bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deep Brain Stimulation for Amelioration of Cognitive Impairment in Neurological Disorders: Neurogenesis and Circuit Reanimation
Authors: Tsai Sheng-Tzung , Harn Horng-Jyh , Lin Shinn-Zong , Tseng Guo-Fang , Chen Shin-Yuan
Published: October 2018

Acute (e.g., traumatic brain injury or stroke) and chronic (e.g., dementia or Parkinson’s disease dementia) neurological disorders that involve cognitive impairment and dysfunctional neural circuits always lead to a dreadful and costly experience for patients and their families. The application of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders has shown great potential to modulate pathological neural circuits and trigger endogenous neurogenesis. We summarize several important clinical and translational studies that utilize deep brain stimulation to improve cognition based on the potentiation of neural plasticity and neurogenesis. In addition, we discuss the neuroanatomy and cerebral circuits implicated in such studies as well as the potential mechanisms underlying therapeutic benefits.
Consumer access to capital in the age of FinTech and big data: The limits of EU law
Authors: Ferretti Federico
Published: October 2018

There is much hype about the potential for technological innovation (FinTech) and big data to transform and deliver financial services to consumers. The aim of this paper is to analyse, from the perspective of financial inclusion and consumer protection, the extent to which the current European Union legal framework is prepared to respond to the challenges posed by such innovation in the context of the prospective opportunities and detriment for consumers. Departing from an assessment of the already problematic and jeopardised uses of traditional credit data in the Member States, it concludes that the risks are likely to contrast or outweigh the benefits, but the legal framework does not seem fit for purpose despite the enactment of brand new legislation.
Analysis of Failed Ankle Arthroplasty Components
Authors: Currier Barbara H. , Hecht Paul J. , Nunley James A. , Mayor Michael B. , Currier John H. , Van Citters Douglas W.
Published: October 2018

Background:

Although advances in joint-replacement technology have made total ankle arthroplasty a viable treatment for end-stage arthritis, revision rates for ankle replacements are higher than in hip or knee replacements. The questions asked in this study were what can retrieved ankle devices demonstrate about ankle arthroplasty failures and how can understanding the causes of these failures inform clinical decisions for current and future ankle arthroplasty patients?

Methods:

An IRB-approved retrieval laboratory received retrieved components and surgeon-supplied reason for revision from 70 total-ankles (7 designs, including 5 currently marketed designs) from 2002 to 2018. These retrievals were rated for clinical wear and damage. Metal components were rated by method and effectiveness of fixation. Polyethylene inserts received by the laboratory 6 months or less after retrieval (n = 45) were analyzed for oxidation using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS, version 22.

Results:

The ankle implants were retrieved most commonly for loosening and polyethylene fracture. Loosening occurred more frequently in fixed-bearing designs (n = 18) than in the mobile-bearing designs (n = 4) and after shorter in vivo time (mean in vivo time to retrieval for loosening: fixed bearing 3.2 ± 2.1 years, mobile bearing 9.7 ± 4.5 years). Gamma-sterilized ankle inserts oxidized at a higher rate than non-gamma (EtO or gas-plasma) sterilized ankle inserts (gamma 0.29 ± 0.22/y, non-gamma 0.07 ± 0.05/y, mean difference=0.215, 95% CI 0.128-0.303, P < .001). The presence of clinical fatigue (cracking and/or delamination) of the polyethylene insert correlated with measured oxidation (Spearman rho = 0.685, P < .001). Nine inserts, all gamma-sterilized, fractured in vivo.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that loosening could be more of a problem in fixed-bearing devices than in mobile bearing devices. Gamma-sterilized polyethylene inserts were found to suffer fatigue damage or fracture in vivo, resulting in the need for revision. Retrieval analysis can provide insight into implant-related reasons for revision, with the goal of understanding the implant-related causes of these failures, informing future ankle design and clinical decisions for current and future ankle arthroplasty patients.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, comparative series.
Prognostic Significance of Platelet Recovery in Myelodysplastic Syndromes With Severe Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Tang Yaqiong , Zhang Xinyou , Han Shiyu , Chu Tiantian , Qi Jiaqian , Wang Hong , Tang Xiaowen , Qiu Huiying , Fu Chengcheng , Ruan Changgeng , Wu Depei , Han Yue
Published: October 2018

Severe thrombocytopenia is a serious condition that frequently arises in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and is associated with poor prognosis. Few studies have investigated the prognostic significance of platelet recovery in patients with MDS having thrombocytopenia. We retrospectively analyzed 117 patients with de novo MDS complicated with thrombocytopenia (platelet count [PLT] < 100 × 109/L). Patients received decitabine treatment (schedule A) or decitabine followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT; schedule B). Severe thrombocytopenia (PLT < 20 × 109/L), identified in 31 (26.5%) patients, was associated with poor survival. The PLT increased significantly after decitabine treatment in the 2 groups. Patients with thrombocytopenia treated with schedule B showed a superior prognosis compared to those treated with schedule A. On analysis of overall survival by platelet response in patients with severe thrombocytopenia, a significant survival advantage was observed in patients who achieved a platelet response, who would further benefit from allo-HSCT following decitabine therapy. The results indicate a potentially favorable prognostic impact of platelet response achieved with decitabine. Patients with MDS having severe thrombocytopenia may benefit from the effective recovery of platelets and further allo-HSCT following decitabine therapy.
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation: An Update on Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Strategies
Authors: Papageorgiou Chrysoula , Jourdi Georges , Adjambri Eusebe , Walborn Amanda , Patel Priya , Fareed Jawed , Elalamy Ismail , Hoppensteadt Debra , Gerotziafas Grigoris T.
Published: October 2018

