bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interindividual patterns of resource use in three subtropical Atlantic Forest frogs
Authors: Carvalho‐Rocha Vítor , Lopes Benedito Cortês , Neckel‐Oliveira Selvino 
Published: October 2017

AbstractStudies with disparate taxa suggest that generalist populations are composed of relatively specialist individuals that use a narrow part of a population's resource pool. Models based on optimum diet theory (ODT) can be used to predict different patterns of variation in resource use among individuals. In this work, we investigated the diet and measured the degree of individual specialization of three anuran species, Hypsiboas leptolineatus, Pseudis cardosoi and Scinax granulatus, from the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil. The study is based on gut content obtained using a stomach‐flushing technique. Additionally, we tested for a correlation between the individuals’ diet and morphological variation. Furthermore, we applied methods based on network theory to investigate patterns of resource use among individuals of each species. All three study species showed generalized diets and significant values of individual specialization. However, we did not find any correlation between diet and morphology, indicating that diet variation is not a consequence of morphological trade‐offs. The individual‐resource networks of H. leptolineatus and S. granulatus showed a nested pattern. This result indicates the presence of individuals with more diverse diets than others, and the diets of the more specialist individuals are a predictable subset of the diets of the more generalist ones. The individual‐resource network of P. cardosoi did not show a distinct pattern, diverging from what was predicted by optimal diet theory‐based models. Although nested or modular patterns are commonly found in individual‐resource networks, our results indicate that they are not ubiquitous and that random patterns can also be found.
Rotary versus reciprocating shaping files in bacterial elimination from long oval canals
Authors: Krokidis Andreas , Bonfanti Carlo , Cerutti Antonio C. , Barabanti Nicola , Panopoulos Panos 
Published: October 2017

AbstractA comparison of the abilities of rotary versus reciprocating files to eliminate viable Enterococcus faecalis populations from the long oval root canals of extracted human teeth. Fifty teeth were contaminated and randomly distributed into two groups (n = 25 each): BT‐RaCe group and WaveOne group. Two microbial samples were obtained from each tooth before (S1) and after (S2) instrumentation. The CFUs from the S1 and S2 measurements were calculated and compared between the groups. Both groups showed significantly fewer CFUs in the S2 samples (P < 0.001). In the S2 intragroup comparison, BT‐RaCe resulted in significantly fewer CFUs than WaveOne (P = 0.010). In the direct comparison between the rotary multiple file shaping system and the reciprocating single‐file system, the multiple file system was more efficient at reducing the microbiological load of viable E. faecalis from long oval root canals.
Sealer penetration and adaptation in root canals with the butterfly effect
Authors: Russell Assil , Friedlander Lara , Chandler Nicholas 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe butterfly effect is a phenomenon seen in some roots and is related to density of dentinal tubules. The aim was to investigate penetration depth and adaptation quality of root canal sealers and ProRoot MTA into bucco‐lingual and mesio‐distal aspects of roots with and without the effect. One hundred and twenty teeth were decoronated at the cemento‐enamel junction. Canals were prepared and assigned to obturation groups: gutta‐percha with a sealer (AH Plus, EndoREZ, Kerr Pulp Canal Sealer, MTA Fillapex) or ProRoot MTA alone (each containing 10 butterfly and 10 non‐butterfly roots). Root sectioning yielded coronal and middle samples. Confocal laser scanning and scanning electron microscopy were used to assess penetration and adaptation. Teeth with the effect had greater mean penetration bucco‐lingually (766 μm) than mesio‐distally (184 μm, P = 0.003). Coronal sections had greater penetration (430 μm) compared with middle (247 μm, P = 0.006). In conclusion, greater penetration in roots with the effect may improve treatment outcomes.
Higher taxa can be effective surrogates for species‐level data in detecting changes in invertebrate assemblage structure due to disturbance: a case study using a broad range of orders
Authors: Driessen Michael M , Kirkpatrick James B 
Published: October 2017

