bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Proteinuria and glomerular hypertrophy in extremely low‐birthweight children
Authors: Hayashi Asako , Santo Yoko , Satomura Kenichi 
Published: August 2014

AbstractBackgroundOf late, there is an increased awareness of the frequent occurrence of hypertension or proteinuria in adults born at low birthweight.MethodsWe retrospectively studied five children born with extremely low birthweight (ELBW) who were first diagnosed with proteinuria in a school urinary screening program.ResultsThese children were born at 23–25 weeks of gestation, and their birthweight was 532–732 g. Proteinuria was identified in all the subjects in a school urinary screening program when they were 6–15 years old. Renal biopsy showed diffuse increase in glomerular size, consistent with glomerular hypertrophy. There were no findings of mesangial proliferation or glomerular sclerosis. All the subjects had a marked decrease in proteinuria after angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) treatment.ConclusionReduced number of glomeruli associated with prematurity was speculated to have caused compensatory glomerular hyperfiltration, hypertrophy, and hypertension in children born with ELBW when they developed proteinuria. ARB could have been effective for proteinuria by reducing glomerular hypertension. Physicians should be aware of proteinuria in children born with ELBW because there is an increasing number of ELBW survivors as a result of advances in medical technology.
Personalizing Behavioral Interventions Through Single‐Patient (N‐of‐1) Trials
Authors: Davidson Karina W. , Peacock James , Kronish Ian M. , Edmondson Donald 
Published: August 2014

AbstractBehavioral interventions are typically studied with the use of a conventional between‐subject randomized controlled trial (RCT) design. In this design, the effect of an intervention on one group of patients is compared with the effect of a control condition on another group of patients, such that a between‐subject change is tested. A between‐subject design has an underlying assumption that there is a homogenous treatment effect for a behavioral intervention, drug, or psychotherapy and that the way the intervention operates in the study will tend to operate in the same way in many other patients. We review some of the philosophical and practical problems with the use of this design when a clinician is attempting to decide on a course of behavioral treatment aimed at within‐subject change in patients who are likely to have heterogeneous or unique responses to behavioral treatment. We also review the biases inherent in our current clinical practice model, which does not use any empirical data collection or design for testing if a treatment is useful, and also in the conventional between‐subject personalized medicine RCT designs. We propose increased use of single‐patient (also known as N‐of‐1) trials that employ within‐subject designs, in cases where treatment response is heterogeneous – as is the case for most psychological and behavioral treatments. Limitations of such designs include that they can only be used when the treatment is potentially reversible, the patient can act as their own control, and the outcome can be measured repeatedly. Increased use of within‐subject trials may address in many more instances the more clinically relevant question of how a specific patient will respond to a specific treatment and could introduce a more harmonious scientific approach into the way we treat our patients. We have incorporated a case presentation that illustrates the complexities of applying evidence drawn from these different designs to selecting and evaluating treatments for the behavioral issues commonly faced by clinicians and patients.
Evaluations in Their Social Context: Distance Regulates Consistency and Context Dependence
Authors: Ledgerwood Alison 
Published: August 2014

AbstractWhen and why do people's likes and dislikes flexibly tune to the current context, and when do they remain consistent? Ideas about flexibility and consistency have permeated the attitude literature throughout its history. Building on the notion that both flexibility and consistency in evaluative responding can be highly functional as well as highly social, this paper considers the role of distance in guiding people's evaluations to incorporate specific and individualized information that helps immerse them in their current social environment, versus broad and general information that helps them reach beyond their current context and relate to things outside of it. Next, the paper reviews research supporting this perspective, focusing on its implications for understanding how people's evaluations help them tune into different aspects of their social environment — those that tend to be specific to a particular context, and those that tend to be consistently encountered across contexts. The described studies suggest that distance regulates susceptibility to specific and general social influences, as well as the extent to which people's evaluations reflect broad and socially shared morals, values, and ideological principles.
Consequences of narrow crop row spacing and delayed Echinochloa colona and Trianthema portulacastrum emergence for weed growth and crop yield loss in maize
Authors: Fahad S , Hussain S , Saud S , Hassan S , Muhammad H , Shan D , Chen C , Wu C , Xiong D , Khan S B , Jan A , Cui K , Huang J 
Published: August 2014

