bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Biofeedback Therapy in the Treatment of Dyssynergic Defecation in Community-Dwelling Elderly Women
Authors: Simón Miguel A. , Bueno Ana M. 
Published: January 2017

Aim of the Study:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of biofeedback therapy in the treatment of dyssynergic defecation in chronically constipated community-dwelling elderly women.

Materials and Methods:
After an initial assessment phase carried out during 1 month, 20 chronically constipated women with dyssynergic defecation were randomly assigned to either electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-BF) group (n=10) or control group (n=10). Outcome measures used to evaluate the efficacy of treatment were weekly stool frequency, sensation of incomplete evacuation, difficulty evacuation level, mean EMG-activity (μV) of the external anal sphincter during straining to defecate and Anismus index.

Results:
The results obtained in this randomized controlled trial showed significant differences between the groups in all the dependent variables after 1 month of treatment. Moreover, there was no difference between the groups neither in age nor in the duration of chronic constipation symptoms. At the follow-up, 3 months later, clinical gains were maintained.

Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that the EMG-BF is an effective behavioral therapy for the treatment of dyssynergic defecation in community-dwelling elderly women.
Adenoma Detection Rates for Screening Colonoscopies in Smokers and Obese Adults
Authors: Anderson Joseph C. , Weiss Julia E. , Robinson Christina M. , Butterly Lynn F. 
Published: January 2017

Goal:
To examine screening adenoma detection rates (ADR) and serrated detection rates (SDR) among smokers and obese adults in the New Hampshire Colonoscopy Registry.

Background:
ADR, a quality measure for screening colonoscopies, is associated with protection from interval colorectal cancer. Currently, only sex-specific ADR benchmarks are reported. However, obesity and smoking ≥20 pack-years are strong predictors for colorectal neoplasia, as highlighted by the 2009 American College of Gastroenterology CRC Screening Guidelines. Data comparing ADR in smokers and obese adults to those without these risks are limited.

Study:
We calculated ADR, SDR, and 95% confidence intervals for screening colonoscopies in participants ≥50 years. Sex-specific and sex–age-specific rates were compared by smoking exposure (never vs. <20 vs. ≥20 pack-years) and body mass index (<30 vs. ≥30).

Results:
A total of 21,539 screening colonoscopies were performed by 77 endoscopists at 20 facilities (April 2009 to September 2013). The difference in ADR between nonsmokers and smokers with ≥20 pack-years was 8.8% (P<0.0001) and between obesity groups 5.0% (P<0.0001). Significant sex-specific and sex–age-specific increases in ADR and SDR were found among smokers and obese participants.

Conclusions:
ADR and SDR for smokers and obese adults were significantly higher than their counterparts without those risks. Endoscopists should consider the prevalence of these risks within their screening population when comparing their rates to established benchmarks. Calculating sex-specific or sex–age-specific ADR and SDR based on smoking and obesity may provide optimal protection for populations with a particularly high prevalence of smokers and obese adults.
Short article: Small intestinal mucosal injury in patients taking chemotherapeutic agents for solid cancers
Authors: Dore Maria P. , Pes Giovanni M. , Murino Alberto , Quarta Colosso Bianca , Pennazio Marco 
Published: January 2017

Objective
Chemotherapy for cancer is a systemic treatment often associated with side effects than can be debilitating and, in some cases, life-threatening. Few data are available on intestinal enterotoxicity. Wireless video capsule endoscopy (VCE) is a noninvasive method of imaging the small intestine. This study presents the results of VCE in patients with solid tumors undergoing antineoplastic regimens with agents, notably for toxicity for the gastrointestinal mucosa (i.e. carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate, and cisplatin).

Materials and methods
The capsule endoscopy procedure was performed 4–13 days after the end of the antineoplastic course. Each patient received a polyethylene-glycol solution (1000 mg×2 in 2 l of water) for bowel preparation and fasted for 10 h before ingestion of the capsule. Videos were evaluated by one operator, supervised by a second operator, and conclusions were drawn by an expert reader.

Results
Twenty (age range: 38–77 years) patients were evaluated. The cecum was reached in 70% before exhaustion of the battery. The video capsule showed small widespread intestinal ulcerations in 25% and erosions in only one patient. The villus architecture appeared normal in all. VCE detected metastases in one patient with a melanoma. Few patients had more than one lesion. All capsules were passed in the stool.

Conclusion
Our results suggest that chemotherapy in patients with solid cancers is associated with minimal visual small bowel injury. Factors other than damage of the intestinal mucosa causing loss of epithelium are likely involved in gastrointestinal toxicity and related symptoms.
Human genetic insights into lipoproteins and risk of cardiometabolic disease
Authors: Stitziel Nathan O. 
Published: January 2017

Purpose of review
Human genetic studies have been successfully used to identify genes and pathways relevant to human biology. Using genetic instruments composed of loci associated with human lipid traits, recent studies have begun to clarify the causal role of major lipid fractions in risk of cardiometabolic disease.

