bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Developing a web‐based intervention to increase motivation to change and encourage uptake of specialist face‐to‐face treatment by hospital inpatients: Change Drinking
Authors: Bewick Bridgette M. , Rumball Katrina , Birtwistle Jacqueline C. , Shaw Joseph R. , Johnson Owen , Raistrick Duncan , Tober Gillian 
Published: July 2014

AbstractIntroduction and AimProblem drinking is rarely identified unless health‐care professionals are specifically instructed to assess alcohol consumption. Individualised web‐based alcohol interventions provide opportunities to enhance screening and early identification. We aimed to create a web‐based brief personalised feedback intervention to enable client‐centred screening and self‐referral by problem drinkers recently admitted to hospital.Design and MethodsTo increase transparency of the development process, this short report describes the theoretical underpinnings and development of ChangeDrinking including identification of needs and matching with resources, screening tool selection, and look and feel.ResultsThe website structure and content was modelled on motivational dialogue. ChangeDrinking is closely coupled to an independent questionnaire management system; this architecture enables internal logic to allow branching based on dynamic user inputs. The motivational underpinnings led to development of personalised predetermined dialogue with strong theory–practice links. Applying principles of conveying empathy and reflection was challenging within the confines of a predetermined dialogue. Reflective listening in ChangeDrinking does not extend to inviting statements of resistance to be entered.Discussion and ConclusionsChangeDrinking has become an optional component of routine treatment for patients with an alcohol‐related admission in two large UK National Health Service general hospitals. [Bewick BM, Rumball K, Birtwistle JC, Shaw JR, Johnson O, Raistrick D, Tober G. Developing a web‐based intervention to increase motivation to change and encourage uptake of specialist face‐to‐face treatment by hospital inpatients: Change Drinking. Drug Alcohol Rev 2014;33:674–7]
Crack pipe sharing among street‐involved youth in a Canadian setting
Authors: Cheng Tessa , Wood Evan , Nguyen Paul , Montaner Julio , Kerr Thomas , DeBeck Kora 
Published: July 2014

AbstractIntroduction and AimsCrack pipe sharing is a risky practice that has been associated with the transmission of hepatitis C and other harms. While previous research has exclusively focused on this phenomenon among adults, this study examines crack pipe sharing among street‐involved youth.Design and MethodsFrom May 2006 to May 2012, data were collected from the At‐Risk Youth Study, a cohort of street‐involved youth aged 14–26 in Vancouver, Canada. Survey data from active crack smokers were analysed using generalised estimating equations logistic regression.ResultsOver the study period, 567 youth reported smoking crack cocaine and contributed 1288 observations, among which 961 (75%) included a report of crack pipe sharing. In multivariate analysis, factors that were associated with crack pipe sharing included difficulty accessing crack pipes [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–2.20]; homelessness (AOR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.43–2.44); regular employment (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.15–2.04); daily non‐injection crystal methamphetamine use (AOR = 2.04, 95% CI 1.11–3.75); daily crack smoking (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.01–1.85); encounters with the police (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.01–1.99); and reporting unprotected sex (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.47–2.58).Discussion and ConclusionsThe prevalence of crack pipe sharing was high among our sample and independently associated with structural factors including difficulty accessing crack pipes and homelessness. Crack pipe sharing was also associated with high‐intensity drug use and a number of other markers of risk and vulnerability. Collectively, these findings highlight opportunities for health services to better engage with this vulnerable group and reduce this risky behaviour.
Two novel glucagon receptor antagonists prove effective therapeutic agents in high‐fat‐fed and obese diabetic mice
Authors: O'Harte F. P. M. , Franklin Z. J. , Irwin N. 
Published: July 2014

