bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Screening and identification of potential sex‐associated sequences in Danio rerio
Authors: Luzio Ana , Coimbra Ana M. , Benito César , Fontaínhas‐Fernandes António A. , Matos Manuela 
Published: May 2015

SUMMARYCurrent knowledge on zebrafish (Danio rerio) suggests that sex determination has a polygenic genetic basis in this species, although environmental factors may also be involved. This study aimed to identify sex‐associated genomic regions using two different marker systems: inter‐simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) and random‐amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs). Two bulks were constructed: one with DNA from zebrafish females and the other from males; then, a total of 100 ISSR and 280 RAPD primers were tested. Three DNA fragments presenting sexual dimorphism (female‐linked: OPA17436 and OPQ191027; male‐linked: OPQ19951) were determined from sequential analysis of the bulks followed by assessment in individuals. These fragments were cloned and convert into the following sequenced characterized amplified regions (SCAR): DrSM_F1, DrSM_F2, and DrSM_M, which share identities with sequences located in chromosomes 2, 3, and 11 (Zv9), respectively. Using these potential markers in zebrafish samples it was possible to correctly identify 80% of the males (DrSM_M) and 100% of the females (DrSM_F1 + DrSM_F2) in the analyzed population. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 82: 756–764, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Job Demand and Job Satisfaction in Latent Groups of Turnover Intention Among Licensed Nurses in Taiwan Nursing Homes
Authors: Chen I‐Hui , Brown Roger , Bowers Barbara J. , Chang Wen‐Yin 
Published: May 2015

AbstractNurses' turnover intention is not dichotomous; it may reflect intent to leave the profession, intent to leave a type of facility, or intent to leave a specific workplace. In a latent class analysis (LCA) of data from 186 licensed nurses (RNs and LPNs) recruited from 25 nursing homes (NHs) in Taiwan, we classified nurses into turnover intention subgroups based on seven questionnaire items and used a multilevel contrast analysis to characterize the subgroups according to demographic and facility factors, job demand, and job satisfaction. A multilevel probit model was used to examine how job demand and job satisfaction influenced subgroup membership. Three turnover subgroups were identified: high turnover intention (12%), middle turnover intention (57%), and low turnover intention (31%). The high turnover intention subgroup comprised the youngest nurses and had the lowest percentage of registered nurses (RNs); nurses in this subgroup had worked the longest at the current NH and had the greatest likelihood of working at a for‐profit facility. Nurses in the middle turnover intention subgroup had the lowest likelihood of working at a for‐profit facility. Nurses in the low turnover intention subgroup were primarily RNs and had the shortest work experience in the current facility. Nurses in the high and middle turnover intention subgroups reported lower intrinsic job satisfaction than those with low turnover intention. Extrinsic job satisfaction mediated the relationship between job demand and turnover intention subgroup assignment. The results of this LCA can help target interventions to address heterogeneity of turnover intention and ultimately lessen turnover. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Vitamin E pretreatment prevents histopathological effects in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) acutely exposed to cylindrospermopsin
Authors: Guzmán‐Guillén Remedios , Prieto Ortega Ana I. , Gutiérrez‐Praena Daniel , Moreno Isabel M. , Moyano Rosario , Blanco Alfonso , Cameán Ana M. 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACTCylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a cyanotoxin frequently involved in blooms with a predominantly extracellular availability, which makes it easily taken up by a variety of aquatic organisms. CYN is a potent protein and glutathione synthesis inhibitor, and also induces genotoxicity, oxidative stress and several histopathological lesions. The present study investigates the protective role of a vitamin E pretreatment (700 mg vit E/kg fish bw/day, for 7 days) on the histopathological alterations induced in different organs of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) acutely exposed to a single oral dose of 400 µg pure CYN/kg bw fish. The major histological changes observed were degenerative glucogenic process and loss of the hepatic structure in the liver, glomerulopathy and tubular tumefaction in the kidney, myofibrolysis and edema in the heart, catarrhal enteritis and necrosis in the gastrointestinal tract, hyperemic processes in the gill lamellae, and high basophilia, degeneration and tumefaction of granular neurons in the brain. Vitamin E pretreatment was effective in preventing or ameliorating the abovementioned alterations induced by CYN. In addition, a morphometric study indicated that the average nuclear diameter of hepatocytes, and cross‐sections of proximal and distal convoluted tubules, together with the cardiac fiber and capillaries diameters represent a useful tool to evaluate the damage induced by CYN. This is the first study reporting vitamin E prevention of histopathological damage in tissues (liver, kidney, heart, gastrointestinal tract, gills and brain) of fish intoxicated with CYN. Therefore, vitamin E can be considered a useful chemoprotectant in the treatment of histopathological changes induced in CYN‐intoxicated fish. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1469–1485, 2016.
Iodine and pregnancy – a UK cross-sectional survey of dietary intake, knowledge and awareness
Authors: Combet E. , Bouga M. , Pan B. , Lean M. E. J. , Christopher C. O. 
Published: May 2015

