bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient-reported Outcomes for Assessment of Quality of Life in Refractive Error: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kandel Himal , Khadka Jyoti , Goggin Michael , Pesudovs Konrad 
Published: November 2017

SIGNIFICANCE
This review has identified the best existing patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments in refractive error. The article highlights the limitations of the existing instruments and discusses the way forward.

PURPOSE
A systematic review was conducted to identify the types of PROs used in refractive error, to determine the quality of the existing PRO instruments in terms of their psychometric properties, and to determine the limitations in the content of the existing PRO instruments.

METHODS
Articles describing a PRO instrument measuring 1 or more domains of quality of life in people with refractive error were identified by electronic searches on the MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases. The information on content development, psychometric properties, validity, reliability, and responsiveness of those PRO instruments was extracted from the selected articles. The analysis was done based on a comprehensive set of assessment criteria.

RESULTS
One hundred forty-eight articles describing 47 PRO instruments in refractive error were included in the review. Most of the articles (99 [66.9%]) used refractive error–specific PRO instruments. The PRO instruments comprised 19 refractive, 12 vision but nonrefractive, and 16 generic PRO instruments. Only 17 PRO instruments were validated in refractive error populations; six of them were developed using Rasch analysis. None of the PRO instruments has items across all domains of quality of life. The Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction, the Quality of Vision, and the Contact Lens Impact on Quality of Life have comparatively better quality with some limitations, compared with the other PRO instruments.

CONCLUSIONS
This review describes the PRO instruments and informs the choice of an appropriate measure in refractive error. We identified need of a comprehensive and scientifically robust refractive error–specific PRO instrument. Item banking and computer-adaptive testing system can be the way to provide such an instrument.
Vaginal Foreign Bodies
Authors: Gross Isabel Theresia , Riera Antonio 
Published: November 2017

Abstract
Transabdominal point-of-care ultrasound may be a helpful tool during the evaluation of children with suspected vaginal foreign bodies. We discuss the case of an 11-year-old girl presenting after having placed a pen into her vagina. The patient attempted to remove the pen, but there was concern the cap may have been retained in the vagina. Point-of-care ultrasound findings confirmed a retained pen cap that was subsequently removed by pediatric surgery. We discuss the role of transabdominal point-of-care ultrasound for the detection of vaginal foreign bodies in pediatric patients.
Stuttering as a Symptom of Concussion
Authors: Cherry Jonathan C. , Gordon Kevin Eric 
Published: November 2017

Objective
A 12-year-old girl presented to our pediatric emergency department after a head injury with symptoms of concussion and acute stuttering. A PubMed search identified only 1 similar pediatric case. We investigated whether new-onset stuttering may be seen in the presence of acute concussive symptoms using an infodemiologic approach.

Methods
We conducted a search with a metabrowser search engine (www.dogpile.com) using the free-text words “concussion” and “stuttering.” The first 100 hits were scanned specifically for forum posts, extracting reports of concussions that were followed by new-onset stuttering. Duplicates were minimized by cross-referencing user name, location, date, and reported age and sex.

Results
Of the first 100 hits, we identified 17 unique posts that described an injury leading to a concussion followed within a short interval by new-onset stuttering. Posts were primarily by the affected individual (76%) and 64% involved female individuals. Sports and falls/injury accounted for most injuries (71%). Forty-one percent of posts explicitly stated that the concussion had been formally diagnosed. For those that reported the timing of stuttering onset (47%), the stuttering was documented within 1 hour of the injury (4/8) or between 1 and 24 hours (4/8).

