bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of interventions that aim to reduce the risk, either directly or indirectly, of overweight and obesity in infancy and early childhood
Authors: Redsell Sarah A. , Edmonds Barrie , Swift Judy Anne , Siriwardena Aloysius Niroshan , Weng Stephen , Nathan Dilip , Glazebrook Cris 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity are known and can be identified antenatally or during infancy, however, the majority of effective interventions are designed for older children. This review identified interventions designed to reduce the risk of overweight/obesity that were delivered antenatally or during the first 2 years of life, with outcomes reported from birth to 7 years of age. Six electronic databases were searched for papers reporting randomised controlled trials of interventions published from January 1990 to September 2013. A total of 35 eligible studies were identified, describing 27 unique trials of which 24 were behavioural and three were non‐behavioural. The 24 behavioural trials were categorised by type of intervention: (1) nutritional and/or responsive feeding interventions targeted at parents of infants, which improved feeding practices and had some impact on child weight (n = 12); (2) breastfeeding promotion and lactation support for mothers, which had a positive effect on breastfeeding but not child weight (n = 5); (3) parenting and family lifestyle (n = 4); and (4) maternal health (n = 3) interventions that had some impact on feeding practices but not child weight. The non‐behavioural trials comprised interventions manipulating formula milk composition (n = 3). Of these, lower/hydrolysed protein formula milk had a positive effect on weight outcomes. Interventions that aim to improve diet and parental responsiveness to infant cues showed most promise in terms of self‐reported behavioural change. Despite the known risk factors, there were very few intervention studies for pregnant women that continue during infancy which should be a priority for future research.
Contemporary evolution during invasion: evidence for differentiation, natural selection, and local adaptation
Authors: Colautti Robert I. , Lau Jennifer A. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractBiological invasions are ‘natural’ experiments that can improve our understanding of contemporary evolution. We evaluate evidence for population differentiation, natural selection and adaptive evolution of invading plants and animals at two nested spatial scales: (i) among introduced populations (ii) between native and introduced genotypes. Evolution during invasion is frequently inferred, but rarely confirmed as adaptive. In common garden studies, quantitative trait differentiation is only marginally lower (~3.5%) among introduced relative to native populations, despite genetic bottlenecks and shorter timescales (i.e. millennia vs. decades). However, differentiation between genotypes from the native vs. introduced range is less clear and confounded by nonrandom geographic sampling; simulations suggest this causes a high false‐positive discovery rate (>50%) in geographically structured populations. Selection differentials (¦s¦) are stronger in introduced than in native species, although selection gradients (¦β¦) are not, consistent with introduced species experiencing weaker genetic constraints. This could facilitate rapid adaptation, but evidence is limited. For example, rapid phenotypic evolution often manifests as geographical clines, but simulations demonstrate that nonadaptive trait clines can evolve frequently during colonization (~two‐thirds of simulations). Additionally, QST‐FST studies may often misrepresent the strength and form of natural selection acting during invasion. Instead, classic approaches in evolutionary ecology (e.g. selection analysis, reciprocal transplant, artificial selection) are necessary to determine the frequency of adaptive evolution during invasion and its influence on establishment, spread and impact of invasive species. These studies are rare but crucial for managing biological invasions in the context of global change.
Scab resistance in ‘Geneva’ apple is conditioned by a resistance gene cluster with complex genetic control
Authors: Bastiaanse Héloïse , Bassett Heather C. M. , Kirk Christopher , Gardiner Susan E. , Deng Cecilia , Groenworld Remmelt , Chagné David , Bus Vincent G. M. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryApple scab, caused by the fungal pathogen Venturia inaequalis, is one of the most severe diseases of apple worldwide. It is the most studied plant–pathogen interaction involving a woody species using modern genetic, genomic, proteomic and bioinformatic approaches in both species. Although ‘Geneva’ apple was recognized long ago as a potential source of resistance to scab, this resistance has not been characterized previously. Differential interactions between various monoconidial isolates of V. inaequalis and six segregating F1 and F2 populations indicate the presence of at least five loci governing the resistance in ‘Geneva’. The 17 chromosomes of apple were screened using genotyping‐by‐sequencing, as well as single marker mapping, to position loci controlling the V. inaequalis resistance on linkage group 4. Next, we fine mapped a 5‐cM region containing five loci conferring both dominant and recessive scab resistance to the distal end of the linkage group. This region corresponds to 2.2 Mbp (from 20.3 to 22.5 Mbp) on the physical map of ‘Golden Delicious’ containing nine candidate nucleotide‐binding site leucine‐rich repeat (NBS‐LRR) resistance genes. This study increases our understanding of the complex genetic basis of apple scab resistance conferred by ‘Geneva’, as well as the gene‐for‐gene (GfG) relationships between the effector genes in the pathogen and resistance genes in the host.
A barley SKP1‐like protein controls abundance of the susceptibility factor RACB and influences the interaction of barley with the barley powdery mildew fungus
Authors: Reiner Tina , Hoefle Caroline , Hückelhoven Ralph 
Published: April 2015

