bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Restoring wild type-like network dynamics and behaviour during adulthood in a mouse model of schizophrenia
Authors: Marissal Thomas , Salazar Rodrigo F. , Bertollini Cristina , Mutel Sophie , De Roo Mathias , Rodriguez Ivan , Müller Dominique , Carleton Alan 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACTSchizophrenia is a severely debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder. Establishing a causal link between circuit dysfunction and particular behavioural traits relevant to schizophrenia is crucial to shed new light on the mechanisms underlying the pathology. Here we studied an animal model of the 22q11 deletion syndrome, which is the highest genetic risk to develop the pathology. We report a desynchronization of hippocampal neuronal assemblies that resulted from parvalbumin interneuron hypoexcitability. Rescuing parvalbumin interneuron excitability with pharmacological or chemogenetic approaches is sufficient to restore wild type-like network dynamics and behaviour during adulthood. In conclusion, our data provide mechanistic insights underlying network dysfunction relevant to schizophrenia and demonstrate the potential of reverse engineering in fostering new therapeutic strategies to alleviate the burden of neurodevelopmental disorders.
A computational model that explores the effect of environmental geometries on grid cell representations
Authors: Jayakumar Samyukta , Narayanamurthy Rukhmani , Ramesh Reshma , Soman Karthik , Muralidharan Vignesh , Chakravarthy V. Srinivasa 
Published: June 2017

AbstractGrid cells are a special class of spatial cells found in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) characterized by their strikingly regular hexagonal firing fields. This spatially periodic firing pattern was originally considered to be invariant to the geometric properties of the environment. However, this notion was contested by examining the grid cell periodicity in environments with different polarity (Krupic et al 2015) and in connected environments (Carpenter et al 2015). Aforementioned experimental results demonstrated the dependence of grid cell activity on environmental geometry. Analysis of grid cell periodicity on practically infinite variations of environmental geometry imposes a limitation on the experimental study. Hence we analyze the grid cell periodicity from a computational point of view using a model that was successful in generating a wide range of spatial cells, including grid cells, place cells, head direction cells and border cells. We simulated the model in four types of environmental geometries such as: 1) connected environments, 2) convex shapes, 3) concave shapes and 4) regular polygons with varying number of sides. Simulation results point to a greater function for grid cells than what was believed hitherto. Grid cells in the model code not just for local position but also for more global information like the shape of the environment. The proposed model is interesting not only because it was able to capture the aforementioned experimental results but, more importantly, it was able to make many important predictions on the effect of the environmental geometry on the grid cell periodicity.
Stronger cooling effects of transpiration and leaf physical traits of plants from a hot dry habitat than from a hot wet habitat
Authors: Lin Hua , Chen Yajun , Zhang Houlei , Fu Peili , Fan Zexin 
Published: June 2017

Abstract

Leaf temperature exerts an important impact on the microenvironment and physiological processes of leaves. Plants from different habitats have different strategies to regulate leaf temperature. The relative importance of physical traits and transpiration for leaf temperature regulation in the hot habitat is still unclear.

We investigated 22 leaf physical traits, transpiration, and thermal properties of 38 canopy species of seedlings in a greenhouse, including 18 dominant species from a hot wet habitat (HW) and 20 dominant species from a hot dry habitat (HD). To separate the impact of transpiration and leaf physical traits on leaf temperature, we measured the diurnal courses of leaf temperatures with and without transpiration. The temperature of a reference leaf beside each individual was measured simultaneously to render temperatures comparable.

Generally, the species from HD showed lower leaf temperatures than the species from HW under the same conditions. Both transpiration capacity and cooling effect of leaf physical traits were stronger for the plants from HD. Active transpiration provides a suitable thermal environment for photosynthesis, while xeromorphic leaves can dampen heat stress when transpiration is suppressed. Higher vein density and stomatal pore area index (SPI) facilitated higher transpiration capacity of the plants from HD. Meanwhile, shorter leaves and thinner lower epidermis of the plants from HD were more efficient in heat transfer, although relationships were much weaker than the synergic effect of all the physical traits.

