bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diabetes incidence and prevalence in Hong Kong, China during 2006–2014
Authors: Quan J. , Li T. K. , Pang H. , Choi C. H. , Siu S. C. , Tang S. Y. , Wat N. M. S. , Woo J. , Johnston J. M. , Leung G. M. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAimsTo estimate recent secular changes in the incidence and prevalence of diabetes and pre‐diabetes among Hong Kong Chinese adults, and thus show possible future trends for developing mainland China.MethodsBased on a complete census of the public sector health records of 6.4 million people from 2006 to 2014, diabetes cases were ascertained using different methods including the World Health Organization (WHO) 2011 guidelines (HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose and glucose tolerance test), American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2015 guidelines (plus random plasma glucose), and additionally recorded diagnosis codes and medication dispensation. Pre‐diabetes was defined using ADA 2015 guidelines.ResultsWe identified 697 201 people with diabetes (54.2% were incident cases); and 1 229 731 people with diabetes or pre‐diabetes. In 2014, the overall incidence of diabetes was 9.46 per 1000 person‐years [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.38 to 9.54], and overall prevalence was 10.29% (95% CI: 10.27% to 10.32%). Incidence of diabetes decreased significantly from 2007 to 2014 (quadratic trend, P < 0.001). From 2006 to 2014, the prevalence of diabetes increased significantly in both sexes and across all age groups (quadratic trend, P < 0.001). The overall incidence of pre‐diabetes in 2014 was 18.88 per 1000 person‐years (95% CI: 18.76 to 18.99), and the overall prevalence of pre‐diabetes was 8.90% (95% CI: 8.87% to 8.92%).ConclusionsSimilar to other developed western and Asian populations, diabetes (and pre‐diabetes) incidence in Hong Kong Chinese appeared to have stabilized and there have been small declines during the period of observation. Ageing and survivorship will likely drive a continued increase in the prevalence of diabetes and pre‐diabetes, albeit with a decelerating growth rate if past trends persist.
Reductions in cortical alpha activity, enhancements in neural responses and impaired gap detection caused by sodium salicylate in awake guinea pigs
Authors: Berger Joel I. , Coomber Ben , Wallace Mark N. , Palmer Alan R. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractTinnitus chronically affects between 10–15% of the population but, despite its prevalence, the underlying mechanisms are still not properly understood. One experimental model involves administration of high doses of sodium salicylate, as this is known to reliably induce tinnitus in both humans and animals. Guinea pigs were implanted with chronic electrocorticography (ECoG) electrode arrays, with silver‐ball electrodes placed on the dura over left and right auditory cortex. Two more electrodes were positioned over the cerebellum to monitor auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). We recorded resting‐state and auditory evoked neural activity from awake animals before and 2 h following salicylate administration (350 mg/kg; i.p.). Large increases in click‐evoked responses (> 100%) were evident across the whole auditory cortex, despite significant reductions in wave I ABR amplitudes (in response to 20 kHz tones), which are indicative of auditory nerve activity. In the same animals, significant decreases in 6–10 Hz spontaneous oscillations (alpha waves) were evident over dorsocaudal auditory cortex. We were also able to demonstrate for the first time that cortical evoked potentials can be inhibited by a preceding gap in background noise [gap‐induced pre‐pulse inhibition (PPI)], in a similar fashion to the gap‐induced inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex that is used as a behavioural test for tinnitus. Furthermore, 2 h following salicylate administration, we observed significant deficits in PPI of cortical responses that were closely aligned with significant deficits in behavioural responses to the same stimuli. Together, these data are suggestive of neural correlates of tinnitus and oversensitivity to sound (hyperacusis).
