bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of removable prostheses on mastication in elderly subjects with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Andrade K. M. , Alfenas B. F. M. , Rodrigues Garcia R. C. M. 
Published: December 2017

SummaryRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent disease in the elderly population, and it may affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the stomatognathic system. This study evaluated masticatory function in elderly patients with RA before and after oral rehabilitation with removable prostheses. Forty‐five elders with partial or total edentulism who were using unsatisfactory removable prostheses were selected and assigned to 3 groups: RA with TMJ involvement, RA without TMJ involvement and healthy controls. Masticatory function was assessed in terms of masticatory performance (MP) and maximum bite force (MBF). The former was determined by the sieving method, and the latter was measured by pressure sensors placed in the bilateral molar regions. The variables were first evaluated in elderly subjects wearing unsatisfactory prostheses and re‐assessed after participants had received new removable prostheses. Comparisons between groups and among time points were performed with analysis of variance for repeated measures and the Tukey‐Kramer test (P < .05). Comparison among groups showed decreased MP in elders with RA before new prosthesis insertion (P < .05). Irrespective of TMJ involvement, MP improved after treatment in subjects with RA. Rheumatoid arthritis groups also showed decreased MBF (P < .05), which improved after new prosthesis insertion. Rheumatoid arthritis might impair masticatory function, and well‐fitted removable prosthesis insertion might be very beneficial in elders with RA.
Digitised evaluation of speech intelligibility using vowels in maxillectomy patients
Authors: Sumita Y. I. , Hattori M. , Murase M. , Elbashti M. E. , Taniguchi H. 
Published: December 2017

SummaryAmong the functional disabilities that patients face following maxillectomy, speech impairment is a major factor influencing quality of life. Proper rehabilitation of speech, which may include prosthodontic and surgical treatments and speech therapy, requires accurate evaluation of speech intelligibility (SI). A simple, less time‐consuming yet accurate evaluation is desirable both for maxillectomy patients and the various clinicians providing maxillofacial treatment. This study sought to determine the utility of digital acoustic analysis of vowels for the prediction of SI in maxillectomy patients, based on a comprehensive understanding of speech production in the vocal tract of maxillectomy patients and its perception. Speech samples were collected from 33 male maxillectomy patients (mean age 57.4 years) in two conditions, without and with a maxillofacial prosthesis, and formant data for the vowels /a/,/e/,/i/,/o/, and /u/ were calculated based on linear predictive coding. The frequency range of formant 2 (F2) was determined by differences between the minimum and maximum frequency. An SI test was also conducted to reveal the relationship between SI score and F2 range. Statistical analyses were applied. F2 range and SI score were significantly different between the two conditions without and with a prosthesis (both P < .0001). F2 range was significantly correlated with SI score in both the conditions (Spearman's r = .843, P < .0001; r = .832, P < .0001, respectively). These findings indicate that calculating the F2 range from 5 vowels has clinical utility for the prediction of SI after maxillectomy.
The relationship between jaw‐opening force and the cross‐sectional area of the suprahyoid muscles in healthy elderly
Authors: Kajisa E. , Tohara H. , Nakane A. , Wakasugi Y. , Hara K. , Yamaguchi K. , Yoshimi K. , Minakuchi S. 
