bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reverse Engineering Cancer: Inferring Transcriptional Gene Signatures from Copy Number Aberrations with ICAro
Authors: Angeli Davide , Fanciulli Maurizio , Pallocca Matteo
Published: February 2019

The characterization of a gene product function is a process that involves multiple laboratory techniques in order to silence the gene itself and to understand the resulting cellular phenotype via several omics profiling. When it comes to tumor cells, usually the translation process from in vitro characterization results to human validation is a difficult journey. Here, we present a simple algorithm to extract mRNA signatures from cancer datasets, where a particular gene has been deleted at the genomic level, ICAro. The process is implemented as a two-step workflow. The first one employs several filters in order to select the two patient subsets: the inactivated one, where the target gene is deleted, and the control one, where large genomic rearrangements should be absent. The second step performs a signature extraction via a Differential Expression analysis and a complementary Random Forest approach to provide an additional gene ranking in terms of information loss. We benchmarked the system robustness on a panel of genes frequently deleted in cancers, where we validated the downregulation of target genes and found a correlation with signatures extracted with the L1000 tool, outperforming random sampling for two out of six L1000 classes. Furthermore, we present a use case correlation with a published transcriptomic experiment. In conclusion, deciphering the complex interactions of the tumor environment is a challenge that requires the integration of several experimental techniques in order to create reproducible results. We implemented a tool which could be of use when trying to find mRNA signatures related to a gene loss event to better understand its function or for a gene-loss associated biomarker research.
The Role of Lactate Metabolism in Prostate Cancer Progression and Metastases Revealed by Dual-Agent Hyperpolarized 13C MRSI
Authors: Bok Robert , Lee Jessie , Sriram Renuka , Keshari Kayvan , Sukumar Subramaniam , Daneshmandi Saeed , Korenchan David E. , Flavell Robert R. , Vigneron Daniel B. , Kurhanewicz John , Seth Pankaj
Published: February 2019

This study applied a dual-agent, 13C-pyruvate and 13C-urea, hyperpolarized 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and multi-parametric (mp) 1H magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach in the transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) model to investigate changes in tumor perfusion and lactate metabolism during prostate cancer development, progression and metastases, and after lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDHA) knock-out. An increased Warburg effect, as measured by an elevated hyperpolarized (HP) Lactate/Pyruvate (Lac/Pyr) ratio, and associated Ldha expression and LDH activity were significantly higher in high- versus low-grade TRAMP tumors and normal prostates. The hypoxic tumor microenvironment in high-grade tumors, as measured by significantly decreased HP 13C-urea perfusion and increased PIM staining, played a key role in increasing lactate production through increased Hif1α and then Ldha expression. Increased lactate induced Mct4 expression and an acidic tumor microenvironment that provided a potential mechanism for the observed high rate of lymph node (86%) and liver (33%) metastases. The Ldha knockdown in the triple-transgenic mouse model of prostate cancer resulted in a significant reduction in HP Lac/Pyr, which preceded a reduction in tumor volume or apparent water diffusion coefficient (ADC). The Ldha gene knockdown significantly reduced primary tumor growth and reduced lymph node and visceral metastases. These data suggested a metabolic transformation from low- to high-grade prostate cancer including an increased Warburg effect, decreased perfusion, and increased metastatic potential. Moreover, these data suggested that LDH activity and lactate are required for tumor progression. The lactate metabolism changes during prostate cancer provided the motivation for applying hyperpolarized 13C MRSI to detect aggressive disease at diagnosis and predict early therapeutic response.
A Retrospective Dosimetric Study of Radiotherapy Patients with Left-Sided Breast Cancer; Patient Selection Criteria for Deep Inspiration Breath Hold Technique
Authors: Dell’Oro Mikaela , Giles Eileen , Sharkey Amy , Borg Martin , Connell Caroline , Bezak Eva
Published: February 2019

Background: Several studies have investigated cardiac dose reduction when utilizing the deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) technique in patients undergoing radiotherapy for left-sided breast cancer. This paper aims to recommend potential selection criteria based on a retrospective single institute study of free breathing (FB) and DIBH computed tomography (CT) simulation planning scans. Methods: Dosimetric comparisons were performed retrospectively for 20 patients correlating the dose reduction and patient anatomical factors (anatomical variation of chest shape, chest wall separation, total lung volume (TLV) and others). Results: Paired t-tests demonstrated significant cardiac dose reduction for most patients but not all. Minimal cardiac dose reduction was observed for three patients using their DIBH plan, with one patient receiving a higher dose. Linear regression analysis identified a positive correlation between the patient’s TLV (on the FB CT simulation scan) and the magnitude of dosimetric benefit received (0.4045 R2). Conclusion: The TLV measured on a FB plan could potentially be utilised to predict cardiac exposure and assist with patient selection for DIBH. This is important in resource allocation, as DIBH may be unnecessarily recommended for some patients with little dosimetric benefit.
Emerging Therapies for Acute Myelogenus Leukemia Patients Targeting Apoptosis and Mitochondrial Metabolism
Authors: Castelli Germana , Pelosi Elvira , Testa Ugo
Published: February 2019

