bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Randomised clinical trial: faecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent Clostridum difficile infection – fresh, or frozen, or lyophilised microbiota from a small pool of healthy donors delivered by colonoscopy
Authors: Jiang Z. D. , Ajami N. J. , Petrosino J. F. , Jun G. , Hanis C. L. , Shah M. , Hochman L. , Ankoma‐Sey V. , DuPont A. W. , Wong M. C. , Alexander A. , Ke S. , DuPont H. L. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryBackgroundFaecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has become routine in managing recurrent C. difficile infection (CDI) refractory to antibiotics.AimTo compare clinical response and improvements in colonic microbiota diversity in subjects with recurrent CDI using different donor product.MethodsSeventy‐two subjects with ≥3 bouts of CDI were randomised in a double‐blind study to receive fresh, frozen or lyophilised FMT product via colonoscopy from 50 g of stool per treatment from eight healthy donors. Recipients provided stools pre‐ and 7, 14 and 30 days post‐FMT for C. difficile toxin and, in a subset, microbiome composition by 16S rRNA gene profiling.ResultsOverall resolution of CDI was 87% during 2 months of follow‐up after FMT. Stool samples before FMT had significantly decreased bacterial diversity with a high proportion of Proteobacteria compared to donors. Cure rates were highest for the group receiving fresh product seen in 25/25 (100%), lowest for the lyophilised product 16/23 (78%; P = 0.022 vs. fresh and 0.255 vs. frozen) and intermediate for frozen product 20/24 (P = 0.233 vs. fresh). Microbial diversity was reconstituted by day 7 in the subjects receiving fresh or frozen product. Improvement in diversity was seen by day 7 in those randomised to lyophilised material with reconstitution by 30 days.ConclusionsComparative efficacy in faecal microbiota transplantation was observed in subjects receiving fresh or frozen faecal product from the same donors. The lyophilised product had a slightly lowered efficacy compared with fresh product, but it resembled other treatments in microbial restoration 1 month after faecal microbiota transplantation.
Is God just a big person? Children's conceptions of God across cultures and religious traditions
Authors: Nyhof Melanie A. , Johnson Carl N. 
Published: February 2017

The present research examines the influence of intuitive cognitive domain and religion on the God concepts of children growing up in religious traditions that present God in ways varying from abstract to concrete. In Study 1, we compared children from a Latter‐Day Saints (LDS) background with those from mainstream Christian (MC) backgrounds in the United States. In contrast to MC theology that holds that God is all‐knowing, all‐powerful, and disembodied, LDS theology depicts God as embodied. In Study 1, 3‐ to 7‐year‐olds from LDS and MC backgrounds were asked about supernatural mental and immaterial attributes of God, a ghost, a dad, and a bug. In Study 2, children ages 3–7 from Muslim and Catholic backgrounds in Indonesia were presented with a variant of Study 1. Taken together, the two studies examine the God concepts of children raised in three different religious traditions with God concepts that range from highly abstract to concrete. Overall, we find that the youngest children, regardless of religion, distinguish God from humans and hold similar ideas of God, attributing more supernatural psychological than physical properties. Older children's conceptions of God are more in line with the theological notions of their traditions. The results suggest that children are not simply anthropomorphic in their God concepts, but early on understand supernatural agents as having special mental properties and they continue to learn about differences between agents, influenced by their religious traditions.
Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject

Research on children's God concepts has established that children begin to distinguish the mind of God from that of humans by around age 4–5. The main debate in the field is whether children start out thinking about God in anthropomorphic terms or whether they start out with an undifferentiated idea of agents’ minds as all having access to knowledge.

Research on children's understanding of immortality has demonstrated that around the same age that children begin differentiating God's mind from human minds, they also differentiate between the two in terms of life‐cycle attributes, attributing immortality to God, but not to humans.

What does this study add?