AimsTo examine the effect of two novel, enzymatically stable, glucagon receptor peptide antagonists, on metabolic control in two mouse models of obesity/diabetes.MethodThe effects of twice daily i.p. administration of desHis1Pro4Glu9‐glucagon or desHis1Pro4Glu9Lys12FA‐glucagon for 10 days on metabolic control in high‐fat‐fed (HFF; 45% fat) and obese diabetic (ob/ob) mice were compared with saline‐treated controls.ResultsNeither analogue altered body weight or food intake in either model over 10 days; however, treatment with each peptide restored non‐fasting blood glucose towards normal control values in HFF mice. Basal glucose was also reduced (p < 0.01) in desHis1Pro4Glu9Lys12FA‐glucagon treated ob/ob mice by day 10, coinciding with increases (p < 0.001) in circulating insulin. At the end of the treatment period, both analogues significantly (p < 0.05–0.01) improved oral and i.p. glucose tolerance (p < 0.05) and peripheral insulin sensitivity, increased pancreatic insulin and glucagon content (p < 0.05–0.01) and decreased (p < 0.05) cholesterol levels in HFF mice. Similarly beneficial metabolic effects on oral glucose tolerance (p < 0.01) and pancreatic insulin content (p < 0.05) were observed in ob/ob mice, especially after desHis1Pro4Glu9Lys12FA‐glucagon treatment. No significant differences in circulating triglycerides or aspects of indirect calorimetry were noted between peptide treatment groups and respective control HFF and ob/ob mice. Finally, glucagon‐mediated elevations of glucose and insulin were significantly (p < 0.05–0.01) annulled after 10 days of desHis1Pro4Glu9‐glucagon or desHis1Pro4Glu9Lys12FA‐glucagon treatment in both animal models.ConclusionThese data indicate that peptide‐based glucagon receptor antagonists can reverse aspects of genetically and dietary‐induced obesity‐related diabetes.
Left atrium and the imaging of atrial fibrosis: catch it if you can!
Authors: Tan Timothy C. , Koutsogeorgis ΙIlias D. , Grapsa Julia , Papadopoulos Costas , Katsivas Apostolos , Nihoyannopoulos Petros 
Published: July 2014

AbstractAtrial fibrillation is a sustained arrhythmia commonly encountered in clinical practice. It has a high prevalence among the elderly and contributes significantly to the global socio‐economic burden. Among many risk factors predisposing to atrial fibrillation is left atrial remodelling and wall fibrosis. Frequently, pathological left atrial wall remodelling and fibrosis results in low atrial compliance and elastance significantly increase the risk of developing permanent atrial fibrillation. We reviewed all literature which employs imaging and left atrial fibrosis and we present all available imaging modalities. Current imaging tools may play a role in the detection of atrial fibrosis, hence providing valuable information for risk stratification and management of patients with atrial fibrillation.
Late gadolinium enhancement CMR in primary mitral regurgitation
Authors: Van De Heyning Caroline M. , Magne Julien , Piérard Luc A. , Bruyère Pierre‐Julien , Davin Laurent , De Maeyer Catherine , Paelinck Bernard P. , Vrints Christiaan J. , Lancellotti Patrizio 
Published: July 2014

AbstractAimsThe appropriate timing for surgery in severe asymptomatic primary mitral regurgitation (MR) remains controversial. It has been shown that late gadolinium enhancement on cardiovascular magnetic resonance (LGE CMR), which may identify myocardial fibrosis, is associated with a worse outcome in various cardiomyopathies. We sought to investigate the prevalence and significance of delayed enhancement in primary MR.MethodsWe prospectively included 41 patients with at least moderate primary MR and without overt signs of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Patients with evidence of coronary artery disease, arrhythmias or significant concomitant valvular disease were excluded. All patients were scheduled for transthoracic echocardiography and LGE CMR.ResultsA total of 39 patients had interpretable LGE CMR images. Among them, 12 (31%) had late contrast uptake of the LV wall. LGE CMR showed an infarct pattern in three patients, a pattern of mid‐wall fibrosis in seven patients and two patients had a combined pattern. Patients with delayed enhancement on CMR had significant higher LV diameters (LV end‐systolic diameter 39 ± 4 vs. 34 ± 5 mm, P = 0·002; LV end‐diastolic diameter 57 ± 5 vs. 50 ± 5 mm, P = 0·001). There was a trend towards a higher indexed left atrial volume (55 ± 21 vs. 44 ± 13 mL/m², P = 0·06). By contrast, there was no significant association between myocardial contrast uptake and age, LV ejection fraction and MR severity.ConclusionLeft ventricular remodelling seems to be associated with the presence of delayed enhancement on CMR in primary MR. Further data are needed to determine whether LGE CMR can predict a less favourable outcome or could improve risk stratification in asymptomatic primary MR.
Responses of swamp bay, Persea palustris, and avocado, Persea americana, to various concentrations of the laurel wilt pathogen, Raffaelea lauricola
Authors: Hughes M. A. , Inch S. A. , Ploetz R. C. , Er H. L. , van Bruggen A. H. C. , Smith J. A. 
Published: July 2014