SummaryIn an increasing number of plant–microbe interactions, it has become evident that the abundance of immunity‐related proteins is controlled by the ubiquitin–26S proteasome system. In the interaction of barley with the biotrophic barley powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei (Bgh), the RAC/ROP [RAT SARCOMA‐related C3 botulinum toxin substrate/RAT SARCOMA HOMOLOGUE (RHO) of plants] guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) HvRACB supports the fungus in a compatible interaction. By contrast, barley HvRBK1, a ROP‐binding receptor‐like cytoplasmic kinase that interacts with and can be activated by constitutively activated HvRACB, limits fungal infection success. We have identified a barley type II S‐phase kinase 1‐associated (SKP1)‐like protein (HvSKP1‐like) as a molecular interactor of HvRBK1. SKP1 proteins are subunits of the SKP1‐cullin 1‐F‐box (SCF)–E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that acts in the specific recognition and ubiquitination of protein substrates for subsequent proteasomal degradation. Transient induced gene silencing of either HvSKP1‐like or HvRBK1 increased protein abundance of constitutively activated HvRACB in barley epidermal cells, whereas abundance of dominant negative RACB only weakly increased. In addition, silencing of HvSKP1‐like enhanced the susceptibility of barley to haustorium establishment by Bgh. In summary, our results suggest that HvSKP1‐like, together with HvRBK1, controls the abundance of HvRACB and, at the same time, modulates the outcome of the barley–Bgh interaction. A possible feedback mechanism from RAC/ROP‐activated HvRBK1 on the susceptibility factor HvRACB is discussed.
Health‐related quality of life in survivors of acute kidney injury: The Prolonged Outcomes Study of the Randomized Evaluation of Normal versus Augmented Level Replacement Therapy study outcomes
Authors: Wang Amanda Y , Bellomo Rinaldo , Cass Alan , Finfer Simon , Gattas David , Myburgh John , Chadban Steve , Hirakawa Yoichiro , Ninomiya Toshiharu , Li Qiang , Lo Serigne , Barzi Federica , Sukkar Louisa , Jardine Meg , Gallagher Martin P ,   POST‐RENAL Study Investigators and the ANZICS Clinical Trials Group
Published: April 2015

AbstractAimWhile patients with chronic kidney disease have reduced health‐related quality of life (HRQOL), long‐term HRQOL of survivors of severe acute kidney injury (AKI) remains unclear.MethodsWe analysed HRQOL from the Prolonged Outcomes Study of the Randomized Evaluation of Normal versus Augmented Level Replacement Therapy (POST‐RENAL) study and compared findings with those from a general Australian adult population enrolled in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study. We used a multivariate analysis adjusted for baseline characteristics along with sensitivity analysis using age and sex‐matched case controls.ResultsIn the POST‐RENAL study, 282 participants had HRQOL data collected using the SF‐12 questionnaire. This was compared with 6330 participants from the AusDiab study. Unadjusted analyses showed that POST‐RENAL participants had lower physical component scores (PCS, mean score 40.0 vs 49.8, P < 0.0001) and lower mental component scores (MCS, mean score 49.8 vs 53.9, P < 0.0001) than the AusDiab group. After age and sex matching, the difference in PCS and MCS remained statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Advanced age, reduced renal function and albuminuria (all P ≤ 0.01) were all strongly associated with lower PCS values but not MCS values. After matching subsets of the cohorts on the basis of age, sex and renal function, PCS and MCS were lower in the POST‐RENAL group (P < 0.0001).ConclusionSurvivors of severe AKI in the POST‐RENAL study had lower physical and mental components of HRQOL compared with general population, even after adjustment for their reduced renal function. Increasing age and reduced renal function were associated with poorer physical QOL.
Minimizing Concentration of Sodium Hypochlorite in Root Canal Irrigation by Combination of Ultrasonic Irrigation with Photodynamic Treatment
Authors: Wang Yanhuang , Xiao Suli , Ma Dianfu , Huang Xiaojing , Cai Zhiyu 
Published: April 2015

