title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=1802 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Decoupling social status and status certainty effects on health in macaques: a network approach link: https://peerj.com/articles/2394 last-modified: 2016-09-13 description: BackgroundAlthough a wealth of literature points to the importance of social factors on health, a detailed understanding of the complex interplay between social and biological systems is lacking. Social status is one aspect of social life that is made up of multiple structural (humans: income, education; animals: mating system, dominance rank) and relational components (perceived social status, dominance interactions). In a nonhuman primate model we use novel network techniques to decouple two components of social status, dominance rank (a commonly used measure of social status in animal models) and dominance certainty (the relative certainty vs. ambiguity of an individual’s status), allowing for a more complex examination of how social status impacts health.MethodsBehavioral observations were conducted on three outdoor captive groups of rhesus macaques (N = 252 subjects). Subjects’ general physical health (diarrhea) was assessed twice weekly, and blood was drawn once to assess biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP)).ResultsDominance rank alone did not fully account for the complex way that social status exerted its effect on health. Instead, dominance certainty modified the impact of rank on biomarkers of inflammation. Specifically, high-ranked animals with more ambiguous status relationships had higher levels of inflammation than low-ranked animals, whereas little effect of rank was seen for animals with more certain status relationships. The impact of status on physical health was more straightforward: individuals with more ambiguous status relationships had more frequent diarrhea; there was marginal evidence that high-ranked animals had less frequent diarrhea.DiscussionSocial status has a complex and multi-faceted impact on individual health. Our work suggests an important role of uncertainty in one’s social status in status-health research. This work also suggests that in order to fully explore the mechanisms for how social life influences health, more complex metrics of social systems and their dynamics are needed. creator: Jessica J. Vandeleest creator: Brianne A. Beisner creator: Darcy L. Hannibal creator: Amy C. Nathman creator: John P. Capitanio creator: Fushing Hsieh creator: Edward R. Atwill creator: Brenda McCowan uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2394 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2016 Vandeleest et al. title: Microbial diversity of extreme habitats in human homes link: https://peerj.com/articles/2376 last-modified: 2016-09-13 description: High-throughput sequencing techniques have opened up the world of microbial diversity to scientists, and a flurry of studies in the most remote and extreme habitats on earth have begun to elucidate the key roles of microbes in ecosystems with extreme conditions. These same environmental extremes can also be found closer to humans, even in our homes. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing techniques to assess bacterial and archaeal diversity in the extreme environments inside human homes (e.g., dishwashers, hot water heaters, washing machine bleach reservoirs, etc.). We focused on habitats in the home with extreme temperature, pH, and chemical environmental conditions. We found a lower diversity of microbes in these extreme home environments compared to less extreme habitats in the home. However, we were nonetheless able to detect sequences from a relatively diverse array of bacteria and archaea. Habitats with extreme temperatures alone appeared to be able to support a greater diversity of microbes than habitats with extreme pH or extreme chemical environments alone. Microbial diversity was lowest when habitats had both extreme temperature and one of these other extremes. In habitats with both extreme temperatures and extreme pH, taxa with known associations with extreme conditions dominated. Our findings highlight the importance of examining interactive effects of multiple environmental extremes on microbial communities. Inasmuch as taxa from extreme environments can be both beneficial and harmful to humans, our findings also suggest future work to understand both the threats and opportunities posed by the life in these habitats. creator: Amy M. Savage creator: Justin Hills creator: Katherine Driscoll creator: Daniel J. Fergus creator: Amy M. Grunden creator: Robert R. Dunn uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2376 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2016 Savage et al. title: Talk the talk and walk the walk. Evaluation of autonomy in aging and Alzheimer disease by simulating instrumental activities of daily living: the S-IADL link: https://peerj.com/articles/2351 last-modified: 2016-09-13 description: ObjectiveThe autonomy of individuals is linked to the achievement of instrumental activities of daily living that require complex behavior. In the elderly, the assessment of autonomy is usually based on questionnaires that have