bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Eligibility of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Patients for First-Line Palliative Intent nab-Paclitaxel Plus Gemcitabine Versus FOLFIRINOX
Authors: Peixoto Renata D. , Ho Maria , Renouf Daniel J. , Lim Howard J. , Gill Sharlene , Ruan Jenny Y. , Cheung Winson Y. 
Published: April 2015

Objectives:
The PRODIGE and MPACT trials showed superiority of FOLFIRINOX and nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (NG) over gemcitabine alone, respectively. However, both had strict inclusion criteria. We sought to determine the characteristics of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC) which inform the appropriateness of first-line chemotherapy FOLFIRINOX and NG in routine practice.

Materials and Methods:
Patients with MPC who initiated palliative chemotherapy with gemcitabine from 2000 to 2011 at the British Columbia Cancer Agency were identified. Clinicopathologic variables and outcomes were retrospectively collected and compared among groups. Eligibility criteria for each regimen were in accordance with the respective pivotal phase III trials.

Results:
A total of 473 patients were included: 25% of the patients were eligible for FOLFIRINOX versus 45% for NG. Main reasons for FOLFIRINOX ineligibility were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS)≥2 (56.5%), age older than 75 years (19.0%), and bilirubin>1.5× upper limit of normal (18.6%), whereas those for NG ineligibility were bilirubin > upper limit of normal (24.5%), ECOG PS≥3 (14.6%), and cardiac dysfunction (13.8%). Univariate analyses revealed that FOLFIRINOX and NG-eligible patients had longer median overall survival than their respective ineligible group (8.6 vs. 4.7 mo, P<0.001; 6.7 vs. 4.9 mo, P=0.008, respectively). After accounting for ECOG PS in the multivariate model, however, eligibility for either FOLFIRINOX or NG no longer predicted for better overall survival.

Conclusions:
The majority of patients with MPC are not candidates to either NG or FOLFIRINOX due to restrictive eligibility requirements. Specific trials addressing the unmet needs of protocol ineligible patients are warranted.
Parents’ and Children's Acceptance of Skim Chocolate Milks Sweetened by Monk Fruit and Stevia Leaf Extracts
Authors: Li X.E. , Lopetcharat K. , Drake M.A. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractChocolate milk increases milk consumption of children, but high sugar content raises health concerns. Interest in sugar reduction and parents’ preference for natural sweeteners necessitates further research on natural nonnutritive sweeteners. However, it is important to maintain consumer acceptability, especially for children, while reducing sugar in chocolate milk. The objectives of this study were to identify the sweetness intensity perception of stevia leaf (STV) and monk fruit (MK) extracts in skim chocolate milk (SCM), to evaluate STV and MK as the sole or partial sweetener source for SCM for young adults (19 to 35 y) and children (5 to 13 y), and to determine if information on natural nonnutritive sweeteners impacted parents’ acceptability of SCM. Power function and 2‐alternative forced choice studies were used to determine the iso‐sweetness of nonnutritive sweeteners to a sucrose control in SCM (51.4 g/L, SUC control). Young adults (n = 131) evaluated 9 different SCM (SUC control, STV, MK, STV:sucrose blends, or MK:sucrose blends) in a completely randomized 2‐d test. Children (n = 167) evaluated SUC control SCM and SCM with 39.7 g/L sucrose and 46 mg/L MK (MK25) or 30 mg/L STV (STV25). Parents evaluated SUC control, MK25, and STV25 in a balanced crossover design with a 40‐d wait time between primed or unprimed ballots. Chocolate milks solely sweetened by nonnutritive sweeteners were less acceptable compared with SUC control by young adults. MK25 and STV25 were acceptable by young adults and children. The presentation of chocolate milk label information had different effects on parental acceptance. Traditional parents preferred sucrose sweetened SCM, and label conscious parents preferred SCM with natural nonnutritive sweeteners.
A Proposed Food Breakdown Classification System to Predict Food Behavior during Gastric Digestion
Authors: Bornhorst Gail M. , Ferrua Maria J. , Singh R. Paul 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe pharmaceutical industry has implemented the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS), which is used to classify drug products based on their solubility and intestinal permeability. The BCS can help predict drug behavior in vivo, the rate‐limiting mechanism of absorption, and the likelihood of an in vitro–in vivo correlation. Based on this analysis, we have proposed a Food Breakdown Classification System (FBCS) framework that can be used to classify solid foods according to their initial hardness and their rate of softening during physiological gastric conditions. The proposed FBCS will allow for prediction of food behavior during gastric digestion. The applicability of the FBCS framework in differentiating between dissimilar solid foods was demonstrated using four example foods: raw carrot, boiled potato, white rice, and brown rice. The initial hardness and rate of softening parameter (softening half time) were determined for these foods as well as their hypothesized FBCS class. In addition, we have provided future suggestions as to the methodological and analytical challenges that need to be overcome prior to widespread use and adoption of this classification system. The FBCS gives a framework that may be used to classify food products based on their material properties and their behavior during in vitro gastric digestion, and may also be used to predict in vivo food behavior. As consumer demand increases for functional and “pharma” food products, the food industry will need widespread testing of food products for their structural and functional performance during digestion.
Comparison of Properties of New Sources of Partially Purified Inulin to Those of Commercially Pure Chicory Inulin
Authors: Mudannayake Deshani C. , Wimalasiri Kuruppu M.S. , Silva Kahandage F.S.T. , Ajlouni Said 
Published: April 2015