AbstractConcentration of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is positively correlated with its effectiveness in root canal disinfection but negatively correlated with its biocompatibility. The objective of this in vitro study was to compare the bactericidal effects among ultrasonic irrigation with different concentration of NaOCl alone or together with photodynamic treatment (PDT) against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) in infected root canals. One hundred and twenty bovine root canals contaminated with E. faecalis were randomly distributed into 12 groups treated with different disinfection methods: PDT, ultrasonic irrigation with NaOCl at different concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 2.5% and 5.25%), and ultrasonic irrigation with NaOCl at different concentrations plus PDT. Data of microorganism load were collected before and after disinfection and analyzed by one‐way ANOVA and LSD tests. Significantly enhanced antibacterial effects were noticed in groups treated by PDT plus 2.0% or 2.5% NaOCl irrigation (P < 0.05). No statistical differences existed in bactericidal efficacy among groups of PDT plus ultrasonic irrigation with 2.0%, 2.5% or 5.25% NaOCl, and ultrasonic irrigation with 5.25% NaOCl alone (P > 0.05). Our study confirmed the feasibility to reduce the concentration of NaOCl to a safer level while maintaining its antibacterial efficiency through synergistic effect of PDT with NaOCl ultrasonic irrigation.
Reinforcement Learning and Counterfactual Reasoning Explain Adaptive Behavior in a Changing Environment
Authors: Zhang Yunfeng , Paik Jaehyon , Pirolli Peter 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAnimals routinely adapt to changes in the environment in order to survive. Though reinforcement learning may play a role in such adaptation, it is not clear that it is the only mechanism involved, as it is not well suited to producing rapid, relatively immediate changes in strategies in response to environmental changes. This research proposes that counterfactual reasoning might be an additional mechanism that facilitates change detection. An experiment is conducted in which a task state changes over time and the participants had to detect the changes in order to perform well and gain monetary rewards. A cognitive model is constructed that incorporates reinforcement learning with counterfactual reasoning to help quickly adjust the utility of task strategies in response to changes. The results show that the model can accurately explain human data and that counterfactual reasoning is key to reproducing the various effects observed in this change detection paradigm.
Challenge study of the pathogen reduction capacity of the THERAFLEX MB‐Plasma technology
Authors: Reichenberg S. , Gravemann U. , Sumian C. , Seltsam A. 
Published: April 2015

Background and ObjectivesAlthough most pathogen reduction systems for plasma primarily target viruses, bacterial contamination may also occur. This study aimed to investigate the bacterial reduction capacity of a methylene blue (MB) treatment process and its virus inactivation capacity in lipaemic plasma.Materials and MethodsBacterial concentrations in plasma units spiked with different bacterial strains were measured before and after the following steps of the THERAFLEX MB‐Plasma procedure: leucocyte filtration, MB/light treatment and MB filtration. Virus inactivation was investigated for three virus types in non‐lipaemic, borderline lipaemic and highly lipaemic plasma.ResultsLeucocyte filtration alone efficiently eliminated most of the tested bacteria by more than 4 logs (Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus) or to the limit of detection (LOD) (≥ 4·8 logs; Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Klebsiella pneumoniae). MB/light and MB filtration further reduced Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus to below the LOD. The small bacterium Brevundimonas diminuta was reduced by 1·7 logs by leucocyte filtration alone, and to below the LOD by additional MB/light treatment and MB filtration (≥ 3·7 logs). Suid herpesvirus 1, bovine viral diarrhoea virus and human immunodeficiency virus 1 were efficiently inactivated by THERAFLEX MB‐Plasma, independent of the degree of lipaemia.ConclusionTHERAFLEX MB‐Plasma efficiently reduces bacteria, mainly via the integrated filtration system. Its virus inactivation capacity is sufficient to compensate for reduced light transparency due to lipaemia.
Correlation of the hypotonic shock response and extent of shape change with the new ThromboLUX™
Authors: Kraemer L. , Raczat T. , Weiss D.R. , Strobel J. , Eckstein R. , Ringwald J. 
Published: April 2015

