bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Family history of alcoholism is related to increased D2/D3 receptor binding potential: a marker of resilience or risk?
Authors: Alvanzo Anika A. H. , Wand Gary S. , Kuwabara Hiroto , Wong Dean F. , Xu Xiaoqiang , McCaul Mary E. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine the relationship between family history of alcohol use disorder and striatal dopamine using positron emission tomography imaging. Participants were 84 healthy, 18‐ to 30‐year‐old, social drinkers recruited via fliers and newspaper advertisements. At assessment, participants completed measures of lifetime personal and family substance use and psychiatric symptoms. Participants underwent two consecutive positron emission tomography scans using the D2/D3 dopamine receptor radioligand [11C]raclopride. Scans were preceded by intravenous saline and amphetamine 0.3 mg/kg, providing measures of baseline [11C]raclopride binding potential (BPND) and change in [11C]raclopride (ΔBPND). Subjective ratings of stimulant drug effects were collected during scans. Subjects were classified as family history positive (FHP) if they reported any first‐degree relative with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and family history negative (FHN) if no first‐degree relatives had history of AUD. Participants were predominantly White (69.0 percent) and male (62.1 percent). Baseline [11C]raclopride BPND was generally higher in FHP compared with FHN subjects across striatal subdivisions. There were no differences in ΔBPND across regions. Negative subjective drug effects were more pronounced in FHP than in FHN subjects. While FHN subjects evidenced the expected positive relationship between ΔBPND and positive subjective drug effects, this relationship was disrupted in FHP subjects. There are key differences in dopamine status and subjective stimulant drug experiences as a function of family AUD history. These findings have important implications for understanding risk for AUD development in FHP offspring.
Microphthalmia‐associated transcription factor mutations are associated with white‐spotted coat color in swamp buffalo
Authors: Yusnizar Y. , Wilbe M. , Herlino A. O. , Sumantri C. , Noor R. Rachman , Boediono A. , Andersson L. , Andersson G. 
Published: September 2015

SummaryA candidate gene analysis of the microphthalmia‐associated transcription factor (MITF) gene was used in an attempt to identify the genetic basis for a white‐spotted coat color phenotype in the Asian swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis carabanensis). Ninety‐three buffaloes—32 solid, 38 spotted and 23 white individuals—were Sanger‐sequenced for all MITF exons as well as highly conserved intronic and flanking regions. MITF cDNA representing skin and iris tissue from six spotted, nine solid and one white buffaloes was also Sanger‐sequenced to confirm detected mutations. Two independent loss‐of‐function mutations, a premature stop codon (c.328C>T, p.Arg110*) and a donor splice‐site mutation (c.840+2T>A, p.Glu281_Leu282Ins8), both of which cause white‐spotted coat color in swamp buffaloes, were identified. The nonsense mutation leads to a premature stop codon in exon 3, and likely removal of the resulting mRNA via nonsense‐mediated decay pathway, whereas the donor splice‐site mutation leads to aberrant splicing of exon 8 that encodes part of a highly conserved region of MITF. The resulting insertion of eight amino acid residues is expected to perturb the leucine zipper part in the basic helix‐loop‐helix leucine zipper (bHLH‐Zip) domain and will most likely influence dimerization and DNA binding capacity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay was performed using mutant and wild‐type MITF proteins and showed that the mutant MITF protein resulting from the splice‐site mutation decreased in vitro DNA binding capacity compared to wild‐type MITF. White‐spotted buffalo bulls are sacrificed in funeral ceremonies in Tana Toraja, Indonesia, because they are considered holy, and our results show that genetic variation causes a tie to the cultural use of these buffaloes.
Medication use and potentially inappropriate medications in those with limited prognosis living in residential aged care
Authors: Heppenstall Claire Patricia , Broad Joanna B , Boyd Michal , Hikaka Joanna , Zhang Xian , Kennedy Julia , Connolly Martin J 
Published: September 2015