strong subjective constraints. Considering this fact, we tested elderly healthy adults and Alzheimer disease patients using a new measure, the S-IADL (Simulation of Instrumental Activities for Daily Living), to assess the ability to perform effectively activities of daily living.MethodThe S-IADL shares many items with the well-known IADL questionnaire proposed by Lawton & Brody (1969). However, as opposed to the IADL, the assessment of autonomy is not based on the completion of a questionnaire but requires the realization or simulation of various activities of daily living. Eighty-three participants (69 healthy elderly, and 14 Alzheimer Disease patients) completed the IADL and performed the S-IADL assessment.ResultsResults revealed that, like the IADL, the S-IADL is able to identify AD patients who are likely to encounter difficulties in performing everyday activities, and no major differences were found between the IADL and the S-IADL.ConclusionsWe outlined some advantages for prefering, in certain situation, this new tool based on simulation of activities in functional evaluation. Finally, we discuss the main limits of the S-IADL that should be investigated prior to its utilization by clinicians. creator: Véronique Quaglino creator: Yannick Gounden creator: Emilie Lacot creator: Frédérique Couvillers creator: Amandine Lions creator: Mathieu Hainselin uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2351 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2016 Quaglino et al. title: Spatial heterogeneity of physicochemical properties explains differences in microbial composition in arid soils from Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico link: https://peerj.com/articles/2459 last-modified: 2016-09-08 description: Arid ecosystems are characterized by high spatial heterogeneity, and the variation among vegetation patches is a clear example. Soil biotic and abiotic factors associated with these patches have also been well documented as highly heterogeneous in space. Given the low vegetation cover and little precipitation in arid ecosystems, soil microorganisms are the main drivers of nutrient cycling. Nonetheless, little is known about the spatial distribution of microorganisms and the relationship that their diversity holds with nutrients and other physicochemical gradients in arid soils. In this study, we evaluated the spatial variability of soil microbial diversity and chemical parameters (nutrients and ion content) at local scale (meters) occurring in a gypsum-based desert soil, to gain knowledge on what soil abiotic factors control the distribution of microbes in arid ecosystems. We analyzed 32 soil samples within a 64 m2 plot and: (a) characterized microbial diversity using T-RFLPs of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, (b) determined soil chemical parameters, and (c) identified relationships between microbial diversity and chemical properties. Overall, we found a strong correlation between microbial composition heterogeneity and spatial variation of cations (Ca2, K+) and anions (HCO${}_{3}^{-}$3−, Cl−, SO${}_{4}^{2-}$42−) content in this small plot. Our results could be attributable to spatial differences of soil saline content, favoring the patchy emergence of salt and soil microbial communities. creator: Silvia Pajares creator: Ana E. Escalante creator: Ana M. Noguez creator: Felipe García-Oliva creator: Celeste Martínez-Piedragil creator: Silke S. Cram creator: Luis Enrique Eguiarte creator: Valeria Souza uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2459 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2016 Pajares et al. title: Impact of exposure to tobacco smoke, arsenic, and phthalates on locally advanced cervical cancer treatment—preliminary results link: https://peerj.com/articles/2448 last-modified: 2016-09-08 description: BackgroundCancer research is a national and international priority, with the efficiency and effectiveness of current anti-tumor therapies being one of the major challenges with which physicians are faced.ObjectiveTo assess the impact of exposure to tobacco smoke, arsenic, and phthalates on cervical cancer treatment.MethodsWe investigated 37 patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma who underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We determined cotinine and five phthalate metabolites in urine samples collected prior to cancer treatment, by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and urinary total arsenic by atomic absorption spectrometry with hydride generation. We used linear regression to evaluate the effects of cotinine, arsenic, and phthalates on the change in tumor size after treatment, adjusted for confounding variables.ResultsWe detected no significant associations between urinary cotinine, arsenic, or phthalate monoesters on change in tumor size after treatment, adjusted for urine creatinine, age, baseline tumor size, and cotinine (for arsenic and phthalates). However, higher %mono-ethylhexyl phthalate (%MEHP), a putative indicator of phthalate diester metabolism, was associated with a larger change in tumor size (β = 0.015, 95% CI [0.003–0.03], P = 0.019).ConclusionWe found no statistically significant association between the urinary levels