bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Peripapillary retinal vessel diameter correlates with mfERG alterations in retinitis pigmentosa
Authors: Lopez Torres Lisette T. , Türksever Cengiz , Schötzau Andreas , Orgül Selim , Todorova Margarita G. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractPurposeTo investigate relationship between the peripapillary retinal vessel diameter and the residual retinal function, measured by mfERG, in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).Patients and MethodsA cross‐sectional study based on 23 patients with RP (43 eyes) and 20 controls (40 eyes) was performed. Retinal vessel diameters were measured using a computer‐based program of the retinal vessel analyser (RVA; IMEDOS Systems UG, Jena, Germany). We evaluated the mean diameter in all four major retinal arterioles (D‐A) and venules (D‐V) within 1.0–1.5 optic disc diameters from the disc margin. The data were compared with the N1 amplitudes (measured from the baseline to the trough of the first negative wave), with the N1P1 amplitudes (measured from the trough of the first negative wave to the peak of the first positive wave) of the mfERG overall response and with the mfERG responses averaged in zones [zone 1 (0°–3°), zone 2 (3°–8°), zone 3 (8°–15°) and zone 4 (15°–24°)].ResultsMean (±SD) D‐A and D‐V were narrower in patients with RP [84.86 μm (±13.37 μm) and 103.35 μm (±13.65 μm), respectively] when compared to controls [92.81 μm (±11.49 μm) and 117.67 μm (±11.93 μm), respectively; the p‐values between groups were p = 0.003 for D‐A and p < 0.001 for D‐V, linear mixed‐effects model]. The RP group revealed clear differences compared to the controls: D‐A and D‐V became narrower with reduced mfERG responses. D‐V correlated significantly with the overall mfERG N1 amplitudes (p = 0.013) and with N1P1 amplitudes (p = 0.016). D‐V correlated with the mfERG amplitudes averaged in zones: (zone 2, 3 and 4; p ≤ 0.040) and N1P1 mfERG amplitudes (zones 1, 2, 3 and 4; p ≤ 0.013).ConclusionsPeripapillary retinal vessel diameter is reduced in RP proportionally to functional alterations.
Review article: alcohol and gut microbiota ‐ the possible role of gut microbiota modulation in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease
Authors: Vassallo G. , Mirijello A. , Ferrulli A. , Antonelli M. , Landolfi R. , Gasbarrini A. , Addolorato G. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryBackgroundAlcohol abuse represents the most common cause of liver disease in the Western countries. Pre‐clinical and clinical studies showed that alcohol consumption affects amount and composition of gut microbiota. Moreover, gut flora plays an important role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver injury.AimTo review the relationship between alcohol administration and changes on gut microbiota, its involvement in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease, and how gut microbiota modulation could be a target for the treatment of alcoholic liver disease.MethodsArticles were identified using the PubMed database with the search terms ‘Alcohol’, ‘Gut Microbiota’, ‘Alcoholic liver disease’, ‘Probiotic’, ‘Prebiotic’, ‘Symbiotic’ and ‘Antibiotic’. English‐language articles were screened for relevance. Full review of publications for the relevant studies was conducted, including additional publications that were identified from individual article reference lists.ResultsAlcohol abuse induces changes in the composition of gut microbiota, although the exact mechanism for this alteration is not well known. The translocation of bacterial products into the portal blood appears to play a key role in alcohol‐induced liver damage. Several studies show that the modulation of gut microbiota seem to be a promising strategy to reduce alcohol‐induced liver injury.ConclusionsFurther studies are needed to better understand the relationship between alcohol administration and changes in gut microbiota, and its involvement in alcoholic liver disease. Moreover larger studies are needed to confirm the preliminary results on the therapeutic effects of gut microbiota modulation.
