bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Symbiodinium (internal transcribed spacer 2) diversity in the coral host Agaricia lamarcki (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) between shallow and mesophotic reefs in the Northern Caribbean (20–70 m)
Authors: Lucas Matthew Q. , Stat Michael , Smith Matthew C. , Weil Ernesto , Schizas Nikolaos V. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThis study investigated differences in Symbiodinium diversity in the scleractinian coral species Agaricia lamarcki between shallow (20–25 m) and mesophotic (50–70 m) depths in the Northern Caribbean. Corals were sampled in each of four shallow sites (20–25 m; n = 18) and three mesophotic sites (50–70 m; n = 18) from Mona Island (Puerto Rico) and the US Virgin Islands during a mesophotic exploratory cruise and from the La Parguera shelf edge, off Southwestern Puerto Rico. Symbiodinium diversity was assessed using internal transcribed spacer 2 sequences clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Clustering resulted in eight clade C OTUs and one clade D OTU. Of these, there were three common Symbiodinium OTUs consisting of C3 and D1a.N14 in shallow reefs and C11.N4 in mesophotic reefs. Statistical tests (permutational multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of similarity) showed significant differences between clade C Symbiodinium OTUs in A. lamarcki colonies located at shallow and mesophotic depths, indicating symbiont zonation. Symbiodinium diversity in A. lamarcki from the Northern Caribbean is comparable to previous reports in the Southern Caribbean for this species. This is the first report of the thermal tolerant species Symbiodinium trenchii (D1a) in A. lamarcki.
Global Tn‐seq analysis of carbohydrate utilization and vertebrate infectivity of Borrelia burgdorferi
Authors: Troy Erin B. , Lin Tao , Gao Lihui , Lazinski David W. , Lundt Maureen , Camilli Andrew , Norris Steven J. , Hu Linden T. 
Published: June 2016

SummaryBorrelia burgdorferi maintains a complex life cycle between tick and vertebrate hosts. Although some genes have been identified as contributing to bacterial adaptation in the different hosts, the list is incomplete. In this manuscript, we report the first use of transposon mutagenesis combined with high‐throughput sequencing (Tn‐seq) in B. burgdorferi. We utilize the technique to investigate mechanisms of carbohydrate utilization in B. burgdorferi and the role of carbohydrate metabolism during mouse infection. We performed genetic fitness analyses to identify genes encoding factors contributing to growth on glucose, maltose, mannose, trehalose and N‐acetyl‐glucosamine. We obtained insight into the potential functions of proteins predicted to be involved in carbohydrate utilization and identified additional factors previously unrecognized as contributing to the metabolism of the tested carbohydrates. Strong phenotypes were observed for the putative carbohydrate phosphotransferase transporters BB0408 and BBB29 as well as the response regulator Rrp1. We further validated Tn‐seq for use in mouse studies and were able to correctly identify known infectivity factors as well as additional transporters and genes on lp54 that may contribute to optimal mouse infection. As such, this study establishes Tn‐seq as a powerful method for both in vitro and in vivo studies of B. burgdorferi.
Diagnostic interview study of the prevalence of depression among public employees engaged in long‐term relief work in Fukushima
Authors: Maeda Masaharu , Ueda Yukiko , Nagai Masato , Fujii Senta , Oe Misari 
Published: June 2016