Iodine is a key component of the thyroid hormones, which are critical for healthy growth, development and metabolism. The UK population is now classified as mildly iodine-insufficient. Adequate levels of iodine during pregnancy are essential for fetal neurodevelopment, and mild iodine deficiency is linked to developmental impairments. In the absence of prophylaxis in the UK, awareness of nutritional recommendations during pregnancy would empower mothers to make the right dietary choices leading to adequate iodine intake. The present study aimed to: estimate mothers' dietary iodine intake in pregnancy (using a FFQ); assess awareness of the importance of iodine in pregnancy with an understanding of existing pregnancy dietary and lifestyle recommendations with relevance for iodine; examine the level of confidence in meeting adequate iodine intake. A cross-sectional survey was conducted and questionnaires were distributed between August 2011 and February 2012 on local (Glasgow) and national levels (online electronic questionnaire); 1026 women, UK-resident and pregnant or mother to a child aged up to 36 months participated in the study. While self-reported awareness about general nutritional recommendations during pregnancy was high (96 %), awareness of iodine-specific recommendations was very low (12 %), as well as the level of confidence of how to achieve adequate iodine intake (28 %). Median pregnancy iodine intake, without supplements, calculated from the FFQ, was 190 μg/d (interquartile range 144–256μg/d), which was lower than that of the WHO's recommended intake for pregnant women (250 μg/d). Current dietary recommendations in pregnancy, and their dissemination, are found not to equip women to meet the requirements for iodine intake.
Case report of a p16INK4A-positive branchial cleft cyst
Authors: McLean T , Iseli C , Amott D , Taylor M 
Published: May 2015

AbstractObjective:To report the occurrence of a concurrent oropharyngeal papilloma and branchial cleft cyst linked by p16INK4Aand human papillomavirus immunohistochemistry.Case report:A 42-year-old woman presented with a 1-month history of a left lateral neck mass. Contrast enhanced computed tomography showed a hypodense lesion 20 mm in diameter anteromedial to the left sternocleidomastoid muscle. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration suggested a branchial cleft cyst. Panendoscopy was performed at the time of neck mass removal, and a papillomatous lesion was removed from the left hypopharynx. Histopathological analysis showed the neck lesion to be a branchial cyst containing lymphoid tissue, and the oral lesion to be a squamous papilloma. Immunohistochemical analysis showed both the branchial cleft cyst and papilloma to be positive for p16INK4Aexpression and human papillomavirus DNA.Conclusion:Histological and immunohistochemical analyses support the cystic transformation of lymph nodes, or the ‘Inclusion Theory’, as the aetiology of branchial apparatus anomalies, and raise the possibility that human papillomavirus infection may play a much larger role in disease of the head and neck than previously supposed.
Evaluation of a nasal surgical questionnaire designed for monitoring surgical outcomes and comparing different techniques
Authors: Haye R , Døsen L K , Shiryaeva O , Amlie E 
Published: May 2015

