bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Definitions and Outcome Measures in Pediatric Functional Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Disorders
Authors: Rashid Amara Nassar‐Sheikh , Taminiau Jan A. , Benninga Marc A. , Saps Miguel , Tabbers Merit M. 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTObjectives:Functional disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract are frequently diagnosed in children. Four different clinical entities are addressed by the Rome III committee: functional dyspepsia (FD), cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS), adolescent rumination syndrome (ARS), and aerophagia. Management of these disorders is often difficult leading to a wide variety in therapeutic interventions. We hypothesize that definitions and outcome measures in these studies are heterogeneous as well. Our aim is to systematically assess how these disorders and outcomes are defined in therapeutic randomized controlled trials (RCTs).Study Design:CENTRAL, Embase, and MEDLINE/PubMed were searched from inception to February 25, 2015. Search terms were FD, CVS, ARS, and aerophagia. Therapeutic RCTs, or systematic reviews of RCTs, in English language including subjects ages 4 to 18 years (0–18 years for CVS) were evaluated. Quality was assessed using the Delphi list.Results:A total of 1398 articles were found of which 8 articles were included. Seven concerned FD and 1 concerned CVS. In all of the studies, Rome criteria or similar definitions were used; all the studies however used different outcome measures. Seventy‐five percent of the trials were of good methodological quality. Only 57% used validated pain scales.Conclusions:Different outcome measures are used in therapeutic trials on functional disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract. There is a clear paucity of trials evaluating different treatment regimens regarding CVS, ARS, and aerophagia. Uniform definitions, outcome measures, and validated instruments are needed to make a comparison between intervention studies possible.
A case of fatal daptomycin-resistant, vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infective endocarditis in end-stage kidney disease
Authors: O'Connor Ciara , Casserly Liam F. , Qazi Junaid , Power Lorraine , Finnegan Cathriona , O'Connell Nuala H. , Dunne Colum P. 
Published: September 2015

Introduction:
Ireland currently has the highest reported rate in Europe of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) isolated from the bloodstream, but data regarding the prevalence of VRE endocarditis remain scarce. Treatment options for Enterococcus-mediated endocarditis are limited, and therefore daptomycin is commonly used off licence in this setting.

Case presentation:
A 60-year-old male with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) presented with VRE bacteraemia secondary to a gangrenous right foot colonized with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Aortic valve endocarditis was confirmed using transoesophageal echocardiography. Treatment was commenced with linezolid and subsequently modified to combination therapy with daptomycin and rifampicin. High-dose daptomycin therapy was employed unsuccessfully and, after 20 days of therapy, daptomycin resistance emerged, which proved fatal.

Conclusion:
The case was ethically challenging and involved a refusal of amputation and, ultimately, any form of treatment by the patient. In summary, however, daptomycin-resistant VRE bacteraemia complicated by recalcitrant daptomycin-resistant VRE endocarditis proved fatal for this patient. Further evaluation of the efficacy and safety of high-dose daptomycin for the treatment of VRE infective endocarditis is needed.
Septicaemia caused by Myroides spp.: a case report
Authors: Elantamilan D. , Lyngdoh Valarie W. , Choudhury Basabdatta , Khyriem Annie B. , Rajbongshi Jyotismita 
Published: September 2015

Introduction:

Myroides spp. are aerobic, yellow-pigmented, non-fermentative Gram-negative rods considered to be low-grade opportunistic pathogens. However, their intrinsic resistance to commonly used antibiotics necessitates prompt identification and evaluation.

Case presentation:
Here, we report a case of septicaemia caused by Myroides sp. A 36-year-old pregnant female was admitted to the intensive care unit at week 18 of gestation with a diagnosis of hydatidiform mole with acute renal failure and anaemia. Blood culture under aerobic conditions showed growth of round, smooth, convex, yellow-pigmented colonies on blood agar but which failed to grow on MacConkey agar, and the organism was identified as Myroides sp. Susceptibility testing showed that it was susceptible only to piperacillin+tazobactam and, following treatment, the patient recovered.

Conclusion:

