bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Threatened species conservation of invertebrates in Australia: an overview
Authors: Braby Michael F 
Published: January 2018

AbstractInvertebrates make up about 80% of all species, yet they rarely attract conservation attention compared to the more ‘charismatic’ vertebrates such as birds and mammals. Threatened species conservation, a field of conservation biology in which individual species are targeted for protection and conservation management, complements the landscape approach to biodiversity conservation and could be used more effectively to promote the plight of threatened or imperilled invertebrates given the global biodiversity crisis and estimated rates of anthropogenic species extinction. In this overview, steps in the species‐oriented conservation process are outlined, including conservation status evaluation, listing under legislation, preparation of Action and Recovery Plans, recovery actions, recovery teams and monitoring, in order to prevent extinction or minimise risk of extinction. The process is not without its challenges, but it does provide valuable information that is not always obtainable with the protection and management of threatened ecological communities and habitats. However, to be most effective, a more strategic approach to listing species is required. It is recommended that more national Action Plans, either of higher taxonomic groups or of ‘indicator’ species – suites of species indicative of threatened ecological communities, habitats, biomes, key threatening processes, co‐dependent threatened host species or short‐range endemics – are needed. These plans would provide a national overview of threatened and imperilled invertebrates in conservation need that is far more comprehensive than presently available. A detailed national list of threatened invertebrate species could then be promoted (and nominated for listing under the EPBC Act) for greater conservation advocacy.
Evaluation of bowel function in healthy children: untreated constipation is common
Authors: Lindgren Helena , Nejstgaard Malin Carvalho , Salö Martin , Stenström Pernilla 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimWe evaluated bowel function in healthy children with regard to gender and age.MethodsThe study was carried out in 2016 at a tertiary children's hospital. Healthy children aged 3.5 years to 15 years who were admitted to the hospital, siblings to patients or offspring of staff members were included. Validated self‐report questionnaires and internally developed questions regarding obstructive outlet‐ and gas‐related symptoms were used.ResultsA total of 310 participants (50% girls) were included, which corresponded to a 94% answer frequency. Respondents were divided into a younger age group (3.5 years to seven years), consisting of 135 children, and an older age group (eight years to 15 years), consisting of 175 children. Younger children reported more foul odours than older children (50% vs. 29%, p = 0.001) and more obstructive symptoms (21% vs. 10%, p = 0.01). There was no difference between the age groups regarding constipation (19% vs 16%, NS). Overall, 55% of those with constipation had no treatment for the condition, although they reported abdominal pain (51%) and problems with foul odours (57%).ConclusionHealthy children frequently reported constipation, abdominal pain and gas‐related problems, but treatment was rare. Overall, bowel function seemed to improve during childhood, although constipation remained largely untreated.
Programmed death‐ligand 1 is a promising blood marker for predicting tumor progression and prognosis in patients with gastric cancer
Authors: Amatatsu Masahiko , Arigami Takaaki , Uenosono Yoshikazu , Yanagita Shigehiro , Uchikado Yasuto , Kijima Yuko , Kurahara Hiroshi , Kita Yoshiaki , Mori Shinichiro , Sasaki Ken , Omoto Itaru , Maemura Kosei , Ishigami Sumiya , Natsugoe Shoji 
Published: January 2018

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has been clinically introduced for several malignancies, and its effectiveness has been confirmed by clinical trials. In particular, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) and programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) are widely known as important immune checkpoint molecules associated with the mechanisms of immune escape by malignant tumor cells. In addition, liquid biopsy of blood specimens has the clinical benefit of providing a simple, repeatable sampling tool. Non‐invasive liquid biopsy has recently been spotlighted as a promising approach to predicting tumor progression and prognosis. This study assessed the clinical significance of PD‐L1 mRNA expression in blood specimens obtained from patients with gastric cancer. Peripheral blood specimens were collected before treatment from 124 patients with gastric cancer. The PD‐L1 mRNA expression was evaluated by quantitative RT‐PCR. Programmed death‐ligand 1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in patients with advanced gastric cancer than in patients with early gastric cancer (P = .002). Moreover, PD‐L1 expression correlated significantly with depth of tumor invasion, distant metastasis, and stage (P = .001, P < .001, and P < .001, respectively). Patients with high PD‐L1 expression showed significantly poorer prognosis than those with low PD‐L1 expression (P < .0001). Multivariate analysis indicated PD‐L1 expression as an independent prognostic factor. Expression of PD‐L1 in peripheral blood may offer an immunological predictor of tumor progression and disease outcome in patients with gastric cancer.
Sublethal pesticide exposure improves resistance to infection in the Asian corn borer
Authors: YU GUOZHI , ZHENG LIXIA , QUAN YUDONG , WEI HONGYI 
Published: January 2018