of arsenic, cotinine, and phthalates metabolites and the response to cervical cancer treatment as measured by the change in tumor size. Still, our results suggested that phthalates metabolism may be associated with response to treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer. However, these observations are preliminary and will require confirmation in a larger, more definitive investigation. creator: Iulia A. Neamtiu creator: Michael S. Bloom creator: Irina Dumitrascu creator: Carmen A. Roba creator: Cristian Pop creator: Claudia Ordeanu creator: Ovidiu Balacescu creator: Eugen S. Gurzau uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2448 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2016 Neamtiu et al. title: The HOSPITAL score as a predictor of 30 day readmission in a retrospective study at a university affiliated community hospital link: https://peerj.com/articles/2441 last-modified: 2016-09-08 description: IntroductionHospital readmissions are common, expensive, and a key target of the Medicare Value Based Purchasing (VBP) program. Risk assessment tools have been developed to identify patients at high risk of hospital readmission so they can be targeted for interventions aimed at reducing the rate of readmission. One such tool is the HOSPITAL score that uses seven readily available clinical variables to predict the risk of readmission within 30 days of discharge. The HOSPITAL score has been internationally validated in large academic medical centers. This study aims to determine if the HOSPITAL score is similarly useful in a moderate sized university affiliated hospital in the midwestern United States.Materials and MethodsAll adult medical patients discharged from the SIU-SOM Hospitalist service from Memorial Medical Center (MMC) from October 15, 2015 to March 16, 2016, were studied retrospectively to determine if the HOSPITAL score was a significant predictor of hospital readmission within 30 days.ResultsDuring the study period, 998 discharges were recorded for the hospitalist service. The analysis includes data for the 931 discharges. Patients who died during the hospital stay, were transferred to another hospital, or left against medical advice were excluded. Of these patients, 109 (12%) were readmitted to the same hospital within 30 days. The patients who were readmitted were more likely to have a length of stay greater than or equal to 5 days (55% vs. 41%, p = 0.005) and were more likely to have been admitted more than once to the hospital within the last year (100% vs. 49%, p < 0.001). A receiver operating characteristic evaluation of the HOSPITAL score for this patient population shows a C statistic of 0.77 (95% CI [0.73–0.81]), indicating good discrimination for hospital readmission. The Brier score for the HOSPITAL score in this setting was 0.10, indicating good overall performance. The Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness of fit test shows a χ2 value of 1.63 with a p value of 0.20.DiscussionThis single center retrospective study indicates that the HOSPITAL score has good discriminatory ability to predict hospital readmissions within 30 days for a medical hospitalist service at a university-affiliated hospital. This data for all causes of hospital readmission is comparable to the discriminatory ability of the HOSPITAL score in the international validation study (C statistics of 0.72 vs. 0.77) conducted at considerably larger hospitals (975 average beds vs. 507 at MMC) for potentially avoidable hospital readmissions.ConclusionsThe internationally validated HOSPITAL score may be a useful tool in moderate sized community hospitals to identify patients at high risk of hospital readmission within 30 days. This easy to use scoring system using readily available data can be used as part of interventional strategies to reduce the rate of hospital readmission. creator: Robert Robinson uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2441 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2016 Robinson title: Genetic structure and diversity of the selfing model grass Brachypodium stacei (Poaceae) in Western Mediterranean: out of the Iberian Peninsula and into the islands link: https://peerj.com/articles/2407 last-modified: 2016-09-08 description: Annual Mediterranean species of the genus Brachypodium are promising model plants for energy crops since their selfing nature and short-life cycles are an advantage in breeding programs. The false brome, B. distachyon, has already been sequenced and new genomic initiatives have triggered the de-novo genome sequencing of its close relatives such as B. stacei, a species that was until recently mistaken for B. distachyon. However, the success of these initiatives hinges on detailed knowledge about the distribution of genetic variation within and among populations for the effective use of germplasm in a breeding program. Understanding population genetic diversity and genetic structure is also an important prerequisite for designing effective experimental populations for genomic wide studies. However, population genetic data are still limited in B. stacei. We therefore selected and amplified 10 nuclear microsatellite markers to depict patterns of population structure and genetic