bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fragmentation gradients differentially affect the species range distributions of four taxonomic groups in semi‐deciduous Atlantic forest
Authors: da Silva Fernando R. , Rossa‐Feres Denise de Cerqueira 
Published: September 2016

AbstractHuman activities often cause habitat fragmentation and how forest fragments affect species range distributions has implications for ecology and conservation. However, few studies have considered communities within the same landscape. Here, we analyzed metacommunity structure to determine the range distributions for species in four taxonomic groups (amphibians, birds, social wasps, and trees) in a patchy landscape of semi‐deciduous Atlantic forest in southwestern Brazil. Although trees are a key component of the environment for animals in forested patches, the ranges of bird, wasp, and amphibian species did not change in concert with the species ranges of trees. The species ranges of amphibians and social wasps were unaffected by fragmentation gradients and exhibited independent distribution patterns (i.e., random structure). In contrast, birds and trees exhibited range turnover along different fragmentation gradients, indicating that species show idiosyncratic responses to abiotic factors (i.e., Gleasonian structure). For birds, some less‐resilient species occurred only in fragments with a large area of native vegetation at a radius of 5 km from the center of the sampled forest fragments, whereas other more stress‐tolerant species occurred only in sites with small areas of native vegetation. For trees, some later succession species (e.g., animal‐dispersed seeds) occurred only in fragments with high connectivity, whereas earlier‐recruiting species (e.g., wind‐dispersed seeds) occurred in fragments with low connectivity. Thus, determining the effects of human‐modified landscapes on species range distributions, even within the same landscape, might not be a trivial task.
Patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity of termites along a tropical elevational gradient
Authors: Nunes Cássio A. , Quintino André V. , Constantino Reginaldo , Negreiros Daniel , Reis Júnior Ronaldo , Fernandes Geraldo Wilson 
Published: September 2016

AbstractPatterns of termite richness along elevation gradients may be related to different responses by termite functional groups to changes in environmental conditions. We investigated the distribution of termite species richness along an elevational gradient of cerrado and rupestrian grasslands in the Espinhaço Mountain Range, in Brazil. Fifty termite species were recorded, with the family Termitidae being dominant; 16 species are endemic to open areas of cerrado and 1 species, Cortaritermes rizzinii, is endemic and restricted to mountaintop grassland habitats. Termite richness declined with increasing elevation, with the main factors associated with the reduction being climactic (air temperature, air and soil humidity, and radiation) and vegetation variables. Different termite communities were found along the elevational gradient, which were also strongly influenced by changes in climate and vegetation. On the other hand, the same functional groups were present at the different elevations, although represented by different species.
Forest degradation and invasive species synergistically impactMimusops andongensis(Sapotaceae) in Lama Forest Reserve, Benin
Authors: Sinasson Gisèle K. S. , Shackleton Charlie M. , Glèlè Kakaï Romain L. , Sinsin Brice 
Published: September 2016

AbstractHarvesting of Non‐Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) can threaten target species, especially those with limited distribution and density. Exploited species also face threats from habitat fragmentation, fire, and invasive species. We assessed the impact of human disturbances and invasive species on the population of a key multipurposeNTFPspecies,Mimusops andongensis, in Lama Forest reserve (Benin). The densities of adult trees and regenerative stems decreased with increasing degradation.Mimusops andongensiscontributed less to total tree density with increasing human disturbance. There were significantly fewerM. andongensisrecruits with increasing cover of invasiveChromolaena odorata. Smaller diameter individuals predominated in non‐degraded and moderately degraded sites while in degraded sites, the structure showed a negative exponential trend with the density of small diameter individuals being less than two trees/ha. Larger individuals were also rare in degraded sites. The low density of both mature trees and seedlings in degraded sites may undermine the long‐term viability ofM. andongensis, despite existing protection againstNTFPharvesting and other anthropogenic pressures. Management should emphasize facilitating recruitment subsidies and limiting the presence ofC.odorata.
