bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology of fungal keratitis in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Chew Rusheng , Woods Marion L 
Published: June 2018

AbstractImportanceFungal keratitis is a rare but sight‐threatening ocular infection. The epidemiology varies with geography, in particular climate and demography.BackgroundWe present descriptive epidemiology of fungal keratitis in Queensland, a large, geographically heterogenous Australian state.DesignDescriptive ecological study.ParticipantsQueensland residents in the period 1996 to January 2016.MethodsWe searched the state‐wide pathology database for positive fungal cultures from corneal scrapings, aqueous humour, vitreous humour or contact lens specimens. Data were analysed by age, sex, climate and location. Cumulative incidence rates were estimated.Main Outcome MeasuresEpisodes of fungal keratitis, from which the abovementioned positive fungal cultures were assumed to originate.ResultsTwo hundred and twenty‐one episodes of fungal keratitis in 215 Queensland residents were identified (140 males and 75 females). The median age was 48 years and the modal age range was 25–50 years. Seasonal variation was seen in tropical Queensland. Fusarium (33%) and Aspergillus (13%) were the commonest pathogens. The cumulative incidence per 100 000 population was 4.7, but was significantly higher in rural/regional (5.4) and tropical Queensland (7.9).Conclusions and RelevanceIn Queensland, fungal keratitis occurs most frequently in males under 50 with increased case identification associated with the hot dry season in tropical Queensland. The sex and age distribution may reflect increased environmental exposure to fungi related to occupation. The higher cumulative incidence in tropical Queensland is in keeping with the rates observed in other tropical regions of the world. Knowledge of the epidemiology of the condition is essential in formulating empirical antifungal regimens in suspected fungal keratitis.
A brain network model for depression: From symptom understanding to disease intervention
Authors: Li Bao‐Juan , Friston Karl , Mody Maria , Wang Hua‐Ning , Lu Hong‐Bing , Hu De‐Wen 
Published: June 2018

AbstractUnderstanding the neural substrates of depression is crucial for diagnosis and treatment. Here, we review recent studies of functional and effective connectivity in depression, in terms of functional integration in the brain. Findings from these studies, including our own, point to the involvement of at least four networks in patients with depression. Elevated connectivity of a ventral limbic affective network appears to be associated with excessive negative mood (dysphoria) in the patients; decreased connectivity of a frontal‐striatal reward network has been suggested to account for loss of interest, motivation, and pleasure (anhedonia); enhanced default mode network connectivity seems to be associated with depressive rumination; and diminished connectivity of a dorsal cognitive control network is thought to underlie cognitive deficits especially ineffective top‐down control of negative thoughts and emotions in depressed patients. Moreover, the restoration of connectivity of these networks—and corresponding symptom improvement—following antidepressant treatment (including medication, psychotherapy, and brain stimulation techniques) serves as evidence for the crucial role of these networks in the pathophysiology of depression.
