bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
HIV status and viral loads among men testing positive for rectal gonorrhoea and chlamydia, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, 2011–2013
Authors: Taylor MM , Newman DR , Gonzalez J , Skinner J , Khurana R , Mickey T 
Published: September 2014

ObjectivesMen diagnosed with rectal gonorrhoea (GC) and chlamydia (CT) have engaged in unprotected receptive anal intercourse. We reviewed the HIV positivity and HIV viral loads (VLs) of men who had rectal GC and CT testing to evaluate potential HIV acquisition and transmission risk.MethodsRectal GC and CT testing data for men attending the Maricopa County STD clinic during the period from 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2013 were cross‐matched with HIV surveillance data to identify men with HIV coinfection. We examined HIV status, HIV diagnosis date, and the values of VL collected nearest to the date of reported rectal infection.ResultsDuring the 2‐year time period, 1591 men were tested for rectal GC and CT. Of the men tested, 506 (31.8%) were positive for GC (13.2%), CT (12.2%) or both (6.4%); 119 (23.5%) of those with rectal GC or CT were coinfected with HIV. Among the 275 men with HIV at the time of rectal testing, 54 (19.6%) had no reported VL; 63 (22.9%) had an undetectable VL (< 20 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL) and 158 (57.4%) had a detectable VL collected within 1 year of rectal diagnosis. Mean VL was higher among HIV and rectal GC/CT coinfected cases compared with men with HIV alone (174 316 vs. 57 717 copies/mL, respectively; P = 0.04).ConclusionsApproximately one‐third of men undergoing rectal testing were positive for GC or CT and one‐quarter of men with rectal GC or CT also had HIV infection. Of the HIV‐infected men tested for rectal GC or CT, more than half had a detectable VL collected near the time of rectal testing, demonstrating a risk for transmitting HIV.
Routine CD4 cell count monitoring seldom contributes to clinical decision‐making on antiretroviral therapy in virologically suppressed HIV‐infected patients
Authors: Chow EPF , Read TRH , Chen MY , Fehler G , Bradshaw CS , Fairley CK 
Published: September 2014

ObjectivesIn Australia, CD4 cell count is monitored approximately every 6 months in HIV‐infected patients during antiretroviral therapy (ART). The aim of this study was to determine if routine CD4 monitoring contributed to decisions on changes to ART, and to estimate how reduced CD4 monitoring could contribute to cost savings in Australia.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort analysis investigating all HIV‐infected patients who attended the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) in Australia from 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2013. We reviewed the electronic medical records of all patients who changed or stopped antiretroviral regimens during this time period to determine whether CD4 cell count could have contributed to this clinical decision.ResultsAmong 1004 patients with HIV infection on ART, none [95% confidence interval (CI) 0–2.3%] of the 162 clinical decisions to change or stop treatment were influenced by CD4 cell counts. Reducing the current biannual CD4 monitoring strategy to annually could potentially save ∼AU$ 1.5 million (US$ 1.4 million) each year in Australia [i.e. ∼AU$ 74 700 (US$ 67 700) could be saved per 1000 HIV‐infected patients during ART].ConclusionsRoutine CD4 monitoring in HIV‐infected patients during ART could be reduced from biannually to annually, as it rarely influences clinical decisions in patients' management. Not only could this avoid patients being unnecessarily anxious about normal fluctuations in their CD4 counts but it would also result in cost savings.
Accountable and Under Control? Explaining Governments' Selection of Management Board Representatives
Authors: Buess Michael 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThe role of national representatives on the management boards (MBs) of European Union agencies (EUAs) is crucial in two respects. From a democratic point of view, national MB representatives' accountability may constitute a possible additional source of legitimacy for these technocratic bodies. From the perspective of European integration, their relationship with national institutions tells us about the status of EUAs and the extent to which their MBs constitute an intergovernmental control tool in the hands of the Member States. Contrary to their formal design, the collected data suggest that MBs have a rather supranational, technocratic character. With regard to their contribution to EUAs' democratic accountability, although the general level of accountability is high, the findings are more diverse. However, rather than reflecting control intentions by the Member States, different levels of accountability can best be explained by functional and institutional rather than strategic factors.
