bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is the risk of tenofovir‐induced nephrotoxicity similar in treatment‐naïve compared to treatment‐experienced patients?
Authors: Low Joo Zheng , Khoo Su Pei , Nor Azmi Nuruljannah , Chong Meng Li , Sulaiman Helmi , Azwa Iskandar , Tan Ching Hooi , Kamarulzaman Adeeba , Rajasuriar Reena 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundTenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is the recommended first‐line nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) in the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); however, its use is associated with nephrotoxicity.AimTo assess if the risks of renal impairment were similar in treatment‐naïve compared to treatment‐experienced patients initiating tenofovir given their different background clinical characteristics.MethodThis was a retrospective observational study conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia and included all HIV‐infected adults who received tenofovir for at least 3 months and had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >60 mL/min at tenofovir initiation. The incidence of renal impairment was defined as a 25% decrease in eGFR from baseline or the development of chronic kidney disease. Clinical and demographic characteristics were extracted from medical records. Risk factors associated with tenofovir‐induced renal impairment were determined using multivariate logistic regression.ResultsThis study included 314 patients and almost half of them (49%) were treatment‐naïve at tenofovir initiation. The majority of patients were male (89.5%) with a median (interquartile range) baseline creatinine clearance of 99.1 mL/min (85.0–114.0). Thirty (9.4%) patients developed tenofovir‐induced renal impairment and the incidence rate was higher in treatment‐experienced versus treatment‐naïve patients (7.0 vs 3.3 cases/100 person‐years, p = 0.049). Risk factors associated with tenofovir‐induced nephrotoxicity in multivariate analysis were older age (p = 0.001), anaemia (p = 0.027), concurrent hypertension (p = 0.014) and higher baseline eGFR (p = 0.007).ConclusionTreatment experience was not an independent risk factor but was rather confounded by multiple characteristics associated with an increased risk of TDF‐induced nephrotoxicity. Monitoring all patients presenting with these risks regardless of treatment experience is crucial.
An evaluation of the intravenous to oral antimicrobial conversion program in the inpatient setting
Authors: Woo Zuying Felicia , Chung Wei Teng , Wu Jia En , Chen Hui Hiong 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) team at the National University Hospital (NUH) Singapore has compiled intravenous to oral (IV‐to‐PO) antibiotics conversion guidelines and conducted training sessions with pharmacists on IV‐to‐PO conversion. The primary aim of this study was to assess compliance with IV‐to‐PO guidelines, pre‐ and post‐implementation of training, and to evaluate the acceptance rate and timeliness of pharmacist interventions for IV‐to‐PO antibiotic conversion. A chart‐review study for two cohorts of patients newly prescribed IV clindamycin or metronidazole was conducted over two 6‐week periods following training sessions detailing hospital recommendations for converting suitable patients to oral therapy. Cases were reviewed to compare IV‐to‐PO interventions by the end of 7 days and review the effectiveness of training and timeliness of any pharmacist intervention. There was no difference in proportion of patients suitable, but not converted to oral therapy by the end of 1 week (41/125 vs 30/115, p = 0.255) following the training session. There was also no significant difference in documented IV‐to‐PO antibiotic intervention rates (3/41 vs 5/30, p = 0.18) by pharmacists. Few pharmacists are actively intervening to convert patients from IV‐to‐PO antibiotics. Training was ineffective in improving intervention rates. These results show that the ASP team needs to come up with better strategies to ensure timely interventions for IV‐to‐PO antibiotic conversion.
Improving Quality Control of Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia Vaccine with Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Thiaucourt François , Pible Olivier , Miotello Guylaine , Nwankpa Nick , Armengaud Jean 
Published: June 2018