AbstractCost‐effective assessment tools are needed to manage the impacts of natural and human disturbances on communities. Higher taxa are widely used as surrogates for species‐level identification in invertebrates; however, few studies have compared their effectiveness with species‐level data for terrestrial invertebrates or assessed the mechanistic basis for their performance, and none of these studies have used a broad range of orders. Here, a terrestrial invertebrate dataset comprising 21 orders, 197 families and 751 species was used to investigate whether order‐ and family‐level identifications were effective surrogates for species‐level identification in representing patterns in assemblage structure and detecting the effects of fire. Factors potentially influencing the performance of surrogates among invertebrate orders were also investigated. Family‐level identification of invertebrates in moorland sites with a wide range of fire history was found to be an effective surrogate for species‐level identification. Order‐level identification was also an effective surrogate, but the level of discrimination among sites was typically lower than for species‐ or family‐level identification. Higher taxonomic surrogates performed well for invertebrate orders comprising a few species that were abundant and with a small mean and variance in the number of species per higher taxon. Use of higher taxa as surrogates for species‐level identification can be a cost‐effective approach to monitoring impacts of disturbance, but outcomes are influenced by taxonomic diversity and community structure.
The effect of head‐up tilt upon markers of heart rate variability in patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Patel Hitesh C. , Hayward Carl , Wardle Andrew J. , Middleton Lee , Lyon Alexander R. , Di Mario Carlo , Salukhe Tushar V. , Sutton Richard , Rosen Stuart D. 
Published: October 2017

BackgroundHeart rate variability (HRV) analysis is uncommonly undertaken in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) due to an assumption that ventricular response is random. We sought to determine the effects of head‐up tilt (HUT), a stimulus known to elicit an autonomic response, on HRV in patients with AF; we contrasted the findings with those of patients in sinus rhythm (SR).MethodsConsecutive, clinically indicated tilt tests were examined for 207 patients: 176 in SR, 31 in AF. Patients in AF were compared to an age‐matched SR cohort (n = 69). Five minute windows immediately before and after tilting were analyzed using time‐domain, frequency‐domain and nonlinear HRV parameters. Continuous, noninvasive assessment of blood pressure, heart rate and stroke volume were available in the majority of patients.ResultsThere were significant differences at baseline in all HRV parameters between AF and age matched SR. HUT produced significant hemodynamic changes, regardless of cardiac rhythm. Coincident with these hemodynamic changes, patients in AF had a significant increase in median [quartile 1, 2] DFA‐α2 (+0.14 [−0.03, 0.32], p < .005) and a decrease in sample entropy (−0.17 [−0.50, −0.01], p < .005).ConclusionIn the SR cohort, increasing age was associated with fewer HRV changes on tilting. Patients with AF had blunted HRV responses to tilting, mirroring those seen in an age matched SR group. It is feasible to measure HRV in patients with AF and the changes observed on HUT are comparable to those seen in patients in sinus rhythm.
The albumin‐bilirubin grade uncovers the prognostic relationship between hepatic reserve and immune dysfunction in HIV‐associated hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Pinato D. J. , Sharma R. , Citti C. , Platt H. , Ventura‐Cots M. , Allara E. , Chen T.‐Y. , Dalla Pria A. , Jain M. , Mínguez B. , Kikuchi L. , Kaufman West E. , Merli M. , Kaplan D. E. , Hasson H. , Marks K. , Nelson M. , Núñez M. , Aytaman A. , Bower M. , Bräu N. ,   The Liver Cancer in HIV Study Group
Published: October 2017

SummaryBackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of liver‐related mortality in people living with HIV, where co‐infection with hepatotropic viruses accelerates the course of chronic liver disease.AimTo evaluate whether the albumin‐bilirubin (ALBI) grade, a more accurate marker of liver dysfunction in HCC, might identify patients with progressive liver dysfunction in the context of HIV/hepatitis co‐infection.MethodsUsing uni‐ and multi‐variable analyses, we studied the albumin‐bilirubin grade as a predictor of overall survival (OS) in a large, multi‐center cohort of patients with HIV‐associated HCC recruited from 44 centres in 9 countries within the Liver Cancer in HIV study group. Patients who underwent liver transplantation were excluded.ResultsA total of 387 patients, predominantly HCV co‐infected (78%) with balanced representation of all Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages (A = 33%, B = 18%, C = 37%, D = 12%) were recruited. At HCC diagnosis, 84% had been on anti‐retrovirals for a median duration of 8.8 years. The albumin‐bilirubin grade identified significant differences in median survival of 97 months for grade 1 (95% CI 13‐180 months), 17 months for grade 2 (95% CI 11‐22 months) and 6 months for grade 3 (95% CI 4‐9 months, P < .001). A more advanced albumin‐bilirubin grade correlated with lower CD4 counts (464/373/288 cells/mm3 for grades 1/2/3) and higher HIV viraemia (3.337/8.701/61.845 copies/mL for grades 1/2/3, P < .001).ConclusionsIn this large, multi‐center retrospective study, the albumin‐bilirubin grade highlights the interplay between liver reserve and immune dysfunction as prognostic determinants in HIV‐associated HCC.
Review article: the gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease—avenues for microbial management
Authors: McIlroy J. , Ianiro G. , Mukhopadhya I. , Hansen R. , Hold G. L. 
Published: October 2017

SummaryBackgroundThe concept of an altered collective gut microbiota rather than identification of a single culprit is possibly the most significant development in inflammatory bowel disease research. We have entered the “omics” era, which now allows us to undertake large‐scale/high‐throughput microbiota analysis which may well define how we approach diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the future, with a strong steer towards personalised therapeutics.AimTo assess current epidemiological, experimental and clinical evidence of the current status of knowledge relating to the gut microbiome, and its role in IBD, with emphasis on reviewing the evidence relating to microbial therapeutics and future microbiome modulating therapeutics.MethodsA Medline search including items ‘intestinal microbiota/microbiome’, ‘inflammatory bowel disease’, ‘ulcerative colitis’, ‘Crohn's disease’, ‘faecal microbial transplantation’, ‘dietary manipulation’ was performed.ResultsDisease remission and relapse are associated with microbial changes in both mucosal and luminal samples. In particular, a loss of species richness in Crohn's disease has been widely observed. Existing therapeutic approaches broadly fall into 3 categories, namely: accession, reduction or indirect modulation of the microbiome. In terms of microbial therapeutics, faecal microbial transplantation appears to hold the most promise; however, differences in study design/methodology mean it is currently challenging to elegantly translate results into clinical practice.ConclusionsExisting approaches to modulate the gut microbiome are relatively unrefined. Looking forward, the future of microbiome‐modulating therapeutics looks bright with several novel strategies/technologies on the horizon. Taken collectively, it is clear that ignoring the microbiome in IBD is not an option.
Adolescent temperament dimensions as stable prospective risk and protective factors for salivary C‐reactive protein
Authors: Nelson Benjamin W. , Byrne Michelle L. , Simmons Julian G. , Whittle Sarah , Schwartz Orli S. , O'Brien‐Simpson Neil M. , Walsh Katrina A. , Reynolds Eric C. , Allen Nicholas B. 
Published: October 2017

