bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distribution and hormonal characterization of primary murine L cells throughout the gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Suzuki Kazuyo , Iwasaki Kanako , Murata Yuki , Harada Norio , Yamane Shunsuke , Hamasaki Akihiro , Shibue Kimitaka , Joo Erina , Sankoda Akiko , Fujiwara Yuta , Hayashi Yoshitaka , Inagaki Nobuya 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAims/IntroductionGlucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) secreted from enteroendocrine L cells is an incretin that potentiates insulin secretion and is already applied in therapies for type 2 diabetes. However, detailed examination of L cells throughout the gastrointestinal tract remains unclear, because of difficulties in purifying scattered L cells from other cells. In the present study, we identified characteristics of L cells of the upper small intestine (UI), the lower small intestine (LI) and the colon using glucagon‐green fluorescent protein‐expressing mice that express GFP driven by the proglucagon promoter.Materials and MethodsThe localization and density of primary L cells were evaluated by anti‐green fluorescent protein antibody reactivity. GLP‐1 content, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels and secretion in purified L cells were measured.ResultsThe number of L cells significantly increased toward the colon. In contrast, the GLP‐1 content and secretion from L cells were higher in the UI than in the LI and colon. L cells from the UI and LI expressed notably high mRNA levels of the transcription factor, islet 1. The mRNA expression levels of peptide YY in L cells were higher in the LI than in the UI and colon. The mRNA expression levels of gastric inhibitory polypeptide in L cells from the UI were significantly higher compared with those from the LI and colon.ConclusionsL cells show different numbers and characteristics throughout the gut, and they express different mRNA levels of transcription factors and gastrointestinal hormones. These results contribute to the therapeutic application of promoting GLP‐1 release from L cells for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Application of 3C insulin pump system in combination with non‐invasive ventilation in the treatment of a patient with type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
Authors: Dong Peng , Xu Jing , Wang Junhong , Zhang Chunhong 
Published: April 2017

AbstractWe observed the curative effect of the 3C insulin system in combination with non‐invasive ventilation in a patient with type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The 3C insulin pump is a system of devices that closely monitors and effectively regulates blood glucose levels. Non‐invasive ventilation has been shown to be an effective treatment for OSAS. A type 2 diabetes patient with concomitant OSAS was treated with a 3C insulin pump system for real‐time continuous glucose monitoring and nocturnal non‐invasive ventilation for OSAS. Treatment‐induced diabetic remission with improved sleep and reduced hypoglycemic episodes was achieved. Therefore, the 3C insulin pump system, in combination with non‐invasive ventilation, is an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes patients with concomitant OSAS.
Safety, tolerability and efficacy of lixisenatide in combination with oral antidiabetic treatment in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: An open‐label, multicenter study
Authors: Seino Yutaka , Stjepanovic Aleksandra , Takami Akane , Takagi Hiroki ,   the study investigators
Published: April 2017

AbstractAim/IntroductionTo assess the overall safety and efficacy of lixisenatide in combination with background oral antidiabetic drug treatment in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes, as required by Japanese guidelines.Materials and MethodsA phase 3, multicenter, uncontrolled, open‐label, four‐arm, parallel‐group study of Japanese outpatients with type 2 diabetes was carried out; patients received once‐daily lixisenatide in combination with biguanide, thiazolidinedione, alpha‐glucosidase inhibitors or glinide (NCT01940965). The primary end‐point was safety over 52 weeks; secondary end‐points included absolute change from baseline in glycated hemoglobin A1c at weeks 24 and 52.ResultsA total of 294 patients were enrolled (biguanide, thiazolidinedione, alpha‐glucosidase groups: 73 patients each; glinide group: 75 patients). Overall, 90.4% of patients in the biguanide group, 83.6% in the thiazolidinedione group, 83.6% in the alpha‐glucosidase group and 85.3% in the glinide group reported one or more treatment‐emergent adverse event, the most common of which were nasopharingitis, nausea and constipation. Symptomatic hypoglycemia was reported in 5.5, 0, 1.4, and 10.7% of patients in the biguanide, thiazolidinedione, alpha‐glucosidase and glinide groups, respectively. No severe hypoglycemia was observed. Hemoglobin A1c decreased from baseline at weeks 24 and 52, with mean changes ranging from −0.98 to −1.22%, and from −0.80 to −1.08%, respectively, across all groups.ConclusionsLixisenatide treatment administered daily over 52 weeks was well tolerated and effective in improving glycemic control in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled with existing oral antidiabetic drug therapies. The use of lixisenatide in combination with oral antidiabetic drugs is a valuable treatment option for Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes after failure of oral antidiabetic treatment alone.
Mixed evidence for the erosion of intertactical genetic correlations through intralocus tactical conflict
Authors: Pike K. N. , Tomkins J. L. , Buzatto B. A. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAlternative reproductive tactics, whereby members of the same sex use different tactics to secure matings, are often associated with conditional intrasexual dimorphisms. Given the different selective pressures on males adopting each mating tactic, intrasexual dimorphism is more likely to arise if phenotypes are genetically uncoupled and free to evolve towards their phenotypic optima. However, in this context, genetic correlations between male morphs could result in intralocus tactical conflict (ITC). We investigated the genetic architecture of male dimorphism in bulb mites (Rhizoglyphus echinopus) and earwigs (Forficula auricularia). We used half‐sibling breeding designs to assess the heritability and intra/intersexual genetic correlations of dimorphic and monomorphic traits in each species. We found two contrasting patterns; F. auricularia exhibited low intrasexual genetic correlations for the dimorphic trait, suggesting that the ITC is moving towards a resolution. Meanwhile, R. echinopus exhibited high and significant intrasexual genetic correlations for most traits, suggesting that morphs in the bulb mite may be limited in evolving to their optima. This also shows that intrasexual dimorphisms can evolve despite strong genetic constraints, contrary to current predictions. We discuss the implications of this genetic constraint and emphasize the potential importance of ITC for our understanding of intrasexual dimorphisms.
Information Content, Complexity, and Uncertainty in Material Flow Analysis
Authors: Schwab Oliver , Rechberger Helmut 
Published: April 2017