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is a malignant disease of the hematopoietic cells, characterized by impaired differentiation and uncontrolled clonal expansion of myeloid progenitors/precursors, resulting in bone marrow failure and impaired normal hematopoiesis. AML comprises a heterogeneous group of malignancies, characterized by a combination of different somatic genetic abnormalities, some of which act as events driving leukemic development. Studies carried out in the last years have shown that AML cells invariably have abnormalities in one or more apoptotic pathways and have identified some components of the apoptotic pathway that can be targeted by specific drugs. Clinical results deriving from studies using B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) inhibitors in combination with standard AML agents, such as azacytidine, decitabine, low-dose cytarabine, provided promising results and strongly support the use of these agents in the treatment of AML patients, particularly of elderly patients. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and its receptors are frequently deregulated in AML patients and their targeting may represent a promising strategy for development of new treatments. Altered mitochondrial metabolism is a common feature of AML cells, as supported through the discovery of mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase gene and in mitochondrial electron transport chain and of numerous abnormalities of oxidative metabolism existing in AML subgroups. Overall, these observations strongly support the view that the targeting of mitochondrial apoptotic or metabolic machinery is an appealing new therapeutic perspective in AML.
Aerobic Epoxidation of Low-Molecular-Weight and Polymeric Olefins by a Supramolecular Manganese Porphyrin Catalyst
Authors: Bernar Ivan , Rutjes Floris P.J.T. , Elemans Johannes A.A.W. , Nolte Roeland J.M.
Published: February 2019

We report on the highly efficient epoxidation of low-molecular-weight and polymeric olefins catalyzed by a supramolecular manganese porphyrin complex using molecular oxygen as an oxidant and an aldehyde as a co-reductant. At ambient temperature and under optimized reaction conditions, the catalyst showed high activity and stereoselectivity. The efficiency of the supramolecular manganese porphyrin was higher than that of a reference porphyrin catalyst, possibly because it was more stable under the applied reaction conditions. Mechanistic studies suggest that a manganese oxo porphyrin complex may be an intermediate in the epoxidation reaction.
The MEK-ERK-MST1 Axis Potentiates the Activation of the Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway during GDC-0941 Treatment in Jurkat T Cells
Authors: Nováková Jana , Talacko Pavel , Novák Petr , Vališ Karel
Published: February 2019

The discrete activation of individual caspases is essential during T-cell development, activation, and apoptosis. Humans carrying nonfunctional caspase-8 and caspase-8 conditional knockout mice exhibit several defects in the progression of naive CD4+ T cells to the effector stage. MST1, a key kinase of the Hippo signaling pathway, is often presented as a substrate of caspases, and its cleavage by caspases potentiates its activity. Several studies have focused on the involvement of MST1 in caspase activation and also reported several defects in the immune system function caused by MST1 deficiency. Here, we show the rapid activation of the MEK-ERK-MST1 axis together with the cleavage and activation of caspase-3, -6, -7, -8, and -9 after PI3K signaling blockade by the selective inhibitor GDC-0941 in Jurkat T cells. We determined the phosphorylation pattern of MST1 using a phosphoproteomic approach and identified two amino acid residues phosphorylated in an ERK-dependent manner after GDC-0941 treatment together with a novel phosphorylation site at S21 residue, which was extensively phosphorylated in an ERK-independent manner during PI3K signaling blockade. Using caspase inhibitors and the inhibition of MST1 expression using siRNA, we identified an exclusive role of the MEK-ERK-MST1 axis in the activation of initiator caspase-8, which in turn activates executive caspase-3/-7 that finally potentiate MST1 proteolytic cleavage. This mechanism forms a positive feed-back loop that amplifies the activation of MST1 together with apoptotic response in Jurkat T cells during PI3K inhibition. Altogether, we propose a novel MEK-ERK-MST1-CASP8-CASP3/7 apoptotic pathway in Jurkat T cells and believe that the regulation of this pathway can open novel possibilities in systemic and cancer therapies.
Designing and Evaluating Energy Product-Service Systems for Energy Sector (EPSS) in Liberalized Energy Market: A Case Study in Space Heating Services for Japan Household
Authors: Kusumaningdyah Widha , McLellan Benjamin , Tezuka Tetsuo
Published: February 2019