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is an acquired clinicobiological syndrome characterized by widespread activation of coagulation leading to fibrin deposition in the vasculature, organ dysfunction, consumption of clotting factors and platelets, and life-threatening hemorrhage. Disseminated intravascular coagulation is provoked by several underlying disorders (sepsis, cancer, trauma, and pregnancy complicated with eclampsia or other calamities). Treatment of the underlying disease and elimination of the trigger mechanism are the cornerstone therapeutic approaches. Therapeutic strategies specific for DIC aim to control activation of blood coagulation and bleeding risk. The clinical trials using DIC as entry criterion are limited. Large randomized, phase III clinical trials have investigated the efficacy of antithrombin (AT), activated protein C (APC), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), and thrombomodulin (TM) in patients with sepsis, but the diagnosis of DIC was not part of the inclusion criteria. Treatment with APC reduced 28-day mortality of patients with severe sepsis, including patients retrospectively assigned to a subgroup with sepsis-associated DIC. Treatment with APC did not have any positive effects in other patient groups. The APC treatment increased the bleeding risk in patients with sepsis, which led to the withdrawal of this drug from the market. Treatment with AT failed to reduce 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis, but a retrospective subgroup analysis suggested possible efficacy in patients with DIC. Clinical studies with recombinant TFPI or TM have been carried out showing promising results. The efficacy and safety of other anticoagulants (ie, unfractionated heparin, low-molecular-weight heparin) or transfusion of platelet concentrates or clotting factor concentrates have not been objectively assessed.
The Experience of Adult Children Caregiving for Aging Parents
Authors: Conway Kimberly
Published: October 2018

When the normal progression of life for an aging person is interrupted by a decline in physical and or mental abilities, adult children are often suddenly faced with assuming care of their parent(s). Currently, adult child caregivers of aging parents work up to 100 hours per month at caregiving. Most existing literature is focused on informal caregivers, which can consist of spouses, relatives, and friends’ caregiving for persons with debilitating illnesses. Despite the amount of time dedicated to parental caregiving, little is known about the experience of this exclusive caregiver group. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experience of adult children caregiving for aging parents at any stage of health. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to interview six daughters and one daughter-in-law. Themes were identified and presented through the use of narratives and poetry. The participants expressed they felt unprepared for caregiving and their culture had a direct impact on the expectations of caregiving. A myriad of unpleasant emotions and loss were voiced, yet their outlooks remained extremely positive. The overall health of adult child caregivers needs to be supported to prepare them for what lies ahead with caregiving. Caregivers report their loved one(s) required several hospitalizations, which lead to performing medical/nursing tasks at home. Nursing then has a unique opportunity during discharge preparation, to identify those who need community, state, and faith-based services. Replication is needed to address the limitation of the number of participants, ethnic, and gender diversity.
Temperament and Cognitive Regulation During the First 3 Years of Life as Predictors of Inattention and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity at 6 Years
Authors: Frick Matilda A. , Bohlin Gunilla , Hedqvist Maria , Brocki Karin C.
Published: October 2018

Objective: With a wish to identify early markers of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, we examined effects of temperament and cognitive regulation, during the first 3 years of life, on later inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behavior. Method: Temperament and cognitive regulation were assessed at 12, 18, 24, and 36 months in 66 typically developing children. Teachers rated inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity at 6 years. Results: Temperamental activity at all studied time points was predictive of later hyperactive/impulsive behavior, thus appearing as a stable marker thereof. Activity at 12 months was also predictive of inattention, whereas temperamental persistence was correlated with inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, but with no independent contributions. No significant relations between cognitive regulation and the outcome measures were found. Conclusion: Our findings add to the scarce literature proposing that markers of inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behavior in early school age can be found within the first years of life, using parental ratings of child temperament.
Digital diaspora, reinvigorating Indigenous identity and online activism: social media and the reorientation of Rotuman identity
Authors: Titifanue Jason , Varea Rufino Robert , Varea Renata , Kant Romitesh , Finau Glen
Published: October 2018

