bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neurosteroidogenesis and progesterone anti‐inflammatory/neuroprotective effects
Authors: De Nicola A. F. , Garay L. I. , Meyer M. , Guennoun R. , Sitruk‐Ware R. , Schumacher M. , Gonzalez Deniselle M. C. 
Published: July 2017

Progesterone shows anti‐inflammatory and promyelinating effects in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a commonly used model for multiple sclerosis (MS). Because neurosteroids have been implicated as protective factors for MS and EAE, we analysed the expression of neurosteroidogenic enzymes in the compromised spinal cord of EAE mice. EAE was induced in female C57Bl6 mice, which were then killed on day 16 after induction. Progesterone was given by pellet implantation 1 week before EAE induction. Untreated EAE mice showed decreased mRNAs for the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (Star), voltage‐dependent anion channel (VDAC), cholesterol side‐chain cleavage (P450scc), 5α‐reductase, 3α‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α‐HSOR) and aromatase, whereas changes of 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β‐HSD) were not significant. mRNA translocator protein (18 kDa) (TSPO) was elevated, concomitantly with a reactive microgliosis. EAE mice also showed abnormal mitochondrial ultrastructure in axons and neuronal bodies, as well as reduced expression of fission and fusion protein mRNAs. Progesterone pretreatment before EAE induction increased Star, VDAC, P450scc, 5α‐reductase type I, 3α‐HSOR and aromatase mRNAs and did not modify 3β‐HSD. TSPO mRNA was decreased, possibly as a result of reversal of microgliosis. Progesterone pretreatment also improved mitochondrial ultrastructure and increased fission/fusion protein mRNAs. These mitochondrial effects may be part of the progesterone recovery of neurosteroidogenesis. The enzymes 3β‐HSD, 3α‐HSOR and 5α‐reductase are also responsible for the formation of androgens. Because MS patients and EAE rodents show changes of central androgen levels, it is likely that, together with progestins and oestrogens, neuroandrogens afford neuroprotection for EAE and MS. The data reviewed suggest that enhanced synthesis of neurosteroids contributes in an auto/paracrine manner to reinforce the neuroprotective and anti‐inflammatory effects of exogenous progesterone given to EAE mice.
Democratic peace as a historical phenomenon
Authors: Kustermans Jorg 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis essay discusses the democratic peace as a historical phenomenon. The fact of democratic peace, as it is being described and accounted for by democratic peace theory, it first argues, is essentially a historical finding. It depends on the interpretation of past events and emerges from a systematic investigation of these events. But as transpires from the four books that the essay reviews, democratic peace is more than an historical finding. Democratic peace is an historical phenomenon too: a historically situated way of imagining peace that arose in a particular time, in particular historical circumstances, and that shaped up into tangible international practices in the way that it did because it arose in those circumstances. “The absence of war among democracies” describes the historical finding, but it does not suffice as a description of the democratic peace as a historical phenomenon.
Description and identification of two new diseases of guariroba palm (Syagrus oleraceae) in Brazil
Authors: Cardoso Jéssica K. B. , Nanami Danielle S. Y. , Zanutto Carlos A. , Grabicoski Edilaine M. G. , Vida João B. , Bock Clive H. , Nunes William M. C. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractGuariroba is a palm species native to central Brazil. Seedlings of guariroba with leaf spots of unknown aetiology were found in Patos de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The leaf spots were manifest as two different symptom types: the first lesion type consisted of necrotic spots with a rounded to elongate shape, with a light colour and dark edges; the second lesion type had a rounded shape, was dark brown in colour with a light brown edge. The objective of this study was to elucidate the aetiology of both diseases. The likely causal agents were isolated and Koch's postulate fulfilled. Subsequently, the ITS region of rDNA from both micro‐organisms were amplified and sequenced. According to the morphological characteristics and molecular analyses, the fungal species were identified as Pestalotiopsis adusta (causing necrotic spots with a rounded to elongate shape, with a light colour and dark edges), and Alternaria tenuissima (causing lesions with a rounded shape, dark brown in colour with a light brown edge). Identification of the causal organisms of these two diseases will help guide management approaches that might be tested to reduce impact of the disease on Guariroba, including the use of fungicides and cultural approaches.
Increased Urine Production Due to Leg Fluid Displacement Reduces Hours of Undisturbed Sleep
Authors: KIBA Keisuke , HIRAYAMA Akihide , YOSHIKAWA Motokiyo , YAMAMOTO Yutaka , TORIMOTO Kazumasa , SHIMIZU Nobutaka , TANAKA Nobumichi , FUJIMOTO Kiyohide , UEMURA Hirotsugu 
Published: July 2017

