bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Late‐onset noninfectious interstitial lung disease following autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in paediatric patients
Authors: Lee Yoon‐Kyoung , Huh Rimm , Kim Jihyun , Ahn Kangmo , Sung Ki Woong , Cho Joongbum 
Published: April 2016

AbstractBackground and objectiveHigh‐dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is widely used in paediatric cancer patients, but few data about noninfectious interstitial lung disease (ILD) following this treatment are available. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the incidence, clinical features and risk factors of noninfectious ILD after HDCT in paediatric patients.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of paediatric solid tumour patients who underwent HDCT and autologous HSCT between 1997 and 2012. ILD was diagnosed using clinical symptoms and radiography after excluding cardiac, renal and infectious causes. Risk factors were analysed using a Cox proportional hazard regression model.ResultsThree hundred and forty patients were enrolled, and the median age was 3 years (interquartile range 1–7). Eight patients (2.4%) were diagnosed with noninfectious ILD. The median duration of symptom onset was 30 months (range 7–74). Six (75%) of eight ILD patients died during the study period, even though steroids were administered for treatment. High‐dose cyclophosphamide use (hazard ratio = 11.37, 95% confidence interval = 1.38–93.32, P = 0.023) and sex (hazard ratio = 0.10, 95% confidence interval = 0.01–0.84, P = 0.034) were associated with late‐onset, noninfectious ILD upon multivariate analysis.ConclusionThe incidence of noninfectious ILD after HDCT and autologous HSCT was not negligible, and the clinical features of ILD showed late onset and a poor prognosis. Female gender and high‐dose cyclophosphamide treatment may be risk factors for noninfectious ILD, but further studies with a larger number of ILD patients are suggested.
Foreign Aid and Inclusive Development: Updated Evidence from Africa, 2005–2012*
Authors: Asongu Simplice A. , Nwachukwu Jacinta C. 
Published: April 2016

ObjectiveMotivated by the April 2015 World Bank Publication on MDGs, which reveals that poverty has been declining in all regions of the world with the exception of African countries, this study investigates the effects of a plethora of foreign aid dynamics on inequality‐adjusted human development.MethodsContemporary and noncontemporary OLS, fixed effects, and a system GMM technique with forward orthogonal deviations are employed. The empirical evidence is based on an updated sample of 53 African countries for the period 2005–2012.ResultsThe following findings are established. First, the impacts of aid dynamics with high degrees of substitution are positive. These include aid for: social infrastructure, economic infrastructure, the productive sector, and multisectors. Second, the effect of humanitarian assistance is consistently negative across specifications and models. Third, the effects of program assistance and action on debt are ambiguous because they become positive with the GMM technique.ConclusionsJustifications for these changes and clarifications with respect to existing literature are provided. Policy implications are discussed in light of the post‐2015 development agenda. We also provide some recommendations for a rethinking of theories and models on which development assistance is based.
Getting Short‐Changed? The Impact of Outside Money on District Representation*
Authors: Baker Anne E. 
Published: April 2016

ObjectiveAs incumbent House members increasingly recruit campaign contributions from individuals who reside outside of their districts, this raises the question of whether a dependency on outside money affects members’ responsiveness and ideological proximity to district constituents.MethodUsing data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Studies of 2006, 2008, and 2010 as well as individual contribution data corresponding to those years from the U.S. Federal Election Commission, I examine this relationship using responsiveness and proximity models of representation.ResultsI find a dependency on outside contributions decreases members’ responsiveness to their districts and increases the members’ ideological extremity. Moreover, within‐district contributions only minimally improve ideological alignment between the member and the district.ConclusionDonors receive additional representation from members of the House at the expense of constituents.
Willingness to pay for sustainable drainage systems in a highly urbanised city: a contingent valuation study in Hong Kong
Authors: Chui Ting Fong May , Ngai Wing Yin 
Published: April 2016

AbstractSustainable drainage systems (SuDS) reduce surface runoff and pollution from developed areas using various techniques such as green roofs and porous pavements. These systems are becoming popular worldwide, except in highly urbanised cities. This study used contingent valuation to investigate city dwellers’ perceptions of SuDS and their willingness to pay (WTP). Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with 600 respondents in Hong Kong. In general, the participants’ understanding of stormwater management was not strong, although they supported SuDS. The mean and the median WTP were 8.8 and 15.0%, respectively, of the current government spending on stormwater management for public places, and 1.8 and 2.5%, respectively, of the property price for private properties. These WTP were lower than those reported in the previous overseas studies. Respondents who were relatively younger, better educated, had higher income, and came from a previously flooded district had higher WTP. These results facilitated strategic SuDS implementation in highly urbanised cities.
On the interaction between weed and bird damage in rice
Authors: Demont M , Rodenburg J 
Published: April 2016