The Shepherd's Crook Sign: A New Neuroimaging Pareidolia in Joubert Syndrome
Authors: Manley Andrew T. , Maertens Paul M. 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACTBACKGROUND AND PURPOSEBy pareidolically recognizing specific patterns indicative of particular diseases, neuroimagers reinforce their mnemonic strategies and improve their neuroimaging diagnostic skills. Joubert Syndrome (JS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized clinically by mental retardation, episodes of abnormal deep and rapid breathing, abnormal eye movements, and ataxia. Many neuroimaging signs characteristic of JS have been reported.METHODSIn retrospective case study, two consanguineous neonates diagnosed with JS were evaluated with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and neurosonography.RESULTSBoth cranial ultrasound and MRI of the brain showed the characteristic molar tooth sign. There was a shepherd's crook in the sagittal views of the posterior fossa where the shaft of the crook is made by the brainstem and the pons. The arc of the crook is made by the abnormal superior cerebellar peduncle and cerebellar hemisphere. By ultrasound, the shepherd's crook sign was seen through the posterior fontanelle only. CT imaging also showed the shepherd's crook sign.CONCLUSIONSNeuroimaging diagnosis of JS, which already involves the pareidolical recognition of specific patterns indicative of the disease, can be improved by recognition of the shepherd's crook sign on MRI, CT, and cranial ultrasound.
Corruption and Development Policy (Drawing Upon the Recent Indian Debate)
Authors: BARDHAN PRANAB 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThere is a substantial theoretical literature now on the factors determining the incidence of corruption, suggesting some policies to fight it, but we do not have a great deal of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of these policies. This paper is a brief overview, drawing upon some of the salient features of the literature and with several examples from the Indian case where corruption has become a major issue of public debate, to make remarks that may be more generally relevant for policies in developing countries.
Estimating the treatment cascade of chronic hepatitis B and C in Greece using a telephone survey
Authors: Papatheodoridis G. , Sypsa V. , Kantzanou M. , Nikolakopoulos I. , Hatzakis A. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryAccurate diagnosis and treatment rates for chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infections are usually missing. Aim of this study was to estimate the HBV and HCV treatment cascade (proportion and absolute numbers of tested, aware/unaware, infected and treated) in Greek adults. A telephone survey was conducted in a sample representative of the Greek adult general population. Prevalence rates were age‐standardized for the Greek adult population and corrected for high‐risk individuals not included in the survey. Of the 9974 participants, 5255 (52.7%) had been tested for HBV and 2062 (20.7%) for HCV with the proportion varying according to age and being higher in middle‐age groups (P < 0.001). HBsAg was reported positive in 111/5255 (2.11%) and anti‐HCV in 26/2062 (1.26%) tested cases. The age‐adjusted prevalence was estimated to be 2.39% for HBV and 1.79% for HCV. Taking into account individuals at high risk for viral hepatitis not included in the survey, the ‘true’ prevalence was estimated to be 2.58% for HBV and 1.87% for HCV. Anti‐HBV and anti‐HCV treatment had been taken by 36/111 (32.4%) chronic HBV and 15/26 (57.7%) chronic HCV patients. In conclusion, almost 50% of chronic HBV and 80% of chronic HCV patients in Greece may be unaware of their infection, while only 32% or 58% of diagnosed chronic HBV or HCV patients, respectively, have been ever treated. Therefore, intensive efforts are required to improve the efficacy of screening for HBV and particularly for HCV as well as to reduce the barriers to treatment among diagnosed patients.
The effect of sucralfate tablets vs. suspension on oral doxycycline absorption in dogs
Authors: KuKanich K. , KuKanich B. 
Published: September 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of concurrent sucralfate (tablet or suspension) on doxycycline pharmacokinetics and to determine the effects of delaying sucralfate by 2 h on doxycycline absorption. Five dogs were included in a crossover study receiving: doxycycline alone; doxycycline concurrently with sucralfate tablet; doxycycline followed 2 h by sucralfate tablet; doxycycline concurrently with sucralfate suspension; and doxycycline followed 2 h by sucralfate suspension. Doxycycline plasma concentrations were evaluated with liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. No interaction was seen when sucralfate was administered as a tablet. Sucralfate tablet fragments were frequently observed in some dogs' feces. The area under the curve (AUC) and maximum plasma concentration (CMAX) were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the concurrent sucralfate suspension group (AUC 7.2 h·μg/mL, CMAX 0.43 μg/mL) than with doxycycline alone (AUC 36.0 h·μg/mL, CMAX 2.53 μg/mL) resulting in a relative bioavailability of 20%. Delaying sucralfate suspension by 2 h after doxycycline administration resulted in no difference in doxycycline absorption as compared with doxycycline administration alone with a relative bioavailability of 74%. The lack of an interaction with sucralfate tablets suggests sucralfate should be administered as a suspension rather than tablet in dogs.