Published: December 2017

SummaryWe conducted a clinical cross‐sectional study to examine the relationship between jaw‐opening force and the cross‐sectional area of the suprahyoid muscles and whole skeletal muscle mass. Subjects were healthy 39 males and 51 females without dysphagia and sarcopenia, aged 65 years and older. Jaw‐opening force was measured three times using a jaw‐opening sthenometer; the maximum of these three was taken as the measurement value. The cross‐sectional area of the geniohyoid and anterior belly of the digastric muscles were evaluated using ultrasonography. The skeletal muscle mass index, gait speed and grip strength were evaluated according to the diagnostic criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. For each sex, a multiple regression analysis determined the factors that affect jaw‐opening force. Jaw‐opening force was associated with the cross‐sectional area of the geniohyoid muscle in males (regression coefficient [β] = 0.441, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 14.28‐56.09) and females (β = 0.28, 95% CI = 3.10‐54.57). Furthermore, in females only, jaw‐opening force was associated with the skeletal muscle mass index (β = 0.40, 95% CI = 3.67‐17.81). In contrast, jaw‐opening force was not associated with the cross‐sectional area of the anterior belly of the digastric muscle in either sex. In healthy elderly males and females, jaw‐opening force was positively associated with the cross‐sectional area of the geniohyoid muscle. However, the jaw‐opening force was positively associated with the skeletal muscle mass index only in females.
Comparison of two tools to assess dyad feeding interaction in infants with gastroesophageal reflux disease
Authors: Jameson Meredith , Fehringer Karen , Neu Madalynn 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to compare the Mother‐Infant/Toddler Feeding Scale (MITFS) and the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS). Specific questions were as follows: (1) Are there differences between the results of the MITFS and the NCAFS tools in terms of rating infant feeding interactions? And (2) does one tool provide a more detailed, nuanced overview of the quality of feeding interactions than the other?Design and methodsThis comparative descriptive study is a secondary analysis of a study evaluating a massage intervention for infants with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A feeding observation for each dyad was scored using both the NCAFS and MITFS. Infants were 6–18 weeks of age.ResultsThere were moderate correlations (r = 0.3–0.8) between 11 of 20 possible NCAFS and MITFS mother‐related subscales, and between 3 of 10 possible NCAFS and the MITFS infant‐related subscales. A total of 19 dyads (83%) had one or more NCAFS subscale scores that were at least 1 standard deviation (SD) below normative scores, and 21 dyads (91%) had one or more MITFS subscale T‐scores that deviated 1 SD from the normative T‐scores. Agreement between the two instruments on scores deviating from the norm was 78%.Practice implicationsBoth instruments discussed in this paper are standardized ways of assessing an infant feeding. Use of a standardized feeding tool is an objective way to evaluate feedings and can potentially identify specific areas of concern to guide an individualized intervention for a mother–infant dyad. Thus, nurses and other health professionals working with mothers and babies, whether in the hospital, pediatrician offices, or clinics would benefit from learning how to use a standardized feeding tool. Use of a feeding tool also provides the opportunity for nurses to understand the basis of important qualities of a feeding interaction, and a way for nurses who regularly feed infants to self‐evaluate their feeding methods. This may minimize less than optimal interactions and allow for optimal support for infants during feedings by mothers and nurses.
Criteria for gauging response to sodium oxybate for narcolepsy
Authors: Steffen Alana D. , Lai Chinglin , Weaver Terri E. 
Published: December 2017

SummaryOur objective was to define responder criteria using an anchor‐based approach for frequency of cataplexy attacks and excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy undergoing sodium oxybate treatment. We used pooled data from two randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, multicentre 4‐ and 8‐week trials of sodium oxybate for narcolepsy with cataplexy and analysed using receiver operator characteristics analysis. The percentage change in frequency of weekly cataplexy attacks and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale outcomes were compared with Clinical Global Impression of Change ratings, used as the anchor to define true response. Participants (n = 336) were 39% male, 89% white, with a mean age of 41.5 (15.3) years, reporting a median of 20.5 cataplexy attacks per week and a mean Epworth Sleepiness score of 17.5 at baseline. A majority (51%) were Much Improved or Very Much Improved based on Clinical Global Impression of Change ratings, considered a true response to treatment. Area under the curve values for % reduction in cataplexy attacks (77%) and % change in sleepiness score (78%) supported response definition thresholds of 46% and 12%, respectively. Classification using either response definition agreed with the anchor for approximately 71% of participants. Cataplexy response definition was more sensitive (cataplexy = 0.77, Epworth Sleepiness Scale = 0.69), while sleepiness was more specific (cataplexy = 0.66, Epworth Sleepiness Scale = 0.75). Both responder definitions showed a dose–response relationship with sodium oxybate, demonstrating their validity using an external criterion. Weekly cataplexy attacks and Epworth Sleepiness Scale can be used to help document clinical response to narcolepsy treatment using criteria of 46% and 12% reductions, respectively.
