As social network theory and methodology advance, scholars in multiple fields have increasingly become interested in examining work teams using network perspectives. Social networks not only enabled work team researchers to theorize about interdependencies and the dynamic interplay of team components (i.e., individuals, dyads, and whole teams) but also provided a methodological tool kit with which to operationalize and test hypotheses about such interdependencies. To this end, the purpose of this article is to conduct...

Background and purpose. The identification of a genetic role for cognitive outcome could influence the design of individualized treatment in poststroke rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to determine whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism is independently associated with poststroke functional outcome. Methods. A total of 775 stroke patients with genomic data were identified from the Partners HealthCare Biobank, which contains a large number of genotypes from Biobank’s consented patients. Of 775 stroke...

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been suggested to be a risk factor for many cancers, including breast cancer. However, it remains unclear whether MetS predicts poor prognosis in women with breast cancer. A meta-analysis was performed to summarize the association between MetS and clinical outcome in women with breast cancer. Methods Cohort studies were identified by search of PubMed and Embase databases. A random-effect model incorporating the potential heterogeneity was applied to pool the...

In methodological and practical debates about replications in science, it is (often implicitly) assumed that replications will affect public trust in science. In this preregistered experiment (N = 484), we varied (a) whether a replication attempt was successful or not and (b) whether the replication was authored by the same, or another lab. Results showed that ratings of study credibility (e.g. evidence strength, ηP2 = .15) and researcher trustworthiness (e.g. expertise, ηP2 = .15) were...

Abstract Background Because of its analgesic and light sedative properties, the highly selective alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been suggested for the treatment of septic patients, but its effect on the duration of mechanical ventilation remains unclear. The present study was conducted to review the extant literature in DEX and determine its influence on ventilation time in adult septic patients. Methods Databases of PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE were applied till 20th January 2019...

Abstract Background Despite the wide use of the Short-Form Supportive Care Needs Survey Questionnaire (SCNS-SF34), the measurement invariance of the SCNS-SF34 across the main groups—gender and age—which might be of interest in the application of the instrument has never been confirmed. To provide an accurate assessment tool to evaluate the unmet needs of Chinese cancer patients, the present study aimed to assess the measurement invariance of the SCNS-SF34 across gender and age groups and to...

Abstract Background Working farm dogs are invaluable on New Zealand sheep and beef farms. To date no study describing farm dog population and health has included information about incidence of illness and injury, or risk factors affecting health and career duration. This paper describes the methodology and initial results from TeamMate, a longitudinal study that was designed to address this gap. We describe the study population, husbandry practices, and prevalence of clinical abnormalities on enrolment....

A high-resolution biomarker record was carried out on Polarstern Cruise PS93.1 (2015) to reconstruct past sea-ice variability off the continental eastern North Greenland shelf. This area is strongly influenced by cold surface waters and drift ice transported via East Greenland Current, meltwater pulses from the outlet glaciers of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream and the build-up of landfast ice. The AMS 14C-dated Holocene Kastenlot Core PS93/025 reflects high sedimentation rates ranging between 25-30 cm/kyr over...

Most research on the nutritional significance of the gut microbiome is conducted on laboratory animals, and its relevance to wild animals is largely unknown. This study investigated the microbiome correlates of lipid content in individual wild fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. Lipid content varied 3.6-fold among the flies and was significantly correlated with the abundance of gut-derived bacterial DNA sequences that were assigned to genes contributing to 16 KEGG pathways. These included genes encoding sugar transporters...

Purpose:Quantitative end points for uveitis are needed. Here we quantify the rate of ellipsoid zone (EZ) recovery on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and correlate it with visual acuity (VA) improvement in patients with acute posterior multifocal placoid pigmented epitheliopathy (APMPPE). We use automated and manually graded EZ area analysis to assess EZ recovery in APMPPE.Methods:We performed a retrospective review of 9 APMPPE cases (18 eyes) that had characteristic clinical examination and fluorescein angiography findings, outer...

Background:Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), as one of the ligands of endothelial receptor Tie2, is known to be significant for vessel maturation and stabilization after birth. Previous studies showed the relationship between Ang-2 level and the risk of mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, the link between circulating Ang-2 and the risk of mortality in patients with ARDS varied in different investigations.Results:We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all available cohort studies regarding...

Purpose:To report a series of recurrent idiopathic macular holes treated by means of a free autologous internal limiting membrane flap and compare visual and anatomic results to a control group undergoing further internal limiting membrane peeling and novel gas tamponade.Methods:Retrospective surgical series of 15 consecutive patients receiving autologous internal limiting membrane flap compared to 14 patients operated on for internal limiting membrane peeling enlargement. Autologous internal limiting membrane flap was created after brilliant blue G...

Abstract Background Geophytes possess specialized storage organs - bulbs, tubers, corms or rhizomes, which allow their survival during unfovarable periods and provide energy support for sprouting and sexual and vegetative reproduction. Bulbing and flowering of the geophyte depend on the combined effects of the internal and external factors, especially temperature and photoperiod. Many geophytes are extensively used in agriculture, but mechanisms of regulation of their flowering and bulbing are still unclear. Results Comparative morpho-physiological and...