ObjectiveTemperament has associations with later physical health outcomes, yet there is a dearth of research exploring the connection between temperament and mechanisms that have known associations with these health outcomes. Recent research has delineated a connection between personality and inflammation during adulthood, but this association has not yet been studied in adolescent samples.DesignWe investigated whether stable adolescent temperament (averaged over two years), specifically effortful control and negative emotionality, provided a more robust prediction of inflammation as measured by salivary C‐reactive protein (sCRP), than depressive symptoms.MethodsTemperament and depressive symptoms were measured in a sample of sixty‐three adolescents (37 males) when they were approximately 12 years old (mean age = 12.30, SD = 0.69) and again when they were approximately 14 years old (mean age = 14.84, SD = 0.49). Levels of sCRP were determined approximately 7 months later (mean = 6.77, SD = 2.99) when participants were approximately 15 years old (mean age = 15.49, SD = 0.49).ResultsRegression analyses revealed that effortful control (EC) was significantly associated with lower sCRP levels, while higher negative emotionality (NE) was significantly associated with higher sCRP levels. Furthermore, these associations were larger than those for depressive symptoms and were differentially impacted by the addition of covariates. Implications for the role of stable risk and protective factors in inflammatory processes are discussed.ConclusionsThese findings are the first to show associations between adolescent temperament and inflammation. Furthermore, these findings extend previous personality research to temperamental research in a younger sample of adolescents.
Statement of contribution

What is already known?

There is a large extant literature on the association between depressive symptoms and inflammation.

There is a smaller extant literature on the association between personality and inflammation.

No studies have examined how adolescent temperament traits may relate to inflammation.

What does this study add?

Longitudinal data collection over the course of 3 years in an adolescent sample.

Addresses the question of whether temperament factors relate to inflammation.

Temperament provides a more robust predictor of later inflammation than depressive symptoms.
Amelioration of autoimmunity with an inhibitor selectively targeting all active centres of the immunoproteasome
Authors: Basler Michael , Maurits Elmer , de Bruin Gerjan , Koerner Julia , Overkleeft Herman S , Groettrup Marcus 
Published: October 2017

Background and PurposeMulticatalytic endopeptidase complex‐like‐1 (β2i), low molecular mass polypeptide (LMP) 2 (β1i) and LMP7 (β5i) are the proteolytically active subunits of the immunoproteasome, a special type of proteasome mainly expressed in haematopoietic cells. Targeting LMP7 has been shown to be therapeutically effective in preclinical models of autoimmune diseases. In this study, we investigated the selectivity and biological activity of LU‐005i, a recently described inhibitor of the immunoproteasome.Experimental ApproachThe specificity of LU‐005i and other immunoproteasome‐selective inhibitors was characterized using fluorogenic peptide substrates. The effect of proteasome inhibition on cytokine release was investigated in endotoxin‐stimulated mouse splenocytes or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The effect of proteasome inhibition on inflammatory bowel disease in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis model was assessed by measuring weight loss and colon length.Key ResultsLU‐005i is the first human and mouse immunoproteasome‐selective inhibitor that targets all three proteolytically active immunoproteasome subunits. LU‐005i inhibited cytokine secretion from endotoxin‐stimulated mouse splenocytes or human PBMCs. Furthermore, differentiation of naïve T helper cells to T helper 17 cells was impaired in the presence of LU‐005i. Additionally, LU‐005i ameliorated DSS‐induced colitis.Conclusion and ImplicationsThis study with a novel pan‐immunoproteasome inhibitor substantiates that the immunoproteasome is a promising drug target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and that exclusive inhibition of LMP7 is not necessary for therapeutic effectiveness. Our results will promote the design of new generations of immunoproteasome inhibitors with optimal therapeutic efficacy for clinical use in the treatment of autoimmunity and cancer.
Horizontal mergers and product quality
Authors: Brekke Kurt R. , Siciliani Luigi , Straume Odd Rune 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe study the effects of a horizontal merger when firms compete on price and quality. In a Salop framework with three symmetric firms, several striking results appear. First, the merging firms reduce quality but possibly also price, whereas the outside firm increases both price and quality. As a result, the average price in the market increases, but also the average quality. Second, the outside firm benefits more than the merging firms from the merger, and the merger can be unprofitable for the merger partners, i.e., the “merger paradox” may appear. Third, the merger always reduces total consumer utility (though some consumers may benefit), but total welfare can increase due to endogenous quality cost savings. In a generalized framework with n firms, we identify two key factors for the merger effects: (i) the magnitude of marginal variable quality costs, which determines the nature of strategic interaction and (ii) the cross‐quality and cross‐price demand effects, which determines the intensity of price relative to quality competition. These findings have implications for antitrust policy in industries where quality is a key strategic variable for the firms.
Prebiotics for the prevention of allergies: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Cuello‐Garcia C. , Fiocchi A. , Pawankar R. , Yepes‐Nuñez J. J. , Morgano G. P. , Zhang Y. , Agarwal A. , Gandhi S. , Terracciano L. , Schünemann H. J. , Brozek J. L. 
Published: October 2017

