bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Localised intravascular coagulation complicating venous malformations in children: Associations and therapeutic options
Authors: Zhuo Kevin Y , Russell Susan , Wargon Orli , Adams Susan 
Published: February 2017

AbstractVenous malformations are slow‐flow congenital vascular malformations that enlarge as the child ages and may be associated with localised intravascular coagulation, a consumptive coagulopathy characterised by elevated D‐dimer and decreased fibrinogen levels. The authors review the known correlations between localised intravascular coagulation and venous malformation number, size and planes involved, and call attention to the concept of the progression of localised intravascular coagulopathy as the child ages and their venous malformations enlarge. The authors also discuss the identified therapeutic options for its investigation, management and treatment, including compression garments, anti‐coagulation therapy, sclerotherapy, endovascular laser, surgical excision and sirolimus (rapamycin). Evidence for protocol improvements that may be instigated for the optimal physical and medical therapy of venous malformations complicated by localised intravascular coagulopathy is reviewed.
Regulation and rent‐seeking: The role of the distribution of political and economic power
Authors: Rio Fernando Del , Lores Francisco‐Xavier 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIt is shown that the joint distribution of economic and political power plays a key role in determining regulatory and tax policies of national and subnational governments. If both economic and political power are evenly distributed across individuals, then regulatory and tax policies are efficient, but if they are unevenly distributed and positively correlated, then regulatory policy is used by subnational governments to redistribute income in favor of individuals with higher economic and political power at the expense of productivity and output. Consequently, the national government has to raise the tax rate to finance public expenditure. Moreover, if there exists a positive correlation between economic and political power, then the higher the fiscal gap, the larger the gap between equilibrium and efficient policies because subnational governments underestimate more the fall of public revenues caused by inefficient policies.
Cladistic Parsimony, Historical Linguistics and Cultural Phylogenetics
Authors: Cabrera Frank 
Published: February 2017

AbstractHere, I consider the recent application of phylogenetic methods in historical linguistics. After a preliminary survey of one such method, i.e. cladistic parsimony, I respond to two common criticisms of cultural phylogenies: (1) that cultural artifacts cannot be modeled as tree‐like because of borrowing across lineages, and (2) that the mechanism of cultural change differs radically from that of biological evolution. I argue that while perhaps (1) remains true for certain cultural artifacts, the nature of language may be such as to side‐step this objection. Moreover, I explore the possibility that cladistic parsimony can be justified even if (2) is true by appealing to the inference pattern known among philosophers as ‘Inference to the Best Explanation’ (IBE).
Helicoverpa zea gut‐associated bacteria indirectly induce defenses in tomato by triggering a salivary elicitor(s)
Authors: Wang Jie , Peiffer Michelle , Hoover Kelli , Rosa Cristina , Zeng Rensen , Felton Gary W. 
Published: February 2017

Summary

Insect gut‐associated microbes modulating plant defenses have been observed in beetles and piercing‐sucking insects, but the role of caterpillar‐associated bacteria in regulating plant induced defenses has not been adequately examined.

We identified bacteria from the regurgitant of field‐collected Helicoverpa zea larvae using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry. A combination of biochemical, molecular, and confocal electron microscopy methods were used to determine the role of caterpillar‐associated bacteria in mediating defenses in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato).

Laboratory‐reared H. zea inoculated with one of the bacteria identified in field‐collected H. zea, Enterobacter ludwigii, induced expression of the tomato defense‐related enzyme polyphenol oxidase and genes regulated by jasmonic acid (JA), whereas the salicylic acid (SA)‐responsive pathogenesis‐related gene was suppressed. Additionally, saliva and its main component glucose oxidase from inoculated caterpillars played an important role in elevating tomato anti‐herbivore defenses. However, there were only low detectable amounts of regurgitant or bacteria on H. zea‐damaged tomato leaves.

