bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Completed Suicide Among Methamphetamine Users: A National Study
Authors: Darke Shane , Kaye Sharlene , Duflou Johan , Lappin Julia 
Published: February 2018

All Australian cases of methamphetamine‐related suicide (2009–2015) retrieved from the National Coronial Information System were examined to determine crude mortality rates, characteristics and circumstances of death, and blood toxicology. There were 300 cases, 18.2% of all methamphetamine‐related deaths, and 1.6% of all completed suicides. The mean age was 33.1 years, and 77.0% were male. The crude mortality rate was 1.9 per 106, with males having a significantly higher rate than females (2.9 vs. 0.9 per 106). A quarter were known to have previous suicide attempts, and a history of psychosis was noted in 12.3%. In 40.7% of cases, witnesses described the decedent as having been agitated and/or aggressive immediately prior to the incident. The vast majority (85.3%), and of both sexes (males 87.0%, females 79.7%), used violent methods. Hanging (70.3%) was overwhelmingly the most frequent method among both males (70.1%) and females (71.0%). Prescription medications were frequently present: hypnosedatives (23.6%), antidepressants (19.5%), and antipsychotics (8.4%). Self‐poisoning cases were significantly more likely to have antidepressants (odds ratio: 4.2) and opioids (4.9) present, but less likely to have cannabis (0.3). Methamphetamine‐related suicide makes a large contribution to methamphetamine‐related death and represents a substantial clinical and public health problem.
Bringing the client back in: A comparison between political rationality and the experiences of the unemployed
Authors: Danneris Sophie , Herup Nielsen Mathias 
Published: February 2018

AbstractCategorizing the job readiness of unemployed clients is a task of the utmost importance for active labor market policies. Scholarly attention on the topic has mostly focused either on questions of political legitimacy or on how categories are practically negotiated in meetings between the welfare system and the client. This article proposes a comparative methodology, in which the political rationality of job readiness is contrasted with findings from a qualitative longitudinal study into the lived experience of recent welfare reforms. A group of 25 vulnerable Danish unemployed welfare claimants were interviewed repeatedly from 2013 to 2015 in the qualitative longitudinal study, and their accounts were compared to the political rationality on job readiness. Our analysis presents four striking areas of discrepancy between political rationality, on the one hand, and the logic of job readiness found in the vast amount of qualitative material, on the other hand. It is concluded that the specific comparative perspective is fruitful because: (i) it critically addresses the gap between the experiences of some unemployed people and the political rationality; and (ii) it adds the perspective of the targeted individuals themselves to the analysis of political categorization, thereby avoiding the well‐known risk of reducing welfare clients to mere manipulable objects.
Psychological stress‐induced cerebrovascular dysfunction: the role of metabolic syndrome and exercise
Authors: Brooks Steven , Brnayan Kayla W. , DeVallance Evan , Skinner Roy , Lemaster Kent , Sheets J. Whitney , Pitzer Christopher R. , Asano Shinichi , Bryner Randall W. , Olfert I. Mark , Frisbee Jefferson C. , Chantler Paul D. 
Published: February 2018

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
How does chronic stress impact cerebrovascular function and does metabolic syndrome accelerate the cerebrovascular adaptations to stress? What role does exercise training have in preventing cerebrovascular changes to stress and metabolic syndrome?

What is the main finding and its importance?
Stressful conditions lead to pathological adaptations of the cerebrovasculature via an oxidative nitric oxide pathway, and the presence of metabolic syndrome produces a greater susceptibility to stress‐induced cerebrovascular dysfunction. The results also provide insight into the mechanisms that may contribute to the influence of stress and the role of exercise in preventing the negative actions of stress on cerebrovascular function and structure.

