bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Concise Review on the Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cell Sheet-Based Tissue Engineering with Special Emphasis on Bone Tissue Regeneration
Authors: Yorukoglu A. Cagdas , Kiter A. Esat , Akkaya Semih , Satiroglu-Tufan N. Lale , Tufan A. Cevik
Published: November 2017

The integration of stem cell technology and cell sheet engineering improved the potential use of cell sheet products in regenerative medicine. This review will discuss the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in cell sheet-based tissue engineering. Besides their adhesiveness to plastic surfaces and their extensive differentiation potential in vitro, MSCs are easily accessible, expandable in vitro with acceptable genomic stability, and few ethical issues. With all these advantages, they are extremely well suited for cell sheet-based tissue engineering. This review will focus on the use of MSC sheets in osteogenic tissue engineering. Potential application techniques with or without scaffolds and/or grafts will be discussed. Finally, the importance of osteogenic induction of these MSC sheets in orthopaedic applications will be demonstrated.
The Morbidity of Multivariable Grey Model MGM(1,m)
Authors: Wang Haixia , Zhao Lingdi , Hu Mingzhao
Published: November 2017

This paper proposes the morbidity of the multivariable grey prediction MGM(1,m) model. Based on the morbidity of the differential equations, properties of matrix, and Gerschgorin Panel Theorem, we analyze the factors that affect the morbidity of the multivariable grey model and give a criterion to justify the morbidity of MGM(1,m). Finally, an example is presented to illustrate the practicality of our results.
Variability of Chemical Compositions and Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Ruta chalepensis Leaf Essential Oils from Three Palestinian Regions
Authors: Jaradat Nidal , Adwan Lina , K’aibni Shadi , Zaid Abdel Naser , Shtaya Munqez J. Y. , Shraim Naser , Assali Mohyeddin
Published: November 2017

Introduction. Interest in essential oils was recently revived with their popularity increasing in medicine, pharmacy, and aromatherapy. This study was performed to identify the chemical compositions of the essential oil of Ruta chalepensis growing wildly in three regions in Palestine and to assess and compare their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Methods. Identification of the essential oil was performed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antimicrobial activity was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans by using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, while antioxidant activity was analyzed by using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. Results. The essential oils of R. chalepensis from Jerusalem and Hebron regions have almost identical components; the major compounds identified were linalyl acetate and β-linalool; these essential oils exerted potential antioxidant and antibacterial activities. On the other hand, the major components of the plant essential oil from Jenin region were 2-undecanone and 2-nonanone, which exhibited potential antifungal activity. Conclusions. The phytoconstituents and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the essential oil of R. chalepensis from different regions in Palestine were established in this study. The obtained results indicate possible applications for R. chalepensis in the treatment of various infectious and noninfectious diseases.
Glycaemic Control after Metformin Discontinuation in Diabetic Patients with a Declining Renal Function
Authors: Leyco Theresa , Ryanputra Davin , Peh Ray , Ponce Alexphil , Khoo Chin Meng
Published: November 2017

Metformin is contraindicated in diabetic patients with declining renal function. This study examined the glycaemic control in diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease when metformin was discontinued. This was a retrospective study. We screened 2032 diabetic patients who attended the Diabetes Clinic at a tertiary hospital between 1 September 2014 and 30 September 2015. We analyzed the data on 69 patients whom metformin was discontinued due to declining renal function and had a complete 6-month follow-up. There was no significant difference in the HbA1c and body weight at 6-month follow-up compared to baseline after metformin discontinuation. The eGFR was significantly lower at 6-month follow-up compared to baseline. Upon metformin discontinuation, the majority of patients had their diabetes medication uptitrated (in particular insulin or sulphonylurea). Patients with an improved glycaemia at 6-month follow-up had further declined in eGFR compared to patients with worsened glycaemia. 17% of the study patients experienced hypoglycaemia. Upon metformin discontinuation, glycaemic control could be optimised with uptitration but should be balanced against the risk of hypoglycaemia. Further improvement in the glycaemic control might indicate further deterioration in the renal function.
The Structure of Symmetric Solutions of the Matrix Equation AX = B over a Principal Ideal Domain
Authors: Prokip V. M.
Published: November 2017

We investigate the structure of symmetric solutions of the matrix equation AX = B, where A and B are m‐by‐n matrices over a principal ideal domain R and X is unknown n‐by‐n matrix over R. We prove that matrix equation AX = B over R has a symmetric solution if and only if equation AX = B has a solution over R and the matrix ABT is symmetric. If symmetric solution exists we propose the method for its construction.
An Alginate/Cyclodextrin Spray Drying Matrix to Improve Shelf Life and Antioxidant Efficiency of a Blood Orange By‐Product Extract Rich in Polyphenols: MMPs Inhibition and Antiglycation Activity in Dysmetabolic Diseases
Authors: Lauro Maria Rosaria , Crascì Lucia , Giannone Virgilio , Ballistreri Gabriele , Fabroni Simona , Sansone Francesca , Rapisarda Paolo , Panico Anna Maria , Puglisi Giovanni
Published: November 2017