SummaryLaurel wilt, caused by the fungus Raffaelea lauricola and transmitted by the exotic ambrosia beetle Xyleborus glabratus, has killed members of the Lauraceae plant family throughout the southeast United States. A series of experiments were conducted to examine the effects of inoculum concentration on the development of laurel wilt in swamp bay, Persea palustris, and avocado, Persea americana. In each experiment, host plants were inoculated with aqueous suspensions of 102, 103, 104 or 105 conidia of R. lauricola, and plants were rated periodically for external symptom development (wilting and foliar dieback). At the end of experiments, plants were rated for internal symptoms of the disease (discoloration of sapwood) and assayed for R. lauricola on a semi‐selective medium. Symptom severity in swamp bay was significantly lower for the 102 treatment than at higher (103–105) concentrations, whereas 102 and 103 conidia caused less disease than 104 and 105 conidia in avocado. At the lowest inoculum concentration, 67% of the swamp bay plants and 20% of the avocados died by the time the respective experiments were terminated. The pathogen was recovered from a high proportion of the symptomatic sapwood of swamp bay (100%) and avocado (94%), and sapwood discoloration and recovery of R. lauricola from inoculated stems of swamp bay were highly correlated with recovery of the pathogen and symptom development in roots. Clearly, swamp bay and avocado are very sensitive to R. lauricola. The ability of only 100 conidia of this pathogen to kill these hosts suggests that few individuals of X. glabratus or other ambrosia beetles that carry low levels of the pathogen would be sufficient to transmit conidia that infect and lead to disease development. The results are also relevant to the development of disease‐tolerant host selections, as they indicate levels of the pathogen appropriate for use in screening plants for disease resistance.
Selective increase of in vivo firing frequencies in DA SN neurons after proteasome inhibition in the ventral midbrain
Authors: Subramaniam Mahalakshmi , Kern Beatrice , Vogel Simone , Klose Verena , Schneider Gaby , Roeper Jochen 
Published: July 2014

AbstractThe impairment of protein degradation via the ubiquitin‐proteasome system (UPS) is present in sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD), and might play a key role in selective degeneration of vulnerable dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SN). Further evidence for a causal role of dysfunctional UPS in familial PD comes from mutations in parkin, which results in a loss of function of an E3‐ubiquitin‐ligase. In a mouse model, genetic inactivation of an essential component of the 26S proteasome lead to widespread neuronal degeneration including DA midbrain neurons and the formation of alpha‐synuclein‐positive inclusion bodies, another hallmark of PD. Studies using pharmacological UPS inhibition in vivo had more mixed results, varying from extensive degeneration to no loss of DA SN neurons. However, it is currently unknown whether UPS impairment will affect the neurophysiological functions of DA midbrain neurons. To answer this question, we infused a selective proteasome inhibitor into the ventral midbrain in vivo and recorded single DA midbrain neurons 2 weeks after the proteasome challenge. We found a selective increase in the mean in vivo firing frequencies of identified DA SN neurons in anesthetized mice, while those in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) were unaffected. Our results demonstrate that a single‐hit UPS inhibition is sufficient to induce a stable and selective hyperexcitability phenotype in surviving DA SN neurons in vivo. This might imply that UPS dysfunction sensitizes DA SN neurons by enhancing ‘stressful pacemaking’.
Prenatal alcohol exposure and adolescent stress – unmasking persistent attentional deficits in rats
Authors: Comeau Wendy L. , Winstanley Catharine A. , Weinberg Joanne 
Published: July 2014

AbstractPrenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can produce a myriad of deficits. Unfortunately, affected individuals may also be exposed to the stress of an adverse home environment, contributing to deficits of attentional processes that are the hallmark of optimal executive function. Male offspring of ad‐libitum‐fed Control (Con), Pairfed (PF), and PAE dams were randomly assigned to either a 5‐day period of variable chronic mild stress (CMS) or no CMS in adolescence. In adulthood, rats were trained in a non‐match to sample task (T‐maze), followed by extensive assessment in the five‐choice serial reaction time task. Once rats acquired the five‐choice serial reaction time task (stable accuracy), they were tested in three challenge conditions: (i) increased sustained attention, (ii) selective attention and, (iii) varying doses of d‐amphetamine, an indirect dopamine and norepinephrine agonist. At birth and throughout the study, PAE offspring showed reduced body weight. Moreover, although PAE animals were similar to Con animals in task acquisition, they were progressively less proficient with transitions to shorter stimulus durations (decreased accuracy and increased omissions). Five days of adolescent CMS increased basal corticosterone levels in adolescence and disrupted cognitive performance in adulthood. Further, CMS augmented PAE‐related disturbances in acquisition and, to a lesser extent, also disrupted attentional processes in Con and PF animals. Following task acquisition, challenges unmasked persistent attentional difficulties resulting from both PAE and adolescent CMS. In conclusion, PAE, adolescent CMS, and their interaction produced unique behavioural profiles that suggest vulnerability in select neurobiological processes at different stages of development.
Body shape shifting during growth permits tests that distinguish between competing geometric theories of metabolic scaling
Authors: Hirst Andrew G. , Glazier Douglas S. , Atkinson David 
Published: July 2014

AbstractMetabolism fuels all of life's activities, from biochemical reactions to ecological interactions. According to two intensely debated theories, body size affects metabolism via geometrical influences on the transport of resources and wastes. However, these theories differ crucially in whether the size dependence of metabolism is derived from material transport across external surfaces, or through internal resource‐transport networks. We show that when body shape changes during growth, these models make opposing predictions. These models are tested using pelagic invertebrates, because these animals exhibit highly variable intraspecific scaling relationships for metabolic rate and body shape. Metabolic scaling slopes of diverse integument‐breathing species were significantly positively correlated with degree of body flattening or elongation during ontogeny, as expected from surface area theory, but contradicting the negative correlations predicted by resource‐transport network models. This finding explains strong deviations from predictions of widely adopted theory, and underpins a new explanation for mass‐invariant metabolic scaling during ontogeny in animals and plants.
Reflections on how wound healing‐promoting effects of the hair follicle can be translated into clinical practice
Authors: Jimenez Francisco , Poblet Enrique , Izeta Ander 
Published: July 2014

AbstractClinicians have long reported that hair‐bearing areas tend to heal more rapidly than those lacking hair follicles. In the past decade, numerous scientific studies have corroborated clinical evidence, showing a direct nexus between the human hair follicle and the wound healing process. The migration of epithelial follicular stem cells to the skin surface to help in the wound re‐epithelialization and the effect of the hair cycle on the wound healing rate underline the influence of the hair follicle in the healing process. In clinical practice, non‐healing wounds are pathologies of high prevalence with significant associated burden costs for the healthcare system. As the population ages, the prevalence of this pathology is expected to increase in future years. The recent advances in understanding the biology of hair follicle stem cells have created the challenges of using this newly acquired knowledge in practical therapeutic applications. Chronic leg ulcers are an example of the targeted pathologies that urgently need better therapies. In this essay, our aim is to raise interest in this question, reviewing what is known in relation to the connections between hair follicles and wound healing, and elaborating on future directions that the field might take, including implications for clinical practice.
Association of promoter polymorphism −765G>C in the PTGS2 gene with malignant melanoma in Italian patients and its correlation to gene expression in dermal fibroblasts
Authors: Gomez‐Lira Macarena , Ferronato Silvia , Malerba Giovanni , Santinami Mario , Maurichi Andrea , Sangalli Antonella , Turco Alberto , Perego Paola , Rodolfo Monica 
Published: July 2014