SummaryWeeds and granivorous birds are the two major biotic constraints to rice production in sub‐Saharan Africa. Anecdotal evidence advances the hypothesis that weedy fields attract granivorous birds to the extent that the joint weed × bird impact on crops is synergistic. We develop a theoretical model, based on experimental data, of the interaction between weed and bird damage to formally test this hypothesis. We observe that the response of bird‐inflicted yield loss to weeds is unimodal and inverse‐U‐shaped. Bird‐inflicted yield loss increases from 44% in weed‐free conditions to a maximum of 55% at a critical weed infestation level of 20 g dry weight m−2. We conclude that the 11% increase in yield loss can be attributed to the synergistic interaction between weed and bird damage in rice. Our theory provides new insights into the analysis of the interaction between weeds and pests in general and supports a revision of currently accepted recommendations for weed management in rice. In areas where birds constitute an important production risk, it would be beneficial for rice farmers to remove those weeds that are tall enough to attract birds, even beyond the critical weed period.
Host-Derived Sialic Acids Are an Important Nutrient Source Required for Optimal Bacterial Fitness
In Vivo
Authors: McDonald Nathan D. , Lubin Jean-Bernard , Chowdhury Nityananda , Boyd E. Fidelma 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

A major challenge facing bacterial intestinal pathogens is competition for nutrient sources with the host microbiota.
Vibrio cholerae
is an intestinal pathogen that causes cholera, which affects millions each year; however, our knowledge of its nutritional requirements in the intestinal milieu is limited. In this study, we demonstrated that
V. cholerae
can grow efficiently on intestinal mucus and its component sialic acids and that a tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic SiaPQM strain, transporter-deficient mutant NC1777, was attenuated for colonization using a streptomycin-pretreated adult mouse model. In
in vivo
competition assays, NC1777 was significantly outcompeted for up to 3 days postinfection. NC1777 was also significantly outcompeted in
in vitro
competition assays in M9 minimal medium supplemented with intestinal mucus, indicating that sialic acid uptake is essential for fitness. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the ability to utilize sialic acid was distributed among 452 bacterial species from eight phyla. The majority of species belonged to four phyla,
Actinobacteria
(members of
Actinobacillus
,
Corynebacterium
,
Mycoplasma
, and
Streptomyces
),
Bacteroidetes
(mainly
Bacteroides
,
Capnocytophaga
, and
Prevotella
),
Firmicutes
(members of
Streptococcus
,
Staphylococcus
,
Clostridium
, and
Lactobacillus
), and
Proteobacteria
(including
Escherichia
,
Shigella
,
Salmonella
,
Citrobacter
,
Haemophilus
,
Klebsiella
,
Pasteurella
,
Photobacterium
,
Vibrio
, and
Yersinia
species), mostly commensals and/or pathogens. Overall, our data demonstrate that the ability to take up host-derived sugars and sialic acid specifically allows
V. cholerae
a competitive advantage in intestinal colonization and that this is a trait that is sporadic in its occurrence and phylogenetic distribution and ancestral in some genera but horizontally acquired in others.

IMPORTANCE
Sialic acids are nine carbon amino sugars that are abundant on all mucous surfaces. The deadly human pathogen
Vibrio cholerae
contains the genes required for scavenging, transport, and catabolism of sialic acid. We determined that the
V. cholerae
SiaPQM transporter is essential for sialic acid transport and that this trait allows the bacterium to outcompete noncatabolizers
in vivo
. We also showed that the ability to take up and catabolize sialic acid is prevalent among both commensals and pathogens that colonize the oral cavity and the respiratory, intestinal, and urogenital tracts. Phylogenetic analysis determined that the sialic acid catabolism phenotype is ancestral in some genera such as
Yersinia
,
Streptococcus
, and
Staphylococcus
and is acquired by horizontal gene transfer in others such as
Vibrio
,
Aeromonas
, and
Klebsiella
. The data demonstrate that this trait has evolved multiple times in different lineages, indicating the importance of specialized metabolism to niche expansion.
15 hz Electroacupuncture at St36 Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Reduces Free Fatty Acid Levels in Rats with Chronic Dexamethasone-Induced Insulin Resistance
Authors: Tzeng Chung-Yuh , Lee Yu-Chen , Chung Jui-Jung , Tsai Jen-Chieh , Chen Ying-I , Hsu Tai-Hao , Lin Jaung-Geng , Lee Kuan-Rong , Chang Shih-Liang 
Published: April 2016

