bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin as a diagnostic marker of acute kidney injury in pre‐eclampsia
Authors: Moyake Naledi , Buchmann Eckhart , Crowther Nigel J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractAimNeutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) is an emerging biomarker for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI). This study investigated the use of urinary NGAL as a marker of AKI in women with pre‐eclampsia.MethodsUrine and serum samples were collected over 24 h from 78 healthy and 109 pre‐eclamptic women, with baseline samples taken at admission to the maternity unit; NGAL was assayed in serial urine samples.ResultsBaseline neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin did not differ significantly between women who were healthy, those with pre‐eclampsia, or with AKI (P = 0.55 for trend). When the pre‐eclamptic group was divided into those with eclampsia (median, 60.5 ng/mL; IQR, 23.4–173 ng/mL; n = 19), uncomplicated pre‐eclampsia (median, 18.8 ng/mL; IQR, 7.5–52.8 ng/mL; n = 48; P < 0.05 vs eclampsia), imminent eclampsia (median, 30.7 ng/mL; IQR, 13.9–49.3 ng/mL; n = 22) and pre‐eclampsia with acute kidney injury (median, 60.3 ng/mL; IQR, 23.5–159 ng/mL, n = 14), however, NGAL level did differ. On multivariate regression analysis, the only significant correlate of NGAL level was the presence of eclampsia (beta = 0.22, P < 0.05). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, baseline NGAL did not discriminate between subjects with or without AKI (area under the curve, 0.61; 95%CI: 0.43–0.78; P = 0.12).ConclusionNeutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin level at baseline and over a 24‐h period does not provide a suitable diagnostic test for AKI in pre‐eclamptic subjects.
Clinical course and short‐term mortality of cirrhotic patients with infections other than spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
Authors: Fernández Javier , Acevedo Juan , Prado Verónica , Mercado Mario , Castro Miriam , Pavesi Marco , Arteaga Mireya , Sastre Lydia , Juanola Adria , Ginès Pere , Arroyo Vicente 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBackground & AimsClinical course and risk factors of death in non‐spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) infections are poorly known. We assessed the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and type‐1 hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), hospital, 30‐day and 90‐day mortality and risk factors of death in 441 decompensated patients.MethodsAnalysis of 615 non‐SBP infections (161 urinary infections (UTI), 95 cellulitis, 92 suspected infections, 92 bacteraemias, 84 pneumonias, 21 bronchitis, 18 cholangitis, 15 spontaneous empyema, 13 secondary peritonitis, 24 other).ResultsNinety‐six percent of infections solved. AKI and type‐1 HRS were developed in 37% and 9% of infections respectively. Overall hospital, 30‐day and 90‐day mortality rates were 11%, 12% and 18% respectively. Clinical course and mortality differed markedly across infections. Endocarditis, osteoarticular infections, pneumonia, spontaneous bacteraemia, cholangitis, secondary peritonitis and UTI showed higher rates of AKI. Prevalence of type‐1 HRS was not significantly different among infections. Endocarditis, secondary peritonitis, pneumonia and bacteraemia showed lower rates of renal impairment resolution and higher hospital mortality associated with AKI (42% vs 12%, P<.0001) or type‐1 HRS (71% vs 27%, P=.003) than the rest of infections. Age (HR: 1.04), serum sodium (HR: 0.91), serum bilirubin (HR: 1.06), INR (HR: 1.91), hepatic encephalopathy (HR: 2.44), ascites (HR: 3.06) and multidrug‐resistant isolation (HR: 2.27) at infection diagnosis were independent predictors of death during hospitalization.ConclusionsNon‐SBP infections constitute a heterogeneous group regarding clinical course and prognosis. Endocarditis, secondary peritonitis, pneumonia and bacteraemia show worse prognosis. The combination of data of liver and renal dysfunction and of the type of infection allows the identification of patients with poor prognosis.
Control of rubus stunt and stolbur diseases in Madagascar periwinkle with mycorrhizae and a synthetic antibacterial peptide
Authors: Rufo R. , Batlle A. , Camprubi A. , Montesinos E. , Calvet C. 
Published: August 2016