ThromboLUX (TLX)‐Score was compared with hypotonic shock response (HSR) and extent of shape change (ESC) in 99 samples from 42 platelet concentrates. Tests were performed in parallel and duplicate. Mean values for TLX Score, HSR and ESC were 30·3 ± 3·8%, 69·0 ± 12·2% and 23·2 ± 4·9%, respectively. We found no significant correlation between TLX Score and HSR or ESC (r = −0·158, P = 0·118 and r = −115, P = 0·255, respectively), whereas HSR and ESC correlated significantly (r = 0·351, P < 0·001). As TLX Score did not show significant correlation with HSR and ESC, the value of TLX for platelet quality testing remains unclear. Studies comparing these parameters with transfusion outcome are needed.
Blood donor to inactive donor transition in the Basel region between 1996 and 2011: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Volken T. , Buser A. , Holbro A. , Bart T. , Infanti L. 
Published: April 2015

Background and ObjectivesFor the prevention of blood shortages, it is essential for blood banks to design and implement donor recruitment and donor retention strategies that take into account the determinants of donor return.Material and MethodsWe studied the behaviour of first‐time blood donors in the region of Basel, Switzerland, between 1996 and 2011 and described factors associated with transition from active to inactive donor in two successive first‐time donor cohorts (1996–2002, 2003–2008).ResultsThe risk of becoming an inactive donor was associated with being younger and female, not being a 0‐negative donor and living in an urban area. Over time, hazards of becoming an inactive donor were converging for individuals living in non‐urban and urban areas as were those of younger and older donors. After their first donation, 73·6% and 67·5% of males in the 1996–2002 and 2003–2008 cohorts, respectively, donated at least once in the following 24 months. The proportion of returning female donors was 71·8% and 65·4%, respectively.ConclusionsThe increased volatility of first‐time blood donors suggests that marketing actions and strategies aimed at increasing return rates should be reinforced, especially for younger and female blood donors.
Intravenous iron isomaltoside 1000 (Monofer®) reduces postoperative anaemia in preoperatively non‐anaemic patients undergoing elective or subacute coronary artery bypass graft, valve replacement or a combination thereof: a randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled clinical trial (the PROTECT trial)
Authors: Johansson P. I. , Rasmussen A. S. , Thomsen L. L. 
Published: April 2015

Background and ObjectivesThis trial explores whether intravenous iron isomaltoside 1000 (Monofer®) results in a better regeneration of haemoglobin levels and prevents anaemia compared to placebo in preoperative non‐anaemic patients undergoing cardiac surgery.Study Design and MethodsThe trial is a prospective, double‐blind, comparative, placebo‐controlled trial of 60 non‐anaemic patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The patients were randomized 1:1 to either 1000 mg intravenous iron isomaltoside 1000 administered perioperatively by infusion or placebo.ResultsMean preoperative haemoglobin in the active treatment group was 14·3 g/dl vs. 14·0 g/dl in the placebo group. At discharge 5 days after surgery, haemoglobin levels were reduced to 10·7 and 10·5 g/dl, respectively. One month after surgery, haemoglobin concentration had increased to an average of 12·6 g/dl vs. 11·8 g/dl (p = 0·012) and significantly more patients were non‐anaemic in the intravenous iron isomaltoside 1000‐treated group compared to the placebo group (38·5% vs. 8·0%; p = 0·019). There were no differences in side‐effects between the groups.ConclusionA single perioperative 1000 mg dose of intravenous iron isomaltoside 1000 significantly increased the haemoglobin level and prevented anaemia 4 weeks after surgery, with a short‐term safety profile similar to placebo. Future trials on potential clinical benefits of preoperative treatment with intravenous iron in non‐anaemic patients are needed.
Quality indicators for the hospital transfusion chain: a national survey conducted in 100 dutch hospitals
Authors: Zijlker‐Jansen P. Y. , Janssen M. P. , van Tilborgh‐de Jong A. J. W. , Schipperus M. R. , Wiersum‐Osselton J. C. 
Published: April 2015