Objective To evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) in a rat model of chronic steroid-induced insulin resistance (SIIR). Methods An SIIR rat model was created using daily intraperitoneal injections of clinically relevant doses of dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) for 5 days to induce chronic insulin resistance. Thirty-six SIIR rats were randomly divided into the SIIR+EA group (n=18), which received 15 Hz EA at ST36 for 60 min, and the SIIR group (n=18), which remained untreated. Plasma glucose and free fatty acid (FFA) levels were measured in serial blood samples taken without further manipulation (n=6 per group) and during insulin challenge test (ICT, n=6 per group) and intravenous glucose tolerance test (ivGTT, n=6 per group). Insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 and glucose transporter (GLUT)-4 were measured using Western blotting and expressed relative to β-actin. Results Following EA, area-under-the-curve (AUC) for glucose was reduced (7340±291 vs 10 705±1474 mg/dL/min, p=0.049) and FFA levels significantly lower at 30/60 min in the SIIR+EA versus SIIR groups. Similar effects on glucose AUC were seen during the ICT (5568±275 vs 7136±594 mg/dL/min, p<0.05) and igVTT (11 498±1398 vs 16 652±1217 mg/dL/min, p<0.01). FFA levels were lower at 30 and/or 60 min in SIIR+EA versus SIIR groups (p<0.01). Relative expression of IRS-1 and GLUT4 were significantly increased by EA (p<0.01). Conclusions EA decreased the FFA level and increased insulin sensitivity in SIIR rats. Further clinical studies are needed to determine whether EA is an effective alternative treatment for the reduction of insulin resistance in patients requiring chronic use of dexamethasone.
Scottish Keep Well health check programme: an interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Geue Claudia , Lewsey James D , MacKay Daniel F , Antony Grace , Fischbacher Colin M , Muirie Jill , McCartney Gerard 
Published: April 2016

BackgroundEffective interventions are available to reduce cardiovascular risk. Recently, health check programmes have been implemented to target those at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but there is much debate whether these are likely to be effective at population level. This paper evaluates the impact of wave 1 of Keep Well, a Scottish health check programme, on cardiovascular outcomes.MethodsInterrupted time series analyses were employed, comparing trends in outcomes in participating and non-participating practices before and after the introduction of health checks. Health outcomes are defined as CVD mortality, incident hospitalisations and prescribing of cardiovascular drugs.ResultsAfter accounting for secular trends and seasonal variation, coronary heart disease mortality and hospitalisations changed by 0.4% (95% CI −5.2% to 6.3%) and −1.1% (−3.4% to 1.3%) in Keep Well practices and by −0.3% (−2.7% to 2.2%) and −0.1% (−1.8% to 1.7%) in non-Keep Well practices, respectively, following the intervention. Adjusted changes in prescribing in Keep Well and non-Keep Well practices were 0.4% (−10.4% to 12.5%) and −1.5% (−9.4% to 7.2%) for statins; −2.5% (−12.3% to 8.4%) and −1.6% (−7.1% to 4.3%) for antihypertensive drugs; and −0.9% (−6.5% to 5.0%) and −2.4% (−10.1% to 6.0%) for antiplatelet drugs.ConclusionsAny impact of the Keep Well health check intervention on CVD outcomes and prescribing in Scotland was very small. Findings do not support the use of the screening approach used by current health check programmes to address CVD. We used an interrupted time series method, but evaluation methods based on randomisation are feasible and preferable and would have allowed more reliable conclusions. These should be considered more often by policymakers at an early stage in programme design when there is uncertainty regarding programme effectiveness.
Prevalence of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and their impact on health-related quality of life, physical function and mental health in Portugal: results from EpiReumaPt– a national health survey
Authors: Branco Jaime C , Rodrigues Ana M , Gouveia Nélia , Eusébio Mónica , Ramiro Sofia , Machado Pedro M , da Costa Leonor Pereira , Mourão Ana Filipa , Silva Inês , Laires Pedro , Sepriano Alexandre , Araújo Filipe , Gonçalves Sónia , Coelho Pedro S , Tavares Viviana , Cerol Jorge , Mendes Jorge M , Carmona Loreto , Canhão Helena ,   on behalf of the EpiReumaPt study group
Published: April 2016

