bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The influence of mode of birth on neonatal survival and maternal outcomes at extreme prematurity: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Thomas Penelope E. , Petersen Scott G. , Gibbons Kristen 
Published: September 2015

BackgroundThere is a paucity of published clinical data to guide obstetric decision‐making regarding mode of birth at extreme prematurity.AimsTo evaluate whether neonatal survival or maternal outcomes were affected by the decision to perform a caesarean section (CS) between 23 + 0 and 26 + 6 weeks' gestation.Materials and MethodsA single‐centre retrospective cohort study of all liveborn infants born with a plan for active resuscitation at 23–26 weeks' gestation was performed. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses compared outcomes after vaginal birth and CS. Subgroup analyses of nonfootling breech presentations, multiple pregnancies and singleton pregnancies in spontaneous preterm labour were performed.ResultsOutcomes for 625 neonates delivered by 540 mothers were analysed. A total of 300 (48%) neonates were born vaginally and 325 (52%) by CS. Mode of birth was not associated independently with survival for any multivariate analysis; gestational age at birth was an independent predictor across all analyses. Adverse maternal outcomes were documented in 112 (21%) pregnancies; the rate of severe maternal complications was low. Maternal morbidity was not affected by mode of birth.ConclusionsMode of birth did not affect neonatal survival or the rate of maternal morbidity for deliveries at 23–26 completed weeks' gestation.
Seasonal distribution of initial diagnosis and clinical recrudescence of eosinophilic esophagitis: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Lucendo A. J. , Arias Á. , Redondo‐González O. , González‐Cervera J. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractBackgroundThe association between seasonality and diagnosis and/or recrudescence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) remains unclear, with some studies demonstrating a higher diagnostic rate in those months with a higher aeroallergen load while others rule out this association.MethodsWe performed a systematic search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases for studies on the seasonality of the initial diagnosis or recrudescence (i.e., food bolus impaction) of EoE. Summary estimates, including 95% confidence intervals, were calculated for seasonal variation in diagnosis or incidence of food bolus impaction. A random‐effects meta‐regression model was made using aggregate‐level data to compare seasonality in EoE diagnosis and recrudescence. Publication bias risks were assessed by means of funnel plot analysis.ResultsOf 1078 references found, data were finally collected from 18 studies which included a total of 16 846 EoE patients. Of all new cases of EoE diagnosed per year, 27.1% were diagnosed in spring and 21.5% in winter. No overall statistical differences in the annual seasonal distribution of newly diagnosed EoE cases were observed in the random‐effects meta‐regression model (P = 0.132). Similarly, a homogenous distribution of episodes of EoE recrudescence throughout the year was noted, with no significant differences between seasons (P = 0.699). No significant publication bias was found.ConclusionsThis systematic review found no significant variations in the seasonal distribution of either the diagnosis or clinical recrudescence of EoE throughout the year.
Validation of a Novel Digital Tool in Automatic Scoring of an Online ECG Examination at an International Cardiology Meeting
Authors: Quinn Kieran L. , Crystal Eugene , Lashevsky Ilan , Arouny Banafsheh , Baranchuk Adrian 
Published: September 2015

BackgroundWe have previously developed a novel digital tool capable of automatically recognizing correct electrocardiography (ECG) diagnoses in an online exam and demonstrated a significant improvement in diagnostic accuracy when utilizing an inductive‐deductive reasoning strategy over a pattern recognition strategy. In this study, we sought to validate these findings from participants at the International Winter Arrhythmia School meeting, one of the foremost electrophysiology events in Canada.MethodsPreregistration to the event was sent by e‐mail. The exam was administered on day 1 of the conference. Results and analysis were presented the following morning to participants.ResultsTwenty‐five attendees completed the exam, providing a total of 500 responses to be marked. The online tool accurately identified 195 of a total of 395 (49%) correct responses (49%). In total, 305 responses required secondary manual review, of which 200 were added to the correct responses pool. The overall accuracy of correct ECG diagnosis for all participants was 69% and 84% when using pattern recognition or inductive‐deductive strategies, respectively.ConclusionUtilization of a novel digital tool to evaluate ECG competency can be set up as a workshop at international meetings or educational events. Results can be presented during the sessions to ensure immediate feedback.