Recent findings
The causal relationship between LDL cholesterol and coronary disease has been firmly established. Of the remaining two major fractions, recent studies have found that HDL cholesterol is not likely to be a causal particle in atherogenesis, and have instead shifted the causal focus to triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Subsequent results are refining this view to suggest that triglycerides themselves might not be causal, but instead may be a surrogate for the causal cholesterol content within this fraction. Other studies have used a similar approach to address the association between lipid fractions and risk of type 2 diabetes. Beyond genetic variation in the target of statin medications, reduced LDL cholesterol associated with multiple genes encoding current or prospective drug targets associated with increased diabetic risk. In addition, genetically lower HDL cholesterol and genetically lower triglycerides both appear to increase risk of type 2 diabetes.

Summary
Results of these and future human genetic studies are positioned to provide substantive insights into the causal relationship between lipids and human disease, and should highlight mechanisms with important implications for our understanding of human biology and future lipid-altering therapeutic development.
Phenotype vs. genotype in severe familial hypercholesterolemia: what matters most for the clinician?
Authors: Santos Raul D. 
Published: January 2017

Purpose of review
Familial hypercholesterolemia is associated with a high lifetime risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, this risk is variable. This review evaluates recent evidence related to ASCVD risk stratification in familial hypercholesterolemia considering aspects of phenotype and genotype.

Recent findings
The heterogeneity in clinical, laboratory characteristics, and in ASCVD risk in both homozygous and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia individuals in part can be attributed to the type of molecular defect. In most individuals with LDL cholesterol more than 190 mg/dl, a familial hypercholesterolemia-causing variant is not encountered, however, when present, a variant implicates an even higher ASCVD risk for such individuals. Previous ASCVD events, elevated blood lipoprotein(a), cutaneous markers of cholesterol deposit are among other factors that indicate a higher ASCVD risk in familial hypercholesterolemia individuals underlying a more severe form of the phenotype.

Summary
Both clinical and genetic parameters help identify higher ASCVD risk among severe familial hypercholesterolemia individuals.
Barriers to Care and 1-Year Mortality Among Newly Diagnosed HIV-Infected People in Durban, South Africa
Authors: Bassett Ingrid V. , Coleman Sharon M. , Giddy Janet , Bogart Laura M. , Chaisson Christine E. , Ross Douglas , Flash Moses J. E. , Govender Tessa , Walensky Rochelle P. , Freedberg Kenneth A. , Losina Elena 
Published: January 2017

Background:
Prompt entry into HIV care is often hindered by personal and structural barriers. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of self-perceived barriers to health care on 1-year mortality among newly diagnosed HIV-infected individuals in Durban, South Africa.

Methods:
Before HIV testing at 4 outpatient sites, adults (≥18 years) were surveyed regarding perceived barriers to care including (1) service delivery, (2) financial, (3) personal health perception, (4) logistical, and (5) structural. We assessed deaths via phone calls and the South African National Population Register. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to determine the association between number of perceived barriers and death within 1 year.

Results:
One thousand eight hundred ninety-nine HIV-infected participants enrolled. Median age was 33 years (interquartile range: 27–41 years), 49% were females, and median CD4 count was 192/μL (interquartile range: 72–346/μL). One thousand fifty-seven participants (56%) reported no, 370 (20%) reported 1–3, and 460 (24%) reported >3 barriers to care. By 1 year, 250 [13%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 12% to 15%] participants died. Adjusting for age, sex, education, baseline CD4 count, distance to clinic, and tuberculosis status, participants with 1–3 barriers (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.06 to 2.08) and >3 barriers (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.35 to 2.43) had higher 1-year mortality risk compared with those without barriers.