ObjectiveTo investigate whether or not the leg fluid displacement observed when moving from the standing to recumbent position at bedtime reduces the hours of undisturbed sleep (HUS).MethodsMen aged 50 years or older who were hospitalized for urological diseases were investigated. Body water evaluation was performed three times with a bioelectric impedance method: (i) 17:00, (ii) 30 min after (short‐term), and (iii) waking up (long‐term). A frequency volume chart was used to evaluate the status of nocturnal urine production, and the factors affecting HUS were investigated.ResultsA total of 50 patients (mean age: 68 years) were enrolled. Short‐term changes in extracellular fluid (ECF in the legs showed a significant positive correlation with urine production per unit of time at the first nocturnal voiding (UFN/HUS) (r = 0.45, P = 0.01). In the comparison between patients who had <3 HUS vs. those who had ≥3 HUS, the <3 HUS group showed significantly greater short‐term changes in leg fluid volume, night‐time water intake (17:00–06:00), and UFN/HUS. Multivariate analysis to assess the risk factors for <3 HUS indicated UFN/HUS as a risk factor in the overall model, and short‐term changes in leg ECF and night‐time water intake as risk factors in the model that only considered factors before sleep.ConclusionsNocturnal leg fluid displacement may increase urine production leading up to first voiding after going to bed, and consequently, induce early awakening after falling asleep.
Adult Onset Nocturnal Enuresis: Identifying Causes, Cofactors and Impact on Quality of Life
Authors: LEE Dominic , DILLON Benjamin E. , LEMACK Gary E. 
Published: July 2017

ObjectivesThe objectives of the present study were: (i) Evaluate common co‐pathologies associated with, and potentially contributing to adult onset Nocturnal enuresis (NE) in a tertiary referral population; and (ii) quantify its impact on QoL with validated questionnaires.MethodsFollowing Institutional Review Board approval, patients with adult onset NE were reviewed with history, physical examination, urodynamic studies, questionnaires: Overactive bladder questionnaire short‐form (OAB‐qSF), Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI‐6), AUA symptom score (AUA‐SS) and Patient Global Impression scale (PGIS).ResultsBetween 2004 and 2016, 45 NE patients (19 male, 26 female) were identified. Twenty‐five patients (56%) had an associated diagnosis of neurogenic bladder (NGB). Five (11%) reported no other LUTS or associated conditions. Forty (89%) had at least one of the following contributing factors: sedative use, OAB (bothersome symptoms based on UDI‐6), voiding dysfunction (also based on UDI‐6 or AUA‐SS), abnormal UDS finding, and/or confirmed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Overall, 20% had two contributing factors, and 31% each had three and four factors. Among all patients, 76% reported sedative use and of 36 patients with UDS, 75% had abnormal findings. Of the 41 questionnaire respondents, mean AUA‐SS among men was 22.5 (range 8–35) and mean UDI‐6 score among women was 9.3 (range 2–16). Mean PGI‐S score was 3.1 (range 1–4) and mean Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) subscale, as part of the OAB‐q SF was 44 (range 22–78).ConclusionsNocturnal enuresis is associated with multiple possible co‐factors in all populations with majority reporting use of sedating medications. NE is associated with significant symptom bother and impacts greatly on QoL.
Dmrt1 polymorphism and sex‐chromosome differentiation in Rana temporaria
Authors: Rodrigues Nicolas , Studer Tania , Dufresnes Christophe , Ma Wen‐Juan , Veltsos Paris , Perrin Nicolas 
Published: July 2017

