bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Animals alter precipitation legacies: Trophic and ecosystem engineering effects on plant community temporal dynamics
Authors: Grinath Joshua B. , Deguines Nicolas , Chesnut John W. , Prugh Laura R. , Brashares Justin S. , Suding Katharine N. 
Published: January 2018

Abstract

Multiyear precipitation “legacies” can have stronger effects on plant community composition than rainfall in the current growing season, but variation in the magnitude of these effects is not fully understood. Direct interactions between plants and animals, such as herbivory, and indirect interactions, such as ecosystem engineering (via changes in the physical environment), may influence precipitation legacies by altering mechanisms of lagged effects. However, the role of direct and indirect plant–animal interactions in determining the strength of precipitation legacies remains largely unexplored.

Here, we investigated effects of current growing season rainfall and precipitation legacies on grassland composition, and the influence of herbivory and ecosystem engineering interactions on these temporal dynamics. From 2009 to 2014, a period spanning high and low rainfall, we recorded plant cover in kangaroo rat exclosures and paired control plots that included both burrow and inter‐burrow areas. We used linear mixed effects modelling and analysis of community dissimilarities to evaluate plant composition responses to current and previous growing season rainfall and kangaroo rat herbivory (presence of seed foraging) and ecosystem engineering (burrowing).

We found that community composition was more strongly affected by precipitation legacies than by current growing season rainfall. Greater precipitation in the previous growing season enhanced grass cover and reduced forb and legume cover. Kangaroo rat trophic and engineering interactions had counteracting effects on these legacies. While burrowing increased grass cover and thereby amplified the effects of previous growing season rainfall on community composition, legacies were suppressed by the presence of kangaroo rat foraging, which decreased grass cover. Further analysis revealed that kangaroo rat foraging and burrowing had conflicting effects on residual plant biomass prior to the growing season, suggesting that precipitation legacies were influenced by altered litter dynamics.