Weak environmental controls on the composition and diversity of medium and large‐sized vertebrate assemblages in neotropical rain forests of the Guiana Shield
Authors: Denis Thomas , Hérault Bruno , Brunaux Olivier , Guitet Stéphane , Richard‐Hansen Cécile 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimDespite their often high‐trophic position and their contribution to many ecosystem functions, little is known about the factors affecting assemblage structure of medium‐ and large‐sized neotropical vertebrates. We examined the relative roles played by the physical and biological environment, and by purely spatial processes, in shaping the composition and diversities of these vertebrate assemblages. Then, based on the theory that the Guianan forest cover shrank to isolated pockets during the late Pleistocene–Holocene, we tested if the past forest refugia may have shaped current vertebrate assemblages.LocationFrench Guiana, Guiana Shield, South America.MethodsAbundances of 19 medium‐ and large‐sized vertebrates were estimated at 21 locations in undisturbed Guianan rain forests. Using taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic metrics, we partitioned the effects of a range of physical and biological environmental conditions and purely spatial predictors in shaping both assemblage composition and (alpha and beta) diversities.ResultsWe identified a significant, but weak relationship between taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic assemblage composition and environmental conditions. Assemblage diversity patterns were mainly explained by spatial predictors irrespective of the metrics. Current assemblage diversities are correlated with Pleistocene–Holocene forest history, with the highest alpha diversities outside of putative forest refugia, and the highest beta diversities inside these areas.Main conclusionsCurrent vertebrate assemblage composition is not strongly marked by common environmental factors. Our main conclusion is that assemblage composition results from individual species responses to the environment. Our findings also suggest that dispersal‐related processes or more probably historical processes shape (alpha and beta) diversity patterns. In fact, forest fragmentation during Pleistocene–Holocene climate changes could have led to isolated vertebrate assemblages evolving into unique species assemblages creating the current high beta diversity inside refugia, whereas the lower habitat stability outside of refugia could have led to mixed assemblages in areas recolonized by forest vertebrates (current high alpha diversity outside of refugia).
Consent for participating in clinical trials ‐ Is it really informed?
Authors: Alexa‐Stratulat Teodora , Neagu Marius , Neagu Anca‐Iulia , Alexa Ioana Dana , Ioan Beatrice Gabriela 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe article explores the challenges of ensuring voluntary and informed consent which is obtained from potential research subjects in the north‐eastern part of Romania. This study is one of the first empirical papers of this nature in Romania. The study used a quantitative survey design using the adapted Quality of Informed Consent (QuIC) questionnaire. The target population consisted of 100 adult persons who voluntarily enrolled in clinical trials. The informed consent form must contain details regarding the potential risks and benefits, the aim of the clinical trial, study design, confidentiality, insurance and contact details in case of additional questions. Our study confirmed that although all required information was included in the ICF, few clinical trial participants truly understood it. We also found that the most important predictive factor for a good subjective and objective understanding of the clinical trial was the level of education. Our study suggests that researchers should consider putting more effort in order to help clinical trials participants achieve a better understanding of the informed consent. In this way they will ensure that participants’ decision‐making is meaningful and that their interests are protected.
Partiality, impartiality and the ethics of triage
Authors: Okorie Ndukaku 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn this paper, I discuss the question of partiality and impartiality in the application of triage. Triage is a process in medical research which recommends that patients should be sorted for treatment according to the degree or severity of their injury. In employing the triage protocol, however, the question of partiality arises because socially vulnerable groups will be neglected since there is the likelihood that the social determinants of a patient's health may diminish her chance of survival. As a process that is based on the severity of a patient's injury, triage will be unfair, and hence negatively partial, to socially vulnerable people. Thus, I aim in this paper to show that the triage protocol fails as an impartial evaluative process because its only aim is to maximize survivability. I contend that: (i) triage would lead to the neglect of the social condition of patients or victims, and (ii) it will only serve the utilitarian purpose of maximization of outcomes which may not be justified in some cases.
Effect of the anteroposterior position of the model on fabricated mouthguard thickness: Part 2 Influence of sheet thickness and material
Authors: Takahashi Mutsumi , Bando Yogetsu 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimMouthguards can reduce the risk of sports‐related injuries, but the sheet material and thickness have a large effect on their efficacy and safety. The aim of this study was to investigate the thickness of molded mouthguards when the model position on the forming table was changed stepwise in the anteroposterior direction for different sheet thicknesses and materials.Materials and MethodsEthylene vinyl acetate sheets and olefin copolymer sheets with 4.0 or 2.0 mm thick were used for thermoforming by a pressure‐forming machine. The working model was trimmed to the height of 25 mm at the maxillary central incisor and 20 mm at first molar. The model was placed with its anterior rim positioned 40, 30, 25, 20, or 10 mm from the front of the sheet frame. Sheet thickness after fabrication was determined for the incisal edge, labial surface, and buccal surface using a specialized caliper. The differences of the model position on the thickness reduction were analyzed by two‐way analysis of variance and Bonferroni's multiple comparison tests.ResultsThickness reductions at the incisal edge, labial surface, and buccal surface were about −60%, −50%, and −40%, respectively; for a distance of 25 mm up to the height of the anterior part of the model and the frame from the model rim, the 4.0 and 2.0 mm sheets showed similar thickness reduction. When the model was moved forward, the anterior thickness reduction of the 2.0‐mm‐thick sheet increased to larger than that of the 4.0‐mm‐thick sheet.ConclusionThe thickness reduction of the mouthguard was not affected by the sheet material and thickness when the distance from the model to the frame was the same. However, when the distance between the model and the frame decreased, the thickness reduction of the adjacent portion of the model increased, such that the influence was larger in thin sheets.