Conclusions
The ease with which we found so many reports of stuttering after head injury with concussive symptoms confirms that new-onset stuttering may be a symptom of concussion. Our experience highlights both a failure of using conventional medical literature and a success of using nontraditional information sources in identifying uncommonly associated symptoms of frequently encountered conditions.
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: Potentially Underdiagnosed in Intensive Care Units
Authors: Lachmann Gunnar , Spies Claudia , Schenk Thomas , Brunkhorst Frank M. , Balzer Felix , La Rosée Paul 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACT

Background:
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in adults (aHLH) is a rare life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome caused by excessive activation of macrophages and CD8+ T-cells. Due to the clinical overlap with severe sepsis, aHLH often remains undiagnosed resulting in poor outcome. Here, we present a retrospective study of incidence, clinical findings, and the outcome of aHLH in intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods:
This retrospective analysis was performed at the university hospital Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. We gathered data from 556 out of 46,532 patients admitted to our anesthesiological ICUs between 2006 and 2013, who had at least one plasma ferritin measurement during ICU treatment, and were at least 18 years old. Of these, 244 patients with ferritin at least 500 μg/L and available datasets of at least 4 HLH-2004 criteria were included. HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria and the recently published HScore were used. An aHLH expert team retrospectively reviewed the potential aHLH cases.

Results:
Seventy-one of the included 244 patients died; 9 out of the 244 patients were retrospectively classified as aHLH of whom 4 patients had died (44.4%). Two of the 9 aHLH patients had been correctly diagnosed and had received specific aHLH treatment. Thus, 7 out of 9 patients (77.8%) remained undetected. ICU patients with at least 1 captured ferritin value and hyperferritinemia showed an aHLH rate of 3.7%, which rises up to 5.6% when only deceased patients are considered. Mortality in this selected cohort is 44.4%.

Conclusions:
Overall, 7 out of 9 patients (77.8%) suffering from aHLH remained undiagnosed. Awareness of this life-threatening syndrome, especially in ICUs, should be raised. The inclusion of ferritin into the admission lab panel for ICU is warranted.
Clinical trial registered with www.ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02854943) on August 1, 2016. As this is a retrospective study, trial registration was after final data collection date.
Electric Field Based Dressing Disrupts Mixed-Species Bacterial Biofilm Infection and Restores Functional Wound Healing
Authors: Barki Kasturi Ganesh , Das Amitava , Dixith Sriteja , Ghatak Piya Das , Mathew-Steiner Shomita , Schwab Elizabeth , Khanna Savita , Wozniak Daniel J. , Roy Sashwati , Sen Chandan K. 
Published: November 2017

Objective:
This study was designed to employ electroceutical principles, as an alternative to pharmacological intervention, to manage wound biofilm infection. Mechanism of action of a United States Food and Drug Administration-cleared wireless electroceutical dressing (WED) was tested in an established porcine chronic wound polymicrobial biofilm infection model involving inoculation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and Acinetobacter baumannii 19606.

Background:
Bacterial biofilms represent a major wound complication. Resistance of biofilm toward pharmacologic interventions calls for alternative therapeutic strategies. Weak electric field has anti-biofilm properties. We have previously reported the development of WED involving patterned deposition of Ag and Zn on fabric. When moistened, WED generates a weak electric field without any external power supply and can be used as any other disposable dressing.

Methods:
WED dressing was applied within 2 hours of wound infection to test its ability to prevent biofilm formation. Alternatively, WED was applied after 7 days of infection to study disruption of established biofilm. Wounds were treated with placebo dressing or WED twice a week for 56 days.

Results:
Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that WED prevented and disrupted wound biofilm aggregates. WED accelerated functional wound closure by restoring skin barrier function. WED blunted biofilm-induced expression of (1) P. aeruginosa quorum sensing mvfR (pqsR), rhlR and lasR genes, and (2) miR-9 and silencing of E-cadherin. E-cadherin is critically required for skin barrier function. Furthermore, WED rescued against biofilm-induced persistent inflammation by circumventing nuclear factor kappa B activation and its downstream cytokine responses.

Conclusion:
This is the first pre-clinical porcine mechanistic study to recognize the potential of electroceuticals as an effective platform technology to combat wound biofilm infection.
Gender and Specialty Influences on Personal and Professional Life Among Trainees
Authors: Rogers Ailín C. , Wren Sherry M. , McNamara Deborah A. 
Published: November 2017

Objective:
This study aimed to determine the impact of surgical training on lifestyle and parenthood, and to assess for gender-based workplace issues.

