bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with improved glycemic control following continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled with bolus‐basal insulin regimens: An analysis from the OpT2mise randomized trial
Authors: Metzger Muriel , Castañeda Javier , Reznik Yves , Giorgino Francesco , Conget Ignacio , Aronson Ronnie , de Portu Simona , Runzis Sarah , Lee Scott W. , Cohen Ohad 
Published: April 2017

This analysis investigated factors associated with the decrease in HbA1c in patients receiving continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) in the OpT2mise randomized trial. In this study, patients with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c >8% following multiple daily injections (MDI) optimization were randomized to receive CSII (n = 168) or MDI (n = 163) for 6 months. Patient‐related and treatment‐related factors associated with decreased HbA1c in the CSII arm were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses. CSII produced a significantly greater reduction in HbA1c than MDI, and the treatment difference increased with baseline HbA1c. In the CSII arm, the only factors significantly associated with decreased HbA1c were higher baseline HbA1c (P < .001), geographical region (P < .001), higher educational level (P = .012), higher total cholesterol level (P = .002), lower variability of baseline glucose values on continuous glucose monitoring (P < .001) and the decrease in average fasting self‐monitored blood glucose at 6 months (P < .001). These findings suggest that CSII offers an option to improve glycemic control in a broad range of patients with type 2 diabetes in whom control cannot be achieved with MDI.OpT2mise ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01182493 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/).
Market basket analysis of grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) assemblages in eastern Wyoming: a 17‐year case study using associative analysis for ecological insights into grasshopper outbreaks
Authors: SMITH DOUGLAS I. , CURRAN MICHAEL F. , LATCHININSKY ALEXANDRE V. 
Published: April 2017

1. This study utilised an associative analysis (AA) technique named market basket analysis (MBA) to investigate whether particular grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) species associations are common during outbreaks (>9.6 grasshoppers m−2) that last >3 years. This study is the first of its kind to use MBA on animal communities.2. A subset of the 17 years of grasshopper density data from the Wyoming Grasshopper Survey Dataset was used to explore associations among grasshopper species.3. Associations of certain species were found with over 80% confidence. Life‐history traits of those species commonly found together were examined and compared (a posteriori), creating opportunities to hypothesise certain ecological relationships (e.g. interspecific competition, indirect mutualism) for future studies.4. This case study shows that further MBA analysis of grasshopper assemblages should prove useful in discovering ecological relationships of grasshopper species during outbreaks. Preliminary examples are demonstrated.
Genomewide association study on monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS)
Authors: Thomsen Hauke , Campo Chiara , Weinhold Niels , da Silva Filho Miguel Inacio , Pour Luděk , Gregora Evžen , Vodicka Pavel , Vodickova Ludmila , Hoffmann Per , Nöthen Markus M , Jöckel Karl‐Heinz , Langer Christian , Hajek Roman , Goldschmidt Hartmut , Hemminki Kari , Försti Asta 
Published: April 2017

AbstractObjectivesTo identify germ line variants contributing to the development of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), an asymptomatic premalignant precursor for multiple myeloma (MM).MethodsWe conducted the first genomewide association study (GWAS) on MGUS on 243 German cases with a replication on 294 Czech cases. Identified loci were further analyzed in 1508 German MM patients. New MM loci recently reported in a meta‐analysis were also tested in the MGUS GWAS.ResultsIn GWAS, we identified 10 loci contributing to development of MGUS at P‐value threshold of 10−5. The Czech cohort gave support for two associations (6q26, rs6933936; 7p21.3 rs10251201). In GWAS, rs974120 (8p23.2) reached genomewide significance (P=2.94×10−9), with a nominal significance in MM. The locus of rs974120 shows marks of transcriptional activity in leukemia according to ENCODE data. rs10251201 (7p21.3), rs9318227 (13q22.1), and rs10405859 (19q13.32) were associated with markers related to leukemogenesis and immune and inflammatory responses. Two newly identified candidate loci for MM, rs1948915 (8q24.21) and rs8058578 (16p11.2), were nominally associated with MGUS.ConclusionsThese data allow a cautious first proposal for a germ line architecture of MGUS with links to leukemia and autoimmune conditions, the latter agreeing with a family study showing clustering of MGUS with autoimmune diseases.
An examination of biochemical parameters and their association with response to ketogenic dietary therapies
Authors: Schoeler Natasha E. , Bell Gail , Yuen Alan , Kapelner Adam D. , Heales Simon J. R. , Cross J. Helen , Sisodiya Sanjay 
Published: April 2017