AimTo compare the prevalence in residential aged care (RAC) of preventative and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in those who died within 12 months versus those alive after 12 months.MethodsFirstly, a cross‐sectional survey of 6196 people living in RAC in Auckland. Secondly, a research physician searched electronic hospital records in one District Health Board for a sub‐sample (n = 222) of these residents. Classes of medications and dates of death were obtained from the Ministry of Health databases. Those who died versus those alive at 12 months were compared.ResultsOver half of the 6196 participants received antihypertensives and/or antiplatelet agents. Cardiovascular preventative medications were significantly more common in those who died within 12 months. Seventy percent in high‐level care received psychotropics. PIMs were commonly used.ConclusionsUse of preventative medications is common in RAC, especially during the last year of life. Psychotropics are very commonly used, despite being potentially inappropriate.
Tobacco smoke exposure and multiplexed immunoglobulin E sensitization in children: a population‐based study
Authors: Yao T.‐C. , Chang S.‐W. , Hua M.‐C. , Liao S.‐L. , Tsai M.‐H. , Lai S.‐H. , Tseng Y.‐L. , Yeh K.‐W. , Tsai H.‐J. , Huang J.‐L. ,   the PATCH study group
Published: September 2015

AbstractBackgroundAlthough there is evidence that exposure to tobacco smoke is harmful to children's respiratory health, the effects of tobacco smoke exposure on the regulation of immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐mediated immune responses to specific allergens remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between objectively assessed tobacco smoke exposure and specific IgE profiles for a broad spectrum of allergens in a population setting.MethodsChildren aged 5–18 years (N = 1315) were assessed using serum cotinine measurement and microarray‐based multiplexed detection of specific IgE against 40 allergens.ResultsSerum cotinine levels were positively associated with sensitization to foods (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.95; 95% CI: 1.59–15.34), cockroaches (AOR = 3.77; 95% CI: 1.49–9.51), and pollen (AOR = 2.84; 95% CI: 1.20–6.73) while the association was borderline significant for animals (AOR = 2.53; 95% CI: 0.92–6.93). No associations were found for sensitization against mites, mold, and latex. When considering the degree of allergic sensitization, serum cotinine levels were positively correlated to the number of sensitization to cockroaches (P = 0.004), pollen (P = 0.006), and foods (P < 0.001), with statistically significant positive dose–response relationships (all P < 0.01). Similar results were observed when summing up specific IgE concentrations for the aforementioned allergen categories.ConclusionsThe association between tobacco smoke exposure and IgE sensitization to environmental allergens varies for different allergens among children. This study demonstrates that elevated serum cotinine levels are significantly associated with IgE sensitization to cockroaches, grass pollen, and certain foods, with potential dose‐dependent relationships.
Development of a Magnetic Attachment Method for Bionic Eye Applications
Authors: Fox Kate , Meffin Hamish , Burns Owen , Abbott Carla J. , Allen Penelope J. , Opie Nicholas L. , McGowan Ceara , Yeoh Jonathan , Ahnood Arman , Luu Chi D. , Cicione Rosemary , Saunders Alexia L. , McPhedran Michelle , Cardamone Lisa , Villalobos Joel , Garrett David J. , Nayagam David A. X. , Apollo Nicholas V. , Ganesan Kumaravelu , Shivdasani Mohit N. , Stacey Alastair , Escudie Mathilde , Lichter Samantha , Shepherd Robert K. , Prawer Steven 
Published: September 2015