Background:
The effects of a surgical career on lifestyle are difficult to quantify and may vary between male and female doctors. A gender gap is present in the highest tiers of the profession, and reasons why women do not attain senior positions are complex but likely relate to factors beyond merit alone.

Methods:
An anonymous Web-based survey was distributed to Irish surgical and nonsurgical trainees. They were asked questions regarding family planning, pregnancy outcomes, parenthood, and gender issues in the workplace, with results analyzed by sex and specialty.

Results:
Four hundred sixty trainees responded with a response rate of 53.0%; almost two thirds were female. Female trainee surgeons were less likely to have children than their male counterparts (22.5% vs 40.0%, P = 0.0215). Pregnant surgical trainees were more likely to have adverse pregnancy events than the partners of their male contemporaries (65.0% vs 11.5%, P = 0.0002), or than their female nonsurgical colleagues (P = 0.0329). Women were more likely to feel that they had missed out on a job opportunity (P < 0.001) and that their fellowship choice was influenced by their gender (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:
The current study highlights some areas of difficulty encountered by female surgical trainees. Surmounting the barriers to progression for female surgeons, by addressing the perceived negative impacts of surgery on lifestyle, will likely encourage trainee retention of both genders.
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others: Plasma lactate and succinate in hemorrhagic shock—A comparison in rodents, swine, nonhuman primates, and injured patients
Authors: Reisz Julie A. , Wither Matthew J. , Moore Ernest E. , Slaughter Anne L. , Moore Hunter B. , Ghasabyan Arsen , Chandler James , Schaub Leasha J. , Fragoso Miguel , Nunns Geoffrey , Silliman Christopher C. , Hansen Kirk C. , Banerjee Anirban , Sheppard Forest R. , D’Alessandro Angelo 
Published: November 2017

BACKGROUND
Plasma levels of lactate and succinate are predictors of mortality in critically injured patients in military and civilian settings. In relative terms, these metabolic derangements have been recapitulated in rodent, swine, and nonhuman primate models of severe hemorrhage. However, no direct absolute quantitative comparison has been evaluated across these species.

METHODS
Ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with stable isotope standards was used to determine absolute concentrations of baseline and postshock levels of lactate and succinate in rats, pigs, macaques, and injured patients.

RESULTS
Baseline levels of lactate and succinate were most comparable to humans in macaques, followed by pigs and rats. Baseline levels of lactate in pigs and baseline and postshock levels of lactate and succinate in rats were significantly higher than those measured in macaques and humans. Postshock levels of lactate and succinate in pigs and macaques, respectively, were directly comparable to measurements in critically injured patients.