SummaryObjectiveIn the absence of specific metabolic disorders, accurate predictors of response to ketogenic dietary therapies (KDTs) for treating epilepsy are largely unknown. We hypothesized that specific biochemical parameters would be associated with the effectiveness of KDT in humans with epilepsy. The parameters tested were β‐hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, nonesterified fatty acids, free and acylcarnitine profile, glucose, and glucose‐ketone index (GKI).MethodsBiochemical results from routine blood tests conducted at baseline prior to initiation of KDT and at 3‐month follow‐up were obtained from 13 adults and 215 children with KDT response data from participating centers. One hundred thirty‐two (57%) of 228 participants had some data at both baseline and 3 months; 52 (23%) of 228 had data only at baseline; 22 (10%) of 228 had data only at 3 months; and 22 (10%) of 228 had no data. KDT response was defined as ≥50% seizure reduction at 3‐month follow‐up.ResultsAcetyl carnitine at baseline was significantly higher in responders (p < 0.007). It was not associated with response at 3‐month follow‐up. There was a trend for higher levels of free carnitine and other acylcarnitine esters at baseline and at 3‐month follow‐up in KDT responders. There was also a trend for greater differences in levels of propionyl carnitine and in β‐hydroxybutyrate measured at baseline and 3‐month follow‐up in KDT responders. No other biochemical parameters were associated with response at any time point.SignificanceOur finding that certain carnitine fractions, in particular baseline acetyl carnitine, are positively associated with greater efficacy of KDT is consistent with the theory that alterations in energy metabolism may play a role in the mechanisms of action of KDT.
Derivation and initial validation of a surgical grading scale for the preliminary evaluation of adult patients with drug‐resistant focal epilepsy
Authors: Dugan Patricia , Carlson Chad , Jetté Nathalie , Wiebe Samuel , Bunch Marjorie , Kuzniecky Ruben , French Jacqueline 
Published: April 2017

SummaryObjectivePresently, there is no simple method at initial presentation for identifying a patient's likelihood of progressing to surgery and a favorable outcome. The Epilepsy Surgery Grading Scale (ESGS) is a three‐tier empirically derived mathematical scale with five categories: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), concordance (between MRI and EEG), semiology, and IQ designed to stratify patients with drug‐resistant focal epilepsy based on their likelihood of proceeding to resective epilepsy surgery and achieving seizure freedom.MethodsIn this cross‐sectional study, we abstracted data from the charts of all patients admitted to the New York University Langone Medical Center (NYULMC) for presurgical evaluation or presented in surgical multidisciplinary conference (MDC) at the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center (CEC) from 1/1/2007 to 7/31/2008 with focal epilepsy, who met minimal criteria for treatment resistance. We classified patients into ESGS Grade 1 (most favorable), Grade 2 (intermediate), and Grade 3 (least favorable candidates). Three cohorts were evaluated: all patients, patients presented in MDC, and patients who had resective surgery. The primary outcome measure was proceeding to surgery and seizure freedom.ResultsFour hundred seven patients met eligibility criteria; 200 (49.1%) were presented in MDC and 113 (27.8%) underwent surgery. A significant difference was observed between Grades 1 and 3, Grades 1 and 2, and Grades 2 and 3 for all presurgical patients, and those presented in MDC, with Grade 1 patients having the highest likelihood of both having surgery and becoming seizure‐free. There was no difference between Grades 1 and 2 among patients who had resective surgery.SignificanceThese results demonstrate that by systematically using basic information available during initial assessment, patients with drug‐resistant epilepsy may be successfully stratified into clinically meaningful groups with varied prognosis. The ESGS may improve communication, facilitate decision making and early referral to a CEC, and allow patients and physicians to better manage expectations.
Psychiatric lifetime diagnoses are associated with a reduced chance of seizure freedom after temporal lobe surgery
Authors: Koch‐Stoecker Steffi C. , Bien Christian G. , Schulz Reinhard , May Theodor W. 
Published: April 2017