SummaryMaterial Flow Analysis (MFA) is a useful method for modeling, understanding, and optimizing sociometabolic systems. Among others, MFAs can be distinguished by two general system properties: First, they differ in their complexity, which depends on system structure and size. Second, they differ in their inherent uncertainty, which arises from limited data quality. In this article, uncertainty and complexity in MFA are approached from a systems perspective and expressed as formally linked phenomena. MFAs are, in a graph‐theoretical sense, understood as networks. The uncertainty and complexity of these networks are computed by use of information measures from the field of theoretical ecology. The size of a system is formalized as a function of its number of flows. It defines the potential information content of an MFA system and holds as a reference against which complexity and uncertainty are gauged. Integrating data quality measures, the uncertainty of an MFA before and after balancing is determined. The actual information content of an MFA is measured by relating its uncertainty to its potential information content. The complexity of a system is expressed based on the configuration of each individual flow in relation to its neighboring flows. The proposed metrics enable different material flow systems to be compared to one another and the role of individual flows within a system to be assessed. They provide information useful for the design of MFAs and for the communication of MFA results. For exemplification, the regional MFAs of aluminum and plastics in Austria are analyzed in this article.
Natural hybridization and reproductive isolation between twoPrimulaspecies
Authors: Xie Yanping , Zhu Xingfu , Ma Yongpeng , Zhao Jianli , Li Li , Li Qingjun 
Published: April 2017

SummaryNatural hybridization frequently occurs in plants and can facilitate gene flow between species, possibly resulting in species refusion. However, various reproductive barriers block the formation of hybrids and maintain species integrity. Here, we conducted a field survey to examine natural hybridization and reproductive isolation (RI) between sympatric populations ofPrimula secundifloraandP. poissoniiusing ten nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci. Although introgressive hybridization occurred, species boundaries betweenP. secundifloraandP. poissoniiwere maintained through nearly complete reproductive isolation. These interfertile species provide an excellent model for studying the RI mechanisms and evolutionary forces that maintain species boundaries.
Circadian clock component, LHY, tells a plant when to respond photosynthetically to light in nature
Authors: Joo Youngsung , Fragoso Variluska , Yon Felipe , Baldwin Ian T. , Kim Sang‐Gyu 
Published: April 2017

