bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality of HIV care in the United Kingdom: key indicators for the first 12 months from HIV diagnosis
Authors: Delpech V , Brown AE , Croxford S , Chau C , Polavarapu V , Cooper N , Rooney G , Yin Z 
Published: August 2013

ObjectivesPrompt HIV diagnosis and treatment are associated with increased longevity and reduced transmission. The aim of the study was to examine late diagnoses and to assess the quality of care following diagnosis.MethodsNational surveillance and cohort data were used to examine late HIV diagnoses and to assess the quality of care received in the 12 months following HIV diagnosis.ResultsIn 2011, 79% (4910/6219) of persons (15 years and over) diagnosed with HIV infection had CD4 counts reported within 3 months; of these, 49% were diagnosed late (CD4 count < 350 cells/μL). Adults aged 50 years and over were more likely to be diagnosed late (67%) compared with those aged 15–24 years (31%). Sixty‐four per cent of heterosexual men were diagnosed late compared with 46% of women and 36% of men who have sex with men (MSM) (P < 0.01). The percentage of late diagnoses was highest among black African adults (66%) compared with other ethnicities; 96% of black African adults diagnosed late were born abroad. Overall, 88% and 97% of patients were linked to care within 1 and 3 months of diagnosis, respectively, with little variation by demographics and exposure category. The crude 1‐year mortality rate was 31.6 per 1000 persons diagnosed in 2010. It was highest among adults diagnosed late (40.3/1000 versus 5.2/1000 for prompt diagnoses) and particularly among those aged 50 years and over. Excluding deaths, 85% of the 5833 diagnosed in 2010 were retained in care in 2011; 92% of the 2264 adults diagnosed late in 2010 received antiretroviral therapy by the end of 2011.ConclusionsThe National Health Service provides high‐quality care to persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection in the UK, with no evidence of health inequalities. Despite excellent care, half of adults are diagnosed late according to the threshold at which national guidelines recommend treatment should begin. Such patients have an 8‐fold increased risk of 1‐year mortality compared with those diagnosed promptly. Reducing late diagnosis of HIV infection remains a public health priority in the UK.
Week 96 analysis of rilpivirine or efavirenz in HIV‐1‐infected patients with baseline viral load ≤ 100 000 copies/mL in the pooled ECHO and THRIVE phase 3, randomized, double‐blind trials
Authors: Molina J‐M , Clumeck N , Orkin C , Rimsky LT , Vanveggel S , Stevens M ,   ECHO and THRIVE Study Groups
Published: August 2013

ObjectivesThese 96‐week, ECHO/THRIVE pooled analyses evaluated data for antiretroviral treatment‐naïve, HIV‐1‐infected adults with viral load (VL) ≤ 100 000 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL receiving rilpivirine or efavirenz.MethodsECHO and THRIVE were phase 3, randomized, double‐blind trials. Patients received rilpivirine 25 mg once daily (qd) or efavirenz 600 mg qd, with a fixed (ECHO) or investigator‐chosen (THRIVE) nucleoside/tide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (N[t]RTI) background regimen. Response rate (the percentage of patients with VL < 50 copies/mL, using an intent‐to‐treat‐population, time‐to‐loss‐of‐virological‐response algorithm), virological failure (VF), resistance development, safety and tolerability were evaluated.ResultsBaseline characteristics were comparable between the rilpivirine (n = 368) and efavirenz (n = 329) groups. At week 96, response rates [84% for rilpivirine vs. 80% for efavirenz; difference 4.0%; 95% confidence interval (CI) –1.7% to 9.7%] and incidences of VF for the resistance analysis (VFres) (8% for rilpivirine vs. 6% for efavirenz; P = 0.46) were similar in the two groups. Among patients with VFres, a comparable proportion in each group developed nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) resistance‐associated mutations (RAMs). Among those with VFres, more patients in the rilpivirine group than in the efavirenz group developed N[t]RTI RAMs, mostly M184I/V. The mean (95% CI) CD4 cell count increased from baseline to week 96 by 224 (208–240) cells/μL in the rilpivirine group and by 206 (188–225) cells/μL in the efavirenz group. Treatment‐related grade 2–4 overall adverse events, any rash and dizziness were less frequent for rilpivirine than for efavirenz (P < 0.0001).ConclusionsRilpivirine demonstrated antiviral efficacy similar to that of efavirenz in antiretroviral treatment‐naïve adults with baseline VL ≤ 100 000 copies/mL over 96 weeks. Frequencies of VFres and emergent NNRTI RAMs in each group were similar. More patients with VFres in the rilpivirine group than in the efavirenz group developed N[t]RTI RAMs (mostly M184I/V). Rilpivirine had a more favourable safety/tolerability profile than efavirenz.
