bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does a Premaxillary Setback and Lip Adhesion Have a Negative Impact on Lip Outcome in Bilateral Cleft Patients?
Authors: Raposo-Amaral Cassio Eduardo , Denadai Rafael , Almeida Ricardo Ruiz Garcia de , Marques Frederico Figueiredo , Lee Marina De Martino , Raposo-Amaral Cesar Augusto 
Published: September 2017

Background:
The early premaxillary setback and lip adhesion remains as a controversial maneuver in the treatment of bilateral cleft lip and palate patients. This study aimed to assess extent of preoperative deformity and lip outcomes during the first year after surgery in bilateral cleft patients who underwent premaxillary setback and lip adhesion and to compare to those with primary lip repair.

Methods:
A retrospective observational study was conducted of 16 nonsyndromic consecutive bilateral complete cleft lip patients (with and without Simonart band), who underwent primary cleft lip repair. Patients were allocated in group 1 without premaxillary setback and group 2 with premaxillary setback and lip adhesion. Preoperative and postoperative linear measurements were used for intergroup and intragroup comparisons.

Results:
Cutaneous lip height of patients in group 2 significantly (P < 0.05) improved after combined premaxillary setback and lip adhesion and primary cleft lip repair. There were no significant (all P > 0.05) differences in intragroup 1 comparisons, and in intergroup comparisons.

Conclusion:
Bilateral cleft patients with a protruded and deviated premaxilla over 10 mm discrepancy of the lateral maxillary achieved noninferior lip symmetry 1 year postoperatively compared with patients with less severe original deformity.
Topical Mitomycin C Application Is Effective Even in Esophageal Strictures Resistant to Dilatation Therapy in Children
Authors: Divarci Emre , Kilic Ozge , Dokumcu Zafer , Ozcan Coskun , Erdener Ata 
Published: September 2017

Purpose:
Several treatment techniques may be used in the treatment of esophageal strictures. The purpose of this study was to present the effects of topical mitomycin C (TMC) as an useful adjunct to dilatation therapy in esophageal strictures.

Materials and Methods:
A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent TMC between February 2015 and July 2016 was performed. Dysphagia score, periodic dilatation index, and number of dilatations were compared before and after intervention to investigate the efficacy of TMC.

Results:
TMC was performed on 20 patients with a median age of 3.5 years (2 to 17 y). The diagnosis was corrosive esophageal strictures in 14 patients, anastomotic strictures in 5 patients, and congenital esophageal stricture in 1 patient. The length of the stricture was long in 10 patients (50%). The median dysphagia score decreased from 2 (1 to 3) to 0 (0 to 2) after application (P<0.001). The median number of dilatation sessions decreased from 5 (1 to 41) to 1 (0 to 11) after intervention (P<0.001). The median periodic dilatation index decreased from 1 (0.66 to 1.34) to 0 (0 to 1.33) after TMC (P<0.001). Regular esophageal dilatation was not necessary in 16 patients after application (80%). The length of the stricture did not affect the efficacy of TMC. The success of treatment was lower in patients with a long treatment period before TMC (>3 y) (50%). No complications were seen in a median follow-up period of 16 months (7 to 22 mo).

Conclusions:
TMC application has a significant positive effect as an adjunct to dilatation therapy in most of the patients with different types of esophageal strictures. It should be performed as a safe and efficient treatment option even in patients who were resistant to dilatation therapy.
Esophagojejunostomy With Linear Staplers in Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy: Experience With 168 Cases in 5 Consecutive Years
Authors: Miura Susumu , Kanaya Seiichiro , Hosogi Hisahiro , Kawada Hironori , Akagawa Shin , Shimoike Norihiro , Okumura Shintaro , Okada Toshihiro , Ito Takeshi , Arimoto Akira 
Published: September 2017

Purpose:
We evaluate surgical outcomes of intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy in laparoscopic total gastrectomy using 2 linear stapler methods.

Materials and Methods:
The functional end-to-end anastomosis (FEEA) method was chosen as a first choice. The overlap method was chosen in cases with esophageal invasion. We retrospectively analyzed the early and late surgical outcomes of consecutive 168 laparoscopic total gastrectomy cases from April 2011 to December 2016.