Ocean circulation model predicts high genetic structure observed in a long‐lived pelagic developer
Authors: Sunday J. M. , Popovic I. , Palen W. J. , Foreman M. G. G. , Hart M. W. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractUnderstanding the movement of genes and individuals across marine seascapes is a long‐standing challenge in marine ecology and can inform our understanding of local adaptation, the persistence and movement of populations, and the spatial scale of effective management. Patterns of gene flow in the ocean are often inferred based on population genetic analyses coupled with knowledge of species' dispersive life histories. However, genetic structure is the result of time‐integrated processes and may not capture present‐day connectivity between populations. Here, we use a high‐resolution oceanographic circulation model to predict larval dispersal along the complex coastline of western Canada that includes the transition between two well‐studied zoogeographic provinces. We simulate dispersal in a benthic sea star with a 6–10 week pelagic larval phase and test predictions of this model against previously observed genetic structure including a strong phylogeographic break within the zoogeographical transition zone. We also test predictions with new genetic sampling in a site within the phylogeographic break. We find that the coupled genetic and circulation model predicts the high degree of genetic structure observed in this species, despite its long pelagic duration. High genetic structure on this complex coastline can thus be explained through ocean circulation patterns, which tend to retain passive larvae within 20–50 km of their parents, suggesting a necessity for close‐knit design of Marine Protected Area networks.
spxA2, encoding a regulator of stress resistance in Bacillus anthracis, is controlled by SaiR, a new member of the Rrf2 protein family
Authors: Nakano Michiko M. , Kominos‐Marvell Wren , Sane Bhagyashree , Nader Yaldah Mohammad , Barendt Skye M. , Jones Marcus B. , Zuber Peter 
Published: September 2014

SummarySpx, a member of the ArsC (arsenate reductase) protein family, is conserved in Gram‐positive bacteria, and interacts with RNA polymerase to activate transcription in response to toxic oxidants. In Bacillus anthracis str. Sterne, resistance to oxidative stress requires the activity of two paralogues, SpxA1 and SpxA2. Suppressor mutations were identified in spxA1 mutant cells that conferred resistance to hydrogen peroxide. The mutations generated null alleles of the saiR gene and resulted in elevated spxA2 transcription. The saiR gene resides in the spxA2 operon and encodes a member of the Rrf2 family of transcriptional repressors. Derepression of spxA2 in a saiR mutant required SpxA2, indicating an autoregulatory mechanism of spxA2 control. Reconstruction of SaiR‐dependent control of spxA2 was accomplished in Bacillus subtilis, where deletion analysis uncovered two cis‐elements within the spxA2 regulatory region that are required for repression. Mutations to one of the sequences of dyad symmetry substantially reduced SaiR binding and SaiR‐dependent repression of transcription from the spxA2 promoter in vitro. Previous studies have shown that spxA2 is one of the most highly induced genes in a macrophage infected with B. anthracis. The work reported herein uncovered a key regulator, SaiR, of the Spx system of stress response control.
Responsiveness of different citrus genotypes to the Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri‐derived pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP) flg22 correlates with resistance to citrus canker
Authors: Shi Qingchun , Febres Vicente J. , Jones Jeffrey B. , Moore Gloria A. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryThe bacterial agent of citrus canker disease (Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri, Xcc) has caused tremendous economic losses to the citrus industry around the world. Pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP)‐triggered immunity (PTI) is important to plant immunity. In this study, we compared the defence responses of citrus canker‐resistant and citrus canker‐susceptible genotypes to the Xcc‐derived PAMP flg22 (Xflg22) by analysing the expression of 20 citrus defence‐associated genes. We showed that, in the most resistant genotype, ‘Nagami’ kumquat, there was significant induction of several defence genes (EDS1, NDR1, PBS1, RAR1, SGT1, PAL1, NPR2 and NPR3) as early as 6 h and up to 72 h after Xflg22 treatment. At the other end of the spectrum, highly susceptible ‘Duncan’ grapefruit showed no induction of the same defence genes, even 120 h after treatment. Citrus genotypes with partial levels of resistance showed intermediate levels of transcriptional reprogramming that correlated with their resistance level. Xflg22 also triggered a rapid oxidative burst in all genotypes which was higher and accompanied by the induction of PTI marker genes (WRKY22 and GST1) only in the more resistant genotypes. Pretreatment with Xflg22 prior to Xcc inoculation inhibited bacterial growth in kumquat, but not in grapefruit. A flagellin‐deficient Xcc strain (XccΔfliC) showed greater growth increase relative to wild‐type Xcc in kumquat than in grapefruit. Taken together, our results indicate that Xflg22 initiates strong PTI in canker‐resistant genotypes, but not in susceptible ones, and that a robust induction of PTI is an important component of citrus resistance to canker.