ObjectivesTo estimate the national prevalence of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) in the adult Portuguese population and to determine their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical function, anxiety and depression.MethodsEpiReumaPt is a national health survey with a three-stage approach. First, 10 661 adult participants were randomly selected. Trained interviewers undertook structured face-to-face questionnaires that included screening for RMDs and assessments of health-related quality of life, physical function, anxiety and depression. Second, positive screenings for ≥1 RMD plus 20% negative screenings were invited to be evaluated by a rheumatologist. Finally, three rheumatologists revised all the information and confirmed the diagnoses according to validated criteria. Estimates were computed as weighted proportions, taking the sampling design into account.ResultsThe disease-specific prevalence rates (and 95% CIs) of RMDs in the adult Portuguese population were: low back pain, 26.4% (23.3% to 29.5%); periarticular disease, 15.8% (13.5% to 18.0%); knee osteoarthritis (OA), 12.4% (11.0% to 13.8%); osteoporosis, 10.2% (9.0% to 11.3%); hand OA, 8.7% (7.5% to 9.9%); hip OA, 2.9% (2.3% to 3.6%); fibromyalgia, 1.7% (1.1% to 2.1%); spondyloarthritis, 1.6% (1.2% to 2.1%); gout, 1.3% (1.0% to 1.6%); rheumatoid arthritis, 0.7% (0.5% to 0.9%); systemic lupus erythaematosus, 0.1% (0.1% to 0.2%) and polymyalgia rheumatica, 0.1% (0.0% to 0.2%). After multivariable adjustment, participants with RMDs had significantly lower EQ5D scores (β=−0.09; p<0.001) and higher HAQ scores (β=0.13; p<0.001) than participants without RMDs. RMDs were also significantly associated with the presence of anxiety symptoms (OR=3.5; p=0.006).ConclusionsRMDs are highly prevalent in Portugal and are associated not only with significant physical function and mental health impairment but also with poor HRQoL, leading to more health resource consumption. The EpiReumaPt study emphasises the burden of RMDs in Portugal and the need to increase RMD awareness, being a strong argument to encourage policymakers to increase the amount of resources allocated to the treatment of rheumatic patients.
Reasons for Electronic Nicotine Delivery System use and smoking abstinence at 6 months: a descriptive study of callers to employer and health plan-sponsored quitlines
Authors: Vickerman K A , Schauer G L , Malarcher A M , Zhang L , Mowery P , Nash C M 
Published: April 2016

ObjectiveDescribe cigarette smoking abstinence among employer and health plan-sponsored quitline registrants who were not using Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), were using ENDS to quit smoking or were using ENDS for other reasons at the time of quitline registration.MethodsWe examined 6029 quitline callers aged ≥18 years who smoked cigarettes at registration, and completed ≥1 counselling calls, baseline ENDS use questions and a 6-month follow-up survey (response rate: 52.4%). 30-day point prevalence smoking quit rates (PPQRs) were assessed at 6-month follow-up (ENDS-only users were considered quit). Data were weighted for non-response bias. Logistic regression analyses controlled for participant characteristics and programme engagement.ResultsAt registration, 13.8% of respondents used ENDS (7.9% to quit smoking, 5.9% for other reasons). 30-day PPQRs were: 55.1% for callers using ENDS to quit, 43.1% for callers using ENDS for other reasons, and 50.8% for callers not using ENDS at registration. Callers using ENDS for other reasons were less likely to quit than other groups (adjusted ORs=0.65–0.77); quit rates did not significantly differ between non-ENDS users and those using ENDS to quit. Among callers using ENDS to quit at baseline, 40% used ENDS regularly at follow-up.ConclusionsENDS users not using ENDS to quit smoking were less successful at quitting at 6-month follow-up compared with callers using ENDS to quit smoking and callers who did not use ENDS at programme registration. Incorporating reasons for ENDS use may be important for future studies examining the role of ENDS in tobacco cessation.
Snus undermines quit attempts but not abstinence: a randomised clinical trial among US smokers
Authors: Carpenter Matthew J , Wahlquist Amy E , Burris Jessica L , Gray Kevin M , Garrett-Mayer Elizabeth , Cummings K Michael , Alberg Anthony J 
Published: April 2016