Different Methods to Measure QRS Duration in CRT Patients: Impact on the Predictive Value of QRS Duration Parameters
Authors: De Pooter Jan , El Haddad Milad , Timmers Liesbeth , Van Heuverswyn Frédéric , Jordaens Luc , Duytschaever Mattias , Stroobandt Roland 
Published: September 2015

BackgroundMeasurements of QRS duration (QRSD) in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) are not standardized. We hypothesized that both the measurement of QRSD and its predictive value on CRT response are sensitive to the method by which QRSD is measured.MethodsElectrocardiograms (ECGs) pre‐ and post‐CRT from 52 CRT patients (66 ± 12 years, 65% male) were retrospectively analyzed. Custom‐made software was developed to measure global QRSD (QRSDglobal) and lead‐specific QRSD (QRSDI,II,III,aVR,aVL,aVF,V1,V2,V3,V4,V5,V6). QRSD was also assessed automatic by a routinely used ECG device. For each method we measured QRSD pre‐ and post‐CRT and shortening of QRSD (∆QRSD). Response to CRT at 6 months was defined as an improvement of ≥1 class in New York Heart Association classification and an increase by >7.5% in left ventricular ejection fraction.ResultsThe CRT response rate was 77%(n = 40). Different methods to measure QRSD show divergent nominal values before (median range 152—172 ms, P < 0.001) and after CRT (130–152 ms, P < 0.001). The predictive value of QRSD measurements for CRT response also varies significantly according to the method used (range AUC pre‐CRT QRSD 0.400–0.580, P < 0.05; AUC post‐CRT QRSD 0.447–0.768, P < 0.05; AUC ΔQRSD 0.540–0.858, P < 0.05). Global QRSD measurements revealed lower variability compared to lead‐specific QRSD.ConclusionDifferent methods to measure QRSD yield not only different nominal values but also influence the value of QRSD in predicting CRT response. Measuring QRSD by a global method can help to standardize QRSD measurements in future studies.
Interleukin 10 and dendritic cells are the main suppression mediators of regulatory T cells in human neurocysticercosis
Authors: Arce-Sillas A , Álvarez-Luquín D D , Cárdenas G , Casanova-Hernández D , Fragoso G , Hernández M , Proaño Narváez J V , García-Vázquez F , Fleury A , Sciutto E , Adalid-Peralta L 
Published: September 2015

Summary
Neurocysticercosis is caused by the establishment of Taenia solium cysticerci in the central nervous system. It is considered that, during co-evolution, the parasite developed strategies to modulate the host’s immune response. The action mechanisms of regulatory T cells in controlling the immune response in neurocysticercosis are studied in this work. Higher blood levels of regulatory T cells with CD4+CD45RO+forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3)high and CD4+CD25highFoxP3+CD95high phenotype and of non-regulatory CD4+CD45RO+FoxP3med T cells were found in neurocysticercosis patients with respect to controls. Interestingly, regulatory T cells express higher levels of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3), programmed death 1 (PD-1) and glucocorticoid-induced tumour necrosis factor receptor (GITR), suggesting a cell-to-cell contact mechanism with dendritic cells. Furthermore, higher IL-10 and regulatory T cell type 1 (Tr1) levels were found in neurocysticercosis patients’ peripheral blood, suggesting that the action mechanism of regulatory T cells involves the release of immunomodulatory cytokines. No evidence was found of the regulatory T cell role in inhibiting the proliferative response. Suppressive regulatory T cells from neurocysticercosis patients correlated negatively with late activated lymphocytes (CD4+CD38+). Our results suggest that, during neurocysticercosis, regulatory T cells could control the immune response, probably by a cell-to-cell contact with dendritic cells and interleukin (IL)-10 release by Tr1, to create an immunomodulatory environment that may favour the development of T. solium cysticerci and their permanence in the central nervous system.
Serum levels of TSP‐1, NF‐κB and TGF‐β1 in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients in northern China suggest PCOS is associated with chronic inflammation
Authors: Liu Meimei , Gao Jiayin , Zhang Yanhua , Li Peiling , Wang Hongli , Ren Xiaopang , Li Changmin 
Published: September 2015

SummaryObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the levels of thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1), transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and nuclear factor kappaβ (NF‐κβ) in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients with and without insulin resistance and after treatment with cyproterone acetate/ethinyloestradiol with or without concomitant metformin.DesignProspective.PatientsPatients with PCOS and healthy women were recruited. Patients were subdivided into obese and nonobese based on body mass index. Patients with PCOS were also grouped according to homoeostasis model assessment‐insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) ≥2·69 or <2·69, and by PCOS phenotype. Patients with PCOS‐IR were treated with a 6‐month course of cyproterone acetate/ethinyloestradiol with or without concomitant metformin.MeasurementsInflammatory markers were examined at baseline, and after 6 months of treatment.ResultsA total of 445 women with PCOS (mean age 25·9 ± 2·7 years; 298 obese, 147 nonobese) and 213 normal controls (mean age 24·9 ± 3·0 years) were included. Regardless of obesity status, testosterone, free androgen index (FAI), luteinizing hormone/follicle‐stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) ratio, HOMA‐IR, TSP‐1 and NF‐κB in the PCOS groups were significantly higher than in the control group, whereas TSP‐1 was lower in the PCOS groups (all, P < 0·05). Patients with PCOS without IR had lower TSP‐1 levels than control patients (P < 0·05). Treatment with cyproterone acetate/ethinyloestradiol with addition of metformin reduced the level of NF‐κB, TGF‐β1 and HOMA‐IR and increased the level of TSP‐1.ConclusionsThese results support the association between PCOS and chronic inflammation.