This paper introduces Energy-Product-Service Systems (EPSS) to overcome the issues in the liberalized energy market. Currently, conventional energy services are highly commoditized, thus eroding their competitiveness in a liberalized energy market. In addition, customer benefits from the current system are hard to analyse, because it is difficult for customers to observe the quality of the results of energy consumption. EPSS incorporates energy sector with other related sectors to design and deliver immediate result of energy usage that suit to customer’s specific needs is expected to provide better performance than current system. However, EPSS service design and implementation involve high risk and performance uncertainties. Therefore, this study proposes a method to design and to evaluate EPSS and compare its performances with energy product/service performance in current system through Simulation-Based Design (SBD). SBD is used to construct EPSS service considering stakeholders’ interest and to evaluate the service performance, by simulating alternative scenarios in order to seek conditions that are expected to fulfil stakeholders’ requirements. In the proposed analysis, three service features, that is, service consumption management, operational system design and electricity supply management are introduced and used to develop EPSS alternative design for space-heating service. Afterwards, customer satisfaction and the company’s benefit for each service scenarios are simulated and compared with the performance of the current system. In this context, EPSS design that includes operational system design and electricity supply management results in better benefit for all stakeholders.
Cardiac Catheterization in Assessment and Treatment of Kawasaki Disease in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Agrawal Hitesh , Qureshi Athar M.
Published: February 2019

Cardiac catheterization has become a promising tool to assess and treat coronary artery lesions in patients with Kawasaki disease. Significant coronary artery lesions can now be treated via transcatheter route even in small children. Further development and miniaturization of this technology will help to promote widespread use to the benefit of small children suffering from coronary artery disease. The role of diagnostic and interventional coronary artery procedures in children and adolescents are discussed in this article.
Erratum: Wang et al. Optimised Performance of Non-Dispersive Infrared Gas Sensors Using Multilayer Thin Film Bandpass Filters. Coatings 2018, 8, 472
Authors: Wang Pinggui , Fu Xiuhua , Gibson Des , Fleming Lewis , Ahmadzadeh Sam , Li Cheng , Muhiyudin Manu , Song Shigeng , Hutson David , Moodie David , MacGregor Calum , Steer Matthew
Published: February 2019

The authors wish to modify the funding section as follows to this paper [...]
A Single-Ended Ultra-Thin Spherical Microbubble Based on the Improved Critical-State Pressure-Assisted Arc Discharge Method
Authors: Guo Wenfeng , Liu Jianxun , Liu Jinrong , Wang Gao , Wang Guanjun , Huang Mengxing
Published: February 2019

Hollow core microbubble structures are good candidates for the construction of high performance whispering gallery microresonator and Fabry-Perot (FP) interference devices. In the previous reports, most of interest was just focused on the dual-ended microbubble, but not single-ended microbubble, which could be used for tip sensing or other special areas. The thickness, symmetry and uniformity of the single-ended microbubble in previous reports were far from idealization. Thus, a new ultra-thin single-ended spherical microbubble based on the improved critical-state pressure-assisted arc discharge method was proposed and fabricated firstly in this paper, which was fabricated simply by using a commercial fusion splicer. The improvement to former paper was using weak discharge and releasing pressure gradually during the discharging process. Thus, the negative influence of gravity towards bubble deformation was decreased, and the fabricated microbubble structure had a thin, smooth and uniform surface. By changing the arc discharge parameters and the fiber position, the wall thicknesses of the fabricated microbubble could reach the level of 2 μm or less. The fiber Fabry-Perot (FP) interference technique was also used to analyze the deformation characteristic of microbubble under difference filling pressures. Finding the ends of the microbubbles had a trend of elongation with axial compression when the filling pressure was increasing. Its sensitivity to the inner pressure of microbubble samples was about ~556 nm/MPa, the bubble wall thickness was only of about 2 μm. Besides, a high whispering gallery mode (WGM) quality factor that up to 107 was realized by using this microbubble-based resonator. To explain the upper phenomenon, the microbubble was modeled and simulated with the ANSYS software. Results of this study could be useful for developing new single-ended whispering gallery mode micro-cavity structure, pressure sensors, etc.
EMG Feature Selection and Classification Using a Pbest-Guide Binary Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Too Jingwei , Abdullah Abdul Rahim , Mohd Saad Norhashimah , Tee Weihown
Published: February 2019

Due to the increment in hand motion types, electromyography (EMG) features are increasingly required for accurate EMG signals classification. However, increasing in the number of EMG features not only degrades classification performance, but also increases the complexity of the classifier. Feature selection is an effective process for eliminating redundant and irrelevant features. In this paper, we propose a new personal best (Pbest) guide binary particle swarm optimization (PBPSO) to solve the feature selection problem for EMG signal classification. First, the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) decomposes the signal into multiresolution coefficients. The features are then extracted from each coefficient to form the feature vector. After which pbest-guide binary particle swarm optimization (PBPSO) is used to evaluate the most informative features from the original feature set. In order to measure the effectiveness of PBPSO, binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO), genetic algorithm (GA), modified binary tree growth algorithm (MBTGA), and binary differential evolution (BDE) were used for performance comparison. Our experimental results show the superiority of PBPSO over other methods, especially in feature reduction; where it can reduce more than 90% of features while keeping a very high classification accuracy. Hence, PBPSO is more appropriate for application in clinical and rehabilitation applications.
Automatic Correction of Arabic Dyslexic Text
Authors: Alamri Maha M. , Teahan William J.
Published: February 2019