Myroides spp. has, until now, been regarded as an opportunistic pathogen and a rare cause of serious disease in immunocompromised subjects. However, it may cause serious disease, even in immunocompetent hosts, and its intrinsic resistance warrants appropriate testing and timely intervention.
Mechanistic modelling and Bayesian inference elucidates the variable dynamics of double-strand break repair
Authors: Woods M. , Barnes C.P. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractDNA double-strand breaks are lesions that form during metabolism, DNA replication and exposure to mutagens. When a double-strand break occurs one of a number of repair mechanisms is recruited, all of which have differing propensities for mutational events. Despite DNA repair being of crucial importance, the relative contribution of these mechanisms and their regulatory interactions remain to be fully elucidated. Understanding these mutational processes will have a profound impact on our knowledge of genomic instability, with implications across health, disease and evolution. Here we present a new method to model the combined activation of non-homologous end joining, single strand annealing and alternative end joining, following exposure to ionizing radiation. We use Bayesian statistics to integrate eight biological data sets of double-strand break repair curves under varying genetic knockouts and confirm that our model is predictive by re-simulating and comparing to additional data. Analysis of the model suggests that there are at least three disjoint modes of repair, which we assign as fast, slow and intermediate. Our results show that when multiple data sets are combined, the rate for intermediate repair is variable amongst genetic knockouts. Further analysis suggests that the ratio between slow and intermediate repair depends on the presence or absence of DNA-PKcs and Ku70, which implies that non-homologous end joining and alternative end joining are not independent. Finally, we consider the proportion of double-strand breaks within each mechanism as a time series and predict activity as a function of repair rate. We outline how our insights can be directly tested using imaging and sequencing techniques and conclude that there is evidence of variable dynamics in alternative repair pathways. Our approach is an important step towards providing a unifying theoretical framework for the dynamics of DNA repair processes.
Social inheritance can explain the structure of animal social networks
Authors: Ilany Amiyaal , Akcay Erol 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThe social network structure of animal populations has major implications for survival, reproductive success, sexual selection, and pathogen transmission of individuals. But as of yet, no general theory of social network structure exists that can explain the diversity of social networks observed in nature, and serve as a null model for detecting species and population-specific factors. Here we propose a simple and generally applicable model of social network structure. We consider the emergence of network structure as a result of social inheritance, in which newborns are likely to bond with maternal contacts, and via forming bonds randomly. We compare model output to data from several species, showing that it can generate networks with properties such as those observed in real social systems. Our model demonstrates that important observed properties of social networks, including heritability of network position or assortative associations, can be understood as consequences of social inheritance.
A fabric defect detection algorithm via context-based local texture saliency analysis
Authors: Liu Zhoufeng , Li Chunlei , Zhao Quanjun , Liao Liang , Dong Yan 
Published: September 2015

Purpose
– Fabric defect detection plays an important role in textile quality control. The purpose of this paper is to propose a fabric defect detection algorithm via context-based local texture saliency analysis.

Design/methodology/approach
– In the proposed algorithm, a target image is first divided into blocks, then the Local Binary Pattern (LBP) technique is used to extract the texture features of blocks. Second, for a given image block, several other blocks are randomly chosen for calculating the LBP contrast between a given block and the randomly chosen blocks. Based on the obtained contrast information, a saliency map is produced. Finally, saliency map is segmented by using an optimal threshold, which is obtained by an iterative approach.

Findings
– The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm, integrating local texture features and global image texture information, can detect texture defects effectively.

Originality/value
– In this paper, a novel fabric defect detection algorithm via context-based local texture saliency analysis is proposed.
Effect of tert-Butylhydroquinone on the quality characteristics of low fat Kalari, a hard and dry cheese
Authors: Mahajan Deepak , Bhat Z. F. , Kumar Sunil 
Published: September 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) on the quality characteristics of low-fat Kalari, a hard and dry cheese. The products treated with TBHQ were assessed for various oxidative stability and storage-quality parameters.

Design/methodology/approach
– Low-fat Kalari was prepared and treated with different concentrations of TBHQ (0, 200, 300 ppm) and aerobically packaged within low-density polyethylene pouches and assessed for physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics under refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) conditions.

Findings
– TBHQ showed a significant (p
<
0.05) effect on the lipid stability, as the treated products exhibited significantly (p
<
0.05) lower TBARS (mg malonaldehyde/kg) values for the entire period of storage. pH showed a significant (p
<
0.05) decreasing trend, whereas titratable acidity followed a significant (p
<
0.05) increasing trend with storage period in control as well as treated products. No significant (p
>
0.05) effect was observed on the microbiological characteristics of the products, as TBHQ-treated products showed comparable (p
>
0.05) values for total plate count, psychrophillic count and yeast and mould count. Significantly (p
<
0.05) higher scores were observed for various sensory parameters of the treated products.

Originality/value
– TBHQ successfully improved the storage quality of low fat Kalari during refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) storage and may be commercially exploited as an antioxidant in Kalari and other cheese like products.
A new model for ecological networks using species‐level traits
Authors: Crea Catherine , Ali R. Ayesha , Rader Romina 
Published: September 2015

Summary

Recent studies on plant–pollinator networks have focused on explaining network structure through linkage rules, including spatio‐temporal overlap, and phenotypic trait or phylogenetic signal complementarity. Few studies, however, have quantified the extent to which functional traits affect the probability of plants and pollinators interacting with each other.

