bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Laribacter hongkongensis anaerobic adaptation mediated by arginine metabolism is controlled by the cooperation of FNR and ArgR
Authors: Xiong Lifeng , Yang Ying , Ye Yuan‐Nong , Teng Jade L. L. , Chan Elaine , Watt Rory M. , Guo Feng‐Biao , Lau Susanna K. P. , Woo Patrick C. Y. 
Published: December 2016

SummaryLaribacter hongkongensis is a fish‐borne pathogen associated with invasive infections and gastroenteritis. Its adaptive mechanisms to oxygen‐limiting conditions in various environmental niches remain unclear. In this study, we compared the transcriptional profiles of L. hongkongensis under aerobic and anaerobic conditions using RNA‐sequencing. Expression of genes involved in arginine metabolism significantly increased under anoxic conditions. Arginine was exploited as the sole energy source in L. hongkongensis for anaerobic respiration via the arginine catabolism pathway: specifically via the arginine deiminase (ADI) pathway. A transcriptional regulator FNR was identified to coordinate anaerobic metabolism by tightly regulating the expression of arginine metabolism genes. FNR executed its regulatory function by binding to FNR boxes in arc operons promoters. Survival of isogenic fnr mutant in macrophages decreased significantly when compared with wild‐type; and expression level of fnr increased 8 h post‐infection. Remarkably, FNR directly interacted with ArgR, another regulator that influences the biological fitness and intracellular survival of L. hongkongensis by regulating arginine metabolism genes. Our results demonstrated that FNR and ArgR work in coordination to respond to oxygen changes in both extracellular and intracellular environments, by finely regulating the ADI pathway and arginine anabolism pathways, thereby optimizing bacterial fitness in various environmental niches.
Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes: a retrospective cohort study of association with adverse outcome in subsequent pregnancy
Authors: Aris IM , Logan S , Lim C , Choolani M , Biswas A , Bhattacharya S 
Published: December 2016

ObjectiveTo assess the association of first pregnancy preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM) with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the next pregnancy.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingGrampian, Scotland, UK.PopulationWomen with first deliveries recorded in the Aberdeen Maternity Neonatal Databank, 1986–2005.MethodsWomen identified from the AMND database (n = 37 776) were classified into exposed (PPROM in first pregnancy; n = 1979) and unexposed (no PPROM in first pregnancy; n = 35 797) cohorts. Each cohort (exposed n = 1174; unexposed n = 20 860) was followed up until December 2012 for next singleton pregnancy.Main outcome measuresSecond pregnancy, miscarriage, pregnancy‐induced hypertension (PIH), pre‐eclampsia (PE), antepartum haemorrhage (APH) and postpartum haemorrhage, repeat PPROM, type of labour, mode of delivery, preterm delivery, low birth weight (LBW), admission to neonatal unit, neonatal infections and death.ResultsPPROM in the first singleton pregnancy was associated with an equal likelihood of second pregnancy but with a significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes in the next singleton pregnancy: PPROM [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 6.6 (5.4–7.9)], PE [2.4 (1.7–3.5)], instrumental [2.2 (1.7–2.8)] and caesarean delivery [1.8 (1.5–2.3)], PIH [1.5 (1.2–1.9)] and APH [1.3 (1.1–1.6)] in the mother, and neonatal infection [5.4 (1.4–20.3)], death [2.6 (1.0–6.7)], admission to neonatal unit [2.4 (2.0–2.9)], preterm delivery [2.3 (1.8–2.9)] and LBW [1.44 (1.1–1.9)]. Even in women without a recurrent PPROM, there was still a significant increase in PIH [1.4 (1.1–1.8)], PE [2.3 (1.6–3.5)], instrumental [2.2 (1.7–2.9)] and caesarean delivery [1.9 (1.5–2.4)], and neonatal unit admission [1.6 (1.3–2.0)].ConclusionsPPROM in the first pregnancy is associated with significant adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the next pregnancy, but not reduced likelihood of second pregnancy.Tweetable abstractPPROM in the first singleton pregnancy increases risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the next singleton pregnancy.
The antepartum stillbirth syndrome: risk factors and pregnancy conditions identified from the INTERGROWTH‐21st Project
Authors: Hirst JE , Villar J , Victora CG , Papageorghiou AT , Finkton D , Barros FC , Gravett MG , Giuliani F , Purwar M , Frederick IO , Pang R , Cheikh Ismail L , Lambert A , Stones W , Jaffer YA , Altman DG , Noble JA , Ohuma EO , Kennedy SH , Bhutta ZA ,   the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21 Century (INTERGROWTH‐21)
Published: December 2016