AbstractProstaglandins, especially prostaglandin E synthetase (PGE2), influence carcinogenesis by promoting cell proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis, stimulating angiogenesis and mediating immune suppression. Cyclooxygenase‐2, coded by the PTGS2 gene, is the key enzyme in the production of prostaglandins. In melanoma, Cox‐2 is over expressed in primary malignant melanoma (MM) and in their corresponding metastases. Polymorphisms in the promoter region of PTGS2 gene can modulate gene expression and could modify individual susceptibility to MM. Two hundred and forty melanoma patients and 342 controls were genotyped for polymorphisms −765G>C (rs20417) and −1195A>G (rs689466). Allele −765C frequency was significantly higher in melanoma patients. No allele frequency differences for −1195A>G polymorphism were observed. Haplotype analysis revealed that the haplotypes carrying the minor alleles were associated to a higher risk of melanoma (P = 0.02). Expression analysis showed that allele −765C is associated to a higher gene expression and could represent a risk allele by affecting the functionality of the promoter.
Cxcr4 is transiently expressed in both epithelial and mesenchymal compartments of nascent hair follicles but is not required for follicle formation
Authors: Sennett Rachel , Rezza Amélie , Dauber Katherine L. , Clavel Carlos , Rendl Michael 
Published: July 2014

AbstractHair follicle (HF) morphogenesis relies on the coordinated exchange of signals between mesenchymal and epithelial compartments of embryonic skin. Chemokine receptor Cxcr4 expression was recently identified in dermal condensates (DCs) of nascent HFs, but its role in promoting HF morphogenesis remains unknown. Our analyses confirmed Cxcr4 expression in condensate cells, and additionally revealed transient Cxcr4 expression in incipient epithelial hair placodes. Placodal Cxcr4 appeared prior to detection in DCs, representing a switch of expression between epithelial and mesenchymal compartments. To explore the functional role of this receptor in both compartments for early HF formation, we conditionally ablated Cxcr4 with condensate‐targeting Tbx18cre knock‐in and epidermis‐targeting Krt14‐cre transgenic mice. Conditional knockouts for both crosses were viable throughout embryogenesis and into adulthood. Morphological and biochemical marker analyses revealed comparable numbers of HFs forming in knockout embryos compared to wild‐type littermate controls in both cases, suggesting that neither dermal nor epithelial Cxcr4 expression is required for early HF morphogenesis. We conclude that Cxcr4 expression and chemokine signaling through this receptor in embryonic mouse skin is dispensable for HF formation.
Black fly larvae facilitate community recovery in a mountain stream
Authors: Hammock Bruce G. , Bogan Michael T. 
Published: July 2014

Summary

Early colonising ecosystem engineers modify habitats and alter the abundance of basal resources following disturbances. These changes can have profound effects on ecosystem recovery via facilitative or inhibitory effects on subsequent colonists.

We quantified how black fly larvae, which can be pioneer species during secondary succession in streams, influence initial community recovery following a simulated drying disturbance.

Black fly larvae anchor themselves to the stream substratum with silk, and diatoms adhere to the silk of black flies. Therefore, we hypothesised that black flies speed community recovery following disturbances by increasing the accrual rate of basal resources with their silk.

We compared algal and detrital resource abundance and invertebrate community recovery on recently submerged cobbles across three treatments: increased black fly abundance, added black fly silk plus ambient black fly abundance and ambient black fly abundance (control).

After 24 h, the increased black fly treatment had more chlorophyll a, detritus and greater invertebrate abundance and richness, and replicates had more self‐similar communities than the control treatment.

The added silk treatment responded similarly to the increased black fly treatment, supporting the hypothesis that black flies increase the rate of basal resource accrual with their silk, increasing the colonisation rates of other invertebrate species.

Our study suggests that black flies are akin to other organisms that facilitate recovery following disturbance (e.g. alders fixing nitrogen following glacial retreat). Further research is needed to determine the effect of black flies on long‐term patterns of recovery and the applicability of our results to natural disturbances in streams.