SummaryObjectiveTo examine whether psychiatric comorbidity is a predictor of long‐term seizure outcome following temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.MethodsA sample of 434 adult patients who received temporal lobe resection to treat epilepsy between 1991 and 2009 and were psychiatrically assessed before surgery were followed for 2 years to assess seizure outcome. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the impact of psychiatric variables on complete seizure freedom (Engel class IA), and freedom from disabling seizures (Engel class I). Lifetime histories of three psychiatric syndromes (PS: psychosis; depression; other) and five personality disorders (PD: DSM‐IV Clusters A, B, and C; organic personality disorder; other) were considered as predictors, complemented by age at onset, duration of epilepsy, type of lesion (mesiotemporal sclerosis vs. other), and year of surgery.ResultsSeizure‐freedom rates were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients with no history of PS or PD (N = 138; Engel class IA: 61.6%; Engel class I: 87.7%) than in those with any PS or PD (N = 296; Engel class IA: 39.5%; Engel class I: 58.8%). Particularly low seizure‐freedom rates were found in patients with a diagnosis of psychosis (N = 32, Engel class IA: 21.9%; Engel class I: 40.6%), organic PD (N = 48, Engel class IA: 25.0%; Engel class I: 35.4%) or a double diagnosis of PS plus PD (N = 97; Engel class IA: 27.8%; Engel class I: 45.5%). No other variables emerged as significant risk factors in multivariate logistic regression analyses.SignificancePatients with and without psychiatric comorbidities can benefit from temporal lobe epilepsy surgery; however, psychiatric comorbidities are negatively associated with postoperative seizure‐freedom rates. Surgical outcome is related to the type and extent of preoperative psychiatric morbidity, which underscores the prognostic value of presurgical psychiatric evaluation. The data support the argument that there are common pathogenetic mechanisms underlying both epilepsy and psychiatric conditions.
Intracerebral delivery of the M2 polarizing cytokine interleukin 13 using mesenchymal stem cell implants in a model of temporal lobe epilepsy in mice
Authors: Ali Idrish , Aertgeerts Stephanie , Le Blon Debbie , Bertoglio Daniele , Hoornaert Chloe , Ponsaerts Peter , Dedeurwaerdere Stefanie 
Published: April 2017

SummaryObjectivesNeuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. We aimed to evaluate whether intracerebral transplantation of interleukin 13–producing mesenchymal stem cells (IL‐13 MSCs) induces an M2 microglia/macrophage activation phenotype in the hippocampus with an epileptogenic insult, thereby providing a neuroprotective environment with reduced epileptogenesis.MethodsGenetically engineered syngeneic IL‐13 MSCs or vehicle was injected within the hippocampus 1 week before the intrahippocampal kainic acid–induced status epilepticus (SE) in C57BL/6J mice. Neuroinflammation was evaluated at disease onset as well as during the chronic epilepsy period (9 weeks). In addition, continuous video–electroencephalography (EEG) (vEEG) monitoring was obtained during the chronic epilepsy period (between 6 and 9 weeks after SE).ResultsEvaluation of vEEG recordings suggested that IL‐13 MSC grafts did not affect the severity and duration of SE or the seizure burden during the chronic epilepsy period, when compared to the vehicle treated SE mice. An M2‐activation phenotype was induced in microglia/macrophages that infiltrated the ‐13 MSC graft site, as evidenced by the arginase1 expression at the graft site at both the 2‐week and 9‐week time‐points. However, M2‐activated immune cells were rarely observed outside the graft site and, accordingly, the neuroinflammatory response or cell loss related to SE induction was not altered by IL‐13 MSC grafting. Moreover, an increase in the proportion of F4/80+ cells was observed in the IL‐13 MSC group compared to the controls.SignificanceOur data suggest that MSC‐based IL‐13 delivery to induce M2 glial activation does not provide any neuroprotective or disease‐modifying effects in a mouse model of epilepsy. Moreover, use of cell grafting to deliver bioactive compounds for modulating neuroinflammation may have confounding effects in disease pathology of epilepsy due to the additional immune response generated by the grafted cells.
Budgetary Stewardship, Innovation and Working Culture: Identifying the Missing Ingredient in English and Welsh Local Authorities’ Recipes for Austerity Management
Authors: Ferry Laurence , Coombs Hugh , Eckersley Peter 
Published: April 2017