Our results suggest that H. zea gut‐associated bacteria indirectly mediate plant–insect interactions by triggering salivary elicitors. These findings provide a proof of concept that introducing gut bacteria to a herbivore may provide a novel approach to pest management through indirect induction of plant resistance.
Early post‐operative psychosocial and weight predictors of later outcome in bariatric surgery: a systematic literature review
Authors: Hindle A. , de la Piedad Garcia X. , Brennan L. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryThis is the first systematic review to synthesize the evidence concerning early post‐operative variables predictive of later weight and psychosocial outcomes in bariatric surgery. Eight electronic databases for empirical studies were searched (1954 to 2016). Most of the 39 included studies reported solely on weight outcomes; eating and psychosocial outcomes were less common. A better early weight loss trajectory was the most consistent predictor of more successful medium‐term weight outcome (≤24 months); however, its relationship to longer term weight loss maintenance is less certain. Early eating adaptation may be associated with later weight loss, but further research is needed. Evidence is lacking for associations between early adherence or early psychosocial variables and later outcome. In particular, the relationship between early post‐operative depression and later weight remains unclear. Little research has considered early prediction of later eating or psychosocial outcomes. Consideration of mediating or moderating relationships is lacking. The body of evidence is limited, and synthesis is hampered by heterogeneity in the type and time at which predictors and outcomes are measured and quality of statistical reporting. Further research on prospective prediction of bariatric surgery outcome is needed to guide early post‐operative intervention for those at greatest risk of poor outcomes.
Health‐related quality of life in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Data from the Australian IPF Registry
Authors: Glaspole Ian N. , Chapman Sally A. , Cooper Wendy A. , Ellis Samantha J. , Goh Nicole S. , Hopkins Peter M. , Macansh Sacha , Mahar Annabelle , Moodley Yuben P. , Paul Eldho , Reynolds Paul N. , Walters E.Haydn. , Zappala Christopher J. , Corte Tamera J. 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTBackground and objectiveStudies analysing the effect of worsening pulmonary physiological impairment in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with respect to quality of life have been limited to single centres or highly selected trial populations. The aim of this study was to determine the principal determinants of baseline and longitudinal health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in a large unselected IPF population.MethodsWe used the Australian IPF Registry to examine the relationship between HRQoL, measured using the St George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and demographic features, physiological features, co‐morbidities and symptoms. Linear regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of baseline HRQoL, linear mixed model analysis to determine the effect of time and forced vital capacity (FVC) on SGRQ and Cox proportional hazards regression to examine the relationship between HRQoL and all‐cause mortality.ResultsBaseline data from 516 patients were available (347 males; mean (SD) age: 71.3 ± 8.6 years). Univariate analysis showed significant associations between HRQoL and demographic, clinical and physiological features. However, multivariate analysis demonstrated independent associations only between SGRQ and dyspnoea (University of California San Diego Shortness of Breathlessness Questionnaire (UCSD‐SOBQ); R2 = 0.71, P < 0.0001), cough severity (visual analogue scale; R2 = 0.06, P < 0.0001) and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; R2 = 0.04, P < 0.0001). Linear mixed‐effects modelling of combined baseline and longitudinal data confirmed these associations, as well as for FVC% predicted (P = 0.005). Multivariate Cox proportionate‐proportional hazards regression analysis demonstrated no association between HRQoL and risk of mortality.ConclusionCough, dyspnoea and depression are major symptomatic determinants of HRQoL in IPF. FVC decline is associated with worsening HRQoL.
Physical function, grip strength and frailty in people living with HIV in sub‐Saharan Africa: systematic review
Authors: Bernard Charlotte , Dabis François , de Rekeneire Nathalie 
Published: February 2017