Prognostic significance of the interval between the initiation of antiretroviral therapy and the initiation of anti‐tuberculosis treatment in HIV/tuberculosis‐coinfected patients: results from the TREAT Asia HIV Observational Database
Authors: Han SH , Zhou J , Lee MP , Zhao H , Chen Y‐MA , Kumarasamy N , Pujari S , Lee C , Omar SFS , Ditangco R , Phanuphak N , Kiertiburanakul S , Chaiwarith R , Merati TP , Yunihastuti E , Tanuma J , Saphonn V , Sohn AH , Choi JY ,   TREAT Asia HIV Observational Database
Published: August 2013

ObjectivesWe evaluated the effect of the time interval between the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the initiation of tuberculosis (TB) treatment on clinical outcomes in HIV/TB‐coinfected patients in an Asian regional cohort.MethodsAdult HIV/TB‐coinfected patients in an observational HIV‐infected cohort database who had a known date of ART initiation and a history of TB treatment were eligible for study inclusion. The time interval between the initiation of ART and the initiation of TB treatment was categorized as follows: TB diagnosed while on ART, ART initiated ≤ 90 days after initiation of TB treatment (‘early ART’), ART initiated > 90 days after initiation of TB treatment (‘delayed ART’), and ART not started. Outcomes were assessed using survival analyses.ResultsA total of 768 HIV/TB‐coinfected patients were included in this study. The median CD4 T‐cell count at TB diagnosis was 100 [interquartile range (IQR) 40‐208] cells/μL. Treatment outcomes were not significantly different between the groups with early ART and delayed ART initiation. Kaplan−Meier analysis indicated that mortality was highest for those diagnosed with TB while on ART (3.77 deaths per 100 person‐years), and the prognoses of other groups were not different (in deaths per 100 person‐years: 2.12 for early ART, 1.46 for delayed ART, and 2.94 for ART not started). In a multivariate model, the interval between ART initiation and TB therapy initiation did not significantly impact all‐cause mortality.ConclusionsA negative impact of delayed ART in patients coinfected with TB was not observed in this observational cohort of moderately to severely immunosuppressed patients. The broader impact of earlier ART initiation in actual clinical practice should be monitored more closely.
A randomized clinical trial comparing metabolic parameters after 48 weeks of standard‐ and low‐dose stavudine therapy and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate therapy in HIV‐infected South African patients
Authors: Menezes CN , Crowther NJ , Duarte R , Van Amsterdam D , Evans D , Dickens C , Dix‐Peek T , Rassool M , Prinsloo A , Raal F , Sanne I 
Published: August 2013

ObjectivesLow‐dose stavudine therapy may have a lower toxicity profile compared with standard dose. A randomized controlled trial comparing these two doses of stavudine with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (tenofovir DF) was performed to assess the effects on anthropometry, markers of inflammation, and lipid and glucose metabolism in Black South African patients.MethodsSixty patients were randomized 1:1:1 to either standard‐dose (30–40 mg) or low‐dose (20–30 mg) stavudine or tenofovir DF (300 mg), each combined with lamivudine and efavirenz, for 48 weeks. Anthropometry, markers of inflammation, and lipid and glucose metabolism were assessed using standard techniques.ResultsIn all three treatment arms, there was a significant increase in lipid levels over the study period. At 48 weeks, fasting glucose level (P < 0.005) and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) score (P < 0.05) increased significantly in the standard‐dose stavudine arm, as did insulin and C‐peptide levels in both the standard‐ and low‐dose stavudine arms. At week 48, a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in adiponectin was noted in the standard‐dose stavudine arm, but there was an increase (P < 0.005) in the tenofovir DF arm. In both the stavudine arms, significant increases in anthropometric measures occurred at 24 weeks but these decreased by week 48. Mitochondrial toxicities occurred in both the stavudine arms. Immunological and virological outcomes were similar for all three arms.ConclusionsThis study highlights the occurrence of metabolic abnormalities with both stavudine and tenofovir DF treatment. Awareness of the potential increased cardiovascular risk should be of concern with the use of both these therapies.