The 2011–2014 prevalence of eosinophilic oesophagitis in the elderly amongst 10 million patients in the United States
Authors: Maradey‐Romero C. , Prakash R. , Lewis S. , Perzynski A. , Fass R. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryBackgroundEosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) is primarily diagnosed by clinicians. There are less than a handful of epidemiological studies in EoE that have included elderly patients (>65 years).AimTo determine the prevalence of elderly subjects among EoE patients and compare their clinical presentation, associated conditions and treatment modalities with adult and paediatric EoE patients.MethodsA large nationwide database (Explorys) between January 2011 and January 2014 was used. The term ‘Eosinophilic Oesophagitis’ was used in the Explorys search tool. The patient population was divided into three groups, Paediatric (<18 years), Adult (18–65 years) and Elderly (>65 years).ResultsWe identified 4840 patients coded as EoE. The total estimated prevalence was 50.6 cases per 100 000 patients (0.05%). A total of 360 cases (7.44%) were elderly patients with an estimated prevalence rate of 18.6 cases per 100 000. Across all age groups, the majority of EoE patients were Caucasians and males. A significantly greater proportion of older patients had concomitant GERD. Dysphagia was the most common symptom among elderly EoE patients as compared with the paediatric EoE patients (P < 0.001). The proportion of elderly EoE patients with food allergies or asthma was significantly lower as compared with paediatric and adult EoE patients (P < 0.001). Oesophageal dilation and/or proton pump inhibitor treatment were the most commonly used therapeutic modalities in elderly EoE patients.ConclusionEosinophilic oesophagitis is uncommon in elderly subjects and the clinical presentation is markedly different as compared with adults or the paediatric population.
DOES MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION EXIST IN THE MENA REGION? EVIDENCE FROM THE BANKING SECTOR
Authors: Polemis Michael L. 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTThe goal of this paper is to empirically assess the level of banking competition in selected Middle East and Northern African (MENA) countries. The analysis employs the estimation of a non‐structural indicator (H‐statistic) introduced by Panzar and Rosse and draws upon a panel dataset of eight MENA countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) over the period 1997–2012. The empirical findings are robust towards three different panel data econometric techniques (Ordinary Least Squares, Pooled Generalized Least Squares with Fixed Effects, and Generalized Method of Moments) and consistent with other similar studies, providing sufficient evidence in favour of a banking monopolistic competition regime. Furthermore, the estimation of three other alternative measures of competition (Lerner index, adjusted Lerner index, and conduct parameter) provides similar results, revealing that the banking sector in the MENA region is characterized by a low level of Significant Market Power (SMP). Overall, the analysis shows that, despite similarities in the process of financial regulatory reforms undertaken in the eight MENA countries, the observed competition levels of banks vary substantially, with Algeria and Morocco consistently outperforming the rest of the region.
Some Anti‐Inflammatory Agents Inhibit Esterase Activities of Human Carbonic Anhydrase Isoforms I and II: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Alım Zuhal , Kılınç Namık , İşgör Mehmet M. , Şengül Bülent , Beydemir Şükrü 
Published: March 2015

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are known as a drug–target enzymes. The inhibitors of the enzyme are important compounds for discovering new therapeutic agents and understanding in detail protein–drug interactions at the molecular level. For this purpose, the in vitro effects of some anti‐inflammatory agents such as tenoxicam, fluorometholone acetate, and dexamethasone were investigated on esterase activity of human erythrocyte CA‐I and CA‐II in this study. hCA‐I and hCA‐II were purified by affinity chromatography with a yield of 47.25% and 87%, and a specific activity of 642.8 EU/mg proteins and 5576.9 EU/mg proteins, respectively. SDS‐PAGE was performed to determine the purity of the enzymes. Inhibitory effects of the drugs on hCA‐I and hCA‐II were determined by spectrophotometric method. IC50 values for hCA‐I and hCA‐II were 0.198, 2.18, 11.7, 0.11, 17.5 and 14 μm using tenoxicam, fluorometholone acetate, and dexamethasone, respectively. For fluorometholone acetate and dexamethasone, Ki values from Lineweaver–Burk plots were obtained as 1.044 and 21.2 μm (noncompetitive) for hCA‐I and 9.98 and 8.66 μm (non‐competitive) for hCA‐II. In conclusion, tenoxicam, fluorometholone acetate, and dexamethasone showed potent inhibitory effects on esterase activity of hCA‐I and hCA‐II isozymes under in vitro conditions.
