bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
DBA/2J mouse model for experimental glaucoma: pitfalls and problems
Authors: Turner Anita J , Vander Wall Roshana , Gupta Vivek , Klistorner Alex , Graham Stuart L 
Published: May 2017

AbstractBackgroundThe DBA/2J mouse has been described as a model for congenital experimental glaucoma. It develops anterior segment anomalies with synechiae and pigment dispersion leading to raised intraocular pressure and glaucomatous damage. However, there are serious practical considerations when using this model in longitudinal studies.MethodsWe followed 118 mice from 12–48 weeks of age in a pharmaceutical trial. Here we report on the findings in control animals (n = 37). Intraocular pressure was measured weekly, electrophysiology and optical coherence tomography every 6 weeks. A subset also had invasive intraocular pressure measurements performed prior to euthanasia.ResultsAlthough intraocular pressure eventually rose by 9 months in most animals, tonometry was complicated by corneal calcification in the majority of animals rendering intraocular pressure measurement unreliable. Invasive intraocular pressure did not correlate with non‐invasive measures. Loss of scotopic threshold response and thinning of inner retinal layers on optical coherence tomography was observed over time, suggesting glaucomatous damage, but this occurred in some animals without raised intraocular pressure. Poor pupil dilation significantly affected electrophysiology, optical coherence tomography and fundus imaging; 22% of animals developed major systemic complications leading to high dropout rate.ConclusionsThe DBA/2J experimental glaucoma model shows variability in expression, and its pathological changes cause major difficulties in assessing disease progression. From our experience, the model presents significant challenges for drug studies in glaucoma, as there are many confounding factors: difficulty with accurate intraocular pressure measurement, in vivo imaging, and electrophysiology recording and a high dropout rate. In addition, there may be an underlying neurodegenerative process independent of intraocular pressure.
Impact and management of left ventricular function on the prognosis of Takotsubo syndrome
Authors: El‐Battrawy Ibrahim , Ansari Uzair , Lang Siegfried , Behnes Michael , Schramm Katja , Fastner Christian , Zhou Xiaobo , Kuschyk Jürgen , Tülümen Erol , Röger Susanne , Borggrefe Martin , Akin Ibrahim 
Published: May 2017

AbstractBackgroundEarly research has proposed that patients with Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) could have a higher mortality rate than the general population. Our study was conducted to determine the short‐ and long‐term outcome of TTS patients associated with a significantly compromised left ventricular function on hospital admission.Materials and methodsOur institutional database constituted a collective of 112 patients diagnosed with TTS between 2003 and 2015. The patients were classified into two groups based on the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), with those presenting with a LVEF > 35% on admission categorized into one group (n = 65, 58%) and those presenting with LVEF ≤ 35% (n=47, 42%) categorized into another group. The endpoint was the all‐cause of mortality over a mean follow‐up of 1529 ± 1121 days.ResultsPreliminary results indicated that patients with an EF ≤ 35% had a significantly greater risk of developing life‐threatening arrhythmias, and were much more likely to suffer from cardiogenic shock. Patients often required varying forms of mechanical respiratory support. The in‐hospital mortality, 30‐day mortality, 1‐year mortality and ongoing long‐term mortality was significantly higher in TTS patients with an EF ≤ 35%. In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, an EF ≤ 35% (HR 3·3, 95% CI: 1·2–9·2, P < 0·05) was identified as a strong independent predictor of the primary endpoint.ConclusionsIn‐hospital events as well as short‐ and long‐term mortality rates among TTS patients diagnosed with a significantly reduced LVEF on admission were significantly higher. There is an urgent need for randomized trials, which could help define uniform clinical management strategies for high risk TTS patients.
Serum phosphate is related to adiposity in healthy adults
Authors: Billington Emma O. , Gamble Greg D. , Bristow Sarah , Reid Ian R. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractBackgroundInorganic phosphate is a crucial component of cellular energy metabolism. We have identified an inverse relationship between serum phosphate concentration and fat mass in a cohort of healthy men. This study reports those data and determines whether this association is present in two female populations.MethodsCross‐sectional data from three independent cohorts, consisting of healthy adult males (Male Cohort, n = 323) and healthy postmenopausal women (Female Cohort 1, n = 185; and Female Cohort 2, n = 1471), are reported. Associations between serum phosphate and weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass and bone mineral density (BMD) were assessed. In a fourth cohort of postmenopausal women (FGF23 Cohort, n = 20), associations between fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), weight and BMI were assessed.ResultsSerum phosphate correlated inversely with weight, BMI and fat mass across all three cohorts (r = −0·13 to −0·31, P < 0·0001–0·02). Associations were diminished after adjustment for PTH, but remained significant. In the FGF23 Cohort, FGF23 was positively correlated with weight (r = 0·60, P = 0·007) and BMI (r = 0·49, P = 0·03). Phosphate was inversely associated with BMD in Female Cohorts 1 and 2 (r = −0·08 to −0·29, P < 0·0001–0·02). This relationship was attenuated, but remained significant at most sites, following adjustment for age, fat mass, renal function and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D.ConclusionsSerum phosphate is inversely associated with measures of adiposity in both women and men, largely independently of PTH. FGF23 might mediate these associations. This relationship may be an unrecognized confounder in some of the correlates of serum phosphate already described.
The Problem of Relevant Descriptions and the Scope of Moral Principles
Authors: Schumski Irina 
Published: May 2017

