bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Drug Side Effect Symptoms and Adherence to Antihypertensive
Medication
Authors: Tedla Yacob G. , Bautista Leonelo E. 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Non-adherence to antihypertensive medication increases the risk of uncontrolled hypertension. Antihypertensive drug-related symptoms (side effects) are frequently cited as a main cause of non-adherence, but with little support from prospective studies. We evaluated the association between drug side effects and prospective adherence to treatment.

METHODS
We collected data on the number and dose of antihypertensive drugs at enrollment and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of follow-up in a cohort of 175 hypertensive patients starting or restarting antihypertensive treatment (mean age: 50 years; 58% women). During the follow-up visits, we gathered data on 24 side effects during the last month and the pill count adherence ratio (PCAR = pills taken out of number prescribed × 100) since the previous visit. The association between side effects at a visit and adherence through the next visit was estimated using mixed effect models.

RESULTS
Eighty-five percent of the participants experienced side effects, and 34.5% became non-adherent (PCAR &lt;80%). After adjusting for confounders, PCAR was 6.0 percentage points lower ( P = 0.04) among individuals with number of side effects above the median value (4 symptoms). Also, in individuals with genitourinary side effects, PCAR was 7.1 percentage points lower ( P = 0.02) than in those without such side effects. Specifically, PCAR was 6.5 ( P = 0.06) and 7.6 ( P = 0.01) percentage points lower among individuals with excessive urination and decrease in sexual drive, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Antihypertensive drug side effects was associated with drug adherence but only excessive urination and decrease in sexual drive significantly predicted lower adherence. These symptoms could be used as markers to screen out patients at high risk of non-adherence.
Randomized Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Structured Educational Program for Patients With Essential Hypertension
Authors: Perl Sabine , Niederl Ella , Kos Cornelia , Mrak Peter , Ederer Herbert , Rakovac Ivo , Beck Peter , Kraler Elisabeth , Stoff Ingrid , Klima Gert , Pieske Burkert M. , Pieber Thomas R. , Zweiker Robert 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Adherence to medication and lifestyle interventions are essential keys for the management of hypertension. In this respect, a structured educational program for hypertensive patients has got remarkable merits (herz.leben). In order to determine the isolated effect of participation in the educational program, neglecting the possible impact of more intense care, this prospective multicenter randomized controlled study was designed (NCT00453037).

METHODS
A total of 256 patients in 13 centers were enrolled and randomly assigned to 2 groups (G). G-I ( n = 137) underwent the educational program immediately (T-0), G-II ( n = 119) after 6 months (T-6). Follow-up visits were done after 6 (T-6) and 12 (T-12) months. Primary endpoint was a difference in office blood pressure (BP) at T-6, when only G-I had undergone the educational program.

RESULTS
Patients’ baseline characteristics were comparable. At T-6, systolic office and home BP were significantly lower in G-I compared to G-II: office BP systolic 139 (134–150) mm Hg vs. 150 (135–165) mm Hg ( P &lt; 0.01); diastolic 80 (76–85) mm Hg vs. 84 (75–90) mm Hg (ns); home BP systolic 133 (130–140) mm Hg vs. 142 (132–150) mm Hg ( P &lt; 0.01); diastolic 80 (75–85) mm Hg vs. 80 (76–89) mm Hg (ns)). At T-12, when all patients had undergone the educational program differences in BP disappeared.