variation among 181 individuals from 19 populations of B. stacei occurring in its predominant range, the western Mediterranean area: mainland Iberian Peninsula, continental Balearic Islands and oceanic Canary Islands. Our genetic results support the occurrence of a predominant selfing system with extremely high levels of homozygosity across the analyzed populations. Despite the low level of genetic variation found, two different genetic clusters were retrieved, one clustering all SE Iberian mainland populations and the island of Minorca and another one grouping all S Iberian mainland populations, the Canary Islands and all Majorcan populations except one that clustered with the former group. These results, together with a high sharing of alleles (89%) suggest different colonization routes from the mainland Iberian Peninsula into the islands. A recent colonization scenario could explain the relatively low levels of genetic diversity and low number of alleles found in the Canary Islands populations while older colonization events are hypothesized to explain the high genetic diversity values found in the Majorcan populations. Our study provides widely applicable information about geographical patterns of genetic variation in B. stacei. Among others, the genetic pattern and the existence of local alleles will need to be adequately reflected in the germplasm collection of B. stacei for efficient genome wide association studies. creator: Valeriia Shiposha creator: Pilar Catalán creator: Marina Olonova creator: Isabel Marques uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2407 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2016 Shiposha et al. title: Patchiness of forest landscape can predict species distribution better than abundance: the case of a forest-dwelling passerine, the short-toed treecreeper, in central Italy link: https://peerj.com/articles/2398 last-modified: 2016-09-08 description: Environmental heterogeneity affects not only the distribution of a species but also its local abundance. High heterogeneity due to habitat alteration and fragmentation can influence the realized niche of a species, lowering habitat suitability as well as reducing local abundance. We investigate whether a relationship exists between habitat suitability and abundance and whether both are affected by fragmentation. Our aim was to assess the predictive power of such a relationship to derive advice for environmental management. As a model species we used a forest specialist, the short-toed treecreeper (Family: Certhiidae; Certhia brachydactyla Brehm, 1820), and sampled it in central Italy. Species distribution was modelled as a function of forest structure, productivity and fragmentation, while abundance was directly estimated in two central Italian forest stands. Different algorithms were implemented to model species distribution, employing 170 occurrence points provided mostly by the MITO2000 database: an artificial neural network, classification tree analysis, flexible discriminant analysis, generalized boosting models, generalized linear models, multivariate additive regression splines, maximum entropy and random forests. Abundance was estimated also considering detectability, through N-mixture models. Differences between forest stands in both abundance and habitat suitability were assessed as well as the existence of a relationship. Simpler algorithms resulted in higher goodness of fit than complex ones. Fragmentation was highly influential in determining potential distribution. Local abundance and habitat suitability differed significantly between the two forest stands, which were also significantly different in the degree of fragmentation. Regression showed that suitability has a weak significant effect in explaining increasing value of abundance. In particular, local abundances varied both at low and high suitability values. The study lends support to the concept that the degree of fragmentation can contribute to alter not only the suitability of an area for a species, but also its abundance. Even if the relationship between suitability and abundance can be used as an early warning of habitat deterioration, its weak predictive power needs further research. However, we define relationships between a species and some landscape features (i.e., fragmentation, extensive rejuvenation of forests and tree plantations) which could be easily controlled by appropriate forest management planning to enhance environmental suitability, at least in an area possessing high conservation and biodiversity values. creator: Marco Basile creator: Francesco Valerio creator: Rosario Balestrieri creator: Mario Posillico creator: Rodolfo Bucci creator: Tiziana Altea creator: Bruno De Cinti creator: Giorgio Matteucci uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2398 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2016 Basile et al. title: Is there any effect of pneumoperitoneum pressure on coagulation and fibrinolysis during laparoscopic cholecystectomy? link: https://peerj.com/articles/2375 last-modified: 2016-09-08 description: BackgroundLaparoscopic cholecystectomies (LC) are generally performed in a 12 mmHg-pressured pneumoperitoneum in a slight sitting position. Considerable