ObjectivesTo identify risk factors for antepartum stillbirth, including fetal growth restriction, among women with well‐dated pregnancies and access to antenatal care.DesignPopulation‐based, prospective, observational study.SettingEight international urban populations.PopulationPregnant women and their babies enrolled in the Newborn Cross‐Sectional Study of the INTERGROWTH‐21st Project.MethodsCox proportional hazard models were used to compare risks among antepartum stillborn and liveborn babies.Main outcome measuresAntepartum stillbirth was defined as any fetal death after 16 weeks’ gestation before the onset of labour.ResultsOf 60 121 babies, 553 were stillborn (9.2 per 1000 births), of which 445 were antepartum deaths (7.4 per 1000 births). After adjustment for site, risk factors were low socio‐economic status, hazard ratio (HR): 1.6 (95% CI, 1.2–2.1); single marital status, HR 2.0 (95% CI, 1.4–2.8); age ≥40 years, HR 2.2 (95% CI, 1.4–3.7); essential hypertension, HR 4.0 (95% CI, 2.7–5.9); HIV/AIDS, HR 4.3 (95% CI, 2.0–9.1); pre‐eclampsia, HR 1.6 (95% CI, 1.1–3.8); multiple pregnancy, HR 3.3 (95% CI, 2.0–5.6); and antepartum haemorrhage, HR 3.3 (95% CI, 2.5–4.5). Birth weight <3rd centile was associated with antepartum stillbirth [HR, 4.6 (95% CI, 3.4–6.2)]. The greatest risk was seen in babies not suspected to have been growth restricted antenatally, with an HR of 5.0 (95% CI, 3.6–7.0). The population‐attributable risk of antepartum death associated with small‐for‐gestational‐age neonates diagnosed at birth was 11%.ConclusionsAntepartum stillbirth is a complex syndrome associated with several risk factors. Although small babies are at higher risk, current growth restriction detection strategies only modestly reduced the rate of stillbirth.Tweetable abstractInternational stillbirth study finds individual risks poor predictors of death but combinations promising.
Forty Years of Price Transmission Research in the Food Industry: Insights, Challenges and Prospects
Authors: Lloyd Tim 
Published: December 2016