Alginate and β‐cyclodextrin were used to produce easily dosable and spray‐dried microsystems of a dried blood orange extract with antidysmetabolic properties, obtained from a by‐product fluid extract. The spray‐dried applied conditions were able to obtain a concentrate dried extract without the loss of AOA and with TPC and TMA values of 35–40% higher than that of the starting material. They were also effective in producing microparticles with 80–100% of encapsulation efficiency. The 2% sodium alginate was capable of improving the extract shelf life, while the beta‐cyclodextrin (1 : 1 molar ratio with dried extract) prolonged the extract antioxidant efficiency by 6 hours. The good inhibition effect of the dried extract on the AGE formation and the MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 activity is presumably due to a synergic effect exerted by both anthocyanin and bioflavonoid extract compounds and was improved by the use of alginate and cyclodextrin.
Langasite Family Midinfrared Nonlinear Optical Oxide Materials: Structure, Property, and Applications
Authors: Lan Haichao , Liang Fei , Lin Zheshuai , Yu Haohai , Zhang Huaijin , Wang Jiyang
Published: November 2017

Midinfrared (IR) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with high performance are vital in important technological applications in many civil and military fields. Very recently, langasite family compounds have attracted much attention due to their wide transparency to mid-IR region and ultrahigh laser damage threshold (LDT). In this brief review, three important compounds—LGS, LGN, and LGT—are investigated and analyzed based on available experimental data. The electrooptical (EO) Q-switch and mid-IR OPO applications are summarized in detail. Finally, promising search directions for new metal oxides that have good mid-IR NLO performances are discussed.
A Bayesian Network Model on the Public Bicycle Choice Behavior of Residents: A Case Study of Xi’an
Authors: Wang Qiuping , Sun Hao , Zhang Qi
Published: November 2017

In order to study the main factors affecting the behaviors that city residents make regarding public bicycle choice and to further study the public bicycle user’s personal characteristics and travel characteristics, a travel mode choice model based on a Bayesian network was established. Taking residents of Xi’an as the research object, a K2 algorithm combined with mutual information and expert knowledge was proposed for Bayesian network structure learning. The Bayesian estimation method was used to estimate the parameters of the network, and a Bayesian network model was established to reflect the interactions among the public bicycle choice behaviors along with other major factors. The K‐fold cross‐validation method was used to validate the model performance, and the hit rate of each travel mode was more than 80%, indicating the precision of the proposed model. Experimental results also present the higher classification accuracy of the proposed model. Therefore, it may be concluded that the resident travel mode choice may be accurately predicted according to the Bayesian network model proposed in our study. Additionally, this model may be employed to analyze and discuss changes in the resident public bicycle choice and to note that they may possibly be influenced by different travelers’ characteristics and trip characteristics.
The Impact of GFP Reporter Gene Transduction and Expression on Metabolomics of Placental Mesenchymal Stem Cells Determined by UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS
Authors: Yang Jinfeng , Wang Nan , Chen Deying , Yu Jiong , Pan Qiaoling , Wang Dan , Liu Jingqi , Shi Xiaowei , Dong Xiaotian , Cao Hongcui , Li Liang , Li Lanjuan
Published: November 2017

Introduction. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is widely used as a reporter gene in regenerative medicine research to label and track stem cells. Here, we examined whether expressing GFP gene may impact the metabolism of human placental mesenchymal stem cells (hPMSCs). Methods. The GFP gene was transduced into hPMSCs using lentiviral-based infection to establish GFP+hPMSCs. A sensitive 13C/12C-dansyl labeling LC-MS method targeting the amine/phenol submetabolome was used for in-depth cell metabolome profiling. Results. A total of 1151 peak pairs or metabolites were detected from 12 LC-MS runs. Principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis showed poor separation, and the volcano plots demonstrated that most of the metabolites were not significantly changed when hPMSCs were tagged with GFP. Overall, 739 metabolites were positively or putatively identified. Only 11 metabolites showed significant changes. Metabolic pathway analyses indicated that three of the identified metabolites were involved in nine pathways. However, these metabolites are unlikely to have a large impact on the metabolic pathways due to their nonessential roles and limited hits in pathway analysis. Conclusion. This study indicated that the expression of ectopic GFP reporter gene did not significantly alter the metabolomics pathways covered by the amine/phenol submetabolome.
Classification of Region of Interest in Mammograms Using Dual Contourlet Transform and Improved KNN
Authors: Dong Min , Wang Zhe , Dong Chenghui , Mu Xiaomin , Ma Yide
Published: November 2017