AbstractSuccessful visual prostheses require stable, long‐term attachment. Epiretinal prostheses, in particular, require attachment methods to fix the prosthesis onto the retina. The most common method is fixation with a retinal tack; however, tacks cause retinal trauma, and surgical proficiency is important to ensure optimal placement of the prosthesis near the macula. Accordingly, alternate attachment methods are required. In this study, we detail a novel method of magnetic attachment for an epiretinal prosthesis using two prostheses components positioned on opposing sides of the retina. The magnetic attachment technique was piloted in a feline animal model (chronic, nonrecovery implantation). We also detail a new method to reliably control the magnet coupling force using heat. It was found that the force exerted upon the tissue that separates the two components could be minimized as the measured force is proportionately smaller at the working distance. We thus detail, for the first time, a surgical method using customized magnets to position and affix an epiretinal prosthesis on the retina. The position of the epiretinal prosthesis is reliable, and its location on the retina is accurately controlled by the placement of a secondary magnet in the suprachoroidal location. The electrode position above the retina is less than 50 microns at the center of the device, although there were pressure points seen at the two edges due to curvature misalignment. The degree of retinal compression found in this study was unacceptably high; nevertheless, the normal structure of the retina remained intact under the electrodes.
7 Dwelling on the Past: The Materiality of Everyday Life at Xaltocan, Mexico
Authors: Overholtzer Lisa 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTThis chapter explores the materiality of dwelling on the remains of the past at Postclassic Xaltocan, Mexico, using household archaeology evidence. Such continued occupation in place evinced not only practical concerns of flood control, but also materialized an ethos of repetition and duplication in which reiterative practices created a ritually charged place, an ethos also seen at monumental sites such as the Aztec Templo Mayor. Dwelling on the past created a household landscape ripe with tlazolli, polluting and symbolically powerful garbage; earthly genealogies and social memories that were marshaled as symbolic resources in household negotiations; and material resources, such as potsherds and bone, used in household production and child's play. Everyday life in this context entailed an engagement with material remains of the past at multiple temporal scales. This analytical framework for examining the materiality of household depositional practices—and reconstructing complex philosophies materialized therein—is relevant beyond Mesoamerica.
The importance of defining focal assemblages when evaluating amphibian and reptile responses to land use
Authors: Thompson Michelle E. , Nowakowski A. Justin , Donnelly Maureen A. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractHabitat loss and degradation are primary threats to amphibians and reptiles, but the relative effects of common land uses on assemblages and the mechanisms that underlie faunal responses are poorly studied. We reviewed the effects of four prevalent types of habitat alteration (urbanization, agriculture, livestock grazing, and silviculture) on amphibian and reptile species richness and abundance by summarizing reported responses in the literature and by estimating effect sizes across studies for species richness in each land‐use type. We then used a multinomial model to classify species as natural habitat specialists, generalists, and disturbed habitat specialists and examined variation in effect sizes for each land‐use type according to habitat specialization categories. There were mixed conclusions from individual studies, some reporting negative, neutral, or positive effects of land use on species richness and total abundance. A large proportion of studies reported species‐specific effects of individual species abundance. However, in our analysis of effect sizes, we found a general trend of negative effects of land use on species richness. We also demonstrate that habitat associations of common species and species turnover can explain variation in the effect of land use on herpetofauna. Our review highlights the pervasive negative effects of common land uses on amphibians and reptiles, the importance of identifying groups vulnerable to land‐use change (e.g., forest‐associated species) in conservation studies, and the potential influence of disturbance‐associated species on whole assemblage analyses.
Suitable biopsy site for detection of esophageal eosinophilia in eosinophilic esophagitis suspected cases
Authors: Adachi Kyoichi , Mishiro Tomoko , Tanaka Shino , Kinoshita Yoshikazu 
Published: September 2015

