bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Suprameatal urethrolysis with Martius flap for refractory bladder outflow obstruction following stress incontinence surgery in females
Authors: Oliver Janine L. , Raz Shlomo 
Published: June 2017

AimsTo present our technique of suprameatal urethrolysis with Martius flap (SMUM) and outcomes of this procedure for refractory female bladder outflow obstruction (BOO).MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed to identify female patients who underwent SMUM between January 2010 and August 2016 after failed transvaginal urethrolysis (TVU) for BOO due to prior stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery. The primary outcome measure was surgical success defined as patient ability to void volitionally without need for catheterization or additional surgery for BOO. Secondary outcomes assessed included perioperative outcomes, intraoperative and 30‐day complications, change in post‐void residual volume (PVR), resolution of urge urinary incontinence (UUI), incidence of recurrent SUI, and treatment for any urinary incontinence.ResultsEleven patients were identified. After a median follow‐up of 10.8 months (range 3.1‐20.1), the procedure was successful in nine patients (82%). Postoperative median PVR was 29 cc (range 0‐425) and median change in PVR was a 280 cc (range 29‐1050) decrease (P < 0.01). Among the seven patients who required catheterization preoperatively, five patients (71%) recovered volitional voiding. Two patients (18%) continued to require indwelling or intermittent catheterization and underwent additional surgery for BOO. SUI recurred in one patient (9%). UUI persisted in all four patients who reported this preoperatively.ConclusionsSMUM is successful in improving or relieving refractory BOO in this challenging patient population. After TVU, we believe that Martius flap interposition is critical to preventing recurrent fixation of the urethra to the pubic bones and thus achieving improved voiding.
Inhibition of microRNA‐500 has anti‐cancer effect through its conditional downstream target of TFPI in human prostate cancer
Authors: Cai Bing , Chen Wei , Pan Yue , Chen Hongde , Zhang Yirong , Weng Zhiliang , Li Yeping 
Published: June 2017

PurposeWe investigated the prognostic potential and regulatory mechanism of microRNA‐500 (miR‐500), and human gene of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) in prostate cancer.MethodsMiR‐500 expression was assessed by qRT‐PCR in prostate cancer cell lines and primary tumors. Cancer patients’ clinicopathological factors and overall survival were analyzed according to endogenous miR‐500 level. MiR‐500 was downregulated in DU145 and VCaP cells. Its effect on prostate cancer proliferation, invasion in vitro, and tumorigenicity in vivo, were probed. Possible downstream target of miR‐500, TFPI was assessed by luciferase assay and qRT‐PCR in prostate cancer cells. In miR‐500‐downregulated DU145 and VCaP cells, TFPI was silenced to see whether it was directly involved in the regulation of miR‐500 in prostate cancer. TFPI alone was either upregulated or downregulated in DU145 and VCaP cells. Their effect on prostate cancer development was further evaluated.ResultsMiR‐500 is upregulated in both prostate cancer cells and primary tumors. In prostate cancer patients, high miR‐500 expression is associated with poor prognosis and overall survival. In DU145 and VCaP cells, miR‐500 downregulation inhibited cancer proliferation, invasion in vitro, and explant growth in vivo. TFPI was verified to be associated with miR‐500 in prostate cancer. Downregulation of TFPI reversed anti‐cancer effects of miR‐500 downregulation in prostate cancer cells. However, neither TFPI upregulation nor downregulation alone had any functional impact on prostate cancer development.ConclusionMiR‐500 may be a potential biomarker and molecular target in prostate cancer. TFPI may conditionally regulate prostate cancer in miR‐500‐downregualted prostate cancer cells.
Missing data in clinical trials: control‐based mean imputation and sensitivity analysis
Authors: Mehrotra Devan V. , Liu Fang , Permutt Thomas 
Published: June 2017

