bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distal esophageal spasm and the Chicago classification: is timing everything?
Authors: De Schepper H. U. , Ponds F. A. M. , Oors J. M. , Smout A. J. P. M. , Bredenoord A. J. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractBackgroundAccording to the Chicago classification of esophageal motility disorders, distal esophageal spasm (DES) is defined as premature esophageal contractions (distal latency [DL] <4.5 s) for ≥20% of swallows, in the presence of a normal mean integral relaxation pressure (IRP). However, some patients with symptoms of DES have rapid contractions with a normal DL. The aim of this study was to characterize these patients and compare their clinical characteristics to those of patients classified as DES.MethodsWe retrospectively compared clinical characteristics and high‐resolution manometry findings of patients with rapid contractions with normal latency to those meeting the Chicago classification criteria for DES.Key ResultsOver a 3‐year period, nine patients were diagnosed with DES and 14 showed rapid contractions in the distal esophagus with normal latency. The latter were younger than DES patients (60 ± 4 vs 72 ± 3 years, p < 0.05). Dysphagia and retrosternal pain occurred to a similar degree in both groups. Weight loss and abnormal barium esophagogram tended to be more frequent in DES patients. There was no difference in contractile front velocity (CFV) and in distal contractile integral (DCI) between patients with DES and rapid contractions with normal latency. Lower esophageal sphincter pressures were not different between groups. However, IRP was significantly higher in DES compared to rapid contractions with normal latency (11.7 ± 0.6 mmHg vs 7.6 ± 1.2 mmHg, p < 0.05), albeit still within the normal range.Conclusions & InferencesThese data suggest that patients with simultaneous contractions with normal latency represent a group of patients with many features similar to DES.
Citizens' Blame of Politicians for Public Service Failure: Experimental Evidence about Blame Reduction through Delegation and Contracting
Authors: James Oliver , Jilke Sebastian , Petersen Carolyn , Van de Walle Steven 
Published: November 2015

AbstractTheories of blame suggest that contracting out public service delivery reduces citizens’ blame of politicians for service failure. The authors use an online experiment with 1,000 citizen participants to estimate the effects of information cues summarizing service delivery arrangements on citizens’ blame of English local government politicians for poor street maintenance. Participants were randomized to one of four cues: no information about service delivery arrangements, politicians’ involvement in managing delivery, delegation to a unit inside government managing delivery, and delegation through a contract with a private firm managing delivery. The politicians managing delivery cue raises blame compared to citizens having no information. However, the contract with a private firm cue does not reduce blame compared to either no information or the politicians managing delivery cue. Instead, the delegation to a unit inside government cue reduces blame compared to politicians managing delivery, suggesting that delegation to public managers, not contracting, reduces blame in this context.
Assessment of family functioning: evaluation of the General Functioning Scale in a Swedish Bariatric Sample
Authors: Bylund Ami , Årestedt Kristofer , Benzein Eva , Thorell Anders , Persson Carina 
Published: November 2015

BackgroundThe General Functioning Scale (GFS) was developed to assess self‐perceived overall family functioning. The scale has satisfactory psychometric properties, is internationally recognised and has been used in different contexts. However, no validated Swedish version is available. Healthy family functioning can support patients and help them adhere to treatment regimens. Moreover, it maintains the physical and emotional health and that of the family as a unit. Yet, there is limited information regarding family functioning postgastric bypass surgery. Thus, it is important to use validated instruments to understand family functioning in bariatric contexts.AimTo evaluate aspects of reliability and validity in GFS in a Swedish bariatric sample, focusing on factor structure.MethodThe Swedish version of the GFS (S‐GFS) was administered on two occasions to 163 participants who had undergone gastric bypass surgery 6–8 weeks prior to testing. Internal consistency, temporal stability and construct validity were assessed.ResultsData were positively skewed. The S‐GFS showed good internal consistency (ordinal α = 0.92) with a sufficient overall mean interitem correlation (0.500) and adequate temporal stability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.833). After modifying response alternatives, confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable fit for a one‐factor model.ConclusionThe scale is a promising tool for assessing family functioning in bariatric settings. The S‐GFS showed satisfactory reliability – consistent with prior research – and acceptable validity in the study sample. This study contributes to the limited research on the scale's validity. However, the S‐GFS needs to be evaluated in different cultural and clinical contexts, focusing on various aspects of validity and responsiveness (sensitivity to detect significant change over time) in different samples.
Media Coverage of State Legislatures: Negative, Neutral, or Positive?*
Authors: Rosenson Beth A. 
Published: November 2015