AbstractNewly developed inulin powders were prepared from roots ofAsparagus falcatus(AF) andTaraxacum javanicum(TJ) plants grown in Sri Lanka. Inulin content, analyzed by enzymatic spectrophotometric as well as high‐performance liquid chromatographic methods, showed that AF and TJ inulin powders contain 65.5% and 45.4% (dry wt) inulin, respectively, compared with 72% dry wt in the commercially available chicory inulin. Treating the AF and TJ inulin powders using ion exchange techniques significantly (P < 0.05) reduced their contents of micro (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe) and macro (Na, K, Ca, Mg) elements. Enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin into fructose and glucose by fructanase, and FT‐IR analyses proved that the developed AF and TJ inulins have characteristic molecular composition similar to commercial inulin. TJ inulin contained significantly (P < 0.05) greater amounts of total phenolics (4.37 mg GAE/g), total flavonoids (2.79 mg QE/g), and antioxidant capacity (833.11 mM TE/g) than AF inulin, which contained 1.33 mg GAE/g of total phenolics, 0.43 mg QE/g of total flavonoids, and 406.26 mM TE/g antioxidant capacity. The current study suggests that the newly developed inulin from AF and TJ roots could be used as an alternative commercial source of inulin for the food industry.
Preparation of desiccation‐resistant aquatic‐living Nostoc flagelliforme (Cyanophyceae) for potential ecological application
Authors: Gao Xiang , Yang Yi‐Wen , Cui Li‐Juan , Zhou De‐Bao , Qiu Bao‐Sheng 
Published: April 2015

SummaryNostoc flagelliforme is a terrestrial edible cyanobacterium that grows in arid and semi‐arid steppes. The continued over‐exploitation in the last century has led to a sharp decline of this resource and a severe deterioration of the steppe ecology. Liquid‐cultured N. flagelliforme serves as promising algal ‘seeds’ for resource restoration. In this study, macroscopic (or visible) aquatic‐living colonies (MaACs) of N. flagelliforme were developed under weak light and high nitrogen conditions. In a 24 day shake‐flask culture, MaACs were propagated by about 4.5‐fold in biomass without loss of their macro‐morphology; at the same time, the addition of weak UV‐B treatment resulted in slightly bigger MaACs. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) k30, a water‐soluble polymer, was used to generate the coating around MaACs, and after full desiccation, the coated MaACs could recover their photosynthetic physiological activity when rehydrated, with 4% PVP k30 for coating being most effective. In contrast, PVP k30‐coated microscopic aquatic‐living colonies of N. flagelliforme and non‐coated MaACs showed no resistance to full desiccation. The macroscopic morphology or structure of MaACs should be crucial for the formation of protection by PVP k30 coating. PVP k30‐coated MaACs were more approaching to actual application for resource restoration.
The Delphi technique in ecology and biological conservation: applications and guidelines
Authors: Mukherjee Nibedita , Hugé Jean , Sutherland William J. , McNeill Jeffrey , Van Opstal Maarten , Dahdouh‐Guebas Farid , Koedam Nico 
Published: April 2015