Examining the impact of regular aspirin use and PIK3CA mutations on survival in stage 2 colon cancer
Authors: Murphy Caitlin , Turner Natalie , Wong Hui‐Li , Sinnathamby Mathu , Tie Jeanne , Lee Belinda , Desai Jayesh , Skinner Iain , Christie Michael , Hutchinson Ryan , Lunke Sebastian , Waring Paul , Gibbs Peter , Tran Ben 
Published: November 2016

Background/AimData suggest aspirin improves survival in colorectal cancer (CRC) harbouring
PIK3CA
mutations. The impact of aspirin is thought predominantly to be through an anti‐inflammatory effect. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of aspirin use on survival in a real‐world cohort of stage 2 colon cancer (CC) patients.MethodsA prospective CRC database identified patients diagnosed with stage 2 CC between 2000 and 2011.
PIK3CA
mutation status was determined by next generation sequencing. Neutrophil‐lymphocyte ratio greater than 5 at diagnosis represented systemic inflammation. Chart review was used to record regular aspirin use at diagnosis. Clinico‐pathological features and survival data were available. Survival analyses used the Cox proportional hazards method.ResultsOf 488 patients with stage 2 CC, 95 patients were aspirin users and 70 patients had
PIK3CA
mutations. Aspirin users were more likely to be older (median: 76.4 years vs 68.3 years, P < 0.001), to be less fit (American Society of Anaesthetists Score 3–4: 58% vs 31%, P < 0.001) and to have systemic inflammation (neutrophil‐lymphocyte ratio > 5: 39% vs 27%, P = 0.027). Regular aspirin use did not significantly improve recurrence‐free survival. In the
PIK3CA
mutated group, there was a trend towards improved recurrence‐free survival (hazard ratio: 0.45, P = 0.42).ConclusionsOur study did not demonstrate a significant survival advantage from aspirin use in stage 2
PIK3CA
mutated CC. The ‘real‐world’ nature of our cohort and the subsequent uncontrolled differences in age and fitness in aspirin users are likely to have contributed to this result. Defining the true impact of aspirin in CRC requires prospective randomised clinical trials.
Associations of changes in psychosocial factors and their interactions with diabetes distress in patients with type 2 diabetes: a longitudinal study
Authors: Wang Ruey‐Hsia , Hsu Hui‐Chun , Kao Chia‐Chan , Yang Yung‐Mei , Lee Yau‐Jiunn , Shin Shyi‐Jang 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAimTo assess the associations of changes in self‐management behaviours, diabetes self‐efficacy, resilience, social support, patient empowerment and their interactions with changes in diabetes distress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.BackgroundMany patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus experience diabetes distress. Few longitudinal studies have investigated the associations of changes in various psychosocial factors with changes in diabetes distress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.DesignThis study adopted a longitudinal design. Data were collected at baseline and 12 months later.MethodsOverall, 304 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited from four hospitals in southern Taiwan by convenience sampling. A self‐report questionnaire and medical record were used to collect demographic data, clinical indicators, self‐management behaviours, diabetes self‐efficacy, resilience, social support, patient empowerment, and diabetes distress. Data were collected from February 2014–March 2015.Results/FindingsAn increase in resilience or diabetes self‐efficacy significantly associated with a decrease in diabetes distress, whereas an increase in patient empowerment significantly associated with an increase in diabetes distress. The interactions between increase in patient empowerment and increase in self‐management behaviours significantly associated with decrease in diabetes distress.ConclusionNurses could endeavour to improve the diabetes self‐efficacy and resilience to reducing diabetes distress. Arbitrarily empowering patients may increase diabetes distress. Increasing self‐care management behaviours and patient empowerment might need to be simultaneously addressed to reduce the diabetes distress in patients with type 2 diabetes.
A Randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a Nurse Navigator Programme on outcomes of people with breast cancer: study protocol
Authors: Chillakunnel Hussain Rawther Shejila , Pai Mamatha Shivananda , Fernandes Donald J , Mathew Stanley , Binu V S , Chakrabarty Jyothi , Devi Elsa Sanatombi , George Anice , Nayak Baby S 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAimTo evaluate the effectiveness of a Nurse Navigator Programme on anxiety, psychological distress and quality of life in people with breast cancer.BackgroundBreast cancer is the most frequently detected malignancy and a major cause of cancer death among women around the world. The lengthy course of illness from initial diagnosis to treatment and subsequent follow‐up causes deterioration in physical, psychological and social status among patients. Nurses have a major role in cancer care. As women with breast cancer have to undergo various treatment modalities, continued care by a pivot nurse is thought to enhance treatment adherence. Limited studies have been reported from developing countries on Nurse Navigation Programmes.DesignA Stratified Randomized controlled trial with repeated measures.MethodsOne hundred and twenty newly diagnosed women with breast cancer admitted to surgery wards of a tertiary care hospital in South India will be recruited. (Project funded in Octo"ber 2014). Women are randomly allocated to a control and intervention group. The outcome variables are anxiety, psychological distress and quality of life. Data on outcome measures will be collected at five different time points: before surgery, at discharge, beginning of adjuvant therapy, middle of adjuvant therapy and at the end of adjuvant therapy.DiscussionThis study may give evidence on the effectiveness of a Nurse Navigator Programme for women with breast cancer. If significant effects were detected, the programme could be integrated into hospital services to improve the patient care.
Systematic review of measurement properties of self‐reported instruments for evaluating self‐care in adults
Authors: Matarese Maria , Lommi Marzia , De Marinis Maria Grazia 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAimsThe aims of this study were as follows: to identify instruments developed to assess self‐care in healthy adults; to determine the theory on which they were based; their validity and reliability properties and to synthesize the evidence on their measurement properties.BackgroundMany instruments have been developed to assess self‐care in many different populations and conditions. Clinicians and researchers should select the most appropriate self‐care instrument based on the knowledge of their measurement properties.DesignSystematic review of measurement instruments according to the protocol recommended by the COnsensus‐based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) panel.Data sourcesPubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus and CINAHL databases were searched from inception to December 2015.Review methodsStudies testing measurement properties of self‐report instruments assessing self‐care in healthy adults, published in the English language and in peer review journals were selected. Two reviewers independently appraised the methodological quality of the studies with the COSMIN checklist and the quality of results using specific quality criteria.ResultsTwenty‐six articles were included in the review testing the measurement properties of nine instruments. Seven instruments were based on Orem's Self‐care theory. Not all the measurement properties were evaluated for the identified instruments. No self‐care instrument showed strong evidence supporting the evaluated measurement properties.ConclusionDespite the development of several instruments to assess self‐care in the adult population, no instrument can be fully recommended to clinical nurses and researchers. Further studies of high methodological quality are needed to confirm the measurement properties of these instruments.
Influence of habitat patchiness on diversity patterns of a habitat specialist plant community
Authors: Gil‐López Manuel J. , Segarra‐Moragues José G. , Ojeda Fernando 
Published: November 2016

AbstractQuestionDoes the number and relative abundance of sandstone specialist woody species in Mediterranean heathland (herriza) communities of the Strait of Gibraltar decrease with increasing sandstone patch isolation? If so, does this reduction suggest deterministic (ecological filtering) or random (ecological drift) effects?LocationStrait of Gibraltar region.MethodsWe recorded the identity and relative abundance of sandstone specialist and generalist woody plant species in 26 herriza samples. We then calculated the degree of sandstone patch isolation of each herriza sample and used generalized linear regression models to examine the effect of sandstone patch isolation on species richness and relative abundance of woody species in the herriza communities, separately for sandstone specialist and generalist species. We finally compared beta‐diversity values among herriza samples from the two sides of the Strait of Gibraltar.ResultsIncreasing sandstone patch isolation determined a loss of sandstone specialist species in herriza communities. This loss of sandstone specialist species is more pronounced in the African side of the Strait, where overall sandstone patch isolation is higher, suggesting that this is a random process (ecological drift) that resulted in higher beta‐diversity between herrizas in Tangier.ConclusionsThis study highlights the high vulnerability of the highly biodiverse herriza or Mediterranean heathland in the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar as a consequence of its overall higher sandstone patchiness.