Goal. Breast cancer is becoming one of the most common cancers among women. Early detection can help increase the survival rates. Feature extraction directly affects diagnosis result. In this work, a novel feature extraction method based on Dual Contourlet Transform (Dual-CT) is presented, and improved K nearest neighbor (KNN) is employed to improve the classification performance. Method. This presented method includes three main sections: firstly, the Region of Interest (ROI) is cropped manually according to gold standard from Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) database; secondly, the ROIs are decomposed into different resolution levels using Dual-CT, contourlet, and wavelet; a set of texture features are extracted. Then improved KNN and traditional KNN are implemented for classification. Experiments are performed on 324 ROIs which include 206 normal cases and 118 abnormal cases; the abnormal cases are composed of 66 benign cases and 52 malignant cases. Results. Experimental results prove the validity and superiority of Dual-CT-based feature and improved KNN. In particular, 94.14% and 95.76% classification accuracy is achieved based on Dual-CT domain. Moreover, the proposed method is comparable with state-of-the-art methods in terms of accuracy. Contribution. Dual-CT-based feature is used for analyzing mammogram and can help improve breast cancer diagnosis accuracy.
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Are More ImmunosuppressiveIn VitroIf They Are Derived from Endometriotic Lesions than from Eutopic Endometrium
Authors: Abomaray Fawaz , Gidlöf Sebastian , Götherström Cecilia
Published: November 2017

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease with predominance of immunosuppressive M2 macrophages in the pelvic cavity that could be involved in the pathology through support and immune escape of ectopic lesions. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are found in ectopic lesions, and MSC from nonendometriosis sources are known to induce M2 macrophages. Therefore, MSC were hypothesized to play a role in the pathology of endometriosis. The aim was to characterize the functional phenotype of MSC in ectopic and eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis. Stromal cells from endometriotic ovarian cysts (ESCcyst) and endometrium (ESCendo) were examined if they exhibited a MSC phenotype. Then, ESC were phenotypically examined for protein and gene expression of immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory molecules. Finally, ESC were functionally examined for their effects on monocyte differentiation into macrophages. ESCcystand ESCendoexpressed MSC markers, formed colonies, and differentiated into osteoblasts and adipocytes. Phenotypically, ESCcystwere more immunosuppressive, with significantly higher expression of immunosuppressive molecules. Functionally, ESCcystinduced more spindle-shaped macrophages, with significantly higher expression of CD14 and CD163, both features of M2 macrophages. The results suggest that ESCcystmay be more immunosuppressive than ESCendoand may promote immunosuppressive M2 macrophages that may support growth and reduce immunosurveillance of ectopic lesions.
Quantitative Comparison of the Efficiency and Scalability of the Current and Future LTE Network Architectures
Authors: Karimzadeh Morteza , van den Berg Hans , Schmidt Ricardo de O. , Pras Aiko
Published: November 2017

The core architecture of current mobile networks does not scale well to cope with future traffic demands owing to its highly centralized composition. Typically, it is believed that decentralization of the network architecture would be a sustainable approach to deal with ever growing amount of mobile data traffic. Nevertheless, the decentralization strategy of network architecture has not been properly examined through quantitative performance studies. Given that LTE will be the leading mobile networking technology in the coming 5–10 years, we conduct a hybrid study model to compare performance of current and future (decentralized) LTE network architectures. Particularly, our analysis presents numerical results quantifying impact of the number of attached nodes on the load at network routers and links, on the latency, and on the processing cost of the user’s data and control planes. Analytical results demonstrate that decentralization of the LTE network architecture achieves higher performance compared to the current architecture and improves the latency and cost of data packet delivery more than 10 and 6 times, respectively. Furthermore, it is also observed that GTP outperforms PMIP for all studied performance metrics in the decentralized architecture and provides about twofold better latency and cost for data packet delivery and roughly 6 times lower data traffic load on the network routers.
Antidiarrheal Activity of Dissotis multiflora (Sm) Triana (Melastomataceae) Leaf Extract in Wistar Rats and Subacute Toxicity Evaluation
Authors: Afagnigni Alian Désiré , Nyegue Maximilienne Ascension , Ndoye Foe Chantal Florentine , Njankouo Ndam Youchahou , Njayou Frédéric Nico , Fonkoua Marie Christine , Etoa François-Xavier
Published: November 2017