The island of Rotuma in Fiji poses a paradox. Indigenous Fijians make up more than 60% of Fiji’s population. However, as a unique ethnic group, Rotumans are a demographic minority, with their language listed on the UNESCO list of endangered languages. This is caused by extensive outmigration, with more than 80% of Rotumans residing outside of Rotuma. Recently, Rotuman migrants have heavily relied on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and new media, as tools for reinvigorating culture, rekindling familial ties and being a platform for political discourse on Rotuman issues. Facebook has been increasingly employed by Rotumans to inform and educate themselves and their networks on the implications of two bills introduced in Fiji’s Parliament in 2015, which impact Rotuma in terms of its land and customs. This article examines how Rotumans have innovatively used social media to reinvigorate culture and how this has evolved to take on an increasingly political dimension.
Reasons for attempting suicide: An exploratory study in Ghana
Authors: Akotia Charity S. , Knizek Birthe Loa , Hjelmeland Heidi , Kinyanda Eugene , Osafo Joseph
Published: October 2018

This study examined the reasons for suicide attempts among patients in Ghana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 30 informants who had been hospitalized for attempted suicide. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the transcribed narratives, and five main themes emerged: 1) lack of support; 2) abandonment; 3) shame; 4) existential struggles; and 5) supernatural reasons. There were gender differences with abandonment reported by only women and shame associated with economic difficulties reported only by men. Findings are discussed within the context of a socio-cultural theory of suicide behaviour, and implications for the prevention of suicide and care of suicidal persons are suggested.
Privacy and the Panopticon: Online mass surveillance’s deterrence and chilling effects
Authors: Stoycheff Elizabeth , Liu Juan , Xu Kai , Wibowo Kunto
Published: October 2018

The Panopticon is a popular metaphor in discussions about mass surveillance. Drawing on deterrence theory and chilling effects, we provide two empirical tests of this analogy to examine whether perceptions of online government surveillance suppress or entirely eradicate an array of sensitive online activities. Study 1 indicates that surveillance significantly deters individuals’ intentions to engage in illegal offenses, an effect that extends to political, but not privacy-protective behaviors. Study 2 retests the pervasiveness of this effect with a sample of Muslims who reside in the United States. Results indicate that restrictive chilling effects are not specific to any one online population, experimental stimuli, or political context. Implications for US political and social systems are discussed.
Effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers on cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes and overt nephropathy: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Shunan Fan , Jiqing Yuan , Xue Dong
Published: October 2018

Objective:

The efficacy of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers in reducing cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes and overt nephropathy is still a controversial issue.

Methods:

We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library for randomised controlled trials.

Results:

Thirteen trials containing 4638 patients with diabetes and overt nephropathy were included. Compared with controls, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker treatment did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events (odds ratio 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.86 to 1.03, P=0.18; I2=0.0%, P=0.75). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker therapy reduced the odds of heart failure events by 29% (0.71, 0.61 to 0.83, P<0.001; I2=0%, P=0.78). The results indicated no significant differences between the two treatment regimens with regard to the frequency of MI (0.95, 0.76 to 1.19, P=0.64), stroke (1.20, 0.83 to 1.74, P=0.32), cardiovascular death (1.26, 0.96 to 1.65, P=0.09) and all-cause mortality (0.98, 0.86 to 1.12, P=0.73). Among all kinds of adverse effects, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker therapy increased the incidence of hyperkalemia (2.26, 1.42 to 3.61, P=0.001).

Conclusion:

This study demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers did not reduce cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes and overt nephropathy.
Delayed intranasal coil extrusion after internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm embolization
Authors: Sirakov Stanimir , Panayotova Adriana , Sirakov Alexander , Minkin Krasimir , Hristov Hristo
Published: October 2018

Internal carotid artery (ICA) injury is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of skull base and neck surgery. Although usually manifested by massive intraoperative haemorrhage, impairment of the ICA might go unnoticed and result in formation of a pseudoaneurysm, causing delayed bleeding. Often additional complications are observed such as thrombosis, spasm, embolism or carotico-cavernous fistula formation. The risk of carotid artery injury in aggressive endonasal skull base surgical interventions ranges from 1% to 9%. Digital subtracted angiography remains the gold standard for evaluation of patients with iatrogenic carotid artery injury as it allows for endovascular treatment at the time of the procedure. Endovascular embolization is currently the preferred method for treating ICA pseudoaneurysms and a successful alternative to the surgical approach. Even though endovascular approaches are considered the safer option, delayed complications have been registered, such as endovascular coil extrusion and migration, which increases the risk of further episodes of bleeding. We present our experience with late coil extrusion in a patient who was previously treated with flow diverter stent and coiling for iatrogenic ICA pseudoaneurysm.
How visual memory changes with intervening recall
Authors: Tan Deborah H , Jiang Yuhong V
Published: October 2018

Being asked to recount a visual memory is common in educational settings, spatial navigation, and crime investigation. Previous studies show that recounting one’s memory can benefit subsequent memory, but most of this work either used verbal materials or conflated category memory with memory for visual details. To test whether recounting may introduce visually-specific interference effects, we tested people’s memory for photographs of objects, but introduced an intervening phase in which people described their memory. We separated memory for the specific exemplar from memory for the basic-level category. Contrary to recent findings on maps and colours, the intervening retrieval practice did not consistently strengthen exemplar memory of objects. Instead, recounting one’s visual memory appeared to introduce interference that sometimes cancelled the benefit of increased retrieval effort. Delaying the final memory test by 24 hr increased the benefit of retrieval practice. These findings suggest that intervening retrieval has multiple effects on visual memory. Instead of being a snapshot, this memory constantly changes with retrieval practice and with time.
Detecting lenticulostriate artery lesions in patients with acute ischemic stroke using high-resolution MRA at 7 T
Authors: Miyazawa Haruna , Natori Tatsunori , Kameda Hiroyuki , Sasaki Makoto , Ohba Hideki , Narumi Shinsuke , Ito Kohei , Sato Mitsunobu , Suzuki Takafumi , Tsuda Keisuke , Yoshioka Kunihiro , Terayama Yasuo
Published: October 2018