AbstractVaccines to protect livestock against contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) consist of inactivated, adjuvanted antigens. Quality control of these vaccines is challenging as total protein quantification provides no indication of protein identity or purity, and culture is not an option. Here, a tandem mass spectrometry approach is used to identify the mycoplasma antigen contained in reference samples and in commercial CCPP vaccines. By the same approach, the relative amounts of mycoplasma antigen and residual proteins originating from the production medium are determined. Mass spectrometry allows easy and rapid identification of the peptides present in the vaccine samples. Alongside the most probable mycoplasma species effectively present in the vaccines, a very high proportion of peptides from medium constituents are detected in the commercial vaccines tested.
Tales around the clock: Poly(A) tails in circadian gene expression
Authors: Beta Rafailia A.A. , Balatsos Nikolaos A.A. 
Published: June 2018

Circadian rhythms are ubiquitous time‐keeping processes in eukaryotes with a period of ~24 hr. Light is perhaps the main environmental cue (zeitgeber) that affects several aspects of physiology and behaviour, such as sleep/wake cycles, orientation of birds and bees, and leaf movements in plants. Temperature can serve as the main zeitgeber in the absence of light cycles, even though it does not lead to rhythmicity through the same mechanism as light. Additional cues include feeding patterns, humidity, and social rhythms. At the molecular level, a master oscillator orchestrates circadian rhythms and organizes molecular clocks located in most cells. The generation of the 24 hr molecular clock is based on transcriptional regulation, as it drives intrinsic rhythmic changes based on interlocked transcription/translation feedback loops that synchronize expression of genes. Thus, processes and factors that determine rhythmic gene expression are important to understand circadian rhythms. Among these, the poly(A) tails of RNAs play key roles in their stability, translational efficiency and degradation. In this article, we summarize current knowledge and discuss perspectives on the role and significance of poly(A) tails and associating factors in the context of the circadian clock.This article is categorized under:

RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Regulation of RNA Stability
RNA Processing > 3′ End Processing
The compensatorily-gained pigs resulted from feeding a methionine-deficient diet had more fat and less lean body mass
Authors: Humphrey R. M. , Yang Z. , Hasan M. S. , Crenshaw M. A. , Burnett D. D. , Htoo J. K. , Liao S. F. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryCompensatory gain describes an accelerated growth seen in animals following a period of nutrient restriction. Methionine (Met) is the second limiting amino acid in typical swine diets and is essential for muscle growth. This study was conducted to determine (1) if a Met-deficient diet can cause growth retardation in growing pigs, (2) if returning to a normal feeding can yield compensatory gain in the pigs previously fed the Met-deficient diet, and (3) if this Met-deficiency followed by the normal feeding program affects carcass characteristics. Twenty individually-penned crossbred young barrows were randomly allotted to two dietary treatments (n = 10). One Met-deficient (D1) and one Met-adequate (D2) diets were formulated based on corn and soybean meal and fed to respective pigs for 31 days. After that, all pigs were fed the same commercial grower-finisher diet until market weight (around 125 kg), then slaughtered, and carcass characteristics measured. The D1 and D2 pigs began with similar body weights (23.5 vs. 23.6 kg; P = 0.935), but after 31-days on the dietary treatments, D1 pigs were lighter than D2 pigs (51.6 vs. 55.0 kg; P = 0.102). After feeding the normal diet for 55 days, D1 and D2 pigs had similar body weights (122.7 vs. 122.6 kg; P = 0.989). In terms of carcass characteristics, however, D1 pigs had thicker back-fat (at 10th rib; 2.95 vs. 2.51 cm; P = 0.015), heavier belly weight (11.0 vs. 9.6 kg; P = 0.005), lighter ham weights (untrimmed: 20.8 vs. 21.6 kg; P = 0.043; trimmed: 19.6 vs. 20.6 kg; P = 0.016), lighter picnic shoulder weight (8.72 vs. 9.80 kg; P = 0.041), lighter total lean cut weight (51.8 vs. 53.8 kg; P = 0.055), and lower lean cut percentage (56.4 vs. 59.0%; P = 0.012). These results indicate that the Met-deficient diet produced growth-retarded pigs, which showed compensatory gain after the normal feeding. At slaughter, the pigs previously fed the Met-deficient diet had more fat and less lean tissue than their non-deficient counterparts.
The existence of triangles, tetrahedra, and higher-dimensional simplices with prescribed exradii
Authors: Hajja Mowaffaq 
Published: June 2018