CONCLUSION
The results of this multicenter randomized controlled study provide significant evidence for benefit by participation in a structured educational program. Positive effects seem to be mediated by better adherence and life style changes due to higher levels of information and patient empowerment. Therefore, educational strategies should be considered as standard of care for hypertensive patients.
Intra-specific variation in genome size in maize: cytological and phenotypic correlates
Authors: Realini María Florencia , Poggio Lidia , Cámara-Hernández Julián , González Graciela Esther 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
Genome size variation accompanies the diversification and evolution of many plant species. Relationships between DNA amount and phenotypic and cytological characteristics form the basis of most hypotheses that ascribe a biological role to genome size. The goal of the present research was to investigate the intra-specific variation in the DNA content in maize populations from Northeastern Argentina and further explore the relationship between genome size and the phenotypic traits seed weight and length of the vegetative cycle. Moreover, cytological parameters such as the percentage of heterochromatin as well as the number, position and sequence composition of knobs were analysed and their relationships with 2C DNA values were explored. The populations analysed presented significant differences in 2C DNA amount, from 4.62 to 6.29 pg, representing 36.15 % of the inter-populational variation. Moreover, intra-populational genome size variation was found, varying from 1.08 to 1.63-fold. The variation in the percentage of knob heterochromatin as well as in the number, chromosome position and sequence composition of the knobs was detected among and within the populations. Although a positive relationship between genome size and the percentage of heterochromatin was observed, a significant correlation was not found. This confirms that other non-coding repetitive DNA sequences are contributing to the genome size variation. A positive relationship between DNA amount and the seed weight has been reported in a large number of species, this relationship was not found in the populations studied here. The length of the vegetative cycle showed a positive correlation with the percentage of heterochromatin. This result allowed attributing an adaptive effect to heterochromatin since the length of this cycle would be optimized via selection for an appropriate percentage of heterochromatin.
Understanding the wide geographic range of a clonal perennial grass: plasticity versus local adaptation
Authors: Liu Yanjie , Zhang Lirong , Xu Xingliang , Niu Haishan 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
Both phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation may allow widely distributed plant species to either acclimate or adapt to environmental heterogeneity. Given the typically low genetic variation of clonal plants across their habitats, phenotypic plasticity may be the primary adaptive strategy allowing them to thrive across a wide range of habitats. In this study, the mechanism supporting the widespread distribution of the clonal plant Leymus chinensis was determined, i.e. phenotypic plasticity or local specialization in water use efficiency (WUE; reflected by foliar δ 13 C). To test whether plasticity is required for the species to thrive in different habitats, samples were collected across its distribution in the Mongolian steppe, and a controlled watering experiment was conducted with two populations at two different sites. Five populations were also transplanted from different sites into a control environment, and the foliar δ 13 C was compared between the control and original habitats, to test for local specialization in WUE. Results demonstrated decreased foliar δ 13 C with increasing precipitation during controlled watering experiments, with divergent responses between the two populations assessed. Change in foliar δ 13 C (−3.69 ‰) due to water addition was comparable to fluctuations of foliar δ 13 C observed in situ (−4.83 ‰). Foliar δ 13 C differed by −0.91 ‰ between two transplanted populations; however, this difference was not apparent between the two populations when growing in their original habitats. Findings provide evidence that local adaptation affects foliar δ 13 C much less than phenotypic plasticity. Thus, plasticity in WUE is more important than local adaptation in allowing the clonal plant L. chinensis to occupy a wide range of habitats in the Mongolian steppe.
Phylogeography above the species level for perennial species in a composite
genus
Authors: Tremetsberger Karin , Ortiz María Ángeles , Terrab Anass , Balao Francisco , Casimiro-Soriguer Ramón , Talavera María , Talavera Salvador 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
In phylogeography, DNA sequence and fingerprint data at the population level are used to infer evolutionary histories of species. Phylogeography above the species level is concerned with the genealogical aspects of divergent lineages. Here, we present a phylogeographic study to examine the evolutionary history of a western Mediterranean composite, focusing on the perennial species of Helminthotheca (Asteraceae, Cichorieae). We used molecular markers (amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), internal transcribed spacer and plastid DNA sequences) to infer relationships among populations throughout the distributional range of the group. Interpretation is aided by biogeographic and molecular clock analyses. Four coherent entities are revealed by Bayesian mixture clustering of AFLP data, which correspond to taxa previously recognized at the rank of subspecies. The origin of the group was in western North Africa, from where it expanded across the Strait of Gibraltar to the Iberian Peninsula and across the Strait of Sicily to Sicily. Pleistocene lineage divergence is inferred within western North Africa as well as within the western Iberian region. The existence of the four entities as discrete evolutionary lineages suggests that they should be elevated to the rank of species, yielding H. aculeata , H. comosa , H. maroccana and H. spinosa , whereby the latter two necessitate new combinations.
Influence of low calcium availability on cadmium uptake and translocation in a fast-growing shrub and a metal-accumulating herb
Authors: Eller Franziska , Brix Hans 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
Calcium (Ca) and the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd) are antagonistic ions competing for uptake in plants when they co-occur in soil solutions, and high Ca concentrations can reduce the uptake of Cd in plants. However, less is known about the effects of low Ca bioavailability on Cd uptake and translocation in plants. We hypothesized that low Ca availability would enhance Cd uptake and translocation in Sesbania sesban , a fast-growing shrub potentially useful for Cd removal from contaminated soils, and Brassica juncea , a well-known Cd-hyperaccumulator. The two species were grown under controlled conditions for 21 days in hydroponic nutrient solutions with either 0.2 or 2 mM Ca and 0 or 50 µM Cd in a 2 × 2 factorial experimental design. Both species had a lower relative growth rate, final root length and shoot and root biomasses at 50 µM Cd compared with growth without Cd. The negative effects of Cd on both species were exacerbated at low Ca availability. Brassica juncea had higher root Cd concentrations than S. sesban , but the shoot Cd concentrations did not differ between the two species. The low Ca concentration enhanced the uptake of Cd in the roots of both species, but Cd translocation to the shoots was low, especially at 0.2 mM Ca. We conclude that the low Ca concentration enhanced the uptake of Cd into roots of S. sesban and B. juncea and increased the phytotoxicity of Cd. The translocation of Cd to the shoots of the two species was, however, lower at 0.2 mM than at 2 mM Ca, implying that Cd removal from polluted soil cannot simply be increased by adjusting ion concentrations.
Manta: rapid detection of structural variants and indels for germline and cancer sequencing applications
Authors: Chen Xiaoyu , Schulz-Trieglaff Ole , Shaw Richard , Barnes Bret , Schlesinger Felix , Källberg Morten , Cox Anthony J. , Kruglyak Semyon , Saunders Christopher T. 
Published: December 2015