Müllerian mimetic radiation of Delias butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) in Bali and Timor
Authors: Morinaka Sadaharu , Erniwati Erni , Minaka Nobuhiro , Miyata Tadashi 
Published: June 2018

AbstractMimicry rings are present among Delias butterflies, and those butterflies are also considered to be mimetic models of other lepidopteran insects; however, experimental evidence for their unpalatability to predators is limited. In Bali and Timor, a total of three mimicry rings of Delias species are present; particularly, male and female D. lemoulti join different rings in Timor. The present study examined the unpalatability of Delias in Bali and Timor to the caged avian predator Pycnonotus aurigaster. The birds ate eight Delias species in similar numbers, and ate the palatable butterfly Mycalesis horsfieldii much more frequently than Delias butterflies. The result suggests that the three mimicry rings of Delias species in Bali and Timor are Müllerian rather than Batesian. Based on previous findings on their phylogenetic relationships, the Müllerian mimicry rings of Delias in Bali and Timor are suggested to have emerged through the convergent evolution and phylogenetic constraints of wing color patterns. In the D. hyparete species group, mimetic radiation may have occurred between Bali and Timor.
A pilot study on the use of ultra‐deformable liposomes containing bleomycin in the treatment of equine sarcoid
Authors: Knottenbelt D. C. , Watson A. H. , Hotchkiss J. W. , Chopra S. , Higgins A. J. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryThe efficacy of a novel topical liposome‐encapsulated preparation of bleomycin (Bleosome) was studied in 118 clinical cases of equine sarcoid and efficacy was compared with two other standard conventional treatments, tazarotene and 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) as well as with the Bleosome in combination with each of these two conventional treatments. Treatments were arbitrarily assigned. Fifty‐two of the 118 sarcoids (44%) were resolved after 12 months but there were significant differences between treatment groups with the combinations of either 5‐FUand bleomycin, or tazarotene and bleomycin resulting in significantly superior resolution of 77 and 78% of the lesions, respectively. The preliminary results suggest that bleomycin in a liposomal carrier may be a useful treatment modality for superficial, diffuse and verrucose sarcoids. The treatment process was simple, and outcomes were functionally and cosmetically excellent. Liposome‐encapsulated bleomycin is economic compared to radiation and other treatment options and can be applied effectively by the owner under guidance. Further studies with different administration protocols and higher concentrations of bleomycin are warranted.