Contribution of skin and stone to texture measurements of spherical model fruits
Authors: Rosenthal Andrew J. , Lacresse Alice , Voyer Emmy 
Published: December 2017

AbstractFruits are composite materials often surrounded by a skin and sometimes containing rigid stones (pits). To understand the contribution of skin and stone to the overall texture of the fruit, model fruits were constructed from molded gelatin spheres, with rigid inclusions and a skin layer. Cross polarized light revealed the stress distribution during puncture testing and the mechanical measures of firmness, Poisson's ratio and breaking force were determined. Skin significantly raised the breaking force. Spherical stones raised the firmness—effectively reducing the deformable material in the sphere, resulting in inflated strains. Disc shaped stones compared with spherical ones, with the narrow edge normal to the force acted like an internal blade and significantly lowered the breaking force. Neither skin nor stone had any significant impact on Poisson's ratio. Three examples of real fruit (raspberries, grapes, and cherries) were tested to contextualize the findings.Practical applicationsConsumers gently squeeze fruit to gauge ripeness. Unwittingly, what we perceive while squeezing fruit is not wholly dependent on the texture of the internal flesh. In this work, we have attempted to model how the firmness and breaking force are influenced by the presence of a skin and stones of various size and shape. This has implications in both sensory and instrumental fruit testing.
Reproductive phenology of two co‐occurring Neotropical mountain grasslands
Authors: Le Stradic Soizig , Buisson Elise , Fernandes Geraldo W. , Morellato Leonor P. C. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAimClimate tends to explain phenological variations in tropical ecosystems. However, water availability and nutrient content in soil strongly affect plant communities, especially those on old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs), and may impact these ecosystems’ plant reproductive phenology over time. Here, we compare the reproductive phenology of sandy and stony tropical grasslands, two co‐occurring herbaceous communities of the campo rupestreOCBILs. We asked whether flowering, fruiting and dispersal are seasonal in both grasslands, and whether these phenophases differ due to variations in soil properties. We also asked whether the phenological strategies and the number of flowers and fruits differ between these two grasslands as soil conditions vary.LocationSerra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil.MethodsThe phenology of herbaceous species of sandy and stony grasslands was monitored monthly over two consecutive years.ResultsPlants on sandy and stony grasslands flowered and fruited throughout the year. We did not find a distinct seasonal pattern at the community level of either studied grassland. However, flowering, fruiting and seed dissemination occurred in stony grasslands mainly during the rainy season, while sandy grassland species flowered in both seasons and fruited and disseminated seed mainly during the dry season, as observed in other savanna vegetation types in the Cerrado. Flower and fruit production was higher in sandy grasslands than in stony grasslands, which may be linked to higher water retention in sandy grassland soils. In both communities, species of Cyperaceae, Eriocaulaceae and Xyridaceae contributed most to overall production, whereas Poaceae and Velloziaceae, two important families in campo rupestre, barely participated in the reproductive phenology during our 2‐yr survey.ConclusionsDespite a strong seasonal climate, there was no reproductive seasonal pattern at the community level in campo rupestre. This first investigation of Neotropical grassland phenology indicates that the differences in soil content may constrain the grassland reproductive phenology and restrict reproduction of stony grassland species to the most favourable season. Further studies of grassland phenology are necessary to disentangle the relative importance of soil, climate and other triggers, especially fire.
