bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Using Technology to Enhance Discharge Teaching and Improve Coping for Patients After Stroke
Authors: Schneider Melissa A. , Howard Katrina A. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT

Background: A diagnosis of stroke is a life-changing event. Effective discharge teaching after a stroke is crucial for recovery, but the overload of information can be overwhelming for patients and caregivers. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in discharge readiness and postdischarge coping in patients admitted for stroke after the use of individualized postdischarge information/education provided via a technology package (including patient online portal access, e-mail/secure messaging) compared with current standard discharge teaching methods (verbal/written instructions). Methods: This study used a descriptive comparative design to evaluate the difference between the nonintervention group A and the intervention group B. Patients in group B received additional discharge information via secured e-mail messaging at postdischarge days 2, 6, and 10. Two validated tools, Readiness for Hospital Discharge Form and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale, were used. Results: One hundred patients were recruited for the study, but the final number of complete data sets collected was 86—42 in group A and 44 in group B. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in discharge readiness. There was a significant difference in coping scores between the 2 groups, with the technology group exhibiting higher coping. Conclusions: New technology affords new options to improve discharge readiness and contribute to positive patient coping after stroke. The researchers hope that this study will contribute to the growing body of evidence showing success using aspects of technology to enhance discharge teaching and follow-up after discharge.
Endoscopic Ear Surgery for External Auditory Canal Cholesteatoma
Authors: Dähn Jörg , Anschuetz Lukas , Konishi Masaya , Sayles Mark , Caversaccio Marco , Dubach Patrick 
Published: March 2017

Background:
Treatment of external auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC) has been a question of debate. To our knowledge and according to a systematic review of endoscopic ear surgery (EES) in 2015, this study describes for the first time the technique and outcome by solely transcanal EES for EACC.

Study Method:
Retrospective case series, level of evidence IV.

Methods:
Between October 2014 and December 2016, nine patients with unilateral EACC have been treated by EES. Using a bimanual technique, canaloplasty has been performed using tragal perichondrium, cartilage, or artificial bone. Symptoms, signs, and reconstruction technique have been assessed and the primary endpoint: healing time was compared with benchmark values in the literature.

Results:
During the 26 months study period all of our nine Naim stage III EACCs were successfully treated by EES with median healing time of 23.8 days. EACC limited to the external auditory canal (Naim stage III) represented an ideal target for EES minimizing tissue damage and thus median healing time compared with retroauricular (42–56 d) or endaural (59 d) surgical techniques.

Discussion:
Shorter healing time helped to reduce skepticism toward a surgical treatment of EACC from the patient's perspective. Moreover, EES relied on reduced bulky equipment, dressing time, and complex maintenance compared with microscopic techniques.

Conclusion:
Transcanal endoscopic surgery is a valid treatment option for EACC up to Naim stage III. Moreover, the described procedure fosters in our eyes the teaching of our residence to get familiar with the basic steps of EES.
Effect of Combination Antiretroviral Therapy on HIV-1-specific Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Responses in Subtype B- and Subtype C-Infected Cohorts
Authors: Madhavi Vijaya , Kulkarni Archana , Shete Ashwini , Lee Wen S. , Mclean Milla R. , Kristensen Anne B. , Ghate Manisha , Wines Bruce D. , Hogarth Phillip M. , Parsons Matthew S. , Kelleher Anthony , Cooper David A. , Amin Janaki , Emery Sean ,   ENCORE1 Study Group, Thakar Madhuri , Kent Stephen J. 
Published: March 2017

Background:
There is growing interest in immune therapies to clear the latent HIV-1 after combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). There is limited information on the effect of cART on antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and no studies have directly compared ADCC in HIV-1 subtype B- and subtype C-infected subjects. The effect of improving immunocompetence on ADCC to influenza also remains unexplored.

Methods:
The effect of cART on HIV-1- and influenza-specific ADCC was analyzed in 2 cohorts (39 subtype B- and 47 subtype C-infected subjects) before and after 2 years of cART. ADCC analyses included an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay–based dimeric recombinant soluble (rs) FcγRIIIa-binding assay, antibody-dependent natural killer cell activation assay, and ADCC-mediated killing assays.