ObjectiveTo evaluate how neutral newspapers are in their coverage of state legislatures and whether the tone of this coverage is affected by the partisan orientation of the newspaper's owners and by the focus of the stories.MethodsI examine hard news stories in four newspapers from two states, during April 2005, to assess the tone of coverage (positive, neutral, or negative) of their state legislatures and test whether tone varies with owner partisanship and focus of the particular news story on the whole legislature or individual legislators.ResultsThe majority of coverage (81 percent) is neutral in tone. There is no difference in tone when the newspaper's owners share the same partisan orientation as the state legislature compared to when they have a different partisan orientation. There is no difference in tone when the focus of the story is on the whole legislature instead of on individual legislators.ConclusionContrary to scholarship that suggests the media is negative toward political institutions (including legislatures), or partisan in its coverage, tone is largely neutral. When covering state legislatures, newspaper reporters adhere for the most part to the professional standard of objectivity or neutrality.
Effects of Student‐Teacher Congruence on Students’ Learning Performance: A Dyadic Approach*
Authors: Lai Tzu‐Ling 
Published: November 2015

ObjectiveThe concept of person‐environment fit and how it influences performance have received increasing interest in the education field. In this study, a teacher's values orientation represents the environment and, therefore, we employed a dyadic fit relationship approach to examine whether the congruence of student‐teacher values influences students’ learning performance.MethodsThe research data were retrieved from a large database, the Taiwan Education Panel Survey. A dyadic profile similarity index method was conducted to measure student‐teacher congruence.ResultsThe results indicate that (a) students and teachers share a common education values structure; and (b) the values congruence between students and their teachers may influence students’ learning performance.ConclusionsThe research findings imply that similarities in values between students and teachers could affect student learning. However, intrinsic education values fit and extrinsic education values fit seems to function differently in this relationship.
Spouse's Religious Commitment and Marital Quality: Clarifying the Role of Gender*
Authors: Perry Samuel L. 
Published: November 2015

ObjectiveResearch on religion and marriage consistently finds a positive association between spousal religious commitment and more positive marital outcomes. But findings regarding the moderating influence of gender on this relationship have been mixed. This article clarifies whether returns to marital quality from having a devout spouse are greater for married women or men.MethodDrawing on data from the nationally representative 2006 Portraits of American Life Study, and utilizing 12 different measures of marital quality, I estimate ordinary least squares (OLS) and logistic regression models to test my hypotheses.ResultsIn analyses of the full sample, spouse's religious commitment generally predicts positive marital outcomes, net of controls for respondents’ gender as well as their religious and sociodemographic characteristics. However, when models are estimated for women and men separately, the returns to marital quality from having a religiously committed spouse are much stronger and more consistent for women than for men.ConclusionsFindings suggest that, ceteris paribus, having a spouse who is more religious predicts positive marriage outcomes, but women benefit from having a religiously committed spouse more than men do. Possible explanations are discussed.
Questionable expression of unstable DQ heterodimer containing HLA‐DQA1*01:07
Authors: Miyadera H. , Bungener L. B. , Kusano S. , Yokoyama S. , Tokunaga K. , Hepkema B. G. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractHuman leukocyte antigens (HLA)‐DQA1*01:07 was identified as an HLA‐DQ blank specificity that segregated with the serological HLA‐A2, ‐B7, ‐DR14, ‐DR52 haplotype, which carried DQB1*05:03. The blank specificity of DQA1*01:07‐DQB1*05:03 may be because of lack of reactivity of available typing sera, or disruption of proper assembly of DQ heterodimer. The cDNA sequence of DQA1*01:07 is nearly identical to DQA1*01:04 except for a variant at position 304, which results in the replacement of an arginine with a cysteine at 79α. To determine whether the DQA1*01:07 product can be expressed on cell‐surface, we co‐expressed DQA1*01:07 with various DQB1*05 or *06 alleles in fibroblast cells. Cell‐surface expression of DQ was detectable when DQA1*01:07 was co‐expressed with DQB1*06:04 but undetectable with other DQB1*05 and DQB1*06 alleles, including DQB1*05:03, to which DQA1*01:07 was encoded in cis. These data suggest that DQA1*01:07 may act as a phenotypically null allele in the DQA1*01:07‐DQB1*05:03 haplotype, while it can be expressed at a low level in the presences of certain DQB1*06 alleles, such as DQB1*06:04, in trans. Based on the null or low expression of DQA1*01:07 as shown in the previous and present studies, DQA1*01:07 has recently been renamed to DQA1*01:07Q, indicating its questionable expression.
Pharmacodynamics of Ceftolozane plus Tazobactam Studied in an
In Vitro
Pharmacokinetic Model of Infection
Authors: MacGowan Alasdair P. , Noel Alan R. , Tomaselli Sharon G. , Nicholls Donna , Bowker Karen E. 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