In some randomized (drug versus placebo) clinical trials, the estimand of interest is the between‐treatment difference in population means of a clinical endpoint that is free from the confounding effects of “rescue” medication (e.g., HbA1c change from baseline at 24 weeks that would be observed without rescue medication regardless of whether or when the assigned treatment was discontinued). In such settings, a missing data problem arises if some patients prematurely discontinue from the trial or initiate rescue medication while in the trial, the latter necessitating the discarding of post‐rescue data. We caution that the commonly used mixed‐effects model repeated measures analysis with the embedded missing at random assumption can deliver an exaggerated estimate of the aforementioned estimand of interest. This happens, in part, due to implicit imputation of an overly optimistic mean for “dropouts” (i.e., patients with missing endpoint data of interest) in the drug arm. We propose an alternative approach in which the missing mean for the drug arm dropouts is explicitly replaced with either the estimated mean of the entire endpoint distribution under placebo (primary analysis) or a sequence of increasingly more conservative means within a tipping point framework (sensitivity analysis); patient‐level imputation is not required. A supplemental “dropout = failure” analysis is considered in which a common poor outcome is imputed for all dropouts followed by a between‐treatment comparison using quantile regression. All analyses address the same estimand and can adjust for baseline covariates. Three examples and simulation results are used to support our recommendations.
Assessing the recovery of fish assemblages downstream of hydrological barriers in India's Western Ghats
Authors: Atkore V. , Kelkar N. , Krishnaswamy J. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractRiver flow regulation by dams and barrages threatens freshwater fish diversity globally. However, factors contributing to the recovery of fish communities downstream of barriers to river flow are not well understood. It is crucial to identify processes that might enable river restoration despite the presence of river barriers. In this study, we assess recovery of fish species, including endemics, downstream of large and small barriers in the Malaprabha basin in the Western Ghats of India. We define “fish species recovery” as the proportion of fish species occurring in river reaches downstream of barriers, of the species pool occurring in upstream unregulated segments with similar elevation, stream order, and habitat characteristics. As per the serial discontinuity concept, we predicted that recovery will reduce immediately after, but gradually increase with, increasing distance downstream of barriers, due to contributions from unregulated streams joining the river. As expected, fish recovery decreased immediately downstream of barriers and increased at greater distances and declined when the number of upstream barriers increased, indicating cumulative impacts. Dissolved oxygen and total alkalinity were positively and negatively correlated with both recovery and distance from barrier. Water temperature and rocky instream habitat influenced recovery positively, but independent of distance from barriers. Recovery of fish species, including Western Ghats endemics, was promising even under the current level of river regulation in the area, mainly due to connectivity with undammed tributaries. Strict limits on future stream regulation within already regulated basins will be critical for conservation of freshwater fish biodiversity in this region.
Fish age and size distributions and species composition in a large, hydropeaking Prairie River
Authors: Enders E. C. , Watkinson D. A. , Ghamry H. , Mills K. H. , Franzin W. G. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractFluctuations in river flows result from diverse natural and/or anthropogenic causes. Hydropeaking, an important anthropogenic flow alteration, results from the rapid increase or decrease of water releases from reservoirs at hydroelectric power stations to meet variable demand for electrical power, thereby altering the flow regime of the river downstream of the hydroelectric power station. Hydropeaking causes short‐term, artificial fluctuations in flow on an hourly, daily, and/or weekly basis. The frequent and regular occurrences of these high and low flow events are fundamentally different from natural flood and drought events and may affect fish fauna. We compared the fish species composition and fish age and size distributions in the Saskatchewan River (Saskatchewan, Canada) downstream of a hydropeaking facility with results from an unaffected Reference Site situated upstream of the reservoir. Lower fish diversity was observed in the 2 downstream sites (Sites 1 and 2, number of species = 11 and 9, respectively) closest to Generating Station in comparison to Site 3 (n = 15) situated further downstream and the upstream reference site (n = 13). There was no difference in the age–length relationship of any of the fish species above and below the Generating Station suggesting that fish grew at the same rates. However, lower numbers of small‐bodied and juvenile fish were caught downstream of the Generating Station suggesting the possibility of increased mortality, decreased habitat suitability, or altered behaviour of small fish downstream of the dam. These data illustrate potential impacts of hydropeaking power stations and has management implications.
Patient‐Related Risk Factors for Postoperative Infection After Cholecystectomy
Authors: Jaafar Gona , Hammarqvist Folke , Enochsson Lars , Sandblom Gabriel 
Published: June 2017

