bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pre‐treatment wait time for head and neck cancer patients in Western Australia: description of a new metric and examination of predictive factors
Authors: Flukes Stephanie , Garry Stephen , Hinton‐Bayre Anton , Lindsay Andrew 
Published: November 2018

BackgroundProlonged pre‐treatment wait times in head and neck cancer are associated with increased morbidity and reduced survival. Traditional metrics exclude delays prior to biopsy, which represents an important and measurable period of time. This study aims to describe total wait time for head and neck cancer patients in our institution, to define a more accurate representation of the clinically relevant pre‐treatment wait time, and to evaluate predictive factors for prolonged wait times.MethodsA retrospective review of head and neck cancer patients treated over 2 years in a tertiary referral centre was conducted. Patient demographics, referral symptoms, tumour details, treatment plan and key dates were analysed to identify total wait time and factors predictive of increased wait time.ResultsTwo hundred and ninety‐four patients were included. Mean total wait time from initial referral to treatment initiation was 71.6 (median 61) days. The period from referral to biopsy represented 29% of mean total wait time. Factors predictive of increased wait time included presenting symptom of hoarseness, laryngeal cancer and treatment with definitive radiotherapy.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that time from referral to biopsy represents a significant portion of total wait time, and we suggest that this be incorporated into future wait time metrics for improved clinical relevance. Furthermore, we have identified factors predicting increased wait time which can be targeted for future service improvement.
Systematic review with meta‐analysis: defecography should be a first‐line diagnostic modality in patients with refractory constipation
Authors: Grossi Ugo , Di Tanna Gian Luca , Heinrich Henriette , Taylor Stuart A. , Knowles Charles H. , Scott S. Mark 
Published: November 2018

SummaryBackgroundDefecography is considered the reference standard for the assessment of pelvic floor anatomy and function in patients with a refractory evacuation disorder. However, the overlap of radiologically significant findings seen in patients with chronic constipation (CC) and healthy volunteers is poorly defined.AimTo systematically review rates of structural and functional abnormalities diagnosed by barium defecography and/or magnetic resonance imaging defecography (MRID) in patients with symptoms of CC and in healthy volunteers.MethodsElectronic searches of major databases were performed without date restrictions.ResultsFrom a total of 1760 records identified, 175 full‐text articles were assessed for eligibility. 63 studies were included providing data on outcomes of 7519 barium defecographies and 668 MRIDs in patients with CC, and 225 barium defecographies and 50 MRIDs in healthy volunteers. Pathological high‐grade (Oxford III and IV) intussuscepta and large (>4 cm) rectoceles were diagnosed in 23.7% (95% CI: 16.8‐31.4) and 15.9% (10.4‐22.2) of patients, respectively. Enterocele and perineal descent were observed in 16.8% (12.7‐21.4) and 44.4% (36.2‐52.7) of patients, respectively. Barium defecography detected more intussuscepta than MRID (OR: 1.52 [1.12‐2.14]; P = 0.009]). Normative data for both barium defecography and MRID structural and functional parameters were limited, particularly for MRID (only one eligible study).ConclusionsPathological structural abnormalities, as well as functional abnormalities, are common in patients with chronic constipation. Since structural abnormalities cannot be evaluated using nonimaging test modalities (balloon expulsion and anorectal manometry), defecography should be considered the first‐line diagnostic test if resources allow.
Initial understory vegetation responses following different forest management intensities in Illyrian beech forests
Authors: Kermavnar Janez , Eler Klemen , Marinšek Aleksander , Kutnar Lado 
Published: November 2018