A spatio‐temporal water quality assessment of the Beas and Sutlej Rivers at the Harike Wetland: A Ramsar site in Punjab, India
Authors: Najar Gh Nabi , Bhardwaj Akanksha , Pandey Puneeta 
Published: December 2017

AbstractLakes play a vital role in regulating water storage, flow of river water, and ultimately maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Spatial and temporal variations in physicochemical parameters of water in Harike Wetland, a Ramsar site in the northwestern state of Punjab, India, were studied. This study was conducted on a monthly basis from January to December 2015. The water quality was studied at ten locations from sites 1 to 10 upstream, central and downstream from Harike Lake for ten physicochemical parameters, including temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen concentration biological oxygen demand, nitrate and phosphate concentrations and salinity. The findings of this study revealed that, except for temperature and pH, all parameters exhibited relatively higher values for the Sutlej River, compared with the Beas River, with sampling sites 5 to site 7 exhibiting intermediate results. The mean seasonal temperature variations ranged from 16.9 to 26.6 °C, the pH from 7.7 to 8.2, electrical conductivity from 223 to 303 μS cm−1 and TDS concentration from 148.7 to 180.4 ppm. Correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relations between the variables. The electrical conductivity exhibited a high positive correlation with salinity and biological oxygen demand, whereas it correlated negatively with the dissolved oxygen concentration. Box and whisker plots were also plotted for the study results to better examine the data distribution.
Anthropogenic‐induced shifts in salinity and nutrient status of two freshwater tropical lakes in India
Authors: Verma Anuya , Pandey Jitendra 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAn understanding of ongoing changes in salinity and nutrient status, as influenced by anthropogenic forcing factors, is important for integrated lake basin management (ILBM) and conservation of water resources in dry tropical regions. This study analysed a range of water quality attributes, including salinity, nitrate (NO3−), ammonia (NH4+), phosphate (PO43−) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in two freshwater lakes in Rajasthan, India for three consecutive years (2000–2002). Between‐lake comparisons indicated marked differences in most of the water quality variables. The pH in both study lakes remained above neutral. Water hardness, salinity and concentrations of total dissolved salts (TDS), chlorides, NO3−, NH4+, PO33− and DOC were high in Lake Udaisagar, which received inputs from agricultural drainage and urban–industrial releases. The DOC in Lake Baghdara, which drains a woodland catchment, was similar to that for Lake Udaisagar, indicating the role of allochtonous inputs in the build‐up of DOC. The results of this study indicated that increasing human interferences have increased the nutrient concentrations in Lake Udaisagar. This factor, coupled with extended periods of dryness, drives these two freshwater lakes towards a high salinity. This study provides evidence of a human‐induced salinity increase and has relevance for ILBM and for the conservation of freshwater resources in dry regions.
Regulatory genes coordinating antibiotic‐induced changes in promoter activity and early transcriptional termination of the mycobacterial intrinsic resistance gene whiB7
Authors: Burian Ján , Thompson Charles J. 
Published: December 2017

SummaryDiseases caused by various Mycobacterium sp., especially Mycobacterium tuberculosis, are a major burden on global health care. Due to high intrinsic antibiotic resistance, treatment options are severely limited. In mycobacteria, WhiB7 coordinates intrinsic resistance to a broad range of antibiotics. While WhiB7 has been established as an auto‐regulatory transcriptional activator, the signals and genes needed to induce its expression are poorly understood. Using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a model, we coupled transposon mutagenesis and next generation sequencing with WhiB7‐specific antibiotic selection to identify genes that contribute to WhiB7 regulation and function. We showed that whiB7 expression was regulated by two coordinated processes: early termination of the whiB7 transcript and increased whiB7 promoter activity. Early termination was irreversibly maintained by constitutive expression of a putative aspartate aminotransferase gene, MSMEG_4060. A pair of hypothetical genes, MSMEG_3637 and MSMEG_3638, were identified as important contributors to whiB7 promoter induction on antibiotic challenge. Expansion of our understanding of the WhiB7‐resistance pathway may lead to identification of inhibitors that allow the use of previously ineffective antibiotics to treat mycobacterial diseases.