AbstractBackgroundThe impact of patient‐related risk factors on the incidence of postoperative infection after cholecystectomy is relatively unknown.AimThe aim of this study was to explore potential patient‐related risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) and septicaemia following cholecystectomy.Materials and methodsAll cholecystectomies registered in the Swedish national population‐based register for Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks) 2006–2014 were identified. The study cohort was cross‐matched with the Swedish National Patient Register in order to obtain data on patient history and postoperative infections. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed in order to assess the impact of various comorbidities on the risk for SSI and septicaemia.ResultsA total of 94,557 procedures were registered. A SSI was seen following 5300 procedures (5.6%), and septicaemia following 661 procedures (0.7%). There was a significantly increased risk for SSI in patients with connective tissue disease (odds ratio [OR] 1.404, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.208–1.633), complicated diabetes (OR 1.435, CI 1.205–1.708), uncomplicated diabetes (OR 1.391, CI 1.264–1.530), chronic kidney disease (OR 1.788, CI 1.458–2.192), cirrhosis (OR 1.764, CI 1.268–2.454) and obesity (OR 1.630, CI 1.475–1.802). There was a significantly higher risk for septicaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (OR 3.065, CI 2.120–4.430) or cirrhosis (OR 5.016, CI 3.019–8.336).Conclusion and discussionCertain comorbidities have an impact on the risk for postoperative infection after cholecystectomy, especially SSI. This should be taken into account when planning the procedure and when deciding on prophylactic antibiotic treatment.
SOME DEFINABLE GALOIS THEORY AND EXAMPLES
Authors: LEÓN SÁNCHEZ OMAR , PILLAY ANAND 
Published: June 2017

AbstractWe make explicit certain results around the Galois correspondence in the context of definable automorphism groups, and point out the relation to some recent papers dealing with the Galois theory of algebraic differential equations when the constants are not “closed” in suitable senses. We also improve the definitions and results on generalized strongly normal extensions from [Pillay, “Differential Galois theory I”,Illinois Journal of Mathematics, 42(4), 1998], using this to give a restatement of a conjecture on almost semiabelianδ-groups from [Bertrand and Pillay, “Galois theory, functional Lindemann–Weierstrass, and Manin maps”,Pacific Journal of Mathematics, 281(1), 2016].
Strengthening ice through cyclic loading
Authors: ILIESCU DANIEL , MURDZA ANDRII , SCHULSON ERLAND M. , RENSHAW CARL E. 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACTNew experiments reveal that the flexural strength of fresh water, columnar-grained ice loaded normal to the columns may be increased by about a factor of two upon reversed cyclic loading at a frequency of ~0.1 Hz at stress amplitudes of 1.3–2.6 MPa. The effect is explained in terms of a reduction in deformation-induced stress concentration through the activation of grain boundary sliding, which is evident through boundary decohesion.
Dietary magnesium intake and fracture risk: data from a large prospective study
Authors: Veronese Nicola , Stubbs Brendon , Solmi Marco , Noale Marianna , Vaona Alberto , Demurtas Jacopo , Maggi Stefania 
Published: June 2017

