bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of high ambient temperature on plasma metabolomic profiles in chicks
Authors: Tomonaga Shozo , Okuyama Hirofumi , Tachibana Tetsuya , Makino Ryosuke 
Published: November 2017

AbstractExposure to high ambient temperature is detrimental to the poultry industry. To understand the influence from a metabolic perspective, we investigated the effects of exposure to high ambient temperature on plasma low‐molecular‐weight metabolite levels in chicks using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry‐based non‐targeted metabolomic analysis. Heat exposure for 4 days suppressed growth and food intake. Of the 92 metabolites identified, the levels of 29 decreased, whereas the levels of nine increased. We performed an enrichment analysis on the identified metabolites and found 35 candidates for metabolic processes affected by heat exposure. Among them, the sulfur amino acid metabolic pathway was clearly detected and the levels of the following related metabolites were decreased: cystathionine, cysteine, cystine, homocysteine and hypotaurine. Changes in the kynurenine pathway in tryptophan metabolism, which is linked to the immune system and oxidative stress, were also observed: kynurenine and quinolinic acid levels increased, whereas nicotinamide levels decreased. These results suggest the possible involvement of various metabolic processes in heat‐exposed chicks. Some of these metabolites would be important to understand the mechanism of biological responses to high ambient temperature in chicks.
Scaffolding as a key role for teaching assistants: Perceptions of their pedagogical strategies
Authors: Bowles David , Radford Julie , Bakopoulou Ioanna 
Published: November 2017

BackgroundInclusive education policies have led to a worldwide increase in the number of teaching assistants (TAs) working in mainstream schools. TAs have a large amount of responsibility for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a role which by default has become instructional in practice, and for which training and preparation are rarely adequate. While there is some research into the nature of TAs' interactions with pupils and the strategies they use which are helpful for children's learning, TAs' perspectives on their own classroom practice have yet to be explored.AimsTo explore TAs' perceptions about their use of inclusive pedagogical strategies.SampleThe study involved eleven TAs in two mainstream primary schools.MethodsThe TAs were interviewed face to face to explore their views about inclusive pedagogical strategies. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsTAs were clear about the strategies they use to offer emotional and relational support to children. There were some gaps, however, in their knowledge about how children learn, specifically in terms of transferring responsibility for learning onto children.ConclusionThe study advances understanding of scaffolding from a TA perspective and highlights the importance of training TAs in scaffolding theory.
Verbal and action‐based measures of kindergartners' SFON and their associations with number‐related utterances during picture book reading
Authors: Rathé Sanne , Torbeyns Joke , De Smedt Bert , Hannula‐Sormunen Minna M. , Verschaffel Lieven 
Published: November 2017

BackgroundYoung children's spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) as measured by experimental tasks is related to their mathematics achievement. This association is hypothetically explained by children's self‐initiated practice in number recognition during everyday activities. As such, experimentally measured SFON should be associated with SFON exhibited during everyday activities and play. However, prior studies investigating this assumed association provided inconsistent findings.AimsWe aimed to address this issue by investigating the association between kindergartners' SFON as measured by two different experimental tasks and the frequency of their number‐related utterances during a typical picture book reading activity.SampleParticipants were 65 4‐ to 6‐year‐olds in kindergarten (before the start of formal education).MethodsKindergartners individually participated in two sessions. First, they completed an action‐based SFON Imitation task and a verbal SFON Picture task, with a short visuo‐motor task in between. Next, children were invited to spontaneously comment on the pictures of a picture book during a typical picture book reading activity.ResultsResults revealed a positive association between children's SFON as measured by the Picture task and the frequency of their number‐related utterances during typical picture book reading, but no such association for the Imitation task.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that children with higher SFON as measured by a verbal experimental task also tend to focus more frequently on number during verbal everyday activities, such as picture book reading. In view of the divergent associations between our SFON measures under study with everyday number activities, the current data suggest that SFON may not be a unitary construct and/or might be task‐dependent.
Congenital neutropenia in the era of genomics: classification, diagnosis, and natural history
Authors: Donadieu Jean , Beaupain Blandine , Fenneteau Odile , Bellanné‐Chantelot Christine 
Published: November 2017