AbstractDrawing on fieldwork with 70 local authorities in England and Wales, this paper builds on previous studies of austerity management by highlighting the importance of organisational cultures to achieving strategic objectives. It finds that, in line with their prevailing ‘belief system’ of budgetary stewardship, local authorities in both countries are holding down input costs to deal with austerity. However, the scale of funding cuts means that this strategy is unlikely to be successful over the longer term. Instead, they need greater freedom to generate revenue, in order to facilitate innovation and develop more sustainable business practices and service models.
The Strategic Options of Supreme Audit Institutions: The Case of Four Nordic Countries
Authors: Jeppesen Kim K. , Carrington Thomas , Catasús Bino , Johnsen Åge , Reichborn‐Kjennerud Kristin , Vakkuri Jarmo 
Published: April 2017

AbstractBased on the theory of professional competition, this paper identifies and investigates four strategic options of supreme audit institutions (SAIs) through a case study of four Nordic national audit offices: a performance auditing strategy; a financial auditing strategy; a portfolio strategy; and a hybrid strategy. The analysis of the Nordic SAIs shows that while one SAI appears to have adopted a hybrid strategy, the portfolio strategy has been chosen by the three other SAIs, although with some variations in the portfolio. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these strategic options for public sector auditing.
An Empirical Study of International Spillover of Sovereign Risk to Bank Credit Risk
Authors: Poon Winnie P. H. , Shen Jianfu , Burnett John E. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractThe severity and complexity of the recent financial crisis has motivated the need for understanding the relationships between sovereign ratings and bank credit ratings. This is the first study to examine the impact of the “international” spillover of sovereign risk to bank credit risk through both a ratings channel and an asset holdings channel. In the first case, the downgrade of sovereign ratings in GIIPS (Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain) countries leads to rating downgrades of banks in the peripheral countries. The second channel indicates that larger asset holdings of GIIPS debt increases the credit risk of cross‐border banks, and hence, the probabilities of downgrade.
A theory of atmospheric oxygen
Authors: Laakso T. A. , Schrag D. P. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractGeological records of atmospheric oxygen suggest that pO2 was less than 0.001% of present atmospheric levels (PAL) during the Archean, increasing abruptly to a Proterozoic value between 0.1% and 10% PAL, and rising quickly to modern levels in the Phanerozoic. Using a simple model of the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, oxygen, sulfur, hydrogen, iron, and phosphorous, we demonstrate that there are three stable states for atmospheric oxygen, roughly corresponding to levels observed in the geological record. These stable states arise from a series of specific positive and negative feedbacks, requiring a large geochemical perturbation to the redox state to transition from one to another. In particular, we show that a very low oxygen level in the Archean (i.e., 10−7 PAL) is consistent with the presence of oxygenic photosynthesis and a robust organic carbon cycle. We show that the Snowball Earth glaciations, which immediately precede both transitions, provide an appropriate transient increase in atmospheric oxygen to drive the atmosphere either from its Archean state to its Proterozoic state, or from its Proterozoic state to its Phanerozoic state. This hypothesis provides a mechanistic explanation for the apparent synchronicity of the Proterozoic Snowball Earth events with both the Great Oxidation Event, and the Neoproterozoic oxidation.
Demand for biomass to meet renewable energy targets in the United States: implications for land use
Authors: Oliver Anthony , Khanna Madhu 
Published: April 2017