The present research contributes to the field by examining the God concepts of children from different religious backgrounds. These religious backgrounds have theologies with God concepts that range from physically concrete (Latter‐Day Saints or Mormonism) to highly abstract (Islam). We also include Christian samples for comparison.

The present research examines children's attributions to different supernatural agents including God, but also a ghost and an angel.

The present studies look at children's attribution of not only supernatural mental attributions, but also the supernatural physical attributions of immateriality and omnipresence that have been understudied.
Parent–child learning interactions: A review of the literature on scaffolding
Authors: Mermelshtine Roni 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundScaffolding can be observed during learning‐based interactions, when interventions by parents are adjusted according to children's observed abilities, with the main goal of enabling the child to work independently (Woodet al., 1976,Journal of child psychology and psychiatry,17, 89). Such contingent instruction behaviours occur from infancy, and are said to be relevant for children's development of executive function, language acquisition, and cognitive and academic abilities. Scaffolding behaviours are considered a product of the family and the wider context, a process affected by parent and child characteristics, and the environment they inhabit. Over 40 years of scaffolding research has produced an abundance of findings. Early investigations were concerned with the conceptualization of scaffolding, whereas more recent studies build upon the theory, testing its correlates and relevance for child development.AimsThis article offers an overview of the literature, focusing on the relevance of scaffolding for child developmental outcomes, and the factors associated with individual differences in the process.StructureThe article is structured such that the origins of the theory and its definitions are discussed first, followed by an overview of the correlates of scaffolding. The review concludes with a critical evaluation of the literature, proposing novel avenues for future research.
A phase 1/2 trial of ublituximab, a novel anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody, in patients with B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia previously exposed to rituximab
Authors: Sawas Ahmed , Farber Charles M. , Schreeder Marshall T. , Khalil Mazen Y. , Mahadevan Daruka , Deng Changchun , Amengual Jennifer E. , Nikolinakos Petros G. , Kolesar Jill M. , Kuhn John G. , Sportelli Peter , Miskin Hari P. , O'Connor Owen A. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryThis phase 1/2 study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetic behavior and anti‐tumour activity of ublituximab, a unique type I, chimeric, glycoengineered anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody, in rituximab‐relapsed or ‐refractory patients with B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (B‐NHL) or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Induction therapy (doses of 450–1200 mg) consisted of 4 weekly infusions in cycle 1 for NHL and 3 weekly infusions in cycles 1 and 2 for CLL. Patients received ublituximab maintenance monthly during cycles 3–5, then once every 3 months for up to 2 years. Enrolled patients with B‐NHL (n = 27) and CLL (n = 8) had a median of 3 prior therapies. No dose‐limiting toxicities or unexpected adverse events (AEs) occurred. The most common AEs were infusion‐related reactions (40%; grade 3/4, 0%); fatigue (37%; grade 3/4, 3%); pyrexia (29%; grade 3/4, 0%); and diarrhoea (26%; grade 3/4, 0%). Common haematological AEs were neutropenia (14%; grade 3/4, 14%) and anaemia (11%; grade 3/4, 6%). The overall response rate for evaluable patients (n = 31) was 45% (13% complete responses, 32% partial responses). Median duration of response and progression‐free survival were 9·2 months and 7·7 months, respectively. Ublituximab was well‐tolerated and efficacious in a heterogeneous and highly rituximab‐pre‐treated patient population.
Aetiology and management of earlier vs later biochemical recurrence after retropubic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Llukani Elton , Lepor Herbert 
Published: February 2017