Dirichlet‐multinomial (DM) regression is a consumer‐resource model for the interaction probabilities in a mutualistic network. This flexible model accommodates network heterogeneity through random effects and overdispersion and can estimate the contribution of species‐level traits to plant–pollinator interactions.

Using artificial networks based on linkage rules and neutrality, we evaluate the performance of DM regression and explore the model's parameter space. We also analyse an empirical network in which the interaction probabilities are modelled by species characteristics.

Study results show that such random effects models can provide good fits to observed data. The characteristics pollinators seek in plant species may be better anticipated if species interactions are modelled by the functional traits that drive them.
White Settler Society as Monster: Rural Southeast Kansas, Ancestral Osage (Wah‐Zha‐Zhi) Territories, and the Violence of Forgetting
Authors: Gahman Levi 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThis article provides a critical analysis of the practices and discourses of white settler “men” in Southeast Kansas (Ancestral Osage Territories) by examining the inextricable links rural masculinity has with settler colonialism. I begin by underscoring how efforts in erasing Indigenous histories have been sanctioned through processes of dispossession, bordering, and nation‐state building. I then explore how hetero‐patriarchal rural hierarchies are assembled via capitalistic desires for private property; conservative Christianity's rhetoric of altruism and good intentions; white supremacist conceptions of race; and masculinist perspectives regarding work and gender. Next, I highlight how the spatial assertion of white settler masculinity reproduces colonial oppressions based upon interlocking subject positions and notions of difference. I continue by suggesting denial and disaffiliation are banal exercises of disavowal employed by white settler societies as attempts to forget colonial violence. I then finish by illustrating how a masculinist status quo might be disrupted, resisted, and transformed.
Yield of diagnostic tests in obese children with an elevated alanine aminotransferase
Authors: Rudolph Bryan , Rivas Yolanda , Kulak Shulamit , Pan Debra , Ewart Michelle , Levin Terry L. , Thompson John F. , Scharbach Kathryn 
Published: September 2015

AbstractAimNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with obesity and affects roughly 10% of children. However, NAFLD is often diagnosed by exclusion – that is, obese children with an elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are screened for other liver diseases in the absence of a biopsy. This testing is nonstandardized, and professional society recommendations differ. This study examines the yield of testing for disorders other than NAFLD in this patient population.MethodsA retrospective study was performed in 120 obese, asymptomatic, noncholestatic children with an ALT ≥40 U/L and additional diagnostic testing.ResultsNo patients were found to have Wilson's, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cytomegalovirus, alpha‐1 antitrypsin deficiency, autoimmune hepatitis, celiac disease or Epstein–Barr virus. Only one patient (1/120) was identified with definite disease other than NAFLD, which was muscular dystrophy. The positive predictive value of a screening test was 5%, and the specificity was 97%. Of 70 children with an abdominal ultrasound, no significant abnormalities were identified.ConclusionExtensive testing in asymptomatic, noncholestatic, obese children with an elevated ALT may be of limited diagnostic value and false‐positive tests are likely. Large, prospective studies are needed to help focus the work up in this patient population.
Premature infants born at <25 weeks of gestation may be compromised by currently recommended resuscitation techniques
Authors: Lamberska Tereza , Luksova Marketa , Smisek Jan , Vankova Jana , Plavka Richard 
Published: September 2015

AbstractAimStandard resuscitation guidelines are based on data from a range of gestational ages. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of our delivery room resuscitation protocol across a range of gestational ages in preterm infants born at <29 weeks.MethodsWe performed an observational study of prospectively collected video recordings of 73 preterm infants. The percentage of bradycardic patients, time to reach target oxygen saturation and the extent of all interventions were compared between three gestational age groups: 22–24 weeks (n = 22), 25–26 weeks (n = 27) and 27–28 weeks (n = 24).ResultsAlthough the same resuscitation protocol was followed for all infants, bradycardic infants born <25 weeks responded poorly and required significantly longer to reach oxygen saturation targets of >70%, >80% and >90% (p < 0.03). They required significantly more interventions and had higher rate of death (p < 0.05) and severe intraventricular haemorrhage (p < 0.03). Significantly lower heart rate and oxygen saturation values were found in infants with intraventricular haemorrhage.ConclusionCurrent recommendations for resuscitation may fail to achieve timely lung aeration in infants born at the borderline of viability, leading to higher mortality and morbidity. Sustained inflation and delayed cord clamping may be effective alternatives.
Skin‐to‐skin contact reduces near‐infrared spectroscopy pain responses in premature infants during blood sampling
Authors: Olsson Emma , Ahlsén Gunilla , Eriksson Mats 
Published: September 2015