Background and AimEsophageal eosinophilia (EE) is the most important finding for the diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis. We conducted the present retrospective study to clarify the most suitable site of the esophagus to examine for EE detection.MethodsWe enrolled 4999 subjects who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy screening examinations as part of a detailed health check‐up. When endoscopic esophageal abnormalities characteristic of eosinophilic esophagitis were observed, two or three biopsy specimens were obtained from the middle or lower esophagus, and endoscopic findings of fixed rings, exudates, furrows, edema, stricture, and crepe paper esophagus in biopsied sites were analyzed.ResultsThirty‐five subjects underwent histological examination for EE, of whom 20 showed positive findings in biopsied specimens. Higher grade endoscopic findings of exudates, furrows, and edema were observed in cases with EE in comparison to the 15 without EE, whereas statistically significant higher grade endoscopic findings of exudates, furrows, and edema were also observed in biopsied sites with EE in comparison to those without EE. In addition, a positive finding of EE in biopsied specimens from the lower esophagus was significantly more frequently noted as compared to those from the middle esophagus. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a lower esophagus biopsy site and severe exudates were significant factors related to a positive EE finding in biopsied specimens.ConclusionThe most suitable conditions for detection of EE are a lower esophagus biopsy site and the presence of exudates in cases suspicious of eosinophilic esophagitis shown by endoscopy.
Dissociation of perception and action in audiovisual multisensory integration
Authors: Leone Lynnette M. , McCourt Mark E. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThe ‘temporal rule’ of multisensory integration (MI) proposes that unisensory stimuli, and the neuronal responses they evoke, must fall within a window of integration. Ecological validity demands that MI should occur only for physically simultaneous events (which may give rise to non‐simultaneous neural activations), and spurious neural response simultaneities unrelated to environmental multisensory occurrences must somehow be rejected. Two experiments investigated the requirements of simultaneity for facilitative MI. Experiment 1 employed an reaction time (RT)/race model paradigm to measure audiovisual (AV) MI as a function of AV stimulus‐onset asynchrony (SOA) under fully dark adapted conditions for visual stimuli that were either rod‐ or cone‐isolating. Auditory stimulus intensity was constant. Despite a 155‐ms delay in mean RT to the scotopic vs. photopic stimulus, facilitative AV MI in both conditions occurred exclusively at an AV SOA of 0 ms. Thus, facilitative MI demands both physical and physiological simultaneity. Experiment 2 investigated the accuracy of simultaneity and temporal order judgements under the same stimulus conditions. Judgements of AV stimulus simultaneity or temporal order were significantly influenced by stimulus intensity, indicating different simultaneity requirements for these tasks. The possibility was considered that there are mechanisms by which the nervous system may take account of variations in response latency arising from changes in stimulus intensity in order to selectively integrate only those physiological simultaneities that arise from physical simultaneities. It was proposed that separate subsystems for AV MI exist that pertain to action and perception.
Spatial Imaginaries Research in Geography: Synergies, Tensions, and New Directions
Authors: Watkins Josh 
Published: September 2015

AbstractHuman geographers have produced a diverse, and growing, body of literature documenting the existence and consequence of spatial imaginaries. However, reviews explaining and evaluating how geographers conceptualize and empirically verify spatial imaginaries, along with the field's tensions and potential directions, are lacking. This article addresses this gap by assessing geography's spatial imaginary literature. I identify shared features across the literature, while arguing geographers have, in fact, verified three different kinds of spatial imaginaries: imaginaries of places, idealized spaces, and spatial transformations. The article recommends researchers better account for these three, both their differences and relationalities. I also explain and evaluate geography's four competing conceptions of spatial imaginaries' ontology. Some geographers see them as semiotic orders, other geographers believe them to be worldviews, yet spatial imaginaries are predominantly viewed as representational discourse. Recently, however, some geographers have argued them to be performative discourses. This article advocates viewing spatial imaginaries as performative; arguing this view – among other things – clarifies the association between spatial imaginaries and material practices while offering new research directions for the field.
Our experience in using the brachial venae comitantes as a native vascular access for hemodialysis
Authors: Sha Hon Leong , Luk Tien Loong , Tee Sze Chee , Hardin Richard , Seak Chen Ken 
Published: September 2015