Three experimental treatments consisting of inoculation with an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, application of a synthetic antimicrobial peptide or application of a resistance inducer, were evaluated in Madagascar periwinkle as control methods for rubus stunt and stolbur diseases caused by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma rubi’ and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’, respectively. Two experiments were conducted under controlled environment conditions. In the first experiment, 4 months after graft‐inoculating the phytoplasmas, the root colonization achieved by Rhizophagus irregularis significantly reduced both disease symptoms and the frequency of detection of the pathogens by real‐time PCR. In the second experiment, the antimicrobial peptide BP100 totally prevented disease symptoms, despite the molecular detection of the phytoplasmas in 75% and 50% of the plants inoculated with ‘Ca. Phytoplasma rubi’ and ‘Ca. Phytoplasma solani’, respectively, and was more effective than benzothiadiazole (BTH) at increasing resistance against the pathogenic infections. A potential combination of early mycorrhizal inoculation and BP100 antimicrobial peptide application is envisaged as a future control strategy for phytoplasma diseases.
Effects of donor cells’ sex on nuclear transfer efficiency and telomere lengths of cloned goats
Authors: Liu H‐j , Peng H , Hu C‐c , Li X‐y , Zhang J‐l , Zheng Z , Zhang W‐c 
Published: August 2016

ContentsThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of donor cells’ sex on nuclear transfer efficiency and telomere length of cloned goats from adult skin fibroblast cells. The telomere length of somatic cell cloned goats and their offspring was determined by measuring their mean terminal restriction fragment (TRF) length. The result showed that (i) reconstructed embryos with fibroblast cells from males Boer goats obtained significantly higher kids rate and rate of live kids than those of female embryos and (ii) the telomere lengths of four female cloned goats were shorter compared to their donor cells, but five male cloned goats had the same telomere length with their donor cells, mainly due to great variation existed among them. The offspring from female cloned goats had the same telomere length with their age‐matched counterparts. In conclusion, the donor cells’ sex had significant effects on nuclear transfer efficiency and telomere lengths of cloned goats.
Celebrities and the stage: theatrical stardom in early modern Spain
Authors: García‐Reidy Alejandro 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis article seeks to apply a number of concepts and approaches developed by celebrity studies during the past decades in the field of early modern theatre. More specifically, I will focus on the commercial theatre that developed in Spain from the 1560s onwards. This dramatic practice represents a privileged vantage point from which to observe how a number of key dynamics related to celebrity culture came into play within the context of early modern society, as the characteristics of this business and its cultural impact allowed for the emergence of processes of celebrification among performers. This study focuses on the characteristics of this theatre that made it possible for an early modern version of celebrity to emerge, such as the large role that actresses played in its success or the contact with performers that a wide variety of audiences enjoyed all along the country. I also analyse how actors and actresses were subject to forces of commodification, eroticization and the public's attention to their private lives, which led them to become early modern stars.
How to characterize ‘good’ and ‘greening’ in the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): the case of clay soils in the Netherlands
Authors: Bouma J. , Wösten J. H. M. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe change in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union from product to producer support, including requirements for ‘good agricultural and environmental conditions’ and ‘greening’, is excellent. However, these requirements are now defined in rather general terms. Questions can be raised about suitable indicators, and there is a recognized need for effective management recommendations to support farmers in achieving the required ‘good’ conditions. These recommendations are bound to be quite different for different soils in different countries. A study of Dutch clay soils was based on a storyline describing current problems and management options for improvement, which were quantified using a soil–water–crop simulation model. Indicators were defined for agricultural conditions and suggestions made for the use of the model in a predictive mode to help farmers improve their soil management. Environmental conditions were judged by current environmental guidelines for water and air. When modelling, implicit assumptions that soils are homogeneous were shown to be unrealistic for these clay soils, requiring development of innovative methods and procedures, presenting a challenge for soil research.
Lime placement on subsoil as a strategy to reduce phosphorus leaching from agricultural soils
Authors: Andersson H. , Bergström L. , Djodjic F. , Ulén B. , Kirchmann H. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractLeaching of phosphorus (P) from agricultural land is a major contributor to eutrophication of surface waters in many countries, and effective mitigation options to reduce P in leachate are needed. In this study, intact columns (0.77 m deep) of subsoil from three Swedish agricultural soils (one sand and two clay) were used to examine whether placing quicklime (calcium oxide, CaO) on the subsoil could reduce P leaching over a 3‐yr period. Leaching of particulate P (PP) was significantly less from clay soil columns with lime than from clay soil columns without (P < 0.001 andP < 0.05, respectively), with a relative reduction of 49 and 51% in the two soils. Leaching of dissolved reactive P (DRP) was less from sand columns with lime than from sand columns without, although not significantly so due to large variation in P leaching between columns. These results indicate that placement of lime on subsoil has potential to reduce P leaching, especially ofPPfrom clay soils. However, more studies including both topsoil and subsoil and a range of soil types are needed to assess the full potential of this P mitigation option.
DNA‐binding and repressor function are prerequisites for the turnover of the tomato heat stress transcription factor HsfB1
Authors: Röth Sascha , Mirus Oliver , Bublak Daniela , Scharf Klaus‐Dieter , Schleiff Enrico 
Published: August 2016

