bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) an effective treatment for patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID)?
Authors: Pinn D. M. , Aroniadis O. C. , Brandt L. J. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractBackgroundDespite its high prevalence and significant effect on quality of life, the etiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), and specifically irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), has yet to be fully elucidated. While alterations in immunity, motility, and the brain‐gut axis have been implicated in disease pathogenesis, the intestinal microbiota are increasingly being shown to play a role and numerous studies have demonstrated significant differences from normal in the intestinal flora of patients with FGID, and between types of FGID. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a curative therapy for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), a disease hallmarked by intestinal dysbiosis, and FMT is now being explored as a means to also restore intestinal homeostasis in FGID.PurposeThis review aims to investigate the role of intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of FGID, the implications of FMT for the treatment of FGID, and the challenges encountered in measuring response to a specific intervention in patients with FGID.
Simulated astigmatism impairs academic‐related performance in children
Authors: Narayanasamy Sumithira , Vincent Stephen J. , Sampson Geoff P. , Wood Joanne M. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPurposeAstigmatism is an important refractive condition in children. However, the functional impact of uncorrected astigmatism in this population is not well established, particularly with regard to academic performance. This study investigated the impact of simulated bilateral astigmatism on academic‐related tasks before and after sustained near work in children.MethodsTwenty visually normal children (mean age: 10.8 ± 0.7 years; six males and 14 females) completed a range of standardised academic‐related tests with and without 1.50 D of simulated bilateral astigmatism (with both academic‐related tests and the visual condition administered in a randomised order). The simulated astigmatism was induced using a positive cylindrical lens while maintaining a plano spherical equivalent. Performance was assessed before and after 20 min of sustained near work, during two separate testing sessions. Academic‐related measures included a standardised reading test (the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability), visual information processing tests (Coding and Symbol Search subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and a reading‐related eye movement test (the Developmental Eye Movement test). Each participant was systematically assigned either with‐the‐rule (WTR, axis 180°) or against‐the‐rule (ATR, axis 90°) simulated astigmatism to evaluate the influence of axis orientation on any decrements in performance.ResultsReading, visual information processing and reading‐related eye movement performance were all significantly impaired by both simulated bilateral astigmatism (p < 0.001) and sustained near work (p < 0.001), however, there was no significant interaction between these factors (p > 0.05). Simulated astigmatism led to a reduction of between 5% and 12% in performance across the academic‐related outcome measures, but there was no significant effect of the axis (WTR or ATR) of astigmatism (p > 0.05).ConclusionSimulated bilateral astigmatism impaired children's performance on a range of academic–related outcome measures irrespective of the orientation of the astigmatism. These findings have implications for the clinical management of non‐amblyogenic levels of astigmatism in relation to academic performance in children. Correction of low to moderate levels of astigmatism may improve the functional performance of children in the classroom.
The effect of varying glucose levels on the ex vivo crystalline lens: implications for hyperglycaemia‐induced refractive changes