This paper proposes an automatic correction system that detects and corrects dyslexic errors in Arabic text. The system uses a language model based on the Prediction by Partial Matching (PPM) text compression scheme that generates possible alternatives for each misspelled word. Furthermore, the generated candidate list is based on edit operations (insertion, deletion, substitution and transposition), and the correct alternative for each misspelled word is chosen on the basis of the compression codelength of the trigram. The system is compared with widely-used Arabic word processing software and the Farasa tool. The system provided good results compared with the other tools, with a recall of 43%, precision 89%, F1 58% and accuracy 81%.
An Improved Algorithm for Extracting Subtle Features of Radiation Source Individual Signals
Authors: Li Jingchao , Bi Dongyuan , Ying Yulong , Wei Kai , Zhang Bin
Published: February 2019

With the rapid development of communication and information technology, it is difficult for traditional signal detection and recognition methods to accurately acquire and identify the intelligence under complex environments. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a subtle feature extraction and recognition algorithm for radiation source individual signals based on multidimensional hybrid features. Firstly, Hilbert transform was performed on the radiation source signals from 10 identical radio devices, and the subtle features of different radiation sources’ signals were extracted. Then, traditional principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm was used to extract and reduce the principal components of the extracted feature data sets. Aiming at the insufficiency of traditional PCA algorithm, an improved principal component analysis algorithm was proposed. At last, a gray relation algorithm was used to classify and identify the radiation source individual signals, and the recognition rate was calculated. Experimental results show that Hilbert transform combined with the improved PCA algorithm can achieve a recognition rate of 99.67% for the "fingerprint" features of radiation source individual signals under the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 20 dB. Compared with the traditional algorithms, the recognition rate increased by 5.67%. Therefore, it provides a powerful theoretical basis for extracting subtle features of radiation source devices under complex electromagnetic environments.
Glazing Sizing in Large Atrium Buildings: A Perspective of Balancing Daylight Quantity and Visual Comfort
Authors: Li Jie , Ban Qichao , Chen Xueming (Jimmy) , Yao Jiawei
Published: February 2019

Due to the multiple benefits on energy, well-being, comfort, and the economy, the utilization of daylight remains an imperative topic of architectural design. With the remarkable ability of drawing and increasing daylight deep into the core of buildings, atriums with a large proportion of glazing have become one of the most preferred design forms. The concomitant and unexpected visual discomfort in modern buildings, however, has drawn increasing concerns. Therefore, this study investigated the relation between glazing proportion and daylight performance, as well as the impact of building height and atrium types on daylight performance in atrium buildings by using an annual dynamic simulation method and metrics. It was found that extending glazing proportion had prominent effectiveness in the enhancement of daylighting; building height had a negative influence; round and square types of buildings performed much better than rectangular ones. Moreover, to inform a practical design, we analyzed the link between increasing daylight and visual comfort from the perspective of balancing them, and then proposed a design guide for atrium roof-glazing sizing.
Impact Transient Characteristics and Selection Method of Voltage Transformer Fuse
Authors: Wang Ke , Liu Hongwen , Yang Qing , Yin Lu , Huang Jisheng
Published: February 2019

In a neutral ungrounded system, the high voltage fuses used to protect voltage transformers (VTs) often abnormally blow out, causing unbalanced VT operation. Fuses also fail to blow out in time, resulting in further damage to the VT. This paper reported the results of steady-state current testing, breaking characteristics, X-ray measurements, fuse corona testing, and electromagnetic transient impact testing for VT fuses. This paper comprehensively examines and analyzes the quality and electrical performance of VT fuses and provides new guidance for the use of high voltage fuses in voltage transformers. This paper recommends that 35 and 10 kV systems use fuses rated for a current of 1 A based on a single fuse, which is not easily oxidized and has a wound skeleton composed of an Ag or Ni melt.
Water Quality Assessment of Surface and Groundwater Sources Using a Water Quality Index Method: A Case Study of a Peri-Urban Town in Southwest, Nigeria
Authors: Olasoji Samuel O. , Oyewole Nather O. , Abiola Bayode , Edokpayi Joshua N.
Published: February 2019

Sustainable access to safe drinking water remains a global problem as more people in the world still consume water from unimproved sources. This study was carried out to evaluate the quality of 12 different water sources and 2 treated water used by a peri-urban town in the Southwest region of Nigeria to assess their suitability for drinking and domestic use. Water quality parameters studied include pH, temperature, acidity, total alkalinity, chloride content and total CO2. A Flame Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the concentrations of Ca, Mg, Cu, Cr, and Pb in the water samples. The total coliform was determined using the most probable number technique while a qualitative method was used to detect the presence of faecal coliform and E. coli in the water samples. All the physicochemical water quality parameters complied with regulatory standards. Similarly, most of the heavy metals also complied except for some sites. Faecal coliform and E. coli tested positive for all the samples except one of the tap water sample. Majority of the water samples (86%) were rated as excellent based on the physicochemical parameters. One sample each was rated as having poor and good water quality, respectively. All the samples tested positive for faecal coliform bacteria and E. coli except one (treated water). It is recommended that Microbial water quality parameters be included in all Water Quality Index (WQI) analyses in order to give the true status of the quality of a water resource.
Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany
Authors: Alsina-Pagès Rosa Ma , Garcia Almazán Robert , Vilella Marc , Pons Marc
Published: February 2019