AbstractObjective:This study evaluated a nasal surgical questionnaire designed for monitoring surgical outcomes and comparing different techniques.Methods:Eighty-three healthy volunteers answered the same questionnaire twice with a minimum interval of five weeks. Three visual analogue scale items were used to assess nasal obstruction during the day, at night and during exercise. Respondents rated nasal obstruction severity by marking on a 10 cm line, with scores ranging from 0 to 100 (measured in millimetres). Other nasal symptoms, considered secondary outcomes, were graded using four-point Likert scales.Results:Mean visual analogue scale scores for nasal obstruction severity experienced during the day, at night and during exercise at initial assessment were 9.99, 12.95 and 11.67, respectively. Thirty-eight per cent of scores indicated no obstruction (scores of 0), 47 per cent indicated mild obstruction (scores 1–30), 13 per cent indicated moderate obstruction (scores 31–70) and 2 per cent indicated severe obstruction (scores 71–100). Males had higher scores than females. The scores for the first and second assessment did not differ, except at night for obstruction in allergic individuals which was considered clinically unimportant.Conclusion:The questionnaire reliably assesses nasal symptoms and may be useful for prospective studies of nasal surgery.
Robotic thyroidectomy versus conventional open thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer: meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Y-C , Liu K , Xiong J-J , Zhu J-Q 
Published: May 2015

AbstractObjective:To conduct a meta-analysis to compare the short-term outcomes of robotic thyroidectomy and conventional open thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer.Methods:Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index Expanded and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant literature. The evaluated endpoints were intra-operative and post-operative outcomes.Results:Twelve eligible, non-randomised comparative studies involving 2513 patients were included, with 923 patients in the robotic thyroidectomy group and 1590 patients in the conventional open thyroidectomy group. Meta-analysis results revealed that robotic thyroidectomy was associated with significantly longer operative time and a lower number of retrieved central lymph nodes, as compared with conventional open thyroidectomy. No significant differences were found between robotic thyroidectomy and conventional open thyroidectomy in terms of post-operative outcomes.Conclusion:Robotic thyroidectomy appears to be a feasible and safe surgical procedure for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. However, more high-quality randomised clinical trials should be undertaken to confirm these findings.
Depositional environments, sediment characteristics, palaeoecological analysis and environmental assessment of an internationally protected shallow Mediterranean lagoon, Gialova Lagoon – Navarino Bay, Greece
Authors: Avramidis P. , Iliopoulos G. , Kontopoulos N. , Panagiotaras D. , Barouchas P. , Nikolaou K. , Papadopoulou P. 
Published: May 2015

ABSTRACTThis study presents sedimentological, palaeoecological and geochemical data from a shallow Mediterranean coastal lagoon which has been severely influenced by human intervention over the last 70 years. The Gialova Lagoon is protected by international conventions and is listed in the Natura 2000 European Community Network as Special Protection Area (SPA) and Site of Community Importance (SCI). The spatial variability of sediment characteristics such as grain size, total organic carbon (TOC) and moment measures, mean, sorting, kurtosis and skewness were calculated. Moreover, micro- and macrofossil and sediment geochemical analyses were carried out on six gravity core samples. Study of the above parameters indicates that the anthropogenic impact and intervention are reflected in the micro- (ostracods, foraminifera, charophytes) and macrofossil (molluscs) taxa corresponding to different depositional environmental facies, representing a brackish lagoon with the influence of (a) fresh water inflow, (b) shallow marine environment and (c) hypoxic and dystrophic conditions. The geochemical characteristics and the calculation of the degree of sediment contamination using enrichment factors (EF), contamination factors (Cif) and the index of geo-accumulation (Igeo) indicate a recent relative improvement of the lagoon towards the upper layers of the gravity cores, rendering the lagoon as unpolluted to moderately polluted. This combinatorial study of sediment geochemical characteristics, as well as the downcore micro- and macrofossil assemblages, can be considered as a baseline for future monitoring in accordance with European Union directives, and for any future engineering interventions for the lagoon environmental maintenance and conservation; as this is the first time that geochemical and downcore palaeoecological data have been presented from this lagoon.
Nonlinear costs of reproduction in a long‐lived plant
Authors: Sletvold Nina , Ågren Jon 
Published: May 2015

Summary

A trade‐off between current reproduction and future performance is a key component of life‐history theory, but the shape of this trade‐off for any specific fitness component remains elusive.