AbstractA native arteriovenous fistula is the preferred vascular access for patients on long‐term hemodialysis. In the absence of suitable superficial veins, the deep venous system can be used. We intend to present our experience in using the brachial venae comitantes (VC) to create a native arteriovenous fistula. From January 2012 to December 2014, we utilized the brachial vena comitantes to create 12 arteriovenous fistulae. Data from these 12 subjects were analyzed retrospectively to produce this case series. The average age of our subjects was 55.6 years. Forty‐two percent of the subjects were women. Fifty percent of the subjects had diabetes mellitus and 58% had hypertension. We achieved a functional patency rate of 58% at 1 month's follow up after maturation. The brachio–brachial vena comitans fistula is a safe and plausible option in patients with no other suitable veins for a native fistula, more so in the hands of experienced surgeons. The longer time to cannulation has to be taken into consideration when creating a VC fistula. In suitable patients with end‐stage renal disease, it can delay the use of an arteriovenous graft or a tunneled central venous catheter.
A clinical evaluation of skin disorders of lower limb amputation sites
Authors: Colgecen Emine , Korkmaz Murat , Ozyurt Kemal , Mermerkaya Ugur , Kader Cigdem 
Published: September 2015

AbstractAmputee patients commonly experience skin problems that may result in social, mental, and economic difficulties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of dermatological disorders and identify potential causes and symptomatic patterns among a population of lower limb amputees. Seventy lower limb amputees were enrolled. Complete examinations were performed by a dermatologist, who diagnosed and documented any skin disorders observed and recorded demographic characteristics of each patient. Mycological and bacteriological swabs were collected from the skin at the amputation site for culture analysis. In patients with suspected disease, patch tests were performed. Of the 70 patients, 58 (82.9%) were male and 12 (17.1%) female. Vascular insufficiency due to diabetes (n = 38, 54.3%) and trauma (n = 16, 22.9%) were the most common reasons for amputation. Skin problems were observed in 49 (70%) cases, and positive allergen reactions occurred in 16 (45.7%) of the 35 contact dermatitis cases. Fungal infection occurred in two patients and bacterial infection in seven. Seventy percent of the lower limb amputee patients in this cohort exhibited skin problems. This high percentage indicates that skin problems may reduce patients’ quality of life. A multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of patients who have undergone amputation and early recognition and treatment of symptoms are therefore of critical importance.
IL‐1A rs1800587, IL‐1B rs1143634 and IL‐1R1 rs2234650 polymorphisms in Iranian patients with systemic sclerosis
Authors: Abtahi S. , Farazmand A. , Mahmoudi M. , Ashraf‐Ganjouei A. , Javinani A. , Nazari B. , Kavosi H. , Amirzargar A. A. , Jamshidi A. R. , Gharibdoost F. 
Published: September 2015

SummarySystemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disorder, with ambiguous pathogenesis. Genetic and environmental factors were proved to be correlated with SSc aetiology. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cytokine genes can alter the structure and function of the cytokines and consequently may increase the susceptibility to a specific disease. In this study, we investigated SNPs of the IL‐1 gene cluster in Iranian SSc patients. We obtained blood samples from 170 SSc patients and 213 healthy individuals. Cytokine genotyping results were obtained by polymerase chain reaction with sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐SSP). IL‐1A rs1800587, IL‐1B rs1143634 and IL‐1R1 rs2234650 were evaluated for SNP study. The frequency of the IL‐1B rs1143634 CT genotype was significantly lower in SSc patients compared to the controls (OR = 0.584; 95% CI = 0.385–0.886; P‐value = 0.023), so we propose that CT genotype of this allele might be protective. According to our haplotype analysis, CCC haplotype frequency is higher in the control group compared to SSc patients (OR = 1.575; 95% CI = 1.176–2.111; P‐value = 0.008) and in contrast, CTC haplotype frequency is lower in the control group compared to SSc patients (OR = 0.152; 95% CI = 0.047–0.484; P‐value = 0.002), so they might decrease and increase the susceptibility of having SSc, respectively. In addition, we reported two significant diplotypes frequency differences among SSc patients and healthy individuals. It is highly important that there is not much resemblance between the IL‐1 gene cluster polymorphism in different populations, so we can indicate that SNPs may play critical roles when they are combined with other genetic and environmental factors.