Noise pollution is a critical factor and it has an important impact on public health, with the relationship between road traffic noise (RTN) and several illnesses in urban areas of particular concern. Andorra is currently developing a national strategy regarding noise pollution in their urban environments. The Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability is trying to to identify, monitor, map and model the effects of noise pollution and design mitigation policies to reduce the impact in certain priority areas. This analysis should take into account the existence of different types of anomalous noise events (ANEs) present in the street, e.g., horns, people talking, music, and other events that coexist with RTN, to characterize the soundscape of each of the locations. This paper presents a preliminary analysis considering both the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the duration of the ANEs to evaluate their presence in urban areas in the three different locations in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. The experiments conducted required a 10-h recording campaign distributed in the three locations under study, which was evaluated on two different days, one during the week and the other on the weekend. Afterwards, the data were carefully labeled and the SNR of each event was evaluated to determine the potential impact of the four categories under study: vehicles, works, city life and people.
Sentiment Analysis Based Requirement Evolution Prediction
Authors: Zhao Lingling , Zhao Anping
Published: February 2019

To facilitate product developers capturing the varying requirements from users to support their feature evolution process, requirements evolution prediction from massive review texts is in fact of great importance. The proposed framework combines a supervised deep learning neural network with an unsupervised hierarchical topic model to analyze user reviews automatically for product feature requirements evolution prediction. The approach is to discover hierarchical product feature requirements from the hierarchical topic model and to identify their sentiment by the Long Short-term Memory (LSTM) with word embedding, which not only models hierarchical product requirement features from general to specific, but also identifies sentiment orientation to better correspond to the different hierarchies of product features. The evaluation and experimental results show that the proposed approach is effective and feasible.
Embedded Deep Learning for Ship Detection and Recognition
Authors: Zhao Hongwei , Zhang Weishan , Sun Haoyun , Xue Bing
Published: February 2019

Ship detection and recognition are important for smart monitoring of ships in order to manage port resources effectively. However, this is challenging due to complex ship profiles, ship background, object occlusion, variations of weather and light conditions, and other issues. It is also expensive to transmit monitoring video in a whole, especially if the port is not in a rural area. In this paper, we propose an on-site processing approach, which is called Embedded Ship Detection and Recognition using Deep Learning (ESDR-DL). In ESDR-DL, the video stream is processed using embedded devices, and we design a two-stage neural network named DCNet, which is composed of a DNet for ship detection and a CNet for ship recognition, running on embedded devices. We have extensively evaluated ESDR-DL, including performance of accuracy and efficiency. The ESDR-DL is deployed at the Dongying port of China, which has been running for over a year and demonstrates that it can work reliably for practical usage.
DNA Replication Through Strand Displacement During Lagging Strand DNA Synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Giannattasio Michele , Branzei Dana
Published: February 2019

This review discusses a set of experimental results that support the existence of extended strand displacement events during budding yeast lagging strand DNA synthesis. Starting from introducing the mechanisms and factors involved in leading and lagging strand DNA synthesis and some aspects of the architecture of the eukaryotic replisome, we discuss studies on bacterial, bacteriophage and viral DNA polymerases with potent strand displacement activities. We describe proposed pathways of Okazaki fragment processing via short and long flaps, with a focus on experimental results obtained in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that suggest the existence of frequent and extended strand displacement events during eukaryotic lagging strand DNA synthesis, and comment on their implications for genome integrity.
A QIL1 Variant Associated with Ventricular Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death in the Juvenile Rhodesian Ridgeback Dog
Authors: Meurs Kathryn M. , Friedenberg Steven G. , Olby Natasha J. , Condit Julia , Weidman Jess , Rosenthal Steve , Shelton G. Diane
Published: February 2019

The QIl1 gene produces a component of the Mitochondrial Contact Site and Cristae Organizing System that forms and stabilizes mitochondrial cristae junctions and is important in cellular energy production. We previously reported a family of Rhodesian Ridgebacks with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Here, we performed whole genome sequencing on a trio from the family. Variant calling was performed using a standardized bioinformatics approach. Variants were filtered against variants from 247 dogs of 43 different breeds. High impact variants were validated against additional affected and unaffected dogs. A single missense G/A variant in the QIL1 gene was associated with the cardiac arrhythmia (p < 0.0001). The variant was predicted to change the amino acid from conserved Glycine to Serine and to be deleterious. Ultrastructural analysis of the biceps femoris muscle from an affected dog revealed hyperplastic mitochondria, cristae rearrangement, electron dense inclusions and lipid bodies. We identified a variant in the Q1l1 gene resulting in a mitochondrial cardiomyopathy characterized by cristae abnormalities and cardiac arrhythmias in a canine model. This natural animal model of mitochondrial cardiomyopathy provides a large animal model with which to study the development and progression of disease as well as genotypic phenotypic relationships.
Holding All the Cards—How Fanconi Anemia Proteins Deal with Replication Stress and Preserve Genomic Stability
Authors: Datta Arindam , Brosh Robert M.
Published: February 2019