Results:
HIV-1 subtype B and C Env-specific antibody binding to dimeric rsFcγRIIIa were reduced in subtypes B- and C-infected cohorts after 2 years of cART (both P < 0.05). Reduced ADCC-mediated killing of target cells expressing subtype B Env in the subtype B-infected cohort (P = 0.003) was observed after 96 weeks of cART, but not of subtype C Env in the subtype C-infected cohort. A greater reduction in ADCC was detected in subjects with baseline CD4 counts >300 cells/μL (P < 0.05). The resolving immunodeficiency after 96 weeks of cART resulted in improved HA-specific ADCC to 6 strains of influenza (all P < 0.01).

Conclusions:
cART results in HIV-1 antigen loss and reductions in HIV-1 Env-specific antibodies with Fc functionality in both subtype B- and C-infected subjects, particularly in immunocompetent subjects. Simultaneously, cART improves ADCC to diverse strains of influenza, suggesting reduction in influenza disease after cART.
The CSF Immune Response in HIV-1–Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis: Macrophage Activation, Correlates of Disease Severity, and Effect of Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Scriven James E. , Graham Lisa M. , Schutz Charlotte , Scriba Thomas J. , Wilkinson Katalin A. , Wilkinson Robert J. , Boulware David R. , Urban Britta C. , Meintjes Graeme , Lalloo David G. 
Published: March 2017