ObjectivesTo examine the characteristics and management of earlier (within 5 years) vs later (after 5 years) biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP).Materials and MethodsBetween October 2000 and October 2009, 1597 men underwent open retropubic RP. BCRs were managed using salvage radiation therapy (SRT), androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or active surveillance (AS). BCR‐free survival was assessed using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Factors predicting earlier or later BCR and BCR after SRT were assessed using logistic regression andCox proportional hazard models, respectively.ResultsThe probabilities of developing BCR within 5 years and 10 years were 12.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.7–13.9) and 18.4% (95% CI 16.2–20.6), respectively. On multivariate analysis, prostate‐specific antigen doubling time, positive surgical margins and pathological Gleason score significantly differentiated earlier from later BCR. Overall, 74.5, 12.7 and 12.7% of men developing BCR underwent SRT, ADT or AS, respectively. A significantly greater proportion of men in the earlier BCR group underwent SRT (80.8 vs 59%) and ADT (14.6 vs 8.2%), and a significantly greater proportion of men in the later BCR group underwent AS (32.8 vs 4.6%; P<0.001). The response to SRT was independent of time to BCR. On multivariate analysis, clinical stage and pathological stage significantly predicted failure of SRT.ConclusionsApproximately one third of BCRs occurred between 5 and 10 years after RP. The aetiology and management of BCR was dependent on time to BCR, whereas response to SRT was independent of time to recurrence. Long‐term follow‐up is mandatory beyond 5 years for all men after RP.
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy access by urologist or interventional radiologist: practice and outcomes in the UK
Authors: Armitage James N. , Withington John , Fowler Sarah , Finch William J. G. , Burgess Neil A. , Irving Stuart O. , Glass Jonathan , Wiseman Oliver J. ,   the BAUS section of Endourology
Published: February 2017

ObjectiveTo compare outcomes of urologist vs interventional radiologist (IR) access during percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in the contemporary UK setting.Patients and MethodsData submitted to the British Association of Urological Surgeons PCNL data registry between 2009 and 2015 were analysed according to whether access was obtained by a urologist or an IR. We compared access success, number and type of tracts, and perceived and actual difficulty of access. Postoperative outcomes, including stone‐free rates, lengths of hospital stay and complications, including transfusion rates, were also compared.ResultsOverall, percutaneous renal access was undertaken by an IR in 3453 of 5211 procedures (66.3%); this rate appeared stable over the entire study period for all categories of stone complexity and in cases where there was predicted or actual difficulty with access. Only 1% of procedures were abandoned because of failed access and this rate was identical in each group. IRs performed more multiple tract access procedures than urologists (6.8 vs 5.1%; P = 0.02), but had similar rates of supracostal punctures (8.2 vs 9.2%; P = 0.23). IRs used ultrasonograhpy more commonly than urologists to guide access (56.6% vs 21.7%, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in complication rates, lengths of hospital stay or stone‐free rates.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that favourable PCNL outcomes may be expected where access is obtained by either a urologist or an IR, assuming that they have received the appropriate training and that they are skilled and proficient in the procedure.
Morphometric analysis of prostate zonal anatomy using magnetic resonance imaging: impact on age‐related changes in patients in Japan and the USA
Authors: Matsugasumi Toru , Fujihara Atsuko , Ushijima So , Kanazawa Motohiro , Yamada Yasuhiro , Shiraishi Takumi , Hongo Fumiya , Kamoi Kazumi , Okihara Koji , de Castro Abreu Andre Luis , Oishi Masakatsu , Shin Toshitaka , Palmer Suzanne , Gill Inderbir S. , Ukimura Osamu 
Published: February 2017