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a hereditary chromosomal instability disorder often displaying congenital abnormalities and characterized by a predisposition to progressive bone marrow failure (BMF) and cancer. Over the last 25 years since the discovery of the first linkage of genetic mutations to FA, its molecular genetic landscape has expanded tremendously as it became apparent that FA is a disease characterized by a defect in a specific DNA repair pathway responsible for the correction of covalent cross-links between the two complementary strands of the DNA double helix. This pathway has become increasingly complex, with the discovery of now over 20 FA-linked genes implicated in interstrand cross-link (ICL) repair. Moreover, gene products known to be involved in double-strand break (DSB) repair, mismatch repair (MMR), and nucleotide excision repair (NER) play roles in the ICL response and repair of associated DNA damage. While ICL repair is predominantly coupled with DNA replication, it also can occur in non-replicating cells. DNA damage accumulation and hematopoietic stem cell failure are thought to contribute to the increased inflammation and oxidative stress prevalent in FA. Adding to its confounding nature, certain FA gene products are also engaged in the response to replication stress, caused endogenously or by agents other than ICL-inducing drugs. In this review, we discuss the mechanistic aspects of the FA pathway and the molecular defects leading to elevated replication stress believed to underlie the cellular phenotypes and clinical features of FA.
ACE Model for Older Adults in ED
Authors: Sanon Martine , Hwang Ula , Abraham Gallane , Goldhirsch Suzanne , Richardson Lynne ,   GEDI WISE Investigators
Published: February 2019

The emergency department (ED) is uniquely positioned to improve care for older adults and affect patient outcome trajectories. The Mount Sinai Hospital ED cares for 15,000+ patients >65 years old annually. From 2012 to 2015, emergency care in a dedicated Geriatric Emergency Department (GED) replicated an Acute Care for Elderly (ACE) model, with focused assessments on common geriatric syndromes and daily comprehensive interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings for high-risk patients. The IDT, comprised of an emergency physician, geriatrician, transitional care nurse (TCN) or geriatric nurse practitioner (NP), ED nurse, social worker (SW), pharmacist (RX), and physical therapist (PT), developed comprehensive care plans for vulnerable older adults at high risk for morbidity, ED revisit, functional decline, or potentially avoidable hospital admission. Patients were identified using the Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) screen, followed by geriatric assessments to assist in the evaluation of elders in the ED. On average, 38 patients per day were evaluated by the IDT with approximately 30% of these patients formally discussed during IDT rounds. Input from the IDT about functional and cognitive, psychosocial, home safety, and pharmacological assessments influenced decisions on hospital admission, care transitions, access to community based resources, and medication management. This paper describes the role of a Geriatric Emergency Medicine interdisciplinary team as an innovative ACE model of care for older adults who present to the ED.
Mujeres Fuertes y Corazones Saludables, a Culturally Tailored Physical Activity and Nutrition Program for Rural Latinas: Findings from a Pilot Study
Authors: Seguin Rebecca A. , Perry Cynthia K. , Solanki Emma , McCalmont Jean C. , Ward Judy P. , Jackson Christie
Published: February 2019

In the United States, Latino adults, compared with non-Hispanic white adults, are less likely to meet physical activity and dietary recommendations, and have higher rates of obesity. There is an urgent need for culturally adapted health promotion programs that meet the needs of the growing Latino population in the United States. We systematically adapted StrongWomen—Healthy Hearts, an evidence-based physical activity and nutrition program, for rural Latinas. This paper reports results from a pilot study of the adapted program. We used mixed methods to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the adapted program, Mujeres Fuertes y Corazones Saludables, in a nonprofit community organization serving rural Latinos. The intervention consisted of sixty-minute classes held twice weekly for 12 weeks and included 30 minutes of physical activity and 30 minutes of nutrition education. To assess efficacy, we used a one-group, pre–post design with overweight/obese, sedentary, middle-aged or older, Spanish-speaking rural Latinas (n = 15). Outcome measures included weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, dietary behavior, and self-efficacy for diet and physical activity. Process outcomes included attendance, end of class surveys, mid-program evaluation survey, and a post-program focus group. We calculated means and standard deviations, paproired t-tests, and Cohen’s D effect size. Qualitative data were analyzed using qualitative description. Significant changes pre- to post-program included weight (−1.5 kg; p = 0.009), BMI (−0.6; p = 0.005), waist circumference (−3.0 cm; p = 0.008), 6-minute walk test (69.7 m; p < 0.001), frequency of sugar-added drink consumption (−0.7 servings; p = 0.008), fruit and vegetable intake (1.3 servings; p = 0.035), and physical activity self-efficacy (0.9 points; p = 0.022). Participants found the program motivating and enjoyable, and on average participants attended 62% of classes and fidelity was maintained. This pilot study suggests that this culturally adapted physical activity and nutrition program for rural Latinas shows promise in improving physical activity, diet, and obesity.
Drinking Water Quality and Human Health: An Editorial
Authors: Levallois Patrick , Villanueva Cristina M.
Published: February 2019