SummaryEchinochloa colona and Trianthema portulacastrum are weeds of maize that cause significant yield losses in the Indo‐Gangetic Plains. Field experiments were conducted in 2009 and 2010 to determine the influence of row spacing (15, 25 and 35 cm) and emergence time of E. colona and T. portulacastrum (0, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55 days after maize emergence; DAME) on weed growth and productivity of maize. A season‐long weed‐free treatment and a weedy control were also used to estimate maize yield and weed seed production. Crop row spacing as well as weed emergence time had a significant influence on plant height, shoot biomass and seed production of both weed species and grain yield of maize in both years. Delay in emergence of weeds resulted in less plant height, shoot biomass and seed production. However, increase in productivity of maize was observed by delay in weed emergence. Likewise, growth of both weed species was less in narrow row spacing (15 cm) of maize, as compared with wider rows (25 and 35 cm). Maximum seed production of both weeds was observed in weedy control plots, where there was no competition with maize crop and weeds were in rows 35 cm apart. Nevertheless, maximum plant height, shoot biomass and seed production of both weed species were observed in 35 cm rows, when weeds emerged simultaneously with maize. Both weed species produced only 3–5 seeds per plant, when they were emerged at 55 DAME in crop rows spaced at 15 cm. Infestation of both weeds at every stage of crop led to significant crop yield loss in maize. Our results suggested that narrow row spacing and delay in weed emergence led to reduced weed growth and seed production and enhanced maize grain yield and therefore could be significant constituents of integrated weed management strategies in maize.
Computation of Mordell–Weil bases for ordinary elliptic curves in characteristic two
Authors: Moehlmann G. 
Published: August 2014

AbstractIn this paper we consider ordinary elliptic curves over global function fields of characteristic $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}2$. We present a method for performing a descent by using powers of the Frobenius and the Verschiebung. An examination of the local images of the descent maps together with a duality theorem yields information about the global Selmer groups. Explicit models for the homogeneous spaces representing the elements of the Selmer groups are given and used to construct independent points on the elliptic curve. As an application we use descent maps to prove an upper bound for the naive height of an $S$-integral point on $A$. To illustrate our methods, a detailed example is presented.
Approximating the densest sublattice from Rankin’s inequality
Authors: Li Jianwei , Nguyen Phong Q. 
Published: August 2014

AbstractWe present a higher-dimensional generalization of the Gama–Nguyen algorithm (STOC ’08) for approximating the shortest vector problem in a lattice. This generalization approximates the densest sublattice by using a subroutine solving the exact problem in low dimension, such as the Dadush–Micciancio algorithm (SODA ’13). Our approximation factor corresponds to a natural inequality on Rankin’s constant derived from Rankin’s inequality.
Interspecies Allometric Scaling of Antimalarial Drugs and Potential Application to Pediatric Dosing
Authors: Senarathna S. M. D. K. Ganga , Batty Kevin T. 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACTPharmacopeial recommendations for administration of antimalarial drugs are the same weight-based (mg/kg of body weight) doses for children and adults. However, linear calculations are known to underestimate pediatric doses; therefore, interspecies allometric scaling data may have a role in predicting doses in children. We investigated the allometric scaling relationships of antimalarial drugs using data from pharmacokinetic studies in mammalian species. Simple allometry (Y=a×Wb) was utilized and compared to maximum life span potential (MLP) correction. All drugs showed a strong correlation with clearance (CL) in healthy controls. Insufficient data from malaria-infected species other than humans were available for allometric scaling. The allometric exponents (b) for CL of artesunate, dihydroartemisinin (from intravenous artesunate), artemether, artemisinin, clindamycin, piperaquine, mefloquine, and quinine were 0.71, 0.85, 0.66, 0.83, 0.62, 0.96, 0.52, and 0.40, respectively. Clearance was significantly lower in malaria infection than in healthy (adult) humans for quinine (0.07 versus 0.17 liter/h/kg;P= 0.0002) and dihydroartemisinin (0.81 versus 1.11 liters/h/kg;P= 0.04; power = 0.6). Interpolation of simple allometry provided better estimates of CL for children than MLP correction, which generally underestimated CL values. Pediatric dose calculations based on simple allometric exponents were 10 to 70% higher than pharmacopeial (mg/kg) recommendations. Interpolation of interspecies allometric scaling could provide better estimates than linear scaling of adult to pediatric doses of antimalarial drugs; however, the use of a fixed exponent for CL was not supported in the present study. The variability in allometric exponents for antimalarial drugs also has implications for scaling of fixed-dose combinations.
Structure, Activity, and Inhibition of the Carboxyltransferase β-Subunit of Acetyl Coenzyme A Carboxylase (AccD6) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Reddy Manchi C. M. , Breda Ardala , Bruning John B. , Sherekar Mukul , Valluru Spandana , Thurman Cory , Ehrenfeld Hannah , Sacchettini James C. 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT

In
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
, the carboxylation of acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) to produce malonyl-CoA, a building block in long-chain fatty acid biosynthesis, is catalyzed by two enzymes working sequentially: a biotin carboxylase (AccA) and a carboxyltransferase (AccD). While the exact roles of the three different biotin carboxylases (AccA1 to -3) and the six carboxyltransferases (AccD1 to -6) in
M. tuberculosis
are still not clear, AccD6 in complex with AccA3 can synthesize malonyl-CoA from acetyl-CoA. A series of 10 herbicides that target plant acetyl-CoA carboxylases (ACC) were tested for inhibition of AccD6 and for whole-cell activity against
M. tuberculosis
. From the tested herbicides, haloxyfop, an arylophenoxypropionate, showed
in vitro
inhibition of
M. tuberculosis
AccD6, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) of 21.4 ± 1 μM. Here, we report the crystal structures of
M. tuberculosis
AccD6 in the apo form (3.0 Å) and in complex with haloxyfop-
R
(2.3 Å). The structure of
M. tuberculosis
AccD6 in complex with haloxyfop-
R
shows two molecules of the inhibitor bound on each AccD6 subunit. These results indicate the potential for developing novel therapeutics for tuberculosis based on herbicides with low human toxicity.
The Novel Macrolide-Lincosamide-Streptogramin B Resistance Gene
erm
(44) Is Associated with a Prophage in Staphylococcus xylosus
Authors: Wipf Juliette R. K. , Schwendener Sybille , Perreten Vincent 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT

A novel erythromycin ribosome methylase gene,
erm
(44), that confers resistance to macrolide, lincosamide, and streptogramin B (MLS
B
) antibiotics was identified by whole-genome sequencing of the chromosome of
Staphylococcus xylosus
isolated from bovine mastitis milk. The
erm
(44) gene is preceded by a regulatory sequence that encodes two leader peptides responsible for the inducible expression of the methylase gene, as demonstrated by cloning in
Staphylococcus aureus
. The
erm
(44) gene is located on a 53-kb putative prophage designated ΦJW4341-pro. The 56 predicted open reading frames of ΦJW4341-pro are structurally organized into the five functional modules found in members of the family
Siphoviridae
. ΦJW4341-pro is site-specifically integrated into the
S. xylosus
chromosome, where it is flanked by two perfect 19-bp direct repeats, and exhibits the ability to circularize. The presence of
erm
(44) in three additional
S. xylosus
strains suggests that this putative prophage has the potential to disseminate MLS
B
resistance.
Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of Intravenous Nemonoxacin in Healthy Chinese Volunteers
Authors: Cao Guo-ying , Zhang Jing , Zhang Ying-yuan , Guo Bei-ning , Yu Ji-cheng , Wu Xiao-jie , Chen Yuan-cheng , Wu Ju-Fang , Shi Yao-guo 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT

Nemonoxacin (TG-873870) is a novel nonfluorinated quinolone with potent broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and atypical pathogens, including vancomycin-nonsusceptible methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA), quinolone-resistant MRSA, quinolone-resistant
Streptococcus pneumoniae
, penicillin-resistant
S. pneumoniae
, and erythromycin-resistant
S. pneumoniae
. This first-in-human study was aimed at assessing the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic properties of intravenous nemonoxacin in healthy Chinese volunteers. The study comprised a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose escalating safety and tolerability study in 92 subjects and a randomized, single-dose, open-label, 3-period Latin-square crossover pharmacokinetic study in 12 subjects. The study revealed that nemonoxacin infusion was well tolerated up to the maximum dose of 1,250 mg, and the acceptable infusion rates ranged from 0.42 to 5.56 mg/min. Drug-related adverse events (AEs) were mild, transient, and confined to local irritation at the injection site. The pharmacokinetic study revealed that after the administration of 250, 500, and 750 mg of intravenous nemonoxacin, the maximum plasma drug concentration (
C
max
) values were 4.826 μg/ml, 7.152 μg/ml, and 11.029 μg/ml, respectively. The corresponding values for the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 72 hours (AUC
0–72 h
) were 17.05 μg · h/ml, 39.30 μg · h/ml, and 61.98 μg · h/ml. The mean elimination half-life (
t
1/2
) was 11 h, and the mean cumulative drug excretion rate within 72 h ranged from 64.93% to 77.17%. Volunteers treated with 250 to 750 mg nemonoxacin exhibited a linear dose-response relationship between the AUC
0–72 h
and AUC
0–∞
. These findings provide further support for the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic properties of intravenous nemonoxacin. (This study has been registered at
ClinicalTrials.gov
under registration no. NCT01944774.)
Antibiotic Selection of Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 in a Mouse Intestinal Colonization Model
Authors: Boetius Hertz Frederik , Løbner-Olesen Anders , Frimodt-Møller Niels 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT

The ability of different antibiotics to select for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
Escherichia coli
remains a topic of discussion. In a mouse intestinal colonization model, we evaluated the selective abilities of nine common antimicrobials (cefotaxime, cefuroxime, dicloxacillin, clindamycin, penicillin, ampicillin, meropenem, ciprofloxacin, and amdinocillin) against a CTX-M-15-producing
E. coli
sequence type 131 (ST131) isolate with a fluoroquinolone resistance phenotype. Mice (8 per group) were orogastrically administered 0.25 ml saline with 10
8
CFU/ml
E. coli
ST131. On that same day, antibiotic treatment was initiated and given subcutaneously once a day for three consecutive days. CFU of
E. coli
ST131,
Bacteroides
, and Gram-positive aerobic bacteria in fecal samples were studied, with intervals, until day 8.
Bacteroides
was used as an indicator organism for impact on the Gram-negative anaerobic population. For three antibiotics, prolonged colonization was investigated with additional fecal CFU counts determined on days 10 and 14 (cefotaxime, dicloxacillin, and clindamycin). Three antibiotics (cefotaxime, dicloxacillin, and clindamycin) promoted overgrowth of
E. coli
ST131 (
P
< 0.05). Of these, only clindamycin suppressed
Bacteroides
, while the remaining two antibiotics had no negative impact on
Bacteroides
or Gram-positive organisms. Only clindamycin treatment resulted in prolonged colonization. The remaining six antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, did not promote overgrowth of
E. coli
ST131 (
P
> 0.95), nor did they suppress
Bacteroides
or Gram-positive organisms. The results showed that antimicrobials both with and without an impact on Gram-negative anaerobes can select for ESBL-producing
E. coli
, indicating that not only Gram-negative anaerobes have a role in upholding colonization resistance. Other, so-far-unknown bacterial populations must be of importance for preventing colonization by incoming
E. coli
.
Contribution of teg49 Small RNA in the 5′ Upstream Transcriptional Region of
sarA
to Virulence in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Kim Samin , Reyes Dindo , Beaume Marie , Francois Patrice , Cheung Ambrose 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT

High-throughput RNA sequencing technology has found the 5′ untranslated region of
sarA
to contain two putative small RNAs (sRNAs), designated teg49 and teg48. Northern blot analysis disclosed that teg49 and teg48 were detectable within the P3-P1 and P1
sarA
promoter regions, respectively. Focusing on teg49, we found that this sRNA, consisting of 196 nucleotides, is transcribed in the same direction as the
sarA
P3 transcript. The expression of both P3 and teg49 transcripts is dependent on
sigB
and
cshA
, which encodes a DEAD box RNA helicase. Within the sRNA teg49, there are two putative hairpin-loop structures, HP1 and HP2. Transversion mutation of the HP1 loop produced a smaller amount of
sarA
P3 and P2 transcripts and SarA protein than the corresponding HP1 stem and the HP2 stem and loop mutations, leading to lower RNAII transcription and derepression of
aur
transcription. The HP1 loop mutant also exhibited less biofilm formation than the parental and complemented strains. Complementation with shuttle plasmid pEPSA5 carrying teg49 was able to reestablish
sarA
P3 and P2 transcription and augment RNAII expression in the HP1 loop mutant. We thus conclude that teg49, embedded within the extended promoter regions of
sarA
, is modulated by
sigB
and
cshA
and plays an important
trans
-acting role in modulating the transcription and ensuing expression of
sarA
.
Is there sufficient evidence for tuning fork tests in diagnosing fractures? A systematic review
Authors: Mugunthan Kayalvili , Doust Jenny , Kurz Bodo , Glasziou Paul 
Published: August 2014

ObjectiveTo determine the diagnostic accuracy of tuning fork tests for detecting fractures.DesignSystematic review of primary studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of tuning fork tests for the presence of fracture.Data sourceWe searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, EMBASE, Sports Discus, CAB Abstracts and Web of Science from commencement to November 2012. We manually searched the reference lists of any review papers and any identified relevant studies.Study selection and data extractionTwo reviewers independently reviewed the list of potentially eligible studies and rated the studies for quality using the QUADAS-2 tool. Data were extracted to form 2×2 contingency tables. The primary outcome measure was the accuracy of the test as measured by its sensitivity and specificity with 95% CIs.Data synthesisWe included six studies (329 patients), with two types of tuning fork tests (pain induction and loss of sound transmission). The studies included patients with an age range 7–60 years. The prevalence of fracture ranged from 10% to 80%. The sensitivity of the tuning fork tests was high, ranging from 75% to 100%. The specificity of the tests was highly heterogeneous, ranging from 18% to 95%.ConclusionsBased on the studies in this review, tuning fork tests have some value in ruling out fractures, but are not sufficiently reliable or accurate for widespread clinical use. The small sample size of the studies and the observed heterogeneity make generalisable conclusion difficult.
Rescuer-limited cardiopulmonary resuscitation as an alternative to 2-min switched CPR in the setting of inhospital cardiac arrest: a randomised cross-over study
Authors: Jo Choong Hyun , Cho Gyu Chong , Ahn Jung Hwan , Park Yoo Seok , Lee Chang Hee 
Published: August 2014

BackgroundThe 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) recommend that chest compression be rotated every 2 min to prevent rescuer fatigue. However, the quality of chest compression using 2-min switched CPR tends to decrease rapidly due to rescuer fatigue. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of use of 2-min switched CPR and rescuer-limited CPR (the person performing compressions is allowed to switch with another rescuer prior to 2 min if feeling fatigued) in the setting of inhospital cardiac arrest.MethodsUsing a randomised cross-over trial design, 90 medical students were grouped into pairs to perform four cycles of 2-min switched CPR and rescuer-limited CPR (495 s per technique). During each trial, the total number of compressions performed, mean depth of compression and proportion of effective compressions performed (compression depth >5 mm) were recorded for identification of significant differences and changes in pulse rate and RR were measured to determine the extent of exhaustion.ResultsCompared with 2-min switched CPR, the mean compression was deeper (51 vs 47 mm, p<0.001), total number of compressions greater (476 vs 397, p=0.003) and proportion of effective compressions greater (56% vs 47%, p=0.004) during rescuer-limited CPR. Subgroup analysis by 30-s unit showed more consistent compression quality during rescuer-limited CPR. No significant differences in change in pulse rate and RR were found between the two techniques.ConclusionsRescuer-limited CPR yields a greater number of effective compressions and more consistent quality of CPR than 2-min switched CPR. Rescuer-limited CPR might be a suitable alternative for treating inhospital cardiac arrest.