AbstractChronic unresolvable stress leads to the development of depression and cardiovascular disease. There is a high prevalence of depression with the metabolic syndrome (MetS), but to what extent the MetS concurrent with psychological stress affects cerebrovascular function is unknown. We investigated the differential effect of MetS on cerebrovascular structure/function in rats (16–17 weeks old) following 8 weeks of unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) and whether exercise training could limit any cerebrovascular dysfunction. In healthy lean Zucker rats (LZR), UCMS decreased (28%, P < 0.05) ex vivo middle cerebral artery (MCA) endothelium‐dependent dilatation (EDD), but changes in MCA remodelling and stiffness were not evident, though cerebral microvessel density (MVD) decreased (30%, P < 0.05). The presence of UCMS and MetS (obese Zucker rats; OZR) decreased MCA EDD (35%, P < 0.05) and dilatation to sodium nitroprusside (20%, P < 0.05), while MCA stiffness increased and cerebral MVD decreased (31%, P < 0.05), which were linked to reduced nitric oxide and increased oxidative levels. Aerobic exercise prevented UCMS impairments in MCA function and MVD in LZR, and partly restored MCA function, stiffness and MVD in OZR. Our data suggest that the benefits of exercise with UCMS were due to a reduction in oxidative stress and increased production of nitric oxide in the cerebral vessels. In conclusion, UCMS significantly impaired MCA structure and function, but the effects of UCMS were more substantial in OZR vs. LZR. Importantly, aerobic exercise when combined with UCMS prevented the MCA dysfunction through subtle shifts in nitric oxide and oxidative stress in the cerebral microvasculature.
Biphasic voltage‐dependent inactivation of human NaV1.3, 1.6 and 1.7 Na+ channels expressed in rodent insulin‐secreting cells
Authors: Godazgar Mahdieh , Zhang Quan , Chibalina Margarita V. , Rorsman Patrik 
Published: February 2018

Key points
Na+ current inactivation is biphasic in insulin‐secreting cells, proceeding with two voltage dependences that are half‐maximal at ∼−100 mV and −60 mV.
Inactivation of voltage‐gated Na+ (NaV) channels occurs at ∼30 mV more negative voltages in insulin‐secreting Ins1 and primary β‐cells than in HEK, CHO or glucagon‐secreting αTC1‐6 cells.
The difference in inactivation between Ins1 and non‐β‐cells persists in the inside‐out patch configuration, discounting an involvement of a diffusible factor.
In Ins1 cells and primary β‐cells, but not in HEK cells, inactivation of a single NaV subtype is biphasic and follows two voltage dependences separated by 30–40 mV.
We propose that NaV channels adopt different inactivation behaviours depending on the local membrane environment.
AbstractPancreatic β‐cells are equipped with voltage‐gated Na+ channels that undergo biphasic voltage‐dependent steady‐state inactivation. A small Na+ current component (10–15%) inactivates over physiological membrane potentials and contributes to action potential firing. However, the major Na+ channel component is completely inactivated at −90 to −80 mV and is therefore inactive in the β‐cell. It has been proposed that the biphasic inactivation reflects the contribution of different NaV α‐subunits. We tested this possibility by expression of TTX‐resistant variants of the NaV subunits found in β‐cells (NaV1.3, NaV1.6 and NaV1.7) in insulin‐secreting Ins1 cells and in non‐β‐cells (including HEK and CHO cells). We found that all NaV subunits inactivated at 20–30 mV more negative membrane potentials in Ins1 cells than in HEK or CHO cells. The more negative inactivation in Ins1 cells does not involve a diffusible intracellular factor because the difference between Ins1 and CHO persisted after excision of the membrane. NaV1.7 inactivated at 15‐­20 mV more negative membrane potentials than NaV1.3 and NaV1.6 in Ins1 cells but this small difference is insufficient to solely explain the biphasic inactivation in Ins1 cells. In Ins1 cells, but never in the other cell types, widely different components of NaV inactivation (separated by 30 mV) were also observed following expression of a single type of NaV α‐subunit. The more positive component exhibited a voltage dependence of inactivation similar to that found in HEK and CHO cells. We propose that biphasic NaV inactivation in insulin‐secreting cells reflects insertion of channels in membrane domains that differ with regard to lipid and/or membrane protein composition.
Different role of TTX‐sensitive voltage‐gated sodium channel (NaV1) subtypes in action potential initiation and conduction in vagal airway nociceptors
Authors: Kollarik M. , Sun H. , Herbstsomer R. A. , Ru F. , Kocmalova M. , Meeker S. N. , Undem B. J. 
Published: February 2018