Conclusions:
HIV-infected individuals in South Africa who reported perceived barriers to medical care at diagnosis were more likely to die within 1 year. Targeted structural interventions, such as extended clinic hours, travel vouchers, and streamlined clinic operations, may improve linkage to care and antiretroviral therapy initiation for these people.
The Impact of Vitamin A and Carotenoids on the Risk of Tuberculosis Progression
Authors: Aibana Omowunmi , Franke Molly F. , Huang Chuan-Chin , Galea Jerome T. , Calderon Roger , Zhang Zibiao , Becerra Mercedes C. , Smith Emily R. , Ronnenberg Alayne G. , Contreras Carmen , Yataco Rosa , Lecca Leonid , Murray Megan B. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractBackgroundLow and deficient levels of vitamin A are common in low and middle income countries where tuberculosis burden is high. We assessed the impact of baseline levels of vitamins A and carotenoids on TB disease risk.Methods and FindingsWe conducted a case-control study nested within a longitudinal cohort of household contacts of pulmonary TB cases in Lima, Peru. We screened all contacts for TB disease at 2, 6, and 12 months after enrollment. We defined cases as HIV-negative household contacts with blood samples who developed TB disease at least 15 days after enrollment of the index patient. For each case, we randomly selected 4 controls from among contacts who did not develop TB disease, matching on gender and year of age. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for incident TB disease by vitamin A and carotenoids levels, controlling for other nutritional and socioeconomic factors.Among 6751 HIV-negative household contacts with baseline blood samples, 192 developed secondary TB disease during follow-up. We analyzed 180 cases with viable samples and 709 matched controls. After controlling for possible confounders, we found that baseline vitamin A deficiency was associated with a 10-fold increase in risk of TB disease among household contacts (aOR 10.42; 95% CI 4.01–27.05; p < 0.001). This association was dose-dependent with stepwise increases in TB disease risk with each decreasing quartile of vitamin A level. Carotenoid levels were also inversely associated with TB risk among adolescents.Our study is limited by the one year duration of follow up and by the relatively few blood samples available from household contacts under ten years of age.ConclusionsVitamin A deficiency strongly predicted risk of incident TB disease among household contacts of TB patients. Vitamin A supplementation among individuals at high risk of TB may provide an effective means of preventing TB disease.
The evolution of p53 network behavior
Authors: Sivakumar Hari , Hespanha João P. , Roh Kyoungmin , Proulx Stephen R. 
Published: January 2017

We study the evolution of thep53 core regulation network across the taxonomic span of humans to protozoans and nematodes. We introduce a new model for the core regulation network in mammalian cells, and conduct a formal analysis of the different network configurations that emerge in the evolutionary path to complexity. Solving the high dimensional equations associated with this model is typically challenging, and we develop a novel algorithm to overcome this problem. A key technical tool used is the representation of the distinct pathways in the core regulation networks as “modules”, such that the behavior of the composite of two or more modules can be inferred from the characteristics of each of the individual modules. Apart from simplifying the complexity of the algorithm, this modular representation also allows us to qualitatively compare the distinct types of switching behaviors each network can exhibit. This then allows us to demonstrate how our model for the core regulation network in mammalian cells matches experimentally observed phenomena, and contrast this with the plausible behaviors admitted by the network configurations in putative primordial organisms. We show that the complexity of thep53 core regulation network in vertebrates permits a range of behaviors that can bring about distinct cell fate decisions not possible in the putative primordial organisms.Significance StatementThep53 protein has been protecting organisms from tumors for a billion years. We study the link between the evolution of thep53 network structure and its corresponding tumor suppression strategies. We compare the dynamical behaviors in putative primordial organisms with simple networks with the vertebrate network that contains multiple feedback loops. We show that the vertebrate network, but not the ancestral network, can both repair moderate damage and induce apoptosis if too much damage accumulates, balancing the risk of cancer with the cost of too much cell death. Moreover, the complexity of the vertebrate network allows for adaptation, for example to increasep53 network sensitivity, which is consistent with recent research on large mammals.
Measuring physiological responses to stressors using a novelHmox1reporter mouse
Authors: McMahon Michael , Ding Shaohong , Acosta-Jimenez Lourdes P , Frangova Tania G. , Henderson Colin J. , Wolf C. Roland 
Published: January 2017

ABSTRACTHmox1 protein holds great promise as a biomarker of organismal health as it is highly expressed in stressed or damaged cells. However, documenting Hmox1 expression patterns has thus far only been feasible in simple model organisms with limited relevance to humans. We now report a new Hmox1 reporter line that makes it possible to access this information in mice, the premiere model system for studying human disease and toxicology. Using a state-of-the-art strategy, we express multiple complementary reporter molecules from the murineHmox1locus, including firefly luciferase to allow long-term, non-invasive imaging of Hmox1 expression, and β-galactosidase for high-resolution mapping of expression patternspost-mortem. We validate the model by confirming the absence of haplo-insufficiency effects, the fidelity of reporter expression, and its responsiveness to oxidative and inflammatory stimuli. In addition to providing blueprints for Hmox1 expression in mice that provide novel biological insights for follow-up, this work paves the way for the broad application of this model to regulatory toxicology studies and, also, pre-clinical investigations into human degenerative diseases.
Managerial tenure and earnings management
Authors: Hu Nan , Hao Qian , Liu Ling , Yao (1958-2012) Lee J. 
Published: January 2017

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of tenure on earnings management.

Design/methodology/approach
– Analytical model; multivariate regression analysis.

Findings
– The paper predicts that managers are conservative in managing earnings when they first start to take top managerial positions, and then become aggressive in the next few years. Once they reach the maximum level of earnings management, they will become conservative again and report earnings less aggressively. This inverted U-shaped relationship between tenure and earnings management is confirmed by the data from the Chinese stock market.