SummaryMany areas of science, including conservation and environmental management, regularly require engaging stakeholders or experts to produce consensus or technical inputs. The Delphi technique is an iterative and anonymous participatory method used for gathering and evaluating such expert‐based knowledge.We outline the methodology of the Delphi technique and provide a taxonomy of its main variants. In addition, we refine the technique by providing suggestions to address common limitations (e.g. time consumption, attrition rate) in order to make the method more suitable for application in ecology and conservation.A comprehensive search for studies that have applied the Delphi technique in conservation and environmental management resulted in 36 papers. The Delphi technique has been applied to a range of issues, including developing decision support systems and predicting ecological impacts of climate change.The papers reviewed suggest that the Delphi technique is an efficient, inclusive, systematic and structured approach that can be used to address complex issues. A major strength compared to other group‐based techniques is the reduced influence of social pressures among respondents.The Delphi technique is relatively little used and seems undervalued. Given its wide range of possible applications, it could be applied more widely in evaluating evidence and providing expert judgments.
Evolution of adult size depends on genetic variance in growth trajectories: a comment on analyses of evolutionary dynamics using integral projection models
Authors: Chevin Luis‐Miguel 
Published: April 2015

Summary

Integral projection models (IPMs) are an extension of stage‐structured population models to continuous classes or traits, such as body size. Recent studies have used age‐structured IPMs to investigate the relative contributions of evolutionary versus demographic responses of quantitative traits to environmental change. However, I argue here that evolutionary responses are likely to be underestimated by this approach, because it does not fully capture how phenotypic differences between individuals and genotypes accumulate along life, and are transmitted across generations.

Trait transitions upon survival and reproduction are treated in IPMs by two classes of functions. First, an ‘inheritance’ function relates the trait of a newborn to that of its adult parent, on the time‐scale of a reproductive event. Secondly, growth functions relate the traits of surviving individuals between successive ages. This differs from the quantitative genetic approach, where parent–offspring resemblance is generally quantified for age‐specific trait values, and on the time‐scale of a generation. More importantly, it is unclear to what extent age‐structured IPMs account for the fact that phenotypic and genetic variances of adult size are largely caused by differential growth among individuals and genotypes in multicellular organisms.

I use simple simulations of growth trajectories to ask what the transition functions from IPMs can tell us about the contribution of genetic evolution to phenotypic change. These simulations illustrate that a flat inheritance function is perfectly compatible with substantial response to selection in adults. They further show that the growth functions from IPMs may obscure genetic differences in body size that accumulate along life owing to genetic variation in growth trajectories.