ObjectivesTo evaluate the impact of morphometric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis of the prostate zonal anatomy on aging, prostatic hypertrophy and lower urinary tract symptoms in patients from Japan and the USA.Subjects and MethodsA retrospective analysis of 307 men, including 156 men from Japan and 151 from the USA, who consecutively underwent 3‐Tesla MRI and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) assessment because of elevated PSA levels. Using Synapse‐Vincent (Fujifilm), the prostatic zones were segmented in each axial step‐section of the T2‐weighted MRI to reconstruct a three‐dimensional model of the prostate, which was used to calculate: zonal volumes (whole‐gland prostate, transition zone and peripheral zone volumes); the presumed circle area ratio (PCAR); and PZ thickness. Bivariate associations were quantified using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients.ResultsThe USA subgroup had a greater prostate volume (49 vs 42 mL; P = 0.003) and TZ volume (26 vs 20 mL; P < 0.001) than the Japan subgroup, with no difference in PZ volume (19 vs 20 mL; P = 0.2). There was no age‐related increase in PZ volume in either of the subgroups or in the entire cohort (P = 0.9, P = 0.2, P = 0.3, respectively). PZ thickness had a significant negative correlation with PCAR (P < 0.001) and TZ volume (P < 0.001). The greater the increase in the TZ volume with the increase in PCAR, which probably correlates with obstructive pressure, the thinner the PZ became. PCAR had a significant positive correlation with IPSS (P = 0.003) and obstructive symptoms (P = 0.007), while PZ thickness had a significant negative correlation (P = 0.018).ConclusionsNo age‐related increases and no differences between the Japanese and the US subgroups were found with regard to PZ volume. The more TZ volume increased, the higher the obstructive pressure and the thinner the PZ became; these changes were associated with increased obstructive symptoms. MRI analysis of prostate zonal anatomy enhanced our understanding of age‐related changes in morphology and urinary symptoms.
PPARs in the central nervous system: roles in neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation
Authors: Zolezzi Juan M. , Santos Manuel J. , Bastías‐Candia Sussy , Pinto Claudio , Godoy Juan A. , Inestrosa Nibaldo C. 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTOver 25 years have passed since peroxisome proliferators‐activated receptors (PPARs), were first described. Like other members of the nuclear receptors superfamily, PPARs have been defined as critical sensors and master regulators of cellular metabolism. Recognized as ligand‐activated transcription factors, they are involved in lipid, glucose and amino acid metabolism, taking part in different cellular processes, including cellular differentiation and apoptosis, inflammatory modulation and attenuation of acute and chronic neurological damage in vivo and in vitro. Interestingly, PPAR activation can simultaneously reprogram the immune response, stimulate metabolic and mitochondrial functions, promote axonal growth, induce progenitor cells to differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes, and improve brain clearance of toxic molecules such as β‐amyloid peptide. Although the molecular mechanisms and cross‐talk with different molecular pathways are still the focus of intense research, PPARs are considered potential therapeutic targets for several neuropathological conditions, including degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. This review considers recent advances regarding PPARs, as well as new PPAR agonists. We focus on the mechanisms behind the neuroprotective effects exerted by PPARs and summarise the roles of PPARs in different pathologies of the central nervous system, especially those associated with degenerative and inflammatory mechanisms.
Viewpoint: The human capital approach to inference
Authors: MacLeod W. Bentley 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe purpose of this essay is to discuss two approaches to inference and how “human capital” can provide a way to combine them. The first approach, ubiquitous in economics, is based upon the Rubin–Holland potential outcomes model and relies upon randomized treatment to measure the causal effect of choice. The second approach, widely used in the pattern recognition and machine learning literatures, assumes that choice conditional upon current information is optimal (or at least high quality), and then provides techniques to generalize observed choice to new cases. The “human capital” approach combines these methods by using observed decisions by experts to reduce the dimensionality of the feature space and allow the categorization of decisions by their propensity score. The fact that the human capital of experts is heterogeneous implies that errors in decision making are inevitable. Moreover, under the appropriate conditions, these decisions are random conditional upon the propensity score. This in turn allows us to identify the conditional average treatment effect for a wider class of situations than would be possible with randomized control trials. This point is illustrated with data from medical decision making in the context of treating depression, heart disease and adverse childbirth events.
An Environmental Sociology for the Anthropocene
Authors: Bowden Gary 
Published: February 2017