The present work was undertaken to evaluate antidiarrheal activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Dissotis multiflora (Sm) Triana (D. multiflora) on Shigella flexneri‐induced diarrhea in Wistar rats and its subacute toxicity. Diarrhea was induced by oral administration of 1.2 × 109 cells/mL S. flexneri to rats. Antidiarrheal activity was investigated in rats with the doses of 111.42 mg/kg, 222.84 mg/kg, and 445.68 mg/kg. The level of biochemical parameters was assessed and organs histology examined by 14 days’ subacute toxicity. S. flexneri stool load decreased significantly in dose‐dependent manner. The level of ALT increased (p < 0.05) in male rats treated with the dose of 445.68 mg/kg while creatinine level increased in rats treated with both doses. In female rats, a significant decrease (p < 0.05) of the level of AST and creatinine was noted in rats treated with the dose of 222.84 mg/kg of D. multiflora. Histological exams of kidney and liver of treated rats showed architectural modifications at the dose of 445.68 mg/kg. This finding suggests that D. multiflora leaf extract is efficient against diarrhea caused by S. flexneri but the treatment with doses lower than 222.84 mg/kg is recommended while further study is required to define the exact efficient nontoxic dose.
Comparison of the Effect of Low-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with That of Theta Burst Stimulation on Upper Limb Motor Function in Poststroke Patients
Authors: Kondo Takahiro , Yamada Naoki , Momosaki Ryo , Shimizu Masato , Abo Masahiro
Published: November 2017

Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference between the therapeutic effect of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS) and that of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), when each is combined with intensive occupational therapy (OT), in poststroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis.Materials and Methods. The study subjects were 103 poststroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis, who were divided into two groups: the LF-rTMS group (n=71) and the cTBS group (three pulse bursts at 50 Hz) (n=32). Each subject received 12 sessions of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of 2,400 pulses applied to the nonlesional hemisphere and 240-min intensive OT (two 60-min one-to-one training sessions and two 60-min self-training exercises) daily for 15 days. Motor function was evaluated using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and the performance time of the Wolf motor function test (WMFT) was determined on the days of admission and discharge.Results. Both groups showed a significant increase in the FMA score and a short log performance time of the WMFT (p<0.001), but the increase in the FMA score was higher in the LF-rTMS group than the cTBS group (p<0.05).Conclusion. We recommend the use of 2400 pulses of LF-rTMS/OT for 2 weeks as treatment for hemiparetic patients.
Fungicidal, Corrosive, and Mutational Effects of Polyhexamethylene Biguanide Combined with 1-Bromo-3-chloro-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione
Authors: Niu Bing , Huai Wan , Deng Zhirui , Chen Qin
Published: November 2017

Background. The disinfectants polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) and 1-bromo-3-chloro-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (BCDMH) each have limitations. So far, their combined usage has not been examined. In this study, the fungicidal activity of combined disinfectant using PHMB and BCDMH, named PB, against Candida albicans was evaluated. Methods. Suspension quantitative fungicidal test and viable fungi count were used to test fungicidal effects against C. albicans. Coupon corrosion testing was used to evaluate disinfectants’ corrosive effects on stainless steel, copper, and aluminum. The mouse lymphoma assay was used to detect mutations induced by PB. Results and Discussion. Fungicidal activity of the combination of 40 mg/L PHMB and 40 mg/L BCDMH was comparable to, or even better than, those of 600 mg/L PHMB or 640 mg/L BCDMH alone. The combination of 400 mg/L PHMB and 400 mg/L BCDMH exhibited good fungicidal effects in field applications. The combination of 100 mg/L PHMB and 100 mg/L BCDMH did not have corrosive effects on stainless steel and no mutagenic effect was observed under the test conditions. Conclusions. The combination of PHMB and BCDMH has strong fungicidal effects and little metal corrosive and mutagenic effect and can be used as one suitable fungicide for wide household and industrial applications, including shipping containers.
A Comparison Study on Multidomain EEG Features for Sleep Stage Classification
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wang Bei , Jing Jin , Zhang Jian , Zou Junzhong , Nakamura Masatoshi
Published: November 2017

Feature extraction from physiological signals of EEG (electroencephalogram) is an essential part for sleep staging. In this study, multidomain feature extraction was investigated based on time domain analysis, nonlinear analysis, and frequency domain analysis. Unlike the traditional feature calculation in time domain, a sequence merging method was developed as a preprocessing procedure. The objective is to eliminate the clutter waveform and highlight the characteristic waveform for further analysis. The numbers of the characteristic activities were extracted as the features from time domain. The contributions of features from different domains to the sleep stages were compared. The effectiveness was further analyzed by automatic sleep stage classification and compared with the visual inspection. The overnight clinical sleep EEG recordings of 3 patients after the treatment of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) were tested. The obtained results showed that the developed method can highlight the characteristic activity which is useful for both automatic sleep staging and visual inspection. Furthermore, it can be a training tool for better understanding the appearance of characteristic waveforms from raw sleep EEG which is mixed and complex in time domain.
Relationship of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea with Diabetic Retinopathy: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhu Zhenliu , Zhang Fengying , Liu Yunxia , Yang Shuqin , Li Chunting , Niu Qingliang , Niu Jinming
Published: November 2017