Ceftolozane plus tazobactam is an antipseudomonal cephalosporin combined with tazobactam, an established beta-lactamase inhibitor, and has
in vitro
potency against a range of clinically important β-lactamase-producing bacteria, including most extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-positive
Enterobacteriaceae
. The pharmacodynamics of β-lactam–β-lactamase inhibitor combinations presents a number of theoretical and practical challenges, including modeling different half-lives of the compounds. In this study, we studied the pharmacodynamics of ceftolozane plus tazobactam against
Escherichia coli
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
using an
in vitro
pharmacokinetic model of infection. Five strains of
E. coli
, including three clinical strains plus two CTX-M-15 (one high and one moderate) producers, and five strains of
P. aeruginosa
, including two with OprD overexpression and AmpC β-lactamases, were employed. Ceftolozane MICs (
E. coli
, 0.12 to 0.25 mg/liter, and
P. aeruginosa
, 0.38 to 8 mg/liter) were determined in the presence of 4 mg/liter tazobactam. Dose ranging of ceftolozane (percentage of time in which the free-drug concentration exceeds the MIC [
fT
>MIC], 0 to 100%) plus tazobactam (human pharmacokinetics) was simulated every 8 hours, with half-lives (
t
1/2
) of 2.5 and 1 h, respectively. Ceftolozane and tazobactam concentrations were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ceftolozane-plus-tazobactam
fT
>MIC values at 24 h for a static effect and a 1-log and 2-log drop in initial inoculum for
E. coli
were 27.8% ± 5.6%, 33.0% ± 5.6%, and 39.6% ± 8.5%, respectively. CTX-M-15 production did not affect the 24-h
fT
>MIC for
E. coli
strains. The ceftolozane-plus-tazobactam
fT
>MIC values for a 24-h static effect and a 1-log and 2-log drop for
P. aeruginosa
were 24.9% ± 3.0%, 26.6% ± 3.9%, and 31.2% ± 3.6%. Despite a wide range of absolute MICs, the killing remained predictable as long as the MICs were normalized to the corresponding
fT
>MIC. Emergence of resistance on 4× MIC plates and 8× MIC plates occurred maximally at an
f
T
>MIC of 10 to 30% and increased as time of exposure increased. The
fT
>MIC for a static effect for ceftolozane plus tazobactam is less than that observed with other cephalosporins against
E. coli
and
P. aeruginosa
and is more similar to the
fT
>MIC reported for carbapenems.
Extracellular DNA Acidifies Biofilms and Induces Aminoglycoside Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Wilton Mike , Charron-Mazenod Laetitia , Moore Richard , Lewenza Shawn 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACTBiofilms consist of surface-adhered bacterial communities encased in an extracellular matrix composed of DNA, exopolysaccharides, and proteins. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) has a structural role in the formation of biofilms, can bind and shield biofilms from aminoglycosides, and induces antimicrobial peptide resistance mechanisms. Here, we provide evidence that eDNA is responsible for the acidification ofPseudomonas aeruginosaplanktonic cultures and biofilms. Further, we show that acidic pH and acidification via eDNA constitute a signal that is perceived byP. aeruginosato induce the expression of genes regulated by the PhoPQ and PmrAB two-component regulatory systems. PlanktonicP. aeruginosacultured in exogenous 0.2% DNA or under acidic conditions demonstrates a 2- to 8-fold increase in aminoglycoside resistance. This resistance phenotype requires the aminoarabinose modification of lipid A and the production of spermidine on the bacterial outer membrane, which likely reduce the entry of aminoglycosides. Interestingly, the additions of the basic amino acidl-arginine and sodium bicarbonate neutralize the pH and restoreP. aeruginosasusceptibility to aminoglycosides, even in the presence of eDNA. These data illustrate that the accumulation of eDNA in biofilms and infection sites can acidify the local environment and that acidic pH promotes theP. aeruginosaantibiotic resistance phenotype.
Model-Based Evaluation of Higher Doses of Rifampin Using a Semimechanistic Model Incorporating Autoinduction and Saturation of Hepatic Extraction
Authors: Chirehwa Maxwell T. , Rustomjee Roxana , Mthiyane Thuli , Onyebujoh Philip , Smith Peter , McIlleron Helen , Denti Paolo 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT
Rifampin is a key sterilizing drug in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). It induces its own metabolism, but neither the onset nor the extent of autoinduction has been adequately described. Currently, the World Health Organization recommends a rifampin dose of 8 to 12 mg/kg of body weight, which is believed to be suboptimal, and higher doses may potentially improve treatment outcomes. However, a nonlinear increase in exposure may be observed because of saturation of hepatic extraction and hence this should be taken into consideration when a dose increase is implemented. Intensive pharmacokinetic (PK) data from 61 HIV-TB-coinfected patients in South Africa were collected at four visits, on days 1, 8, 15, and 29, after initiation of treatment. Data were analyzed by population nonlinear mixed-effects modeling. Rifampin PKs were best described by using a transit compartment absorption and a well-stirred liver model with saturation of hepatic extraction, including a first-pass effect. Autoinduction was characterized by using an exponential-maturation model: hepatic clearance almost doubled from the baseline to steady state, with a half-life of around 4.5 days. The model predicts that increases in the dose of rifampin result in more-than-linear drug exposure increases as measured by the 24-h area under the concentration-time curve. Simulations with doses of up to 35 mg/kg produced results closely in line with those of clinical trials.
Antimicrobial Peptide CMA3 Derived from the CA-MA Hybrid Peptide: Antibacterial and Anti-inflammatory Activities with Low Cytotoxicity and Mechanism of Action in Escherichia coli
Authors: Lee Jong-kook , Seo Chang Ho , Luchian Tudor , Park Yoonkyung 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