SummaryHsfB1 is a central regulator of heat stress (HS) response and functions dually as a transcriptional co‐activator of HsfA1a and a general repressor in tomato. HsfB1 is efficiently synthesized during the onset of HS and rapidly removed in the course of attenuation during the recovery phase. Initial results point to a complex regime modulating HsfB1 abundance involving the molecular chaperone Hsp90. However, the molecular determinants affecting HsfB1 stability needed to be established. We provide experimental evidence that DNA‐bound HsfB1 is efficiently targeted for degradation when active as a transcriptional repressor. Manipulation of the DNA‐binding affinity by mutating the HsfB1 DNA‐binding domain directly influences the stability of the transcription factor. During HS, HsfB1 is stabilized, probably due to co‐activator complex formation with HsfA1a. The process of HsfB1 degradation involves nuclear localized Hsp90. The molecular determinants of HsfB1 turnover identified in here are so far seemingly unique. A mutational switch of the R/KLFGV repressor motif's arginine and lysine implies that the abundance of other R/KLFGV type Hsfs, if not other transcription factors as well, might be modulated by a comparable mechanism. Thus, we propose a versatile mechanism for strict abundance control of the stress‐induced transcription factor HsfB1 for the recovery phase, and this mechanism constitutes a form of transcription factor removal from promoters by degradation inside the nucleus.
Use of an Absorbable Urethral Stent for the Management of a Urethral Stricture in a Stallion
Authors: Trela Jan M. , Dechant Julie E. , Culp William T. , Whitcomb Mary B. , Palm Carrie A. , Nieto Jorge E. 
Published: August 2016

ObjectiveTo describe the successful management of a urethral stricture with an absorbable stent in a stallion.Study DesignClinical report.AnimalsStallion with a urethral stricture.ResultsA 12‐year‐old Thoroughbred breeding stallion was evaluated for acute onset of colic. Uroperitoneum because of presumptive urinary bladder rupture, with urethral obstruction by a urethrolith, was diagnosed. The uroperitoneum was treated conservatively. The urethrolith was removed through a perineal urethrotomy. Approximately 15 weeks after urethrolith removal, the stallion presented with a urethral stricture. The stricture was unsuccessfully treated with an indwelling urinary catheter and 4 attempts at balloon dilation. Eight weeks after diagnosis of stricture, an absorbable polydioxanone (20 mm × 80 mm) urethral stent was implanted under percutaneous, ultrasound guidance. Urethroscopy was performed at 70, 155, and 230 days after stent placement and the endoscope passed through the affected site without complication. Urethroscopy at 155 days showed the stent had been reabsorbed. Follow‐up 20 months after stent placement reports the stallion was able to void a normal urine stream.ConclusionsAbsorbable urethral stent placement was a feasible treatment for urethral stricture in this stallion.
Acoustic time‐of‐flight for proton range verification in water
Authors: Jones Kevin C. , Vander Stappen François , Sehgal Chandra M. , Avery Stephen 
Published: August 2016