IPMs are a powerful tool for investigating age‐dependent components of phenotypic selection, and the demographic consequences of plastic responses that act through environmental effects on growth. But using age‐structured IPMs to project evolutionary dynamics requires combining them with measurements of age‐specific additive genetic variances and cross‐age additive genetic covariances, to accurately describe the accumulation of phenotypic differences across ages, and their transmission across generations.
Flight behaviour of vegetable pests and their natural enemies under different ultraviolet‐blocking enclosures
Authors: Dáder B. , Plaza M. , Fereres A. , Moreno A. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractUltraviolet (UV) radiation, particularly in the UV‐A + B range (280–400 nm) is a fraction of the solar spectrum that regulates almost every aspect of insect behaviour, including orientation towards hosts, alighting, arrestment and feeding behaviour. To study the role of UV radiation on the flight activity of five insect species of agricultural importance (pests Myzus persicae, Bemisia tabaci and Tuta absoluta, and natural enemies Aphidius colemani and Sphaerophoria rueppellii), one‐chamber tunnels were covered with six cladding materials with different light transmittance properties ranging from 2% to 83% UV and 54% to 85% photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Inside each tunnel, insects were released from tubes placed in a platform suspended from the ceiling. Specific targets varying with insect species were placed at different distances from the platform. Evaluation parameters were designed for each insect and tested separately. The ability of insects to leave the platform was assessed, as well as the number of captures, eggs or mummies in each target, either sticky traps or plants. Our results suggest differences in flight activity among insect species and UV‐blocking nets. The UV‐opaque film drastically prevented aphids, and whiteflies from flying outside the tubes whereas T. absoluta, syrphids and parasitoids were not affected. Aphid flight behaviour was affected by the UV‐opaque film compared to the other nets, especially in the furthest target of the tunnel. Fewer aphids reached distant traps under UV‐absorbing nets, and significantly more aphids could fly to the end of tunnels covered with non‐UV‐blocking materials. Orientation of B. tabaci and T. absoluta was also negatively affected by the UV‐opaque film although in a different trend. Unlike aphids, differences in B. tabaci captures were mainly found in the closest targets. UV transmittance did not have any effects on parasitoids, and S. rueppellii, implying cues other than visual for these insects under our experimental conditions. Further effects of photoselective enclosures on greenhouse pests and their natural enemies are discussed.
Sex Differences in the Pathways to Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder: A Study of Opposite‐Sex Twin Pairs
Authors: Kendler Kenneth S. , Edwards Alexis C. , Gardner Charles O. 
Published: April 2015

BackgroundWe sought to develop an empirical, broad‐based developmental model for sex differences in risk for symptoms of alcohol use disorders, here called alcohol problems (APs).MethodsWe assessed 18 risk factors in 5 developmental tiers in both members of 1,377 opposite‐sex dizygotic twin pairs from the Virginia population‐based twin registry. Analyses were conducted by structural modeling, examining within‐pair differences.ResultsThe best‐fitting model explained 73% of the variance in men and 71% in women for last yearAP. Forty‐nine percent of paths differed significantly across sexes. Ten variables had appreciably different predictive effects onAPin males versus females. Three were stronger in females: familial risk, early‐onset anxiety disorders, and nicotine dependence. Seven predictors had a stronger total effect in males: novelty seeking, conduct disorder, childhood sexual abuse, parental loss, neuroticism, low self‐esteem, and low marital satisfaction.ConclusionsIn a co‐twin control design, which matches sisters and brothers on genetic and familial–environmental background, we found numerous sex differences in predictors of last yearAP. Factors that were more prominent in men and in women were diverse, reflecting both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. The model was slightly more successful at predictingAPin men than in women.
Pharmacists' knowledge about use of topical corticosteroids in atopic dermatitis: Pre and post continuing professional development education
Authors: Smith Saxon D , Lee Andrew , Blaszczynski Alex , Fischer Gayle 
Published: April 2015