Determinants of Research Productivity in Spanish Academia
Authors: Albert Cecilia , Davia María A. , Legazpe Nuria 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThis article aims to widen the empirical evidence about the determinants of Spanish academics’ publication productivity across fields of study. We use the Spanish Survey on Human Resources in Science and Technology addressed to Spanish resident PhDs employed in Spanish universities as academics. Productivity is measured as the total number of publications in a three‐year period. We show how personal and academic variables explain differences in productivity within universities and fields of studies and across fields of research. Female workers report lower productivity than their male counterparts, but family responsibilities do not explain this gender gap. The type of contract and tenure or rank do not seem to have any influence on productivity. Researchers seeking professional promotion rather than altruism or personal satisfaction are more productive and young scholars publish more than their older counterparts. Additionally, we find a certain research‐teaching trade‐off and some nuances in the predictors of publication productivity across birth cohorts and fields of study. Finally, international cooperation is one of the most relevant determinants of the number of publications, regardless of the birth cohort. The institutional context in the Spanish research system as regards requirements for promotion and the assessment of research outcomes may contribute to the understanding and interpretation of our results.
Scene coherence can affect the local response to natural images in human V1
Authors: Mannion Damien J. , Kersten Daniel J. , Olman Cheryl A. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractNeurons in primary visual cortex (V1) can be indirectly affected by visual stimulation positioned outside their receptive fields. Although this contextual modulation has been intensely studied, we have little notion of how it manifests with naturalistic stimulation. Here, we investigated how the V1 response to a natural image fragment is affected by spatial context that is consistent or inconsistent with the scene from which it was extracted. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T, we measured the blood oxygen level‐dependent signal in human V1 (n = 8) while participants viewed an array of apertures. Most apertures showed fragments from a single scene, yielding a dominant perceptual interpretation which participants were asked to categorize, and the remaining apertures each showed fragments drawn from a set of 20 scenes. We find that the V1 response was significantly increased for apertures showing image structure that was coherent with the dominant scene relative to the response to the same image structure when it was non‐coherent. Additional analyses suggest that this effect was mostly evident for apertures in the periphery of the visual field, that it peaked towards the centre of the aperture, and that it peaked in the middle to superficial regions of the cortical grey matter. These findings suggest that knowledge of typical spatial relationships is embedded in the circuitry of contextual modulation. Such mechanisms, possibly augmented by contributions from attentional factors, serve to increase the local V1 activity under conditions of contextual consistency.
Localization and expression of GABA transporters in the suprachiasmatic nucleus
Authors: Moldavan Michael , Cravetchi Olga , Williams Melissa , Irwin Robert P. , Aicher Sue A. , Allen Charles N. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractGABA is a principal neurotransmitter in the suprachiasmatic hypothalamic nucleus (SCN), the master circadian clock. Despite the importance of GABA and GABA uptake for functioning of the circadian pacemaker, the localization and expression of GABA transporters (GATs) in the SCN has not been investigated. The present studies used Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy to demonstrate the presence of GABA transporter 1 (GAT1) and GAT3 in the SCN. By using light microscopy, GAT1 and GAT3 were co‐localized throughout the SCN, but were not expressed in the perikarya of arginine vasopressin‐ or vasoactive intestinal peptide‐immunoreactive (‐ir) neurons of adult rats, nor in the neuronal processes labelled with the neurofilament heavy chain. Using electron microscopy, GAT1‐ and GAT3‐ir was found in glial processes surrounding unlabelled neuronal perikarya, axons, dendrites, and enveloped symmetric and asymmetric axo‐dendritic synapses. Glial fibrillary acidic protein‐ir astrocytes grown in cell culture were immunopositive for GAT1 and GAT3 and both GATs could be observed in the same glial cell. These data demonstrate that synapses in the SCN function as ‘tripartite’ synapses consisting of presynaptic axon terminals, postsynaptic membranes and astrocytes that contain GABA transporters. This model suggests that astrocytes expressing both GATs may regulate the extracellular GABA, and thereby modulate the activity of neuronal networks in the SCN.
