigns, such as UNHCR's #IBelong Campaign and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, to be successful, they must adopt a broader interpretation of the relationship between gender and statelessness, based on CEDAW's substantive conception of gender equality.
Anomalous photovoltaic effect in Bi(Ni2/3Ta1/3)O3‐PbTiO3 ferroelectric solid solutions
Authors: Pang Dongfang , Liu Xitao , He Xiang , Chen Chen , Zheng Jing , Yi Zhiguo 
Published: October 2018

AbstractDense Bi(Ni2/3Ta1/3)O3‐PbTiO3 (BNT‐PT) ceramics were prepared by solid‐state reaction method. Morphotropic phase boundary between tetragonal and rhombohedral phase was observed around the composition 0.38BNT‐0.62PT, at which large photovoltages of 13.2V were obtained under 405 nm laser illumination with power density of 200 mW/cm2. By B‐site Ni2+ ions doping, the bandgap values of BNT‐PT solid solutions were reduced to 2.25~1.85 eV, and the anomalous photovoltaic response was extended from the ultraviolet region to a wavelength of 550 nm at the visible light region.
Transnational Learning and Civil Society Empowerment in the EU Enlargement Process
Authors: Wunsch Natasha 
Published: October 2018

AbstractStrengthening civil society as a domestic safeguard against the backsliding of reforms is a cornerstone of the EU enlargement process. Support provided by the EU, however, was shown to have had limited effects in triggering civil society empowerment in candidate countries. Adopting a novel perspective, this article demonstrates that the diffusion of mobilization formats, via transnational learning between activists from different enlargement rounds, facilitated the empowerment of non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) in countries joining later. Drawing on comparative evidence from Serbia and Montenegro, it shows how such transfers of external models enabled NGOs to feed into the ongoing membership talks. Their influence over substantive outcomes, however, was limited by a lack of domestic responsiveness, while funding availability constrained the operation of the transferred formats. These findings shed light on an overlooked dimension of learning in the context of Europeanization and feed into the debate on civil society empowerment in enlargement countries.
Nicotinic alpha‐7 acetylcholine receptor deficiency exacerbates hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Kimura Kumi , Inaba Yuka , Watanabe Hitoshi , Matsukawa Toshiya , Matsumoto Michihiro , Inoue Hiroshi 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAims/IntroductionNon‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which occurs in association with insulin resistance and hepatic fat accumulation, is characterized by chronic liver injury and fibrosis. NASH onset and progression is closely related to hepatic inflammation, which is partly regulated by the vagus nerve through the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAchR). Hepatic α7nAchR action is impeded in obesity and insulin resistance. In the present study, using α7nAchR knockout (α7KO) mice, we elucidated the effect of α7nAchR deficiency on NASH‐related inflammation and fibrosis.Materials and Methodsα7KO mice were fed an atherogenic high‐fat diet (AD) for 32 weeks or methionine/choline‐deficient diet (MCD) for 6 weeks, both of which induce NASH. Mice were then examined for the degree of NASH‐related inflammation and fibrosis by hepatic gene expression analysis and Sirius red histological staining.ResultsHepatic triglyceride accumulation and elevated plasma transaminase levels were observed in both AD and MCD mice, but the plasma transaminase level increase was higher in α7KO mice than in control mice. α7KO mice fed an AD showed significant upregulation of the Col1a1 gene encoding alpha‐1 type I collagen, which is involved in liver fibrosis, and the Ccl2 gene encoding C‐C motif chemokine ligand 2, a pro‐inflammatory chemokine; α7KO mice fed an MCD had significant upregulation of the Col1a1 gene and the Tnf gene, an inflammatory cytokine. Histological analysis showed that AD and MCD exacerbated liver fibrosis in α7KO mice.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that α7nAchR deficiency exacerbates hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in a diet‐induced mouse model of NASH.
Protein kinase C iota facilitates insulin‐induced glucose transport by phosphorylation of soluble nSF attachment protein receptor regulator (SNARE) double C2 domain protein b
Authors: Nomiyama Ryuta , Emoto Masahiro , Fukuda Naofumi , Matsui Kumiko , Kondo Manabu , Sakane Ayuko , Sasaki Takuya , Tanizawa Yukio 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAims/introductionDouble C2 domain protein b (DOC2b), one of the synaptotagmins, has been shown to translocate to the plasma membrane, and to initiate membrane‐fusion processes of vesicles containing glucose transporter 4 proteins on insulin stimulation. However, the mechanism by which DOC2b is regulated remains unclear. Herein, we identified the upstream regulatory factors of DOC2b in insulin signal transduction. We also examined the role of DOC2b on systemic homeostasis using DOC2b knockout (KO) mice.Materials and MethodsWe first identified DOC2b binding proteins by immunoprecipitation and mutagenesis experiments. Then, DOC2b KO mice were generated by disrupting the first exon of the DOC2b gene. In addition to the histological examination, glucose metabolism was assessed by measuring parameters on glucose/insulin tolerance tests. Insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake was also measured using isolated soleus muscle and epididymal adipose tissue.ResultsWe identified an isoform of atypical protein kinase C (protein kinase C iota) that can bind to DOC2b and phosphorylates one of the serine residues of DOC2b (S34). This phosphorylation is essential for DOC2b translocation. DOC2b KO mice showed insulin resistance and impaired oral glucose tolerance on insulin and glucose tolerance tests, respectively. Insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake was impaired in isolated soleus muscle and epididymal adipose tissues from DOC2b KO mice.ConclusionsWe propose a novel insulin signaling mechanism by which protein kinase C iota phosphorylates DOC2b, leading to glucose transporter 4 vesicle translocation, fusion and facilitation of glucose uptake in response to insulin. The present results also showed DOC2b to play important roles in systemic glucose homeostasis.