Purpose:Measurement of the arrival times of thermoacoustic waves induced by pulsed proton dose depositions (protoacoustics) may provide a proton range verification method. The goal of this study is to characterize the required dose and protoacoustic proton range (distance) verification accuracy in a homogeneous water medium at a hospital‐based clinical cyclotron.Methods:Gaussian‐like proton pulses with 17 μs widths and instantaneous currents of 480 nA (5.6 × 107 protons/pulse, 3.4 cGy/pulse at the Bragg peak) were generated by modulating the cyclotron proton source with a function generator. After energy degradation, the 190 MeV proton pulses irradiated a water phantom, and the generated protoacoustic emissions were measured by a hydrophone. The detector position and proton pulse characteristics were varied. The experimental results were compared to simulations. Different arrival time metrics derived from acoustic waveforms were compared, and the accuracy of protoacoustic time‐of‐flight distance calculations was assessed.Results:A 27 mPa noise level was observed in the treatment room during irradiation. At 5 cm from the proton beam, an average maximum pressure of 5.2 mPa/1 × 107 protons (6.1 mGy at the Bragg peak) was measured after irradiation with a proton pulse with 10%–90% rise time of 11 μs. Simulation and experiment arrival times agreed well, and the observed 2.4 μs delay between simulation and experiment is attributed to the difference between the hydrophone's acoustic and geometric centers. Based on protoacoustic arrival times, the beam axis position was measured to within (x, y) = (−2.0,  0.5) ± 1 mm. After deconvolution of the exciting proton pulse, the protoacoustic compression peak provided the most consistent measure of the distance to the Bragg peak, with an error distribution with mean = − 4.5 mm and standard deviation = 2.0 mm.Conclusions:Based on water tank measurements at a clinical hospital‐based cyclotron, protoacoustics is a potential method for measuring the beam's position (x and y within 2.0 mm) and Bragg peak range (2.0 mm standard deviation), although range verification will require simulation or experimental calibration to remove systematic error. Based on extrapolation, a protoacoustic arrival time reproducibility of 1.5 μs (2.2 mm) is achievable with 2 Gy of total deposited dose. Of the compared methods, deconvolution of the excitation proton pulse is the best technique for extracting protoacoustic arrival times, particularly if there is variation in the proton pulse shape.
Noise suppressed partial volume correction for cardiac SPECT/CT
Authors: Chan Chung , Liu Hui , Grobshtein Yariv , Stacy Mitchel R. , Sinusas Albert J. , Liu Chi 
Published: August 2016

Purpose:Partial volume correction (PVC) methods typically improve quantification at the expense of increased image noise and reduced reproducibility. In this study, the authors developed a novel voxel‐based PVC method that incorporates anatomical knowledge to improve quantification while suppressing noise for cardiac SPECT/CT imaging.Methods:In the proposed method, the SPECT images were first reconstructed using anatomical‐based maximum a posteriori (AMAP) with Bowsher's prior to penalize noise while preserving boundaries. A sequential voxel‐by‐voxel PVC approach (Yang's method) was then applied on the AMAP reconstruction using a template response. This template response was obtained by forward projecting a template derived from a contrast‐enhanced CT image, and then reconstructed using AMAP to model the partial volume effects (PVEs) introduced by both the system resolution and the smoothing applied during reconstruction. To evaluate the proposed noise suppressed PVC (NS‐PVC), the authors first simulated two types of cardiac SPECT studies: a 99mTc‐tetrofosmin myocardial perfusion scan and a 99mTc‐labeled red blood cell (RBC) scan on a dedicated cardiac multiple pinhole SPECT/CT at both high and low count levels. The authors then applied the proposed method on a canine equilibrium blood pool study following injection with 99mTc‐RBCs at different count levels by rebinning the list‐mode data into shorter acquisitions. The proposed method was compared to MLEM reconstruction without PVC, two conventional PVC methods, including Yang's method and multitarget correction (MTC) applied on the MLEM reconstruction, and AMAP reconstruction without PVC.Results:The results showed that the Yang's method improved quantification, however, yielded increased noise and reduced reproducibility in the regions with higher activity. MTC corrected for PVE on high count data with amplified noise, although yielded the worst performance among all the methods tested on low‐count data. AMAP effectively suppressed noise and reduced the spill‐in effect in the low activity regions. However it was unable to reduce the spill‐out effect in high activity regions. NS‐PVC yielded superior performance in terms of both quantitative assessment and visual image quality while improving reproducibility.Conclusions:The results suggest that NS‐PVC may be a promising PVC algorithm for application in low‐dose protocols, and in gated and dynamic cardiac studies with low counts.
Targeting health subsidies through a nonprice mechanism: A randomized controlled trial in Kenya
Authors: Dupas Pascaline , Hoffmann Vivian , Kremer Michael , Zwane Alix Peterson 
Published: August 2016