AimThe Great East Japan Earthquake and in particular, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, have had a serious psychological impact on not only residents, but also relief workers in Fukushima. Although public employees work in highly stressful situations and play a very important role in long‐term relief, their psychiatric features have yet to be clarified. The two aims of this study were to identify the current prevalence rate of depression and post‐traumatic stress disorder among public employees working in the disaster area using diagnostic interviews, and to speculate on the psychosocial factors affecting their mental condition.MethodsWe conducted diagnostic interviews and self‐administered questionnaires with 168 public employees working in two coastal towns in Fukushima.ResultsResults showed that the current prevalence of depression among public employees is as high as 17.9%, in contrast to the relatively low prevalence of post‐traumatic stress disorder (4.8%). Based on the results of self‐administered questionnaires and interview contents, frequent exposure to strong complaints or anger from residents and role conflicts were considered the cause of the high prevalence of depression.ConclusionThe present study reveals the serious mental status of public employees working in Fukushima and sheds light on the urgent need to establish an efficient care network to provide adequate psychiatric intervention.
Cardiovascular regulation pattern of contamination‐related disgust: Consistency and context dependence
Authors: Comtesse Hannah , Stemmler Gerhard 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe cardiovascular response to contamination‐related disgust was proposed to be under parasympathetic or parasympathetic‐sympathetic cardiac control. However, findings of physiological disgust responses are inconsistent, possibly due to effects of the emotion induction context and single cardiovascular changes being part of larger cardiovascular regulation patterns. Therefore, we induced an emotionally neutral state and core and contamination disgust in female participants in two induction contexts (auditory script, film clip). Dependent variables were emotion self‐reports and 10 cardiovascular factors derived from 23 cardiovascular variables. We found elevated disgust ratings in both induction contexts. On the cardiovascular level, we observed consistent increases in a factor indicating vagal cardiac control in both contexts and changes in factors indicating sympathetic activation that were bound to the respective context. These findings support the notion of a parasympathetic dominance of the contamination‐related disgust response and underpin the importance of incorporating the induction context in the study of cardiovascular responses to disgust.
Does Trade Liberalisation Trigger Tax Competition? Theory and Evidence from OECD Countries
Authors: Exbrayat Nelly 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThis paper aims at assessing the empirical relevance of new economic geography models of tax competition. We rely on a simple model to specify tax reactions functions, which we estimate with a panel covering (up to) 26 OECD countries over the period 1982 to 2006. We provide striking support for the two main predictions regarding the slope and the constant of the reaction function: national governments seem to adjust their corporate tax rate towards the level chosen in countries that are more populated, and they tend to set higher corporate tax rates when their country enjoys a high real market potential. Through the latter effect, trade integration exerts a positive influence on the level of corporate taxation. However, using a theoretically grounded index of bilateral trade integration, we also show that trade liberalisation gives rise to significant tax interactions in the setting of effective average tax rates in the case of European countries, thus exerting a downward pressure on corporate tax rates.
A retrospective evaluation of lomustine (CeeNU) in 32 treatment naïve cats with intermediate to large cell gastrointestinal lymphoma (2006–2013)
Authors: Rau S. E. , Burgess K. E. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractMulti‐drug chemotherapy protocols for feline lymphoma have demonstrated variable efficacy and tolerability. In phase I trials, lomustine has demonstrated efficacy for cats with lymphoma though its use for treatment naïve feline intermediate/large cell gastrointestinal (GI) lymphoma remains unknown. This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of lomustine for the treatment of feline GI lymphoma. Thirty‐two cats with histologically or cytologically confirmed intermediate/large cell GI lymphoma were evaluated retrospectively. Factors assessed included clinical signs, hematologic/biochemical parameters and use ofl‐asparaginase at induction. A response rate of 50% (16/32), with median duration of response of 302 days (range 64–1450 days), was found. Median progression‐free interval was 132 days (range 31–1450 days), with overall median survival time of 108 days (range 4–1488 days). History of hyporexia, presence of anaemia and dose of lomustine were significantly associated with progression‐free survival. Overall, lomustine is a well‐tolerated and effective treatment for feline GI lymphoma.
Outcome in dogs with advanced (stage 3b) anal sac gland carcinoma treated with surgery or hypofractionated radiation therapy
Authors: Meier V. , Polton G. , Cancedda S. , Roos M. , Laganga P. , Emmerson T. , Rohrer Bley C. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractStage 3b anal sac gland carcinoma (ASGC) can be life‐threatening. A surgical approach is not always possible or may be declined. Dogs with stage 3b ASGC treated with surgery or conformal radiation therapy (RT) with 8 × 3.8 Gy (total dose 30.4 Gy, over 2.5 weeks) were retrospectively evaluated. Patient characteristics, median progression‐free interval (PFI) and median survival time (MST) were compared. Twenty‐eight dogs were included; 15 underwent surgery, 13 underwent RT. At the time of presentation, 21% showed life‐threatening obstipation and 25% showed hypercalcaemia. PFI and MST for surgery cases were 159 days (95% CI: 135–184 days) and 182 days (95% CI: 146–218 days), both significantly lower than for RT cases with 347 days (95% CI: 240–454 days) and 447 days (95% CI: 222–672 days), (P = 0.01, P = 0.019). Surgery as well as RT led to a fast relief of symptoms. PFI and survival of surgical patients were significantly inferior to that of a comparable patient group treated with conformal hypofractionated RT.
A novel approach to detect test‐seeking behaviour in the blood donor population: making the invisible visible
Authors: de Vos A. S. , Lieshout‐Krikke R. W. , Slot E. , Cator E. A. , Janssen M. P. 
Published: June 2016