AbstractThe circadian clock is known to increase plant growth and fitness, and is thought to prepare plants for photosynthesis at dawn and dusk; whether this happens in nature was unknown. We transformed the native tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata to silence two core clock components, NaLHY (irLHY) and NaTOC1 (irTOC1). We characterized growth and light‐ and dark‐adapted photosynthetic rates (Ac) throughout a 24 h day in empty vector‐transformed (EV), irLHY, and irTOC1 plants in the field, and in NaPhyA‐ and NaPhyB1‐silenced plants in the glasshouse. The growth rates of irLHY plants were lower than those of EV plants in the field. While irLHY plants reduced Ac earlier at dusk, no differences between irLHY and EV plants were observed at dawn in the field. irLHY, but not EV plants, responded to light in the night by rapidly increasing Ac. Under controlled conditions, EV plants rapidly increased Ac in the day compared to dark‐adapted plants at night; irLHY plants lost these time‐dependent responses. The role of NaLHY in gating photosynthesis is independent of the light‐dependent reactions and red light perceived by NaPhyA, but not NaPhyB1. In summary, the circadian clock allows plants not to respond photosynthetically to light at night by anticipating and gating red light‐mediated in native tobacco.
Sucrose transporters and plasmodesmal regulation in passive phloem loading
Authors: Liesche Johannes 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAn essential step for the distribution of carbon throughout the whole plant is the loading of sugars into the phloem in source organs. In many plants, accumulation of sugars in the sieve element‐companion cell (SE‐CC) complex is mediated and regulated by active processes. However, for poplar and many other tree species, a passive symplasmic mechanism of phloem loading has been proposed, characterized by symplasmic continuity along the pre‐phloem pathway and the absence of active sugar accumulation in the SE‐CC complex. A high overall leaf sugar concentration is thought to enable diffusion of sucrose into the phloem. In this review, we critically evaluate current evidence regarding the mechanism of passive symplasmic phloem loading, with a focus on the potential influence of active sugar transport and plasmodesmal regulation. The limited experimental data, combined with theoretical considerations, suggest that a concomitant operation of passive symplasmic and active phloem loading in the same minor vein is unlikely. However, active sugar transport could well play an important role in how passively loading plants might modulate the rate of sugar export from leaves. Insights into the operation of this mechanism has direct implications for our understanding of how these plants utilize assimilated carbon.
High body mass and kidney dysfunction relate to worse nerve function, even in adults without neuropathy
Authors: Hanewinckel Rens , Ikram M. Arfan , Franco Oscar H. , Hofman Albert , Drenthen Judith , van Doorn Pieter A. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractPolyneuropathy is a prevalent and disabling disorder. Despite extensive evaluation, the cause often remains unknown. Factors that predispose for the development of polyneuropathy need to be identified. We investigated the effect of anthropometric and metabolic factors on peripheral nerve function in 908 participants of the population‐based Rotterdam Study without any symptoms or signs of polyneuropathy. Participants underwent nerve conduction studies of the sural and peroneal nerve. Data on age, height, weight, waist circumference, diabetes, lipid levels, hypertension, and kidney function were collected. Regression analyses were used to investigate determinants of nerve action potential amplitudes. The frequency of abnormal sural sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitudes increased with age from 1% under 60 years to 23% over 80 years. Similarly, the frequency of abnormal peroneal nerve compound motor action potential (CMAP) amplitudes increased from 4% to 13%. High weight and body mass index were independently associated with reduced sural SNAP amplitudes and peroneal CMAP amplitudes. Participants with hypertension and kidney dysfunction were more likely to have abnormal sural SNAP amplitudes. Older age, high weight, hypertension, and moderate kidney dysfunction might thus lead to peripheral nerve dysfunction in persons yet without symptoms or signs of polyneuropathy.
Understanding asexual identity as a means to facilitate culturally competent care: A systematic literature review
Authors: Jones Catriona , Hayter Mark , Jomeen Julie 
Published: April 2017

Aims and objectivesTo provide a contemporary overview of asexuality and the implications this has for healthcare practice.BackgroundIndividuals belonging to sexual minority groups face many barriers in accessing appropriate health care. The term “sexual minority group” is usually used to refer to lesbian women, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. Anecdotal and research evidence suggests that those who identify as asexual have similar poor experiences.DesignSystematic review and qualitative analysis.MethodsThis work uses a systematic review and qualitative analysis of the existing interview data from self‐identified asexuals, to construct features of the asexual identity. The findings will help practitioners and health professionals develop an understanding of this poorly understood construct. Ultimately this work is aimed at facilitating culturally competent care in the context of asexuality.ResultsQualitative analysis produced three themes, which can be used, not only to frame asexuality in a positive and normalising way, but also to provide greater understanding of asexuality, “romantic differences coupled with sexual indifference,” “validation through engagement with asexual communities” and “a diversity of subasexual identities.”ConclusionsHaving some understanding of what it means to identify as asexual, and respecting the choices made by asexuals can markedly improve the experiences of those who embrace an asexual identity when engaging with health care.Relevance to clinical practiceAnecdotal evidence, taken from one of the largest asexual online forums, suggests that a number of self‐identified asexuals choose not to disclose their identity to healthcare professionals through fear of their asexual status being pathologised, problematised or judged. Given that asexuality is a poorly understood concept, this may be due to lack of understanding on behalf of healthcare providers. The review provides health professionals and practitioners working in clinical settings with some insights of the features of an asexual identity to facilitate culturally competent care.
Luxury, State and Society: The Theme of Enslavement in Ibn Khaldun
Authors: Alatas Syed Farid 
Published: April 2017