SummaryThis review focuses on the classification, diagnosis and natural history of congenital neutropenia (CN). CN encompasses a number of genetic disorders with chronic neutropenia and, for some, affecting other organ systems, such as the pancreas, central nervous system, heart, bone and skin. To date, 24 distinct genes have been associated with CN. The number of genes involved makes gene screening difficult. This can be solved by next‐generation sequencing (NGS) of targeted gene panels. One of the major complications of CN is spontaneous leukaemia, which is preceded by clonal somatic evolution, and can be screened by a targeted NGS panel focused on somatic events.
Long‐term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients treated for differentiated thyroid cancer
Authors: Pajamäki Nelli , Metso Saara , Hakala Tommi , Ebeling Tapani , Huhtala Heini , Ryödi Essi , Sand Juhani , Jukkola‐Vuorinen Arja , Kellokumpu‐Lehtinen Pirkko‐Liisa , Jaatinen Pia 
Published: November 2017

SummaryObjectivesThyroid hormone suppression therapy has been widely used in the treatment of thyroid cancer, but concerns have been raised about the cardiovascular risks of this treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate long‐term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients treated for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and to assess the effect of TSH suppression and radioiodine (RAI) treatment on the cardiovascular outcome.DesignRetrospective cohort study.Patients and measurementsPatients (n = 901) treated for DTC between 1981 and 2002 at 2 Finnish University hospitals were compared with a randomly chosen reference group (n = 4485) matched for age, gender and the place of residence. Kaplan‐Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the risk of morbidity or death due to different cardiovascular diseases (CVD) after the diagnosis of DTC.ResultsMorbidity due to any CVD (hazard ratio [HR] 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05‐1.28) and due to all arrhythmias (HR 1.25, CI 1.06‐1.48) and atrial fibrillation (AF) (HR 1.29, CI 1.06‐1.57) was more frequent in the DTC patients than in the controls. The increased cardiovascular morbidity was confined to patients with a mean TSH level below 0.1 mU/L (HR 1.27, CI 1.03‐1.58) and to those treated with RAI (HR 1.18, CI 1.05‐1.31). Cardiovascular mortality, however, was lower among the patients than the controls (HR 0.73, CI 0.58‐0.92), due to a lower mortality from coronary artery disease.ConclusionsDifferentiated thyroid cancer patients have an increased CVD morbidity, which is mostly accountable to AF and to TSH suppression below 0.1 mU/L.
Central and peripheral leptin and agouti‐related protein during and after pregnancy in relation to weight change
Authors: Andersson‐Hall Ulrika , Svedin Pernilla , Andreasson Ulf , Gren Magnus , Ingemansson Ameli , Zetterberg Henrik , Blennow Kaj , Pelanis Aurimantas , Mallard Carina , Holmäng Agneta 
Published: November 2017

SummaryObjectiveTo study changes of neuropeptides and adipokines in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum from pregnancy to postpregnancy in relation to weight changes, fat mass and glucose metabolism.ContextWith high postpartum weight retention being a risk factor in future pregnancies and of lifelong obesity, we evaluated neuropeptide and adipokine changes in women who either gained weight or were weight stable.DesignWomen were followed for 5 ± 1 years after pregnancy and divided into two groups, weight stable and weight gain, by weight change from start of pregnancy.PatientsTwenty‐five women (BMI 27 ± 5 kg/m2) recruited at admission for elective caesarean section.MeasurementsCSF and serum levels of agouti‐related protein (AgRP), leptin and insulin, and serum levels of adiponectin and soluble leptin receptor were measured during and after pregnancy. These measurements were further related to fat mass and insulin sensitivity (HOMA‐IR).ResultsS‐AgRP levels during pregnancy were lower in the weight stable group and a 1 unit increase in s‐AgRP was associated with 24% higher odds of pertaining to the weight gain group. After pregnancy, s‐AgRP increased in the weight stable group but decreased in the weight gain group. Decreased transport of leptin into CSF during pregnancy was reversed by an increased CSF:serum leptin ratio after pregnancy. In women who returned to their prepregnancy weight, serum adiponectin increased after pregnancy and correlated negatively with HOMA‐IR.ConclusionS‐AgRP concentration in late pregnancy may be one factor predicting weight change after pregnancy, and circulating AgRP may be physiologically important in the long‐term regulation of body weight.
Translational evidence of prothrombotic and inflammatory endothelial damage in Cushing syndrome after remission
Authors: Aranda Gloria , Fernandez‐Ruiz Rebeca , Palomo Marta , Romo Mónica , Mora Mireia , Halperin Irene , Casals Gregori , Enseñat Joaquim , Vidal Oscar , Diaz‐Ricart Maribel , Hanzu Felicia A. 
Published: November 2017