AbstractPrice transmission refers to a process via which information is transmitted between participants in a market. Focusing on vertical markets such as the food chain, this Address considers developments in theory, methods and data that help economists understand how information is conveyed between food consumers and agricultural producers. Central to this understanding is the increasingly important role played by the food industry (retailing, manufacturing and processing) in price transmission. Not only is the food industry a major source of the price changes that producers and consumers face but it also mediates price signals originating in other parts of the food chain in increasingly nuanced ways, as revealed by highly detailed retail (‘scanner’) data that is becoming progressively available to researchers. While the speed, magnitude and asymmetry of price transmission are valuable descriptors of price adjustment in vertical markets, we should be wary of inferring too much about the competitive setting on the basis of prices alone. Theory‐consistent empirical models are a step in the right direction and represent a useful complement to the approaches developed in the New Empirical Industrial Organisation literature which address the issue of market power directly. Being the mechanism underlying food inflation, price transmission also has an important macro‐economic dimension, and concerns about competition surface here too. Given the rapidly changing nature of the food industry in many countries, the need to understand the forces shaping price transmission is as cogent as ever.
Fatal Intoxication with α‐PVP, a Synthetic Cathinone Derivative
Authors: Potocka‐Banaś Barbara , Janus Tomasz , Majdanik Sławomir , Banaś Tomasz , Dembińska Teresa , Borowiak Krzysztof 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThis study presents the fatal case of a young man who was admitted to the ICAU due to sudden cardiac arrest. An interview revealed that the patient had taken some unspecified crystals. From the moment of admission, his condition deteriorated dramatically as a result of increasing circulatory insufficiency. After a few hours, sudden cardiac arrest occurred again and the patient was pronounced dead. In the course of a medicolegal autopsy, samples of biological material were preserved for toxicology tests and histopathological examination. The analysis of samples using the LC‐MS/MS technique revealed the presence of α‐PVP in the following concentrations: blood—174 ng/mL, urine—401 ng/mL, brain—292 ng/g, liver—190 ng/g, kidney—122 ng/g, gastric contents—606 ng/g. The study also presents findings from the parallel histopathological examination. Based on these findings, cardiac arrest secondary to intoxication with alpha‐PVP was determined as the direct cause of the patient's death.
Meeting the challenge of DNA barcoding Neotropical amphibians: polymerase chain reaction optimization and new COI primers
Authors: Lyra Mariana L. , Haddad Célio F. B. , de Azeredo‐Espin Ana Maria L. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractAmphibians are one of the most threatened vertebrate classes, yet at the same time new species are being described every year, demonstrating that the number of existing species is grossly underestimated. In groups such as amphibians, with high extinction rates and poorly known species boundaries, DNA barcoding is a tool that can rapidly assess genetic diversity and estimate species richness for prioritizing conservation decisions. However, reliable recovery of the 5′ region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene is critical for the ongoing effort to gather DNA barcodes for all amphibian species. Here, we provide new PCR conditions and tested new primers that increase the efficiency of barcode recovery in amphibians. We found that a low extension temperature for PCR cycles significantly improves the efficiency of amplification for all combinations of primers. Combining low PCR extension temperature and primers AnF1 + AnR1, we were able to recover COI sequences for 100% of the species analysed (N = 161), encompassing ~15% of the species known from Brazil (representing 77 genera and 23 families), which is an important improvement over previous studies. The preliminary assessment of species diversity suggested that number of species might be underestimated by about 25%. We conclude that DNA barcoding is an efficient, simple, and standardized protocol for identifying cryptic diversity in amphibians and advocate for its use in biodiversity inventories and across widespread populations within known species.
The computer program structure for assigning individuals to populations: easy to use but easier to misuse
Authors: Wang Jinliang 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe computer program Structure implements a Bayesian method, based on a population genetics model, to assign individuals to their source populations using genetic marker data. It is widely applied in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, human genetics and conservation biology for detecting hidden genetic structures, inferring the most likely number of populations (K), assigning individuals to source populations and estimating admixture and migration rates. Recently, several simulation studies repeatedly concluded that the program yields erroneous inferences when samples from different populations are highly unbalanced in size. Analysing both simulated and empirical data sets, this study confirms that Structure indeed yields poor individual assignments to source populations and gives frequently incorrect estimates of K when sampling is unbalanced. However, this poor performance is mainly caused by the adoption of the default ancestry prior, which assumes all source populations contribute equally to the pooled sample of individuals. When the alternative ancestry prior, which allows for unequal representations of the source populations by the sample, is adopted, accurate individual assignments could be obtained even if sampling is highly unbalanced. The alternative prior also improves the inference of K by two estimators, albeit the improvement is not as much as that in individual assignments to populations. For the difficult case of many populations and unbalanced sampling, a rarely used parameter combination of the alternative ancestry prior, an initial ALPHA value much smaller than the default and the uncorrelated allele frequency model is required for Structure to yield accurate inferences. I conclude that Structure is easy to use but is easier to misuse because of its complicated genetic model and many parameter (prior) options which may not be obvious to choose, and suggest using multiple plausible models (parameters) and K estimators in conducting comparative and exploratory Structure analysis.
Individual chambers for controlling crosses in wind‐pollinated plants
Authors: McGoey Brechann V. , Janik Rafal , Stinchcombe John R. 
Published: December 2016

Summary

Controlled plant crosses can be an important component of studies ranging from applied artificial selection research to evolutionary investigations of heritability. Controlling pollen flow is especially challenging for wind‐pollinated species.