BackgroundThe 2011 Dutch Blood Transfusion Guideline for hospitals incorporates seven internal quality indicators for evaluation of the hospital transfusion chain. The indicators aim to measure guideline compliance as shown by the instatement of a hospital transfusion committee and transfusion safety officer (structural indicators), observance of transfusion triggers and mandatory traceability of labile blood components (process indicators).Study Design and MethodsTwo voluntary online surveys were sent to all Dutch hospitals for operational years 2011 and 2012 to assess compliance with the guideline recommendations.ResultsMost hospitals had a hospital transfusion committee and had appointed a transfusion safety officer (TSO). In 2012, only 23% of hospitals complied with the recommended minimum of four annual transfusion committee meetings and 8 h/week for the TSO. Compliance with the recommended pretransfusion haemoglobin threshold for RBC transfusion was achieved by 90% of hospitals in over 80% of transfusions; 58% of hospitals measured the pretransfusion platelet count in over 80% of platelet transfusions and 87% of hospitals complied with the legally mandatory traceability of blood components in over 95% of transfusions.ConclusionWith the current blood transfusion indicators, it is feasible to monitor aspects of the quality of the hospital transfusion chain and blood transfusion practice and to assess guideline compliance. The results from this study suggest that there are opportunities for significant improvement in blood transfusion practice in the Netherlands. These indicators could potentially be used for national and international benchmarking of blood transfusion practice.
Fast segmentation of the femoral arteries from 3D MR images: A tool for rapid assessment of peripheral arterial disease
Authors: Chen Weifu , Xu Jianrong , Chiu Bernard 
Published: April 2015

Purpose:The peripheral arterial disease is a powerful indicator of coexistent generalized atherosclerosis. As plaques in femoral arteries are diffused and can span a length of 30 cm, a large coverage of the arteries is required to assess the full extent of atherosclerosis. Recent development of 3D black‐blood magnetic resonance imaging sequences has allowed fast acquisition of images with an extended longitudinal coverage. Vessel wall volume quantification requires the segmentation of the lumen and outer wall boundaries, and conventional manual planimetry would be too time‐consuming to be feasible for analyzing images with such a large coverage. To address this challenge in image analysis, this work introduces an efficient 3D algorithm to segment the lumen and outer wall boundaries for plaque and vessel wall quantification in the femoral artery.Methods:To generate the initial lumen surface, a user identified the location of the lumen centers manually on a set of transverse images with a user‐specified interslice distance (ISD). A number of geometric operators were introduced to automatically adjust the initial lumen surface based on pixel intensity and gradient along the boundary and at the center of each transverse slice. The adjusted surface was optimized by a 3D deformable model driven by the local stiffness force and external force based on image gradient. The optimized lumen surface was expanded to obtain the initial outer wall surface, which was subsequently optimized by the 3D deformable model.Results:The algorithm was executed with and without adjustment of the initial lumen surface and for three different selections of ISD: 10, 20, and 30 mm. The segmentation accuracy was improved in a statistically significant way with the introduction of initial lumen surface adjustment, but was insensitive to the ISD setting. When compared with the manual segmentation, the settings with adjustment have, on average, mean absolute differences (MADs) of 0.28 and 0.36 mm, respectively, for lumen and outer wall segmentations, which are significantly lower than those obtained when the adjustment operators were not applied (MAD = 0.43 and 0.59 mm for lumen and outer wall segmentations). The algorithm took about 1% of the time required for manual segmentation to complete segmenting the whole 3D femoral artery.Conclusions:The proposed semiautomatic algorithm generated accurate lumen and outer wall boundaries from 3D black‐blood MR images with few user interactions, thereby allowing rapid and streamlined assessment of plaque burden in the femoral arteries.