Background

Recent advances in high-resolution (HR) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) using ultrahigh-field systems enable direct visualization of the lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs), which had been hardly achieved by conventional MRA. Hence, by using HR-MRA at 7 T, we attempted to assess occlusive changes in the LSAs in patients with LSA territorial infarcts.

Methods

We prospectively examined 34 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke in the LSA territory using a 7 T scanner. We measured the lengths of the relevant LSAs on HR-MRA and the diameters/volume of the infarcts and compared these between the patients with/without occlusive changes in the LSAs.

Results

On HR-MRA, occlusion of the LSAs was observed in 19 (59%) of 32 patients who were eligible for the analyses. The curved/straight lengths of the LSAs in the patients with LSA occlusion (23.1–31.1/17.8–24.3 mm) were significantly shorter than in those without apparent LSA occlusion (25.8–39.5/24.0–30.4 mm) ( P = 0.027/0.003). The anteroposterior/superoinferior diameters of the infarcts were significantly larger in the occluded-LSA group (14.5–21.4/14.9–22.2 mm) than in the intact-LSA group (10.9–16.8/10.8–16.2 mm) ( P = 0.041/0.011). In addition, the curved lengths of the relevant LSAs showed significant correlations with the superoinferior diameters of the infarcts ( r = 0.38, P = 0.034).

Conclusion

Occlusive changes in the LSAs were frequently found in patients with acute ischemic stroke within the LSA territory when using HR-MRA at 7 T and were substantially related to superoinferior extension of the infarcts.
The Unsacred and the Spectacularized: Alan Kurdi and the Migrant Body
Authors: Ibrahim Yasmin
Published: October 2018

While images can provide a transformative experience, they can also become objects of virtual voyeurism, functioning within regimes of representation while possessing the power to resist dominant ideologies. This article examines this phenomenon of “claiming the dead and dispossessing them” through the case study of Alan Kurdi who became an iconic symbol representing the trauma of people fleeing conflict zones in the Middle East. As an iconic image, it raised awareness of the plight of the Syrian refugees, but the image also became locked into a “sensorium” (Rancière) where it created communion through its pathos but equally was trapped into an aesthetic regime which re-centered the migrant body as a new type of (in)humanity in Europe. The Internet as a platform for this sensorium constantly re-appropriates iconic imagery into new artistic and creative formats where images can be stripped from context, re-hashed, and endlessly circulated as cultural artifacts, bearing the burden of history yet being disenfranchised from it.
Effects of Concomitant Decompression Adjacent to a Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Segment on Clinical and Radiologic Outcomes: Comparative Analysis 5 Years After Surgery
Authors: Matsumoto Tomiya , Okuda Shinya , Nagamoto Yukitaka , Sugiura Tsuyoshi , Takahashi Yoshifumi , Iwasaki Motoki
Published: October 2018

Study Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Objective:

To examine the effects of concomitant decompression adjacent to the posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) segment on the clinical and radiological outcomes 5 years after surgery.

Methods:

Forty-five consecutive patients who had undergone L3/4 decompression with L4/5 PLIF for multilevel stenosis with degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS), and were followed for 5 years, were enrolled (group D). As a control group, 45 age-, sex- and preoperative disc height at L3/4–matched patients who had undergone L4/5 PLIF alone for L4/5DS were randomly selected (group A). Disc height, vertebral slippage, range of motion, posterior opening angle, segmental lordotic angle, presence of the intradiscal vacuum phenomenon (IVP) at the L3/4 level were measured on radiographs. Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and the requirement for additional L3/4 surgery were evaluated.

Results:

In terms of pre-/postoperative radiographic changes between the groups, significant differences were detected regarding disc height narrowing of ≥3 mm (group D 31%, group A 9%) and IVP (group D 33%, group A 11%). There were no significant differences in other radiological parameters. The recovery rate of the JOA score (group D 58%, group A 61%) and reoperation rate (group D 2.2%, group A 6.7%) were not significantly different between the groups.