Synthesis. Our study demonstrates that animals can impact the strength of precipitation legacies through direct and indirect interactions with the plant species that drive lag effects. The influence of multiple types of plant–animal interactions on precipitation legacies may be important to consider for ecosystem management and when generating predictions of community composition and productivity in future ecosystems.
Determination of the maximum tolerated dose of intranasal sufentanil and midazolam in Chinese: a pilot study
Authors: Zou Y. , Shao L. , Tian M. , Zhang Y. , Liu F. 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD, the dose of causing 10% respiratory depression) of intranasal sufentanil (SUF) and midazolam (MID) for sedation during gastroscopy by continual reassessment method (CRM).MethodsPatients (18–65 years old) scheduled for gastroscopy were recruited in this study. Subjects received intranasal SUF and MID for sedation. The dose of MID (5 mg) was fixed, while the dose of SUF was increased progressively (six incremental doses ranging from 0–0.60 μg/kg, n = 3 for each dose). The first cohort received a conservative, predetermined dose of 5 mg MID and 0 μg/kg SUF, subsequent cohorts received doses of SUF that were determined by the responses of all previous patients using Bayesian‐based software. The dose allocated to the next cohort is the one with an updated posterior response probability closest to 10%.ResultsThirty Chinese patients scheduled for gastroscopy were included. Probability of respiratory depression at each dose was as follows: 5 mg MID + 0 μg/kg SUF, 0.4%; 5 mg MID + 0.1 μg/kg SUF, 0.8%; 5 mg MID + 0.2 μg/kg SUF, 1.8%; 5 mg MID + 0.3 μg/kg SUF, 3.7%; 5 mg MID + 0.4 μg/kg SUF, 9.9%; 5 mg MID + 0.5 μg/kg SUF, 17.8%; 5 mg MID + 0.6 μg/kg SUF, 36.0%.ConclusionThe MTD of intranasal MID and SUF for sedation during gastroscopy causing 10% respiratory depression is 5 mg MID + 0.4 μg/kg SUF, based on CRM.
Diminishing benefit of smoking cessation medications during the first year: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Rosen Laura J. , Galili Tal , Kott Jeffrey , Goodman Mark , Freedman Laurence S. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBackground and aimsAlthough smoking cessation medications have shown effectiveness in increasing abstinence in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), it is unclear to what extent benefits persist over time. This paper assesses whether the benefits of smoking cessation medications decline over the first year.MethodsWe selected studies from three systematic reviews published by the Cochrane Collaboration. RCTs of first‐line smoking cessation medications, with 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up, were eligible for inclusion. Meta‐analysis was used to synthesize information on sustained abstinence (SA) at 6 versus 12 months and 3 versus 6 months, using the risk difference (RD) (‘net benefit’) between intervention and control group quit rates, the relative risk (RR) and the odds ratio (OR).ResultsSixty‐one studies (27 647 participants) were included. Fewer than 40% of intervention group participants were sustained abstinent at 3 months (bupropion: 37.1%; nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): 34.8%; varenicline: 39.3%); approximately a quarter were sustained abstinent at 6 months (bupropion: 25.9%; NRT: 26.6%; varenicline: 25.4%), and approximately a fifth were sustained abstinent at 12 months (bupropion: 19.9%; NRT: 19.8%%; varenicline: 18.7%). There was only a small decline in RR (3 months: 1.95 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.74–2.18, P < 0.0001]; 6 months: 1.87 (95% CI = 1.67–2.08 P < 0.0001); 12 months: 1.75 (95% CI = 1.56–1.95, P < 0.0001) between intervention and control groups over time, but a substantial decline in net benefit [3 months: RD = 17.3% (14.5–20.1%); 6 months: RD = 11.8% (10.0–13.7%); 12 months: RD = 8.2% (6.8–9.6%)]. The decline in net benefit was statistically significant between 3 and 6 [RD = 4.95% (95% CI = 3.49–6.41%), P < 0.0001] and 6 and 12 months [RD = 3.00% (95% CI = 2.36%–3.64%), P < 0.0001)] for medications combined and individual medications.ConclusionsThe proportion of smokers who use smoking cessation medications who benefit from doing so decreases during the course of the first year, but a net benefit still remains at 12 months.
A reciprocal effects analysis of cannabis use and perceptions of risk
Authors: Salloum Naji C. , Krauss Melissa J. , Agrawal Arpana , Bierut Laura J. , Grucza Richard A. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBackground and AimsAdolescents and young adults increasingly view cannabis as a relatively safe drug. Perception of risk associated with cannabis use is correlated negatively with the prevalence of use, but the causal nature of this association is debated. The aim of this study is to quantitate the reciprocal associations between cannabis use and risk perception in a longitudinal panel of emerging adults.DesignObservational study of longitudinal data from the Monitoring the Future longitudinal study using autoregressive cross‐lagged panel analyses to investigate reciprocal associations between cannabis risk perception and frequency of past‐year cannabis use.SettingSurveys administered to 12th‐grade students from the United States general population.ParticipantsA total of 9929 12th‐grade students (mean age 18.0 years) who were surveyed initially during 2000–05 and follow‐up data until approximately 23‐24 years old (three waves; n = 9929).MeasurementsPerception of risk association with cannabis use and frequency of past‐year cannabis use.ResultsAt baseline, 33% of the 12th‐graders used cannabis in the past year versus 28% by the third follow‐up; 83% believed that smoking cannabis regularly carried moderate or great risk versus 78% by the third follow‐up. All cross‐lagged paths in both directions were statistically significant (all P < 0.001), consistent with reciprocal influences between cannabis use and risk perception. The negative association between past‐year cannabis use and subsequent risk perception (standardized coefficient range −0.21 to −0.27) was stronger than that between risk perception and subsequent use (standardized coefficient range −0.08 to −0.11; confidence intervals did not overlap with those for the coefficients reported above). Similar results were obtained when the analysis was limited to those who had never used cannabis prior to baseline.ConclusionsLongitudinal associations between cannabis use and perception of risks from cannabis use are reciprocal in nature, with a stronger association between cannabis use and lower subsequent risk perception.
EAACI Position paper on the standardization of nasal allergen challenges
Authors: Augé J. , Vent J. , Agache I. , Airaksinen L. , Campo Mozo P. , Chaker A. , Cingi C. , Durham S. , Fokkens W. , Gevaert P. , Giotakis A. , Hellings P. , Herknerova M. , Hox V. , Klimek L. , La Melia C. , Mullol J. , Muluk N. B. , Muraro A. , Naito K. , Pfaar O. , Riechelmann H. , Rondon C. , Rudenko M. , Samolinski B. , Tasca I. , Tomazic P. , Vogt K. , Wagenmann M. , Yeryomenko G. , Zhang L. , Mösges R. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractNasal allergen challenge (NAC) is an important tool to diagnose allergic rhinitis. In daily clinical routine, experimentally, or when measuring therapeutic success clinically, nasal allergen challenge is fundamental. It is further one of the key diagnostic tools when initiating specific allergen immunotherapy. So far, national recommendations offered guidance on its execution; however, international divergence left many questions unanswered. These differences in the literature caused EAACI to initiate a task force to answer unmet needs and find a consensus in executing nasal allergen challenge. On the basis of a systematic review containing nasal allergen challenges of the past years, task force members reviewed evidence, discussed open issues, and studied variations of several subjective and objective assessment parameters to propose a standardized way of a nasal allergen challenge procedure in clinical practice. Besides an update on indications, contraindications, and preparations for the test procedure, main recommendations are a bilaterally challenge with standardized allergens, with a spray device offering 0.1 mL per nostril. A systematic catalogue for positivity criteria is given for the variety of established subjective and objective assessment methods as well as a schedule for the challenge procedure. The task force recommends a unified protocol for NAC for daily clinical practice, aiming at eliminating the previous difficulty of comparing NAC results due to unmet needs.
Neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio predicts anastomotic dehiscence
Authors: Walker Patrick A. , Kunjuraman Bindu , Bartolo David C. C. 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundAnastomotic dehiscence (AD) is the most feared complication following colonic and rectal anastomosis. Multiple attempts have been made to correlate the levels of biomarkers to the risk of AD. This study attempts to compare C‐reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as predictors of AD.MethodThis case‐controlled study collected data on patients undergoing colonic and rectal anastomosis over an 18‐month period. Levels of CRP, PCT and NLR were recorded daily for the first 5 days post‐operatively. These results were then compared between those who developed AD and those who did not.ResultsA total of 136 patients were included; 11 (8.1%) patients developed AD. CRP and NLR were useful predictors of AD with an area under the curve of 0.81 and 0.78 on post‐operative day 4. PCT was not found to be raised significantly higher in patients who developed AD compared to those who did not.ConclusionCRP and NLR are useful predictors of AD. PCT is not a useful predictor of AD.
Alarmins as biomarkers of gastrointestinal surgical injury – a pilot study
Authors: Maca Jan , Holub Michal , Bursa Filip , Ihnat Peter , Reimer Petr , Svagera Zdenek , Burda Michal , Sevcik Pavel 
Published: January 2018