SummaryBackgroundPrevalence of allergic diseases in infants is approximately 10% reaching 20 to 30% in those with an allergic first‐degree relative. Prebiotics are selectively fermented food ingredients that allow specific changes in composition/activity of the gastrointestinal microflora. They modulate immune responses, and their supplementation has been proposed as an intervention to prevent allergies.ObjectiveTo assess in pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and infants (populations) the effect of supplementing prebiotics (intervention) versus no prebiotics (comparison) on the development of allergic diseases and to inform the World Allergy Organization guidelines.MethodsWe performed a systematic review of studies assessing the effects of prebiotic supplementation with an intention to prevent the development of allergies.ResultsOf 446 unique records published until November 2016 in Cochrane, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, 22 studies fulfilled a priori specified criteria. We did not find any studies of prebiotics given to pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers. Prebiotic supplementation in infants, compared to placebo, had the following effects: risk of developing eczema (RR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.40 to 1.15), wheezing/asthma (RR, 0.37; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.80), and food allergy (RR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.08 to 1.00). There was no evidence of an increased risk of any adverse effects (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.92 to 1.10). Prebiotic supplementation had little influence growth rate (MD: 0.92 g per day faster with prebiotics, 95% CI: 0 to 1.84) and the final infant weight (MD: 0.10 kg higher with prebiotics, 95% CI: −0.09 to 0.29). The certainty of these estimates is very low due to risk of bias and imprecision of the results.ConclusionsCurrently available evidence on prebiotic supplementation to reduce the risk of developing allergies is very uncertain.
A prospective, split‐mouth study comparing tilted implants with angulated connection versus conventional implants with angulated abutment
Authors: Van Weehaeghe Manú , De Bruyn Hugo , Vandeweghe Stefan 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackgroundAn angulation of the implant connection could overcome the problems related to angulated abutments.PurposeThis study compares conventional implants with angulated abutment to tilted implants with an angulated connection.Materials and MethodsTwenty patients were treated in the edentulous mandible. In the posterior jaw locations, one conventional tilted implant with angulated abutment and one angulated implant without abutment were placed. In the anterior jaw, two conventional implants were placed, one with and one without abutment. Implants were immediately loaded and 3 months later, the final bridge (PFM or monolithic zirconia) was placed.ResultsAfter a follow‐up of 48 months, 17 patients were available for clinical examination. The mean overall marginal bone loss (MBL) was 1.26 mm. No significant differences in implant survival, MBL, periodontal indices, patients’ satisfaction, or complications was found between implants restored on abutment or implant level, between the posteriorly located angulated implant nor angulated abutment, and between both anterior implants with or without abutment. The posterior implants demonstrated less MBL compared to the anterior implants (P < .001). There was no significant difference in MBL between the implants restored with zirconia or PFM bridges (P = .294). Overall mean pocket depth was 2.83 mm. More plaque was found in the PFM group compared to the full‐zirconia group, at the bridge (P = .042) and the implants (P = .029). There was no difference between both materials in pocket depth (P = .635) or bleeding (P = .821). One zirconia bridge fractured, two angulated abutment were replaced and four loose bridge screws connected to the angulated abutments had to be tightened. Patients were overall satisfied (4.74/5).ConclusionAn implant with angulated connection may results in a stronger connection but does not affect the marginal bone loss. No difference in MBL was seen between implants restored on abutment or implant level. Zirconia seems to reduce the amount of plaque.