Conclusion:

Concomitant decompression adjacent to the PLIF segment accelerated adjacent disc degeneration compared to PLIF alone, but it did not predispose to the development of instability 5 years after surgery. Moreover, the JOA score and reoperation rate were not significantly different between groups D and A.
Does short-term weekly teriparatide improve healing in unstable intertrochanteric fractures?
Authors: Kim Seung-Ju , Park Hyun-Soo , Lee Dong-Woo , Lee Jae-Won
Published: October 2018

Slow recovery after hip fracture has been associated with negative consequences. Thus, there is medical need to improve healing and functional recovery after intertrochanteric fracture. The aim of this study was to measure whether short-term teriparatide would improve healing in intertrochanteric fractures after internal fixation as measured by (1) clinical scores, (2) radiographic fracture healing, and (3) complication rates. We retrospectively reviewed 96 patients (average age, 82 years) who underwent closed reduction and internal fixation with proximal femoral nail (PFN) for unstable intertrochanteric fractures between 2014 and 2016. Of the 96 patients, 56 patients were treated with a PFN alone (group 1). These patients were compared with 46 patients for whom the same device was used and a weekly subcutaneous injection of PTH 1-34 (teriparatide) was prescribed postoperatively (group 2). Questionnaire surveys or telephone interviews were conducted, and patients completed a self-report Harris hip score and visual analog scale scores. The radiological time to fracture healing was assessed as the primary end point. Postoperative complication rates were compared. Functional outcomes at 6 months after surgery were similar in both groups. There were no differences between groups in the proportion of patients achieving radiographic fracture healing. The frequency of patients reporting adverse events was 20% (10 of 50) in group 1 versus 17% (8 of 46) in group 2 ( p = 0.744). Short-term teriparatide did not improve radiographic signs of fracture healing of an intertrochanteric fracture and reduce the incidence of complications. The effect of teriparatide on fracture healing remains uncertain. Further multicenter prospective studies are needed to demonstrate objective long-term results of parathyroid hormone therapy in patient with hip fracture.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, therapeutic study.
Combined inhibition of receptor tyrosine and p21-activated kinases as a therapeutic strategy in childhood ALL
Authors: Siekmann Ina-Katrin , Dierck Kevin , Prall Sebastian , Klokow Marianne , Strauss Julia , Buhs Sophia , Wrzeszcz Antonina , Bockmayr Michael , Beck Florian , Trochimiuk Magdalena , Gottschling Kristina , Martens Victoria , Khosh-Naucke Melissa , Gerull Helwe , Müller Jürgen , Behrmann Lena , Blohm Martin , Zahedi René P. , Jeremias Irmela , Sickmann Albert , Nollau Peter , Horstmann Martin A.
Published: October 2018

Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-dependent signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) of childhood. However, the RTK-dependent signaling state and its interpretation with regard to biological behavior are often elusive. To decipher signaling circuits that link RTK activity with biological output in vivo, we established patient-derived xenograft ALL (PDX-ALL) models with dependencies on fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRB), which were interrogated by phosphoproteomics using iTRAQ mass spectrometry. Signaling circuits were determined by receptor type and cellular context with few generic features, among which we identified group I p21-activated kinases (PAKs) as potential therapeutic targets. Growth factor stimulation markedly increased catalytic activities of PAK1 and PAK2. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated or pharmacological inhibition of PAKs using allosteric or adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-competitive compounds attenuated cell growth and increased apoptosis in vitro. Notably, PAK1- or PAK2-directed RNAi enhanced the antiproliferative effects of the type III RTK and protein kinase C inhibitor midostaurin. Treatment of FLT3- or PDGFRB-dependent ALLs with ATP-competitive PAK inhibitors markedly decreased catalytic activities of both PAK isoforms. In FLT3-driven ALL, this effect was augmented by coadministration of midostaurin resulting in synergistic effects on growth inhibition and apoptosis. Finally, combined treatment of FLT3D835H PDX-ALL with the ATP-competitive group I PAK inhibitor FRAX486 and midostaurin in vivo significantly prolonged leukemia progression-free survival compared with midostaurin monotherapy or control. Our study establishes PAKs as potential downstream targets in RTK-dependent ALL of childhood, the inhibition of which might help prevent the selection or acquisition of resistance mutations toward tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Passive seismic tomography using recorded microseismicity: Application to mining-induced seismicity
Authors: Barthwal Himanshu , van der Baan Mirko
Published: October 2018

Microseismicity is recorded during an underground mine development by a network of seven boreholes. After an initial preprocessing, 488 events are identified with a minimum of 12 P-wave arrival-time picks per event. We have developed a three-step approach for P-wave passive seismic tomography: (1) a probabilistic grid search algorithm for locating the events, (2) joint inversion for a 1D velocity model and event locations using absolute arrival times, and (3) double-difference tomography using reliable differential arrival times obtained from waveform crosscorrelation. The originally diffusive microseismic-event cloud tightens after tomography between depths of 0.45 and 0.5 km toward the center of the tunnel network. The geometry of the event clusters suggests occurrence on a planar geologic fault. The best-fitting plane has a strike of 164.7° north and dip angle of 55.0° toward the west. The study region has known faults striking in the north-northwest–south-southeast direction with a dip angle of 60°, but the relocated event clusters do not fall along any mapped fault. Based on the cluster geometry and the waveform similarity, we hypothesize that the microseismic events occur due to slips along an unmapped fault facilitated by the mining activity. The 3D velocity model we obtained from double-difference tomography indicates lateral velocity contrasts between depths of 0.4 and 0.5 km. We interpret the lateral velocity contrasts in terms of the altered rock types due to ore deposition. The known geotechnical zones in the mine indicate a good correlation with the inverted velocities. Thus, we conclude that passive seismic tomography using microseismic data could provide information beyond the excavation damaged zones and can act as an effective tool to complement geotechnical evaluations.
Simulation of wave propagation in linear thermoelastic media
Authors: Carcione José M. , Wang Zhi-Wei , Ling Wenchang , Salusti Ettore , Ba Jing , Fu Li-Yun
Published: October 2018