CONCLUSION
Acknowledging the caveats associated with the variable degrees of shock in the clinical cohort, our data indicate that larger mammals represent a better model than rodents when investigating metabolic derangements secondary to severe hemorrhage.
Associations between sexual habits, menstrual hygiene practices, demographics and the vaginal microbiome as revealed by Bayesian network analysis
Authors: Noyes Noelle , Cho Kyu-Chul , Ravel Jacques , Forney Larry J. , Abdo Zaid 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe vaginal microbiome plays an influential role in several disease states in reproductive age women, including bacterial vaginosis (BV). While demographic characteristics are associated with differences in vaginal microbiome community structure, little is known about the influence of sexual and hygiene habits. Furthermore, associations between the vaginal microbiome and risk symptoms of bacterial vaginosis have not been fully elucidated. Using Bayesian network (BN) analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence results, demographic and extensive questionnaire data, we describe both novel and previously documented associations between habits of women and their vaginal microbiome. The BN analysis approach shows promise in uncovering complex associations between disparate data types. Our findings based on this approach support published associations between specific microbiome members (e.g.,Eggerthella,Gardnerella,Dialister,SneathiaandRuminococcaceae), the Nugent score (a BV diagnostic) and vaginal pH (a risk symptom of BV). Additionally, we found that several microbiome members were directly connected to other risk symptoms of BV (such as vaginal discharge, odor, itch, irritation, and yeast infection) includingL. jensenii,Corynebacteria, andProteobacteria. No direct connections were found between the Nugent Score and risk symptoms of BV other than pH, indicating that the Nugent Score may not be the most useful criteria for assessment of clinical BV. We also found that demographics (i.e., age, ethnicity, previous pregnancy) were associated with the presence/absence of specific vaginal microbes. The resulting BN revealed several as-yet undocumented associations between birth control usage, menstrual hygiene practices and specific microbiome members. Many of these complex relationships were not identified using common analytical methods, i.e., ordination and PERMANOVA. While these associations require confirmatory follow-up study, our findings strongly suggest that future studies of the vaginal microbiome and vaginal pathologies should include detailed surveys of participants’ sanitary, sexual and birth control habits, as these can act as confounders in the relationship between the microbiome and disease. Although the BN approach is powerful in revealing complex associations within multidimensional datasets, the need in some cases to discretize the data for use in BN analysis can result in loss of information. Future research is required to alleviate such limitations in constructing BN networks. Large sample sizes are also required in order to allow for the incorporation of a large number of variables (nodes) into the BN, particularly when studying associations between metadata and the microbiome. We believe that this approach is of great value, complementing other methods, to further our understanding of complex associations characteristic of microbiome research.
NOTCH-mediated non-cell autonomous regulation of chromatin structure during senescence
Authors: Parry Aled J. , Hoare Matthew , Bihary Dóra , Hänsel-Hertsch Robert , Smith Stephen , Tomimatsu Kosuke , Balasubramanian Shankar , Kimura Hiroshi , Samarajiwa Shamith A. , Narita Masashi 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTSenescent cells interact with the surrounding microenvironment achieving diverse functional outcomes. In addition to autocrine and paracrine signalling mediated by factors of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, we have recently identified that NOTCH1 can drive ‘lateral induction’ of a unique form of senescence in adjacent cells through specific induction of the NOTCH ligand JAG1. Here we show that NOTCH signalling can modulate chromatin structure both autonomously and non-autonomously. In addition to senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHF), oncogenic RAS-induced senescent (RIS) cells in culture exhibit a massive increase in nucleosome-free regions (NRFs). NOTCH signalling suppresses both SAHF and NFR formation in this context. Strikingly, NOTCH-induced senescent cells, or cancer cells with high JAG1 expression, also drive similar chromatin architectural changes in adjacent cells through cell-cell contact. Mechanistically, we show that NOTCH signalling represses the chromatin architectural protein HMGA1, an association found in a range of human cancers. Thus, HMGA1 is involved not only in SAHFs, but also RIS-specific NFR formation. In conclusion, this study identifies that the JAG1-NOTCH-HMGA1 axis mediates the juxtacrine regulation of chromatin architecture.
The hummingbird and the hawk-moth: Species distribution, geographical partitioning, and macrocompetition across the United States
Authors: Halloway Abdel , Whelan Christopher J. , Brown Joel S. 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTWe introduce a new concept called macrocompetition – defined as the mutual suppression of diversity/species richness of competing clades – and investigate evidence for its existence. To this end, we analyzed the distribution of two convergent nectarivorous families, hawk-moths and hummingbirds, over the continental United States to determine whether there is geographic partitioning between the families and its potential causes. Using stepwise regression, we tested for latitudinal and longitudinal biases in the species richness of both taxa and the potential role of 10 environmental variables in their distribution pattern. Hawk-moth species richness increases with longitude (eastward-bias) while that of hummingbirds declines (westward-bias). Similar geographic patterns can be seen across Canada, Mexico and South America. Hawk-moth species richness is positively correlated with higher overall temperatures (especially summer minimums), atmospheric pressure, and summer precipitation; hummingbird species richness is negatively correlated with atmospheric pressure and positively correlated with winter daily maxima. The species richness patterns reflect each family’s respective anatomical differences and support the concept of macrocompetition between the two taxa. Hawk-moth species richness was highest in states with low elevation, summer-time flowering, and warm summer nights; hummingbird species richness is highest in the southwest with higher elevation, greater cool season flowering and high daytime winter temperatures. Hawk-moths and hummingbirds as distinct evolutionary technologies exhibit niche overlap and geographical partitioning. These are two of three indicators suggested by Brown and Davidson for inter-taxonomic competition. We intend the patterns revealed here to inspire further exploration into competition and community structuring between hawk-moths and hummingbirds.
Testing the Efforts Model of Simultaneous Interpreting: An ERP Study
Authors: Koshkin Roman , Shtyrov Yury , Ossadtchi Alex 
Published: November 2017

