bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Maternal factors and the risk of birth defects after IVF and ICSI: a whole of population cohort study
Authors: Davies MJ , Rumbold AR , Marino JL , Willson K , Giles LC , Whitrow MJ , Scheil W , Moran LJ , Thompson JG , Lane M , Moore VM 
Published: October 2016

ObjectiveTo assess the contribution of maternal factors to major birth defects after in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and natural conception.DesignRetrospective cohort study in South Australia for the period January 1986 to December 2002.SettingA whole of population study.PopulationA census of all IVF and ICSI linked to registries for births, pregnancy terminations, and birth defects (diagnosed before a child's fifth birthday).MethodsOdds ratios (ORs) for birth defects were calculated among IVF, ICSI, and natural conceptions for maternal age, parity, pre‐pregnancy BMI, smoking, pre‐existing diseases, and conditions in pregnancy, with adjustment for confounding factors.Main outcome measuresBirth defects classified by International Classification of Diseases (ninth revision) and British Paediatric Association (ICD9‐BPA) codes.ResultsThere were 2211 IVF, 1399 ICSI, and 301 060 naturally conceived births. The unadjusted prevalence of any birth defect was 7.1, 9.9, and 5.7% in the IVF, ICSI, and natural conception groups, respectively. As expected, the risk of birth defects increased with maternal age among the natural conceptions. In contrast, for IVF and ICSI combined, relative to natural conceptions, births to women aged ≤29 years had a higher risk (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 1.04–1.94), births to women aged 35–39 years had no difference in risk (aOR 1.01; 95% CI 0.74–1.37), and births to women aged ≥40 years had a lower risk of defects (aOR 0.45; 95% CI 0.22–0.92). Defects were also elevated for nulliparity, anaemia, and urinary tract infection in births after ICSI, but not after IVF.ConclusionsThe usual age–birth defect relationship is reversed in births after IVF and ICSI, and the associations for other maternal factors and defects vary between IVF and ICSI.Tweetable abstractRisk of birth defects in women over 40 years is lower after infertility treatment than for natural conceptions.
Experiences and characteristics of women seeking and completing at‐home medical termination of pregnancy through online telemedicine in Ireland and Northern Ireland: a population‐based analysis
Authors: Aiken ARA , Gomperts R , Trussell J 
Published: October 2016

ObjectiveTo examine the characteristics and experiences of women in Ireland and Northern Ireland seeking at‐home medical termination of pregnancy (TOP) using online telemedicine.DesignPopulation‐based study.SettingIreland and Northern Ireland.PopulationBetween 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2015, 5650 women requested at‐home medical TOP through online telemedicine initiative Women on Web.MethodsWe examined the demographics and circumstances of women requesting medical TOP and examined the experiences of the 1023 women who completed TOP between January 2010 and December 2012. We conducted a content analysis of women's evaluations and used logistic regression to examine factors associated with lack of emotional support during and after TOPMain outcome measuresSatisfaction with TOP; feelings before and after TOP; emotional support during TOP.ResultsWomen requesting TOP were diverse with respect to age, pregnancy circumstances and reasons for seeking TOP. Among those completing TOP, 97% felt they made the right choice and 98% would recommend it to others in a similar situation. Women commonly reported serious mental stress caused by their pregnancies and their inability to afford travel abroad to access TOP. The feelings women most commonly reported after completing TOP were ‘relieved’ (70%) and ‘satisfied’ (36%). Women with financial hardship had twice the risk of lacking emotional support (odds ratio = 2.0, P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe vast majority of women who completed at‐home medical TOP through Women on Web had a positive experience. These demonstrated benefits to health and wellbeing contribute new evidence to the debate surrounding abortion laws in Ireland and Northern Ireland.Tweetable abstractIrish and Northern Irish women completing at‐home medical TOP report benefits for health, wellbeing and autonomy.
Factors predisposing to stone migration from the gallbladder into the common bile duct
Authors: Gan Jonathan , Chang Stephen 
Published: October 2016

AimEndoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), has an important role in the treatment of gallstone cholangitis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the optimal timing of LC, and factors that predispose early recurrence in patients who undergo ERCP for common bile duct (CBD) stones.Patients and MethodsA retrospective study was carried out for all patients who were treated conservatively in our hospital from 2006 to 2008. A total of 116 patients were followed up. Patients were divided into three groups: early recurrence, late recurrence and no recurrence. Risk factors evaluated included age, sex, number of stones, largest stone size, gallbladder wall thickness, CBD diameter, presence of stones in the gallbladder and CBD and the presence of pericholecystic fluid.Results
CBD stone recurrence occurred in 29 patients (25 per cent). Fifteen patients had recurrent symptoms within 2.6 months. These patients were subsequently placed in the early recurrence group. Multivariate analysis showed that lager stone size [odds ratio (OR): 1.084, 95 per cent confidence interval (CI): 1.007–1.167, P = 0.033] is a significant risk factor for early recurrence, but older age is a protective factor (OR: 0.994, CI: 0.907–0.984, P = 0.006).ConclusionGallstone size is significantly associated with early CBD stone recurrence. Advancing age is protective against early recurrence. LC should be performed within 2.6 months after the first event.
Paying a ‘Fair Share’: Multinational Corporations’ Perspectives on Taxation
Authors: Elbra Ainsley , Mikler John 
Published: October 2016

AbstractGlobal economic integration undermines the effectiveness of national corporate taxation regimes. Being able to shift their revenues to states where they pay little tax, multinational corporations (MNCs) legally minimise what they pay. However, corporations’ reputations are precious assets that they may jeopardise if they are widely perceived to not be paying their ‘fair share’ of taxation. Does this affect corporate perspectives? We first consider the reality that the global economy is both geographically and economically concentrated. This market and geographical concentration is the source of MNCs’ power and it affects their strategic perspective on minimising tax payments. It also supports a liberal preoccupation with shareholder value that reflects the institutional context of their major headquarters: the US. Second, we analyse indices of corporate reputation to demonstrate how this perspective dominates other attributes, particularly social responsibility. Third, we consider corporate responses to recent inquiries. We find that a liberal ideological belief in free markets and a focus on shareholder value dominate corporate conceptions of legitimacy. We therefore conclude it is unlikely MNCs will voluntarily pay their fair share of tax, but that in declaring their right not to do so they have opened the way to national and international re‐regulation.
Comparison of combined antioxidants and thymoquinone in the prevention of testis ischemia – reperfusion injury
Authors: Erol B. , Sari U. , Amasyali A. S. , Ozkanli S. , Sogut S. , Hanci V. , Efiloglu O. , Danacioglu Y. O. , Engin P. , Yencilek F. , Atis G. , Yildirim A. , Alkoc O. A. , Caskurlu T. 
Published: October 2016