1. Diverse environmental factors contribute to the evolution of host immunity and host–parasite interactions. However, the effect of insecticides on the insect immune system is less well understood.2. This study investigated the variation in haemocyte density, phenoloxidase (PO), and total PO activities in the Ostrinia furnacalis larvae following sublethal treatment of tebufenozede and their susceptibility to Escherichia coli infection.3. Surprisingly, it was found that O. furnacalis larvae exposed to the insecticide have significantly higher haemocyte density, and active and total PO activities than those not exposed. Moreover, when infected with E. coli, O. furnacalis larvae treated with tebufenozide survive much better with lower bacterial load than those not treated.4. This study demonstrates that insecticide may change the immunity of insects and potentially have an impact on their interactions with parasites.
A climosequence of chronosequences in southwestern Australia
Authors: Turner B. L. , Hayes P. E. , Laliberté E. 
Published: January 2018

SummaryTo examine how climate affects soil development and nutrient availability over long timescales, we studied a series of four long‐term chronosequences along a climate gradient in southwestern Australia. Annual rainfall ranged from 533 to 1185 mm (water balance from −900 to +52 mm) and each chronosequence included Holocene (≤ 6.5 ka), Middle Pleistocene (120–500 ka) and Early Pleistocene (∼2000 ka) dunes. Vegetation changed markedly along the climosequence, from shrubland at the driest site to Eucalyptus forest at the wettest. Soil pH was similar in the youngest soil of each chronosequence, although the carbonate and P contents of the parent sand declined from dry to wet along the climosequence, presumably linked to variation in offshore productivity. Despite this, soil development and associated nutrient status followed remarkably consistent patterns along the four chronosequences. Pedogenesis involved decalcification and secondary carbonate precipitation in Holocene soils and leaching of iron oxides from Middle Pleistocene soils, leading ultimately to bleached quartz sands in the oldest soils. Along all chronosequences soil pH and total P declined, whereas C:P and N:P ratios increased, which is consistent with the predicted change from N to P limitation of vegetation during ecosystem development. The expected unimodal pattern of leaf area index was most pronounced along wetter chronosequences, suggesting an effect of climate on the expression of retrogression. The four chronosequences do not appear to span a pedogenic climate threshold, defined as an abrupt change in soil properties across a relatively small change in climate, because exchangeable phosphate and base cations declined consistently during long‐term pedogenesis. However, the proportion of total P in organic form was greater along wetter chronosequences. We conclude that soil and nutrient availability on the coastal sand plains of southwestern Australia change consistently during long‐term pedogenesis, despite marked variation in modern vegetation and climate. The four chronosequences provide a rare soil‐age × climate framework within which to study long‐term ecosystem development.Highlights
We describe four long‐term coastal dune chronosequences spanning a climate gradient in a global biodiversity hotspot.
Pedogenesis involves depletion of phosphorus and cations linked to decalcification and subsequent podsolization.
Climate has relatively little effect on patterns of nutrient availability during ecosystem development along the climosequence.
The age by climate framework enables study of effect of edaphic change on above‐ and below‐ground communities.
Male–male aggression is unlikely to stabilize a poison frog polymorphism
Authors: Yang Y. , Dugas M. B. , Sudekum H. J. , Murphy S. N. , Richards‐Zawacki C. L. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPhenotypic polymorphism is common in animals, and the maintenance of multiple phenotypes in a population requires forces that act against homogenizing drift and selection. Male–male competition can contribute to the stability of a polymorphism when males compete primarily with males of the same phenotype. In and around a contact zone between red and blue lineages of the poison frog Oophaga pumilio, we used simulated territorial intrusions to test the nonexclusive predictions that males would direct more aggression towards males of (i) their own phenotype and/or (ii) the phenotype that is most common in their population. Males in the monomorphic red and blue populations that flank the contact zone were more aggressive towards simulated intruders that matched the local coloration. However, males in the two polymorphic populations biased aggression towards neither their own colour nor the colour most common in their population. In sympatry, the rarer colour morph gains no advantage via reduced male–male aggression from territorial males in these O. pumilio populations, and so male aggression seems unlikely to stabilize colour polymorphism on its own. More broadly, these results suggest that the potential for divergent male aggression biases to maintain phenotypic diversity depends on the mechanism(s) that generate the biases and the degree to which these mechanisms persist in sympatry.
Introduction to methodology of dose–response meta‐analysis for binary outcome: With application on software
Authors: Zhang Chao , Jia Pengli , Yu Liu , Xu Chang 
Published: January 2018