Blood eosinophils as a marker of likely corticosteroid response in children with preschool wheeze: time for an eosinophil guided clinical trial?
Authors: Gaillard E. A. , McNamara P. S. , Murray C. S. , Pavord I. D. , Shields M. D. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryChildhood wheezing is common particularly in children under the age of 6 years and in this age group is generally referred to as preschool wheezing. Particular diagnostic and treatment uncertainties exist in these young children due to the difficulty in obtaining objective evidence of reversible airways narrowing and inflammation. A diagnosis of asthma depends on the presence of relevant clinical signs and symptoms and the demonstration of reversible airways narrowing on lung function testing, which is difficult to perform in young children. Few treatments are available and inhaled corticosteroids are the recommended preventer treatment in most international asthma guidelines. There is, however, considerable controversy about its effectiveness in children with preschool wheeze and a corticosteroid responder phenotype has not been established. These diagnostic and treatment uncertainties in conjunction with the knowledge of corticosteroid side effects, in particular the reduction of growth velocity, have resulted in a variable approach to inhaled corticosteroid prescribing by medical practitioners and a reluctance in carers to regularly administer the treatment. Identifying children who are likely responders to corticosteroid therapy would be a major benefit in the management of this condition. Eosinophils have emerged as a promising biomarker of corticosteroid responsive airways disease, and evaluation of this biomarker in sputum has successfully been employed to direct management in adults with asthma. Obtaining sputum from young children is time consuming and difficult, and it is hard to justify more invasive procedures such as a bronchoscopy in young children routinely. Recently, in children, interest has shifted to assessing the value of less invasive biomarkers of likely corticosteroid response and the biomarker ‘blood eosinophils’ has emerged as an attractive candidate. The aim of this review was to summarize the evidence for blood eosinophils as a predictive biomarker for corticosteroid responsive disease with a particular focus on the difficult area of preschool wheeze.
Simplified procedure for the immediate loading of a complete fixed prosthesis supported by four implants in the maxillary jaw: a 2‐year prospective study
Authors: Piano Sergio , Romeo Eugenio , Sbricoli Luca , Pisoni Gianluca , Cea Niccoló , Lops Diego 
Published: March 2015

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to verify the reliability of a system for the fixed retention of complete maxillary prostheses supported by four implants with a follow‐up of 2 years.Material and methodsPatients were treated between September 2009 and December 2010 with four Straumann Bone Level SLActive implants supporting a complete prosthesis (CPs). The two distal implants were positioned mesially to the maxillary sinus and with a mesio‐distal inclination ≤ 30° in order to reduce the distal prosthesis cantilever. An immediate loading surgical protocol was used. The CPs were planned to be fixed to multibase abutments to test their retention for a fixed rehabilitation. Clinical and radiographic parameters as probing pocket depth (PPD), bleeding score (mBI), plaque index (PI), and marginal bone loss (MBL) were assessed at a 1‐ and 2‐year follow‐up visits. Moreover, any biological and prosthodontic maintenance events were recorded. Clinical and radiographic parameters changes were analyzed.ResultsTwenty‐one patients treated with a total of 84 implants completed the 2‐year examination period. Four patients were lost to follow up. No technical complication was recorded. Also, no implant, reconstruction, or abutment failures were observed. Therefore, an implant and prosthetic survival rate of 100% were achieved after 2 years. The mean periodontal parameter scores after 2 years of function were 2.6 mm for PPD (SD 0.8 mm), 0.3 for mBI (SD 0.5 mm), and 1.2 for PI (SD 0.4 mm) indexes, respectively. In addition, the mean MBL score measured at the 2‐year follow‐up visit was −0.34 mm (SD of −0.45 mm). Furthermore, no peri‐implant soft tissue inflammation or peri‐implant infection was observed.ConclusionsIt has been shown that immediate loading of four implants positioned anteriorly to the maxillary sinus could be a reliable treatment procedure to support fixed complete restorations.