Drinking water quality is paramount for public health [...]
Prognostic Factors of Early Stage Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma
Authors: Hsieh Shu-Feng , Lau Hei-Yu , Wu Hua-Hsi , Hsu Heng-Cheng , Twu Nae-Fang , Cheng Wen-Fang
Published: February 2019

We aimed to determine prognostic factors of early stage (I/II) epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) including clinicopathologic and chemotherapeutic regimens. Four hundred and thirty-seven women who underwent primary staging surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed from two medical centers. The prognostic factors were determined from multivariate survival analyses using Cox regression models. The majority of women were diagnosed with stage Ic (244/437, 55.8%). The histopathologic types were clear cell (37.5%), endometrioid (27.2%), serous (14.0%), and mucinous (13.3%). Fifty-seven percent (249/437) of the women received taxane-based (platinum plus paclitaxel) regimens and 43.0% received non-taxane (platinum plus cyclophosphamide) regimens as frontline adjuvant chemotherapy. Clear cell tumors (adjusted Hazard ratio (aHR) 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21–0.73, p = 0.001) showed better 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) than serous tumors. Women diagnosed at FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage II (aHR 5.97, 95% CI = 2.47–14.39, p < 0.001), grade 3 tumor without clear cell (aHR 2.28, 95% CI = 1.02–5.07, p = 0.004) and who received 3–5 cycles of non-taxane regimens (aHR 3.29, 95% CI = 1.47–7.34, p = 0.004) had worse 5-year overall survival (OS). Clear cell histology treated with taxane-based regimens showed significantly higher 5-year DFS (91.2% vs. 82.0%, aHR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.21–0.93, p = 0.043) and 5-year OS (93.5% vs. 79.0%, aHR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.13–0.70, p = 0.005) than those treated with non-taxane-based regimens. We conclude that stage, tumor grade, and chemotherapeutic regimens/cycles are independent prognostic factors for early stage ovarian cancer.
Sociodemographic Factors Influencing the Use of eHealth in People with Chronic Diseases
Authors: Reiners Fabienne , Sturm Janienke , Bouw Lisette J.W. , Wouters Eveline J.M.
Published: February 2019

Alongside the growing number of older persons, the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing, leading to higher pressure on health care services. eHealth is considered a solution for better and more efficient health care. However, not every patient is able to use eHealth, for several reasons. This study aims to provide an overview of: (1) sociodemographic factors that influence the use of eHealth; and (2) suggest directions for interventions that will improve the use of eHealth in patients with chronic disease. A structured literature review of PubMed, ScienceDirect, Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library (ACMDL), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was conducted using four sets of keywords: “chronic disease”, “eHealth”, “factors”, and “suggested interventions”. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies were included. Four researchers each assessed quality and extracted data. Twenty-two out of 1639 articles were included. Higher age and lower income, lower education, living alone, and living in rural areas were found to be associated with lower eHealth use. Ethnicity revealed mixed outcomes. Suggested solutions were personalized support, social support, use of different types of Internet devices to deliver eHealth, and involvement of patients in the development of eHealth interventions. It is concluded that eHealth is least used by persons who need it most. Tailored delivery of eHealth is recommended.
Isolation and Characterization of a Bacterial Strain Capable of Efficient Berberine Degradation
Authors: Liu Shiyue , Zhang Yi , Zeng Ping , Wang Heli , Song Yonghui , Li Juan
Published: February 2019

Background: Berberine (BBR) is a pharmaceutical chemical with a broad antibacterial spectrum, and its biological treatment has been of research and practical interest. In this study, a pure bacterial strain B16 was isolated from the activated sludge in a pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plant. The aim of the study is to characterize the properties of the strain B16, especially its BBR degradation capability. Methods: The identification of strain B16 was conducted by visual observation, as well as biochemical and phylogenetic analysis. The degradation kinetics of strain B16 was tentatively described by Haldane model. Results: The strain B16 was 100% determined as a Sphingopyxis sp. The kinetic parameters of BBR degradation by strain B16 were as follows: Vmax 54.73 ± 5.54 mg (g MLSS · h)−1, Km 66.68 ± 8.95 mg L−1, and Ki 43.16 ± 5.92 mg L−1, with an R2 of 0.996. Stain B16 exhibited considerable capability of BBR degradation. BBR of initial concentration 40 mg L−1 could be completely degraded in 48 h under optimal conditions. Conclusions: strain B16 was the first pure culture found with the ability to totally mineralize BBR, indicating the potential of B16 application in real industrial processes.
The Effects of Swimming Training in Cold Water on Antioxidant Enzyme Activity and Lipid Peroxidation in Erythrocytes of Male and Female Aged Rats
Authors: Lubkowska Anna , Bryczkowska Iwona , Gutowska Izabela , Rotter Iwona , Marczuk Natalia , Baranowska-Bosiacka Irena , Banfi Giuseppe
Published: February 2019