AbstractObjectiveDose‐response meta‐analysis (DRMA) is widely applied to investigate the dose‐specific relationship between independent and dependent variables. Such methods have been in use for over 30 years and are increasingly employed in healthcare and clinical decision‐making. In this article, we give an overview of the methodology used in DRMA.MethodsWe summarize the commonly used regression model and the pooled method in DRMA. We also use an example to illustrate how to employ a DRMA by these methods.ResultsFive regression models, linear regression, piecewise regression, natural polynomial regression, fractional polynomial regression, and restricted cubic spline regression, were illustrated in this article to fit the dose‐response relationship. And two types of pooling approaches, that is, one‐stage approach and two‐stage approach are illustrated to pool the dose‐response relationship across studies. The example showed similar results among these models.ConclusionSeveral dose‐response meta‐analysis methods can be used for investigating the relationship between exposure level and the risk of an outcome. However the methodology of DRMA still needs to be improved.
Effects of maternal heart sounds on pain and comfort during aspiration in preterm infants
Authors: Küçük Alemdar Dilek , Güdücü Tüfekcİ Fatma 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of providing prerecorded maternal heart sounds on the level of pain and comfort that are experienced by preterm infants during aspiration.MethodsThis was a randomized controlled trial. Preterm infants (N = 62) who were receiving care or treatment at a neonatal intensive care unit were eligible for participation in this study. Infants in the intervention group (n = 32) were provided with prerecorded maternal heart sounds before, during, and after aspiration, whereas the infants in the control group (n = 30) received routine care. For the collection of the data, the “Preterm Infant Information Form” was used to record natal and postnatal information of the preterm infant, the “Premature Infant Pain Profile,” assessed the level of pain, and the “Premature Infant Comfort Scale,” assessed the level of comfort.ResultsThere was a significant difference observed between the groups’ pain levels during aspiration; however, the difference was not significant before and after aspiration. Furthermore, there was a significant difference observed between the groups’ comfort levels prior to aspiration before and during aspiration; however, the difference was not significant after aspiration.ConclusionIntervention with maternal heart sounds during aspiration effectively reduced pain and provided comfort to the premature infants.
National study of the nutritional status of Korean older adults with dementia who are living in long‐term care settings
Authors: Park Myonghwa , Song Jun‐Ah , Lee Mihyun , Jeong Hyun , Lim Soyeun , Lee Haejung , Kim Chun‐Gill , Kim Jeong S. , Kim Kyung S. , Lee Young W. , Lim Young M. , Park Young S. , Yoon Jong C. , Kim Ki W. , Hong Gwi‐Ryung S. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimTo evaluate the nutritional status of older adults with dementia who were living in long‐term care settings.MethodsAs a secondary analysis, this study used the data from the Nationwide Survey on Dementia Care in Korea that was conducted between December 1, 2010, and August 31, 2011, which surveyed 3472 older adults with dementia, aged ≥60 years (mean age: 81.24 years), who were residing in 248 randomly selected long‐term care settings in South Korea. Twenty‐three different variables that related to the participants’ demographics, diseases, and functional and nutritional characteristics were selected. The nutritional status was assessed by using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Descriptive statistics, an ANOVA, and a chi‐squared test were used to analyze the data.ResultsThe mean MNA score of the participants was 17.90. The malnutrition rate was 38.4% (n = 1333), with 54.7% (n = 1900) of the participants at risk for malnutrition. The largest population with malnutrition resided in long‐term care hospitals (47.9%), followed by nursing homes (34.1%), and group homes (25.9%). Being older and female, while exhibiting higher cognitive impairment, more neuropsychiatric symptoms, higher functional dependency, and a higher number of disabilities, were associated with poor nutritional status.ConclusionThe nutritional status of older adults with dementia who were living in long‐term care settings in South Korea was poor and associated with multiple factors. Paying special attention to recognizing, assessing, preventing, and treating malnutrition in this population is necessary.
Validity of Self‐Reported Height and Weight to Derive BMI in Adults Participating in Special Olympics
Authors: Dobranowski Kristin , Lloyd Meghann , Côté Pierre , Balogh Robert 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIndividuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience high rates of overweight and obesity. Accurate height and weight data is needed to determine overweight and obesity, but direct measurement is not always feasible in large samples. In the general population, overweight and obesity prevalence studies have validated adult self‐reported height and weight, but this has not been done for adults with ID. The objectives of this study were to determine the validity of self‐reported height, weight, and derived body mass index (BMI), and to determine the diagnostic accuracy of derived BMI to identify overweight and obesity. Self‐reported height and weight were collected from 40 adult Special Olympics participants. The validity of self‐reported height and weight was determined by comparing them to measured height and weight. The differences between self‐reported and measured height, weight, and derived BMI were not significantly different; however, these findings were derived from results with wide confidence intervals. A high percentage of study participants correctly classified themselves as overweight/obese (sensitivity = 92.9%). This exploratory study encourages self‐reports and inclusion of individuals with ID in epidemiological studies, but requires further examination with a larger sample.
Differences between the floras of the North and South Moluccas (Indonesia)
Authors: Rutgrink Anne L. J. , Visser Michaël , van Welzen Peter C. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe north and south Moluccas (Indonesia) have very different geotectonic origins and, due to that, a difference in flora is to be expected. The north Moluccas moved westwards along the north coast of New Guinea to their present position, the south Moluccas moved north from Australia. On the other hand, a comparable climate in both areas and (partial) submergence during tectonic movement may have equalized both floras. Collection data from Naturalis Biodiversity Center on 1559 species in 121 families treated in Flora Malesiana were collected for the Moluccas, Sulawesi, and Western New Guinea (latitudes 9.2°S and 5.6°N and longitudes 118.8°E and 141°E) and georeferenced. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) were made, based on least correlated climate and edaphic variables, using only those species that were present in 5 or more grid cells of 5‐arc minutes and models were tested for deviation from random. Both areas differ significantly and share only 50%–65% of their species. The 348 significant SDMs differ much less, though still significantly, sharing 91% of the species. Despite strong climatic and edaphic similarities between the North and South Moluccas, they differ greatly in species composition, which is in support of geotectonic reconstructions. The differences between the North and South Moluccas suggest that the continuous dispersal barriers and tectonic backgrounds have influenced their current flora.
High prevalence and functional effects of serum antineuronal antibodies in patients with gastrointestinal disorders
Authors: Lütt A. , Michel K. , Krüger D. , Volz M. S. , Nassir M. , Schulz E. , Poralla L. , Tangermann P. , Bojarski C. , Höltje M. , Teegen B. , Stöcker W. , Schemann M. , Siegmund B. , Prüss H. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBackgroundAntineuronal antibodies can be associated with both gastrointestinal (GI) and brain disorders. For example, antibodies against the potassium channel subunit dipeptidyl‐peptidase‐like protein‐6 (DPPX) bind to neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) and myenteric plexus and cause encephalitis, commonly preceded by severe unspecific GI symptoms. We therefore investigated the prevalence of antineuronal antibodies indicative of treatable autoimmune CNS etiologies in GI patients.MethodsSerum samples of 107 patients (Crohn's disease n = 42, ulcerative colitis n = 16, irritable bowel syndrome n = 13, others n = 36) and 44 healthy controls were screened for anti‐DPPX and further antineuronal antibodies using immunofluorescence on rat brain and intestine and cell‐based assays. Functional effects of high‐titer reactive sera were assessed in organ bath and Ussing chamber experiments and compared to non‐reactive patient sera.Key ResultsTwenty‐one of 107 patients (19.6%) had antibodies against the enteric nervous system, and 22 (20.6%) had anti‐CNS antibodies, thus significantly exceeding frequencies in healthy controls (4.5% each). Screening on cell‐based assays excluded established antienteric antibodies. Antibody‐positive sera were not associated with motility effects in organ bath experiments. However, they induced significant, tetrodotoxin (TTX)‐insensitive secretion in Ussing chambers compared to antibody‐negative sera.Conclusions & InferencesAntineuronal antibodies were significantly more frequent in GI patients and associated with functional effects on bowel secretion. Future studies will determine whether such antibodies indicate patients who might benefit from additional antibody‐directed therapies. However, well‐characterized encephalitis‐related autoantibodies such as against DPPX were not detected, underlining their rarity in routine cohorts.
A qualitative study: experiences of stigma by people with mental health problems
Authors: Huggett Charlotte , Birtel Michèle D. , Awenat Yvonne F. , Fleming Paul , Wilkes Sophie , Williams Shirley , Haddock Gillian 
Published: January 2018