We have developed a numerical algorithm for simulation of wave propagation in linear thermoelastic media, based on a generalized Fourier law of heat transport in analogy with a Maxwell model of viscoelasticity. The wavefield is computed by using a grid method based on the Fourier differential operator and two time-integration algorithms to cross-check solutions. Because the presence of a slow quasistatic mode (the thermal mode) makes the differential equations stiff and unstable for explicit time-stepping methods, first, a second-order time-splitting algorithm solves the unstable part analytically and a Runge-Kutta method the regular equations. Alternatively, a first-order explicit Crank-Nicolson algorithm yields more stable solutions for low values of the thermal conductivity. These time-stepping methods are second- and first-order accurate, respectively. The Fourier differential provides spectral accuracy in the calculation of the spatial derivatives. The model predicts three propagation modes, namely, a fast compressional or (elastic) P-wave, a slow thermal P diffusion/wave (the T-wave), having similar characteristics to the fast and slow P-waves of poroelasticity, respectively, and an S-wave. The thermal mode is diffusive for low values of the thermal conductivity and wave-like for high values of this property. Three velocities define the wavefront of the fast P-wave, i.e., the isothermal velocity in the uncoupled case, the adiabatic velocity at low frequencies, and a higher velocity at high frequencies.
Optical Approaches for Interrogating Neural Circuits Controlling Hormone Secretion
Authors: Han Su Young , Clarkson Jenny , Piet Richard , Herbison Allan E
Published: October 2018

Developments in optical imaging and optogenetics are transforming the functional investigation of neuronal networks throughout the brain. Recent studies in the neuroendocrine field have used genetic mouse models combined with a variety of light-activated optical tools as well as GCaMP calcium imaging to interrogate the neural circuitry controlling hormone secretion. The present review highlights the benefits and caveats of these approaches for undertaking both acute brain slice and functional studies in vivo. We focus on the use of channelrhodopsin and the inhibitory optogenetic tools, archaerhodopsin and halorhodopsin, in addition to GCaMP imaging of individual cells in vitro and neural populations in vivo using fiber photometry. We also address issues around the use of genetic vs viral delivery of encoded proteins to specific Cre-expressing cell populations, their quantification, and the use of conscious vs anesthetized animal models. To date, optogenetics and GCaMP imaging have proven useful in dissecting functional circuitry within the brain and are likely to become essential investigative tools for deciphering the different neural networks controlling hormone secretion.
En Homenaje a Latinx Studies
Authors: Brickhouse Anna
Published: October 2018

This short essay was written in the days after white supremacists and neo-Nazis invaded the campus of the University of Virginia and downtown Charlottesville, many of them heavily armed and dressed for combat. After offering a brief reflection on how Latino/a/x studies shaped her scholarly trajectory as someone not trained in this field as a graduate student, the author asks how the field can help reimagine this particular political moment. The essay reads Junot Díaz’s Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao forward in time—as an anticipatory history illuminating the last US presidential election.
Forging a Borderlands Baroness
Authors: Huizar-Hernández Anita
Published: October 2018

In 1895 a woman from California named Sofia Peralta-Reavis leaped into the national spotlight when her husband, James Reavis, sued the federal government for confirmation of her title to the Peralta Land Grant, an enormous Spanish land grant in the territories of Arizona and New Mexico. At the highly publicized trial that followed, it came to light that the evidence Reavis had presented to the court to prove the existence of the Peralta Land Grant and his wife’s title to it was forged. This essay uses the trial transcript to recover the woman at the center of the scandal, arguing that Sofia Peralta-Reavis’s fraudulent embodiment of a wealthy Spanish baroness unmasks the fluidity and fragility of racial categories, gender, and authenticity in the late nineteenth-century borderlands.
Latin Place Making in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
Authors: Dworkin y Méndez Kenya C.
Published: October 2018

Starting in the mid-1880s and becoming fully effective by the 1930s, the “curriculum of culture” that Tampa’s Latin immigrant, cigar-making enclaves experienced circulated in the spaces they and others occupied regularly—the cigar factory, mutual aid society, the coffeehouse, and the theater (also homes and the union hall). These Cuban (and Spanish and Italian) cultural and social values were passed on from one generation to the next within the community, and even to non-Cubans, via reverse assimilation. The outcome was an ethnic American social identity whose impact thoroughly transformed living and working spaces in a segregated, Jim Crow space and fundamentally reshaped its landscape, foodways, and identity. The brand of “Americanism” that Tampa’s Latin community practiced did not typically display the competitive individualism often associated with traditional Americanism, instead emphasizing living as a community and fostering cooperation and affiliations among numerous sociocultural groups.
Mitochondrial ultrastructural adaptations in fast muscles of mice lacking IL15RA
Authors: Loro Emanuele , Bisetto Sara , Khurana Tejvir S.
Published: October 2018