Sudden cardiac death in haemodialysis patients: Preventative options
Authors: Chiu Diana Yuan Yng , Sinha Smeeta , Kalra Philip A , Green Darren 
Published: September 2014

AbstractSudden cardiac death (SCD) is the most common cause of death in haemodialysis patients, accounting for 25% of all‐cause mortality. There are many potential pathological precipitants as most patients with end‐stage renal disease have structurally or functionally abnormal hearts. For example, at initiation of dialysis, 74% of patients have left ventricular hypertrophy. The pathophysiological and metabolic milieu of patients with end‐stage renal disease, allied to the regular stresses of dialysis, may provide the trigger to a fatal cardiac event. Prevention of SCD can be seen as a legitimate target to improve survival in this patient group. In the general population, this is most effective by reducing the burden of ischaemic heart disease. However, the aetiology of SCD in haemodialysis patients appears to be different, with myocardial fibrosis, vascular calcification and autonomic dysfunction implicated as possible causes. Thus, the range of therapies is different to the general population. There are potential preventative measures emerging as our understanding of the underlying mechanisms progresses. This article aims to review the evidence for therapies to prevent SCD effective in the general population when applied to dialysis patients, as well as promising new treatments specific to this population group.
Prevalence and Characterization of Pruritus in Epidermolysis Bullosa
Authors: Danial Christina , Adeduntan Rasidat , Gorell Emily S. , Lucky Anne W. , Paller Amy S. , Bruckner Anna , Pope Elena , Morel Kimberly D. , Levy Moise L. , Li Shufeng , Gilmore Elaine S. , Lane Alfred T. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractQualitative data suggest that pruritus is a burdensome symptom in patients with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), but the prevalence of pruritus in children and adults with EB and factors that contribute to pruritus are unknown. The objective of the current study was to quantitatively identify and to characterize pruritus that EB patients experience using a comprehensive online questionnaire. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate pruritus in all ages and all types of EB. Questions that characterize pruritus were included and factors that aggravate symptoms were investigated. Patients from seven North American EB centers were invited to participate. One hundred forty‐six of 216 questionnaires were completed (response rate 68%; 73 male, 73 female; median age 20.0 years). Using a 5‐point Likert scale (1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often, 5 = always), itchiness was the most bothersome EB complication (mean 3.3). The average daily frequency of pruritus increased with self‐reported EB severity. Pruritus was most frequent at bedtime (mean 3.8) and interfered with sleep. Factors that aggravated pruritus included healing wounds, dry skin, infected wounds, stress, heat, dryness, and humidity. Pruritus is common in individuals with EB and can be bothersome. Future studies will need to investigate the most effective treatments given to individuals with EB for pruritus.
Dermatophytes and Transmission Risks to Family: A Retrospective Study of a Cohort of 256 Adopted Children from 1998 to 2012
Authors: Dupont Damien , Peyron François , Picot Stéphane , Wallon Martine , Bienvenu Anne‐Lise 
Published: September 2014

AbstractIn this 14‐year retrospective study we analyzed samples collected from 101 adopted children originating from developing countries in search of dermatophytosis; a dermatophyte was isolated in 44 children. We demonstrated that dermatophytoses often have a silent clinical presentation (16%) and in approximately 20% of cases cause family member contamination. This study highlights the importance of the clinical examination of children and families as well as systematic sampling of children to avoid dermatophyte transmission to other family members.
Preserving Residual Renal Function in Dialysis: What We Know
Authors: Patel Nikunjkumar , Hu Susie L. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractResidual renal function confers a survival benefit among dialysis patients thought to be related to greater volume removal and solute clearance. Whether the presence of residual renal function is protective or merely a marker for better health is not clear. The basic mechanisms governing the decline or persistence of residual renal function are poorly understood and few studies have examined the role of medical therapy in its preservation. Dialysis modality, inflammatory processes often associated with comorbid diseases (including diabetes mellitus and obesity), volume dysregulation, and vitamin D deficiency are predictive of residual renal function decline. We review potential mechanisms for preservation of remaining glomerular filtration rate among chronic dialysis patients.
Green Havens and Pollution Havens
Authors: Poelhekke Steven , van der Ploeg Frederick 
Published: September 2014

AbstractWe test for pollution haven effects in outward foreign direct investment (FDI) for different sectors using a comprehensive and exhaustive data set for outward FDI from the Netherlands, one of the most environmentally stringent countries and a major source of global FDI. Our evidence suggests that in the sectors, natural resources extraction and refining, construction, retail, food processing, beverages and tobacco, and utilities, a less stringent environmental policy in the host country, significantly attract FDI. What is important for these pollution haven effects is not only regulation but also enforcement of environmental policy. In contrast to earlier results, it is not only footloose industries that display pollution haven effects, but also the traditional pollution‐intensive industries. But for the machines, electronics and automotive and transportation and communication sectors, a more stringent and better enforced environmental policy attracts more FDI as this may help their reputation for sustainable management and CSR. These sectors display green haven effects. These findings have important implications for the sector distribution of FDI in destination countries.