Copeptin in obese children and adolescents: relationships to body mass index, cortisol and gender
Authors: Rothermel Juliane , Kulle Alexandra , Holterhus Paul‐Martin , Toschke Christina , Lass Nina , Reinehr Thomas 
Published: September 2016

SummaryObjectiveCopeptin has been reported to be associated with stress, obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults. However, data in childhood are scarce. Therefore, we studied the relationships between copeptin, cortisol, puberty and parameters of the MetS in children.DesignCross‐sectional study.PatientsA total of 51 obese children (10·8 ± 3·2 years, 39% male, 45% prepubertal, body mass index standard deviation score (BMI‐SDS) 2·77 ± 0·56) and 24 lean children of similar age, gender and pubertal stage.MeasurementsCopeptin, serum cortisol, 24‐h urinary free cortisol, BMI‐SDS and, as parameters of the MetS, insulin resistance index (HOMA), HbA1c, uric acids, blood pressure and lipids.ResultsCopeptin levels were significantly (P = 0·047) higher in obese children (5·8 ± 2·8pmol/l) compared to lean children (4·6 ± 2·2pmol/l). BMI‐SDS (β‐coefficient 0·38 ± 0·35, P =0·033), but not any parameter of the MetS, was significantly related to copeptin in multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for age, gender and pubertal stage. A 24‐h urinary free cortisol (β‐coefficient 0·13 ± 0·06, P < 0·001), but not serum cortisol, was significantly related to copeptin in multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for age, gender, pubertal stage and BMI‐SDS. Pubertal boys (6·6 ± 2·8pmol/l) demonstrated significantly (P = 0·042) higher copeptin levels compared to pubertal girls (4·8 ± 2·6pmol/l), while copeptin concentrations did not differ between prepubertal girls and boys.ConclusionsCopeptin levels are related to 24‐h urinary free cortisol in obese children. Pubertal boys, but not prepubertal boys, demonstrated higher copeptin levels than girls, suggesting that sex hormones are involved in the regulation of copeptin levels. Further studies are necessary to understand the relationship between obesity, cortisol, gender, pubertal stage and copeptin levels.
Variable presentation of Fraser syndrome in two fetuses and a novel mutation in FRAS1
Authors: Nayak Shalini S. , Salian Smrithi , Shukla Anju , Mathew Mary , Girisha Katta M. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractWe report on a consanguineous family with three pregnancies affected with Fraser syndrome. We note severe brachydactyly is a manifestation of Fraser syndrome and found a novel homozygous splice site variation c.3293‐2A>T in FRAS1. We would like to highlight variable manifestations of Fraser syndrome and the presence of oligohydramnios in the antenatal period often makes prenatal diagnosis clinically challenging.
Safety and tolerability review of lorcaserin in clinical trials
Authors: Greenway F. L. , Shanahan W. , Fain R. , Ma T. , Rubino D. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryLorcaserin is a novel selective serotonin 2C receptor agonist indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with ≥1 comorbidity. The safety and efficacy of lorcaserin were established during two Phase III clinical trials in patients without diabetes (BLOOM and BLOSSOM) and one Phase III clinical trial in patients with type 2 diabetes (BLOOM‐DM). Headache was the most common adverse event experienced by patients during all Phase III trials. Additional adverse events occurring in >5% of patients receiving lorcaserin included dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth and constipation in patients without diabetes, and hypoglycaemia, back pain, cough and fatigue in patients with diabetes. In a pooled analysis of echocardiographic data collected during the three lorcaserin Phase III trials, the incidence of FDA‐defined valvulopathy was similar in patients taking lorcaserin and the placebo. Here, the safety profile of lorcaserin at the FDA‐approved dose of 10 mg twice daily is reviewed using data from the lorcaserin Phase III programme, with a focus on theoretical adverse events commonly associated with agonists of the serotonin receptor family. Based on the lorcaserin Phase III clinical trial data, lorcaserin is safe and well tolerated in the indicated patient populations.