Early colonisation and temporal dynamics of the gut microbial ecosystem in Standardbred foals
Authors: Quercia S. , Freccero F. , Castagnetti C. , Soverini M. , Turroni S. , Biagi E. , Rampelli S. , Lanci A. , Mariella J. , Chinellato E. , Brigidi P. , Candela M. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryBackgroundEven if horses strictly depend on the gut microbiota for energy homeostasis, only a few molecular studies have focused on its characterisation and none on the perinatal gut microbial colonisation process.ObjectivesTo explore the perinatal colonisation process of the foal gut microbial ecosystem and the temporal dynamics of the ecosystem assembly during the first days of life.Study designLongitudinal study.MethodsThirteen Standardbred mare‐foal pairs were included in the study. For each pair, at delivery we collected the mare amniotic fluid, faeces and colostrum, and the foal meconium. Milk samples and faeces of both mare and foal were also taken longitudinally, until day 10 post‐partum. Samples were analysed by means of next‐generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene on Illumina MiSeq.ResultsOur findings suggest that microbial components derived from the mare symbiont communities establishes in the foal gut since fetal life. After birth, an external transmission route of mare microorganisms takes place. This involves a rapid and dynamic process of assembling the mature foal gut microbiome, in which the founder microbial species are derived from both the milk and the gut microbial ecosystems of the mare.Main limitationsThe inability to discriminate between live and dead cells, the possible presence of contaminating bacteria in low biomass samples (e.g. meconium and amniotic fluid), the limits of the phylogenetic assignment down to species level, and the presence of unassigned operational taxonomic units.ConclusionsOur data highlight the importance of mare microbiomes as a key factor for the establishment of the gut microbial ecosystem of the foal.
Use of positive contrast radiography to identify synovial involvement in horses with traumatic limb wounds
Authors: Bryant H. A. , Dixon J. J. , Weller R. , Bolt D. M. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryBackgroundThe diagnostic value of positive contrast radiography in the work‐up of suspected synovial infection in horses with limb wounds near synovial structures has yet to be systematically evaluated.ObjectivesTo determine the specificity, sensitivity and positive and negative predictive values of positive contrast radiography for identification of synovial infection in a population of horses with limb wounds.Study designRetrospective case study comparing the performance of positive contrast radiography to the gold standard of synovial fluid cytology in horses presenting with limb wounds in the vicinity of synovial structures.MethodsCase records of horses presenting to the Royal Veterinary College Equine Hospital between 2010 and 2015 with limb wounds that may have compromised adjacent synovial structures were analysed. Synovial fluid cytology results were used to categorise synovial structures in infected and noninfected groups. Positive contrast radiography results were compared between infected and noninfected groups and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated.ResultsFifty horses with 66 synovial structures were included in the study. Positive contrast radiography had a high specificity (86.4%), but only a moderate sensitivity (59.1%) for the identification of synovial infection. In addition, a low positive predictive value (68.4%) and high negative predictive value (80.9%) were observed in this population of horses.Main limitationsSensitivity, specificity and predictive values may differ between different synovial structures and cases. Different conclusions may be drawn from the results in a single population. Sensitivity and specificity of positive contrast radiography may also be influenced by different techniques used by examiners and by inherent characteristics of individual cases.ConclusionsPositive contrast radiography should be used for the investigation of potential synovial infection in horses with limb wounds, particularly if no synovial fluid sample for laboratory analysis can be obtained. However, it appears that positive contrast radiography is best used in combination with other tests to ensure that a correct and timely diagnosis is made.
Aura in Cluster Headache: A Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: de Coo Ilse F. , Wilbrink Leopoldine A. , Ie Gaby D. , Haan Joost , Ferrari Michel D. 
Published: June 2018

BackgroundAura symptoms have been reported in up to 23% of cluster headache patients, but it is not known whether clinical characteristics are different in participants with and without aura.MethodsUsing validated web‐based questionnaires we assessed the presence and characteristics of attack‐related aura and other clinical features in 629 subjects available for analysis from an initial cohort of 756 cluster headache subjects. Participants who screened positive for aura were contacted by telephone for confirmation of the ICHD‐III criteria for aura.ResultsTypical aura symptoms before or during cluster headache attacks were found in 44/629 participants (7.0%) mainly involving visual symptoms (61.4%). Except for lower alcohol consumption and higher prevalence of frontal pain in participants with aura, no differences in clinical characteristics were found compared with participants without aura.ConclusionAt least 7.0% of the participants with cluster headache in our large cohort reported typical aura symptoms, which most often involved visual symptoms. No major clinical differences were found between participants with and without aura.