Background:Immune modulation may improve outcome in HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis. Animal studies suggest alternatively activated macrophages are detrimental but human studies are limited. We performed a detailed assessment of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immune response and examined immune correlates of disease severity and poor outcome, and the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART).Methodology:We enrolled persons ≥18 years with first episode of HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis. CSF immune response was assessed using flow cytometry and multiplex cytokine analysis. Principal component analysis was used to examine relationships between immune response, fungal burden, intracranial pressure and mortality, and the effects of recent ART initiation (<12 weeks).Findings:CSF was available from 57 persons (median CD4 34/μL). CD206 (alternatively activated macrophage marker) was expressed on 54% CD14+and 35% CD14−monocyte-macrophages. High fungal burden was not associated with CD206 expression but with a paucity of CD4+, CD8+,and CD4−CD8−T cells and lower interleukin-6, G-CSF, and interleukin-5 concentrations. High intracranial pressure (≥30 cm H2O) was associated with fewer T cells, a higher fungal burden, and largerCryptococcusorganisms. Mortality was associated with reduced interferon-gamma concentrations and CD4−CD8−T cells but lost statistical significance when adjusted for multiple comparisons. Recent ART was associated with increased CSF CD4/CD8 ratio and a significantly increased macrophage expression of CD206.Conclusions:Paucity of CSF T cell infiltrate rather than alternative macrophage activation was associated with severe disease in HIV-associated cryptococcosis. ART had a pronounced effect on the immune response at the site of disease.
Ethoscopes: an open platform for high-throughputethomics
Authors: Geissmann Quentin , Rodriguez Luis Garcia , Beckwith Esteban J. , French Alice S. , Jamasb Arian R. , Gilestro Giorgio F. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWe present ethoscopes, machines for high-throughput analysis of behaviour inDrosophilaand other animals. Ethoscopes provide a software and hardware solution that is reproducible and easily scalable; they perform, in real-time, tracking and profiling of behaviour using a supervised machine learning algorithm; they can deliver behaviourally-triggered stimuli to flies in a feedback-loop mode; and they are highly customisable and open source. Ethoscopes can be built easily using 3D printing technology and rely on Raspberry Pi microcomputers and Arduino boards to provide affordable and flexible hardware. All software and construction specifications are available athttp://lab.gilest.ro/ethoscope.
Breathlessness and the body: Neuroimaging evidence for the inferential leap
Authors: Faull Olivia K , Hayen Anja , Pattinson Kyle T S 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBreathlessness debilitates millions of people with chronic illness. Mismatch between breathlessness severity and objective disease markers is common and poorly understood. Traditionally, sensory perception was conceptualised as a stimulus-response relationship, although this cannot explain how conditioned symptoms may occur in the absence of physiological signals from the lungs or airways. A Bayesian model is now proposed in which the brain generates sensations based on expectations learned from past experiences (priors), which are then checked against incoming afferent signals. In this model, psychological factors may act as moderators. They may either alter priors, or change the relative attention towards incoming sensory information, leading to more variable interpretation of an equivalent afferent input.In the present study we conducted a preliminary test of this model in a supplementary analysis of previously published data (Hayen 2017). We hypothesised that individual differences in psychological traits (anxiety, depression, anxiety sensitivity) would correlate with the variability of subjective evaluation of equivalent breathlessness challenges. To better understand the resulting inferential leap in the brain, we explored whether these behavioural measures correlated with activity in areas governing either prior generation or sensory afferent input.Behaviorally, anxiety sensitivity was found to positively correlate with each subject’s variability of intensity and unpleasantness during mild breathlessness, and with unpleasantness during strong breathlessness. In the brain, anxiety sensitivity was found to positively correlate with activity in the anterior insula during mild breathlessness, and negatively correlate with parietal sensorimotor areas during strong breathlessness.Our findings suggest that anxiety sensitivity may reduce the robustness of this Bayesian sensory perception system, increasing the variability of breathlessness perception and possibly susceptibility to symptom misinterpretation. These preliminary findings in healthy individuals demonstrate how differences in psychological function influence the way we experience bodily sensations, which might direct us towards better understanding of symptom mismatch in clinical populations.
Generation of a double binary transgenic zebrafish model to study myeloid gene regulation in response to melanocyte transformation
Authors: Kenyon Amy , Gavriouchkina Daria , Napolitani Giorgio , Cerundolo Vincenzo , Sauka-Spengler Tatjana 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTA complex network of inflammation succeeds somatic cell transformation and malignant disease. Immune cells and their associated molecules are responsible for detecting and eliminating cancer cells as they establish themselves as the precursors of a tumour. By the time a patient has a detectable solid tumour, cancer cells have escaped the initial immune response mechanisms. To date, no model exists for studying the underlying mechanisms that govern the initial phase of the immune response when transformed cells become precursors of cancer. Here we describe the development of a double binary zebrafish model designed for exploring regulatory programming of the myeloid cells as they respond to oncogenic transformed melanocytes. A hormone-inducible binary system allows for temporal control of different Ras-oncogenes (NRasK61Q, HRasG12V, KRasG12V) expression in melanocytes, enabling analysis of melanocyte transformation and melanoma initiation. This model was coupled to binary cell-specific biotagging models allowingin vivobiotinylation and subsequent isolation of macrophage or neutrophil nuclei for regulatory profiling of their active transcriptomes. Nuclear transcriptional profiling of neutrophils, performed for the first time as they respond to the earliest precursors of melanomain vivo, revealed an intricate landscape of regulatory factors that may promote progression to melanoma including fgf1, fgf6, cathepsin H, cathepsin L, galectin 1 and galectin 3. The model presented here provides a powerful platform to study the myeloid response to the earliest precursors of melanoma.Summary StatementWe present an innovative double binary zebrafish model for exploring the underlying regulatory mechanisms that govern the myeloid response mechanisms at the onset of melanoma.
External introductions helped drive and sustain the high incidence of HIV-1 in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Authors: Rasmussen David A. , Wilkinson Eduan , Vandormael Alain , Tanser Frank , Pillay Deenan , Stadler Tanja , de Oliveira Tulio 
Published: March 2017