Until now, the relationship of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) with diabetic retinopathy (DR) was controversial. This meta-analysis was performed to obtain definitive conclusion on this topic. Relevant articles were searched on databases of Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The articles were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to evaluate the relationship of OSA with risk of DR.I2andPvalue were used to assess the presence of heterogeneity.I2≥ 50% orP<0.05indicated significant heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the robustness of pooled results. Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s regression analysis were adopted to assess publication bias. 6 eligible studies were selected in the present meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that OSA was significantly associated with increased risk of DR (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.49–2.72). Subgroup analysis based on type of diabetes mellitus suggested that OSA was related to DR in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that pooled results were robust. No significant publication bias was observed (P=0.128). The results indicate that OSA is related to increased risk of DR.
Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography of Punctate Inner Choroidopathy
Authors: Hampton Blake M. , Aderman Christopher M. , Flynn Harry W. , Sridhar Jayanth
Published: November 2017

Purpose. To report a case of bilateral choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) visualized utilizing optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). Methods. Case report. Results. A 29-year-old woman presented with new visual symptoms in both eyes. Fundoscopic exam revealed bilateral multifocal, small, well-defined lesions consistent with PIC. Optical coherence tomography demonstrated subretinal fluid and retinal pigment epithelium detachments (RPEDs) in both eyes. OCT-A revealed bilateral abnormal increased flow within the RPEDs consistent with CNV. Fluorescein angiography confirmed the presence of bilateral CNV. Conclusion. CNV secondary to PIC may be identified using noninvasive optical coherence tomography angiography.
Three-Dimensional Numerical Analysis of LOX/Kerosene Engine Exhaust Plume Flow Field Characteristics
Authors: Cai Hong-hua , Nie Wan-sheng , Yang Xin-lei , Wu Rui , Su Ling-yu
Published: November 2017

Aiming at calculating and studying the flow field characteristics of engine exhaust plume and comparative analyzing the effects of different chemical reaction mechanisms on the engine exhaust plume flow field characteristics, a method considering fully the combustion state influence is put forward, which is applied to exhaust plume flow field calculation of multinozzle engine. On this basis, a three-dimensional numerical analysis of the effects of different chemical reaction mechanisms on LOX/kerosene engine exhaust plume flow field characteristics was carried out. It is found that multistep chemical reaction can accurately describe the combustion process in the LOX/kerosene engine, the average chamber pressure from the calculation is 4.63% greater than that of the test, and the average chamber temperature from the calculation is 3.34% greater than that from the thermodynamic calculation. The exhaust plumes of single nozzle and double nozzle calculated using the global chemical reaction are longer than those using the multistep chemical reaction; the highest temperature and the highest velocity on the plume axis calculated using the former are greater than that using the latter. The important influence of chemical reaction mechanism must be considered in the study of the fixing structure of double nozzle engine on the rocket body.
Modernization Trends of Infertility Treatment of Traditional Korean Medicine
Authors: Park Jang-Kyung , Kim Dong-Il
Published: November 2017

Despite the development of assisted reproductive technology (ART), it is difficult to increase the implantation rate. In Korea, Traditional Korean Medicine, including herbal medicine, is an important component of infertility treatment. Korean medical doctors who are treating infertility often use herbal medicine to promote implantation. In this article, as one of the research works on modernization of Traditional Korean Medicine, we investigated the experimental studies to clarify the effects of herbal medicines that are traditionally used to promote pregnancy. We searched for experimental studies over the past 10 years of improvement of endometrial receptivity in herbal medicine using six domestic and international sites. We analyzed 11 studies that meet the selection criteria. We found that herbal medicines demonstrably improved endometrial receptivity and increased pregnancy rates.
Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence of Patients in Kosovo
Authors: Krasniqi Shaip , Jakupi Arianit , Daci Armond , Tigani Bahri , Jupolli-Krasniqi Nora , Pira Mimoza , Zhjeqi Valbona , Neziri Burim
Published: November 2017