thromboembolism risk arises in this operation due to pneumoperitoneum, operation position and risk factors of patients. We aim to investigate the effect of pneumoperitoneum pressure on coagulation and fibrinolysis under general anesthesia.Material and MethodsFifty American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) I–III patients who underwent elective LC without thromboprophlaxis were enrolled in this prospective study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups according to the pneumoperitoneum pressure during LC: the 10 mmHg group (n = 25) and the 14 mmHg group. Prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), International Normalized Ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and blood levels of d-dimer and fibrinogen were measured preoperatively (pre), one hour (post1) and 24 h (post24) after the surgery. Moreover, alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase and lactate dehydrogenase were measured before and after the surgery. These parameters were compared between and within the groups.ResultsPT, TT, aPTT, INR, and D-dimer and fibrinogen levels significantly increased after the surgery in both of the groups. D-dimer level was significantly higher in 14-mmHg group at post24.ConclusionBoth the 10-mmHg and 14-mmHg pressure of pneumoperitoneum may lead to affect coagulation tests and fibrinogen and D-dimer levels without any occurrence of deep vein thrombosis, but 14-mmHg pressure of pneumoperitoneum has a greater effect on D-dimer. However, lower pneumoperitoneum pressure may be useful for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis. creator: Turgut Donmez creator: Sinan Uzman creator: Dogan Yildirim creator: Adnan Hut creator: Huseyin Imam Avaroglu creator: Duygu Ayfer Erdem creator: Erdinc Cekic creator: Fazilet Erozgen uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2375 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2016 Donmez et al. title: Improved cartilage regeneration by implantation of acellular biomaterials after bone marrow stimulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies link: https://peerj.com/articles/2243 last-modified: 2016-09-08 description: Microfracture surgery may be applied to treat cartilage defects. During the procedure the subchondral bone is penetrated, allowing bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells to migrate towards the defect site and form new cartilage tissue. Microfracture surgery generally results in the formation of mechanically inferior fibrocartilage. As a result, this technique offers only temporary clinical improvement. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine may improve the outcome of microfracture surgery. Filling the subchondral defect with a biomaterial may provide a template for the formation of new hyaline cartilage tissue. In this study, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to assess the current evidence for the efficacy of cartilage regeneration in preclinical models using acellular biomaterials implanted after marrow stimulating techniques (microfracturing and subchondral drilling) compared to the natural healing response of defects. The review aims to provide new insights into the most effective biomaterials, to provide an overview of currently existing knowledge, and to identify potential lacunae in current studies to direct future research. A comprehensive search was systematically performed in PubMed and EMBASE (via OvidSP) using search terms related to tissue engineering, cartilage and animals. Primary studies in which acellular biomaterials were implanted in osteochondral defects in the knee or ankle joint in healthy animals were included and study characteristics tabulated (283 studies out of 6,688 studies found). For studies comparing non-treated empty defects to defects containing implanted biomaterials and using semi-quantitative histology as outcome measure, the risk of bias (135 studies) was assessed and outcome data were collected for meta-analysis (151 studies). Random-effects meta-analyses were performed, using cartilage regeneration as outcome measure on an absolute 0–100% scale. Implantation of acellular biomaterials significantly improved cartilage regeneration by 15.6% compared to non-treated empty defect controls. The addition of biologics to biomaterials significantly improved cartilage regeneration by 7.6% compared to control biomaterials. No significant differences were found between biomaterials from natural or synthetic origin or between scaffolds, hydrogels and blends. No noticeable differences were found in outcome between animal models. The risk of bias assessment indicated poor reporting for the majority of studies, impeding an assessment of the actual risk of bias. In conclusion, implantation of biomaterials in osteochondral defects improves cartilage regeneration compared to natural healing, which is further improved by the incorporation of biologics. creator: Michiel W. Pot creator: Veronica K. Gonzales creator: Pieter Buma creator: Joanna IntHout creator: Toin H. van Kuppevelt creator: Rob B.M. de Vries creator: Willeke F. Daamen uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2243 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2016 Pot et al.