The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-15 (IL15) and its receptor α (IL15RA) participate in the regulation of musculoskeletal function and metabolism. Deletion of the Il15ra gene in mice increases spontaneous activity, improves fatigue resistance in the glycolytic extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and protects from diet-induced obesity. In humans, IL15RA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been linked to muscle strength, metabolism and performance in elite endurance athletes. Taken together, these features suggest a possible role for IL15RA in muscle mitochondrial structure and function. Here, we have investigated the consequences of loss of IL15RA on skeletal muscle fiber-type properties and mitochondrial ultrastructure. Immunostaining of the EDL for myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms revealed no significant changes in fiber type. Electron microscopy (EM) analysis of the EDL indicated an overall higher mitochondria content, and increased cristae density in subsarcolemmal and A-band mitochondrial subpopulations. The higher cristae density in Il15ra−/− mitochondria was associated with higher OPA1 and cardiolipin levels. Overall, these data extend our understanding of the role of IL15RA signaling in muscle oxidative metabolism and adaptation to exercise.
TM9SF4 levels determine sorting of transmembrane domains in the early secretory pathway
Authors: Vernay Alexandre , Lamrabet Otmane , Perrin Jackie , Cosson Pierre
Published: October 2018

Previous studies have shown that TM9SF4 interacts with glycine-rich transmembrane domains (TMDs) and promotes their surface localization, presumably by escorting them along the secretory pathway. Here, we delineated the role of TM9 proteins in the sorting of TMDs. Our results indicate that TM9SF4 interacts with and sorts a variety of TMDs. In human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells, a TMD carrying a positively charged residue (T-R1) or a negatively charged residue (T-D1) was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), but partially relocated to the Golgi complex upon overexpression of TM9SF4. These results show that TM9SF4 controls the sorting of TMDs at the ER-Golgi interface. Remarkably, sorting of T-R1 in HCT116 cells was different from that in HEK cells: in HCT116 cells, a substantial fraction of T-R1 was localized to the Golgi complex, and it was relocated to the ER by genetic ablation of TM9SF4. This observation indicates that TM9SF4 sorting activity differs in HEK and HCT116 cells, resulting in different sorting of TMDs in these two cell types. Although TM9SF1 associated with several TMDs, it did not visibly alter their intracellular transport in the secretory pathway and may function in other intracellular transport pathways.
Seasonal variation in the thermal responses to changing environmental temperature in the world's northernmost landbird
Authors: Nord Andreas , Folkow Lars P.
Published: October 2018

Arctic homeotherms counter challenges at high latitudes using a combination of seasonal adjustments in pelage/plumage, fat deposition, and intricate thermoregulatory adaptations. However, there are still gaps in our understanding of their thermal responses to cold, particularly in Arctic birds. Here, we have studied the potential use of local heterothermy (i.e., tissue cooling that can contribute to significantly lower heat loss rate) in Svalbard ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) – the world's northernmost landbird. We exposed birds kept under simulated Svalbard photoperiod to low ambient temperatures (Ta; between 0 and -30°C) during three seasons (early winter, late winter, summer), whilst recording resting metabolic rate (RMR), core temperature (Tc) and several cutaneous temperatures. Leg skin temperature varied the most, but still only by up to ∼15°C, whereas body trunk skin temperature changed<1°C when Ta decreased from 0 to -30°C. At the same time, Tc increased by 0.9°C, concomitant with increased RMR. This was likely driven by triggering of cerebral thermosensors in response to cooling of the poorly insulated head, the skin of which was 5.4°C colder at -30°C than at 0°C. Thermal conductance in winter was higher in yearlings, probably because they were time/resource constrained from acquiring a high-quality plumage and sufficient fat reserves due to concomitant body growth. In conclusion, Svalbard ptarmigan do not employ extensive local heterothermy for cold protection, but instead rely on efficient thermogenesis combined with excellent body insulation. Hence, cold defence in the world's northernmost landbird is not mechanistically much different from that of lower latitude relatives.
Morbimortalidade de acidentes de trânsito envolvendo motocicletas: uma revisão de literatura
Authors: Da Silva Patrick Leonardo Nogueira , Santos Amanda Gesiele Pereira , Cruz Priscila Karolline Rodrigues , Rocha Jucimere Fagundes Durães , Ferreira Isabelle Ramalho , Da Silva Vanessa Ferreira
Published: October 2018