Results and Conclusions:
The FEEA method was selected in 120 cases, and the overlap method was selected in 48 cases. The mean time of esophagojejunostomy for the FEEA and overlap method was 13.2 and 36.5 minutes, respectively. Two cases with FEEA method and 3 cases with overlap method experienced complications due to esophagojejunostomy leakage. These cases were treated without performing a reoperation. One case with FEEA method was complicated due to esophagojejunostomy stenosis. This case was endoscopically treated. Our procedures are safe and feasible.
New Insights in Vanishing White Matter Disease: Isolated Bilateral Optic Neuropathy in Adult Onset Disease
Authors: Barros Sandra R. , Parreira Sónia C. R. , Miranda Ana F. B. , Pereira Ana M. B. , Campos Nuno M. P. 
Published: September 2017

Background:
Vanishing white matter disease (VWMD) is a rare disease affecting cerebral white matter. The adult form is even rarer and manifests with motor symptoms, behavioral problems, and dementia. There is no treatment and progression is inevitable. We describe a case with atypical manifestations and an unusual course.

Methods:
Description of a 42-year-old man with VWMD complaining of progressive visual loss in the right eye.

Results:
The patient's visual acuity was 20/60, right eye, and 20/25, left eye, with pale optic nerves bilaterally. MRI showed atrophy of the corpus callosum, diffuse rarefaction of cerebral white matter including the anterior and posterior visual pathways.

Conclusion:
Our patient had no further symptoms besides loss of visual acuity, which is rare in patients with VWMD of the same age and genetic mutation.
Using gene genealogies to localize rare variants associated with complex traits in diploid populations
Authors: Karunarathna Charith B. , Graham Jinko 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackground and AimsMany methods can detect trait association with causal variants in candidate genomic regions; however, a comparison of their ability to localize causal variants is lacking. We extend a previous study of the detection abilities of these methods to a comparison of their localization abilities.MethodsThrough coalescent simulation, we compare several popular association methods. Cases and controls are sampled from a diploid population to mimic human studies. As benchmarks for comparison, we include two methods that cluster phenotypes on the true genealogical trees, a naive Mantel test considered previously in haploid populations and an extension that takes into account whether case haplotypes carry a causal variant. We first work through a simulated dataset to illustrate the methods. We then perform a simulation study to score the localization and detection properties.ResultsIn our simulations, the association signal was localized least precisely by the naive Mantel test and most precisely by its extension. Most other approaches had intermediate performance similar to the single-variant Fisher’s-exact test.ConclusionsOur results confirm earlier findings in haploid populations about potential gains in performance from genealogy-based approaches. They also highlight differences between haploid and diploid populations when localizing and detecting causal variants.
Investigating causality in associations between education and smoking: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Gage Suzanne H. , Bowden Jack , Smith George Davey , Munafo Marcus R. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundLower educational attainment is associated with increased rates of smoking, but ascertaining causality is challenging. We used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses of summary statistics to examine whether educational attainment is causally related to smoking.Methods and FindingsWe used summary statistics from genome-wide association studies of educational attainment and a range of smoking phenotypes (smoking initiation, cigarettes per day, cotinine levels and smoking cessation). Various complementary MR techniques (inverse-variance weighted regression, MR Egger, weighted-median regression) were used to test the robustness of our results. We found broadly consistent evidence across these techniques that higher educational attainment leads to reduced likelihood of smoking initiation, reduced heaviness of smoking among smokers (as measured via self-report and cotinine levels), and greater likelihood of smoking cessation among smokers.ConclusionsOur findings indicate a causal association between low educational attainment and increased risk of smoking, and may explain the observational associations between educational attainment and adverse health outcomes such as risk of coronary heart disease.
Relative quantification ofPorphyromonas gingivalis,Treponema denticola,Tannerella forsythiaandAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitanshigh-risk bacterial species in Romanian patients evaluated for periodontal disease
Authors: Constantin Cosac Ion , Consuel Ionica , Cristian Ratiu Attila , Lorand Savu 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThree bacterial species pertaining to the red complex (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola,andTannerella forsythia) andAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitanswere investigated in relation to the incidence and severity of periodontal disease. A total of 259 patients were included in this study, 179 being diagnosed with periodontal disease. The gingival crevicular fluid samples were obtained from periodontal pockets and the presence and levels of target bacteria were assessed following DNA extraction and real-time quantitative PCR. Our results account for significant positive associations between the number of bacterial species from the red complex coexisting within a patient and several clinical signs (gingival bleeding, inflammation and bone deterioration). A similar positive association was found between bacterial load of the red complex species and the clinical Case Type diagnostic of the periodontal disease, as well as the probing depth with the most evident results forT. denticola.In conclusion, our study, a first for the Romanian population, confirms previous results found elsewhere and finds a possible regional pathogenic specificity forT. denticolaas a major factor for periodontitis severity.
Mercury concentrations in Double—crested Cormorant chicks across Canada
Authors: Lavoie Raphael A. , Campbell Linda M. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractMercury (Hg) biomagnifies in aquatic food chains and can reach high concentrations in fish-eating birds. Spatial patterns of Hg have been found in freshwater ecosystems across Canada for many taxa including fish and birds. However, it is often challenging to sample a representative population size of adult birds to monitor concentrations of contaminants over a large spatial scale. Moreover, adult birds can migrate and can show a contaminant profile that may not be representative of local resources. The aims of this study were (1) to determine if there was a spatial pattern of Hg in piscivorous birds, (2) to develop a model to estimate Hg concentrations in breeding adults using chicks as proxy, and (3) to develop predictive equations among non-lethal samples that representative of local resources in adults (blood and growing feathers). Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) chick growing feathers were sampled at 19 sites across Canada (n= 106). Adult tissues (freshly grown feathers;n= 8-16 per feather type and blood;n= 160) were sampled at five of those locations to establish correlations between age classes and between adult tissues. We found an increase in Hg concentrations with latitude up to 50°N followed by a decrease. There was a decrease in Hg concentrations from west to east, which contradicts previous studies. We found a good correlation of Hg concentrations between adults and chicks and among adult tissues. Our model showed that it is possible to estimate Hg concentrations in adults across Canada using chicks as proxy. Our study shows that chicks can be a suitable proxy for monitoring local mercury concentrations and that they are representative of adults.Capsule:Concentrations of mercury in cormorant chicks are influenced by latitude
Nitrogen conservation, conserved: 46 million years of N-recycling by the core symbionts of turtle ants
Authors: Hu Yi , Sanders Jon G. , Łukasik Piotr , D’Amelio Catherine L. , Millar John S. , Vann David R. , Lan Yemin , Newton Justin A. , Schotanus Mark , Wertz John T. , Kronauer Daniel J. C. , Pierce Naomi E. , Moreau Corrie S. , Engel Philipp , Russell Jacob A. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractNitrogen acquisition is a major challenge for herbivorous animals, and the repeated origins of herbivory across the ants have raised expectations that nutritional symbionts have shaped their diversification. Direct evidence for N-provisioning by internally housed symbionts is rare in animals; among the ants, it has been documented for just one lineage. In this study we dissect functional contributions by bacteria from a conserved, multi-partite gut symbiosis in herbivorousCephalotesants throughin vivoexperiments, (meta)genomics, andin vitroassays. Gut bacteria recycle urea, and likely uric acid, using recycled N to synthesize essential amino acids that are acquired by hosts in substantial quantities. Specialized core symbionts of 17 studiedCephalotesspecies encode the pathways directing these activities, and several recycle Nin vitro. These findings point to a highly efficient N-economy, and a nutritional mutualism preserved for millions of years through the derived behaviors and gut anatomy ofCephalotesants.CategoryBiological Sciences-Evolution
Dynorphin counteracts orexin in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus: cellular and behavioral evidence
Authors: Matzeu Alessandra , Kallupi Marsida , George Olivier , Schweitzer Paul , Martin-Fardon Rémi 
Published: September 2017