AbstractObjectiveTo present the current knowledge on physical function, grip strength and frailty in HIV‐infected patients living in sub‐Saharan Africa, where the phenomenon is largely underestimated.MethodsA systematic search was conducted on MEDLINE, Scopus and African Index Medicus. We reviewed articles on sub‐Saharan African people living with HIV (PLHIV) >18 years old, published until November 2016.ResultsOf 537 articles, 12 were conducted in six African countries and included in this review. Five articles reported information on functional limitation and one on disability. Two of these five articles reported functional limitation (low gait speed) in PLHIV. Disability was observed in 27% and 3% of PLHIV living in rural and urban places, respectively. Two of three studies reporting grip strength reported lower grip strength (nearly 4 kg) in PLHIV in comparison with uninfected patients. One study reported that PLHIV were more likely to be frail than HIV‐uninfected individuals (19.4% vs. 13.3%), whereas another reported no statistical difference.ConclusionDecline in physical function, grip strength and frailty are now part of the burden of PLHIV living in SSA countries, but current data are insufficient to characterise the real public health dimension of these impairments. Further studies are needed to depict this major public health challenge. As this is likely to contribute to a significant burden on the African healthcare systems and human resources in the near future, a holistic care approach should be developed to inform guidelines.
Acute exercise activates p38 MAPK and increases the expression of telomere‐protective genes in cardiac muscle
Authors: Ludlow Andrew T. , Gratidão Laila , Ludlow Lindsay W. , Spangenburg Espen E. , Roth Stephen M. 
Published: February 2017

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
A positive association between telomere length and exercise training has been shown in cardiac tissue of mice. It is currently unknown how each bout of exercise influences telomere‐length‐regulating proteins. We sought to determine how a bout of exercise altered the expression of telomere‐length‐regulating genes and a related signalling pathway in cardiac tissue of mice.

What is the main finding and its importance?
Acute exercise altered the expression of telomere‐length‐regulating genes in cardiac tissue and might be related to altered mitogen‐activated protein kinase signalling. These findings are important in understanding how exercise provides a cardioprotective phenotype with ageing.

Age is the greatest risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Telomere length is shorter in the hearts of aged mice compared with young mice, and short telomere length has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. One year of voluntary wheel‐running exercise attenuates the age‐associated loss of telomere length and results in altered gene expression of telomere‐length‐maintaining and genome‐stabilizing proteins in heart tissue of mice. Understanding the early adaptive response of the heart to an endurance exercise bout is paramount to understanding the impact of endurance exercise on heart tissue and cells. To this end, we studied mice before (BL), immediately after (TP1) and 1 h after a treadmill running bout (TP2). We measured the changes in expression of telomere‐related genes (shelterin components), DNA‐damage‐sensing (p53 and Chk2) and DNA‐repair genes (Ku70 and Ku80) and mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling. The TP1 animals had increased TRF1 and TRF2 protein and mRNA levels, greater expression of DNA‐repair and ‐response genes (Chk2 and Ku80) and greater protein content of phosphorylated p38 MAPK compared with both BL and TP2 animals. These data provide insights into how physiological stressors remodel the heart tissue and how an early adaptive response mediated by exercise may be maintaining telomere length and/or stabilizing the heart genome through the upregulation of telomere‐protective genes.
Voltage‐sensitive conductances increase the sensitivity of rod photoresponses following pigment bleaching
Authors: Pahlberg Johan , Frederiksen Rikard , Pollock Gabriel E. , Miyagishima Kiyoharu J. , Sampath Alapakkam P. , Cornwall M. Carter 
Published: February 2017

Key points
Following substantial bleaching of the visual pigment, the desensitization of the rod photovoltage is not as substantial as the desensitization of the rod outer segment photocurrent.
The block of cation conductances during the internal dialysis of Cs+ further desensitizes the photovoltage thereby eliminating its difference in desensitization with the rod outer segment photocurrent.
Bleached visual pigment produced an acceleration of the rod photovoltage with respect to the outer segment photocurrent, which is eliminated upon internal dialysis of Cs+.
AbstractA majority of our visual experience occurs during the day when a substantial fraction of the visual pigment in our photoreceptor cells is bleached. Under these conditions it is widely believed that rods are saturated and do not contribute substantially to downstream signalling. However, behavioural experiments on subjects with only rod function reveals that these individuals unexpectedly retain substantial vision in daylight. We sought to understand this discrepancy by characterizing the sensitivity of rod photoresponses following exposure to bright bleaching light. Measurements of the rod outer segment photocurrent in transgenic mice, which have only rod function, revealed the well‐studied reduction in the sensitivity of rod photoresponses following pigment bleaching. However, membrane voltage measurements showed that the desensitization of the photovoltage was considerably less than that of the outer segment photocurrent following equivalent pigment bleaching. This discrepancy was largely eliminated during the blockade of cation channels due to the internal dialysis of Cs+, which increased the bleach‐induced desensitization of the photovoltage and slowed its temporal characteristics. Thus, sensitization of the photovoltage by rod inner segment conductances appears to extend the operating range of rod phototransduction following pigment bleaching.
Does Preschool Physical Activity and Electronic Media Use Predict Later Social and Emotional Skills at 6 to 8 Years? A Cohort Study
Authors: Hinkley Trina , Timperio Anna , Salmon Jo , Hesketh Kylie 
Published: February 2017