Setting. The poor patient adherence in tuberculosis (TB) treatment is considered to be one of the most serious challenges which reflect the decrease of treatment success and emerging of the Multidrug Resistance-TB (MDR-TB). To our knowledge, the data about patients’ adherence to anti-TB treatment in our country are missing.Objective. This study was aimed to investigate the anti-TB treatment adherence rate and to identify factors related to eventual nonadherence among Kosovo TB patients.Design. This study was conducted during 12 months, and the survey was a descriptive study using the standardized questionnaires with total 324 patients.Results. The overall nonadherence for TB patient cohort was 14.5%, 95% CI (0.109–0.188). Age and place of residence are shown to have an effect on treatment adherence. Moreover, the knowledge of the treatment prognosis, daily dosage, side effects, and length of treatment also play a role. This was also reflected in knowledge regarding compliance with regular administration of TB drugs, satisfaction with the treatment, interruption of TB therapy, and the professional monitoring in the administration of TB drugs.Conclusion. The level of nonadherence TB treatment in Kosovar patients is not satisfying, and more health care worker’s commitments need to be addressed for improvement.
Detection Rate and Clinical Relevance of Ink Tattooing during Balloon-Assisted Enteroscopy
Authors: Römmele C. , Ebigbo A. , Schrempf M. , Messmann H. , Gölder S. K.
Published: November 2017

Background and Aims. Balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE) is a well-established tool in the diagnosis and therapy of small bowel diseases. Ink tattooing of the small bowel is used to mark pathologic lesions or the depth of small bowel insertion. The purpose of this study was to determine the safety, the detection rate, and the clinical relevance of ink tattooing during BAE. Methods. We performed a retrospective analysis of all 81 patients who received an ink tattooing during BAE between 2010 and 2015. Results. In all patients, ink tattooing was performed with no complications. 26 patients received a capsule endoscopy after BAE. The tattoo could be detected via capsule endoscopy in 19 of these 26 patients. The tattoo of the previous BAE could be detected via opposite BAE in 2 of 11 patients. In 9 patients, ink tattooing influenced the choice of approach for reenteroscopy. In 7 patients, the tattoo was used for intraoperative localization and in 3 patients for intraoperative localization as well as for reenteroscopy. The intraoperative detection rate of the tattoo was 100%. Conclusion. Ink tattooing of the small intestine is a safe endoscopic procedure to mark the depth of scope insertion or a pathologic lesion during balloon-assisted enteroscopy.
Cellular Senescence in Age‐Related Macular Degeneration: Can Autophagy and DNA Damage Response Play a Role?
Authors: Blasiak Janusz , Piechota Malgorzata , Pawlowska Elzbieta , Szatkowska Magdalena , Sikora Ewa , Kaarniranta Kai
Published: November 2017

Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main reason of blindness in developed countries. Aging is the main AMD risk factor. Oxidative stress, inflammation and some genetic factors play a role in AMD pathogenesis. AMD is associated with the degradation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, photoreceptors, and choriocapillaris. Lost RPE cells in the central retina can be replaced by their peripheral counterparts. However, if they are senescent, degenerated regions in the macula cannot be regenerated. Oxidative stress, a main factor of AMD pathogenesis, can induce DNA damage response (DDR), autophagy, and cell senescence. Moreover, cell senescence is involved in the pathogenesis of many age‐related diseases. Cell senescence is the state of permanent cellular division arrest and concerns only mitotic cells. RPE cells, although quiescent in the retina, can proliferate in vitro. They can also undergo oxidative stress‐induced senescence. Therefore, cellular senescence can be considered as an important molecular pathway of AMD pathology, resulting in an inability of the macula to regenerate after degeneration of RPE cells caused by a factor inducing DDR and autophagy. It is too early to speculate about the role of the mutual interplay between cell senescence, autophagy, and DDR, but this subject is worth further studies.
Sera from Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients Display Oxidative Activity and Affect the TNF-αProduction by MacrophagesIn Vitro
Authors: Soares Neci M. , de Souza Joelma N. , Leal Tatiana F. , Reis Eliana A. G. , Miranda Maria S. , dos Santos Washington L. C. , Teixeira Márcia C. A.
Published: November 2017

Mammalian protection against leishmanial infection depends on the development of an effective immune response. Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) patients are usually unable to mount an effective immune response against the parasite and indeed appear to be severely immunosuppressed. This suppression has strong nonspecific and specific components mediated by serum factors and leishmanicidal activity of infected macrophages, respectively. The lipid profile has been shown to be altered in ZVL patients’ sera. This work aimed at (i) determining the HDL, Apo A1, LDL, and VLDL concentrations in ZVL patients’ sera; (ii) investigating the oxidative effect of ZVL patients’ sera on theβ-carotene matrix; (iii) measuring IL-10, IL-6, IL-12p40, and tumour necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) concentrations in the macrophage cultures, to which 10% of ZVL patients’ serum had been added. Levels of HDL, LDL fraction, and apolipoprotein A1 in ZVL patients’ sera were lower than those of healthy individuals’ sera, except for the mean level of VLDL. The matrix ofβ-carotene and linoleic acid system was oxidized in the presence of ZLV patients’ sera. The presence of ZVL patients’ sera did not modify the cytokine production of IL-6, IL-12p40, and IL-10 by human macrophagesin vitrobut TNF-αproduction was altered, probably due to lack of macrophage stimulation by lipoprotein.
Sufficient Condition for Strongly Starlikeness of Normalized Mittag-Leffler Function
Authors: Bansal Deepak , Maharana Sudhananda
Published: November 2017