ABSTRACTThe orexin (Orx) system is known to play a critical role in drug addiction and reward-related behaviors. The dynorphin (Dyn) system, conversely, promotes depressive-like behavior and plays a key role in the aversive effects of stress. Orexin and Dyn are co-released and have opposing functions in reward and motivation in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Earlier studies showed that microinjections of OrxA in the posterior paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (pPVT) exerted priming-like effects and reinstated cocaine-seeking behavior, suggesting that Orx transmission in the pPVT participates in cocaine-seeking behavior. The present study sought to determine whether Orx and Dyn interact in the pPVT. Using a cellular approach, brain slices were prepared for whole-cell recordings and to study excitatory transmission in pPVT neurons. The superfusion of OrxA increased spontaneous glutamatergic transmission by increasing glutamate release onto pPVT neurons, whereas DynA decreased glutamate release. Furthermore, the augmentation of OrxA-induced glutamate release was reversed by DynA. To corroborate the electrophysiological data, separate groups of male Wistar rats were trained to self-administer cocaine or sweetened condensed milk (SCM). After self-administration training, the rats underwent extinction training and were tested with intra-pPVT administration of OrxA±DynA under extinction conditions. OrxA reinstated cocaine-and SCM-seeking behavior, with a greater effect in cocaine animals. DynA selectively blocked OrxA-induced cocaine seekingvs. SCM seeking. The data indicate that DynA in the pPVT prevents OrxA-induced cocaine seeking, perhaps by reversing the OrxA-induced increase in glutamate release, identifying a novel therapeutic target to prevent cocaine relapse.
Task-related effective connectivity reveals that the cortical rich club gates cortex-wide communication
Authors: Senden Mario , Reuter Niels , van den Heuvel Martijn P. , Goebel Rainer , Deco Gustavo , Gilson Matthieu 
Published: September 2017