Geological framework and fission track dating of pseudotachylyte of the Atotsugawa Fault, Magawa area, central Japan
Authors: Takagi Hideo , Tsutsui Kosuke , Arai Hiroyoshi , Iwano Hideki , Danhara Tohru 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis paper describes newly discovered pseudotachylyte along the Atotsugawa Fault at the Magawa outcrop, where this fault divides Quaternary deposits in the SW from Triassic Hida granitic rocks to the NE. Within several meters of the fault surface, pseudotachylyte veins are found with a thickness of less than 10 cm, but are displaced by fault brecciation. Zircon fission track dating of pseudotachylyte samples yields ages of 48.6–50.2 Ma (sample AT‐A), 55.1 Ma (AT‐A'‐1) and 60.9 Ma (AT‐D‐1); the latter is similar to the fission track ages of 56.1–60.1 Ma for granitic protoliths. The results of fission track length analyses in zircon suggest that pseudotachylytes (AT‐A and AT‐D‐1) and protolith granite are mostly annealed. Consequently, the pseudotachylyte (AT‐A) reached the highest temperature during 48.6–50.2 Ma, thereby resetting the fission track system totally in zircon during faulting. Another pseudotachylyte (AT‐A'‐1) and its wall rock granite contain shortened tracks within zircon grains suggesting partial annealing. The age distribution pattern of the former also contains decomposed age after the normality test (Shapiro–Wilk test) in which the major age yields 52.5 Ma. Accordingly, these pseudotachylytes yield a peak age of about 50 Ma, whereas the peak ages of one pseudotachylyte (AT‐D‐1) and the protolith Hida granitic rocks are about 60 Ma, representing the thermal effects not caused by frictional heating but by intrusions of Late Cretaceous to Paleogene granitoids that are probably concealed below the exposed Triassic Hida granitic rocks. Such thermal effects did not affect the K–Ar muscovite age (149 Ma) for the protolith granite because of the higher closure temperature of this system. Using the new geochronological data, we can elucidate the cooling history of the Hida granitic rocks, and constrain the timing of the main pulse of pseudotachylyte generation along the Atotsugawa Fault at about 50 Ma.
Zeta equivalent fission‐track dating using LA‐ICP‐MS and examples with simultaneous U–Pb dating
Authors: Hasebe Noriko , Tamura Akihiro , Arai Shoji 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThe use of laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) in the measurement of uranium concentration for fission‐track (FT) dating can provide additional geochronological information by simultaneously acquiring data for U–Pb dating. To circumvent the use of several calibration factors with uncertainties in the FT age equation (i.e. the decay constant, values related to neutron irradiation, and observation efficiencies), the zeta calibration, which is based on the analysis of age‐known standard samples, is recommended internationally. In this report, procedures to acquire LA‐ICP‐MS data for simultaneous dating by FT and U–Pb methods, the age equation with zeta‐equivalent calibration, and the statistical treatment of FT age data, are proposed. An excimer laser beam with 20 μm diameter was used for sampling. We empirically determined zeta calibration constants against NIST SRM610 for FT zircon and apatite dating by analyzing several age standards. The data agreed with the calculated values, which can be obtained using reasonable constants in the equation. The correction factor in 238U–206Pb age determination with NIST SRM610 as an external standard was defined as 0.920 ± 0.034 by analyzing several standards (FCT, Plešovice, Duluth, GJ‐1). Based on this calibration system, zircons from the Nisatai Dacite, Japan, which is a secondary age standard commonly used in the Japanese FT community, were simultaneously dated to be 22 Ma by FT and U–Pb methods on the same grains.