We induced three to five levels of reproductive effort (RE) by manipulating fruit set of a long‐lived orchid in two populations that differed in the length of the growing season and local climate and examined survival, size and fecundity the following year.

Natural fruit set was 72% higher in the long‐season population, but was not associated with a significant survival cost in any population. Survival decreased linearly with experimentally increased RE in the short‐season population. In both populations, natural RE incurred growth and fecundity costs, and growth costs increased nonlinearly with diminishing costs at high RE. Fecundity costs increased linearly with RE in the long‐season population, but nonlinearly with diminishing costs at high RE in the other.

The results demonstrate that the shape of the cost function may be nonlinear with context‐dependent intercept, slope and curvature. They are consistent with the prediction that survival costs appear only when RE exceeds natural levels, while growth and fecundity costs are evident at natural RE.

Synthesis. We suggest that studies inducing multiple levels of RE are required to understand life‐history trade‐offs and their context dependence. This kind of information is fundamental for an understanding of the link between environmental heterogeneity, adaptive differentiation and life‐history evolution.
No Accounting for Tax Avoidance
Authors: Sikka Prem 
Published: May 2015

AbstractIn the 2010–15 Parliaments, the UK House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts held hearings and investigated some of the operations of the tax avoidance industry. Its reports have been highly critical of the role of big accountancy firms in designing, marketing and implementing tax avoidance schemes which have enabled their clients to avoid taxes. The Committee's recommendations set a reform agenda but drew a lukewarm response from the government. An examination of the Committee's reports provides an indication of the trajectories of future debates and policies.
Assessment of beverages made from milk, soya milk and whey using Iranian kefir starter culture
Authors: Abdolmaleki Farzaneh , Mazaheri Assadi Mahnaz , Akbarirad Hamid 
Published: May 2015

Kefir starter culture was used for the production of beverages, and some chemical and microbiological parameter changes were determined during 24 h of fermentation and then after 2, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of storage at 4 °C. Three different substrates (milk, whey and soya milk) were used as fermentation media for the kefir starter culture. After the fermentation, the carbohydrate content and pH decreased, but the dry matter and fat content of the beverages were not significantly different from their substrates. During storage, lactic acid bacteria in the beverages decreased, while yeasts increased and carbohydrate, ethanol and pH changed significantly in the three beverages.
Fitness and physiology ofAdelges tsugae(Hemiptera: Adelgidae) in relation to the health of the eastern hemlock
Authors: Jones Anne C. , Mullins Donald E. , Brewster Carlyle , Rhea James P. , Salom Scott M. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThe hemlock woolly adelgid,Adelges tsugaeAnnand is an invasive insect that frequently causes hemlock (Tsugaspp.) mortality in the eastern United States. Studies have shown that once healthy hemlocks become infested by the adelgid, nutrients are depleted from the tree, leading to both tree decline and a reduction of the adelgid population. SinceA. tsugaeis dependent on hemlock for nutrients, feeding on trees in poor health may affect the ability of the insect to obtain necessary nutrients and may consequently affect their physiological and population health. Trees were categorized as lightly or moderately impacted byA. tsugaebased on quantitative and qualitative tree health measurements. Population health ofA. tsugaeon each tree was determined by measuring insect density and peak mean fecundity;A. tsugaephysiological health was determined by measuring insect biomass, total carbon, carbohydrate, total nitrogen, and amino nitrogen levels.Adelges tsugaefrom moderately impacted trees exhibited significantly greater fecundity than from lightly impacted trees. However,A. tsugaefrom lightly impacted hemlocks contained significantly greater levels of carbohydrates, total nitrogen, and amino nitrogen. While the results of the physiological analysis generally support our hypothesis thatA. tsugaeon lightly impacted trees are healthier than those on moderately impacted trees, this was not reflected in the population health measurements.Adelges tsugaeegg health in response to tree health should be verified. This study provides the first examination ofA. tsugaephysiological health in relation to standardA. tsugaepopulation health measures on hemlocks of different health levels.
Beneficial Effects of Supplementation of the Rare Sugar “D‐allulose” Against Hepatic Steatosis and Severe Obesity inLepob/LepobMice
Authors: Itoh Kouichi , Mizuno Shodo , Hama Sayuri , Oshima Wataru , Kawamata Miku , Hossain Akram , Ishihara Yasuhiro , Tokuda Masaaki 
Published: May 2015