AbstractResearch considering the relationship between dietary Mg and osteoporosis as well as fractures are sparse and conflicting. We therefore aimed to investigate Mg intake and the onset of fractures in a large cohort of American men and women involved in the Osteoarthritis Initiative over a follow-up period of 8 years. Dietary Mg intake (including that derived from supplementation) was evaluated through a FFQ at baseline and categorised using sex-specific quintiles (Q); osteoporotic fractures were evaluated through self-reported history. Overall, 3765 participants (1577 men; 2071 women) with a mean age of 60·6 (sd9·1) years were included. During follow-up, 560 individuals (198 men and 368 women) developed a new fracture. After adjusting for fourteen potential confounders at baseline and taking those with lower Mg intake as reference (Q1), men (hazard ratio (HR) 0·47; 95 % CI 0·21, 1·00,P=0·05) and women (HR 0·38; 95 % CI 0·17, 0·82,P=0·01) in the highest quintile reported a significantly lower risk for fracture. Women meeting the recommended Mg intake were at a 27 % decreased risk for future fractures. In conclusion, higher dietary Mg intake has a protective effect on future osteoporotic fractures, especially in women with a high risk for knee osteoarthritis. Those women meeting the recommended Mg intake appear to be at a lower risk for fractures.
The rule of law, central bank independence and price stability
Authors: NURBAYEV DANIYAR 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis work empirically investigates the effect of the interaction between the rule of law and legal central bank independence (CBI) on price stability (the level of inflation and inflation volatility), employing a panel dataset that covers up to 124 countries over the period from 1970 to 2013. A new, largely complete legal CBI dataset, covering 182 countries was used for the work. The results indicate that the effect of legal CBI on price stability depends on the strength of the rule of law. Moreover, the results reveal that legal CBI has no significant effect on price stability when the rule of law is weak. The findings also show that 67% of advanced countries possess a rule of law that is strong enough to maintain price stability by increasing central bank autonomy, while only 4.5% of developing countries possess it.
Resolving mixed mechanisms of protein subdiffusion at the T cell plasma membrane
Authors: Golan Yonatan , Sherman Eilon 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe plasma membrane is a complex medium where transmembrane proteins diffuse and interact to facilitate cell function. Membrane protein mobility is affected by multiple mechanisms, including crowding, trapping, medium elasticity and structure, thus limiting our ability to distinguish them in intact cells. Here we characterize the mobility and organization of a short transmembrane protein at the plasma membrane of live T cells, using single particle tracking and photoactivated-localization microscopy. Protein mobility is highly heterogeneous, subdiffusive and ergodic-like. Using mobility characteristics, we segment individual trajectories into subpopulations with distinct Gaussian step-size distributions. Particles of low-to-medium mobility consist of clusters, diffusing in a viscoelastic and fractal-like medium and are enriched at the centre of the cell footprint. Particles of high mobility undergo weak confinement and are more evenly distributed. This study presents a methodological approach to resolve simultaneous mixed subdiffusion mechanisms acting on polydispersed samples and complex media such as cell membranes.
The Timescale of Emergence and Spread of Turnip Mosaic Potyvirus
Authors: Yasaka Ryosuke , Fukagawa Hirofumi , Ikematsu Mutsumi , Soda Hiroko , Korkmaz Savas , Golnaraghi Alireza , Katis Nikolaos , Ho Simon Y. W. , Gibbs Adrian J. , Ohshima Kazusato 
Published: June 2017