Research limitations/implications
– It is based on China stock market data. Generalization of the research results to other countries is limited.

Practical implications
– With the knowledge of when earnings management is more likely to occur, regulators can set up policies targeting firms and managers with certain characteristics, instead of requiring observances from all firms and managers. This limited scope can greatly reduce the costs of preventing and identifying earnings management, while effectively maintaining the quality of earnings in the meantime.

Social implications
– This paper examines the earnings management behavior related to CEO tenure. It is hoped that the research results can improve the overall understanding of earnings management, then social wealth spent on preventing and identifying it could be reduced.

Originality/value
– It is an original work.
Does crime depend on the “state” of economic misery?
Authors: Lorde Troy , Jackman Mahalia , Naitram Simon , Lowe Shane 
Published: January 2017

Purpose
It is generally understood that during periods of economic hardship, some persons turn to crime to compensate for income deficiencies. The paper investigates the impact of economic misery on crime. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the relationship between economic conditions and economic misery.

Design/methodology/approach
An index of misery is employed that takes into account not only the rate of unemployment, but also the rate of inflation. The non-linearity of the relationship between economic misery and crime is modelled using Markov-switching (MS) models and the synchronization of their cycles is measured via the concordance index.

Findings
The paper looked at the relationship between economic misery and five types of crime: property crime, theft from motor, theft of motor, fraud and robbery. No evidence of a contemporaneous relationship between economic misery and crime was uncovered. Property and theft of motor crime respond to the state of misery with a lag of one period, supporting the criminal motivation effect. Economic misery is in the same regime as property crime 50 per cent of the time and with theft from motor crime almost 60 per cent of the time.

Originality/value
Most of the theoretical and empirical work is based on larger economies. The paper provides some insight into the relationship between economic conditions and economic misery in developing microstates, a niche which has been largely ignored in the literature. The use of MS models in the paper deviates from the tradition of examining linear relationships on the basis that the variables under investigation are inherently cyclical and linear analysis is likely to provide a weak fit under these circumstances.
Revising satisfaction and dissatisfaction indexes of the Kano model by reclassifying indifference requirements
Authors: Shahin Arash , Mohammadi Somaye , Harsij Hossein , Rahbar Qazi Mahmoud Reza 
Published: January 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to revise the Kano evaluation table and separating indifference attributes in order to develop satisfaction and dissatisfaction indexes.

Design/methodology/approach
The indifference requirements have been separated and reclassified, and after revising Kano satisfaction and dissatisfaction indexes based on the new evaluation table, the developed Kano model has been examined in the city of Isfahan regarding attributes of candidates in the presidential election of 2013.

Findings
According to the new classification, the indifference attributes can be separated into seven types. The results of the case study also show that among 20 priorities of the presidential candidates, payment of subsidy, offering loan and financial facilities are must-be attributes; protecting investment and national production, export incentives and increasing national unity are attractive attributes; and the remaining are one-dimensional attributes.

Practical implications
The case study implies that the findings are dependent on the cultural and social context of the respondents. On the other hand, the findings of Kano model analysis are limited to short-time periods.

Originality/value
This research is typically unique in separating indifference attributes and in revising the satisfaction and dissatisfaction indexes of the Kano model. Practically, the application of the Kano model in the presidential election is also a new subject.
The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor dapoxetine inhibits voltage‐dependent K+ channels in rabbit coronary arterial smooth muscle cells
Authors: Kim Han Sol , Li Hongliang , Kim Hye Won , Shin Sung Eun , Jung Won‐Kyo , Ha Kwon‐Soo , Han Eun‐Taek , Hong Seok‐Ho , Firth Amy L , Choi Il‐Whan , Park Won Sun 
Published: January 2017

SummaryWe investigated the inhibitory effect of dapoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), on voltage‐dependent K+ (Kv) channels using native smooth muscle cells from rabbit coronary arteries. Dapoxetine inhibited Kv channel currents in a concentration‐dependent manner, with an IC50 value of 2.68±0.94 μmol/L and a slope value (Hill coefficient) of 0.63±0.11. Application of 10 μmol/L dapoxetine accelerated the rate of inactivation of Kv currents. Although dapoxetine did not modify current activation kinetics, it caused a significant negative shift in the inactivation curves. Application of train step (1 or 2 Hz) progressively increased the inhibitory effect of dapoxetine on Kv channels. In addition, the recovery time constant was extended in its presence, suggesting that the longer recovery time constant from inactivation underlies a use‐dependent inhibition of the channel. From these results, we conclude that dapoxetine inhibits Kv channels in a dose‐, time‐, use‐, and state (open)‐dependent manner, independent of serotonin reuptake inhibition.