Authors: Mehta Vikram V. , Hull Christopher C. , Lawrenson John G. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPurposeRefractive changes in diabetic eyes have long been reported but with equivocal results. The lens has been a more recent focus as the source of any change but it is possible that multiple sources of variation have made it difficult to demonstrate a systematic change clinically. The aim of this study was therefore to use a bovine lens model to investigate the optical changes in hyperglycaemia and when lenses are returned to normal glucose levels as would occur following commencement of treatment.MethodBovine eyes were obtained and their lenses excised under sterile conditions before placing them in culture medium within an incubator using standard tissue culture techniques. In the first experiment, lenses were transferred into culture medium containing 5 mm (n = 12), 15 mm (n = 12) and 30 mm (n = 12) glucose. Measurements were made of the change in back vertex focusing distance with equatorial lens diameter using the ScanTox™ measurement system. From these measurements, the back vertex focal length and primary longitudinal spherical aberration were derived. In a second experiment, lenses maintained at 30 mm glucose (n = 7) were stepped down to 5 mm glucose to simulate starting diabetic therapy and measured in the same way. Changes over time were assessed with a linear regression model.ResultsA trend towards myopia was observed with increasing hyperglycaemia, this was not statistically significant. When lenses were stepped‐down from hyperglycaemia to normal physiological levels of glucose, a hyperopic shift was observed in line with published clinical studies that again failed to reach statistical significance. High variability in the measurement on longitudinal spherical aberration prevented any significant trends being measured.ConclusionsOur results suggest that there are no consistent crystalline lens‐induced refractive changes following exposure to hyperglycaemia for time‐periods up to 5 days used in the current study. It is possible that bovine lenses are able to offset the raised osmotic pressure from high glucose levels in the short‐term by a process of osmoregulation and that repeated osmotic stress or longer term exposure may be required to induce the changes in refraction that are seen clinically.
The Boston keratoprosthesis provides a wide depth of focus
Authors: Sayegh Rony R. , Dohlman Claes H. , Greenstein Scott H. , Peli Eli 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPurposeTo measure the through‐focus curve for eyes implanted with a type 1 Boston keratoprosthesis (KPro) and compare it to that of pseudophakic controls with fixed pupil sizes. The results should assist in evaluating postoperative visual quality after surgery. They should also help to determine the necessary KPro inventories in terms of refractive power steps.MethodsAutorefraction and manifest refraction were performed on all eyes. The monocular through‐focus acuity curve was plotted in reference to the best‐corrected visual acuity by spectacle plane defocus ranging from +5.00 to −5.00 dioptres in 0.50 dioptre increments. These measurements were obtained on KPro‐implanted eyes, pseudophakic eyes as controls, and on the same control eyes after fixing the pupil diameter to 3 and 2 mm using black painted iris contact lenses.ResultsTen KPro eyes and five control eyes were included. Good agreement was noted between the subjective refractions and autorefraction in KPro eyes. The average through‐focus curve for the control eyes was significantly steeper than that of the KPro curve, but became comparable after fixing the control pupil to 2 and 3 mm.ConclusionThe KPro's wide depth‐of‐focus makes the visual acuity less dependent on an exact refractive correction at distance and explains the ‘pseudoaccomodation’ experienced by these patients. This is primarily due to the small pupil diameter of the KPro. The current manufacturing steps in 0.50 dioptre increments appears to be sufficient.
A high‐density, SNP‐based consensus map of tetraploid wheat as a bridge to integrate durum and bread wheat genomics and breeding
Authors: Maccaferri Marco , Ricci Andrea , Salvi Silvio , Milner Sara Giulia , Noli Enrico , Martelli Pier Luigi , Casadio Rita , Akhunov Eduard , Scalabrin Simone , Vendramin Vera , Ammar Karim , Blanco Antonio , Desiderio Francesca , Distelfeld Assaf , Dubcovsky Jorge , Fahima Tzion , Faris Justin , Korol Abraham , Massi Andrea , Mastrangelo Anna Maria , Morgante Michele , Pozniak Curtis , N'Diaye Amidou , Xu Steven , Tuberosa Roberto 
Published: November 2014