Our results confirmed that transpiration and leaf physical traits provided double insurance for avoiding overheating, particularly for plant from HD. We emphasize that transpiration is a more effective way to cool leaves than physical traits when water is sufficient, which may be an important adaptation for plant from HD where rainfall is sporadic. Our results provide further insight into the relationship between physical traits and transpiration for the regulation of leaf temperature, and the co‐evolution of gas exchange and thermal regulation of leaves.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Into the storm: Chasing the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus from skin colonisation to life‐threatening infections
Authors: O'Gara James P. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryColonisation of the human skin by Staphylococcus aureus is a precursor for a variety of infections ranging from boils to sepsis and pneumonia. The rapid emergence of methicillin‐resistant S. aureus following the clinical introduction of this antimicrobial drug and reports of resistance to all currently used anti‐staphylococcal drugs has added to its formidable reputation. S. aureus survival on the skin and in vivo virulence is underpinned by a remarkable environmental adaptability, made possible by highly orchestrated regulation of gene expression and a capacity to undertake genome remodelling. Depending on the ecological or infection niche, controlled expression of a variety of adhesins can be initiated to facilitate adherence to extracellular matrix proteins, survival against desiccation or biofilm accumulation on implanted medical devices and host tissue. These adherence mechanisms complement toxin and enzyme production, immune evasion strategies, and antibiotic resistance and tolerance to collectively thwart efforts to develop reliable antimicrobial drug regimens and an effective S. aureus vaccine.
Effects of Different Temperatures on the Development of Dermestes Frischii and Dermestes Undulatus (Coleoptera, Dermestidae): Comparison Between Species
Authors: Lambiase Simonetta , Murgia Giulia , Sacchi Roberto , Ghitti Michele , di Lucia Valeria 
Published: June 2017

AbstractDermestidae could be useful in forensic investigations to assess the PMI as adults and larvae colonize dried remains. We reared two species of Dermestidae (Dermestes frischii and Dermestes undulatus) to understand the effects of different temperatures on the length of their whole life cycle and on their immature stages. Both species were reared at 23°C ± 0.5, RH 75% and at 26°C ± 0.5, 75% RH. Our result shows that the temperature is the main factor that influences the development of those species; in fact, increasing temperature leads to a shorter development cycle (59.8 ± 0.5 and 38.1 ± 0.2 for D. frischii; 50.6 ± 0.6 and 36.2 ± 0.2 for D. undulatus). Furthermore, we found that the number of the molts before the pupa decreases from 5–7 to 5–6 for D. frischii and from 4–6 to 4–5 for D. undulatus, respectively, at 23°C and 26°C.
Atopic dermatitis is associated with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, but not with psychiatric hospitalization or suicide
Authors: Thyssen J. P. , Hamann C. R. , Linneberg A. , Dantoft T. M. , Skov L. , Gislason G. H. , Wu J. J. , Egeberg A. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractBackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) has been linked with psychiatric disease in adults. However, the exact relationship and its consequences have been insufficiently studied. Our aim of this study was to assess the association between depression, anxiety, and AD in adults and examine the risk of hospitalization and suicide.MethodsWe utilized questionnaire data from a large general population study with data on social habits and psychiatric symptoms to compare prevalences of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and anxiety attacks, in adults with and without a history of AD. Additionally, we used nationwide hospital/clinic registry and prescription data to examine the risk of anxiety and depression in Danish adults with mild and moderate‐severe AD, as well as the risk of hospitalization and suicide.ResultsIn the general population study, those with AD reported clinician‐diagnosed depression and anxiety more often than non‐AD subjects, and had an increased prevalence of suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms. In the health registry study, moderate‐severe AD patients had increased risk of antidepressant and anxiolytic medication use, while patients with mild AD only had increased risk of anxiolytic medication use. There was no increased risk of hospitalization or outpatient contacts due to depression or anxiety, or risk of suicide in AD patients.ConclusionsDepression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation are more common among AD individuals, but do not lead to psychiatric consultations, hospitalization, or suicide.
Successful delivery derived from cryopreserved rare human spermatozoa with novel cryopiece
Authors: Sun J. , Chen W. , Zhou L. , Hu J. , Li Z. , Zhang Z. , Wu Y. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryHerein, we report the clinical outcomes following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with cryopiece cryopreserved rare human spermatozoa from severe male factor infertility patients. We established a novel cryopiece system on the basis of previous studies. In this study, 126 spermatozoa from four patients with non‐obstructiveazoospermia (NOA) or severe oligozoospermia were stored in cryopiece and then thawed on the day of the oocyte retrieval, 88 (83%) spermatozoa were recovered with a 47.5% (38 of 80) motile rate. Routine ICSI were performed in enrolled 30 MII oocytes from their spouse with their own spermatozoa, respectively. Twenty‐two (73%) fertilization and 19 (86%) zygote cleavage were observed. Finally, a total of 11 embryos were achieved and each female patient received a transplantation of two fresh embryos. Four healthy babies were born at term. In conclusion, our novel cryopiece can be applied in assisted reproduction through ICSI with an effective motile spermatozoa recovery rate, high fertilization rate, and successful pregnancy result.
The effects of cultural drift on geographic variation in echolocation calls of the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus sinicus)
Authors: Xie Lifen , Sun Keping , Jiang Tinglei , Liu Sen , Lu Guanjun , Jin Longru , Feng Jiang 
Published: June 2017