AbstractSex‐determination mechanisms vary both within and among populations of common frogs, opening opportunities to investigate the molecular pathways and ultimate causes shaping their evolution. We investigated the association between sex‐chromosome differentiation (as assayed from microsatellites) and polymorphism at the candidate sex‐determining gene Dmrt1 in two Alpine populations. Both populations harboured a diversity of X‐linked and Y‐linked Dmrt1 haplotypes. Some males had fixed male‐specific alleles at all markers (“differentiated” Y chromosomes), others only at Dmrt1 (“proto‐” Y chromosomes), while still others were genetically indistinguishable from females (undifferentiated X chromosomes). Besides these XX males, we also found rare XY females. The several Dmrt1 Y haplotypes differed in the probability of association with a differentiated Y chromosome, which we interpret as a result of differences in the masculinizing effects of alleles at the sex‐determining locus. From our results, the polymorphism in sex‐chromosome differentiation and its association with Dmrt1, previously inferred from Swedish populations, are not just idiosyncratic features of peripheral populations, but also characterize highly diverged populations in the central range. This implies that an apparently unstable pattern has been maintained over long evolutionary times.
Effects of intravenous fentanyl around the end of surgery on emergence agitation in children: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Kim Namo , Park Jin Ha , Lee Jong Seok , Choi Taeyang , Kim Min‐Soo 
Published: July 2017

SummaryBackgroundEmergence agitation is a serious postoperative problem in children undergoing general anesthesia. The use of fentanyl around the end of surgery has been proposed to prevent emergence agitation. However, the efficacy and disadvantages of this method remain uncertain because previous results have not been consistent, depending on the variable assessed.MethodsIn July 2016, the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and KoreaMed were searched for randomized controlled trials that compared fentanyl (1 μg/kg) and placebo administered around the end of surgery to prevent emergence agitation after general anesthesia in children between birth and 14 years of age. The collected outcomes included the incidence or score of emergence agitation, variables regarding anesthesia recovery, and adverse events (eg, postoperative nausea or vomiting).ResultsA total of 10 randomized controlled trials (718 patients, 357 receiving fentanyl) were included. Fentanyl around the end of surgery significantly decreased emergence agitation incidence (emergence agitation: relative risk 0.43, 95% confidence interval 0.35 to 0.53, I2=0.0%; severe emergence agitation: relative risk 0.50, 95% confidence interval 0.31 to 0.81, I2=0.0%). From subgroup analyses, fentanyl at the end of surgery was associated with a prolonged postanesthesia care unit stay and increased postoperative nausea or vomiting incidence (weighted mean difference 6.09, 95% confidence interval 2.77 to 9.41, I2=58.6%; relative risk 2.61, 95% confidence interval 1.58 to 4.33, I2=32.4%), whereas fentanyl at 10‐20 minutes before the end of surgery did not increase postanesthesia care unit stay or postoperative nausea or vomiting risk (weighted mean difference −1.15, 95% confidence interval −5.15 to 2.85, I2=89.0%; relative risk 1.32, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 2.66, I2=0.0%).ConclusionsThe current analyses indicate that fentanyl around the end of surgery reduces the incidence of emergence agitation in children undergoing general anesthesia.
Aetiology of anthracnose on grapevine shoots in Brazil
Authors: Santos R. F. , Ciampi‐Guillardi M. , Amorim L. , Massola N. S. , Spósito M. B. 
Published: July 2017

Anthracnose is an important disease in vineyards in south and southeast Brazil, the main grape‐producing regions in the country. This study aimed to identify the causal agents of grapevine anthracnose in Brazil through multilocus phylogenetic analyses, morphological characterization and pathogenicity tests. Thirty‐nine Elsinoë ampelina and 13 Colletotrichum spp. isolates were obtained from leaves, stems and berries with anthracnose symptoms collected in 38 vineyards in southern and southeastern Brazil. For E. ampelina isolates, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), histone H3 (HIS3) and elongation factor 1‐α (TEF) sequences were analysed. HIS3 was the most informative region with 55 polymorphic sites including deletions and substitutions of bases, enabling the grouping of isolates into five haplotypes. Colonies of E. ampelina showed slow growth, variable colouration and a wrinkled texture on potato dextrose agar. Conidia were cylindrical to oblong with rounded ends, hyaline, aseptate, (3.57–) 5.64 (−6.95) μm long and (2.03–) 2.65 (−3.40) μm wide. Seven species of Colletotrichum were identified: C. siamense, C. gloeosporioides, C. fructicola, C. viniferum, C. nymphaeae, C. truncatum and C. cliviae, with a wide variation in colony and conidium morphology. Only E. ampelina caused anthracnose symptoms on leaves, tendrils and stems of Vitis vinifera and V. labrusca. High disease severity and a negative correlation between disease severity and shoot dry weight were observed only when relative humidity was above 95%. In this study, only E. ampelina caused anthracnose symptoms on grapevine shoots in Brazil.
Wildfire Policy in Mediterranean France: How Far is it Efficient and Sustainable?
Authors: Curt Thomas , Frejaville Thibaut 
Published: July 2017