SummaryObjectiveSustained evidence from observational studies indicates that after remission of Cushing syndrome (CS) a cardiovascular risk phenotype persists. Here, we performed a translational study in active CS and CS in remission (RCS) to evaluate the subclinical cardiometabolic burden and to explore the direct pro‐inflammatory and prothrombotic potential of their sera on the endothelium in an in vitro translational atherothrombotic cell model.PatientsCross sectional study. The groups were (n = 9/group): I. RCS; II. Active CS (ACS) and III. Controls (CTR), all matched for age, body mass index, sex, without other hormonal deficits.DesignWe evaluated in vivo: cardiometabolic profile; endothelial markers (sVCAM‐1, NO); endothelial dysfunction (FMD); intima‐media thickness and body composition (DEXA). In vitro endothelial cells (EC) were exposed to sera taken from the different subjects to evaluate inflammatory EC response (tisVCAM) and thrombogenicity of the generated extracellular matrix (ECM): von Willebrand factor (VWF) and platelet reactivity.ResultsThree of the 9 RCS subjects were on glucocorticoid replacement therapy (GC‐RT). Patients on GC‐RT had a shorter period of time in stable remission. In vivo analysis ACS showed typically metabolic features, while cardiometabolic markers reached statistical significance for RCS only for Hs‐CRP (P < .01). In vitro:EC exposed to ACS and RCS sera displayed increased tisVCAM‐1 (P < .01 for ACS and P < .05 for RCS vs CTR), VWF (P < .01 for ACS and P < .05 for RCS vs CTR) and platelet adhesion on ECM (P < .01 for ACC and P < .05 for RCS vs CTR). No statistically significant differences were observed between GC‐RT RSC and RCS without GC‐RT.ConclusionsThe sera of premenopausal women with CS in remission, without atherothrombotic disease, contain circulatory endothelial deleterious factors with a direct thrombogenic and pro‐inflammatory endothelial effect that could increase cardiovascular risk.
Biodiversity and China's new Great Wall
Authors: Choi Chi‐Yeung , Jackson Micha V. , Gallo‐Cajiao Eduardo , Murray Nicholas J. , Clemens Robert S. , Gan Xiaojing , Fuller Richard A. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractCoastal armouring and the reclamation of intertidal areas through the use of seawalls and other artificial structures has been practiced for thousands of years, but its recent expansion in China and elsewhere in Asia has been unprecedented in its rate and intensity. One result has been the recent loss of nearly two‐thirds of tidal flats in the Yellow Sea, a globally unique ecosystem of high ecological value. The severe effects on biodiversity of the recent large‐scale coastal land claim activities in China are well documented, yet some recent studies have emphasized the ecological opportunities provided by such artificial coastal infrastructure in China, in some cases suggesting that the ecological impacts of coastal infrastructure should be reconsidered due to benefits to some rocky shore species in a changing climate. This is cause for concern because, while studying the “new ecology” arising from coastal modification is useful, broad conclusions around the ecological role or conservation gains from seawall construction without adequate contextualization underplays the ecological consequences of large‐scale coastal land claim, and could potentially undermine efforts to achieve biodiversity conservation. Here, we clarify the characteristics of seawall construction in China and summarize the environmental damage and some broadscale impacts caused by this type of infrastructure expansion on the endangered Yellow Sea tidal flats ecosystem. We also highlight the urgent need for all coastal development plans to consider how coastal wetlands and ecosystem functionality can be maximally retained within the development precinct.
Systemic use of antibiotics and risk of diabetes in adults: A nested case‐control study of Alberta's Tomorrow Project
Authors: Ye Ming , Robson Paula J. , Eurich Dean T. , Vena Jennifer E. , Xu Jian‐Yi , Johnson Jeffrey A. 
Published: November 2017