AbstractDrift, selection, or their combined effects commonly drive geographic variation in traits. Clarifying the relative roles of each process is a long‐standing research goal in evolutionary biology. Acoustic signals of bats are a phenotypic characteristic that plays an important role in social organization and species recognition. We extensively sampled the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus sinicus) throughout China and Vietnam and reconstructed a species phylogeny to better understand the patterns and causes of the geographic variation of acoustic signals. Our results showed that the resting frequency (RF) of calls varied with latitude, sex, and distance among different colony locations. RF differences were not correlated with genetic distance (based on only one nuclear locus and the mitochondrial locus), climatic factors (mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitable water), or body size, although differences in calls increased with distance among various populations. This suggests that cultural drift may play more important roles than genetic drift and acoustic adaptation in shaping acoustic differences within regions in R. sinicus.
Subharmonics increase the auditory impact of female koala rejection calls
Authors: Charlton Benjamin D. , Watchorn Darcy J. , Whisson Desley A. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractAlthough non‐linear phenomena are common in human and non‐human animal vocalisations, their functional relevance remains poorly understood. One theory posits that non‐linear phenomena generate unpredictability in vocalisations, which increases the auditory impact of vocal signals, and makes animals less likely to habituate to call repetition. Female koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) produce vocal signals when they reject male copulation attempts that contain relatively high levels of non‐linear phenomena, and thus may function as attention grabbing vocal signals during the breeding season. To test this hypothesis, we used playback experiments: firstly, to determine whether female rejection calls induce heightened behavioural responses in free‐ranging male koalas during the breeding season, and secondly, to examine how the relative amount of non‐linear phenomena in rejection calls influences male behavioural response. The results show that male koalas look for longer towards speakers broadcasting playback sequences of male bellows followed by a series of female rejection calls than those broadcasting only male bellows. In addition, female rejection call sequences with more subharmonics, higher harmonics‐to‐noise ratios, and less biphonation produced the greatest male looking responses. Our findings support the hypothesis that female koala rejection calls function to grab male attention during the breeding season, and indicate that subharmonics are the main acoustic feature that increases the auditory impact of these vocal signals.
Crystallization behavior of 45S5 bioactive glass modified by therapeutic ions
Authors: Erol Taygun Melek , Hocaoğlu Vahide 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis is the first study that investigates the crystallization behavior of strontium‐ and copper‐doped bioactive glasses by both isothermal and nonisothermal methods using differential thermal analysis (DTA) data. DTA results showed that bioactive glasses are suitable for glass‐ceramic production. Isothermal and nonisothermal DTA experiments indicated that the crystallization activation energies of strontium‐doped bioactive glasses are in the range of 304.1‐327.7 kJ/mol, whereas the activation energies of copper‐doped bioactive glasses change in the range of 219.13‐263.20 kJ/mol. It was found that crystallization activation energies of strontium‐doped glasses are higher than those of the copper‐doped glasses. Avrami exponent, n, values of bioactive glasses showed that the bulk crystallization was found to predominate in all samples. Results revealed that isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of strontium‐ and copper‐doped bioactive glasses are in agreement within the experimental error.
Prescribing in the oldest old inpatients: a retrospective analysis of patients referred for specialist geriatric consultation
Authors: Ilango Sivarajah , Pillans Peter , Peel Nancye M. , Scott Ian , Gray Leonard C. , Hubbard Ruth E. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractBackgroundWhile medications may prolong life and prevent morbidity in older people, adverse effects of polypharmacy are increasingly recognised. As patients age and become frail, prescribing may be expected to focus more on symptom control and minimise potentially harmful preventive medication use that confer little benefit within a short lifespan. Whether prescribing practice shifts to one of symptom controls among the oldest old admitted to hospital remains unclear.AimTo determine, in the oldest old inpatients, whether preventive versus symptom control medication prescribing was associated with age or level of frailty.MethodsRetrospective analysis of all patients aged ≥85 years referred for comprehensive geriatric assessment at a tertiary care hospital between May 2006 and December 2014 for whom all prescribed medications were documented. Medication use was assessed according to age group (85–89, 90–94, ≥95) and categories of frailty index calculated for patients based on 52 deficits (fitter, moderately frail, frail and severely frail).ResultsSeven hundred and eighty‐three inpatients were assessed of mean (SD) age 89.0 (3.4) and mean frailty index 0.45 (SD0.14) with a median of eight co‐morbidities (IQR6–10) and who were prescribed a mean of 8.3 (SD3.8) regular medications per day. Polypharmacy (5–9 medications per day) was observed in 406 patients (51.9%) and hyper‐polypharmacy (≥10 medications per day) in 268 patients (34.2%). While there was a significant decrease in number of prescribed medications as age increased, there were no differences across age groups or frailty categories in proportions of medications used for prevention versus symptom control.ConclusionPolypharmacy is prevalent in oldest old inpatients and prescribing patterns according to prevention versus symptom control appear unaffected by age and frailty status.
Obstructive sleep apnea and silent cerebral infarction in hypertensive individuals
Authors: Alvarez‐Sabín José , Romero Odile , Delgado Pilar , Quintana Manuel , Santamarina Estevo , Ferré Alex , Maisterra Olga , Riba‐Llena Iolanda , Montaner Joan , Sampol Gabriel 
Published: June 2017