We developed a system capable of housing hundreds of ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) plants simultaneously in individual chambers through the reproductive portion of their life cycles.

We confirmed that our chambers allowed us to control pollen movement and paternity of offspring using unpollinated isolated plants and microsatellite markers for parents and their putative offspring. Our system had per plant costs and efficacy superior to pollen bags used in past studies of wind‐pollinated plants.

Our chamber system is flexible, affordable and widely applicable to other wind‐pollinated plants, or applications in which the distribution of highly mobile species, individuals, spores or gametes must be controlled.
Neural responses to negative outcomes predict success in community‐based substance use treatment
Authors: Forster Sarah E. , Finn Peter R. , Brown Joshua W. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractBackground and aimsPatterns of brain activation have demonstrated promise as prognostic indicators in substance dependent individuals (SDIs) but have not yet been explored in SDIs typical of community‐based treatment settings.DesignProspective clinical outcome design, evaluating baseline functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) as a predictor of 3‐month substance use treatment outcomes.SettingCommunity‐based substance use programs in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.ParticipantsTwenty‐three SDIs (17 male, aged 18–43 years) in an intensive outpatient or residential treatment program; abstinent 1–4 weeks at baseline.MeasurementsEvent‐related brain response, BART performance and self‐report scores at treatment onset, substance use outcome measure (based on days of use).FindingsUsing voxel‐level predictive modeling and leave‐one‐out cross‐validation, an elevated response to unexpected negative feedback in bilateral amygdala and anterior hippocampus (Amyg/aHipp) at baseline successfully predicted greater substance use during the 3‐month study interval (P ≤ 0.006, cluster‐corrected). This effect was robust to inclusion of significant non‐brain‐based covariates. A larger response to negative feedback in bilateral Amyg/aHipp was also associated with faster reward‐seeking responses after negative feedback (r(23) = −0.544, P = 0.007; r(23) = −0.588, P = 0.003). A model including Amyg/aHipp activation, faster reward‐seeking after negative feedback and significant self‐report scores accounted for 45% of the variance in substance use outcomes in our sample.ConclusionsAn elevated response to unexpected negative feedback in bilateral amygdala and anterior hippocampus (Amyg/aHipp) appears to predict relapse to substance use in people attending community‐based treatment.
Apatinib in gastric carcinoma: A case report of partial response for first‐line treatment in advanced disease
Authors: Wang Yaping , Bi Minghong , Zhang Haoran , Gao Zhenyuan , Zhou Hairong , Chang Shu 
Published: December 2016