AbstractPlant viruses have important global impacts on crops, and identifying their centre and date of emergence is important for planning control measures. Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) is a member of the genus Potyvirus in the family Potyviridae and is a major worldwide pathogen of brassica crops. For two decades, we have collected TuMV isolates, mostly from brassicas, in Turkey and neighbouring countries. This region is thought to be the centre of emergence of this virus. We determined the genomic sequences of 179 of these isolates and used these to estimate the timescale of the spread of this virus. Our Bayesian coalescent analyses used synonymous sites from a total of 417 novel and published whole-genome sequences. We conclude that TuMV probably originated from a virus of wild orchids in Germany and, while adapting to wild and domestic brassicas, spread via Southern Europe to Asia Minor no more than 700 years ago. The population of basal-B group TuMVs in Asia Minor is older than all other populations of this virus, including a newly discovered population in Iran. The timescale of the spread of TuMV correlates well with the establishment of agriculture in these countries.
Reduced adiposity attenuates FGF21 mediated metabolic improvements in the Siberian hamster
Authors: Lewis Jo E. , Samms Ricardo J. , Cooper Scott , Luckett Jeni C. , Perkins Alan C. , Adams Andrew C. , Tsintzas Kostas , Ebling Francis J. P. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractFGF21 exerts profound metabolic effects in Siberian hamsters exposed to long day (LD) photoperiods that increase appetite and adiposity, however these effects are attenuated in short day (SD) animals that display hypophagia and reduced adiposity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the beneficial effects of a novel mimetic of FGF21 in the LD state are a consequence of increased adiposity or of the central photoperiodic state. This was achieved by investigating effects of FGF21 in aged hamsters, which is associated with reduced adiposity. In LD hamsters with increased adiposity, FGF21 lowered body weight as a result of both reduced daily food intake and increased caloric expenditure, driven by an increase in whole-body fat oxidation. However, in LD animals with reduced adiposity, the effect of FGF21 on body weight, caloric intake and fat oxidation were significantly attenuated or absent when compared to those with increased adiposity. These attenuated/absent effects were underpinned by the inability of FGF21 to increase the expression of key thermogenic genes in interscapular and visceral WAT. Our study demonstrates the efficacy of a novel FGF21 mimetic in hamsters, but reveals attenuated effects in the animal model where adiposity is reduced naturally independent of photoperiod.
Magnetic particles with perpendicular anisotropy for mechanical cancer cell destruction
Authors: Mansell Rhodri , Vemulkar Tarun , Petit Dorothée C. M. C. , Cheng Yu , Murphy Jason , Lesniak Maciej S. , Cowburn Russell P. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractWe demonstrate the effectiveness of out-of-plane magnetized magnetic microdiscs for cancer treatment through mechanical cell disruption under an applied rotating magnetic field. The magnetic particles are synthetic antiferromagnets formed from a repeated motif of ultrathin CoFeB/Pt layers. In-vitro studies on glioma cells are used to compare the efficiency of the CoFeB/Pt microdiscs with Py vortex microdiscs. It is found that the CoFeB/Pt microdiscs are able to damage 62 ± 3% of cancer cells compared with 12 ± 2% after applying a 10 kOe rotating field for one minute. The torques applied by each type of particle are measured and are shown to match values predicted by a simple Stoner-Wohlfarth anisotropy model, giving maximum values of 20 fNm for the CoFeB/Pt and 75 fNm for the Py vortex particles. The symmetry of the anisotropy is argued to be more important than the magnitude of the torque in causing effective cell destruction in these experiments. This work shows how future magnetic particles can be successfully designed for applications requiring control of applied torques.
Observed behaviours of precipitable water vapour and precipitation intensity in response to upper air profiles estimated from surface air temperature
Authors: Fujita Mikiko , Sato Tomonori 
Published: June 2017

AbstractExtremely heavy precipitation affects human society and the natural environment, and its behaviour under a warming climate needs to be elucidated. Recent studies have demonstrated that observed extreme precipitation increases with surface air temperature (SAT) at approximately the Clausius–Clapeyron (CC) rate, suggesting that atmospheric water vapour content can explain the relationship between extreme precipitation and SAT. However, the relationship between atmospheric water vapour content and SAT is poorly understood due to the lack of reliable observations with sufficient spatial and temporal coverage for statistical analyses. Here, we analyse the relationship between atmospheric water vapour content and SAT using precipitable water vapour (PWV) derived from global positioning system satellites. A super-CC rate appears in hourly PWV when the SAT is below 16 °C, whereas the rate decreases at high SAT, which is different from the precipitation-SAT relationship. The effects of upper air temperature and water vapour can consistently explain the super-CC rate of PWV relative to SAT. The difference between moist and dry adiabatic lapse rates increases with SAT, in consequence of more ability to hold water vapour in the free atmosphere under higher SAT conditions; therefore, attainable PWV increases more rapidly than the CC rate as SAT increases.
Single-cell transcriptome of early embryos and cultured embryonic stem cells of cynomolgus monkeys
Authors: Nakamura Tomonori , Yabuta Yukihiro , Okamoto Ikuhiro , Sasaki Kotaro , Iwatani Chizuru , Tsuchiya Hideaki , Saitou Mitinori 
Published: June 2017

AbstractIn mammals, the development of pluripotency and specification of primordial germ cells (PGCs) have been studied predominantly using mice as a model organism. However, divergences among mammalian species for such processes have begun to be recognized. Between humans and mice, pre-implantation development appears relatively similar, but the manner and morphology of post-implantation development are significantly different. Nevertheless, the embryogenesis just after implantation in primates, including the specification of PGCs, has been unexplored due to the difficulties in analyzing the embryos at relevant developmental stages. Here, we present a comprehensive single-cell transcriptome dataset of pre- and early post-implantation embryo cells, PGCs and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) of cynomolgus monkeys as a model of higher primates. The identities of each transcriptome were also validated rigorously by other way such as immunofluorescent analysis. The information reported here will serve as a foundation for our understanding of a wide range of processes in the developmental biology of primates, including humans.