Background:Little is known about the associations of preschoolers’ health behaviors with their later psychosocial wellbeing. This study investigates the association of 3- to 5-year-old children’s physical activity and electronic media use with their later social-emotional skills (6-8 years).Methods:Data were collected in 2008–2009 and 2011–2012 for the Healthy Active Preschool and Primary Years (HAPPY) Study in metropolitan Melbourne. Participants were a random subsample (n = 108) of the 567 children at follow-up. Physical activity was objectively measured using ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers; electronic media use (television viewing, sedentary electronic games and active electronic games) was parent proxy-reported. Social and emotional skills were child-reported using the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory—Youth Version. Regression analyses controlled for sex, clustering by center of recruitment, and accelerometer wear time (for physical activity analyses).Results:Sedentary electronic games were positively associated with intrapersonal and stress management skills and total emotional quotient. Computer/internet use was inversely associated with interpersonal, and positively associated with stress management, skills.Conclusions:Findings suggest that physical activity is not associated with children’s psychosocial health while some types of electronic media use are. Future research should investigate the contexts in which preschoolers participate in these behaviors and potential causal mechanisms of associations.
Fitness Equipment in Public Parks: Frequency of Use and Community Perceptions in a Small Urban Centre
Authors: Copeland Jennifer L. , Currie Cheryl , Walker Ali , Mason Erin , Willoughby Taura N. , Amson Ashley 
Published: February 2017

Background:Providing freely accessible exercise facilities may increase physical activity at a population level. An increasingly popular strategy is outdoor fitness equipment in urban parks. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of this intervention in smaller cities. This study examined fitness equipment use, perceived effectiveness, and ways to increase use in a city of 100,000 people in 2015.Methods:Two parks with fitness equipment and 4 without were directly observed. Interviews with 139 adults in active parks or living nearby were also conducted.Results:Only 2.7% of adult park users used the fitness equipment over 100 hours of observation across 3 seasons. In contrast, 22.3% of adults interviewed reported monthly or more use of the equipment, highlighting the limitations of self-report methods. Adults interviewed perceived the equipment as potentially beneficial and suggested strategies to increase public use, including increased advertising, the introduction of programming to teach and encourage use, improved equipment quality, and improved maintenance of the equipment and surrounding area.Conclusions:In a low density city, park fitness equipment may not be an effective public health practice without additional efforts to market, introduce programming, and maintain these sites.
Acquisition of Rifampin Resistance in Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Authors: Kayigire Xavier A. , Friedrich Sven O. , van der Merwe Lize , Diacon Andreas H. 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACT

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
strains with spontaneous mutations conferring resistance to rifampin (RIF) are exceedingly rare, and fixed drug combinations typically prevent augmentation of resistance to single drugs. Fourteen newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients were treated with RIF alone for 14 days, and bacterial loads, including mutation frequencies, were determined. A statistical model estimated that 1% of the remaining viable mycobacteria could be RIF resistant after 30 days of monotherapy. This indicates that temporal and spatial windows of RIF monotherapy due to uneven drug distribution within lung lesions could contribute to the acquisition of resistance to RIF.
Enterocin AS-48 as Evidence for the Use of Bacteriocins as New Leishmanicidal Agents
Authors: Abengózar María Ángeles , Cebrián Rubén , Saugar José María , Gárate Teresa , Valdivia Eva , Martínez-Bueno Manuel , Maqueda Mercedes , Rivas Luis 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACT

We report the feasibility of enterocin AS-48, a circular cationic peptide produced by
Enterococcus faecalis
, as a new leishmanicidal agent. AS-48 is lethal to
Leishmania
promastigotes as well as to axenic and intracellular amastigotes at low micromolar concentrations, with scarce cytotoxicity to macrophages. AS-48 induced a fast bioenergetic collapse of
L. donovani
promastigotes but only a partial permeation of their plasma membrane with limited entrance of vital dyes, even at concentrations beyond its full lethality. Fluoresceinated AS-48 was visualized inside parasites by confocal microscopy and seen to cause mitochondrial depolarization and reactive oxygen species production. Altogether, AS-48 appeared to have a mixed leishmanicidal mechanism that includes both plasma membrane permeabilization and additional intracellular targets, with mitochondrial dysfunctionality being of special relevance. This complex leishmanicidal mechanism of AS-48 persisted even for the killing of intracellular amastigotes, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy. We demonstrated the potentiality of AS-48 as a new and safe leishmanicidal agent, expanding the growing repertoire of eukaryotic targets for bacteriocins, and our results provide a proof of mechanism for the search of new leishmanicidal bacteriocins, whose diversity constitutes an almost endless source for new structures at moderate production cost and whose safe use on food preservation is well established.
Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution of Benznidazole after Oral Administration in Mice
Authors: Perin Luísa , Moreira da Silva Rodrigo , Fonseca Kátia da Silva , Cardoso Jamille Mirelle de Oliveira , Mathias Fernando Augusto Siqueira , Reis Levi Eduardo Soares , Molina Israel , Correa-Oliveira Rodrigo , Vieira Paula Melo de Abreu , Carneiro Cláudia Martins 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACT

Specific chemotherapy using benznidazole (BNZ) for Chagas disease during the chronic stage is controversial due to its limited efficacy and toxic effects. Although BNZ has been used to treat Chagas disease since the 1970s, few studies about the biodistribution of this drug exist. In this study, BNZ tissue biodistribution in a murine model and its pharmacokinetic profile in plasma were monitored. A bioanalytical high-performance liquid chromatography method with a UV detector (HPLC-UV) was developed and validated according to the European Medicines Agency for quantification of BNZ in organs and plasma samples prepared by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. The developed method was linear in the BNZ concentration, which ranged from 0.1 to 100.0 μg/ml for plasma, spleen, brain, colon, heart, lung, and kidney and from 0.2 to 100.0 μg/ml for liver. Validation assays demonstrated good stability for BNZ under all conditions evaluated. Pharmacokinetic parameters confirmed rapid, but low, absorption of BNZ after oral administration. Biodistribution assays demonstrated different maximum concentrations in organs and similar times to maximum concentration and mean residence times, with means of 40 min and 2.5 h, respectively. Therefore, the biodistribution of BNZ is extensive, reaching organs such as the heart and colon, which are the most relevant organs affected by
Trypanosoma cruzi
infection, and also the spleen, brain, liver, lungs, and kidneys. Simultaneous analyses of tissues and plasma indicated high BNZ metabolism in the liver. Our results suggest that low bioavailability, instead of inadequate biodistribution, could be responsible for therapeutic failure during the chronic phase of Chagas disease.
Genomic Characterization of Two KPC-Producing Klebsiella Isolates Collected in 1997 in New York City
Authors: Eilertson Brandon , Chen Liang , Chavda Kalyan D. , Kreiswirth Barry N. 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACT

Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemase (KPC)-producing
Enterobacteriaceae
have now become a global public health threat. However, the origin of this pandemic and the characterization of pre-2003
bla
KPC
-harboring plasmids remain unknown. Here we used next-generation sequencing to characterize two KPC-2-producing
K. pneumoniae
and
K
.
michiganensis
isolates collected from a New York City hospital in 1997. Although identified in two different
Klebsiella
species, the
bla
KPC-2
gene was harbored by Tn
4401b
transposons on two highly similar IncN plasmids.