The dysregulation of inflammatory response to surgical injury affects outcomes. Alarmins, the earliest bioactive substances from damaged cells, play a crucial role in initiating the inflammation. We analyzed serum levels of alarmins (S100A8, S100A12, high mobility group box, and heat shock protein 70) after major abdominal surgery (MAS) in surgical (S) (n = 82) and nonsurgical (NS) groups (n = 35). The main objective was determining a role of selected alarmins in host response to MAS. The secondary objectives were (i) evaluation of the relationship among alarmins and selected biomarkers (C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6), (ii) influence of the place of gastrointestinal resection, and (iii) role of alarmins in MAS for cancer. Except for HMGB1, the levels of all alarmins were higher in the S group compared with the NS group. In the S group, positive correlations were found between S100A8 and both IL‐6 and CRP. Additionally, the S100A8 level was higher (p < 0.01) in patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) surgery compared to middle and lower GIT resections. Alarmins levels did not differ between cancer and noncancer patients. MAS is able to elicit increase in alarmin levels. S100A8 can be considered a potential biomarker of surgical injury, especially in the upper part of the GIT.
Coexistence of MACC1 and NM23‐H1 dysregulation and tumor budding promise early prognostic evidence for recurrence risk of early‐stage colon cancer
Authors: Ozturk Ersin , Aksoy Secil AK , Ugras Nesrin , Tunca Berrin , Ceylan Serkan , Tezcan Gulcin , Yilmazlar Tuncay , Yerci Omer , Egeli Unal , Cecener Gulsah 
Published: January 2018

The tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) classification, the presence of a mucinous component, and signet ring cells are well‐known criteria for identifying patients at a high risk for recurrence and determining the therapeutic approach for early‐stage colon cancer (eCC). Nevertheless, recurrence can unexpectedly occur in some eCC cases after surgical resection. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the relation of dysregulated MACC1, c‐MET, and NM23‐H1 expression with the histopathological features of tumors in recurrence formation in eCC cases. A total of 100 sporadic eCC patients without poor prognosis factors were evaluated in this study. The relationship between the altered expression of MACC1, c‐MET, and NM23‐H1 and pathological microenvironmental features, including the presence of tumor budding and desmoplasia, were assessed. The primary outcomes, including 5‐year overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS), were also measured. Compared with nonrecurrent patients, the expression level of MACC1 was 8.27‐fold higher, and NM23‐H1 was 11.36‐fold lower in patients with recurrence during the 5‐year follow‐up (p = 0.0345 and p = 0.0301, respectively). In addition, the coexistence of high MACC1 and low NM23‐H1 expression and tumor budding was associated with short OS (p < 0.001). We suggest that the combination of reduced NM23‐H1, induced MACC1, and the presence of tumor budding are promising biomarkers for the prediction of recurrence and may aid the stratification of patients with stage II colon cancer for adjuvant chemotherapy.
Psychometric properties of the PROMIS short form measures in a U.S. cohort of 961 patients with chronic hepatitis C prescribed direct acting antiviral therapy
Authors: Evon D. M. , Amador J. , Stewart P. , Reeve B. B. , Lok A. S. , Sterling R. K. , Di Bisceglie A. M. , Reau N. , Serper M. , Sarkar S. , Lim J. K. , Golin C. E. , Fried M. W. 
Published: January 2018

SummaryBackgroundTo better understand symptoms experienced by patients infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), valid and reliable patient‐reported outcome (PRO) measures are needed.AimTo assess the reliability and validity of 10 patient‐reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) measures and the Headache Impact Test‐6 (HIT‐6) in a large national sample of patients with HCV.MethodsPre‐treatment data from 961 patients with HCV starting direct acting antiviral therapy at 11 U.S. liver centers were analyzed. Internal reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient; frequency distributions were examined for floor and ceiling effects; structural validity was investigated via item‐response‐theory models; convergent validity was evaluated using correlations with theoretically‐similar items from the HCV‐PRO and memorial symptom assessment scale (MSAS); and known‐groups validity was investigated by observing PRO differences by liver disease status and number of comorbidities.ResultsThe HIT‐6 and the majority of the PROMIS measures yielded excellent reliability (alphas ≥ 0.87). Ceiling effects were infrequent ( < 4%), while 30%‐59% of patients reported no symptoms (floor effects). The data supported structural validity of the HIT‐6 and most PROMIS measures. The PROMIS measures showed moderate to strong correlations with theoretically‐similar items from the HCV‐PRO and MSAS (0.39‐0.77). Trends were observed between worse PRO scores and advanced cirrhosis and greater number of comorbidities, lending support for known‐groups validity.ConclusionsThe psychometric properties of the HIT‐6 and PROMIS measures performed satisfactorily in this large cohort of patients with HCV starting direct acting antiviral therapy. Opportunities exist for further refinement of these PROs. Evaluation of performance over time and in under‐represented subgroups is needed.
Thirty‐Four Years of Stable Isotopic Analyses of Ancient Skeletons in China: an Overview, Progress and Prospects
Authors: Hu Y. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractStable isotope analysis of ancient skeletons has become a routine method and widely used to answer diverse archaeological questions related to the human (animal) diets since the initial study in 1977. However, this study in china is underestimated and much less unknown to international circles considering the infrequent publications in English journals. In this review paper, the research history in China was overviewed shortly and then, the research progresses concerning different research themes, such as the chronological trajectory of human diets, the development and spread of agriculture, the mechanism of animal domestication, human social hierarchy, and so on, were introduced in detail, trying to draw a rough framework of human dietary evolution given the unique Chinese geography and cultures. At last, the potential research directions were also suggested for the future studies.
Genetic diversity and toxin gene distribution among serovars of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae from Australian pigs
Authors: Yee S , Blackall PJ , Turni C 
Published: January 2018