Attention to the relationship between nature and society has been a defining feature of environmental sociology since its inception. Early research, incorporating insights from ecology, argued for the need to (1) theorize the causal connections between nature and society and (2) contextualize those connections in terms of biophysical limits resulting from resource scarcity. Over the past two decades, partly in response to new forms of existential threat such as climate change, the treatment of nature and society as distinct entities has given way to a focus on socio‐natural assemblages. Using the Anthropocene as a lens to explore this emerging view, it is argued (1) that current theorizing on the socio‐natural assemblage needs to pay more attention to the issues of temporality and complexity, (2) that taking these factors into account reconceptualizes the nature‐society relationship as a complex, evolving socio‐natural assemblage, (3) that this evolutionary process needs to be understood in the context of cosmic evolution and the tension between entropy and the emergence of local complexity, and (4) that constraints on human development arise from the tension between these two tendencies, not from resource scarcity. An environmental sociology for the Anthropocene, one based on assumptions about the nature of causal dynamics and context consistent with our understanding of current earth system science, is proposed.L'attention portée à la relation entre la nature et la société a été un trait caractéristique de la sociologie de l'environnement depuis sa création. La recherche initiale, intégrant les connaissances de l'écologie, a soutenu la nécessité de (1) théoriser les liens causaux entre la nature et la société et (2) contextualiser ces connexions en termes de limites biophysiques résultant de la pénurie de ressources. Au cours des deux derniéres décennies, en partie en réponse à de nouvelles formes de menace existentielle telles que le changement climatique, le traitement de la nature et de la société en tant qu'entités distinctes a fait place à un accent sur les assemblages socio‐naturels. En utilisant l'anthropocéne comme une lentille pour explorer ce point de vue émergeant, on fait valoir (1) que la théorisation actuelle sur l'assemblage socio‐naturel doit accorder plus d'attention aux questions de temporalité et de complexité, (2) que prendre ces facteurs en compte reconceptualise la relation entre la nature et la société en tant qu'assemblage socio‐naturel complexe et en évolution, (3) que ce processus évolutif doit être compris dans le contexte de l'évolution cosmique et de la tension entre entropie et émergence de la complexité locale, et (4) sur le développement humain découlent de la tension entre ces deux tendances, et non de la pénurie de ressources. Une sociologie de l'environnement pour l'anthropocéne, fondée sur des hypothéses sur la nature de la dynamique causale et du contexte compatible avec notre compréhension de la science actuelle du systéme terrestre, est proposée.
Challenges in conducting multicentre, multidisciplinary, longitudinal studies in children with chronic conditions
Authors: Broder Hillary L. , Crerand Canice E. , Ruff Ryan R. , Peshansky Alexandre , Sarwer David B. , Sischo Lacey 
Published: February 2017

AbstractObjectivesConducting longitudinal, multicentre, multidisciplinary research for individuals with chronic conditions can be challenging. Despite careful planning, investigative teams must adapt to foreseen and unforeseen problems. Our objective is to identify challenges encountered and solutions sought in a recently completed observational, longitudinal study of youth with cleft lip and palate as well as their caregivers.MethodsData for analysis were derived from a 6‐year, multicentre, prospective, longitudinal study of youth with cleft conducted from 2009 to 2015 that examined oral health‐related quality of life and other related clinical observations over time in youth who had cleft‐related surgery compared to those who did not. Youth and their caregivers participating in this study were followed at one of six geographically diverse, multidisciplinary cleft treatment centres in the USA.ResultsEstablishing effective communication, ensuring protocol adherence, safeguarding data quality, recognizing and managing differences across sites, maximizing participant retention, dealing with study personnel turnover, and balancing/addressing clinical and research tasks were particularly exigent issues that arose over the course of the study. Attending to process, ongoing communication within and across sites, and investigator and clinician commitment and flexibility were required to achieve the stated aims of the research.ConclusionStudying children with cleft and their caregivers over time created both foreseen and unforeseen challenges. Solutions to these challenges are presented to aid in the design of future longitudinal research in individuals with chronic conditions.