Evaluation of interstitial cells of Cajal in patients with severe colonic inertia requiring surgery: a clinical‐pathological study
Authors: Cohen M. , Cazals‐Hatem D. , Duboc H. , Sabate J.‐M. , Msika S. , Slove A. L. , Panis Y. , Coffin B. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractAimSubtotal colectomy is the treatment of last resort in patients with severe colonic inertia (SCI) refractory to laxatives. Some studies have reported hypoplasia of the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) using a semi‐quantitative analysis. The aims of this study were first to investigate if semi‐quantitative analysis or morphometry is better at the quantification of colonic ICC and second to determine whether there is a relationship between the number of ICC and the severity of constipation.MethodClinical and pathological data from patients with subtotal colectomy for SCI were collected. Quantification of ICC using CD117 immunohistochemistry and morphometric methods was performed at three different colonic sites in patients and controls.ResultsTwenty patients had a colectomy for SCI. All were considered to have failed maximal medical treatment and 45% were hospitalized at least once for colonic obstruction due to faecaloma. Using a semi‐quantitative methodology, 30% of patients displayed ICC hypoplasia (< 7 per high power field) and all controls had normal ICC. Using morphometry, the percentage of colonic ICC was significantly less in patients compared with controls with no significant differences between the ascending, transverse and descending colonic segments. Overall 60% of patients had ICC hypoplasia (< 1% vs 20% of controls, P = 0.009). The severity of constipation was not related to the quantity of ICC.ConclusionIn patients with SCI, morphometric analysis is more sensitive than semi‐quantitative analysis in the detection of ICC hypoplasia. The severity of constipation was not related to the quantity of ICC.
Low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound upregulates pro‐myelination indicators of Schwann cells enhanced by co‐culture with adipose‐derived stem cells
Authors: Yue Yuan , Yang Xingmei , Zhang Liang , Xiao Xun , Nabar Neel R. , Lin Yunfeng , Hao Liang , Zhang Dongjiao , Huo Jingyi , Li Jingle , Cai Xiaoxiao , Wang Min 
Published: September 2016

AbstractObjectivesPeripheral nerve injuries are a common occurrence, resulting in considerable patient suffering; it also represents a major economic burden on society. To improve treatment options following peripheral nerve injuries, scientists aim to find a way to promote Schwann cell (SC) myelination to help nerves to carry out their functions effectively. In this study, we investigated myelination ability of SCs, regulated by co‐culture with adipose‐derived stem cells (ASCs) or low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), and synergistic effects of combined treatments.Materials and methodsSchwann cells were co‐cultured with or without ASCs, and either left untreated or treated with LIPUS for 10 min/d for 1, 4 or 7 days. Effects of LIPUS and ASC co‐culture on pro‐myelination indicators of SCs were analysed by real‐time PCR (RT‐PCR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining (IF).ResultsOur results indicate that ASC‐SC co‐culture and LIPUS, together or individually, promoted mRNA levels of epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (EGFR3/ErbB3), neuregulin1 (NRG1), early growth response protein 2 (Egr2/Krox20) and myelin basic protein (MBP), with corresponding increases in protein levels of ErbB3, NRG1 and Krox20. Interestingly, combination of ASC‐SC co‐culture and LIPUS displayed the most remarkable effects.ConclusionWe demonstrated that ASCs upregulated pro‐myelination indicators of SCs by indirect contact (through co‐culture) and that effects could be potentiated by LIPUS. We conclude that LIPUS, as a mechanical stress, may have potential in nerve regeneration with potential clinical relevance.
Background Predation Risk and Learned Predator Recognition in Convict Cichlids: Does Risk Allocation Constrain Learning?