SummaryConsensus linkage maps are important tools in crop genomics. We have assembled a high‐density tetraploid wheat consensus map by integrating 13 data sets from independent biparental populations involving durum wheat cultivars (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum), cultivated emmer (T. turgidum ssp. dicoccum) and their ancestor (wild emmer, T. turgidum ssp. dicoccoides). The consensus map harboured 30 144 markers (including 26 626 SNPs and 791 SSRs) half of which were present in at least two component maps. The final map spanned 2631 cM of all 14 durum wheat chromosomes and, differently from the individual component maps, all markers fell within the 14 linkage groups. Marker density per genetic distance unit peaked at centromeric regions, likely due to a combination of low recombination rate in the centromeric regions and even gene distribution along the chromosomes. Comparisons with bread wheat indicated fewer regions with recombination suppression, making this consensus map valuable for mapping in the A and B genomes of both durum and bread wheat. Sequence similarity analysis allowed us to relate mapped gene‐derived SNPs to chromosome‐specific transcripts. Dense patterns of homeologous relationships have been established between the A‐ and B‐genome maps and between nonsyntenic homeologous chromosome regions as well, the latter tracing to ancient translocation events. The gene‐based homeologous relationships are valuable to infer the map location of homeologs of target loci/QTLs. Because most SNP and SSR markers were previously mapped in bread wheat, this consensus map will facilitate a more effective integration and exploitation of genes and QTL for wheat breeding purposes.
Current state of the art in management of vascular complications after pediatric liver transplantation
Authors: Kamran Hejazi Kenari Seyed , Mirzakhani Hooman , Eslami Mohammad , Saidi Reza F. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractVascular complications by compromising the blood flow to the allograft can have significant and sometimes life‐threatening consequences after pediatric liver transplantation. High level of suspicion and aggressive utilization of diagnostic modalities can lead to early diagnosis and salvage of the allograft. This review will summarize the current trends in management of vascular complications after pediatric liver transplantation.
Public Opinion against Markets? Attitudes towards Market Distribution of Social Services – A Comparison of 17 Countries
Authors: Lindh Arvid 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThis article studies how citizens view the appropriateness of market criteria for allocating services commonly associated with social citizenship rights and welfare state responsibility. The article focuses specifically on a potential role for the market in the provision of social services. The relationship between welfare policy institutions, socio‐economic class and attitudes is explored by comparing attitudes across 17 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development, using multilevel modelling and data from the 2009 International Social Survey Programme. Results show that public support for market distribution of services is relatively weak in most countries, a result suggesting that public opinion is unlikely to pose a driving force within ongoing processes of welfare marketization. Still, attitudes are found to vary a lot across countries in tandem with between‐country variation in welfare policy design. First, aggregate public support for market distribution of services is stronger in countries with more private spending on services. Second, class differences in attitudes are larger in countries with more extensive state‐led delivery of services. Together, these results point to the operation of normative feedback‐effects flowing from existing welfare policy arrangements. The theoretical arguments and the empirical results presented in this article suggest that future research exploring the relationship between welfare policy and public opinion from a country‐comparative perspective is well advised to place greater focus on the market institutions that, to varying extents in different countries, act as complements to the state in the administration of social welfare.
Représentations linéaires des groupes kählériens : factorisations et conjecture de Shafarevich linéaire
Authors: Campana Fréderic , Claudon Benoît , Eyssidieux Philippe 
Published: November 2014