SummaryWe aimed to compare the preventive effects of combined antioxidants (CA1, 2) with a single antioxidant drug (thymoquinone; TQ) on experimental testis Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) injury. Thirty‐five adult male Wistar rats were divided into five groups of seven rats each: control, testis I/R, testis I/R + CA1, testis I/R + CA2, and testis I/R + TQ. After 1 h of testicular ischemia, reperfusion was achieved by detorsion for 4 h. Antioxidants were intraperitoneally administered for 30 min prior to reperfusion. All rats were sacrificed 4 h after reperfusion to evaluate the tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant status (TAS) and the immunohistochemical evaluation of tissue inducible and endothelial nitric acid synthase (iNOS, eNOS) and apoptosis protease‐activating factor 1 (APAF‐1). MDA levels were lower and TAS values were higher in the I/R + antioxidant groups than in the I/R group (p < 0.05). iNOS and eNOS levels in the I/R + antioxidant groups were also lower than those in the I/R group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the CA groups and the TQ group according to aforementioned parameters. In addition, tissue APAF‐1 values were significantly higher in the I/R group than in the other groups. However, there was a significant difference between the TQ and CA groups in APAF‐1 levels, which were highest in the TQ group (p < 0.05). Although TQ alone increased TAS values and reduced tissue iNOS and eNOS levels, combined antioxidant treatment may more effectively reduce apoptosis and increase preventive effects in testis I/R injury.
A Predictive Model for Cesarean Among Low‐Risk Nulliparous Women in Spontaneous Labor at Hospital Admission
Authors: Janssen Patricia A. , Stienen Jozette J. C. , Brant Rollin , Hanley Gillian E. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractBackgroundTo determine if maternal characteristics measurable upon admission to hospital predict cesarean among low‐risk spontaneously laboring nulliparous women.MethodsWe undertook a secondary analysis of data from a clinical trial of early labor support for nulliparous women carrying a singleton fetus in cephalic presentation at 37–41 weeks of gestation in British Columbia, Canada. Study participants did not have any discernible risk factors for cesarean at the onset of labor. We developed a prediction model using logistic regression from a sample of 1,302 participants. Internal validation of the model was accomplished by 10‐fold cross validation, after which probability scores were calculated based on the mean logistic regression model. To determine the accuracy of our predictive model, we calculated the specificity and sensitivity and the area under the receiver operating curve.ResultsAdvanced maternal age, shorter maternal height, greater gestational age, perception of labor lasting more than 24 hours, and mild or moderate contractions, less cervical dilation, and higher fetal station at time of hospital admission independently predicted cesarean. The C‐statistic for the predictive model was 0.71 (0.64–0.75) and the sensitivity and specificity of the model were 0.80 (95% CI 0.76–0.84) and 0.48 (95% CI 0.44–0.52), respectively.ConclusionsAmong nulliparous women without apparent risk for cesarean at the time of hospital admission, cesarean delivery can be predicted with 70 percent accuracy using routinely collected information. Tailoring intrapartum care to promote vaginal birth according to a prediction model for cesarean risk deserves further study among apparently low risk women.
Cartographic productions and historiographical representations: Geographical imaginations of the St. Lawrence River
Authors: Castonguay Stéphane 
Published: October 2016

Key Messages

Historical geographers and historians have represented the St. Lawrence River either as a trade route for continental exploration or as an artery structuring European settlement.
A study of historical maps shows that rather than succeeding each other, these two functions continually co‐existed in the geographical imaginations of cartographers.
The paper suggests areas of potential collaboration between geography and history to question the fluvial relationships of a colonial society and understand its spatial representations.
Event‐related potential differences in children supplemented with long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during infancy
Authors: Liao Ke , McCandliss Bruce D. , Carlson Susan E. , Colombo John , Shaddy D. Jill , Kerling Elizabeth H. , Lepping Rebecca J. , Sittiprapaporn Wichian , Cheatham Carol L. , Gustafson Kathleen M. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractLong‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) have been shown to be necessary for early retinal and brain development, but long‐term cognitive benefits ofLCPUFAin infancy have not been definitively established. The present study sought to determine whetherLCPUFAsupplementation during the first year of life would result in group differences in behavior and event‐related potentials (ERPs) while performing a task requiring response inhibition (Go/No‐Go) at 5.5 years of age. As newborns, 69 children were randomly assigned to infant formulas containing either noLCPUFA(control) or formula with 0.64% of total fatty acids as arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n6) and various concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n3) (0.32%, 0.64% or 0.96%) for the first 12 months of life. At 5.5 years of age, a task designed to test the ability to inhibit a prepotent response (Go/No‐Go) was administered, yielding both event‐related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral data. Behavioral measures did not differ between groups, although reaction times of supplemented children were marginally faster. Unsupplemented children had lower P2 amplitude than supplemented children to both Go and No‐Go conditions. N2 amplitude was significantly higher on No‐Go trials than Go trials, but only for supplemented children, resulting in a significant Group × Condition interaction. Topographical analysis of theERPs revealed that theLCPUFA‐supplemented group developed a novel period of synchronous activation (microstate) involving wider anterior brain activation around 200 ms; this microstate was not present in controls. These findings suggest thatLCPUFAsupplementation during the first 12 months of life exerts a developmental programming effect that is manifest in brain electrophysiology. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM2leg4sevs.
Children's initial sleep‐associated changes in motor skill are unrelated to long‐term skill levels
Authors: Zinke Katharina , Wilhelm Ines , Bayramoglu Müge , Klein Susanne , Born Jan 
Published: October 2016