Authors: Joyce Brendan J. , Demers Ebony E. , Ferrari Maud C. O. , Chivers Douglas P. , Brown Grant E. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractExposure to elevated levels of background predation risk is known to shape the behavioural response of prey organisms to known and unknown predation threats. However, less is known regarding the effects of background predation risk on predator recognition learning. Here, we test the potential effects of elevated background predation risk on the strength and retention of learned predator recognition in juvenile convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata). In a series of laboratory trials, we exposed shoals of juvenile cichlids to conditions of elevated (vs. low) levels of background risk and then conditioned them to recognize a novel predator odour (rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss). The results of our first experiment demonstrate that despite showing reduced response intensities during initial conditioning (due to risk allocation), conditioned cichlids from high vs. low background risk show similar intensities of learned recognition when tested 24 h post‐conditioning. Moreover, elevated levels of background risk induced a predator avoidance response among unconditioned cichlids (due to induced neophobia). Our second experiment demonstrates that while we find no difference in the strength of learning when tested 24 h post‐conditioning, retention of acquired recognition is enhanced among cichlids from the high background predation risk treatment. Together, our results highlight the complex interacting effects past experience plays in shaping the response to acute predation threats.
The Global Vision Database – modeling the current and changing burden of eye disease
Authors: Bourne R. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryThe Global Vision Database has been established by an international consortium of 79 ophthalmologists and optometrists with an interest in the epidemiology of eye disease (The Vision Loss Expert Group, VLEG). This is an extremely comprehensive database of high quality population‐based prevalence eye surveys, dating from 1980 to 2015 from published and unpublished sources. The VLEG have published estimates of numbers blind and vision impaired by region worldwide by age, by sex and by cause. Working with the World Health Organisation, the group has been able to model the change in cause‐specific prevalence of vision loss over time, reporting recently the reduction in age‐standardised blindness prevalence over this time period. This talk will describe the project, the model used and the most recent findings and projections and introduce the audience to the visualisations project that makes this data accessible to any internet user.
Optical properties of the lens: an explanation for the zones of discontinuity
Authors: Pierscionek B. , Bahrami M. , Hoshino M. , Regini J. , Uesugi K. , Yagi N. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryZones of discontinuity seen in living healthy human lenses when they are viewed using biomicroscopy are not understood from structural or functional perspectives. They scatter light but do not impede or impair vision and there are no known structures that could explain their presence. Previous methods that measured changes in the optical property of refractive index and changes across the tissue in refractive index that create the gradient index structure did not detect any variations that could be related to the zones of discontinuity. Recent work undertaken at the SPring‐8 synchrotron using an X‐ray Talbot interferometer has enabled the most detailed measurements of refractive index to date to be undertaken. The results show subtle fluctuations in the refractive index suggesting step changes in the gradient. When these step changes or contours were inserted into lens models and subjected to a computational analysis that simulated the effects of biomicroscopic viewing, the zones of discontinuity were recreated. This is the first known evidence linking the refractive index to these features. It provides an explanation for their structure. The functional implications and potential for future implant design need to be explored.
Clinical evaluation in orbital tumors
Authors: Mouriaux F. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryThe ocular examination should include the best‐corrected visual acuity and intraocular pressure. A neuro‐ophthalmologic examination, including motor and sensory functions, pupillary examination should also be done. During biomicroscopy, the integrity of the corneal and conjunctiva should be checked. Fully dilated indirect ophthalmoscopy should be performed because many orbital diseases cause a wide variety of fundunscopic changes. The major fundal manifestations of a space‐occupying mass in the orbit include retinal folds, retinal vascular changes and optic disk edema and/or atrophyThe external examination of the patient should assess the facial features and critically evaluate the symmetry of ocular, eyelid, and orbital structures. Physical examination of the periorbital structures should include inspection of appearance and function, which are commonly altered by a space‐occupying lesion in the orbit. The most important structural feature to rate in the examination of an orbit is proptosis, which is also known as exophthalmos, protrusion, or the displacement of the globe beyond the orbital rim. The position of the visual axis in a proptotic eye may provide useful information.