In the present investigation a sufficient condition is obtained for normalized Mittag-Leffler function to be starlike and strongly starlike in the open unit disk. Results obtained are new and their usefulness is depicted by deducing several interesting corollaries and examples.
An Adaptive Spectral Kurtosis Method Based on Optimal Filter
Authors: Yang Yanli , Yu Ting
Published: November 2017

As a useful tool to detect protrusion buried in signals, kurtosis has a wide application in engineering, for example, in bearing fault diagnosis. Spectral kurtosis (SK) can further indicate the presence of a series of transients and their locations in the frequency domain. The factors influencing kurtosis values are first analyzed, leading to the conclusion that amplitude, not the frequency of signals, and noise make major contribution to kurtosis values. It is helpful to detect impulsive components if the components with big amplitude are removed from composite signals. Based on this cognition, an adaptive SK algorithm is proposed in this paper. The core steps of the proposed SK algorithm are to find maxima, add window around maxima, merge windows in the frequency domain, and then filter signals according to the merged window in the time domain. The parameters of the proposed SK algorithm are varying adaptively with signals. Some experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Extracellular Vesicles from Adipose‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Downregulate Senescence Features in Osteoarthritic Osteoblasts
Authors: Tofiño-Vian Miguel , Guillén Maria Isabel , Pérez del Caz María Dolores , Castejón Miguel Angel , Alcaraz Maria José
Published: November 2017

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects all articular tissues leading to pain and disability. The dysregulation of bone metabolism may contribute to the progression of this condition. Adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) are attractive candidates in the search of novel strategies for OA treatment and exert anti‐inflammatory and cytoprotective effects on cartilage. Chronic inflammation in OA is a relevant factor in the development of cellular senescence and joint degradation. In this study, we extend our previous observations of ASC paracrine effects to study the influence of conditioned medium and extracellular vesicles from ASC on senescence induced by inflammatory stress in OA osteoblasts. Our results in cells stimulated with interleukin‐ (IL‐) 1β indicate that conditioned medium, microvesicles, and exosomes from ASC downregulate senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase activity and the accumulation of γH2AX foci. In addition, they reduced the production of inflammatory mediators, with the highest effect on IL‐6 and prostaglandin E2. The control of mitochondrial membrane alterations and oxidative stress may provide a mechanism for the protective effects of ASC in OA osteoblasts. We have also shown that microvesicles and exosomes mediate the paracrine effects of ASC. Our study suggests that correction of abnormal osteoblast metabolism by ASC products may contribute to their protective effects.
Establishment and Application of Prostate Cancer Circulating Tumor Cells in the Era of Precision Medicine
Authors: Suh Yoon Seok , Joung Jae Young , Kim Sung Han , Seo Ho Kyung , Chung Jinsoo , Lee Kang Hyun
Published: November 2017

Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common cancer in men and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Additionally, there is concern for overdiagnosis and overtreatment of PC. Thus, selection of an appropriate candidate for active surveillance as well as more accurate and less invasive tools for monitoring advanced PC is required. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have emerged as a liquid biopsy tool; there have been several reports on its role, technologies, and applications to various cancers, including PC. Liquid biopsy using CTCs has been gaining attention as a minimal invasive tool for investigation of biomarkers and for prognosis and assessment of response to therapies in patients with PC. Because of the lower invasiveness of liquid biopsy using CTCs, it can be performed more frequently; accordingly, personalized disease status can be successively determined at serial time points. CTC analysis enables detection of genomic alterations, which is drug-targetable, and it is a potential tool for monitoring response to therapeutic agents in patients with PC. This review focuses on the characteristics, technologies for analysis, and advantages and disadvantages of CTCs as a liquid biopsy tool and their application in PC. Finally, we propose future directions of CTCs.
Influence of Money Distribution on Civil Violence Model
Authors: Ormazábal Ignacio , Borotto F. A. , Astudillo H. F.
Published: November 2017