Crestal bone changes in macrogeometrically similar implants with the implant–abutment connection at the crestal bone level or 2.5 mm above: a prospective randomized clinical trial
Authors: van Eekeren Paul , Tahmaseb Ali , Wismeijer Daniël 
Published: March 2015

AbstractObjectiveCrestal bone loss around dental implants is a criterion for success as this could prevent loss of implant and superstructure. The macrogeometry of the implant could influence bone remodelling when the implant–abutment connection is placed at crestal bone level or above. The aim of this study was to evaluate crestal bone remodelling in a randomized clinical prospective trial in macrogeometrically similar implants with the prosthetic connection at the crestal bone level and 2.5 mm above. The null hypothesis was that there was no difference in crestal bone loss after 1 year of early loading.Material and methodsPatients were referred to Academic Centre of Dentistry Amsterdam for implant placement. Patients were subjected to inclusion and exclusion criteria and received a minimum of two implants: an implant with the prosthetic abutment connection at the crestal bone level (minimized collar [MC], bone level) and one with the prosthetic abutment connection 2.5 mm supracrestal (long collar [LC], tissue level). The mesial or distal location of each implant type was blinded for the patient and randomized. The implants were loaded splinted after 3 weeks of healing. The primary outcome was bone‐level change assessed after 1 year of loading.ResultsThirty‐three patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Thirty‐nine Thommen SPI ELEMENT LC implants and 39 MC were placed, and each fixed dental prosthesis was supported by one LC and one MC implant. The intraclass correlation of measures performed by the first and second X‐ray examiner was as follows: on the mesial side of the MC implant 0.990 (0.980–0.995; 95% confidence interval [CI]), 0.980 (0.962–0.990; 95% CI) on the distal side of the MC implant, 0.979 (0.959–0.989; 95% CI) and 0.988 (0.978–0.994; 95% CI) on the mesial and distal side of the LC implant, respectively. The mean bone loss of the MC implant was 0.4 ± 0.4 mm. The mean bone loss of the LC implant was 0.2 ± 0.5 mm. The paired samples t‐test showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between the MC and LC implants.ConclusionDental implants at bone level show statistically significantly (P < 0.05) more crestal bone change after 1 year of loading than a tissue‐level implant.
Validation of virtual‐reality‐based simulations for endoscopic sinus surgery
Authors: Dharmawardana N. , Ruthenbeck G. , Woods C. , Elmiyeh B. , Diment L. , Ooi E.H. , Reynolds K. , Carney A.S. 
Published: March 2015

BackgroundVirtual reality (VR) simulators provide an alternative to real patients for practicing surgical skills but require validation to ensure accuracy. Here, we validate the use of a virtual reality sinus surgery simulator with haptic feedback for training in Otorhinolaryngology ‐ Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS).MethodsParticipants were recruited from final‐year medical students, interns, resident medical officers (RMOs), OHNS registrars and consultants. All participants completed an online questionnaire after performing four separate simulation tasks. These were then used to assess face, content and construct validity. anova with post hoc correlation was used for statistical analysis.ResultsThe following groups were compared: (i) medical students/interns, (ii) RMOs, (iii) registrars and (iv) consultants. Face validity results had a statistically significant (P < 0.05) difference between the consultant group and others, while there was no significant difference between medical student/intern and RMOs. Variability within groups was not significant. Content validity results based on consultant scoring and comments indicated that the simulations need further development in several areas to be effective for registrar‐level teaching. However, students, interns and RMOs indicated that the simulations provide a useful tool for learning OHNS‐related anatomy and as an introduction to ENT‐specific procedures.ConclusionsThe VR simulations have been validated for teaching sinus anatomy and nasendoscopy to medical students, interns and RMOs. However, they require further development before they can be regarded as a valid tool for more advanced surgical training.