AbstractClassical social theory in the Western tradition concerned itself with the history of the human condition and sought answers to big questions such as the meaning of change and progress. They were interested in the nature, origins and consequences for human life of modern society, with its new means of organizing production as well as legal and political arrangements. Contrary to the optimism of the Enlightenment with its unbounded faith in the ability of reason and scientific inquiry to liberate humans from domination by both religion and nature, classical social theorists saw the negative side of modern civilization. This can be summarized in terms of the loss of freedom or the enslavement of humans, which each theorist understood as taking different forms. For Marx it was alienation, for Weber confinement in the iron‐cage of rationality, and for Durkheim anomie. Although Ibn Khaldun lived centuries before the rise of classical social theory and was by no means a product of the modern world, it is possible to read his work as thematising the absence of freedom or enslavement as well. Bringing out this aspect of Ibn Khaldun shows, to some extent, the modern relevance of his thought. This article elaborates on Ibn Khaldun's theme of enslavement via his discussion on luxury and senility. It is the enslavement of sedentary people to luxury that explains the loss of group feeling or ‘asabiyyah, setting in motion a chain of developments that results in the senility of the dynasty and its eventual demise. In the first section I discuss the Enlightenment promise of freedom. The section that follows discusses classical social theory's critique of modernity or what amounts to a loss of faith in the Enlightenment project. Here the thought of Marx, Weber and Durkheim are presented as examples of Western assessments of the problem of the human condition in modernity. I then turn in the next two sections to Ibn Khaldun, discussing his theory of the rise and decline of states in terms of the role played by luxury.
Cohabiting and Married Individuals' Relations With Their Partner's Parents
Authors: Aarskaug Wiik Kenneth , Bernhardt Eva 
Published: April 2017

AbstractUsing Norwegian survey data on partnered individuals ages 18 to 55 (N = 4,061; 31% cohabitors), the current study investigated differences across marital and cohabiting unions regarding the patterns of contact with the parents of the partner. In addition to investigating the frequency of such contact, we assessed the nature of and perceived quality of contacts with the partner's parents. The authors grouped respondents according to whether they had children with their partner and controlled for a range of selection characteristics. Results confirmed that parents with preschool children met their in‐laws more frequently than the childless, irrespective of union type. Married respondents as well as cohabitors with preschool children reported better relations with their partner's parents than childless cohabitors. Taken together, the results imply that having small children was more decisive for the relationship with the parents of the partner than getting married, particularly with regard to contact frequency.
Genomic evidence for population‐specific responses to co‐evolving parasites in a New Zealand freshwater snail
Authors: Bankers Laura , Fields Peter , McElroy Kyle E. , Boore Jeffrey L. , Logsdon John M. , Neiman Maurine 
Published: April 2017

AbstractReciprocal co‐evolving interactions between hosts and parasites are a primary source of strong selection that can promote rapid and often population‐ or genotype‐specific evolutionary change. These host–parasite interactions are also a major source of disease. Despite their importance, very little is known about the genomic basis of co‐evolving host–parasite interactions in natural populations, especially in animals. Here, we use gene expression and sequence evolution approaches to take critical steps towards characterizing the genomic basis of interactions between the freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum and its co‐evolving sterilizing trematode parasite, Microphallus sp., a textbook example of natural coevolution. We found that Microphallus‐infected P. antipodarum exhibit systematic downregulation of genes relative to uninfected P. antipodarum. The specific genes involved in parasite response differ markedly across lakes, consistent with a scenario where population‐level co‐evolution is leading to population‐specific host–parasite interactions and evolutionary trajectories. We also used an FST‐based approach to identify a set of loci that represent promising candidates for targets of parasite‐mediated selection across lakes as well as within each lake population. These results constitute the first genomic evidence for population‐specific responses to co‐evolving infection in the P. antipodarum‐Microphallus interaction and provide new insights into the genomic basis of co‐evolutionary interactions in nature.
Application of an embryonated chicken egg model to assess the vector competence of Australian Culicoides midges for bluetongue viruses
Authors: VAN DER SAAG M. R. , WARD M. P. , KIRKLAND P. D. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractCulicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors of a number of globally important arboviruses that affect livestock, including bluetongue virus (BTV), African horse sickness virus and the recently emerged Schmallenberg virus. In this study, a model using embryonated chicken eggs (ECEs) was utilized to undertake vector competence studies of Australian Culicoides spp. for 13 laboratory‐adapted or wild‐type virus strains of BTV. A total of 7393 Culicoides brevitarsis were reared from bovine dung, and 3364 Culicoides were induced to feed from ECEs infected with different strains of BTV. Of those, 911 (27%) survived the putative extrinsic incubation period of 9–12 days. In some trials, virus was also transmitted onward to uninfected ECEs, completing the transmission cycle. This model does not rely on the use of colonized midges and has the capacity to assess the vector competence of field‐collected insects with strains of virus that have not previously been passaged in laboratory culture systems. There is also potential for this model to be used in investigations of the competence of Culicoides spp. for other arboviruses.