Barriers and facilitators to initial and continued attendance at community‐based lifestyle programmes among families of overweight and obese children: a systematic review
Authors: Kelleher E. , Davoren M. P. , Harrington J. M. , Shiely F. , Perry I. J. , McHugh S. M. 
Published: November 2016

SummaryThe success of childhood weight management programmes relies on family engagement. While attendance offers many benefits including the support to make positive lifestyle changes, the majority of families referred to treatment decline. Moreover, for those who do attend, benefits are often compromised by high programme attrition. This systematic review investigated factors influencing attendance at community‐based lifestyle programmes among families of overweight or obese children. A narrative synthesis approach was used to allow for the inclusion of quantitative, qualitative and mixed‐method study designs. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Results suggest that parents provided the impetus for programme initiation, and this was driven largely by a concern for their child's psychological health and wellbeing. More often than not, children went along without any real reason or interest in attending. Over the course of the programme, however, children's positive social experiences such as having fun and making friends fostered the desire to continue. The stigma surrounding excess weight and the denial of the issue amongst some parents presented barriers to enrolment and warrant further study. This study provides practical recommendations to guide future policy makers, programme delivery teams and researchers in developing strategies to boost recruitment and minimise attrition.
Multistrain Infections with Lyme Borreliosis Pathogens in the Tick Vector
Authors: Durand Jonas , Herrmann Coralie , Genné Dolores , Sarr Anouk , Gern Lise , Voordouw Maarten J. 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACT

Mixed or multiple-strain infections are common in vector-borne diseases and have important implications for the epidemiology of these pathogens. Previous studies have mainly focused on interactions between pathogen strains in the vertebrate host, but little is known about what happens in the arthropod vector.
Borrelia afzelii
and
Borrelia garinii
are two species of spirochete bacteria that cause Lyme borreliosis in Europe and that share a tick vector,
Ixodes ricinus
. Each of these two tick-borne pathogens consists of multiple strains that are often differentiated using the highly polymorphic
ospC
gene. For each
Borrelia
species, we studied the frequencies and abundances of the
ospC
strains in a wild population of
I. ricinus
ticks that had been sampled from the same field site over a period of 3 years. We used quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 454 sequencing to estimate the spirochete load and the strain diversity within each tick. For
B. afzelii
, there was a negative relationship between the two most common
ospC
strains, suggesting the presence of competitive interactions in the vertebrate host and possibly the tick vector. The flat relationship between total spirochete abundance and strain richness in the nymphal tick indicates that the mean abundance per strain decreases as the number of strains in the tick increases. Strains with the highest spirochete load in the nymphal tick were the most common strains in the tick population. The spirochete abundance in the nymphal tick appears to be an important life history trait that explains why some strains are more common than others in nature.

IMPORTANCE
Lyme borreliosis is the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere and is caused by spirochete bacteria that belong to the
Borrelia burgdorferi
sensu lato
species complex. These tick-borne pathogens are transmitted among vertebrate hosts by hard ticks of the genus
Ixodes
. Each
Borrelia
species can be further subdivided into genetically distinct strains. Multiple-strain infections are common in both the vertebrate host and the tick vector and can result in competitive interactions. To date, few studies on multiple-strain vector-borne pathogens have investigated patterns of cooccurrence and abundance in the arthropod vector. We demonstrate that the abundance of a given strain in the tick vector is negatively affected by the presence of coinfecting strains. In addition, our study suggests that the spirochete abundance in the tick is an important life history trait that can explain why some strains are more common in nature than others.