AbstractDespite increasing access to antiretroviral therapy, HIV incidence in rural KwaZulu-Natal communities remains among the highest ever reported in Africa. While many epidemiological factors have been invoked to explain this high incidence, widespread human mobility and movement of viral lineages between geographic locations have implicated high rates of transmission across communities. High rates of crosscommunity transmission call into question how effective increasing local coverage of antiretroviral therapy will be at preventing new infections, especially if many new cases arise from external introductions. To help address this question, we use a new phylodynamic modeling approach to estimate both changes in epidemic dynamics through time and the relative contribution of local transmission versus external introductions to overall incidence from HIV-1 subtype C phylogenies. Our phylodynamic estimates of HIV prevalence and incidence are remarkably consistent with population-based surveillance data. Our analysis also reveals that early epidemic dynamics in this population were largely driven by a wave of external introductions. More recently, we estimate that anywhere between 20-60% of all new infections arise from external introductions from outside the local community. These results highlight the power of using phylodynamic methods to study generalized HIV epidemics and the growing need to consider larger-scale regional transmission dynamics above the level of local communities when designing and testing prevention strategies.
Type 1 diabetes genome-wide association analysis with imputation identifies five new risk regions
Authors: Cooper Nicholas J. , Wallace Chris , Burren Oliver , Cutler Antony , Walker Neil , Todd John A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractType 1 diabetes genotype datasets have undergone several well powered genome wide analysis studies (GWAS), identifying 57 associated regions at the time of analysis. There are still many regions of smaller effect size or low frequency left to discover, and better exploitation of existing type 1 diabetes cohorts with meta analysis and imputation can precede the acquisition of new or larger cohorts. An existing dataset of 5,913 case and 8,828 control samples was analysed using genome-wide microarrays (Affymetrix GeneChip 500KandIllumina Infinium 550K) with imputation viaIMPUTE2with the 1000 Genomes Project (phase 3) reference panel. Genotyping coverage was doubled in known association regions, and increased by four fold in other regions compared to previous studies. Our analysis resulted in new index variants for 17/57 regions, an expanded set of plausible candidate SNPs for 17 regions, and five novel type 1 diabetes association regions at 1p31.3, 1q24.3, 1q31.2, 2q11.2 and 11q12.2. Candidate genes for the new loci includedITGB3BP, FASLG, RGS1, AFF3andCD5/CD6. Further prioritisation of causal genes and causal variants will require detailed RNA and protein expression studies, in conjunction with genome annotation studies including analysis of physical promoter-enhancer interactions.
Diverse genome organization following 13 independent mesopolyploid events in Brassicaceae contrasts with convergent patterns of gene retention
Authors: Mandáková Terezie , Li Zheng , Barker Michael S. , Lysak Martin A. 
Published: March 2017

SummaryHybridization and polyploidy followed by genome-wide diploidization significantly impacted the diversification of land plants. The ancient At-αwhole-genome duplication (WGD) preceded the diversification of crucifers (Brassicaceae). Some genera and tribes also experienced younger, mesopolyploid WGDs concealed by subsequent genome diploidization. Here we tested if multiple base chromosome numbers originated due to genome diploidization after independent mesopolyploid WGDs and how diploidization impacted post-polyploid gene retention. Sixteen species representing ten Brassicaceae tribes were analyzed by comparative chromosome painting and/or whole-transcriptome analysis of gene age distributions and phylogenetic analyses of gene duplications. Overall, we found evidence for at least 13 independent mesopolyploidies followed by different degrees of diploidization across the Brassicaceae. New mesotetraploid events were uncovered for tribes Anastaticeae, Iberideae and Schizopetaleae, and mesohexaploid WGDs for Cochlearieae and Physarieae. In contrast, we found convergent patterns of gene retention and loss among these independent WGDs. Our combined analyses of Brassicaceae genomic data indicate that the extant chromosome number variation in many plant groups, and especially polybasic but monophyletic taxa, can result from clade-specific genome duplications followed by diploidization. Our observation of parallel gene retention and loss across multiple independent WGDs provides one of the first multi-species tests that post-polyploid genome evolution is predictable.Significance statementOur data show that multiple base chromosome numbers in some Brassicaceae clades originated due to genome diploidization following multiple independent whole-genome duplications (WGD). The parallel gene retention/loss across independent WGDs and diploidizations provides one of the first tests that post-polyploid genome evolution is predictable.
Fragmentation modes and the evolution of life cycles
Authors: Pichugin Yuriy , Peña Jorge , Rainey Paul B. , Traulsen Arne 
Published: March 2017