The aim of this study was to verify whether eight-week-long swimming exercise training would evaluate the level of selected indicators of the pro-oxidant/antioxidant status in response to cold water in comparison with swimming under thermoneutral conditions in sedentary male and female elderly rats. The exercise-trained groups swam four min/day and five days a week during eight weeks of housing. Exercise was performed by swimming in glass tanks containing tap water maintained according to group at 5 °C and 36 °C. At the end of treatment (48 h after the last session), all rats were anaesthetized. The level of chosen biomarkers of oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activity was determined in the red blood cells and plasma. The results of study show that female rats seem to be better adapted to changing thermal conditions of the environment, developing not only morphological, but also antioxidant, defense mechanisms, mainly in the form of increased erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) concentration to restore the pro-oxidant/oxidant balance of the organism. Significantly higher concentrations of GSH were observed in the female rats of the group swimming in cold water (by 15.4% compared to the control group and by 20.5% in relation to the group of female rats swimming at 36 °C). In the group exposed to swimming training exercise in cold water, a significantly higher activity of SOD1 (by 13.4%) was found compared to the control group. On the other hand, the organs of ageing male rats show a reduced capacity to increase the metabolic response to low temperatures compared to female ones. In addition, it was demonstrated that cold exposure leads to an increase in lipid peroxidation in tissues. On the other hand, the repeated exposure to low levels of oxidative stress may result in some adaptive changes in organisms that help them to resist stress-induced damage.
Impact of Long-Term Reclaimed Water Irrigation on the Distribution of Potentially Toxic Elements in Soil: An In-Situ Experiment Study in the North China Plain
Authors: Gu Xiaomin , Xiao Yong , Yin Shiyang , Liu Honglu , Men Baohui , Hao Zhongyong , Qian Peng , Yan Huijun , Hao Qichen , Niu Yong , Huang Hui , Pei Qiuming
Published: February 2019

The widespread use of reclaimed water has alleviated the water resource crisis worldwide, but long-term use of reclaimed water for irrigation, especially in agricultural countries, might threaten the soil environment and further affect groundwater quality. An in-situ experiment had been carried out in the North China Plain, which aimed to reveal the impact of long-term reclaimed water irrigation on soil properties and distribution of potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Zn and Pb) in the soil profile as well as shallow groundwater. Four land plots were irrigated with different quantity of reclaimed water to represent 0, 13, 22 and 35 years’ irrigation duration. Pollution Load Index (PLI) values of each soil layer were calculated to further assess the pollution status of irrigated soils by potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Results showed that long-term reclaimed water irrigation caused appreciable increase of organic matter content, and might improve the soil quality. High soil organic matter concentrations conduced to high adsorption and retention capacity of the soils toward PTEs, which could reduce the risk of PTEs leaching into deep layers or shallow groundwater. Highest levels of Cr, Pb and Zn were observed at 200–240 cm and 460–500 cm horizons in plots. Longer irrigation time (35 years and 22 years) resulted in a decreasing trend of As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Zn in lower part of soil profiles (>540 cm) compared with that with 13-years’ irrigation years. Long-term reclaimed water irrigation still brought about increases in concentrations of some elements in deep soil layer although their content in soils and shallow groundwater was below the national standard. Totally speaking, proper management for reclaimed water irrigation, such as reduction of irrigation volume and rate of reclaimed water, was still needed when a very long irrigation period was performed.
Are There Changes in Inequalities in Injuries? A Review of Evidence in the WHO European Region
Authors: Sengoelge Mathilde , Leithaus Merel , Braubach Matthias , Laflamme Lucie
Published: February 2019

Decreases in injury rates globally and in Europe in the past decades, although encouraging, may mask previously reported social inequalities between and within countries that persist or even increase. European research on this issue has not been systematically reviewed, which is the aim of this article. Between and within-country studies from the WHO European Region that investigate changes in social inequalities in injuries over time or in recent decades were sought in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Of the 27 studies retained, seven were cross-country and 20 were country-specific. Twelve reported changes in inequalities over time and the remaining 15 shed light on other aspects of inequalities. A substantial downward trend in injuries is reported for all causes and cause-specific ones—alongside persisting inequalities between countries and, in a majority of studies, within countries. Studies investigate diverse questions in different population groups. Depending on the social measure and injury outcome considered, many report inequalities in injuries albeit to a varying degree. Despite the downward trends in risk levels, relative social inequalities in injuries remain a persisting public health issue in the European Region.