AbstractIn her seminal attack on modern moral philosophy, G. E. M. Anscombe claims that Kant's ‘rule about universalizable maxims is useless without stipulations as to what shall count as a relevant description of an action with a view to constructing a maxim about it’. Although this so‐called problem of relevant descriptions has received considerable attention in the literature, there is little agreement on how it should be understood or solved. My aim in this paper is, first, to clarify the problem by clearing up several misunderstandings, and, second, to show that the problem is rooted in a standard assumption about Kant's stance on the scope of moral principles—an assumption that precludes its solution. I argue that the problem consists in the fact that Kant's formula of universal law seems to stand in need of an account of moral sensibility that does not render the formula superfluous. But, as my discussion of existing solutions reveals, there can be no such account. Instead, I propose a dissolution: we should think of the formula of universal law itself as Kant's account of moral sensibility. In order to do so, we must reject the standard assumption that a principle is universal if and only if it holds for all instances of the action type that it specifies.
Seed dormancy, soil type and protective shelters influence seedling emergence at Shark Bay, Western Australia: Insight into global dryland revegetation
Authors: Mayence Charles Ellery , Carrick Peter J. , Van Beem Dale , Broenland Eefje , Dixon Kingsley W. 
Published: May 2017

SummarySeedling emergence is a major constraint on dryland revegetation success. In this study, we investigated seedling emergence of six framework shrub species as influenced by seed treatment, soil type and protective shelters using a large field trial in arid Western Australia. We observed the main effects of seed treatment and soil type to account for the majority of the variation in emergence. For species that exhibit pronounced dormancy, we found emergence of dormancy‐alleviated or treated (T) seed to be significantly greater than dormant or untreated (UT) seed, with responses varying across species (e.g. 41 times greater for Acacia ligulata Benth., and 10 times greater for Stylobasium spathulatum Desf.). For shallowly or nondormant species like Senna glutinosa (DC) Randall, UT seed emergence was slightly greater than for T seed. Compared to subsoil, topsoil was more receptive to infiltration (3.44 vs. 0.38 mm/min), and less prone to compaction (1.24 vs. 1.67 g/cm3) and crusting (0.6 vs. 1.3 kg/cm2); however, subsoil had greater moisture retention. Shelters failed to benefit soil moisture retention in either soil type, but enhanced emergence for most species. This study provides insight into how various cost‐effective treatments can be utilized to manipulate seed dormancy to optimize seedling emergence, the intrinsic value of topsoil as a superior growth medium and the benefit of novel, low‐cost shelters for enhancing seedling emergence. In arid environments, sowing T seed in combination with UT seed increases the likelihood of capitalizing on inherently variable precipitation events.
Relationship between pain and motor and non‐motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Defazio G. , Antonini A. , Tinazzi M. , Gigante A. F. , Pietracupa S. , Pellicciari R. , Bloise M. , Bacchin R. , Marcante A. , Fabbrini G. , Berardelli A. 
Published: May 2017