Introdução: a motocicleta é o veículo que configura maior vulnerabilidade ao condutor durante o seu percurso. Pode causar lesões, sequelas e a morte do indivíduo. Essa detém o maior índice de mortalidade em acidentes de trânsito quando comparada a outros veículos. Objetivo: realizar uma revisão da literatura científica sobre a morbimortalidade dos acidentes de trânsito envolvendo motocicletas. Método: trata-se de um estudo descritivo, exploratório, realizado nas bases de dados da Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde, sendo estas: LILACS, BDENF e SCIELO. Utilizou-se um formulário como instrumento de coleta de dados. Resultados: a amostra deste estudo foi composta por 17 artigos publicados durante o período de 2010 a 2015. Os principais resultados evidenciam que a taxa de mortalidade por acidente de motocicletas no Brasil aumentou 800%, variando de 0,5 para 4,5/100.000 habitantes entre 1996 e 2009, um aumento médio anual de 19%. Ocorreu um aumento significativo da mortalidade por acidente de motocicleta no Brasil entre 1996 e 2009. Esse período caracterizou-se por milhões de pessoas migrando da faixa da pobreza, ascendendo social e economicamente, adquirindo seu primeiro veículo, muitas vezes, uma motocicleta. Esse quadro revelou-se com maior expressão nas regiões Norte, Nordeste e Centro-Oeste. Considerações finais: consideram-se como vulneráveis, em nosso sistema viário, não somente os ocupantes de automóveis, mas também motocicletas, ciclistas e pedestres, levando em consideração o aumento constante de tais acidentes. Entre esses, os motociclistas ocupam papel de destaque, frente à morbidade e à mortalidade ocorridas nos acidentes de trânsito.
Insônia: o benefício do exercício físico em adolescentes com excesso de peso
Authors: Pereira Giselle Patricia , Andrade Rodrigues Lincoln Valério , Mourão Daniella Mota , Gomes Carneiro André Luiz , Gonçalves Lima Celina Aparecida , De Oliveira e Silva Carla Silvana , Pereira Silva Keila Raiany , Bauman Claudiana Donato
Published: October 2018

Introdução: O sono é uma necessidade vital e fisiológica que tem o poder de restauração do organismo e conservação da energia. Entre os adolescentes, notou-se que houve uma diminuição nas horas de sono tornando-os muito vulneráveis à apresentação do quadro de insônia. Objetivo: Verificar níveis de insônia entre adolescentes com excesso de peso antes e depois de um programa de exercício físico. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico quase experimental e analítico. Na primeira fase do estudo, foram realizados exames laboratoriais, antropométricos, hemodinâmicos e análises nutricionais e psicológicas em 635 adolescentes com idade entre 10 a 16 anos. Destes, 63 adolescentes foram diagnosticados com exceso de peso sendo convidados a participarem de um programa de exercício fisico. Resultados: O grupo-controle evidenciou maior percentual (acima da média) de insônia, tanto no pré (72,7%), quanto no pós teste (90%), e na comparação das médias dos dois grupos, houve uma diferença significativa (p = 0,006). Conclusão: Ressalta-se a significativa diminuição nos níveis de insônia entre os adolescentes que participaram do programa de exercício, propiciando maior bem-estar e disposição para o dia a dia.
Prevalência de interações medicamentosas potenciais em indivíduos hipertensos acompanhados na estratégia de saúde da família
Authors: Freitas de Andrade Kaio Vinicius , Mascarenhas Souza Alyne
Published: October 2018

Introdução: interações medicamentosas potenciais (IMP) podem ocasionar efeitos sinérgicos ou antagônicos, decorrentes da coadministração de fármacos. Entre os fatores associados, destacam-se sexo, idade avançada e polifarmácia, definida como o uso concomitante de cinco ou mais fármacos. Objetivo: estimar a prevalência de IMP envolvendo fármacos utilizados por indivíduos com hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS), acompanhados na atenção primária, em São Francisco do Conde, Bahia. Métodos: estudo transversal, cujos participantes tinham idade igual ou superior a 18 anos e diagnóstico de HAS. As variáveis estudadas foram sexo, idade e fármacos prescritos. A produção de dados ocorreu entre novembro/2013 a outubro/2014. As IMP foram classificadas de acordo com início de ação, mecanismo farmacológico, gravidade e documentação na literatura científica, utilizando o banco de dados do software Micromedex® Healthcare Series 2.0. Os dados foram analisados no software Stata® 12.0. Resultados: participaram do estudo 356 indivíduos, com idade média de 57 anos (desvio padrão: 14,2), sendo 75% do sexo feminino. A prevalência de IMP foi 53,4%. Foram prescritos, em média, 3,4 fármacos/indivíduo. A prevalência de polifarmácia foi 29,5%. A idade associou-se significativamente com polifarmácia (42,1% nos idosos; p<0,001) e com ocorrência de IMP (64,5% nos idosos; p<0,001). Do total de 581 IMP, predominaram as decorrentes da associação captopril-hidroclorotiazida (7,6%). Prevaleceram, ainda, IMP com início de ação não especificado (40,6%), mecanismo farmacodinâmico (62,0%), gravidade moderada (85,0%) e com boa documentação na literatura científica (57,8%). Conclusão: considerando a elevada prevalência de polifarmácia e IMP envolvendo anti-hipertensivos, particularmente entre os idosos, recomenda-se que o tratamento com esses fármacos seja cuidadosamente monitorado pela equipe de saúde.