AbstractHigher cognition may require the globally coordinated integration of specialized brain regions into functional networks. A collection of structural cortical hubs - referred to as the rich club - has been hypothesized to support task-specific functional integration. In the present paper, we use a whole-cortex model to estimate directed interactions between 68 cortical regions from fMRI activity for four different tasks (reflecting different cognitive domains) and resting state. We analyze the state-dependent input and output effective connectivity of the structural rich club and relate these to whole-cortex dynamics and network reconfigurations. We find that the cortical rich club exhibits an increase in outgoing effective connectivity during task performance as compared to rest while incoming connectivity remains constant. Increased outgoing connectivity targets a sparse set of peripheral regions with specific regions strongly overlapping between tasks. At the same time, community detection analyses reveal massive reorganizations of interactions among peripheral regions, including those serving as target of increased rich club output. This suggests that while peripheral regions may play a role in several tasks, their concrete interplay might nonetheless be task-specific. Furthermore, we observe that whole-cortex dynamics are faster during task as compared to rest. The decoupling effects usually accompanying faster dynamics appear to be counteracted by the increased rich club outgoing effective connectivity. Together our findings speak to a gating mechanism of the rich club that supports fast-paced information exchange among relevant peripheral regions in a task-specific and goal-directed fashion, while constantly listening to the whole network.
A comparison between the neural correlates of laser and electric pain stimulation and their modulation by expectation
Authors: Hird EJ. , Talmi D. , Jones AKP. , El-Deredy W. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundPain is modulated by expectation. Event-related potential (ERP) studies of the influence of expectation on pain typically utilise laser heat stimulation to provide a controllable nociceptive-specific stimulus. Short painful electric stimulation has a number of practical advantages, but is less nociceptive-specific. We compared the modulation of electric versus laser-evoked pain by expectation, and their corresponding pain-evoked and anticipatory ERPs.New MethodWe developed understanding of recognised methods of laser and electric stimulation. We tested whether pain perception and neural activity induced by electric stimulation was modulated by expectation, whether this expectation elicited anticipatory neural correlates, and how these measures compared to those associated with laser stimulation. We elicited cue-evoked expectations of high and low pain and compared subjective ratings and corresponding ERPs in response to the delivery of laser and electric stimulation in a within-participant design.ResultsDespite sensory and affective differences between laser and electric pain, intensity ratings and pain-evoked potentials were modulated equivalently by expectation, though ERPs only correlated with pain ratings in the laser pain condition. Anticipatory correlates significantly differentiated pain intensity expectation to laser but not electric pain.Comparison with Existing MethodPrevious studies have consistently shown that laser-evoked potentials are modulated by expectation. We extend this by showing electric pain-evoked potentials are equally modulated by expectation, within the same participants. We also show a difference between the pain types in anticipation.ConclusionsThough laser-evoked potentials express a stronger relationship with pain perception, both laser and electric stimulation may be used to study the modulation of pain-evoked potentials by expectation. Anticipatory-evoked potentials are elicited by both pain types, but they may reflect different processes and did not correlate with pain perception.
Temperate phages as self-replicating weapons in bacterial competition
Authors: Li Xiang-Yi , Lachnit Tim , Fraune Sebastian , Bosch Thomas C. G. , Traulsen Arne , Sieber Michael 
Published: September 2017

AbstractMicrobial communities are accompanied by a diverse array of viruses. Through infections of abundant microbes, these viruses have the potential to mediate competition within the community, effectively weakening competitive interactions and promoting coexistence. This is of particular relevance for host-associated microbial communities, since the diversity of the microbiota has been linked to host health and functioning. Here, we study the interaction between two key members of the microbiota of the freshwater metazoanHydra vulgaris. The two commensal bacteriaCurvibactersp. andDuganellasp. protect their host from fungal infections, but only if both of them are present. Coexistence of the two bacteria is thus beneficial forHydra. Intriguingly,Duganellasp. appears to be the superior competitorin vitrodue to its higher growth rate when both bacteria are grown seperately, but in coculture the outcome of competition depends on the relative initial abundances of the two species. The presence of an inducible prophage in theCurvibactersp. genome which is able to lytically infectDuganellasp., led us to hypothesise that the phage modulates the interaction between these two key members of theHydramicrobiota. Using a mathematical model we show that the interplay of the lysogenic life-cycle of theCurvibacterphage and the lytic life-cycle onDuganellasp. can explain the observed complex competitive interaction between the two bacteria. Our results highlight the importance of taking lysogeny into account for understanding microbe-virus interactions and show the complex role phages can play in promoting coexistence of their bacterial hosts.