Ionotropic glutamate receptor GluA4 and T‐type calcium channel Cav3.1 subunits control key aspects of synaptic transmission at the mouse L5B‐POm giant synapse
Authors: Seol Min , Kuner Thomas 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThe properties and molecular determinants of synaptic transmission at giant synapses connecting layer 5B (L5B) neurons of the somatosensory cortex (S1) with relay neurons of the posteriomedial nucleus (POm) of the thalamus have not been investigated in mice. We addressed this by using direct electrical stimulation of fluorescently labelled single corticothalamic terminals combined with molecular perturbations and whole‐cell recordings from POm relay neurons. Consistent with their function as drivers, we found large‐amplitude excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) and multiple postsynaptic action potentials triggered by a single presynaptic action potential. To study the molecular basis of these two features, ionotropic glutamate receptors and low voltage‐gated T‐type calcium channels were probed by virus‐mediated genetic perturbation. Loss of GluA4 almost abolished the EPSC amplitude, strongly delaying the onset of action potential generation, but maintaining the number of action potentials generated per presynaptic action potential. In contrast, knockdown of the Cav3.1 subunit abrogated the driver function of the synapse at a typical resting membrane potential of −70 mV. However, when depolarizing the membrane potential to −60 mV, the synapse relayed single action potentials. Hence, GluA4 subunits are required to produce an EPSC sufficiently large to trigger postsynaptic action potentials within a defined time window after the presynaptic action potential, while Cav3.1 expression is essential to establish the driver function of L5B‐POm synapses at hyperpolarized membrane potentials.
Connectomics and graph theory analyses: Novel insights into network abnormalities in epilepsy
Authors: Gleichgerrcht Ezequiel , Kocher Madison , Bonilha Leonardo 
Published: September 2015

SummaryThe assessment of neural networks in epilepsy has become increasingly relevant in the context of translational research, given that localized forms of epilepsy are more likely to be related to abnormal function within specific brain networks, as opposed to isolated focal brain pathology. It is notable that variability in clinical outcomes from epilepsy treatment may be a reflection of individual patterns of network abnormalities. As such, network endophenotypes may be important biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. Despite its exceptional potential, measuring abnormal networks in translational research has been thus far constrained by methodologic limitations. Fortunately, recent advancements in neuroscience, particularly in the field of connectomics, permit a detailed assessment of network organization, dynamics, and function at an individual level. Data from the personal connectome can be assessed using principled forms of network analyses based on graph theory, which may disclose patterns of organization that are prone to abnormal dynamics and epileptogenesis. Although the field of connectomics is relatively new, there is already a rapidly growing body of evidence to suggest that it can elucidate several important and fundamental aspects of abnormal networks to epilepsy. In this article, we provide a review of the emerging evidence from connectomics research regarding neural network architecture, dynamics, and function related to epilepsy. We discuss how connectomics may bring together pathophysiologic hypotheses from conceptual and basic models of epilepsy and in vivo biomarkers for clinical translational research. By providing neural network information unique to each individual, the field of connectomics may help to elucidate variability in clinical outcomes and open opportunities for personalized medicine approaches to epilepsy. Connectomics involves complex and rich data from each subject, thus collaborative efforts to enable the systematic and rigorous evaluation of this form of “big data” are paramount to leverage the full potential of this new approach.
Human activities cause distinct dissolved organic matter composition across freshwater ecosystems
Authors: Williams Clayton J. , Frost Paul C. , Morales‐Williams Ana M. , Larson James H. , Richardson William B. , Chiandet Aisha S. , Xenopoulos Marguerite A. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractDissolved organic matter (DOM) composition in freshwater ecosystems is influenced by the interactions among physical, chemical, and biological processes that are controlled, at one level, by watershed landscape, hydrology, and their connections. Against this environmental template, humans may strongly influence DOM composition. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of DOM composition variation across freshwater ecosystems differentially affected by human activity. Using optical properties, we described DOM variation across five ecosystem groups of the Laurentian Great Lakes region: large lakes, Kawartha Lakes, Experimental Lakes Area, urban stormwater ponds, and rivers (n = 184 sites). We determined how between ecosystem variation in DOM composition related to watershed size, land use and cover, water quality measures (conductivity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nutrient concentration, chlorophyll a), and human population density. The five freshwater ecosystem groups had distinctive DOM composition from each other. These significant differences were not explained completely through differences in watershed size nor spatial autocorrelation. Instead, multivariate partial least squares regression showed that DOM composition was related to differences in human impact across freshwater ecosystems. In particular, urban/developed watersheds with higher human population densities had a unique DOM composition with a clear anthropogenic influence that was distinct from DOM composition in natural land cover and/or agricultural watersheds. This nonagricultural, human developed impact on aquatic DOM was most evident through increased levels of a microbial, humic‐like parallel factor analysis component (C6). Lotic and lentic ecosystems with low human population densities had DOM compositions more typical of clear water to humic‐rich freshwater ecosystems but C6 was only present at trace to background levels. Consequently, humans are strongly altering the quality of DOM in waters nearby or flowing through highly populated areas, which may alter carbon cycles in anthropogenically disturbed ecosystems at broad scales.