Delivering chlorine to those who use itIn developed countries, a consumer's valuation of a health product can be measured by his or her willingness to pay for it. But poorer individuals, especially those in developing countries, might want and need a product yet be unable to pay for it with money. Dupaset al.demonstrate that a nonprice voucher mechanism can be used to deliver chlorine for water treatment to people in Kenya who are too poor to pay for it, but who use it when they get it (see the Perspective by Olken). Having to redeem the vouchers screens out people who would accept the free chlorine solution but not use it.Science, this issue p.889; see also p.864
Teleseismic
S
wave microseisms
Authors: Nishida Kiwamu , Takagi Ryota 
Published: August 2016

A seismic “weather bomb” detector
Seismic tomography is like an x-ray of Earth's interior, except that it uses earthquakes for the illumination. Earthquakes are imperfect illuminators because they are clustered on plate boundaries, leaving much of the interior in the shadows. Using a seismic array in Japan, Nishida and Takagi detected seismic waves that they attribute to a severe and distant North Atlantic storm called a “weather bomb” (see the Perspective by Gerstoft and Bromirski). The seismic energy traveling from weather bombs through the Earth appears to be capable of illuminating the many dark patches of Earth's interior.

Science
, this issue p.
919
; see also p.
869
Information leverage in interconnected ecosystems: Overcoming the curse of dimensionality
Authors: Ye Hao , Sugihara George 
Published: August 2016

Harnessing complexity in ecology
Ecology concerns the behavior of complex, dynamic, interconnected systems of populations, communities, and ecosystems over time. Yet ecological time series can be relatively short, owing to practical limits on study duration. Ye and Sugihara introduce an analytical approach called multiview embedding, which harnesses the complexity of short, noisy time series that are common in ecology and other disciplines such as economics. Using examples from published data sets, they show how this approach enhances the tractability of complex data from multiple interacting components and offers a way forward in ecological forecasting.

Science
, this issue p.
922
Total HIV-1 DNA, a Marker of Viral Reservoir Dynamics with Clinical Implications
Authors: Avettand-Fènoël Véronique , Hocqueloux Laurent , Ghosn Jade , Cheret Antoine , Frange Pierre , Melard Adeline , Viard Jean-Paul , Rouzioux Christine 
Published: August 2016

SUMMARYHIV-1 DNA persists in infected cells despite combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), forming viral reservoirs. Recent trials of strategies targeting latent HIV reservoirs have rekindled hopes of curing HIV infection, and reliable markers are thus needed to evaluate viral reservoirs. Total HIV DNA quantification is simple, standardized, sensitive, and reproducible. Total HIV DNA load influences the course of the infection and is therefore clinically relevant. In particular, it is predictive of progression to AIDS and death, independently of HIV RNA load and the CD4 cell count. Baseline total HIV DNA load is predictive of the response to cART. It declines during cART but remains quantifiable, at a level that reflects both the history of infection (HIV RNA zenith, CD4 cell count nadir) and treatment efficacy (residual viremia, cumulative viremia, immune restoration, immune cell activation). Total HIV DNA load in blood is also predictive of the presence and severity of some HIV-1-associated end-organ disorders. It can be useful to guide individual treatment, notably, therapeutic de-escalation. Although it does not distinguish between replication-competent and -defective latent viruses, the total HIV DNA load in blood, tissues, and cells provides insights into HIV pathogenesis, probably because all viral forms participate in host cell activation and HIV pathogenesis. Total HIV DNA is thus a biomarker of HIV reservoirs, which can be defined as all infected cells and tissues containing all forms of HIV persistence that participate in pathogenesis. This participation may occur through the production of new virions, creating new cycles of infection and disseminating infected cells; maintenance or amplification of reservoirs by homeostatic cell proliferation; and viral transcription and synthesis of viral proteins without new virion production. These proteins can induce immune activation, thus participating in the vicious circle of HIV pathogenesis.