ObjectiveTo explore the diversity among isolates of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars most common in Australia (serovars 1, 5, 7 and 15) and to examine the Apx toxin profiles in selected representative isolates.DesignA total of 250 isolates selected from different farms were examined for their genotypic profiles and a subset of 122 isolates for their toxin profiles.MethodsThe isolates of serovars 1, 5, 7 and 15 selected for this study came from different farms and different Australian states and were submitted for serotyping to the reference laboratory. The overall diversity of the strains was explored with the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR and the presence of the toxin genes was investigated with a toxin PCR assay.ResultsSome degree of variation was observed in the ERIC‐PCR pattern within all four serovars, ranging from 38% to 61% genetic diversity. When looking at the toxin gene profile and, therefore, the predicted ability to produce the expected toxin pattern, one isolate each of serovars 1 (n = 20) and 7 (n = 47) and 17 isolates of serovar 15 (n = 40) showed variation to the expected gene profile.ConclusionThe variations in toxin gene patterns, as detected by PCR, found in this study could be related to significant changes in the gene sequence or total absence of the gene. Variation in toxin gene sequences has been observed in other countries. This variation in the toxin profile could also explain possible variation in pathogenicity observed in the field.
Developmental pharmacogenetics of CYP2C19 in neonates and young infants: omeprazole as a probe drug
Authors: Zhao Wei , Leroux Stéphanie , Biran Valérie , Jacqz‐Aigrain Evelyne 
Published: January 2018

AimsAlthough substantial progress has been made in understanding of ontogeny of drug metabolism, there is still a gap of knowledge in developmental pharmacogenetics in neonates. We hypothesized that both age and pharmacogenetics might explain the developmental pattern of CYP2C19. We conducted a population pharmacokinetic–pharmacogenetic study to quantify the developmental pharmacogenetics of CYP2C19 in neonates and young infants using omeprazole as a probe drug.MethodsPharmacokinetic samples were collected from 51 Caucasian neonates and young infants, who were receiving omeprazole treatment. Population pharmacokinetic–pharmacogenetic analysis of omeprazole and its metabolites was performed using NONMEM.ResultsData fitted a one‐compartment parent and metabolite model with first‐order absorption and elimination. CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 are predominantly involved in the metabolism of omeprazole despite their relatively low activities compared to adults. The clearance of omeprazole converted to 5‐hydroxy‐omeprazole (CLOMZ‐M1) increases with postnatal age. In CYP2C19 poor and intermediate metabolizers, model‐predicted CLOMZ‐M1 are 12.5% (5–95% percentile: 3–14.9%) and 44.9% (5–95% percentile: 29.9–72.6%) of the value in extensive/ultrarapid metabolizer, respectively. Model‐predicted absorption rate constant of omeprazole is 6.93 (5–95% percentile: 3.01–14.61) times higher in ABCB1 homozygous mutant patients, 1.86 (5–95% percentile: 0.86–3.47) times higher in ABCB1 heterozygous patients than that in ABCB1 homozygous wild‐type patients.ConclusionsDevelopmental pharmacogenetics of CYP2C19 was quantitatively described in neonates and young infants using omeprazole as a probe drug. Our findings emphasize the importance of semiphysiological developmental pharmacokinetic modelling approach when evaluating developmental pharmacogenetics of drugs with multiple routes of biotransformation.