Elimination of a Free Cysteine by Creation of a Disulfide Bond Increases the Activity and Stability of Candida boidinii Formate Dehydrogenase
Authors: Zheng Junxian , Yang Taowei , Zhou Junping , Xu Meijuan , Zhang Xian , Rao Zhiming 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTNAD+-dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH; EC 1.2.1.2) is an industrial enzyme widely used for NADH regeneration. However, enzyme inactivation caused by the oxidation of cysteine residues is a flaw of native FDH. In this study, we relieved the oxidation of the free cysteine of FDH fromCandida boidinii(CboFDH) through the construction of disulfide bonds between A10 and C23 as well as I239 and C262. Variants A10C, I239C, and A10C/I239C were obtained by the site-directed mutagenesis and their properties were studied. Results showed that there were no significant changes in the optimum temperature and pH between variants and wild-typeCboFDH. However, the stabilities of all variant enzymes were improved. Specifically, theCboFDH variant A10C (A10Cfdh) showed a significant increase in copper ion resistance and acid resistance, a 6.7-fold increase in half-life at 60°C, and a 1.4-fold increase in catalytic efficiency compared with the wild type. Asymmetric synthesis ofl-tert-leucine indicated that the process time was reduced by 40% with variant A10Cfdh, which benefited from the increase in catalytic efficiency. Circular dichroism analysis and molecular dynamics simulation indicated that variants that contained disulfide bonds lowered the overall root mean square deviation (RMSD) and consequently increased the protein rigidity without affecting the secondary structure of enzyme. This work is expected to provide a viable strategy to avoid the microbial enzyme inactivation caused by the oxidation of the free cysteine residues and improving their performances.IMPORTANCEFDH is widely used for NADH regeneration in dehydrogenase-based synthesis of optically active compounds to decrease the cost of production. This study highlighted a viable strategy that was used to eliminate the oxidation of free cysteine residues of FDH fromCandida boidiniiby the introduction of disulfide bonds. Using this strategy, we obtained a variant FDH with improved activity and stability. The improvement of activity and stability of FDH is expected to reduce its price and then further to decrease the cost of its application.
Season-Specific Occurrence of Potentially Pathogenic Vibrio spp. on the Southern Coast of South Korea
Authors: Di Doris Y. W. , Lee Anna , Jang Jeonghwan , Han Dukki , Hur Hor-Gil 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACT

Vibrio
species are widely distributed in warm estuarine and coastal environments, and they can infect humans through the consumption of raw and mishandled contaminated seafood. In this study, we aimed to isolate and observe the distribution of enteropathogenic
Vibrio
spp. from environments of the southern coast of South Korea over a season cycle. A total of 10,983 isolates of
Vibrio
spp. were obtained from tidal water and mud samples over a 1-year period from five sampling sites along the southwest coast of South Korea. We found that
Vibrio alginolyticus
(
n
= 6,262) and
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
(
n
= 1,757) were ubiquitous in both tidal water and mud year round, whereas
Vibrio cholerae
(
n
= 24) and
Vibrio vulnificus
(
n
= 130) were seasonally specific to summer. While all
V. cholerae
isolates were nontoxigenic (non-O1 and non-O139), more than 88% of
V. vulnificus
isolates possessed the virulence factor elastolytic protease (encoded by
vvp
). Interestingly,
V. parahaemolyticus
, which was omnipresent in all seasons, contained the virulence factors thermostable direct hemolysin (encoded by
tdh
) and thermostable direct hemolysin-related hemolysin (encoded by
trh
) in larger amounts in June (29
trh
-positive strains) and September (14
tdh
-, 36
trh
-, and 12
tdh
- and
trh
-positive strains) than in December (4
trh
-positive strains) and February (3
tdh
-positive strains), and virulence factors were absent from isolates detected in April. To understand why virulence factors were detected only in the warm season and were absent in the cold season although the locations are static, long-term monitoring and particularly seasonal study are necessary.

IMPORTANCE
The presence of enteropathogenic
Vibrio
species (
Vibrio cholerae
,
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
, and
Vibrio vulnificus
), which cause acute diarrheal infection, septicemia, and wound infections upon ingestion through food and water, is usually associated with temperature. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that there are 1.4 to 4.3 million cases and 28,000 to 142,000 deaths per year worldwide caused by cholera disease. In South Korea alone, consumption is as much as 52.4 kg of fish and shellfish per year per capita. Our findings suggested that seasonally specific acceleration of these possible pathogenic
Vibrio
spp. may threaten seafood safety and increase the risk of illness in South Korea, where local people consume raw fish during warmer months.