AbstractReproduction is a defining feature of living systems. To reproduce, aggregates of biological units (e.g., multicellular organisms or colonial bacteria) must fragment into smaller parts. Fragmentation modes in nature range from binary fission in bacteria to collective-level fragmentation and the production of unicellular propagules in multicellular organisms. Despite this apparent ubiquity, the adaptive significance of fragmentation modes has received little attention. Here, we develop a model in which groups arise from the division of single cells that do not separate but stay together until the moment of group fragmentation. We allow for all possible fragmentation patterns and calculate the population growth rate of each associated life cycle. Fragmentation modes that maximise growth rate comprise a restrictive set of patterns that include production of unicellular propagules and division into two similar size groups. Life cycles marked by single-cell bottlenecks maximise population growth rate under a wide range of conditions. This surprising result offers a new evolutionary explanation for the widespread occurrence of this mode of reproduction. All in all, our model provides a framework for exploring the adaptive significance of fragmentation modes and their associated life cycles.Author SummaryMode of reproduction is a defining trait of all organisms, including colonial bacteria and multicellular organisms. To produce offspring, aggregates must fragment by splitting into two or more groups. The particular way that a given group fragments defines the life cycle of the organism. For instance, insect colonies can reproduce by splitting or by producing individuals that found new colonies. Similarly, some colonial bacteria propagate by fission or by releasing single cells, while others split in highly sophisticated ways; in multicellular organisms reproduction typically proceeds via a single cell bottleneck phase. The space of possibilities for fragmentation is so vast that an exhaustive analysis seems daunting. Focusing on fragmentation modes of a simple kind we parametrise all possible modes of group fragmentation and identify those modes leading to the fastest population growth rate. Two kinds of life cycle dominate: one involving division into two equal size groups, and the other involving production of a unicellular propagule. The prevalence of these life cycles in nature is consistent with our null model and suggests that benefits accruing from population growth rate alone may have shaped the evolution of fragmentation mode.
Patterns of cancer somatic mutations predict genes involved in phenotypic abnormalities and genetic diseases
Authors: Provero Paolo , Molineris Ivan , Lazarevic Dejan , Cittaro Davide 
Published: March 2017

AbstractGenomic sequence mutations in both the germline and somatic cells can be pathogenic. Several authors have observed that often the same genes are involved in cancer when mutated in somatic cells and in genetic diseases when mutated in the germline. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques have provided us with large databases of both types of mutations, allowing us to investigate this issue in a systematic way. Here we show that high-throughput data about the frequency of somatic mutations in the most common cancers can be used to predict the genes involved in abnormal phenotypes and diseases. The predictive power of somatic mutation patterns is largely independent of that of methods based on germline mutation frequency, so that they can be fruitfully integrated into algorithms for the prioritization of causal variants. Our results confirm the deep relationship between pathogenic mutations in somatic and germline cells, provide new insight into the common origin of cancer and genetic diseases and can be used to improve the identification of new disease genes.
Population regulation in microbial consortia using dual feedback control
Authors: Ren Xinying , Baetica Ania-Ariadna , Swaminathan Anandh , Murray Richard M. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAn ongoing area of study in synthetic biology has been the design and construction of synthetic circuits that maintain homeostasis at the population level. Here, we are interested in designing a synthetic control circuit that regulates the total cell population and the relative ratio between cell strains in a culture containing two different cell strains. We have developed a dual feedback control strategy that uses two separate control loops to achieve the two functions respectively. By combining both of these control loops, we have created a population regulation circuit where both the total population size and relative cell type ratio can be set by reference signals. The dynamics of the regulation circuit show robustness and adaptation to perturbations in cell growth rate and changes in cell numbers. The control architecture is general and could apply to any organism for which synthetic biology tools for quorum sensing, comparison between outputs, and growth control are available.