AbstractA rare sugar, D‐allulose (also called D‐psicose), has recently been applied as a food supplement in view of controlling diabetes and obesity in Japan. D‐allulose has been proven to have unique effects against hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in a number of studies using several species of rats and mice. However, the antiobesity effects of D‐allulose have not yet been assessed inLepob/Lepob(ob/ob) mice. Therefore, this study explored the dietary supplemental effects of this sugar in leptin‐deficientob/obmice. Consequently, the subchronic ingestion of D‐allulose inob/obmice for 15 wk significantly decreased the body and liver weights, and the loss of body weight was involved in the reduction of the total fat mass, including abdominal visceral fat, and not fat‐free body mass, including muscle. Furthermore, D‐allulose improved hepatic steatosis, as evaluated using hepatic histological studies and MRI. In the normal mice, none of these parameters were influenced by the single or long‐term ingestion of D‐allulose. These results indicate that dietary supplementation of D‐allulose especially influences postprandial hyperglycemia and obesity‐related hepatic steatosis, without exercise therapy or dietary restriction. Therefore, D‐allulose may be useful as a supplement for preventing and improving obesity and obesity‐related disorders.
Calcium‐Channel Blockers Attenuate the Antiplatelet Effect of Clopidogrel
Authors: Gremmel Thomas , Durstberger Markus , Eichelberger Beate , Koppensteiner Renate , Panzer Simon 
Published: May 2015

SummaryAimsDihydropyridine calcium‐channel blockers (CCBs) inhibit cytochrome 3A4 and could therefore interfere with the conversion of clopidogrel to its active form. The impact of CCBs on the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel has not been studied with assays directly capturing platelet activation to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), so far. We therefore sought to investigate platelet activation in response to ADP by flow cytometry in clopidogrel‐treated patients without and with CCBs.MethodsPlatelet surface P‐selectin expression and activated glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa in response to ADP were determined by flow cytometry in 302 patients on dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel after successful angioplasty with stent implantation.ResultsNinety‐two patients (30.5%) received CCBs. Patients with concomitant CCB therapy showed significantly higher platelet surface expressions of P‐selectin and activated GPIIb/IIIa in response to ADP than patients without CCBs (both P ≤ 0.03). Moreover, the fold increase of P‐selectin and activated GPIIb/IIIa in response to ADP was significantly more pronounced in patients taking CCBs (both P ≤ 0.03). The associations of ADP‐inducible activated GPIIb/IIIa and fold increase of activated GPIIb/IIIa after the addition of ADP with CCB therapy remained significant after adjustment for differences in patient characteristics and factors that were previously associated with clopidogrel response by multivariate regression analyses (both P < 0.05). High levels of ADP‐inducible P‐selectin and activated GPIIb/IIIa were seen significantly more frequent in patients with CCBs than in patients without CCB therapy (both P ≤ 0.01).ConclusionDihydropyridine CCBs attenuate the effect of clopidogrel on ADP‐inducible platelet activation in patients undergoing angioplasty and stenting for cardiovascular disease.
The optimal number of offspring per gamete donor
Authors: Sydsjö Gunilla , Kvist Ulrik , Bladh Marie , Nordgaard Anders 
Published: May 2015

AbstractOur aim was to create a mathematical basis to calculate the risks for unintended matings of consanguineous half‐siblings from a donor in a society with approximately 10 million inhabitants. The Curie–Cohen model for calculation of the risk for consanguineous mating was used. When the number of offspring per donor is limited to 10, then the model gives a yearly risk for consanguineous matings below 1%. Thus 10 offspring gives a risk for consanguineous matings of 0.9% per year, or approximately once in every 100 years. The risk increases exponentially: with 15 offspring it exceeds 2% and with 25 it reaches up above 5%.