Background and purposeAlthough female gender, depressive symptoms and medical conditions predisposing to pain are more common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with pain, no study has yet explored the relationship between pain and other non‐motor symptoms (NMS).MethodsA total of 321 consecutive patients with PD [190 men/131 women aged 68.3 (SD 9.2) years] attending four Italian movement disorder clinics were studied. Demographic/clinical data were obtained by a standardized interview and the NMS scale. The association of pain with motor and NMS was assessed by multivariable logistic regression models.ResultsAt the time of the study, 180 patients with PD (56%) reported chronic pain that, in most cases, was described as being muscular or arthralgic pain. Pain preceded the onset of motor signs in 36/180 patients. In the main‐effect model, factors independently associated with pain were female sex [odds ratio (OR), 2.1; P = 0.01], medical conditions predisposing to pain (OR, 2.9; P < 0.001), Hoehn–Yahr staging (OR, 1.9; P = 0.04), motor complications (OR, 4.7; P = 0.04) and NMS belonging to the sleep/fatigue (OR, 1.6; P = 0.04) and mood/cognition (OR, 1.6; P = 0.03) domains. Most explanatory variables in the multivariable analysis were similarly distributed in patients in whom pain may have been related to PD or to a cause other than PD.ConclusionsWe confirm that pain in PD is more frequent in women and in subjects with medical conditions predisposing to painful symptoms. Moreover, this strengthens the association between pain and motor severity measures and NMS domains, particularly sleep and mood disturbances.
Tax Havens, Tax Evasion and Tax Information Exchange Agreements in the OECD
Authors: Kemme David M. , Parikh Bhavik , Steigner Tanja 
Published: May 2017

AbstractUsing data on Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI), we find a positive relationship between higher tax burden and OECD residents’ tax evasion, especially via tax havens. Contrary to established investor preference for certain country characteristics, we find they are less important to tax evaders who value privacy and want to remain undetected by their home tax authorities. We find very limited evidence that OECD Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAS) reduce tax evasion, controlling for other determinants of overall OECD FPI. Without the US in the OECD sample, tax havens play a lesser role and OECD policies appear to make a marginal impact.
Marital Interactions, Family Intervention, and Disagreements: A Daily Diary Study in a Low‐income Sample
Authors: Hsueh JoAnn , McCormick Meghan , Merrillees Christine , Chou Patricia , Cummings Edward Mark 
Published: May 2017

Little research has examined associations between low‐income married couples’ daily interactions and severity of disagreements. Similarly, few researchers have considered how family‐strengthening interventions for low‐income couples may affect the quality of daily interactions and associations between interactions and conflict experiences. This study aims to fill these gaps in the literature by leveraging daily diary data from a random assignment study of a family‐strengthening intervention with low‐income husbands and wives 30 months postenrollment. Married couples randomly assigned to the intervention participated in 10 weeks of relationship education services. Control group couples received no services. Thirty months postrandom assignment, participants reported on the severity of daily marital disagreements over a 15‐day period, as well as their positive and negative emotions during inter‐spousal interactions. Multi‐level models demonstrated associations between reports of emotions in interactions and severity of disagreements. In addition, wives assigned to the family strengthening program reported fewer negative emotions during interactions at follow‐up than wives in the control condition. Finally, negative associations between positive emotions in interactions and severity of disagreements were stronger for wives assigned to the intervention, while positive associations between negative emotions in interactions and severity of disagreements were weaker for wives assigned to the intervention. Implications for future research and intervention development are discussed.
Prevalence of muscle weakness based on different diagnostic criteria in community‐dwelling older adults: A comparison of grip strength dynamometers
Authors: Kim Miji , Shinkai Shoji 
Published: May 2017