A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Phase III Study of Clot Lysis Evaluation of Accelerated Resolution of Intraventricular Hemorrhage (CLEAR III)
Authors: Ziai Wendy C. , Tuhrim Stanley , Lane Karen , McBee Nichol , Lees Kennedy , Dawson Jesse , Butcher Kenneth , Vespa Paul , Wright David W. , Keyl Penelope M. , Mendelow A. David , Kase Carlos , Wijman Christine , Lapointe Marc , John Sayona , Thompson Richard , Thompson Carol , Mayo Steven , Reilly Pat , Janis Scott , Awad Issam , Hanley Daniel F. ,   for the CLEAR III Investigators
Published: August 2013

Background In adults, intraventricular thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) facilitates resolution of intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), reduces intracranial pressure, decreases duration of cerebrospinal fluid diversion, and may ameliorate direct neural injury. We hypothesize that patients with small parenchymal haematoma volumes (<30 cc) and relatively large IVH causing acute obstructive hydrocephalus would have improved clinical outcomes when given injections of low-dose rtPA to accelerate lysis and evacuation of IVH compared with placebo. Methods The Clot Lysis Evaluation of Accelerated Resolution of Intraventricular Hemorrhage III trial is an investigator-initiated, phase III, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study comparing the use of external ventricular drainage (EVD) combined with intraventricular injection of rtPA to EVD plus intraventricular injection of normal saline (placebo) for the treatment of IVH. Patients with known symptom onset within 24 h of the computed tomography scan confirmed IVH and third or fourth ventricle obstruction, with or without supratentorial intracerebral haemorrhage volume <30 cc, who require EVD are screened with a computed tomography scan at least six hours after EVD placement and, if necessary, at consecutive 12-h intervals until stabilization of any intracranial bleeding has been established. Patients who meet clinical and imaging criteria (no ongoing coagulopathy and no suspicion of aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation, or any other vascular anomaly) will be randomized to either intraventricular rtPA or placebo. Results The primary outcome measure is dichotomized modified Rankin Scale 0–3 vs. 4–6 at 180 days. Clinical secondary outcomes include additional modified Rankin Scale dichotomizations at 180 days (0–4 vs. 5–6), ordinal modified Rankin Scale (0–6), mortality and safety events at 30 days, mortality at 180 days, functional status measures, type and intensity of intensive care unit management, rate and extent of ventricular blood clot removal, and quality of life measures.
Diffusion Characteristics of Zr4+ in LiNbO3 Single‐Crystal
Authors: Zhang De‐Long , Qiu Cong‐Xian , Zhang Wen‐Zhu , Hua Ping‐Rang , Yu Dao‐Yin , Pun Edwin Yue‐Bun 
Published: August 2013

Diffusion characteristics of Zr4+ in LiNbO3 single‐crystal were studied. Zr4+‐doped LiNbO3 crystal plates were prepared by in‐diffusion of 100 nm thick ZrO2 film coated onto Z‐cut congruent substrates in wet O2 at different temperatures. Zr4+‐diffused profile was analyzed by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The results show that the Zr4+ diffusion follows the traditional diffusion theory. From the measured profiles, important diffusion parameters are obtained, such as diffusivity and its temperature dependence, diffusion constant, activation energy, surface concentration, and solubility. The Zr4+ has a diffusivity similar to that of Ti4+, implying that the Zr4+ doping and the Ti4+ diffusion can be performed simultaneously to simplify the fabrication process of a photorefractive‐damage‐resistant Zr4+‐doped Ti‐diffused LiNbO3 waveguide.
Effects of pollen availability and the mutation bias on the fixation of mutations disabling the male specificity of self‐incompatibility
Authors: Tsuchimatsu T. , Shimizu K. K. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThe evolution of self‐compatibility (SC) by the loss of self‐incompatibility (SI) is regarded as one of the most frequent transitions in flowering plants. SI systems are generally characterized by specific interactions between the male and female specificity genes encoded at the S‐locus. Recent empirical studies have revealed that the evolution of SC is often driven by male SC‐conferring mutations at the S‐locus rather than by female mutations. In this study, using a forward simulation model, we compared the fixation probabilities of male vs. female SC‐conferring mutations at the S‐locus. We explicitly considered the effects of pollen availability in the population and bias in the occurrence of SC‐conferring mutations on the male and female specificity genes. We found that male SC‐conferring mutations were indeed more likely to be fixed than were female SC‐conferring mutations in a wide range of parameters. This pattern was particularly strong when pollen availability was relatively high. Under such a condition, even if the occurrence of mutations was biased strongly towards the female specificity gene, male SC‐conferring mutations were much more often fixed. Our study demonstrates that fixation probabilities of those two types of mutation vary strongly depending on ecological and genetic conditions, although both types result in the same evolutionary consequence—the loss of SI.