AbstractWe extend to compact Kähler manifolds some classical results on linear representation of fundamental groups of complex projective manifolds. Our approach, based on an interversion lemma for fibrations with tori versus general type manifolds as fibers, gives a refinement of the classical work of Zuo. We extend to the Kähler case some general results on holomorphic convexity of coverings such as the linear Shafarevich conjecture.
Simplicity of heads and socles of tensor products
Authors: Kang Seok-Jin , Kashiwara Masaki , Kim Myungho , Oh Se-jin 
Published: November 2014

AbstractWe prove that, for simple modules $M$ and $N$ over a quantum affine algebra, their tensor product $M\otimes N$ has a simple head and a simple socle if $M\otimes M$ is simple. A similar result is proved for the convolution product of simple modules over quiver Hecke algebras.
Metal artifact correction for x‐ray computed tomography using kV and selective MV imaging
Authors: Wu Meng , Keil Andreas , Constantin Dragos , Star‐Lack Josh , Zhu Lei , Fahrig Rebecca 
Published: November 2014

Purpose:The overall goal of this work is to improve the computed tomography (CT) image quality for patients with metal implants or fillings by completing the missing kilovoltage (kV) projection data with selectively acquired megavoltage (MV) data that do not suffer from photon starvation. When both of these imaging systems, which are available on current radiotherapy devices, are used, metal streak artifacts are avoided, and the soft‐tissue contrast is restored, even for regions in which the kV data cannot contribute any information.Methods:Three image‐reconstruction methods, including two filtered back‐projection (FBP)‐based analytic methods and one iterative method, for combining kV and MV projection data from the two on‐board imaging systems of a radiotherapy device are presented in this work. The analytic reconstruction methods modify the MV data based on the information in the projection or image domains and then patch the data onto the kV projections for a FBP reconstruction. In the iterative reconstruction, the authors used dual‐energy (DE) penalized weighted least‐squares (PWLS) methods to simultaneously combine the kV/MV data and perform the reconstruction.Results:The authors compared kV/MV reconstructions to kV‐only reconstructions using a dental phantom with fillings and a hip‐implant numerical phantom. Simulation results indicated that dual‐energy sinogram patch FBP and the modified dual‐energy PWLS method can successfully suppress metal streak artifacts and restore information lost due to photon starvation in the kV projections. The root‐mean‐square errors of soft‐tissue patterns obtained using combined kV/MV data are 10–15 Hounsfield units smaller than those of the kV‐only images, and the structural similarity index measure also indicates a 5%–10% improvement in the image quality. The added dose from the MV scan is much less than the dose from the kV scan if a high efficiency MV detector is assumed.Conclusions:The authors have shown that it is possible to improve the image quality of kV CTs for patients with metal implants or fillings by completing the missing kV projection data with selectively acquired MV data that do not suffer from photon starvation. Numerical simulations demonstrated that dual‐energy sinogram patch FBP and a modified kV/MV PWLS method can successfully suppress metal streak artifacts and restore information lost due to photon starvation in kV projections. Combined kV/MV images may permit the improved delineation of structures of interest in CT images for patients with metal implants or fillings.
Role of the FtsA C Terminus as a Switch for Polymerization and Membrane Association
Authors: Krupka Marcin , Cabré Elisa J. , Jiménez Mercedes , Rivas Germán , Rico Ana Isabel , Vicente Miguel 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACT

Together with ATP, the C-terminal region of the essential streptococcal FtsA protein acts as an intramolecular switch to promote its polymerization and attachment to the membrane. During septation, FtsA is known to anchor the constricting FtsZ ring and, subsequently, the divisome to the membrane. Truncation of the C terminus of the streptococcal FtsA (FtsAΔCt) facilitates a more rapid ATP-dependent polymerization in solution than is seen with the full-length protein (FtsA
+
). The FtsAΔCt polymers are more organized and compact than those formed in solution by FtsA
+
, resembling the shape of the membrane-associated FtsA
+
polymers. We find that ATP, besides being needed for polymerization, is required for the attachment of FtsA
+
to lipid monolayers and to vesicle membranes. We propose a model in which the binding of ATP activates a switch favoring the polymerization of FtsA and at the same time driving the amphipathic helix at its C terminus to become attached to the membrane. Conversely, when FtsA is in the cytoplasm, the C terminus is not engaged in the attachment to the membrane, and it obstructs polymerization. ATP-dependent polymerization of FtsA inside membrane vesicles causes vesicle shrinkage, suggesting that, besides providing a membrane attachment for FtsZ, the FtsA C terminus may also introduce local alterations in the membrane to facilitate septation.