AbstractWe utilized the event-related potential (ERP) technique to study neural activity associated with different levels of working memory (WM) load during simultaneous interpretation (SI) in an ecologically valid setting. The amplitude of N1 and P1 components elicited by task-irrelevant tone probes was significantly modulated as a function of WM load but not the direction of interpretation. Furthermore, the latency of the N1 increased insignificantly with WM load. The P1 latency, however, mostly did not depend on either WM load or direction of interpretation. Larger negativity under lower WM loads suggests deeper processing of the auditory stimuli, providing tentative electrophysiological evidence in support of the Efforts Model of SI. Relationships between the direction of interpretation and median WM load are also discussed.
Selective Recruitment of Cortical Neurons by Electrical Stimulation
Authors: Komarov Maxim , Malerba Paola , Nunez Paul , Halgren Eric , Bazhenov Maxim 
Published: November 2017

AbstractDespite its critical importance in experimental and clinical neuroscience, at present there is no systematic method to predict which neural elements will be activated by a given stimulation regime. Here we develop a novel approach to model the effect of cortical stimulation on spiking probability of neurons in a volume of tissue, by applying an analytical estimate of stimulation-induced activation of different cell types across cortical layers. We utilize the morphology and properties of axonal arborization profiles obtained from publicly available anatomical reconstructions of the twelve main categories of neocortical neurons to derive the dependence of activation probability on cell type, layer and distance from the source. We then propagate this activity through the local network incorporating connectivity, synaptic and cellular properties. Our work predicts that (a) intracranial cortical stimulation induces selective activation across cell types and layers; (b) superficial anodal stimulation is more effective than cathodal at cell activation; (c) cortical surface stimulation focally activates layer I axons, and (d) an optimal stimulation intensity exists capable of eliciting cell activation lasting beyond the end of stimulation.
Low affinity membrane transporters can increase net substrate uptake rate by reducing efflux
Authors: Bosdriesz Evert , Wortel Meike T , Haanstra Jurgen R , Wagner Marijke J , Cortés Pilar de la Torre , Teusink Bas 
Published: November 2017

AbstractCells require membrane-located transporter proteins to import nutrients from the environment. Many organisms have several similar transporters for the same nutrient, which differ in their affinity. Typically, high affinity transporters are expressed when substrate is scarce and low affinity ones when substrate is more abundant. The benefit of using low affinity transporters when high affinity ones are available has so far remained unclear. Here, we investigate two hypotheses. First, it was previously hypothesized that a trade-off between the affinity and the maximal catalytic rate explains this phenomenon. We find some theoretical and experimental support for this hypothesis, but no conclusive evidence. Secondly, we propose a new hypothesis: for uptake by facilitated diffusion, at saturating extracellular substrate concentrations, lowering the affinity enhances the net uptake rate by reducing the substrate efflux rate. As a consequence, there exists an optimal, external substrate concentration dependent transporter affinity. Anin silicoanalysis of glycolysis inSaccharomyces cerevisiaeshows that using the low affinity HXT3 transporter instead of the high affinity HXT6 enhances the steady-state flux by 36%. We tried to test this hypothesis using yeast strains expressing a single glucose transporter that was modified to have either a high or a low affinity. Due to the intimate and reciprocal link between glucose perception and metabolism, direct experimental proof for this hypothesis remained inconclusive in our hands. Still, our theoretical results provide a novel reason for the presence of low affinity transport systems which might have more general implications for enzyme catalyzed conversions.