AimThe present study compared the performance of the Jamar and Smedley dynamometers for the measurement of grip strength, and the two dynamometers were used to determine the prevalence rate of weakness in a large, community‐dwelling, older adult population, based on different diagnostic criteria.MethodsA total of 467 community‐dwelling older adults aged 69–89 years were recruited into the study. Grip strength was measured with two dynamometers; the Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer was used as the reference device. To assess agreement between grip strength measurements by the two dynamometers, linear regression and Bland–Altman analyses were carried out.ResultsIn a comparison of the dynamometers, high coefficients of determination (R2) were obtained for grip strength (R2 = 0.80, standard error of the estimate 2.68 kg in male participants, and R2 = 0.75, standard error of the estimate = 1.95 kg in female participants). There was systematic bias with underestimation of grip strength (bias 3.09 kg, 95% confidence interval 2.77 to 3.41 for men; bias 2.60 kg, 95% confidence interval 2.31 to 2.89 for women) by the Smedley dynamometer. In both sexes, no proportional bias was noted between the two dynamometers for measurement of grip strength (r = 0.030, P = 0.611 for male participants; r = −0.033, P = 0.653 for female participants). The prevalence of weakness ranged from 1.8 to 19.9% in male participants, and 0.5 to 27.4% in female participants.ConclusionsThe present study shows that despite the excellent correlation between the two dynamometers, there is a statistically significant difference in grip strength measurements. The Smedley dynamometer showed a higher prevalence of weakness than did the Jamar dynamometer. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2089–2095
High electrocaloric effect in hot‐pressed Pb0.85La0.1(Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3 ceramics with a wide operating temperature range
Authors: Zhang Guangzu , Chen Mo , Fan Baoyan , Liu Yang , Li Mingyu , Jiang Shenglin , Huang Houbing , Liu Huan , Li Honglang , Wang Qing 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe temperature stability of the electrocaloric effect (ECE) in relaxor ferroelectric Pb0.85La0.1(Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3 (PLZT) prepared by the hot‐press sintering method has been investigated. Compared to the PLZTs prepared via the conventional sintering process, the hot‐pressed PLZTs exhibit larger ECE and superior temperature stability. The hot‐pressed sample with an appropriate content of excess PbO presents a high ΔT of 2.4°C and ΔS of 2.3 J kg−1·K−1, both of which are 30% greater than those of the conventionally sintered samples measured at 100 kV·cm−1. More importantly, the hot‐pressed specimens display great stable electrical properties, including the dielectric breakdown strength and electrical resistivity in the temperature range from 0°C to 100°C, whose ECE instability, especially, is only one‐half that of the samples prepared by the conventional solid‐state method. In addition, the ECE and its stability of the hot‐pressed sample can be further enhanced by increasing the operating electric field to a relatively high level of 200 kV·cm−1. This work demonstrates hot‐press sintering is an effective method to fabricate ferroelectric ceramics with high ECE as well as desirable temperature stability.
Bullous pemphigoid associated with dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors: A report of five cases
Authors: Yoshiji Satoshi , Murakami Takaaki , Harashima Shin‐ichi , Ko Rie , Kashima Riko , Yabe Daisuke , Ogura Masahito , Doi Kentaro , Inagaki Nobuya 
Published: May 2017

AbstractBullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering skin disorder. Recently, BP induced by dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitors has been a concern. Although DPP‐4 inhibitors are commonly used in the Asian population because of their safety and efficacy, BP associated with DPP‐4 inhibitors is sometimes seen in clinical settings. Here, we report five Japanese cases of BP associated with the agents. In the present cases, BP occurred in older adults using four different DPP‐4 inhibitors, which showed various clinical manifestations in terms of latency period for BP, sex, glycemic control and diabetes duration. Withdrawal of DPP‐4 inhibitors was effective in improving BP, and achieved remission even in cases requiring oral steroid administration and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Clinicians should note the importance of early diagnosis of this clinical condition and initiate prompt withdrawal of DPP‐4 inhibitors.
Association between serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D and glycated hemoglobin levels in type 2 diabetes patients with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Lim Lee Ling , Ng Yong Muh , Kang Pei San , Lim Soo Kun 
Published: May 2017