AbstractA new fire policy reinforcing aggressive fire suppression was established in Mediterranean France in response to the devastating wildfires of the 1990s, but to what extent this has changed fire activity yet remains poorly understood. For this purpose, we compared the number and location of ignitions and of burned areas between two 20‐year periods (1975–1994 vs. 1995–2014), in parallel to the changes in fuel covering, human activity promoting ignitions, and fire weather. The number of fires decreased almost continuously since 1975, but sharply after 1994, suggesting an effect of better fire prevention due to the new policy. But the major change in fire activity is a considerable reduction in fire size and burned areas after 1994, especially during summer and in the most fire‐prone places, in response to massive efforts put into fire suppression. These reductions have occurred while the covering by fuel biomass, the human pressure on ignition, and the fire weather index increased, thus making the study area more hazardous. Our results suggest that a strategy of aggressive fire suppression has great potential for counterbalancing the effects of climate changes and human activities and for controlling fire activity in the short term. However, we discuss whether such a suppression‐oriented approach is sustainable in the context of global changes, which cast new fire challenges as demonstrated by the devastative fires of 2003 and 2016. We advocate for a more comprehensive fire policy to come.
ICT for financial access: Mobile money and the financial behavior of rural households in Uganda
Authors: Munyegera Ggombe Kasim , Matsumoto Tomoya 
Published: July 2017

AbstractMobile money usage has expanded tremendously in Uganda, reaching over 40% of the adult population within 8 years of inception. We use data from 820 rural households to examine the effect of this financial innovation on their financial behavior. We find that using mobile money services increases the likelihood of saving, borrowing, and receiving remittances. The corresponding amounts of each service are also significantly higher among mobile money user households relative to their nonuser counterparts. We demonstrate that the mechanism of this impact is a reduction in transaction costs—a combination of transportation fares and service charges—associated with household proximity to mobile money agents. To illustrate the convenience of service proximity, we demonstrate that the household's likelihood and frequency of using mobile money services reduces with the distance to the nearest mobile money agent. This distance variable is then used to instrument for the potentially endogenous mobile money adoption. We finally perform propensity score matching to reinforce the robustness of our results; our results are consistent across all these specifications. The results imply that developing and enhancing access to and usage of pro‐poor financial products could be a first step to achieving greater financial inclusion.
Predictive social perception: Towards a unifying framework from action observation to person knowledge
Authors: Bach Patric , Schenke Kimberley C. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractAction observation is central to human social interaction. It allows people to derive what mental states drive others' behaviour and coordinate (and compete) effectively with them. Although previous accounts have conceptualised this ability in terms of bottom‐up (motoric or conceptual) matching processes, more recent evidence suggests that such mechanisms cannot account for the complexity and uncertainty of the sensory input, even in cases where computations should be much simpler (i.e., low‐level vision). It has therefore been argued that perception in general, and social perception in particular, is better described as a process of top–down hypothesis testing. In such models, any assumption about others—their goals, attitudes, and beliefs—is translated into predictions of expected sensory input and compared with incoming stimulation. This allows perception and action to be based on these expectations or—in case of a mismatch—for one's prior assumptions to be revised until they are better aligned with the individual's behaviour. This article will give a (selective) review of recent research from experimental psychology and (social) neuroscience that supports such views, discuss the relevant underlying models, and current gaps in research. In particular, it will argue that much headway can be made when current research on predictive social perception is integrated with classic findings from social psychology, which have already shown striking effects of prior knowledge on the processing of other people's behaviour.
Counting Perron numbers by absolute value
Authors: Calegari Frank , Huang Zili 
Published: July 2017