Summary: We describe Manta, a method to discover structural variants and indels from next generation sequencing data. Manta is optimized for rapid germline and somatic analysis, calling structural variants, medium-sized indels and large insertions on standard compute hardware in less than a tenth of the time that comparable methods require to identify only subsets of these variant types: for example NA12878 at 50× genomic coverage is analyzed in less than 20 min. Manta can discover and score variants based on supporting paired and split-read evidence, with scoring models optimized for germline analysis of diploid individuals and somatic analysis of tumor-normal sample pairs. Call quality is similar to or better than comparable methods, as determined by pedigree consistency of germline calls and comparison of somatic calls to COSMIC database variants. Manta consistently assembles a higher fraction of its calls to base-pair resolution, allowing for improved downstream annotation and analysis of clinical significance. We provide Manta as a community resource to facilitate practical and routine structural variant analysis in clinical and research sequencing scenarios.
Availability and implementation: Manta is released under the open-source GPLv3 license. Source code, documentation and Linux binaries are available from https://github.com/Illumina/manta.
Contact: csaunders@illumina.com
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Sampling ARG of multiple populations under complex configurations of subdivision and admixture
Authors: Carrieri Anna Paola , Utro Filippo , Parida Laxmi 
Published: December 2015

AbstractMotivation: Simulating complex evolution scenarios of multiple populations is an important task for answering many basic questions relating to population genomics. Apart from the population samples, the underlying Ancestral Recombinations Graph (ARG) is an additional important means in hypothesis checking and reconstruction studies. Furthermore, complex simulations require a plethora of interdependent parameters making even the scenario-specification highly non-trivial.Results: We present an algorithm SimRA that simulates generic multiple population evolution model with admixture. It is based on random graphs that improve dramatically in time and space requirements of the classical algorithm of single populations.Using the underlying random graphs model, we also derive closed forms of expected values of the ARG characteristics i.e., height of the graph, number of recombinations, number of mutations and population diversity in terms of its defining parameters. This is crucial in aiding the user to specify meaningful parameters for the complex scenario simulations, not through trial-and-error based on raw compute power but intelligent parameter estimation. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time closed form expressions have been computed for the ARG properties. We show that the expected values closely match the empirical values through simulations.Finally, we demonstrate that SimRA produces the ARG in compact forms without compromising any accuracy. We demonstrate the compactness and accuracy through extensive experiments.Availability and implementation: SimRA (Simulation based on Random graph Algorithms) source, executable, user manual and sample input-output sets are available for downloading at: https://github.com/ComputationalGenomics/SimRAContact: parida@us.ibm.comSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Tropical crustose coralline algal individual and community responses to elevated pCO2 under high and low irradiance
Authors: Dutra Elizabeth , Koch Marguerite , Peach Katherine , Manfrino Carrie 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
Crustose coralline algae (CCA) cement reefs and create important habitat and settling sites for reef organisms. The susceptibility of CCA to increasing ocean pCO2 and declining pH or ocean acidification (OA) is a growing concern. Although CCA are autotrophs, there has been little focus on the interaction of elevated pCO2 and irradiance. We examined elevated pCO2 effects on individual CCA and macroalgal benthic communities at high and low irradiance (205–13 µmol photons m−2 s−1) in an aquaria experiment (35 d, June–August 2014) on Little Cayman Island, Caribbean. A dominant Cayman reef wall CCA (Peyssonnelia sp.) in its adult lobed form and individual CCA recruits were used as experimental units. Changes in CCA, fleshy macroalgae (branching and turfs), and microalgae (including microbial biofilm) per cent cover and frequency were examined on macroalgal communities that settled onto plates from the reef. Reef diel cycles of pCO2 and pH were simulated using seawater inflow from a back reef. Although CO2 enrichment to year 2100 levels resulted in 1087 µatm pCO2 in the elevated pCO2 treatment, CaCO3 saturation states remained high (Ωcal ≥ 2.7). Under these conditions, elevated pCO2 had no effect on Peyssonnelia sp. calcification rates or survival regardless of irradiance. Individual CCA surface area on the bottom of settling plates was lower under elevated pCO2, but per cent cover or frequency within the community was unchanged. In contrast, there was a strong and consistent community assemblage response to irradiance. Microalgae increased at high irradiance and CCA increased under low irradiance with no significant pCO2 interaction. Based on this short-term experiment, tropical macroalgal communities are unlikely to shift at pCO2 levels predicted for year 2100 under high or low irradiance. Rather, irradiance and other factors that promote microalgae are likely to be strong drivers of tropical benthic algal community structure under climate change.