AbstractGastric cancer (GC) is the most common gastrointestinal malignant tumor, with a gradual increasing incidence throughout the world. Mostly GC is diagnosed in its late stage. To date, there is no usable standardized treatment regimen for patients with advanced GC. Apatinib mesylate, small‐molecule vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2 (VEGFR‐2) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has been approved as third‐line treatment for patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma in China, October, 2014. Till now, there is no case report about apatinib as first‐line treatment for patients with advanced GC in literature. We present an 83‐year‐old Chinese man with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma, who received apatinib as first‐line option and obtained clinical benefit within 2 weeks. The lung metastases disappeared completely and the liver metastases shrank significantly. The patient's progression‐free survival was 163 days and overall survival was 201 days. This paper reviews and discusses apatinib as a new targeted drug for patients with advanced GC by comparison with other effective molecular‐targeted therapy.
Diagnosing eosinophilic asthma using a multivariate prediction model based on blood granulocyte responsiveness
Authors: Hilvering B. , Vijverberg S. J. H. , Jansen J. , Houben L. , Schweizer R. C. , Go S. , Xue L. , Pavord I. D. , Lammers J.‐W. J. , Koenderman L. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractBackgroundThe identification of inflammatory asthma phenotypes, using sputum analysis, has proven its value in diagnosis and disease monitoring. However due to technical limitations of sputum analysis, there is a strong need for fast and noninvasive diagnostics. This study included the activation state of eosinophils and neutrophils in peripheral blood to phenotype and monitor asthma.ObjectivesTo (i) construct a multivariable model using the activation state of blood granulocytes, (ii) compare its diagnostic value with sputum eosinophilia as gold standard and (iii) validate the model in an independent patient cohort.MethodsClinical parameters, activation of blood granulocytes and sputum characteristics were assessed in 115 adult patients with asthma (training cohort/Utrecht) and 34 patients (validation cohort/Oxford).ResultsThe combination of blood eosinophil count, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, Asthma Control Questionnaire, medication use, nasal polyposis, aspirin sensitivity and neutrophil/eosinophil responsiveness upon stimulation with formyl‐methionyl‐leucyl phenylalanine was found to identify sputum eosinophilia with 90.5% sensitivity and 91.5% specificity in the training cohort and with 77% sensitivity and 71% specificity in the validation cohort (relatively high percentage on oral corticosteroids [OCS]).ConclusionsThe proposed prediction model identifies eosinophilic asthma without the need for sputum induction. The model forms a noninvasive and externally validated test to assess eosinophilic asthma in patients not on OCS.
Long‐term childhood outcomes of breech presentation by intended mode of delivery: a population record linkage study
Authors: Bin Yu Sun , Ford Jane B. , Nicholl Michael C. , Roberts Christine L. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractIntroductionThere is a lack of information on long‐term outcomes by mode of delivery for term breech presentation. We aimed to compare childhood mortality, cerebral palsy, hospitalizations, developmental, and educational outcomes associated with intended vaginal breech birth (VBB) with planned cesarean section.Material and methodsPopulation birth and hospital records from New South Wales, Australia, were used to identify women with non‐anomalous pregnancies eligible for VBB during 2001–2012. Intended mode of delivery was inferred from labor onset and management. Death, hospital, and education records were used for follow up until 2014. Cox proportional hazards regression and modified Poisson regression were used for analysis.ResultsOf 15 281 women considered eligible for VBB, 7.7% intended VBB, 74.2% planned cesarean section, and intention was uncertain for 18.1%. Intended VBB did not differ from planned cesarean section on infant mortality (Fisher's exact p = 0.55), childhood mortality (Fisher's exact p = 0.50), cerebral palsy (Fisher's exact p = 1.00), hospitalization in the first year of life [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.04; 95% CI 0.90–1.20], hospitalization between the first and sixth birthdays (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.82–1.04), being developmentally vulnerable [adjusted relative risk (RR) 1.22; 95% CI 0.48–1.69] or having special needs status (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.48–1.88) when aged 4–6, or scoring more than 1 standard deviation below the mean on tests of reading (RR 1.10; 95% CI 0.87–1.40) and numeracy (RR 1.04; 95% CI 0.81–1.34) when aged 7–9.ConclusionsPlanned VBB confers no additional risks for child health, development or educational achievement compared with planned cesarean section.
Novel application for electrochemotherapy: Immersion of nasal cavity in dog
Authors: Suzuki Daniela O.H. , Berkenbrock José A. , de Oliveira Krishna D. , Freytag Jennifer O. , Rangel Marcelo M.M. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractElectrochemotherapy is a new modality of local cancer treatment that increases the delivery of chemotherapy drugs into tumor cells by applying intense electric fields. This novel electrochemotherapy application was applied as an adjuvant to surgery and eliminated intranasal tumors in dog. The treatment challenges are the surgery limitations due to anatomy and residual tumor in the bone cavity. Most of the tumoral mass on nasal cavity was surgically removed. The internal nasal cavity was immersed in liquid and bleomycin before applying electric field. The solution was necessary to increase the superficial contact between plate electrodes and residual tumor. The numerical study demonstrated electrochemotherapy efficiency in different clinical situations. The proximity between electrodes and bone (<3 mm) and bone irregularities affect the electric field distribution on tumoral tissue. The tumoral tissue around bone protuberances tends to be eliminated. Electrochemotherapy with plate electrodes inside the cavity might not be effective. Different values of electric conductivity solution were studied; the ideal value was 0.5 S/m. The numerical and experimental results confirm the successful application of electrochemotherapy on dog nasal cavity.