AbstractSleep is considered to support the formation of skill memory. In juvenile but not adult song birds learning a tutor's song, a stronger initial deterioration of song performance over night‐sleep predicts better song performance in the long run. This and similar observations have stimulated the view of sleep supporting skill formation during development in an unsupervised off‐line learning process that, in the absence of external feedback, can initially also enhance inaccuracies in skill performance. Here we explored whether in children learning a motor sequence task, as in song‐learning juvenile birds, changes across sleep after initial practice predict performance levels achieved in the long run. The task was a serial reaction time task (SRTT) where subjects had to press buttons which were lighted up in a repeating eight‐element sequence as fast as possible. Twenty‐five children (8–12 years) practised the task in the evening before nocturnal sleep which was recorded polysomnographically. Retrieval was tested on the following morning and again 1 week later after daily training on the SRTT. As expected, changes in response speed over the initial night of sleep were negatively correlated with final performance speed after the 1‐week training. However, unlike in song birds, this correlation was driven by the baseline speed level achieved before sleep. Baseline‐corrected changes in speed or variability over the initial sleep period did not predict final performance on the trained SRTT sequence, or on different sequences introduced to assess generalization of the trained behaviour. The lack of correlation between initial sleep‐dependent changes and long‐term performance might reflect that the children were too experienced for the simple SRTT, possibly also favouring ceiling effects in performance. A consistent association found between sleep spindle activity and explicit sequence knowledge alternatively suggests that the expected correlation was masked by explicit memory systems interacting with skill memory formation.
Linking executive function skills and physiological challenge response: Piecewise growth curve modeling
Authors: Obradović Jelena , Finch Jenna E. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThis study employed piecewise growth curve modeling to examine how children's executive function (EF) skills relate to different components of children's physiological response trajectory – initial arousal, reactivity, and recovery. The sample included 102 ethnically diverse kindergarteners, whose EF skills were measured using standard tasks and observer ratings. Physiological response was measured via changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in response to a laboratory socio‐cognitive challenge. Children's cool and hot EF skills were differentially related to both linear and quadratic components of RSA response during the challenge. Greater hot EF skills and assessor report of EF skills during laboratory visit were related to quicker RSA recovery after the challenge. These findings demonstrate that children's physiological response is a dynamic process that encompasses physiological recovery and relates to children's self‐regulation abilities.
Functional connectivity differences in autism during face and car recognition: underconnectivity and atypical age‐related changes
Authors: Lynn Andrew C. , Padmanabhan Aarthi , Simmonds Daniel , Foran William , Hallquist Michael N. , Luna Beatriz , O'Hearn Kirsten 
Published: October 2016

AbstractFace recognition abilities improve between adolescence and adulthood over typical development (TD), but plateau in autism, leading to increasing face recognition deficits in autism later in life. Developmental differences between autism and TD may reflect changes between neural systems involved in the development of face encoding and recognition. Here, we focused on whole‐brain connectivity with the fusiform face area (FFA), a well‐established face‐preferential brain region. Older children, adolescents, and adults with and without autism completed the Cambridge Face Memory Test, and a matched car memory test, during fMRI scanning. We then examined task‐based functional connectivity between the FFA and the rest of the brain, comparing autism and TD groups during encoding and recognition of face and car stimuli. The autism group exhibited underconnectivity, relative to the TD group, between the FFA and frontal and primary visual cortices, independent of age. Underconnectivity with the medial and rostral lateral prefrontal cortex was face‐specific during encoding and recognition, respectively. Conversely, underconnectivity with the L orbitofrontal cortex was evident for both face and car encoding. Atypical age‐related changes in connectivity emerged between the FFA and the R temporoparietal junction, and R dorsal striatum for face stimuli only. Similar differences in age‐related changes in autism emerged for FFA connectivity with the amygdala across both face and car recognition. Thus, underconnectivity and atypical development of functional connectivity may lead to a less optimal face‐processing network in the context of increasing general and social cognitive deficits in autism.
Beneficial effects of replacing diet beverages with water on type 2 diabetic obese women following a hypo‐energetic diet: A randomized, 24‐week clinical trial
Authors: Madjd Ameneh , Taylor Moira A. , Delavari Alireza , Malekzadeh Reza , Macdonald Ian A. , Farshchi Hamid R. 
Published: October 2016