Long-term shift in coastal fish communities before and after the collapse of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)
Authors: McCain J. Scott P. , Cull Deneen J. , Schneider David C. , Lotze Heike K. 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
The collapse of the Northwest Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) stocks in the early 1990s led to widespread ecological changes offshore. Changes in coastal fish communities are less known, largely due to the lack of historical records and long-term, standardized research surveys in coastal ecosystems. We aimed to overcome this with a unique dataset known as the Fleming survey. From 1959 to 1964, a systematic beach-seine survey was conducted to examine juvenile cod abundance in 84 bays (42 of which were consistently sampled and therefore analysed) along the east coast of Newfoundland. In addition to cod, all other fish collected in the seines were recorded. These surveys were repeated from 1992 to 1996 after the cod collapse, and document a substantial reduction in a dominant inshore species—juvenile Atlantic cod. We show that total fish abundance declined significantly with the decrease of cod, whereas Shannon diversity and species evenness significantly increased. Species richness increased in some regions but decreased in others. We also found significant changes in the composition of the fish community likely due to a combination of release from predation from fewer large cod feeding in inshore areas as well as a release from competition from fewer juvenile cod occupying the coastal habitat. Region and the presence of vegetated habitats also significantly influenced the fish community. This study shows a strong reorganization of coastal fish communities after a large-scale fisheries collapse with implications for ecosystem-based and cross-ecosystem management.
Delayed Wound Dehiscence of Anterior Knee Incisions in Patients Aged 20 Years and Younger: A Comparison of Subcutaneous Skin Closure
Authors: Salib Christopher G. , Smith June C. , Siow Nicholas , Luhmann Scott J. 
Published: December 2015

Background:
Delayed wound dehiscence (DWD) typically occurs 2 to 7 weeks postoperatively and is characterized by wound gapping and drainage at a surgical site which has initial normal wound healing. This wound problem clinically mimics deep surgical site infection and, after eventual skin healing, leaves a cosmetically unattractive widened, atrophic surgical scar.

Methods:
A single-center, retrospective analysis was completed of 252 knees, over a 13-year period, in 194 patients (average age, 14.9 y) undergoing patellar realignment surgery. All knees in this study were treated through an anterior midline knee incision from mid-patella to the tibial tubercle. At wound closure either a 2-0 polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) group (V) or polydioxane (PDS) group (P) suture was used for subcutaneous reapproximation and then the skin was closed with a 4-0 subcuticular Poliglecaprone 25 and IRGACARE (Monocryl) suture. Wound complications were recorded and analyzed by subcutaneous suture type, severity, size of involvement, duration, and treatment type.

Results:
Of the 252 knees, there were 132 knees in the V group and 120 in the P group. A total of 195 surgeries were primary surgeries and 57 knees were through previous surgical scars. Eleven patients had surgeries in which 1 knee was in each study group. Overall there were 6.1% (8/132) of the V group and 1.7% (2/120) of the P group with DWD (P=0.11); hence there was a trend toward more DWD with Vicryl than PDS, but this did not meet statistical significance. Mean time to resolution of wound dehiscence was 26 days for V group and 46 days for the P group. The length of incision was demonstrated to be a statistically significant independent risk factor for the development of DWD, irrespective of suture type.

Conclusions:
The frequency of DWD in anterior knee incisions in our study population was 6.1% in the polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) group and 1.7% in the polydioxane (PDS) group. Although this analysis did not achieve statistical significance, a 3.5 times decrease in DWD when PDS was used is considered by the authors to be clinically significant. The authors have definitively switched from Vicryl to PDS for the subcutaneous skin closure at the knee in patients aged 20 years and younger in the push to make wound complications a nonevent.

Level of Evidence:
Level IV.