AbstractBackground and questionsHow forest vegetation responds to disturbance continues to be a focal point, especially in the context of biodiversity conservation. To investigate the short‐term effects of forest management on understory vegetation, we asked: (a) Are there any plant indicator species associated with different felling intensities? (b) What are the differences in abundance of plant functional types along the disturbance gradient? (c) How do typical forest species respond to silvicultural treatments?LocationDinaric Mountains, Slovenia.MethodsAt each of three study sites in Illyrian beech forests, nine plots (4,000 m2) were established, comprising a total of 27 plots. Three different felling intensities were implemented at each site, with one third of the plots assigned to each treatment: control, 50% of the growing stock removed and 100% of the growing stock removed. In the centre of each plot, a vegetation survey of vascular plants was done before (in 2012) and two years after (in 2014) felling in a circular sampling area of 400 m2. We employed indicator species analysis, and species were grouped into functional types with respect to their traits.ResultsUnderstory species composition differed significantly between treatments. Forty‐seven species (out of 251) were significantly associated with the 100% felling intensity. This relatively high number of indicators was due to the post‐disturbance colonization of early‐successional, non‐forest species, coupled with the expansion of pre‐treatment resident species. Only one species was a strong indicator for the 50% felled plots, while three species showed a preference for the unfelled plots. Graminoids, tall perennial forbs, annual/biennial forbs and legumes exhibited the most prominent increase in cover at the 50% and 100% felling intensity. Ferns showed non‐significant changes, whereas woody plants exhibited a decrease in the most intensive treatment. In general, most of the typical forest species responded with increased frequency and/or abundance after felling.ConclusionsThe post‐treatment taxonomic and functional composition of plant communities exhibited the largest changes in the most intensively felled stands. Overall, in the short term, ecological conditions in canopy gaps were not modified to an extent that would be detrimental to the persistence of typical forest species.
First demonstration of the neuroepithelial cells and their chemical code in the accessory respiratory organ and the gill of the sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus: A preliminary study
Authors: Zaccone Giacomo , Maina John , Germanà Antonino , Montalbano Giuseppe , Capillo Gioele , Aragona Luisa , Kuciel Michał J. , Lauriano Eugenia Rita , Icardo José M. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractAvailable studies that have examined O2 sensing in fish have indicated that oxygen‐sensitive neuroepithelial cells (NECs) are O2 sensors in the gills and initiate cardiorespiratory reflexes in aquatic vertebrates. This is the first study describing the occurrence of NECs in accessory respiratory organs in the air‐breathing catfish Clarias gariepinus. Immunocytochemical stainings with specific neuronal markers such as nNOS, VAchT, 5‐HT and TH have been shown to be very useful for location and distribution of these cells in the gill fans and suprabranchial chamber that take origin from the transformation of the gill tissue. But the response of these putative O2 chemoreceptors, their role in the respiratory reflexes and their innervation await investigation.
Sixteen years of creatinine measurements among 460 000 individuals—The Funen Laboratory Cohort (FLaC), a population‐based pharmacoepidemiological resource to study drug‐induced kidney disease
Authors: Henriksen Daniel Pilsgaard , Damkier Per , Hallas Jesper , Nybo Mads 
Published: November 2018

AbstractRegister‐based administrative data comprise the backbone of pharmacoepidemiological research. However, information from these registers lacks biochemical details. The aim of our study was to describe the creation, coverage and content of the Funen Laboratory Cohort (FLaC). FLaC is a database comprising all inhabitants of Funen, Denmark, who in the study period of January 2000 to December 2015 had their creatinine levels measured. Data were linked to the Danish nationwide registers with information on vital status, redeemed prescriptions, discharge diagnoses, and socio‐economic status. A total of 693 843 individuals lived on Funen during the study period, and we included 460 365 (66.4%) individuals with a creatinine measurement. In total, 7 742 124 creatinine measurements were performed during the study period. The coverage increased with increasing age, reaching 90%‐100% of all 65‐90 + year‐olds in 2015. We found that an overall coverage of individuals recorded in FLaC with at least one creatinine measured redeeming prescriptions from public pharmacies was 83% (interquartile range [IQR] 75%‐89%) compared to the entire Funen population. In total, 94.1% of all individuals with a discharge diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) were covered in FLaC, but only 16.5% (n = 3136) of all individuals with a laboratory‐confirmed CKD also had a discharge diagnosis of CKD. We described the creation and content of the FLaC ‐ a haven and a valuable resource for pharmacoepidemiological research using Danish nationwide administrative registers enriched with individual‐level biochemical information in a population‐based setting.
What makes a good teacher? The relative importance of mathematics teachers’ cognitive ability, personality, knowledge, beliefs, and motivation for instructional quality
Authors: Baier Franziska , Decker Anna‐Theresia , Voss Thamar , Kleickmann Thilo , Klusmann Uta , Kunter Mareike 
Published: November 2018