Homo heidelbergensis: the oldest case of odontogenic orbital cellulitis?
Authors: Ascaso F. , Adiego M.I. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryHomo heidelbergensis, an extinct species of the genus Homo, is probably the ancestor of Homo sapiens in Africa and the Neanderthals in Europe. In 1992, one the most complete and best preserved ancient hominid skulls ever found was discovered in a Middle Pleistocene cave called the Sima de los Huesos, Atapuerca site (Spain). Skull 5 dates back to 350,000 to 500,000 years ago and represents a nearly complete Homo heidelbergensis cranium. An extensive osteitis on the left maxilla, a worm‐like pattern on the orbital roof and several dental lesions with remodelling and recession of the alveolar crest were described. Computed tomography (CT) images identified a maxillar fracture and determined the timing of the pathological events. These findings suggest that an ongoing serious infection might had been present in this individual at the time of death and that it was very likely the cause of death from a generalized sepsis. The infection would have spread from the dental abscess into the ipsilateral orbit. In a ‘pre‐antibiotic era’, the lack of sinus and orbital drainage might have led to intracranial infection or sepsis. We will discuss the anatomic pathways by which dental infection could spread to the orbit in what seems to be the first documented case of orbital cellulitis.
Treatment of conjunctival tumours
Authors: Caujolle J.P. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryThe treatment of benign and premalignant conjunctival tumors can be done by excisional biopsy and/or chemotherapy.However, the treatment of malignant conjunctival tumors by only surgical excision has a high local recurrence and mortality rate. Progressively, additional treatments to the surgery have been suggested. Notably, different radiotherapy technics have improved the prognosis.The main therapeutic basis are:

In case of premalignant tumors, depending on the histologic diagnosis and surgical margin you could have to use an additional chemotherapy.

If the diagnosis of malignant tumor is confirmed additional radiotherapy treatment must be used depending on the localization of the tumors and your habits: Conventional radiotherapy, brachytherapy or proton beam therapy with specific improvements in order to tailor the treatment to conjunctival tumors.

When a conjunctival melanoma is suspected, the surgery must be performed under general anesthesia. The excision must be carefully done to avoid spreading of tumor cells with the instruments during the excisional biopsy.
Endoresection or not?
Authors: Bechrakis N.E. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryEye salvaging treatment of large uveal melanomas by primary irradiation bear the risk of severe secondary complications due to tumour regression. The so called „toxic tumour syndrome’ comprises a multitude of such problems such as retinal detachment, ocular ischemia, melanomalytic reactions, secondary glaucoma either by neovascularization or by tumour debris deposition or both. Surgical resection of tumours addresses these issues. Surgical resection can be performed either as an endoresection or as by means of transscleral resection. Both surgical procedures are challenging and pose by themselves some risks, which need to be addressed appropriately.
Infectious uveitis
Authors: Pleyer U. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryBased on the anatomical involvement of the eye intraocular inflammation is classified into anterior, intermediate, posterior and panuveitis. All subtypes of uveitis are potentially related to infectious and noninfectious etiologies.This presentation will assist the participants in accurately diagnosing uveitis in a step latter approach including physical and laboratory investigations.In addition, a tailored approach based on confounding clinical observations with specialized investigations will help to further differentiate clinical entities. In cases of suspected intraocular infections the option of intraocular fluid evaluation for antibody testing and polymerase chain testing against the causative agent will be presented. Taken together, this part of the course will provide a rational decision‐making strategy for diagnosis of patients with uveitis.
The cataract surgeon and the anterior interface
Authors: Tassignon M.‐J. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryPerforming a posterior capsulorhexis on a routine basis related to the implantation of the bag‐in‐the‐lens IOL has opened new frontiers in helping understanding the Berger space and its relation with the vitreous. It is only recent that this space could be observed life during surgery thanks to new OCT devices. This observation may open new understandings on the pathogenesis of vitreo‐retinal complications after cataract surgery.