Background and ObjectivesIndividuals may donate blood in order to determine their infection status after exposure to an increased infection risk. Such test‐seeking behaviour decreases transfusion safety. Instances of test seeking are difficult to substantiate as donors are unlikely to admit to such behaviour. However, manifestation in a population of repeat donors may be determined using statistical inference.Materials and MethodsTest‐seeking donors would be highly motivated to donate following infection risk, influencing the timing of their donation. Donation intervals within 2005–2014 of all Dutch blood donors who acquired syphilis (N = 50), HIV (N = 13), HTLV (N = 4) or HCV (N = 2) were compared to donation intervals of uninfected blood donors (N = 7 327 836) using the Anderson–Darling test. We adjusted for length bias as well as for age, gender and donation type of the infected. Additionally, the power of the proposed method was investigated by simulation.ResultsAmong the Dutch donors who acquired infection, we found only a non‐significant overrepresentation of short donation intervals (P = 0·54). However, we show by simulation that both relatively short and long donation intervals among infected donors can reveal test seeking. The power of the method is >90% if among 69 infected donors >35 (51%) are test seeking, or if among 320 infected donors >90 (30%) are test seeking.ConclusionWe show how statistical analysis may be used to reveal the extent of test seeking in repeat blood donor populations. In the Dutch setting, indications for test‐seeking behaviour were not statistically significant. This may, however, be due to the low number of infected individuals.
Effect of warming and flow rate conditions of blood warmers on red blood cell integrity
Authors: Poder T. G. , Pruneau D. , Dorval J. , Thibault L. , Fisette J.‐F. , Bédard S. K. , Jacques A. , Beauregard P. 
Published: June 2016

Background and ObjectivesFluid warmers are routinely used to reduce the risk of hypothermia and cardiac complications associated with the infusion of cold blood products. However, warming blood products could generate haemolysis. This study was undertaken to compare the impact of temperature of blood warmers on the per cent haemolysis of packed red blood cells (RBCs) heated at different flow rates as well as non‐flow conditions.Materials and MethodsInfusion warmers used were calibrated at 41·5°C ± 0·5°C and 37·5°C ± 0·5°C. Cold RBC units stored at 4°C in AS‐3 (n = 30), aged 30–39 days old, were divided into half units before being allocated under two different scenarios (i.e. infusion pump or syringe).ResultsBlood warmers were effective to warm cold RBCs to 37·5°C or 41·5°C when used in conjunction with an infusion pump at flow rate up to 600 ml/h. However, when the warmed blood was held in a syringe for various periods of time, such as may occur in neonatal transfusions, the final temperature was below the expected requirements with measurement as low as 33·1°C. Increasing the flow with an infusion pump increased haemolysis in RBCs from 0·2% to up to 2·1% at a flow rate of 600 ml/h regardless of the warming device used (P < 0·05). No relevant increase of haemolysis was observed using a syringe.ConclusionsThe use of a blood warmer adjusted to 41·5°C is probably the best choice for reducing the risk of hypothermia for the patient without generating haemolysis. However, we should be cautious with the use of an infusion pump for RBC transfusion, particularly at high flow rates.
Deeper penetration of large earthquakes on seismically quiescent faults
Authors: Jiang Junle , Lapusta Nadia 
Published: June 2016