AbstractAims/IntroductionVitamin D is suggested to influence glucose homeostasis. An inverse relationship between serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and glycemic control in non‐chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with type 2 diabetes was reported. We aimed to examine this association among type 2 diabetes patients with CKD.Materials and MethodsA total of 100 type 2 diabetes participants with stage 3–4 CKD were recruited. Blood for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum 25(OH)D, renal and lipid profiles were drawn at enrollment. Correlation and regression analyses were carried out to assess the relationship of serum 25(OH)D, HbA1c and other metabolic traits.ResultsA total of 30, 42, and 28% of participants were in CKD stage 3a, 3b and 4, respectively. The proportions of participants based on ethnicity were 51% Malay, 24% Chinese and 25% Indian. The mean (±SD) age and body mass index were 60.5 ± 9.0 years and 28.3 ± 5.9 kg/m2, whereas mean HbA1c and serum 25(OH)D were 7.9 ± 1.6% and 37.1 ± 22.2 nmol/L. HbA1c was negatively correlated with serum 25(OH)D (rs = −0.314, P = 0.002), but positively correlated with body mass index (rs = 0.272, P = 0.006) and serum low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.006). There was a significant negative correlation between serum 25(OH)D and total daily dose of insulin prescribed (rs = −0.257, P = 0.042). Regression analyses showed that every 10‐nmol/L decline in serum 25(OH)D was associated with a 0.2% increase in HbA1c.ConclusionsLower serum 25(OH)D was associated with poorer glycemic control and higher insulin use among multi‐ethnic Asians with type 2 diabetes and stage 3–4 CKD.
The Demise of Mexican State Nationalism and the Rise of Purhépecha Ethnicity: Kurikahueri K'uinchikua and Purhéecherio
Authors: Roth‐Seneff Andrew 
Published: May 2017

ResumenUn tema persistente en la antropología mexicana se ha enfocado en las posibilidades y consecuencias de transiciones nacionales mayores, especialmente dentro de paradigmas de modernización. En las vísperas de las transiciones ‘neoliberales’ mayores en México iniciadas en la década de 1990, tanto Adolfo Gilly como Arturo Warman hicieron hincapié en el potencial innovador de formas históricamente enraizadas de solidaridad rural mexicana para la organización de significantes cambios colectivos productivos desde abajo, libres de la dependencia impuesta desde arriba y asociada con el estado. Mediante un análisis conceptual y la etnografía, este artículo explora esta posibilidad en términos de cultura, identidad y partimonio subalternos, y en relación al ocaso del nacionalismo del estado mexicano y la emergencia de la etnicidad purhépecha en las últimas tres décadas.
Assessment of trophic ecomorphology in non‐alligatoroid crocodylians and its adaptive and taxonomic implications
Authors: Iijima Masaya 
Published: May 2017

AbstractAlthough the establishment of trophic ecomorphology in living crocodylians can contribute to estimating feeding habits of extinct large aquatic reptiles, assessment of ecomorphological traits other than the snout shape has scarcely been conducted in crocodylians. Here, I tested the validity of the proposed trophic ecomorphological traits in crocodylians by examining the correlation between those traits and the snout shape (an established trophic ecomorphology), using 10 non‐alligatoroid crocodylian species with a wide range of snout shape. I then compared the ontogenetic scaling of trophic ecomorphology to discuss its adaptive and taxonomic significance. The results demonstrated that degree of heterodonty, tooth spacing, size of supratemporal fenestra (STF), ventral extension of pterygoid flange and length of lower jaw symphysis are significantly correlated with snout shape by both non‐phylogenetic and phylogenetic regression analyses.Gavialis gangeticusfalls outside of 95% prediction intervals for the relationships of some traits and the snout shape, suggesting that piscivorous specialization involves the deviation from the typical transformation axis of skull characters. The comparative snout shape ontogeny revealed a universal trend of snout widening through growth in the sampled crocodylians, implying the existence of a shared size‐dependent biomechanical constraint in non‐alligatoroid crocodylians. Growth patterns of other traits indicated thatG. gangeticusshows atypical trends for degree of heterodonty, size of STF, and symphysis length, whereas the same trends are shared for tooth spacing and ventral extension of pterygoid flange among non‐alligatoroid crocodylians. These suggest that some characters are ontogenetically labile in response to prey preference shifts through growth, but other characters are in keeping with the conserved biomechanics among non‐alligatoroid crocodylians. Some important taxonomic characters such as the occlusal pattern are likely correlated with ontogeny and trophic ecomorphology rather than are constrained by phylogenetic relationships, and careful reassessment of such characters might be necessary for better reconstructing the morphological phylogeny of crocodylians.