Abstract Introduction There is growing evidence that mental disorders behave like complex dynamic systems. Complex dynamic systems theory states that a slower recovery from small perturbations indicates a loss of resilience of a system. This study is the first to test whether the speed of recovery of affect states from small daily life perturbations predicts changes in psychopathological symptoms over 1 year in a group of adolescents at increased risk for mental disorders. Methods We...

Abstract Background Despite the impressive anti-tumor activity of osimertinib in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, 30–40% of patients still show limited response. There is therefore a need to identify biomarkers that accurately predict the response to osimertinib therapy. In this study, 54 patients with targeted next-generation sequencing of circulating tumor DNA before osimertinib treatment and known T790M positivity were included. We investigated the predictive value of baseline circulating...

Abstract Background Different immune mechanisms are capable of killing developmental stages of filarial nematodes and these mechanisms are also likely to vary between the primary and a challenge infection. However, the lack of a detailed analysis of cytokine, chemokine and immunoglobulin levels in human loiasis is still evident. Therefore, detailed analysis of immune responses induced by the different developmental stages of Loa loa in immune-competent BALB/c mice will aid in the characterization of distinct immune...

Objectives:Research suggests a high prevalence of problematic alcohol use among military personnel relative to civilians. Our primary objectives were to compare the prevalence, correlates, help-seeking behaviors, perceived need for care, and barriers to care for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Canadian general population (CGP).Methods:Data were from 2 nationally representative surveys collected by Statistics Canada: (1) the Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health collected in 2012 (N =...

ObjectiveLow urine pH (LUP) is not only affected by environmental factors, but is also a feature of metabolic syndrome (MS), which is characterized by insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. However, it is unclear which factors contribute most to urine acidity. This study investigated factors influencing LUP and the link between LUP and metabolic traits in South Korea.MethodsParticipants were middle-aged subjects (age, 52.2 ± 8.9 years; average body mass index, 24.6 ± 3.2 kg/m2),...

The extent to which cultural beliefs about gender shape occupation-level wages remains a central yet unresolved question in the study of gender inequality. Human capital theorists predict that gendered beliefs have no direct effect on occupation-level wages. Devaluation theorists argue that occupations associated with women and femininity are systematically devalued and thus underpaid. We test these explanations using data from the American Community Survey, the Occupational Information Network, and an affect control theory (ACT) data...

Background:Evidence for treating postprandial distress syndrome with acupuncture is limited.Aim:We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of verum acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in patients with postprandial distress syndrome.Methods:A total of 42 eligible patients were randomly allocated to either verum acupuncture or sham acupuncture groups in a 1:1 ratio. Each patient received 12 sessions over 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the response rate based on the overall treatment effect (OTE) 4 weeks after randomization. Secondary outcomes...

BackgroundAcute kidney injury is associated with high mortality, and the optimal time to start renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury is unknown despite several randomised controlled trials on the subject. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of earlier initiation of renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury on mortality and reported secondary outcomes.MethodsAll literature in databases EMBASE, MEDLINE and CENTRAL was searched from January 1970 to March 2019 using...

Only approximately half of individuals engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) ever disclose their behavior. Yet there is a dearth of research aimed at understanding NSSI disclosure and the outcomes of choosing to disclose, such as social reactions to NSSI disclosure. The current study aimed to develop and validate a measure of perceived social reactions to the disclosure of NSSI, the Self-Injury Social Reactions Questionnaire (SI-SRQ). Results supported a three-factor structure of the SI-SRQ assessing positive...

Abstract Background Glycans are complex sugar chains, crucial to many biological processes. By participating in binding interactions with proteins, glycans often play key roles in host–pathogen interactions. The specificities of glycan-binding proteins, such as lectins and antibodies, are governed by motifs within larger glycan structures, and improved characterisations of these determinants would aid research into human diseases. Identification of motifs has previously been approached as a frequent subtree mining problem, and we extend these approaches...

Abstract The accumulation of phosphorylated tau protein (pTau) in the entorhinal cortex (EC) is the earliest tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Tau tubulin kinase-1 (TTBK1) is a neuron-specific tau kinase and expressed in the EC and hippocampal regions in both human and mouse brains. Here we report that collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP2), a critical mediator of growth cone collapse, is a new downstream target of TTBK1 and is accumulated in the EC region...

Abstract Context Metabolic inflexibility is a characteristic of insulin resistance, limiting the ability to transiently regulate oxidative metabolism and gene expression in response to nutrient availability. Little is known of the flexibility of post-transcriptional regulation, including circulatory miRNAs (c-miRNAs). Design The abundances of targeted c-miRNAs, with reported functions in metabolic regulation, were analysed in response to a high-carbohydrate meal in healthy weight insulin-sensitive (IS) and overweight insulin-resistant (IR) women. Participants Age-matched healthy weight IS (n...