Stable HIV‐1 reservoirs on dolutegravir maintenance monotherapy: the MONODO study
Authors: Sculier D , Doco‐Lecompte T , Yerly S , Metzner KJ , Decosterd LA , Calmy A 
Published: June 2018

ObjectivesDolutegravir (DTG) is a highly effective integrase inhibitor with a strong genetic resistance barrier and a potential role in simplified HIV maintenance treatment. We assessed the feasibility of DTG maintenance monotherapy and measured HIV reservoirs on DTG monotherapy.MethodsAn interventional, open‐label, single‐arm study including eight virologically suppressed HIV‐1‐infected patients switched to DTG 50 mg once daily for 24 weeks was performed. HIV‐1 RNA levels in plasma and cerebrospinal and seminal fluids were measured at baseline and week 24, as well as HIV‐1 DNA in peripheral cells and DTG concentrations in these compartments.ResultsHIV‐1 RNA remained undetectable in all samples of blood, cerebrospinal fluid and sperm throughout the 24 weeks, except for one cerebrospinal fluid sample with a value of 28 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL at week 24. One patient discontinued the study because of a neurological side effect. There was no change in the mean HIV‐1 DNA level between baseline and week 24. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid DTG concentrations reached therapeutic levels in all patients in these two compartments.ConclusionsIn this small sample of carefully selected patients, HIV‐1 reservoirs were well controlled on DTG monotherapy over a period of 24 weeks. Viral suppression was also maintained throughout follow‐up.
Switching to abacavir versus use of a nucleoside‐sparing dual regimen for HIV‐infected patients with tenofovir‐associated renal toxicity
Authors: Casado JL , Santiuste C , Vivancos MJ , Monsalvo M , Moreno A , Perez‐Elías MJ , del Rey JM , Moreno S 
Published: June 2018

ObjectivesWe investigated the reversibility of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)‐associated renal decline and tubular dysfunction using different antiretroviral strategies.MethodsA successive evaluation of renal [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)] and tubular (phosphataemia, proteinuria, albuminuria, phosphaturia, uricosuria, glycosuria and tubular proteinuria) parameters was performed in 231 patients, before and after switching from TDF to abacavir (n = 60), using dual therapy (n = 49), or continuing the same regimen including TDF (n = 122).ResultsIn a successive evaluation after a median of 8.86 months, or less time if treatment was switched (4.8 months vs. 13.3 months to second evaluation; P < 0.01), a significant improvement in eGFR (median change +0.3 vs. −2.91 mL/min/1.73 m2 in patients who did not discontinue TDF; P = 0.04) and tubular dysfunction (median change −40% vs. +30%, respectively; P < 0.01) was observed. Lineal regression showed that age (β = −0.14; P = 0.04), previous eGFR decline (β = –0.42; P < 0.01), and time on TDF (β = −0.19; P = 0.04) were associated with impaired eGFR recovery. There were no differences in eGFR slopes between patients using abacavir instead of TDF and those using a dual therapy, who showed similar improvement in proteinuria (−22% vs. −19%, respectively), phosphaturia (+10.1% vs. +9.4%, respectively), and urinary beta‐2‐microglobulin (−9% vs. −15%, respectively; P > 0.1 for all), although patients receiving the dual regimen were more heavily pretreated. A eGFR decrease (−6.17 mL/min/1.73 m2) was observed in patients taking dolutegravir or rilpivirine, but with similar improvement to that observed in the rest of switching patients in tubular abnormalities.ConclusionsTenofovir disoproxil fumarate discontinuation was associated with a rapid and significant improvement in eGFR and tubular abnormalities, regardless of whether abacavir or dual therapy was chosen. Switching to a regimen that included dolutegravir and/or rilpivirine was associated with a eGFR decrease without differences in the rate of tubular dysfunction improvement in comparison with the rest of patients who discontinued tenofovir.