Key points
The action potential initiation in the nerve terminals and its subsequent conduction along the axons of afferent nerves are not necessarily dependent on the same voltage‐gated sodium channel (NaV1) subunits.
The action potential initiation in jugular C‐fibres within airway tissues is not blocked by TTX; nonetheless, conduction of action potentials along the vagal axons of these nerves is often dependent on TTX‐sensitive channels.
This is not the case for nodose airway Aδ‐fibres and C‐fibres, where both action potential initiation and conduction is abolished by TTX or selective NaV1.7 blockers.
The difference between the initiation of action potentials within the airways vs. conduction along the axons should be considered when developing NaV1 blocking drugs for topical application to the respiratory tract.
AbstractThe action potential (AP) initiation in the nerve terminals and its subsequent AP conduction along the axons do not necessarily depend on the same subtypes of voltage‐gated sodium channels (NaV1s). We evaluated the role of TTX‐sensitive and TTX‐resistant NaV1s in vagal afferent nociceptor nerves derived from jugular and nodose ganglia innervating the respiratory system. Single cell RT‐PCR was performed on vagal afferent neurons retrogradely labelled from the guinea pig trachea. Almost all of the jugular neurons expressed the TTX‐sensitive channel NaV1.7 along with TTX‐resistant NaV1.8 and NaV1.9. Tracheal nodose neurons also expressed NaV1.7 but, less frequently, NaV1.8 and NaV1.9. NaV1.6 were expressed in ∼40% of the jugular and 25% of nodose tracheal neurons. Other NaV1 α subunits were only rarely expressed. Single fibre recordings were made from the vagal nodose and jugular nerve fibres innervating the trachea or lung in the isolated perfused vagally‐innervated preparations that allowed for selective drug delivery to the nerve terminal compartment (AP initiation) or to the desheathed vagus nerve (AP conduction). AP initiation in jugular C‐fibres was unaffected by TTX, although it was inhibited by NaV1.8 blocker (PF‐01247324) and abolished by combination of TTX and PF‐01247324. However, AP conduction in the majority of jugular C‐fibres was abolished by TTX. By contrast, both AP initiation and conduction in nodose nociceptors was abolished by TTX or selective NaV1.7 blockers. Distinction between the effect of a drug with respect to inhibiting AP in the nerve terminals within the airways vs. at conduction sites along the vagus nerve is relevant to therapeutic strategies involving inhaled NaV1 blocking drugs.
pSTM6-275, a Conjugative IncHI2 Plasmid of Salmonella enterica That Confers Antibiotic and Heavy-Metal Resistance under Changing Physiological Conditions
Authors: Billman-Jacobe Helen , Liu Yuhong , Haites Ruth , Weaver Tom , Robinson Lily , Marenda Marc , Dyall-Smith Mike 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACT

Detailed annotation of an IncHI2 plasmid, pSTM6-275, from
Salmonella enterica
serotype 1,4,5,12:i:- strain TW-Stm6 revealed a composite structure, including antimicrobial resistance genes on mobile genetic elements. The plasmid was thermosensitive for transfer to
Escherichia coli
and conferred reduced susceptibility to antibiotics, copper sulfate, and silver nitrate. Metal ion susceptibility was dependent on physiological conditions, giving an insight into the environments where this trait might confer a fitness advantage.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Rice hoja blanca tenuivirus
Isolated from a Susceptible Rice Cultivar in Colombia
Authors: Jimenez Jenyfer , Carvajal-Yepes Monica , Leiva Ana Maria , Cruz Maribel , Romero Luz Elena , Bolaños Carmen A. , Lozano Ivan , Cuellar Wilmer J. 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACT

We describe here the complete genome of
Rice hoja blanca tenuivirus
. The sequenced isolate was obtained by insect vector transmission from a symptomatic rice sample grown in Colombia. Sequence data from the four RNA components were obtained by deep sequencing (Illumina), and infections were confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Sanger sequencing.
Antibiotics with Interleukin-15 Inhibition Reduce Joint Inflammation and Bone Erosions but Not Cartilage Destruction in Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Arthritis
Authors: Bergmann Berglind , Jirholt Pernilla , Henning Petra , Lindholm Catharina , Ohlsson Claes , McInnes Iain B. , Lerner Ulf H. , Gjertsson Inger 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACTStaphylococcus aureus-induced arthritis causes rapid joint destruction, often leading to disabling joint damage despite antibiotics. We have previously shown that interleukin-15 (IL-15) inhibition without antibiotics is beneficial inS. aureus-induced arthritis. We therefore hypothesized that the inhibition of IL-15, in combination with antibiotics, might represent a useful therapy that would reduce inflammation and joint destruction but preserve the host's ability to clear the infection. Female wild-type C57BL/6 mice were intravenously inoculated with the toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1)-producing LS-1 strain ofS. aureuswith 0.8 × 108CFUS. aureusLS-1/mouse. Three days later, treatment consisting of cloxacillin, followed by flucloxacillin, together with either anti-IL-15 antibodies (aIL-15ab) or control antibodies, was started. Studied outcomes included survival, weight change, bacterial clearance, and joint damage. The addition of aIL-15ab to antibiotics inS. aureus-induced arthritis reduced synovitis and bone erosions compared to controls. The number of bone-resorbing osteoclasts in the joints was reduced, whereas cartilage destruction was not significantly altered. Importantly, the combination therapy did not adversely affect the clinical outcome ofS. aureus-induced arthritis, such as survival or weight change, or compromise the host's ability to clear the infection. Since the clinical outcome ofS. aureus-induced arthritis was not affected, the addition of aIL-15ab to antibiotics ought to be safe. Taken together, the combination of aIL-15ab and antibiotics is a beneficial, but not optimal, treatment ofS. aureus-induced arthritis since it reduces synovitis and bone erosions but has a limited effect on cartilage destruction.
Transcriptional Landscape and Regulatory Roles of Small Noncoding RNAs in the Oxidative Stress Response of the Haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii
Authors: Gelsinger Diego Rivera , DiRuggiero Jocelyne 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACT

Haloarchaea in their natural environment are exposed to hypersalinity, intense solar radiation, and desiccation, all of which generate high levels of oxidative stress. Previous work has shown that haloarchaea are an order of magnitude more resistant to oxidative stress than most mesophilic organisms. Despite this resistance, the pathways haloarchaea use to respond to oxidative stress damage are similar to those of nonresistant organisms, suggesting that regulatory processes might be key to their robustness. Recently, small regulatory noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) were discovered in
Archaea
under a variety of environmental conditions. We report here the transcriptional landscape and functional roles of sRNAs in the regulation of the oxidative stress response of the model haloarchaeon
Haloferax volcanii
. Thousands of sRNAs, both intergenic and antisense, were discovered using strand-specific sRNA sequencing (sRNA-seq), comprising 25 to 30% of the total transcriptome under no-challenge and oxidative stress conditions, respectively. We identified hundreds of differentially expressed sRNAs in response to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in
H. volcanii
. The targets of a group of antisense sRNAs decreased in expression when these sRNAs were upregulated, suggesting that sRNAs are potentially playing a negative regulatory role on mRNA targets at the transcript level. Target enrichment of these antisense sRNAs included mRNAs involved in transposon mobility, chemotaxis signaling, peptidase activity, and transcription factors.

IMPORTANCE
While a substantial body of experimental work has been done to uncover the functions of small regulatory noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) in gene regulation in
Bacteria
and
Eukarya
, the functional roles of sRNAs in
Archaea
are still poorly understood. This study is the first to establish the regulatory effects of sRNAs on mRNAs during the oxidative stress response in the haloarchaeon
Haloferax volcanii
. Our work demonstrates that common principles for the response to a major cellular stress exist across the 3 domains of life while uncovering pathways that might be specific to the
Archaea
. This work also underscores the relevance of sRNAs in adaptation to extreme environmental conditions.
Accuracy of High-Throughput Nanofluidic PCR-Based Pneumococcal Serotyping and Quantification Assays Using Sputum Samples for Diagnosing Vaccine Serotype Pneumococcal Pneumonia: Analyses by Composite Diagnostic Standards and Bayesian Latent Class Models
Authors: Kakiuchi Satoshi , Suzuki Motoi , Dhoubhadel Bhim Gopal , Furumoto Akitsugu , Ito Hiroyuki , Matsuki Kei , Tsuchihashi Yoshiko , Asoh Norichika , Yasunami Michio , Ariyoshi Koya , Morimoto Konosuke 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACT

The lack of reliable diagnostic tests for detecting vaccine serotype pneumococcal pneumonia (VTPP) remains a challenging issue in pneumococcal vaccine studies. This study assessed the performances of high-throughput nanofluidic PCR-based pneumococcal serotyping and quantification assay methods using sputum samples (the nanofluidic sputum quantitative PCR [Sp-qPCR] assay) to diagnose 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate VTPP compared with the performance of the serotype-specific urinary antigen detection (UAD) assay using urine samples. Adult pneumonia patients from Japan were enrolled in this study between September 2012 and August 2014. Sputum samples were subjected to the nanofluidic Sp-qPCR assay, quantitatively cultured, and serotyped by the Quellung reaction (SpQt). Urine samples were tested by the UAD method. The diagnostic performances of these tests were assessed using composite reference standards and Bayesian latent class models (BLCMs). Among 244 total patients, 27 (11.1%) tested positive with the UAD assay, while 16 (6.6%) and 34 (13.9%) tested positive with the SpQt and nanofluidic Sp-qPCR assays, respectively, with a cutoff value of ≥10
4
DNA copies/ml, which showed the maximum value of the Youden index. Using BLCMs, the estimated prevalence for VTPP was 12.9%, and the nanofluidic Sp-qPCR assay demonstrated the best performance (sensitivity, 90.2%; specificity, 96.9%), followed by UAD (sensitivity, 75.6%; specificity, 97.9%) and SpQt (sensitivity, 45.8%; specificity, 99.5%). However, when a higher cutoff value of ≥10
7
DNA copies/ml was applied, the performance of UAD became comparable to that of Sp-qPCR. The vaccine serotype-specific pneumococcal DNA load in sputum among UAD-positive patients was 3 logs higher than that among UAD-negative patients (
P
= 0.036). The nanofluidic Sp-qPCR assay may be accurate and useful for detecting VTPP among adults.
Number of incident cases of the main eye diseases of ageing in the UK Biobank cohort, projected over a 25-year period from time of recruitment
Authors: Desai Parul , Minassian Darwin C , Reidy Angela , Allen Naomi , Sudlow Cathie 
Published: February 2018

ObjectivesTo estimate the number of new cases of age-related macular degeneration, cataract and glaucoma accruing in the UK Biobank cohort, over a period of 25 years from time of recruitment. Our secondary objective was to assess the statistical power of nested case–control studies of these eye diseases. We aimed to provide quantitative information relevant to UK Biobank’s eye disease case ascertainment efforts and to the potential for UK Biobank-based research into the causes of eye disease.MethodsWe constructed a Markov discrete-time state transition model to simulate the population dynamics of the eye disorders within the UK Biobank cohort, using prevalence data from population-based epidemiological studies to derive incidence, and Office for National Statistics data on mortality and migration overseas.ResultsBy 2023, >900 new cases of each of ‘wet’ (neovascular) and ‘dry’ age-related macular degeneration, >1200 cases of primary open angle glaucoma and almost 15 000 cases of cataracts are expected to have accrued in the subcohort of 68 500 participants who had ocular assessment at baseline, with around seven times as many cases of each disease in the whole cohort of 500 000 participants. These predicted incident case numbers generate good or substantial statistical power for a range of nested case–control studies of potential genetic, lifestyle and environmental determinants of disease.ConclusionsOver the next few years, UK Biobank is expected to generate sufficient numbers of new cases for statistically well-powered studies of the determinants of the major causes of sight loss: age-related macular degeneration, vision-impairing cataract and glaucoma.
Type 2 choroidal neovascularisation in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: a retrospective case series
Authors: Liang Shuting , Shi Xuan , Rosenfeld Philip J , Li Xiaoxin 
Published: February 2018

Background and objectiveTo demonstrate the coexistence of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) with type 2 neovascularisation (NV), we used multimodal imaging, including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography (SD-OCTA), to identify both types of lesions in the same eye.Study designThis retrospective case series reviewed patients with PCV diagnosed with indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), fluorescein angiography (FA), SD-OCT and SD-OCTA.Results15 eyes of 14 patients were imaged and diagnosed with PCV by ICGA. ICGA identified polyps in all these eyes, while SD-OCTA imaging identified polypoidal lesions in only 11 (73%) of these eyes with PCV. Branching vascular networks (BVNs) were detected in 12 eyes (80%) by ICGA and SD-OCTA. Type 2 NV was detected in four eyes (27%) by FA and SD-OCTA. In these eyes, a combination of polyps, BVNs and type 2 NV were detected using FA, ICGA and SD-OCTA.ConclusionBVN and type 2 NV can coexist in the same PCV eye and communicate with each other. This suggests that polyps may represent a structural variant of neovascular tissue rather than a distinct pathogenic process in NV.