AimsPrevious observational studies using administrative health records have suggested an increased risk of diabetes with use of antibiotics. However, unmeasured confounding factors may explain these results. This study characterized the association between systemic use of antibiotics and risk of diabetes in a cohort of adults in Canada, accounting for both clinical and self‐reported disease risk factors.Materials and MethodsIn this nested case‐control study, we used data from Alberta's Tomorrow Project (ATP), a longitudinal cohort study in Canada, and the linked administrative health records (2000‐2015). Incident cases of diabetes were matched with up to 8 age and sex‐matched controls per case. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the association between antibiotic exposures and incident diabetes after sequentially adjusting for important clinical and lifestyle factors.ResultsThis study included 1676 cases of diabetes and 13 401 controls. Although 17.9% of cases received more than 5 courses of antibiotics, compared to 13.8% of controls (P < .0001), the association between antibiotic use and risk of diabetes was progressively reduced as important clinical and lifestyle factors were accounted for. In fully adjusted models, compared to participants with 0 to 1 courses of antibiotics, participants receiving more antibiotics had no increased risk of diabetes [Odds Ratio, 0.97 (0.83‐1.13) for 2 to 4 courses and 0.98 (0.82‐1.18) for ≥5 courses].ConclusionsAfter adjustment for clinical and difficult‐to‐capture lifestyle data, we found no association between systemic use of antibiotics and risk of diabetes. Our results suggest that those positive associations observed in previous studies using only administrative records might have been confounded.
Clinicopathological findings of an episode of mycotoxicosis in horses
Authors: Dedar R. K. , Virmani N. , Bala P. A. , Singh J. , Vaid R. K. , Legha R. A. , Tripathi B. N. 
Published: November 2017

SummaryThis report of mycotoxicosis in horses describes the clinical signs, post‐mortem findings, histopathological findings and prognosis following the accidental feeding of mycotoxin contaminated fodder to the horses at a farm over a 3‐year period. Variable clinical signs viz. weight loss, height retardation in foals, episodes of sudden weakness and staggering gait, ulceration in the oral cavity and at mucocutaneous junctions, yawning, decreased appetite to complete anorexia, rectal prolapse, and failure of blood clotting were observed in many horses at an organised equine farm over a period of 2–3 years. Post‐mortem examination of these cases revealed liver cirrhosis and pathological changes in other organs too. On examination of the fodder, it was observed that pearl millet fodder fed to the animals had ergot infestation. On laboratory investigation of the fodder, aflatoxins levels ranged from 24 ppb to 70 ppb in pearl millet fodder. The analysis eventually led to discontinuation of the pearl millet fodder. On follow‐up for 2 years, no new cases of hepatic cirrhosis were seen. Most of the horses at the farm including those that had shown high levels of serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) and weight loss, recovered completely. The present episode demonstrates that there is a need for regular monitoring of cereal fodders of horses in subtropical and tropical areas to avoid mycotoxicosis. In the present episode, monitoring serum/plasma GGT levels was found to be a sensitive biochemical indicator to identify liver damage caused by mycotoxins.
Septic peritonitis secondary to a perforating gastric foreign body in an Irish Sport Horse gelding
Authors: Jeawon S. S. , O'Leary J. M. , Johnson J. P. , Hoey S. E. , Duggan V. E. 
Published: November 2017

SummaryA 17‐year‐old Irish Sport Horse gelding was referred to the University College Dublin Veterinary Hospital for low‐grade colic that had been nonresponsive to medical treatment. Diagnostic investigation revealed a marked septic peritonitis. The inciting cause was detected by gastroscopy to be a perforating foreign body in the pylorus of the stomach from a briar of a blackthorn plant (Prunus spinosa spp.). Successful removal of the foreign body was achieved surgically via gastrotomy. The horse subsequently developed a multi‐drug resistant abdominal incision site infection, which was successfully managed over a 2‐month period. Abdominal incisional herniation occurred thereafter. Six months post‐operatively, the horse was back in light work and no further adverse sequelae had been noted.
The crystal structure and catalytic mechanism of hydroxynitrile lyase from passion fruit, Passiflora edulis
Authors: Motojima Fumihiro , Nuylert Aem , Asano Yasuhisa 
Published: November 2017