AbstractBackground/ObjectivesTopical corticosteroids (TCS) are the standard of care in paediatric atopic dermatitis (pAD). Parents commonly cite TCS phobia as a major impediment to treatment adherence. Misinformation on TCS side‐effects can impact on perceptions of TCS safety. We aimed to assess pharmacists' beliefs and information on the safety of TCS in pAD treatment and determine whether their beliefs could be modified.MethodsAustralian pharmacists attending a continuing professional development conference were assessed before and after an evidence‐based lecture on the use of TCS in pAD. Responses were recorded in real time on electronic keypads.ResultsThe mean response rate was 86% of the 292 surveyed. Of responders, 64% recognised that treatment non‐adherence was a major reason for treatment failure in pAD. The post‐education session assessment demonstrated a major attitude shift compared to the pre‐education assessment. After education, pharmacists would instruct parents/patients to apply TCS until the eczema is clear (27 vs 92% pre and post‐education, P < 0.0001). The proportion that would instruct patients to use TCS sparingly dropped from 54 to 8% (P < 0.0001). The belief that cutaneous atrophy was the commonest side‐effect dropped from 46 to 7% (P < 0.0001). The belief that side‐effects from TCS would occur, even if used appropriately, dropped from 56 to 11% post‐education (P < 0.0001).ConclusionsThe significant knowledge gaps about the use and safety of TCS in pAD in Australian pharmacists and their advice to patients potentially contributes to poor treatment concordance. These attitudes appear modifiable through targeted, evidence‐based education delivered by a dermatologist.
A Linked Dataset of medical educational resources
Authors: Dietze Stefan , Taibi Davide , Yu Hong Qing , Dovrolis Nikolas 
Published: April 2015

AbstractReusable educational resources became increasingly important for enhancing learning and teaching experiences, particularly in the medical domain where resources are particularly expensive to produce. While interoperability across educational resources metadata repositories is yet limited to the heterogeneity of metadata standards and interface mechanisms with a lack of shared or aligned controlled vocabularies, Linked Data (LD) principles, based on W3C standards and supported through a wide range of tools, open up opportunities to alleviate such problems. We introduce the “mEducator Linked Educational Resources” dataset, which offers a range of open educational resources for the medical domain, exposed through LD principles. Data have been generated through a combination of manual curation and semi‐automated harvesting techniques, and state‐of‐the‐art enrichment and clustering techniques were deployed in order to classify and categorize data, toward improved reusability and access. Data are currently used by a range of educational applications and is accessible for third parties and developers, for instance through the LinkedUp Catalog and other registries, to facilitate further take‐up and applications.
Current understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune inner ear disease: a review
Authors: Goodall A.F. , Siddiq M.A. 
Published: April 2015

BackgroundAutoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is a poorly understood form of sensorineural hearing loss that causes bilateral, asymmetric, progressive hearing loss, sometimes with vestibular symptoms, often associated with a systemic autoimmune disease, which is noteworthy as the only sensorineural loss responsive to medical therapy. Despite much research interest of the past 25 years, its aetiopathogenesis is still unproven.Objective of reviewTo succinctly consolidate research and opinion regarding the pathogenesis of autoimmune inner ear disease, in ongoing efforts to elucidate the molecular and intracellular pathways that lead to inner ear damage, which may identify new targets for pharmacotherapy.Type of reviewSystematic reviewSearch strategyPubMed/MEDLINE search using key terms to identify articles published between January 1980 and Apr 2014. Additionally, any landmark works discussed in this body of literature were obtained and relevant information extracted as necessary.Evaluation methodInclusion criterion was any information from animal or human studies with information relevant to possible aetiopathogenesis of AIED. Studies that focused on diagnosis, ameliorating symptoms or treatment, without specific information relevant to mechanisms of immune‐mediated injury were excluded from this work. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria were digested and summarised.ResultsA proposed pathogenic mechanism of AIED involves inflammation and immune‐mediated attack of specific inner ear structures, leading to an excessive Th1 immune response with vascular changes and tissue damage in the cochlea. Studies have identified self‐reactive T cells and immunoglobulins, and have variously implicated immune‐complex deposition, microthrombosis and electrochemical disturbances causing impaired neurosignalling in the pathogenesis of AIED. Research has also demonstrated abnormalities in the cytokine milieu in subjects with AIED, which may prove a target for therapy in the future.ConclusionOngoing research is needed to further elucidate the aetiopathogenesis of AIED and discern between various mechanisms of tissue injury. Large‐cohort clinical studies employing IL‐1 receptor blockade are warranted to determine its potential for future therapy.