BackgroundObservational studies and a few clinical trials suggest that use of low nitrosamine smokeless tobacco (snus) can facilitate smoking cessation. To better understand the real-world impact of snus on smoking behaviour, a large-scale, long-term clinical trial of naturalistic snus use among smokers is needed.Study designA nationwide clinical trial compared abstinence outcomes among smokers who were randomised to receive free samples of snus versus not. Participants (N=1236) were recruited throughout the US and assessed for 1 year following a 6-week naturalistic sampling period, with high retention throughout. Primary outcomes included self-reported quit attempts, floating abstinence (any 7-day period of non-smoking) and 7-day point-prevalence abstinence at 6 months and 12 months. Secondary outcomes were changes in smoking, motivation and confidence to quit and adverse events. No tobacco industry support was provided.ResultsWithin snus group, 82% used at least once, and 16% were using regularly at end of sampling period. Compared to control participants, smokers in the snus group were less likely to make any quit attempt (RR=0.83; 95% CI 0.70 to 1.00), and any 24 h quit attempt (RR=0.77; 95% CI 0.63 to 0.95). There were no group differences on any measure of abstinence.ConclusionsProvision of snus in a naturalistic context resulted in minimal uptake, and as a whole, undermined quit attempts and did not increase smoking abstinence. Results do not support the unguided, free provision of snus among smokers not motivated to quit as a means to facilitate quit attempts.Trial registration numberNCT01509586, Results.
Bolt common bean
Authors: Khanal Raja , Rupert Terry , Navabi Alireza , Smith Thomas H. , Michaels Thomas E. , Burt Andrew J. , Pauls Karl P. 
Published: April 2016

The breeding line ACUG10-1 named as Bolt (CFIA registration no. 7366) of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is resistant to anthracnose [caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magnus)] with an upright plant architecture, suitable for direct harvest and high yield potential. Bolt is recommended for the dry bean growing areas in southwestern Ontario.
Presentability by products for some classes of groups
Authors: de la Harpe P. , Kotschick D. 
Published: April 2016

In various classes of infinite groups, we identify groups that are presentable by products, i.e. groups having finite index subgroups which are quotients of products of two commuting infinite subgroups. The classes we discuss here include groups of small virtual cohomological dimension and irreducible Zariski dense subgroups of appropriate algebraic groups. This leads to applications to groups of positive deficiency, to fundamental groups of three-manifolds and to Coxeter groups.For finitely generated groups presentable by products we discuss the problem of whether the factors in a presentation by products may be chosen to be finitely generated.
Label-Free Neurosurgical Pathology with Stimulated Raman Imaging
Authors: Lu Fa-Ke , Calligaris David , Olubiyi Olutayo I. , Norton Isaiah , Yang Wenlong , Santagata Sandro , Xie X. Sunney , Golby Alexandra J. , Agar Nathalie Y.R. 
Published: April 2016

Abstract
The goal of brain tumor surgery is to maximize tumor removal without injuring critical brain structures. Achieving this goal is challenging as it can be difficult to distinguish tumor from nontumor tissue. While standard histopathology provides information that could assist tumor delineation, it cannot be performed iteratively during surgery as freezing, sectioning, and staining of the tissue require too much time. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy is a powerful label-free chemical imaging technology that enables rapid mapping of lipids and proteins within a fresh specimen. This information can be rendered into pathology-like images. Although this approach has been used to assess the density of glioma cells in murine orthotopic xenografts models and human brain tumors, tissue heterogeneity in clinical brain tumors has not yet been fully evaluated with SRS imaging. Here we profile 41 specimens resected from 12 patients with a range of brain tumors. By evaluating large-scale stimulated Raman imaging data and correlating this data with current clinical gold standard of histopathology for 4,422 fields of view, we capture many essential diagnostic hallmarks for glioma classification. Notably, in fresh tumor samples, we observe additional features, not seen by conventional methods, including extensive lipid droplets within glioma cells, collagen deposition in gliosarcoma, and irregularity and disruption of myelinated fibers in areas infiltrated by oligodendroglioma cells. The data are freely available in a public resource to foster diagnostic training and to permit additional interrogation. Our work establishes the methodology and provides a significant collection of reference images for label-free neurosurgical pathology. Cancer Res; 76(12); 3451–62. ©2016 AACR.