BackgroundTeachers differ substantially in their instructional performance in the classroom. Thus, researchers and policymakers are interested in how these differences can be explained and how the instruction provided by low‐performing teachers can be improved. Previous research has focused either on generic (cognitive ability and personality) or profession‐specific (professional knowledge, beliefs, and motivation for teaching) teacher characteristics as predictors of instructional quality but their relative importance has not yet been tested.AimsHardly any studies have combined central generic and profession‐specific variables in ascertaining their relative importance for instructional quality. In the present study, we seek to close this research gap.SamplesWe investigated 209 German mathematics teachers and their 4,672 students attending grades 7–10 (13‐ to 16‐year‐old students).MethodsTeacher characteristics (cognitive ability, personality, professional knowledge, beliefs about, and enthusiasm for teaching) were assessed using standardized tests and self‐report measures. Instructional quality (learning support, classroom disruptions, and cognitive activation) was rated by the students.ResultsUsing structural equation modelling, we found extraversion, enthusiasm for teaching, and pedagogical/psychological knowledge to be significant predictors of learning support (R2 = .31) and conscientiousness and enthusiasm for teaching to be significant predictors of classroom discipline (R2 = .21). We did not find significant predictors for cognitive activation.ConclusionsOur results indicate the relative significance of generic and profession‐specific teacher variables for instructional quality. Overall, a substantial amount of variance in instructional quality is explained by teacher characteristics.
A clinical prediction tool to determine the need for concurrent systematic sampling at the time of magnetic resonance imaging‐guided biopsy
Authors: Sathianathen Niranjan J. , Warlick Christopher A. , Weight Christopher J. , Ordonez Maria A. , Spilseth Benjamin , Metzger Gregory J. , Murugan Paari , Konety Badrinath R. 
Published: November 2018

ObjectiveTo develop a clinical prediction tool that characterises the risk of missing significant prostate cancer by omitting systematic biopsy in men undergoing transrectal ultrasonography/magnetic resonance imaging (TRUS/MRI)‐fusion‐guided biopsy.Patients and methodsA consecutive sample of men undergoing TRUS/MRI‐fusion‐guided biopsy with the UroNav® system (Invivo International, Best, The Netherlands) who also underwent concurrent systematic biopsy was included. By comparing the grade of cancer diagnosed on targeted and systematic biopsy cores, we identified cases where clinically significant disease (Gleason score ≥3+4) was only found on systematic and not targeted cores. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictive factors for finding significant cancer on systematic cores only. We then used these data to develop a nomogram and evaluated its utility using decision curve analysis.ResultsOf the 398 men undergoing TRUS/MRI‐fusion‐guided biopsy in our study, there were 46 (11.6%) cases in which clinically significant cancer was missed on targeted biopsy and detected on systematic biopsy. The clinical setting, number of MRI lesions identified, and the highest Prostate Imaging‐Reporting and Data System (PI‐RADS) score of the lesions, were all found to be predictors of this. Our model had a good discriminative ability (concordance index = 0.70). The results from our decision curve analysis show that this model provides a higher net clinical benefit than either biopsying all men or omitting biopsy in all patients when the threshold probability is <30%.ConclusionWe found that omitting concurrent systematic biopsy in men undergoing TRUS/MRI‐fusion‐guided biopsy would miss significant disease in more than one in 10 patients. We propose a prediction model with good discriminative ability that can be used to improve patient selection for performing concurrent systematic biopsy in order to minimise the number of missed significant cancers. It is important that our model is validated in external cohorts before being employed in routine clinical practice.
Variation in style of magmatism and emplacement mechanism induced by changes in basin environments and stress fields (Pannonian Basin, Central Europe)
Authors: Petrik Attila , Fodor László , Bereczki László , Klembala Zsombor , Lukács Réka , Baranyi Viktória , Beke Barbara , Harangi Szabolcs 
Published: November 2018