Effects of early morning care, named “Comfort upon Rising” care, on postoperative orthopedic ambulation and morning activity
Authors: Ohashi Kumiko 
Published: August 2013

AbstractAimTo examine the effects of “Comfort upon Rising” care (CUR) as a new type of early morning care.MethodsThis was a quasi‐experimental study using a convenience sampling and non‐random assignment of 80 orthopedic postoperative inpatients needing ambulation assistance. The intervention group of 40 inpatients was given CUR designed to support the patients' needs. The control group of 40 inpatients was given conventional early morning care (CMC). Floor nurses conducted either CMC or CUR for subjects beginning the morning after surgery and continuing for 3 days. Mood was measured by the Wake‐up Questionnaire (question I) and Profile of Mood States (POMS). Morning activities, which were daily living activities, breakfast behaviors including breakfast intake rate, were measured by Wake‐up Questionnaire (question IV) and observation.ResultsCompleting the study were 36 patients from the control group and 36 patients from the intervention group. Mood and activities in the morning were improved in the CUR group.ConclusionCUR is a patient‐centered care based on patients' individual needs and promotes self‐care. CUR is more effective than CMC in promoting natural recovery after an operation.
Attenuation of bone morphogenetic protein signaling during amphibian limb development results in the generation of stage‐specific defects
Authors: Jones Tamsin E. M. , Day Robert C. , Beck Caroline W. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThe vertebrate limb is one of the most intensively studied organs in the field of developmental biology. Limb development in tetrapod vertebrates is highly conserved and dependent on the interaction of several important molecular pathways. The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling cascade is one of these pathways and has been shown to be crucial for several aspects of limb development. Here, we have used a Xenopus laevis transgenic line, in which expression of the inhibitor Noggin is under the control of the heat‐shock promoter hsp70 to examine the effects of attenuation of BMP signaling at different stages of limb development. Remarkably different phenotypes were produced at different stages, illustrating the varied roles of BMP in development of the limb. Very early limb buds appeared to be refractory to the effects of BMP attenuation, developing normally in most cases. Ectopic limbs were produced by overexpression of Noggin corresponding to a brief window of limb development at about stage 49/50, as recently described by Christen et al. (2012). Attenuation of BMP signaling in stage 51 or 52 tadpoles lead to a reduction in the number of digits formed, resulting in hypodactyly or ectrodactyly, as well as occasional defects in the more proximal tibia‐fibula. Finally, inhibition at stage 54 (paddle stage) led to the formation of dramatically shortened digits resulting from loss of distal phalanges. Transcriptome analysis has revealed the possibility that more Noggin‐sensitive members of the BMP family could be involved in limb development than previously suspected. Our analysis demonstrates the usefulness of heat‐shock‐driven gene expression as an effective method for inhibiting a developmental pathway at different times during limb development.
Symbiont physiology and population dynamics before and during symbiont shifts in a flexible algal‐cnidarian symbiosis
Authors: Dimond James L. , Bingham Brian L. , le Muller‐Parker Gisè , Oakley Clinton A. 
Published: August 2013

For cnidarians that can undergo shifts in algal symbiont relative abundance, the underlying algal physiological changes that accompany these shifts are not well known. The sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima associates with the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium muscatinei and the chlorophyte Elliptochloris marina, symbionts with very different tolerances to light and temperature. We compared the performance of these symbionts in anemones maintained in an 8–11.5 month outdoor common garden experiment with simulated intertidal conditions and three levels of shading (2, 43, and 85% ambient irradiance). Symbiont densities, mitotic indices, photophysiology and pigments were assessed at three time points during the summer, a period of high irradiance and solar heating during aerial exposure. Whereas S. muscatinei was either neutrally or positively affected by higher irradiance treatments, E. marina responded mostly negatively to high irradiance. E. marina in the 85% irradiance treatment exhibited significantly reduced Pmax and chlorophyll early in the summer, but it was not until nearly 3 months later that a shift in symbiont relative abundance toward S. muscatinei occurred, coincident with bleaching. Symbiont densities and proportions remained largely stable in all other treatments over time, and displacement of S. muscatinei by E. marina was not observed in the 2% irradiance treatment despite the potentially better performance of E. marina. While our results support the view that rapid changes in symbiont relative abundance are typically associated with symbiont physiological dysfunction and bleaching, they also show that significant temporal lags may occur between the onset of symbiont stress and shifts in symbiont relative abundances.