ObjectivesPrior research has examined various components involved in the impact of public and internalized stigma on people with mental health problems. However, studies have not previously investigated the subjective experiences of mental health stigma by those affected in a non‐statutory treatment‐seeking population.DesignAn in‐depth qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis to investigate the experiences of stigma in people with mental health problems.MethodsEligible participants were recruited through a local mental health charity in the North West of England. The topic of stigma was examined using two focus groups of thirteen people with experience of mental health problems and stigma.ResultsTwo main themes and five subthemes were identified. Participants believed that (1) the ‘hierarchy of labels’ has a profound cyclical impact on several levels of society: people who experience mental health problems, their friends and family, and institutional stigma. Furthermore, participants suggested (2) ways in which they have developed psychological resilience towards mental health stigma.ConclusionsIt is essential to utilize the views and experiences gained in this study to aid understanding and, therefore, develop ways to reduce the negative impact of public and internal stigma.Practitioner points

People referred to their mental health diagnosis as a label and associated that label with stigmatizing views.

Promote awareness and develop improved strategies (e.g., training) to tackle the cyclical impact of the ‘hierarchy of labels’ on people with mental health problems, their friends and family, and institutional stigma.

Ensure the implementation of clinical guidelines in providing peer support to help people to combat feeling stigmatized.

Talking about mental health in psychological therapy or health care professional training helped people to take control and develop psychological resilience.