A microseismic turn off
Certain strike-slip faults do not have the expected number of microearthquakes between larger earthquakes. Jiang and Lapusta suggest that this behavior is down to what the last big earthquake looked like. They found that microseismicity turns off if an earthquake's rupture runs deeper than the fault's locking depth. This appears to be the case along the famous San Andreas Fault and also along other strike-slip faults around the world. The discovery may allow for better estimates of historic earthquake magnitudes and improve hazard assessments.

Science
, this issue p.
1293
Emerging Role of Zika Virus in Adverse Fetal and Neonatal Outcomes
Authors: Panchaud Alice , Stojanov Miloš , Ammerdorffer Anne , Vouga Manon , Baud David 
Published: June 2016

SUMMARY

The rapid spread of the Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas and its potential association with thousands of suspected cases of microcephaly in Brazil and higher rates of Guillain-Barré syndrome meet the conditions for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, as stated by the World Health Organization in February 2016. Two months later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the current available evidence supports the existence of a causal relationship between prenatal Zika virus infection and microcephaly and other serious brain anomalies. Microcephaly can be caused by several factors, and its clinical course and prognosis are difficult to predict. Other pathogens with proven teratogenicity have been identified long before the current ZIKV epidemic. Despite the growing number of cases with maternal signs of infection and/or presence of ZIKV in tissues of affected newborns or fetuses, it is currently difficult to assess the magnitude of increase of microcephaly prevalence in Brazil, as well as the role of other factors in the development of congenital neurological conditions. Meanwhile, health agencies and medical organizations have issued cautious guidelines advising health care practitioners and expectant couples traveling to, returning from, or living in affected areas. Analogous to dengue virus (DENV) epidemics, ZIKV has the potential to become endemic in all countries infested by
Aedes
mosquitoes, while new mutations could impact viral replication in humans, leading to increased virulence and consequently heightened chances of viral transmission to additional naive mosquito vectors. Studies are urgently needed to answer the questions surrounding ZIKV and its role in congenital neurological conditions.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Spot Assay but Not CMV QuantiFERON Assay Is a Novel Biomarker To Determine Risk of Congenital CMV Infection in Pregnant Women
Authors: Forner Gabriella , Saldan Alda , Mengoli Carlo , Gussetti Nadia , Palù Giorgio , Abate Davide 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) and CMV QuantiFERON assays were examined as potential biomarkers predictive of congenital CMV (cCMV) transmission. Fifty-seven pregnant women with primary CMV infection and 23 with nonprimary CMV infection were recruited in the study. Maternal age, CMV IgG avidity, viremia, and viruria were also included among the potential predictors. Spearman's statistical correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between the CMV ELISPOT and CMV QuantiFERON assay results (
P
< 0.001), but only the CMV ELISPOT assay correlated with cCMV (
P
< 0.001). cCMV was positively correlated with maternal viremia and viruria (
P
< 0.05) and negatively correlated with CMV IgG avidity (
P
< 0.01). Maternal age and CMV QuantiFERON assay results were not statistically associated with cCMV. CMV-specific cell-mediated immunity detected by the CMV ELISPOT assay plays a critical role in cCMV.
Performance of Etest for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Abiotrophia defectiva and Granulicatella Species
Authors: Alberti Michael O. , Hindler Janet A. , Humphries Romney M. 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT
The Etest on chocolate Mueller-Hinton agar was compared to broth microdilution (BMD) for 125 isolates of nutritionally variant streptococci. Vancomycin Etests yielded 31.1% essential agreement (EA) and 20.0% categorical agreement (CA). Penicillin Etests yielded 86.0% EA and 85.6% CA, whereas ceftriaxone Etests yielded 73.6% EA and 68.0% CA.
Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility of Penicillium-Like Fungi from Clinical Samples in the United States
Authors: Guevara-Suarez Marcela , Sutton Deanna A. , Cano-Lira José F. , García Dania , Martin-Vicente Adela , Wiederhold Nathan , Guarro Josep , Gené Josepa 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT

Penicillium
species are some of the most common fungi observed worldwide and have an important economic impact as well as being occasional agents of human and animal mycoses. A total of 118 isolates thought to belong to the genus
Penicillium
based on morphological features were obtained from the Fungus Testing Laboratory at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (United States). The isolates were studied phenotypically using standard growth conditions. Molecular identification was made using two genetic markers, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and a fragment of the β-tubulin gene. In order to assess phylogenetic relationships, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference assessments were used. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed according to CLSI document M38-A2 for nine antifungal drugs. The isolates were identified within three genera, i.e.,
Penicillium
,
Talaromyces
, and
Rasamsonia
. The most frequent species in our study were
Penicillium rubens
,
P. citrinum
, and
Talaromyces amestolkiae
. The potent
in vitro
activity of amphotericin B (AMB) and terbinafine (TRB) and of the echinocandins against
Penicillium
and
Talaromyces
species might offer a good therapeutic alternative for the treatment of infections caused by these fungi.
Single-Step Multiplex PCR Assay for Determining 92 Pneumococcal Serotypes
Authors: Marimón José M. , Ercibengoa María , Santacatterina Erica , Alonso Marta , Pérez-Trallero Emilio 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT
For pneumococcal disease surveillance, simple and cost-effective methods capable of determining all serotypes are needed. Combining a single-tube multiplex PCR with fluorescently labeled primers followed by amplicon analysis using automated fluorescent capillary electrophoresis, each serotype of 92 reference isolates and 297 recently collected clinical isolates was successfully determined.
1
H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Metabolomics of Plasma Unveils Liver Dysfunction in Dengue Patients
Authors: El-Bacha Tatiana , Struchiner Claudio J. , Cordeiro Marli Tenorio , Almeida Fabio C. L. , Marques Ernesto Torres , Da Poian Andrea T. 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT

Dengue, due to its global burden, is the most important arthropod-borne flavivirus disease, and early detection lowers fatality rates to below 1%. Since the metabolic resources crucial for viral replication are provided by host cells, detection of changes in the metabolic profile associated with disease pathogenesis could help with the identification of markers of prognostic and diagnostic importance. We applied
1
H nuclear magnetic resonance exploratory metabolomics to study longitudinal changes in plasma metabolites in a cohort in Recife, Brazil. To gain statistical power, we used innovative paired multivariate analyses to discriminate individuals with primary and secondary infection presenting as dengue fever (DF; mild) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF; severe) and subjects with a nonspecific nondengue (ND) illness (ND subjects). Our results showed that a decrease in plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) discriminated dengue virus (DENV)-infected subjects from ND subjects, and also, subjects with severe infection even presented a decrease in lipoprotein concentrations compared to the concentrations in subjects with mild infection. These results add to the ongoing discussion that the manipulation of lipid metabolism is crucial for DENV replication and infection. In addition, a decrease in plasma glutamine content was characteristic of DENV infection and disease severity, and an increase in plasma acetate levels discriminated subjects with DF and DHF from ND subjects. Several other metabolites shown to be altered in DENV infection and the implications of these alterations are discussed. We hypothesize that these changes in the plasma metabolome are suggestive of liver dysfunction, could provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of dengue virus pathogenesis, and could help to discriminate individuals at risk of the development of severe infection and predict disease outcome.

IMPORTANCE
Dengue, due to its global burden, is the most important mosquito-borne viral disease. There is no specific treatment for dengue disease, and early detection lowers fatality rates to below 1%. In this study, we observed the effects of dengue virus infection on the profile of small molecules in the blood of patients with mild and severe infection. Variations in the profiles of these small molecules reflected the replication of dengue virus in different tissues and the extent of tissue damage during infection. The results of this study showed that the molecules that changed the most were VLDL, LDL, and amino acids. We propose that these changes reflect liver dysfunction and also that they can be used to discriminate subjects with mild dengue from those with severe dengue.