SummaryObstructive sleep apnea syndrome is very prevalent in hypertensive subjects. Moreover, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome activates multiple processes that might be associated with silent cerebral infarct independently of established risk factors. Our aim is to estimate the frequency of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in hypertensive patients with and without silent cerebral infarct, and to determine whether obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is an independent risk factor of silent cerebral infarct and/or lacunar silent cerebral infarct in patients with hypertension. In this matched cross‐sectional study performed in hypertensive subjects, each patient with silent cerebral infarct detected by magnetic resonance imaging was matched with two patients without silent cerebral infarct. Polysomnographic studies were performed, and the apnea–hypopnea index was calculated. Severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was considered in those with apnea–hypopnea index >30. One‐hundred and eighty‐three patients, 61 with silent cerebral infarct and 122 without silent cerebral infarct, were evaluated. The mean age was 64.1 ± 4.5 years, and 72.1% were men. The frequency of severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was 44.3% in patients with silent cerebral infarct and 38.5% in the control group. An adjusted conditional logistic regression model did not show a significant increased risk of silent cerebral infarct in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (odds ratio 1.362; 95% confidence interval: 0.659–2.813; P = 0.404). Forty‐three patients (70.5%) of the silent cerebral infarct were lacunar. The presence of severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was significantly higher in lacunar silent cerebral infarct when compared with patients without lacunar infarcts (55.8% versus 35.7%, P = 0.019), being independently associated on an adjusted logistic regression model (odds ratio 2.177; 95% confidence interval: 1.058–4.479; P = 0.035). In conclusion, severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is highly prevalent among hypertensive subjects, and is independently associated with lacunar silent cerebral infarct.
Injecting drug use in low and middle‐income countries: Opportunities to improve care and prevent harm
Authors: O'Keefe D. , Stoové M. , Doyle J. , Dietze P. , Hellard M. 
Published: June 2017

SummaryInadequate response to injecting drug use (IDU) is a significant problem the world over. Low levels of funding, political inaction, poor levels of health service coverage, high prevalence and incidence of IDU‐related blood‐borne viruses (BBVs) and ongoing stigmatization/marginalization affect people who inject drugs (PWID) regardless of the income status of the country they reside in. These barriers and system failings are, however, exacerbated in low and middle‐income countries (LMICs), meaning that the potential consequences of inaction are more pressing. In this narrative review, we describe the levels of IDU and IDU‐specific BBV prevalence in LMICs; levels of harm reduction implementation; the consequences of late or insufficient response, the shortcomings of data collection and dissemination; and the barriers to effective LMIC harm reduction implementation. We also exemplify cases where IDU‐related harms and BBV epidemics have been successfully curtailed in LMICs, showing that effective response, despite the barriers, is possible. In conclusion, we suggest four key priorities on the basis of the review: confirming the presence or absence of IDU in LMICs, improving the collection and dissemination of national IDU‐specific data, increasing the level of harm reduction programme implementation in LMICs, and increasing both national and international advocacy for PWID and attendant public health interventions.
An association of periostin levels with the severity and chronicity of atopic dermatitis in children
Authors: Sung Myongsoon , Lee Kyung Suk , Ha Eun Gyo , Lee Seung Jin , Kim Mi Ae , Lee Seung Won , Jee Hye Mi , Sheen Youn Ho , Jung Young Ho , Han Man Yong 
Published: June 2017

AbstractBackgroundSerum periostin might be a biomarker in the pathogenesis of T helper 2‐type allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum periostin levels and the severity and chronicity of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children.MethodsThis population‐based study examined 4076 children aged 4 to 13 years between June 2015 and July 2015. Of the 4076 children, 196—137 with a history of AD in the AD group and 59 without allergic diseases history in the healthy control (HC) group—were included for the final analysis.ResultsSerum periostin levels were higher in the AD group than in the HC group (P<.001) and were found to be positively associated with SCORAD score (Spearman's rho [r]=.24, P=.001). Children with AD‐onset time <2 years had significantly higher periostin levels (P=.030) compared to those with AD‐onset time ≥2 years. The total eosinophil (P=.189) and IgE levels (P=.140) were comparable between children with AD‐onset time <2 years and those with AD‐onset time ≥2 years. After adjustment for age, gender, and parental allergic history, serum periostin level (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00‐1.06, P=.046) contributed to the development of AD in children with AD‐onset time <2 years.ConclusionSerum periostin level may play a role in the severity and chronicity of AD in children.