AbstractWe count various classes of algebraic integers of fixed degree by their largest absolute value. The classes of integers considered include all algebraic integers, Perron numbers, totally real integers, and totally complex integers. We give qualitative and quantitative results concerning the distribution of Perron numbers, answering in part a question of Thurston [‘Entropy in dimension one’, to appear in the Proceedings of the Banff Conference on Frontiers in Complex Dynamics].
In Vitro
Susceptibility of the Relapsing-Fever Spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi to Antimicrobial Agents
Authors: Koetsveld Joris , Draga Ronald O. P. , Wagemakers Alex , Manger Annemijn , Oei Anneke , Visser Caroline E. , Hovius Joppe W. 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACT

Hard-tick-borne relapsing fever (HTBRF) is an emerging infectious disease throughout the temperate zone caused by the relapsing-fever spirochete
Borrelia miyamotoi
. Antibiotic treatment of HTBRF is empirically based on the treatment of Lyme borreliosis; however, the antibiotic susceptibility of
B. miyamotoi
has not been studied to date. Thus, we set out to determine the
in vitro
antimicrobial susceptibility of
B.
miyamotoi
. A microdilution method with 96-well microtiter plates was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibilities of two
B.
miyamotoi
strains isolated on two different continents (Asia and North America), two
Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu lato
strains, and one
Borrelia hermsii
isolate for purposes of comparison. The MIC and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by both microscopy and colorimetric assays. We were able to show that relative to the
B. burgdorferi sensu lato
isolates, both
B.
miyamotoi
strains and
B. hermsii
demonstrated greater susceptibility to doxycycline and azithromycin, equal susceptibility to ceftriaxone, and resistance to amoxicillin
in vitro
. The MIC and MBC of amoxicillin for
B. miyamotoi
evaluated by microscopy were 16 to 32 mg/liter and 32 to 128 mg/liter, respectively. Since
B. miyamotoi
is susceptible to doxycycline, azithromycin, and ceftriaxone
in vitro
, our data suggest that these antibiotics can be used for the treatment of HTBRF. Oral amoxicillin is currently used as an alternative for the treatment of HTBRF; however, since we found that the
B. miyamotoi
strains tested were resistant to amoxicillin
in vitro
, this issue warrants further study.
Digital PCR for Detection and Quantification of Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Legionella pneumophila
Authors: Hennebique Aurélie , Bidart Marie , Jarraud Sophie , Beraud Laëtitia , Schwebel Carole , Maurin Max , Boisset Sandrine 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACT

The emergence of fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant mutants of
Legionella pneumophila
in infected humans was previously reported using a next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) approach. This finding could explain part of the therapeutic failures observed in legionellosis patients treated with these antibiotics. The aim of this study was to develop digital PCR (dPCR) assays allowing rapid and accurate detection and quantification of these resistant mutants in respiratory samples, especially when the proportion of mutants in a wild-type background is low. We designed three dPCRgyrA assays to detect and differentiate the wild-type and one of the three
gyrA
mutations previously described as associated with FQ resistance in
L. pneumophila
: at positions 248C→T (T83I), 259G→A (D87N), and 259G→C (D87H). To assess the performance of these assays, mixtures of FQ-resistant and -susceptible strains of
L. pneumophila
were analyzed, and the results were compared with those obtained with Sanger DNA sequencing and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) technologies. The dPCRgyrA assays were able to detect mutated
gyrA
sequences in the presence of wild-type sequences at up to 1:1,000 resistant/susceptible allele ratios. By comparison, Sanger DNA sequencing and qPCR were less sensitive, allowing the detection of
gyrA
mutants at up to 1:1 and 1:10 ratios, respectively. When testing 38 respiratory samples from 23 legionellosis patients (69.6% treated with an FQ), dPCRgyrA detected small amounts of
gyrA
mutants in four (10.5%) samples from three (13.0%) patients. These results demonstrate that dPCR is a highly sensitive alternative to quantify FQ resistance in
L. pneumophila
, and it could be used in clinical practice to detect patients that could be at higher risk of therapeutic failure.