AbstractThe development of high‐resolution 3D seismic cubes has permitted recognition of variable subvolcanic features mostly located in passive continental margins. Our study area is situated in a different tectonic setting, in the extensional Pannonian Basin system (central Europe) where the lithospheric extension was associated with a wide variety of magmatic suites during the Miocene. Our primary objective is to map the buried magmatic bodies, to better understand the temporal and spatial variation in the style of magmatism and emplacement mechanism within the first order Mid‐Hungarian Fault Zone (MHFZ) along which the substantial Miocene displacement took place. The combination of seismic, borehole and log data interpretation enabled us to delineate various previously unknown subvolcanic‐volcanic features. In addition, a new approach of neural network analysis on log data was applied to detect and quantitatively characterise hydrothermal mounds that are hard to interpret solely from seismic data. The volcanic activity started in the Middle Miocene and induced the development of extrusive volcanic mounds south of the NE‐SW trending, continuous strike‐slip fault zone (Hajdú Fault Zone). In the earliest Late Miocene (11.6–9.78 Ma), the style of magmatic activity changed resulting in emplacement of intrusions and development of hydrothermal mounds. Sill emplacement occurred from south‐east to north‐west based on primary flow‐emplacement structures. The time of sill emplacement and the development of hydrothermal mounds can be bracketed by onlapped forced folds and mounds. This time coincided with the acceleration of sedimentation producing poorly consolidated, water‐saturated sediments preventing magma from flowing to the paleosurface. The change in extensional direction resulted in change in fault pattern, thus the formerly continuous basin‐bounding strike‐slip fault became segmented which could facilitate the magma flow toward the basin centre.
Tectonic and oceanographic process interactions archived in Late Cretaceous to Present deep‐marine stratigraphy on the Exmouth Plateau, offshore NW Australia
Authors: Nugraha Harya D. , Jackson Christopher A.‐L. , Johnson Howard D. , Hodgson David M. , Reeve Matthew T. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractDeep‐marine deposits provide a valuable archive of process interactions between sediment gravity flows, pelagic sedimentation and thermohaline bottom‐currents. Stratigraphic successions can also record plate‐scale tectonic processes (e.g. continental breakup and shortening) that impact long‐term ocean circulation patterns, including changes in climate and biodiversity. One such setting is the Exmouth Plateau, offshore NW Australia, which has been a relatively stable, fine‐grained carbonate‐dominated continental margin from the Late Cretaceous to Present. We combine extensive 2D (~40,000 km) and 3D (3,627 km2) seismic reflection data with lithologic and biostratigraphic information from wells to reconstruct the tectonic and oceanographic evolution of this margin. We identified three large‐scale seismic units (SUs): (a) SU‐1 (Late Cretaceous)—500 m‐thick, and characterised by NE‐SW‐trending, slope‐normal elongate depocentres (c. 200 km long and 70 km wide), with erosional surfaces at their bases and tops, which are interpreted as the result of contour‐parallel bottom‐currents, coeval with the onset of opening of the Southern Ocean; (b) SU‐2 (Palaeocene—Late Miocene)—800 m‐thick and characterised by: (a) very large (amplitude, c. 40 m and wavelength, c. 3 km), SW‐migrating, NW‐SE‐trending sediment waves, (b) large (4 km‐wide, 100 m‐deep), NE‐trending scours that flank the sediment waves and (c) NW‐trending, 4 km‐wide and 80 m‐deep turbidite channel, infilled by NE‐dipping reflectors, which together may reflect an intensification of NE‐flowing bottom currents during a relative sea‐level fall following the establishment of circumpolar‐ocean current around Antarctica; and (c) SU‐3 (Late Miocene—Present)—1,000 m‐thick and is dominated by large (up to 100 km3) mass‐transport complexes (MTCs) derived from the continental margin (to the east) and the Exmouth Plateau Arch (to the west), and accumulated mainly in the adjacent Kangaroo Syncline. This change in depositional style may be linked to tectonically‐induced seabed tilting and folding caused by collision and subduction along the northern margin of the Australian plate. Hence, the stratigraphic record of the Exmouth Plateau provides a rich archive of plate‐scale regional geological events occurring along the distant southern (2,000 km away) and northern (1,500 km away) margins of the Australian plate.
DEP domain containing 1 predicts prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients and regulates tumor proliferation and metastasis
Authors: Qu Di , Cui Feng , Lu Dan , Yang Yu , Xu Yuqing 
Published: November 2018