AbstractAimThis study investigated if skin‐to‐skin contact could provide pain relief, measured with near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), during venepuncture in premature infants.MethodsTen infants born at 26–35 weeks of gestation were examined during a blood‐sampling procedure with venepuncture under two different conditions: in skin‐to‐skin contact with their mother or lying in their incubator or crib. A double‐channel NIRS device was used, and oxygen saturation and heart rate were measured using pulse oximetry. The infant's face and the pulse oximetry values were videotaped throughout the procedures, so that we could carry out a pain assessment using the Premature Infant Pain Profile‐Revised (PIPP‐R).ResultsWe found a significantly smaller increase in oxygenated haemoglobin on the contralateral side during venepuncture when the infants were in skin‐to‐skin contact with their mothers, compared to when they were laying in their incubator or crib. When venepuncture was compared with a sham procedure, oxygenated haemoglobin increased significantly more with the infant in the incubator or crib than held skin‐to‐skin, but no significant differences could be seen in the PIPP‐R results between the two groups.ConclusionThis study showed that skin‐to‐skin contact between premature infants and their mothers during venepuncture had a pain‐relieving effect.
The synergistic impact of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome on subclinical atherosclerosis
Authors: Hong Ho Cheol , Hwang Soon Young , Ryu Ja Young , Yoo Hye Jin , Seo Ji‐A , Kim Sin Gon , Kim Nan Hee , Baik Sei Hyun , Choi Dong Seop , Choi Kyung Mook 
Published: September 2015

SummaryObjectiveNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a well‐known contributor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined the influence of NAFLD and metabolic syndrome (MetS) on markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, including carotid intima‐media thickness (CIMT), brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and ankle–brachial pressure index (ABI), after adjusting for cardiometabolic risk factors.DesignA cross‐sectional study.Patients and measurementsThe association between NAFLD, MetS and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed in 955 participants without CVD using multiple logistic regression analysis after adjusting for multiple cardiometabolic risk variables.ResultsAfter adjusting for age and sex, CIMT and baPWV were found to be significantly correlated with multiple cardiometabolic risk variables, whereas ABI was only associated with obesity parameters. The prevalence of NAFLD differed significantly according to the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis as defined by both CIMT and baPWV (P = 0·004 and P = 0·007, respectively). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, NAFLD or MetS was not associated with subclinical atherosclerosis as defined by CIMT and baPWV. However, individuals with both NAFLD and MetS had a significantly higher risk of subclinical atherosclerosis as defined by CIMT (OR = 2·06, 95% CI = 1·13–3·74) or baPWV (OR = 2·64, 95% CI = 1·46–4·76) compared to normal subjects, even after adjusting for potential confounders.ConclusionsThe results show that NAFLD and MetS have a synergistic impact on the subclinical atherosclerosis, which suggests that individuals with both NAFLD and MetS should be strongly advised to engage in CVD prevention strategies.
Secular trends of body mass index in North Indian children with Type 1 diabetes do not support the Accelerator Hypothesis
Authors: Dayal Devi , Samprathi Madhusudan , Jayaraman Dhaarani , Kohat Dilesh , Bhalla Anil Kumar 
Published: September 2015

SummaryObjectiveThe accelerator hypothesis, which proposes a link between Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) through weight‐related insulin resistance, remains untested in developing countries with increasing rates of childhood obesity and T1D, and different ethnicities. We aimed to test the accelerator hypothesis in the context of a significant increase in T1D at our centre.Design and methodsMedical records of children diagnosed with T1D between January 2005 and December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The body mass index (BMI) standard deviation scores (SDSs) were calculated using height and weight measurements recorded 1–2 months after diagnosis of T1D and compared with age‐matched anthropometric data. The rate of change in BMI SDSs over time was calculated. Analysis of BMI data was undertaken for the three age categories: <5, 5 to <10 and >10 years.ResultsThe mean age at diagnosis of 467 children with T1D was 7·27 ± 0·32 years and showed no change over the study period. There was a yearly increase of 14·11% in patient numbers; this increase was similar in the three age categories (22·7%, 17·0%, 16·3%, respectively, P = 1·0). Comparison of patient numbers between the two time periods of 5 years each showed a marked increase during 2010–2014 (148 vs 319, % increase 115·5%). The mean BMI SDSs at diagnosis in the three age categories were similar (P = 1·0) and showed a yearly change of −0·36; the mean change in the three age categories was also similar (−0·35, −0·27, −0·46, respectively, P = 1·0). No correlation was found between age at diagnosis and BMI SDSs (correlation coefficient 0·010, P = 0·82). The mean BMI SDS in patients was significantly lower compared to controls (−0·54 vs −0·02, P = 0·001).ConclusionThere was no association between BMI SDS and age at diagnosis in children with new onset T1D. Further studies are needed to test whether the accelerator hypothesis is relevant in developing countries.