This Article is inspired by a problem that appeared recently in the American Mathematical Monthly, namely 11972 in [1, p. 369]. The problem asks the readers to prove that if r is the inradius of a tetrahedron, and if r1, r2, r3, r4 are its exradii, thenBy taking r = r1 = r2 = r3 = r4 = 1, one sees that (1) is not true for all positive numbers r, r1, r2, r3, r4. This is not surprising, since r is dependent on r1, r2, r3, r4 by the elegant relationwhich we shall prove in Theorem 2 below; see also, for example, [2, (5), §266, p. 92], [3. §41, 2°, (1), p. 76] and [4, Problem 6′(i), p. 39]. Using this relation, one can rewrite (1) asIntuitively, the four numbers r1, r2, r3, r4 are independent, and one may thus ask whether the inequality (3) holds for all positive numbers r1, r2, r3, r4 regardless of being the exradii of some tetrahedron or not.
A New Globular Cluster in the Area of VVVX
Authors: Bica E. , Minniti D. , Bonatto C. , Hempel M. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWe communicate the discovery of a new globular cluster in the Galaxy that was first detected on WISE/2MASS images and is now confirmed with VVVX photometry. It is a Palomar-like cluster projected at ℓ = 359.15°, b = 5.73°, and may be related to the bulge. We derive an absolute magnitude of MV ≈ −3.3, thus being an underluminous globular cluster. Our analyses provide a reddening of E(B − V) = 1.08 ± 0.18 and a distance to the Sun d⊙ = 6.3 ± 1 kpc, which implies a current position in the bulge volume. The estimated metallicity is [Fe/H] = −1.5 ± 0.25. It adds to the recently discovered faint globular cluster (Minniti 22) and candidates found with VVV, building up expectations of ≈50 globular clusters yet to be discovered in the bulge. We also communicate the discovery of an old open cluster in the same VVVX tile as the globular cluster. The VVVX photometry provided E(B − V) = 0.62 ± 0.1, d⊙ = 7.6 ± 1 kpc, and an age of 1.5 ± 0.3 Gyr. With a height from the plane of ≈0.8 kpc, it adds to nine Gyr-class clusters recently discovered within 0.8 ⩽ Z ⩽ 2.2 kpc, as recently probed in the single VVV tile b201. We suggest that these findings may be disclosing the thick disk at the bulge, which so far has no open cluster counterpart, and hardly any individual star. Thus, the VVV and VVVX surveys are opening new windows for follow-up studies, to employ present and future generations of large aperture telescopes.
Endoscopic push-through technique compared to microscopic underlay myringoplasty in anterior tympanic membrane perforations
Authors: El-Hennawi D E M , Ahmed M R , Abou-Halawa A S , Al-Hamtary M A 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundMicroscopic myringoplasty is the most frequently performed procedure for repairing tympanic membrane perforations. The endoscopic transcanal approach bypasses the narrow ear canal segment and provides a wider view.MethodsAn open-label randomised clinical trial was conducted on 56 patients with small anterior tympanic membrane perforations. Perforations were repaired with an endoscopic push-through technique (n= 28) or a microscopic underlay technique (n= 28). Follow up was conducted using endoscopic examination and pure tone audiometry three months’ post-operatively.ResultsGraft success rate was 92.9 per cent in the endoscopic group versus 85.7 per cent in the microscopic group. The corresponding pre-operative mean air–bone gaps were 17.4 dB and 18.5 dB, improving to 6.1 dB and 9.3 dB post-operatively (p&gt; 0.05). Mean air–bone gap closure was 11.4 dB in the endoscopic group and 9.2 dB in the microscopic group (p&gt; 0.05). Mean operative time and estimated blood loss were 37.0 minutes and 29 ml in the endoscopic group, versus 107 minutes and 153 ml in the microscopic group (bothp&lt; 0.05).ConclusionThe endoscopic push-through technique for anterior tympanic membrane perforations is as effective as microscopic underlay myringoplasty; furthermore, it is less invasive and takes less operative time.
Longitudinal analysis of the audiological phenotype in osteogenesis imperfecta: a follow-up study
Authors: Martens S , Dhooge I J M , Swinnen F K R 
Published: June 2018