DEP domain containing 1 (DEPDC1) protein is a novel oncoantigen upregulated in multiple types of cancers which present oncogenic activity and high immunogenicity. However, the function and therapeutic potential of DEPDC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In the present study, we showed that DEPDC1 was frequently upregulated in HCC and associated with cancer diagnosis and poor prognosis for HCC patients. Moreover, DEPDC1 promotes HCC cell proliferation in vitro as well as carcinogenesis in vivo. Notably, DEPDC1 overexpression also increases the neoplasm metastasis ability of HCC cells both in vivo and in vitro. Gene set enrichment analysis results showed that DEPDC1 expression is positively correlated with K‐RAS signal pathway, pathways in cancer and WNT/β‐catenin signal pathway, all of which are closely associated with specific cancer‐related gene sets. Our study provides the basis for further investigation of the molecular mechanism by which DEPDC1 promotes the development and metastasis of HCC.
Estrogen receptor variant ER‐α36 promotes tamoxifen agonist activity in glioblastoma cells
Authors: Qu Chao , Ma Jingyun , Zhang Yejun , Han Chao , Huang Liang , Shen Liming , Li Hongyan , Wang Xiaobo , Liu Jing , Zou Wei 
Published: November 2018

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly infiltrative and malignant primary brain tumor. Despite aggressive therapy, patients with GBM have a dismal prognosis with median survival of approximately 1 year. Tamoxifen (TAM), a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), has been used to treat GBM for many years. ER‐α36 is a novel variant of estrogen receptor‐alpha66 (ER‐α66) and can mediate cell proliferation through estrogen or anti‐estrogen signaling in different cancer cells. Previously, we found that ER‐α36 was highly expressed in GBM and was involved in the tamoxifen sensitivity of glioblastoma cells. However, the molecular mechanism responsible has not been well established. Here, we found that ER‐α36 is highly expressed in glioblastoma specimens. We further found that ER‐α36 knockdown increased sensitivity of glioblastoma U87 cells to TAM and decreased autophagy in these cells. However, ER‐α36 overexpression decreased TAM sensitivity and induced autophagy. We also established TAM‐resistant glioblastoma U251 cells by a long‐term culture in TAM‐containing medium and found that TAM‐resistant cells showed a six‐fold increase of ER‐α36 mRNA expression and elevated basal autophagy. ER‐α36 knockdown in these TAM‐resistant cells restored TAM sensitivity. In addition, we recapitulated the physiologically relevant tumor microenvironment in an integrated microfluidic device, and U87 cells were treated with a gradient of TAM. We found that ER‐α36 expression is consistent with autophagy protein P62 in a three‐dimensional microenvironment. In summary, these results indicate that ER‐α36 contributes to tamoxifen resistance in glioblastoma cells presumably through regulation of autophagy.
Identification of TRA‐1‐60‐positive cells as a potent refractory population in follicular lymphomas
Authors: Takata Katsuyoshi , Saito Ken , Maruyama Satoshi , Miyata‐Takata Tomoko , Iioka Hidekazu , Okuda Shujiro , Ling Yiwei , Karube Kennosuke , Miki Yukari , Maeda Yoshinobu , Yoshino Tadashi , Steidl Christian , Kondo Eisaku 
Published: November 2018

Despite receiving rituximab‐combined chemotherapy, follicular lymphoma (FL) patients often suffer tumor recurrence and understand that the cause of relapse in FL would thus significantly ameliorate the tumor therapeutics. In the present study, we show that TRA‐1‐60‐expressing cells are a unique population in FL, converge to the conventional stem cell marker Oct3/4 and ALDH1‐positive population, and resist current B‐lymphoma agents. TRA‐1‐60 expression was observed in scattered lymphoma cells in FL tissues only as well as in resting B‐lymphocytes inside germinal centers. Retrospective comparison between recurrent and cognate primary tissues showed that the number of TRA‐1‐60‐positive cells from rituximab, cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R‐CHOP)‐treated FL had increased relative to primary tissue, a finding corroborated by assays on different rituximab‐treated FL cell lines, FL‐18 and DOHH2, wherein TRA‐positive cell numbers increased over 10‐fold compared to the untreated sample. Concordantly, scanty TRA‐1‐60‐positive FL‐18 cells implanted s.c. into mice evinced potent tumor‐initiating capacity in vivo, where tumors were 12‐fold larger in volume (P = 0.0021 < 0.005) and 13‐fold heavier in weight (P = 0.0015 < 0.005) compared to those xenografted from TRA‐negative cells. To explain these results, gene expression profiling and qPCR analysis indicated that TRA‐1‐60‐positive cells defined a distinct population from that of TRA‐negative cells, with upregulation of multiple drug transporters and therapeutic resistance genes. Hence, TRA‐1‐60‐expressing cells in FL are considered to be vigorously intractable against conventional therapeutic agents, which may explain its refractory recurrence.