Physical activity, sleep duration and metabolic health in children fluctuate with the lunar cycle: science behind the myth
Authors: Sjödin A. , Hjorth M. F. , Damsgaard C. T. , Ritz C. , Astrup A. , Michaelsen K. F. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryBehaviours of several animal species have been linked to lunar periodicity. Evidence for such links in humans is weak; however, recently, shorter sleep duration was reported around full moon in two small samples of adults. As restrictions in sleep duration have been shown to adversely affect glucose regulation and physical activity to improve glucose regulation, one could speculate that cardiometabolic risk factors might also be affected by the lunar phase. We retrospectively examined 795 Danish children, aged 8–11 years, with more than 13 000 24‐h accelerometer recordings of activity and sleep as well as 2000 measurements of different cardiometabolic risk factors, including insulin sensitivity, appetite hormones and blood pressure, during nine lunar phases. During the period around full moon, children were 5.0 and 3.2 min per day less active, slept 2.4 and 4.1 min per night longer, had 0.03 and 0.05 higher homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and 0.6 and 0.8 mmHg higher mean arterial blood pressure compared with days around half moon and new moon, respectively (all P ≤ 0.02). Furthermore, ghrelin was lower and leptin was higher during the period around full moon compared with days around half moon (both P < 0.001). The results suggest that physical activity rather than sleep is responsible for the metabolic alterations observed around full moon. However, we have no understanding of potential mechanisms that may mediate a potential true link between childhood behaviour and the lunar cycle or confounders that may explain this, apparently leading to fluctuation in a number of cardiometabolic risk markers conjointly with lunar phases.
A case study of bats and white‐nose syndrome demonstrating how to model population viability with evolutionary effects
Authors: Maslo Brooke , Fefferman Nina H. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractEcological factors generally affect population viability on rapid time scales. Traditional population viability analyses (PVA) therefore focus on alleviating ecological pressures, discounting potential evolutionary impacts on individual phenotypes. Recent studies of evolutionary rescue (ER) focus on cases in which severe, environmentally induced population bottlenecks trigger a rapid evolutionary response that can potentially reverse demographic threats. ER models have focused on shifting genetics and resulting population recovery, but no one has explored how to incorporate those findings into PVA. We integrated ER into PVA to identify the critical decision interval for evolutionary rescue (DIER) under which targeted conservation action should be applied to buffer populations undergoing ER against extinction from stochastic events and to determine the most appropriate vital rate to target to promote population recovery. We applied this model to little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) affected by white‐nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease causing massive declines in several North American bat populations. Under the ER scenario, the model predicted that the DIER period for little brown bats was within 11 years of initial WNS emergence, after which they stabilized at a positive growth rate (λ = 1.05). By comparing our model results with population trajectories of multiple infected hibernacula across the WNS range, we concluded that ER is a potential explanation of observed little brown bat population trajectories across multiple hibernacula within the affected range. Our approach provides a tool that can be used by all managers to provide testable hypotheses regarding the occurrence of ER in declining populations, suggest empirical studies to better parameterize the population genetics and conservation‐relevant vital rates, and identify the DIER period during which management strategies will be most effective for species conservation.
Political Ecology of Commodity Agroforests and Tropical Biodiversity
Authors: Robbins Paul , Chhatre Ashwini , Karanth Krithi 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThough human‐modified tropical landscapes are increasingly well studied, the processes that influence and govern biodiversity outcomes, especially in commodity production landscapes (e.g., coffee, rubber, arecanut), remain poorly understood. A review of the existing literature reveals that research in general focuses on individual components of a cascading set of relationships from political and economic forces, to producer decisions, to agroforestry structure, to habitat and diversity. The linkages between these components remains underdeveloped; efforts to unite the full “chain of explanation” remains elusive, making it difficult to form firm claims or testable hypotheses about how the ecology and biodiversity of such commodity systems are determined. To form more robust hypotheses about such relationships would require more integrative team efforts than heretofore have been common. Our review suggests that though some important relationships are well‐understood, and some emerging policy emphases can be identified, policy‐relevant science is still on the horizon in this frontier area.