AbstractObjectiveThis prospective study involved a longitudinal analysis of the progression of hearing thresholds in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta.MethodsAudiometric results from 36 osteogenesis imperfecta patients (age range, 6–79 years) were compared between two test times with an average interval of 4 years. Audiometric evaluation included acoustic admittance measurements, acoustic stapedial reflex measurements, pure tone audiometry and otoacoustic emissions testing.ResultsAir conduction pure tone average, corrected for sex and age, and bone conduction pure tone average increased significantly in the study population (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). In 14.3 per cent of the evaluated ears, an alteration in type and/or severity of hearing loss was observed.ConclusionAfter an average time interval of four years, significant changes in hearing status occurred in a population of osteogenesis imperfecta patients. These findings highlight the importance of regular audiological follow up in osteogenesis imperfecta patients, including audiometry, and measurements of acoustic admittance, acoustic stapedial reflexes and otoacoustic emissions.
From (Violent) Protest to Policy: Rearticulating authority through the National Youth Policy in post-war Nepal
Authors: SNELLINGER AMANDA 
Published: June 2018

AbstractYouth frustration was a front-running issue during Nepal's decade-long civil war (1996–2006) and democratic protests (2003–2006). Young activists were mobilized as foot soldiers in these political battles, but they also capitalized on their position to establish themselves politically. They earned public recognition for their direct action; however, they have struggled to stay relevant as their parties shifted from protesting against the government to running the government. In response, youth activists leveraged the public support they earned and general concern over youth disenfranchisement to demand an active role in state restructuring. The Maoist-majority Constituent Assembly government partially heeded them by handing over the task of drafting the National Youth Policy to their youth wings and other youth activists. This policy shaped the youth-focused agenda of the newly designed Ministry of Youth and Sports and other government bureaus. This article uses the National Youth Policy as the context for an examination of how youth activists are establishing public authority beyond (violent) protest. By focusing on the micro-politics of the committee appointed to draft the Policy, I analyse the techniques its members used to assert their political values and agendas through policymaking in order to secure their positions during politically turbulent times. This article elucidates how formalized governing practices and revolutionary politics blend to reconstitute state order in the aftermath of civil war.
More than just statics: temporal dynamics of intrinsic brain activity predicts the suicidal ideation in depressed patients
Authors: Li Jiao , Duan Xujun , Cui Qian , Chen Huafu , Liao Wei 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with high risk of suicide. Conventional neuroimaging works showed abnormalities of static brain activity and connectivity in MDD with suicidal ideation (SI). However, little is known regarding alterations of brain dynamics. More broadly, it remains unclear whether temporal dynamics of the brain activity could predict the prognosis of SI.MethodsWe included MDD patients (n = 48) with and without SI and age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls (n = 30) who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We first assessed dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dALFF) – a proxy for intrinsic brain activity (iBA) – using sliding-window analysis. Furthermore, the temporal variability (dynamics) of iBA was quantified as the variance of dALFF over time. In addition, the prediction of the severity of SI from temporal variability was conducted using a general linear model.ResultsCompared with MDD without SI, the SI group showed decreased brain dynamics (less temporal variability) in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, the left orbital frontal cortex, the left inferior temporal gyrus, and the left hippocampus. Importantly, these temporal variabilities could be used to predict the severity of SI (r = 0.43, p = 0.03), whereas static ALFF could not in the current data set.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that alterations of temporal variability in regions involved in executive and emotional processing are associated with SI in MDD patients. This novel predictive model using the dynamics of iBA could be useful in developing neuromarkers for clinical applications.
Fundamentality and the prior probability of theism
Authors: WILSON LUKE 
Published: June 2018