CA-MA is a hybrid antimicrobial peptide (AMP) derived from two naturally occurring AMPs, cecropin A and magainin 2. CA-MA shows strong antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria but also exhibits cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells. Our objective was to identify CA-MA analogues with reduced cytotoxicity by systematic replacement of amino acids with positively charged R groups (His and Lys), aliphatic R groups (Leu), or polar R groups (Glu). Among the CA-MA analogues studied (CMA1 to -6), CMA3 showed the strongest antimicrobial activity, including against drug-resistant
Escherichia coli
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
strains isolated from hospital patients. CMA3 appeared to act by inducing pore formation (toroidal model) in the bacterial membrane. In cytotoxicity assays, CMA3 showed little cytotoxicity toward human red blood cells (hRBCs) or HaCaT cells. Additionally, no fluorescence was released from small or giant unilamellar vesicles exposed to 60 μM CMA3 for 80 s, whereas fluorescence was released within 35 s upon exposure to CA-MA. CMA3 also exerted strong lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-neutralizing activity in RAW 264.7 cells, and BALB/c mice exposed to LPS after infection by
Escherichia coli
showed improved survival after administration of one 0.5-mg/kg of body weight or 1-mg/kg dose of CMA3. Finally, in a mouse model of septic shock, CMA3 reduced the levels of proinflammatory factors, including both nitric oxide and white blood cells, and correspondingly reduced lung tissue damage. This study suggests that CMA3 is an antimicrobial/antiendotoxin peptide that could serve as the basis for the development of anti-inflammatory and/or antimicrobial agents with low cytotoxicity.
Plasmid-Mediated OqxAB Is an Important Mechanism for Nitrofurantoin Resistance in Escherichia coli
Authors: Ho Pak-Leung , Ng Ka-Ying , Lo Wai-U , Law Pierra Y. , Lai Eileen Ling-Yi , Wang Ya , Chow Kin-Hung 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