VapA of Rhodococcus equi binds phosphatidic acid
Authors: Wright Lindsay M. , Carpinone Emily M. , Bennett Terry L. , Hondalus Mary K. , Starai Vincent J. 
Published: December 2017

SummaryRhodococcus equi is a multihost, facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that primarily causes pneumonia in foals less than six months in age and immunocompromised people. Previous studies determined that the major virulence determinant of R. equi is the surface bound virulence associated protein A (VapA). The presence of VapA inhibits the maturation of R. equi‐containing phagosomes and promotes intracellular bacterial survival, as determined by the inability of vapA deletion mutants to replicate in host macrophages. While the mechanism of action of VapA remains elusive, we show that soluble recombinant VapA32‐189 both rescues the intramacrophage replication defect of a wild type R. equi strain lacking the vapA gene and enhances the persistence of nonpathogenic Escherichia coli in macrophages. During macrophage infection, VapA was observed at both the bacterial surface and at the membrane of the host‐derived R. equi containing vacuole, thus providing an opportunity for VapA to interact with host constituents and promote alterations in phagolysosomal function. In support of the observed host membrane binding activity of VapA, we also found that rVapA32‐189 interacted specifically with liposomes containing phosphatidic acid in vitro. Collectively, these data demonstrate a lipid binding property of VapA, which may be required for its function during intracellular infection.
Temporal distribution of, and effect of anthropic modifications on, phlebotomine populations in the Chaco Bioregion, Argentina
Authors: SZELAG E. A. , ROSA J. R. , QUINTANA M. G. , SALOMON O. D. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe Phlebotominae (Diptera: Psychodidae) are insects of medical and veterinary importance, because some species are able to transmit pathogens such as Leishmania spp. In the last 20 years, numerous leishmaniasis outbreaks have been reported in the Chaco Bioregion (Argentina), with an increasing trend of cases associated with periurban transmission. The Chaco Bioregion has two sub‐regions according to their climatic and ecological characteristics: the Dry Chaco and the Humid Chaco. In the present study, sandfly captures were performed in both sub‐regions, at sites with different levels of anthropic modifications, with the aim of describing differential spatio‐temporal patterns of potential tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis vectors. The captures yielded 3559 sandflies of 14 species. Migonemyia migonei (França) was the prevalent species in the Dry Chaco, whereas Mg. migonei and Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto) were co‐dominant in the Humid Chaco. Environmental factors such as degree of anthropic modification and climatic factors were found to modulate both the phlebotomine fauna composition and the diversity and abundance of each species. These factors would increase vector abundances, and thus the transmission risk, during warm months with moderate rainfall, especially in areas with higher anthropic modifications. The co‐dominance patterns observed in transitional areas could contribute to the transmission of leishmaniases.
Luther, Loyola and La La Land
Authors: Carroll Anthony J. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis article compares and contrasts Martin Luther's and St. Ignatius of Loyola's theological anthropologies. Drawing upon the mystical sources that Luther used to develop his own account of the human person, I argue that Luther came to reject an indwelling of the divine presence in the human person and located our relation to God in the external realm of faith alone. The resulting conception of the human person is one in which we are by nature rotten by sin. Union between us and God occurs through the darkness of faith and no longer in the highest parts of the soul as it had for the German medieval mystics upon whom Luther drew. For Loyola, by contrast, whilst human nature was damaged by sin, it could be restored by God's transforming grace to actively cooperate in the process of salvation. Loyola sees the inner stirrings of grace permeating our desires and will and restoring our freedom to its natural end of giving praise, reverence, and service to God. Such an apostolic mysticism is orchestrated by Loyola through formation in the Spiritual Exercises, which provide a unique synthesis in which action becomes a form of contemplation. I conclude by sketching the reasons why these contrasting theological anthropologies of Luther and Loyola find little appeal with the dominant philosophical anthropology of exclusive humanism in the modern west.