IMPORTANCE
FtsA is a protein needed in many bacteria to construct a septum that divides one fully grown cell, producing two daughters. We show that the region located at the C-terminal end of the
Streptococcus pneumoniae
FtsA protein works as a switch triggered by ATP, a molecule that stores energy. This region contains an amphipathic helix that obstructs the assembly of FtsA into polymers in the cytoplasm. In the presence of ATP, the obstruction is removed by switching the position of the helix. The switch directs the helix to the membrane and simultaneously facilitates the polymerization of the protein. The accumulation of FtsA molecules at the membrane causes distortions, an effect produced also by proteins such as MinD, MreB, and SepF that also contain amphipathic helixes as membrane attachment devices. In the case of FtsA, these distortions may also facilitate the initial events that lead to the division of bacteria.
Internal Sense of Direction: Sensing and Signaling from Cytoplasmic Chemoreceptors
Authors: Collins Kieran D. , Lacal Jesus , Ottemann Karen M. 
Published: November 2014

SUMMARY

Chemoreceptors sense environmental signals and drive chemotactic responses in
Bacteria
and
Archaea
. There are two main classes of chemoreceptors: integral inner membrane and soluble cytoplasmic proteins. The latter were identified more recently than integral membrane chemoreceptors and have been studied much less thoroughly. These cytoplasmic chemoreceptors are the subject of this review. Our analysis determined that 14% of bacterial and 43% of archaeal chemoreceptors are cytoplasmic, based on currently sequenced genomes. Cytoplasmic chemoreceptors appear to share the same key structural features as integral membrane chemoreceptors, including the formations of homodimers, trimers of dimers, and 12-nm hexagonal arrays within the cell. Cytoplasmic chemoreceptors exhibit varied subcellular locations, with some localizing to the poles and others appearing both cytoplasmic and polar. Some cytoplasmic chemoreceptors adopt more exotic locations, including the formations of exclusively internal clusters or moving dynamic clusters that coalesce at points of contact with other cells. Cytoplasmic chemoreceptors presumably sense signals within the cytoplasm and bear diverse signal input domains that are mostly N terminal to the domain that defines chemoreceptors, the so-called MA domain. Similar to the case for transmembrane receptors, our analysis suggests that the most common signal input domain is the PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) domain, but a variety of other N-terminal domains exist. It is also common, however, for cytoplasmic chemoreceptors to have C-terminal domains that may function for signal input. The most common of these is the recently identified chemoreceptor zinc binding (CZB) domain, found in 8% of all cytoplasmic chemoreceptors. The widespread nature and diverse signal input domains suggest that these chemoreceptors can monitor a variety of cytoplasmically based signals, most of which remain to be determined.
Suicide Information Database-Cymru: a protocol for a population-based, routinely collected data linkage study to explore risks and patterns of healthcare contact prior to suicide to identify opportunities for intervention
Authors: John Ann , Dennis M , Kosnes L , Gunnell D , Scourfield J , Ford D V , Lloyd K 
Published: November 2014

IntroductionPrevention of suicide is a global public health challenge extending beyond mental health services. Linking routinely collected health and social care system data records for the same individual across different services and over time has enormous potential in suicide research. Most previous research linking suicide mortality data with routinely collected electronic health records involves only one or two domains of healthcare provision such as psychiatric inpatient care. This protocol paper describes the development of a population-based, routinely collected data linkage study: the Suicide Information Database Cymru (SID-Cymru). SID-Cymru aims to contribute to the information available on people who complete suicide.Methods and analysisSID-Cymru will facilitate a series of electronic case–control studies based in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. We have identified 2664 cases of suicide in Wales between 2003 and 2011 from routinely collected mortality data using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, codes X60–X84 (intentional self-harm) and Y10–Y34 (undetermined intent). Each case will be matched by age and sex to at least five controls. Records will be collated and linked from routinely collected health and social data in Wales for each individual. Conditional logistic regression will be applied to produce crude and confounder (including general practice, socioeconomic status) adjusted ORs.Ethics and disseminationThe SAIL Databank has the required ethical permissions in place to analyse anonymised data. Ethical approval has been granted by the Information Governance Review Panel (IGRP). Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, consultations with stakeholders and national/international conference presentations. The improved understanding of the prior health, nature of previous contacts with services and wider social circumstances of those who complete suicide will assist in prevention policy, service organisation and delivery. SID-Cymru is funded through the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research, Welsh Government (RFS-12-25).