Hydroxynitrile lyases (HNLs) are enzymes used in the synthesis of chiral cyanohydrins. The HNL from Passiflora edulis (PeHNL) is R‐selective and is the smallest HNL known to date. The crystal structures of PeHNL and its C‐terminal peptide depleted derivative were determined by molecular replacement method using the template structure of a heat stable protein, SP1, from Populus tremula at 2.8 and 1.8 Å resolution, respectively. PeHNL belongs to dimeric α+β barrel superfamily consisting of a central β‐barrel in the middle of a dimer. The structure of PeHNL complexed with (R)‐mandelonitrile ((R)‐MAN) was also determined. The hydroxyl group of (R)‐MAN forms hydrogen bonds with His8 and Tyr30 in the active site, whereas the nitrile group is oriented toward the carboxyl group of Glu54, unlike other HNLs, where it interacts with basic residues typically. The results of mutational analysis indicate that the catalytic dyad of His8‐Asn101 is critical for the enzymatic reaction. The length of the hydrogen bond between His‐Nδ1 and Asn101‐Oδ1 is short in the PeHNL‐(R)‐MAN complex (~ 2.6 Å), which would increase the basicity of His8 to abstract a proton from the hydroxyl group of (R)‐MAN. The cyanide ion released from the nitrile group abstracts a proton from the protonated His8 to generate a hydrogen cyanide. Thus, the His8 in the active site of PeHNL acts both as a general acid and a general base in the reaction.Enzymes
EC 4.1.2.10
DatabaseStructural data are available in PDB database under the accession numbers 5XZQ, 5XZT, and 5Y02.
Condition and recruitment of Aristeus antennatus at great depths (to 2,300 m) in the Mediterranean: Relationship with environmental factors
Authors: Cartes J. E. , López‐Pérez C. , Carbonell A. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractDepth and seasonal trends in the biological condition and recruitment of the red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus) have been analyzed over the slope to 2,233 m in the western Mediterranean. The best biological condition of A. antennatus (gonadosomatic index [GSI]) for mating and spawning occurred at 800–1,300 m in summer, in areas deeper than the fishing grounds distributed between 500 and 800 m. Females moved shallower to feed on the upper slope during periods of water‐mass homogeneity (autumn–winter), increasing their hepatic gland weight (hepatosomatic index [HSI]). Females moved downslope (800–1,100 m) to spawn (high GSI) during periods of water mass stratification (late spring–summer). The HSI of females decreased with depth down the slope in autumn, after the reproductive period. Small juveniles were distributed deeper than 1,000 m, associated with high near‐bottom O2 levels, low turbidity and high C:N in sediments, implying favorable trophic conditions. This confirms the importance in studying the biology of deep‐sea species over their entire depth range. The progressive warming and increasing salinity of deep Mediterranean waters could provoke a decrease of dissolved O2 that would affect the life cycle of A. antennatus.
Toward ecologically realistic predictions of species distributions: A cross‐time example from tropical montane cloud forests
Authors: Guevara Lázaro , Gerstner Beth E. , Kass Jamie M. , Anderson Robert P. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThere is an urgent need for more ecologically realistic models for better predicting the effects of climate change on species’ potential geographic distributions. Here we build ecological niche models using MAXENT and test whether selecting predictor variables based on biological knowledge and selecting ecologically realistic response curves can improve cross‐time distributional predictions. We also evaluate how the method chosen for extrapolation into nonanalog conditions affects the prediction. We do so by estimating the potential distribution of a montane shrew (Mammalia, Soricidae, Cryptotis mexicanus) at present and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Because it is tightly associated with cloud forests (with climatically determined upper and lower limits) whose distributional shifts are well characterized, this species provides clear expectations of plausible vs. implausible results. Response curves for the MAXENT model made using variables selected via biological justification were ecologically more realistic compared with those of the model made using many potential predictors. This strategy also led to much more plausible geographic predictions for upper and lower elevational limits of the species both for the present and during the LGM. By inspecting the modeled response curves, we also determined the most appropriate way to extrapolate into nonanalog environments, a previously overlooked factor in studies involving model transfer. This study provides intuitive context for recommendations that should promote more realistic ecological niche models for transfer across space and time.