AbstractPaul Draper has recently developed an account of intrinsic probability according to which a theory's intrinsic probability is determined by its modesty and coherence. He employs this account in an argument that Source Physicalism (SP) and Source Idealism (SI) are equally intrinsically probable. Since SP and SI are not exhaustive, and Theism is one very specific version of SI, it follows that the intrinsic probability of Theism is very low. I argue here that considerations of fundamentality show that more work needs to be done to defend the claim that P(SP) = P(SI).
What is the Relationship between Benefit Conditionality and Mental Health? Evidence from the United States on TANF Policies
Authors: DAVIS OWEN 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis article provides new evidence on the relationship between benefit conditionality and mental health. Using data on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families policies (TANF) – the main form of poverty relief in the United States – it explores whether the mental health of low-educated single mothers varies according to the stringency of conditionality requirements attached to receipt of benefit. Specifically, the article combines state-level data on sanctioning practices, work requirements and welfare-to-work spending with health data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and evaluates the impact of conditionality on mental health over a fifteen-year period (2000 to 2015). It finds that states that have harsher sanctions, stricter job search requirements and higher expenditure on welfare-to-work policies, have worse mental health among low-educated single mothers. There is also evidence that between-wave increases in the stringency of conditionality requirements are associated with deteriorations in mental health among the recipient population. It is suggested that these findings may reflect an overall effect of ‘intensive conditionality’, rather than of the individual variables per se. The article ends by considering the wider implications for policy and research.
Acquired but Unvested Welfare Rights: Migration and Entitlement Barriers in Reform-Era China
Authors: Zhang Li , Li Meng 
Published: June 2018

AbstractScholars studying Chinese development have long acknowledged the significance of the hukou system in impeding internal migration and defining welfare entitlements. However, another crucial barrier is often overlooked: the incomplete transferability of acquired welfare rights. By examining the case of the Urban Employee Basic Pension System, this paper aims to understand how the limited transferability of acquired rights acts as an obstacle to labour migration and entitlement accomplishment. It also seeks to explore the factors that are accountable for the low level of welfare rights transferability. Our findings suggest that migration and entitlement barriers today may not be so much a question of a particular form of hukou exclusion but more of a problem of insufficient rights portability. An in-depth understanding of the structural constraints of China's reform-era migration and rights attainment needs to take into account the transferability of welfare entitlements for migrant workers, and go beyond a narrow conceptualization of the hukou system per se.
Prevalence and risk factor analysis of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anaemia among female adolescents in the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Authors: Jalambo Marwan O , Karim Norimah A , Naser Ihab A , Sharif Razinah 
Published: June 2018

AbstractObjectiveThe present study aimed to determine the prevalence of anaemia, iron deficiency (ID) and iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) among female adolescents in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, as well as the risk factors involved in these conditions.DesignThe study was conducted using the quantitative descriptive method with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected using an FFQ and sociodemographic, sedentary behaviour and physical activity questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements and blood analyses were also conducted.SettingThe study population included all Palestinian female adolescents enrolled in secondary schools in the academic years 2015–2016. Five female secondary schools were selected randomly from five governorates of the Gaza Strip.SubjectsFemale adolescents (n330) aged 15–19 years in the selected secondary schools were enrolled randomly.ResultsPrevalence of anaemia, ID and IDA among female adolescents in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, was 35·8, 40·3 and 26·0 %, respectively. A significant association (P<0·05) existed between ID, anaemia and IDA and dietary habits, including skipping breakfast and amount of junk food intake. Also, low consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with IDA in the female adolescents. A statistically significant association was found between mother’s education and ID but not with the other sociodemographic factors.ConclusionsThe study shows that there is an alarming problem of anaemia and IDA in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. This may indicate that there are insufficient nutrition education programmes, particularly inside schools or by the mass media.