Increasing consumption of nitrofurantoin (NIT) for treatment of acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) highlights the need to monitor emerging NIT resistance mechanisms. This study investigated the molecular epidemiology of the multidrug-resistant efflux gene
oqxAB
and its contribution to nitrofurantoin resistance by using
Escherichia coli
isolates originating from patients with UTI (
n
= 205; collected in 2004 to 2013) and food-producing animals (
n
= 136; collected in 2012 to 2013) in Hong Kong. The
oqxAB
gene was highly prevalent among NIT-intermediate (11.5% to 45.5%) and -resistant (39.2% to 65.5%) isolates but rare (0% to 1.7%) among NIT-susceptible (NIT-S) isolates. In our isolates, the
oqxAB
gene was associated with IS
26
and was carried by plasmids of diverse replicon types. Multilocus sequence typing revealed that the clones of
oqxAB
-positive
E. coli
were diverse. The combination of
oqxAB
and
nfsA
mutations was found to be sufficient for high-level NIT resistance. Curing of
oqxAB
-carrying plasmids from 20 NIT-intermediate/resistant UTI isolates markedly reduced the geometric mean MIC of NIT from 168.9 μg/ml to 34.3 μg/ml. In the plasmid-cured variants, 20% (1/5) of isolates with
nfsA
mutations were NIT-S, while 80% (12/15) of isolates without
nfsA
mutations were NIT-S (
P
= 0.015). The presence of plasmid-based
oqxAB
increased the mutation prevention concentration of NIT from 128 μg/ml to 256 μg/ml and facilitated the development of clinically important levels of nitrofurantoin resistance. In conclusion, plasmid-mediated
oqxAB
is an important nitrofurantoin resistance mechanism. There is a great need to monitor the dissemination of this transferable multidrug-resistant efflux pump.
Azole Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus Clinical Isolates from an Italian Culture Collection
Authors: Lazzarini Cristina , Esposto Maria Carmela , Prigitano Anna , Cogliati Massimo , De Lorenzis Gabriella , Tortorano Anna Maria 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

The aims of the study were to investigate the prevalence of azole resistance among
Aspergillus fumigatus
clinical isolates. A total of 533 clinical isolates that had been collected between 1995 and 2006, from 441 patients, were screened. No resistance was detected in isolates collected between 1995 and 1997. Starting in 1998, the resistance rate was 6.9%; a total of 24 patients (6.25%) harbored a resistant isolate. The TR34/L98H substitution was found in 21 of 30 tested isolates.
In Vitro
Activity of ASP2397 against Aspergillus Isolates with or without Acquired Azole Resistance Mechanisms
Authors: Arendrup Maiken Cavling , Jensen Rasmus Hare , Cuenca-Estrella Manuel 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

ASP2397 is a new compound with a novel and as-yet-unknown target different from that of licensed antifungal agents. It has activity against
Aspergillus
and
Candida glabrata
. We compared its
in vitro
activity against wild-type and azole-resistant
A. fumigatus
and
A. terreus
isolates with that of amphotericin B, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole. Thirty-four isolates, including 4 wild-type
A. fumigatus
isolates, 24
A. fumigatus
isolates with alterations in CYP51A TR/L98H (5 isolates), M220 (9 isolates), G54 (9 isolates), and HapE (1 isolate), and
A. terreus
isolates (2 wild-type isolates and 1 isolate with an M217I CYP51A alteration), were analyzed. EUCAST E.Def 9.2 and CLSI M38-A2 MIC susceptibility testing was performed. ASP2397 MIC
50
values (in milligrams per liter, with MIC ranges in parentheses) determined by EUCAST and CLSI were 0.5 (0.25 to 1) and 0.25 (0.06 to 0.25) against
A. fumigatus
CYP51A wild-type isolates and were similarly 0.5 (0.125 to >4) and 0.125 (0.06 to >4) against azole-resistant
A. fumigatus
isolates, respectively. These values were comparable to those for amphotericin B, which were 0.25 (0.125 to 0.5) and 0.25 (0.125 to 0.25) against wild-type isolates and 0.25 (0.125 to 1) and 0.25 (0.125 to 1) against isolates with azole resistance mechanisms, respectively. In contrast, MICs for the azole compounds were elevated and highest for itraconazole: >4 (1 to >4) and 4 (0.5 to >4) against isolates with azole resistance mechanisms compared to 0.125 (0.125 to 0.25) and 0.125 (0.06 to 0.25) against wild-type isolates, respectively. ASP2397 was active against
A. terreus
CYP51A wild-type isolates (MIC 0.5 to 1), whereas MICs of both azole and ASP2397 were elevated for the mutant isolate. ASP2397 displayed
in vitro
activity against
A. fumigatus
and
A. terreus
isolates which was independent of the presence or absence of azole target gene resistance mutations in
A. fumigatus
. The findings are promising at a time when azole-resistant
A. fumigatus
is emerging globally.