AbstractRenewable energy policies in the electricity and transportation sectors in the United States are expected to create demand for biomass and food crops (corn) that could divert land from food crop production. We develop a dynamic, open‐economy, price‐endogenous multi‐market model of the US agricultural, electricity and transportation sectors to endogenously determine the quantity and mix of bioenergy likely to be required to meet the state Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs) and the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) if implemented independently or jointly (RFS & RPS) over the 2007–2030 period and their implications for the extent and spatial pattern of diversion of land from other uses for biomass feedstock production. We find that the demand for biomass ranges from 100 million metric tons (MMT) under the RPS alone to 310 MMT under the RFS & RPS; 70% of the biomass in the latter case can be met by crop and forest residues, while the rest can be met by devoting 3% of cropland to energy crop production with 80% of this being marginal land. Our findings show significant potential to meet current renewable energy goals by expanding high‐yielding energy crop production on marginal land and using residues without conflicting with food crop production.
Randomized prospective study showing the non‐inferiority of tenofovir to entecavir in treatment‐naïve chronic hepatitis B patients
Authors: Koike Kazuhiko , Suyama Kazuaki , Ito Hiroshi , Itoh Hiroshi , Sugiura Wataru 
Published: April 2017

AimThe study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and entecavir hydrate (ETV) in nucleos(t)ide analog (NA)‐naïve Japanese chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.MethodsThis multicenter, randomized, double‐blinded study assessing the efficacy and safety of TDF 300 mg and ETV 0.5 mg in NA‐naïve CHB subjects was carried out from November 2011 to November 2014, and funded by GlaxoSmithKline. The subjects were assigned to the TDF arm or ETV arm in a 2:1 ratio. The primary efficacy endpoint was the non‐inferiority of TDF to ETV at week 24.ResultsA total of 166 subjects (TDF arm, 110; ETV arm, 56) were enrolled. The change (mean ± SE) in serum hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐DNA levels from baseline to week 24 was −4.63 ± 0.044 and −4.50 ± 0.063 log10 copies/mL in the TDF and ETV arms, respectively, indicating the non‐inferiority of TDF to ETV (P < 0.0001). The proportion of subjects with undetectable HBV‐DNA increased from 54 to 77% and 39 to 66% in the TDF and ETV arms with continuation of the treatment from week 24 to 48, respectively. Reduction in hepatitis B surface antigen level was greater in subjects with hepatitis B envelope antigen (+) and high alanine aminotransferase levels (≥80 IU/L). Prevalence of drug‐related adverse events at week 48 was 20% and 18% in the TDF and ETV arms, respectively.ConclusionsThe study is the first to report that TDF has non‐inferiority to ETV in treatment effectiveness (lowering of serum HBV‐DNA level) at week 24. ClinicalTrials.gov trial registration nos. NCT01480284 and GSK LOC115409.
Drugs and early modernity
Authors: Breen Benjamin 
Published: April 2017

AbstractFor centuries, medicinal and recreational drugs have evoked both utopian visions and darker themes: slavish obsession, physical dependency, altered mental states, and the feedback loop of labor and consumption. This article surveys recent work on the history of drugs from the 15th through 19th centuries, arguing that these works collectively demonstrate the importance of drugs and the drug trade in how we think about larger topics such as imperialism, globalization, modernization of commercial and political regimes, and the relationship between the individual and the marketplace. The search for new drugs—and, with them, new varieties of mental and physical experience—was not just a preoccupation of many early modern individuals. It was, arguably, a defining feature of early modernity itself.
Locating histories of bush‐based recreation in Australia
Authors: Harper Melissa 
Published: April 2017

AbstractThis article traces the historiography of bush‐based recreation in Australia. It shows how, until the 1990s, histories of bushwalking, camping, and rock climbing tended to be located within histories of national parks, places and regions, tourism, and environmentalism. The meanings attached to recreation were a secondary focus in much of this work. Stand‐alone histories of recreation have gradually emerged in the last 2 decades. These histories argue that bush‐based recreation has often played a significant role in individual lives, shaping identity, and subjectivities. More broadly, recreation has also influenced how settler Australians have engaged with the natural environment, working as a form of place making and a mode of belonging.