AimsTo compare the effect of replacing diet beverages (DBs) with water or continuing to drink DBs in patients with type 2 diabetes during a 24‐week weight loss program. The primary endpoint was the effect of intervention on weight over a 24‐week period. The main secondary endpoints included anthropometric measurement and glucose and fat metabolism during the 24‐week period.MethodsA total of 81 overweight and obese women with type 2 diabetes, who usually consumed DBs in their diet, were asked to either substitute water for DBs or continue drinking DBs five times per week after lunch for 24 weeks (DBs group) during a weight loss program.ResultsCompared with the DBs group, the water group had a greater decrease in weight (water, −6.40 ± 2.42 kg; DBs, −5.25 ± 1.60 kg;
P
= .006), in BMI (water, −2.49 ± 0.92 kg/m2; DBs, −2.06 ± 0.62 kg/m2;
P
= .006), in FPG (water, −1.63 ± 0.54 mmol/L; DBs, −1.29 ± 0.48 mmol/L,
P
= .005), in fasting insulin (water, −5.71 ± 2.30 m lU/mL; DBs, −4.16 ± 1.74 m lU/mL,
P
= .011), in HOMA IR (water, −3.20 ± 1.17; DBs, −2.48 ± 0.99,
P
= 003) and in 2 hour postprandial glucose (water, −1.67 ± 0.62 mmol/L; DBs, −1.35 ± 0.39 mmol/L;
P
= 0.027) over the 24‐week period. However, there was no significant time × group interaction for waist circumference, lipid profiles and HbA1c within both groups over the 24‐week period.ConclusionReplacement of DBs with water after the main meal in obese adult women with type 2 diabetes may lead to more weight reduction during a weight loss program.
Human tau increases amyloid β plaque size but not amyloid β‐mediated synapse loss in a novel mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Jackson Rosemary J. , Rudinskiy Nikita , Herrmann Abigail G. , Croft Shaun , Kim JeeSoo Monica , Petrova Veselina , Ramos‐Rodriguez Juan Jose , Pitstick Rose , Wegmann Susanne , Garcia‐Alloza Monica , Carlson George A. , Hyman Bradley T. , Spires‐Jones Tara L. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractAlzheimer's disease is characterized by the presence of aggregates of amyloid beta (Aβ) in senile plaques and tau in neurofibrillary tangles, as well as marked neuron and synapse loss. Of these pathological changes, synapse loss correlates most strongly with cognitive decline. Synapse loss occurs prominently around plaques due to accumulations of oligomeric Aβ. Recent evidence suggests that tau may also play a role in synapse loss but the interactions of Aβ and tau in synapse loss remain to be determined. In this study, we generated a novel transgenic mouse line, the APP/PS1/rTg21221 line, by crossing APP/PS1 mice, which develop Aβ‐plaques and synapse loss, with rTg21221 mice, which overexpress wild‐type human tau. When compared to the APP/PS1 mice without human tau, the cross‐sectional area of ThioS+ dense core plaques was increased by ~50%. Along with increased plaque size, we observed an increase in plaque‐associated dystrophic neurites containing misfolded tau, but there was no exacerbation of neurite curvature or local neuron loss around plaques. Array tomography analysis similarly revealed no worsening of synapse loss around plaques, and no change in the accumulation of Aβ at synapses. Together, these results indicate that adding human wild‐type tau exacerbates plaque pathology and neurite deformation but does not exacerbate plaque‐associated synapse loss.