We study the influence of money distribution on the dynamics of Epstein’s model of civil violence. For this, we condition the hardship parameter distributed according to the distribution of money, which is a local parameter that determines the dynamics of the model of civil violence. Our experiments show that the number of outbursts of protest and the number of agents participating in them decrease when the distribution of money guarantees that there are no agents without money in the system as a consequence of saving. This reduces social protests and the system shows a phase transition of the second order for a critical saving parameter. These results also show three characteristic regimes that depend on the savings in the system, which account for emerging phenomena associated with the saving levels of the system and define scales of development characteristic of social conflicts understood as a complex system. The importance of this model is to provide a tool to understand one of the edges that characterize social protest, which describes this phenomenon from the sociophysics and complex systems.
Modelling Scattering of Electromagnetic Waves in Layered Media: An Up-to-Date Perspective
Authors: Imperatore Pasquale , Iodice Antonio , Pastorino Matteo , Pinel Nicolas
Published: November 2017

This paper addresses the subject of electromagnetic wave scattering in layered media, thus covering the recent progress achieved with different approaches. Existing theories and models are analyzed, classified, and summarized on the basis of their characteristics. Emphasis is placed on both theoretical and practical application. Finally, patterns and trends in the current literature are identified and critically discussed.
Establishment of Novel Limbus-Derived, Highly Proliferative ABCG2+/ABCB5+ Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Cultures
Authors: Kim Eung Kweon , Lee Ga-Hyun , Lee Boram , Maeng Yong-Sun
Published: November 2017

Homeostasis and regeneration of corneal epithelia are sustained by limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs); thus, an LESC deficiency is a major cause of blindness worldwide. Despite the generally promising results of cultivated LESC transplantation, it has been limited by variations in long-term success rates, the use of xenogeneic and undefined culture components, and a scarcity of donor tissues. In this study, we identified the culture conditions required to expand LESCs in vitro and established human limbus-derived highly proliferative ABCG2+/ABCB5+ double-positive LESCs. These LESCs exhibited the LESC marker profile and differentiated into corneal epithelial cells. In addition, cultured LESCs expressed high levels of the stem cell markers Sox2, Oct4, c-Myc, and Klf4, had high telomerase activity, and had stable, normal genomes. These results suggest that our novel cultivation protocol affects the phenotype and differentiation capacity of LESCs. From the limbus, which contains a heterogenous cell population, we have derived highly proliferative ABCG2+/ABCB5+ double-positive cells with the ability to differentiate into corneal epithelial cells. This study opens a new avenue for investigation of the molecular mechanism of LESC maintenance and expansion in vitro and may impact the treatment of corneal disease, particularly corneal blindness due to an LESC deficiency.
Comparison of Myeloid Cells in Circulation and in the Tumor Microenvironment of Patients with Colorectal and Breast Cancers
Authors: Toor Salman M. , Elkord Eyad
Published: November 2017

We have previously reported levels of myeloid cells in the periphery and in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of patients with primary breast cancer (PBC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). We found that both PBC and CRC patients have significantly higher levels of granulocytic and immature myeloid cells in the TME. Additionally, we reported an expansion of circulating granulocytic myeloid cells in CRC patients, but not in PBC patients. In this report, we compared levels of myeloid cells between these two common cancers and have added data from more cancer patients. We also investigated associations between clinical stage/histological grade of tumors and levels of myeloid cells in cancer patients. We found that although granulocytic myeloid cells were expanded in the TME of both PBC and CRC patients, the levels of these cells were significantly higher in the TME of CRC patients. Moreover, our results indicate that increased levels of circulating granulocytic myeloid cells are associated with poorly differentiated tumors in CRC patients. Taken together, this work suggests that CRC patients may benefit more from the development of therapeutic agents to promote myeloid cell differentiation or inhibition for the reversal of immune suppression.
A Heterogeneous System Based on Latent Semantic Analysis Using GPU and Multi-CPU
Authors: León-Paredes Gabriel A. , Barbosa-Santillán Liliana I. , Sánchez-Escobar Juan J.
Published: November 2017

Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) is a method that allows us to automatically index and retrieve information from a set of objects by reducing the term-by-document matrix using the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) technique. However, LSA has a high computational cost for analyzing large amounts of information. The goals of this work are (i) to improve the execution time of semantic space construction, dimensionality reduction, and information retrieval stages of LSA based on heterogeneous systems and (ii) to evaluate the accuracy and recall of the information retrieval stage. We present a heterogeneous Latent Semantic Analysis (hLSA) system, which has been developed using General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs) architecture, which can solve large numeric problems faster through the thousands of concurrent threads on multiple CUDA cores of GPUs and multi-CPU architecture, which can solve large text problems faster through a multiprocessing environment. We execute the hLSA system with documents from the PubMed Central (PMC) database. The results of the experiments show that the acceleration reached by the hLSA system for large matrices with one hundred and fifty thousand million values is around eight times faster than the standard LSA version with an accuracy of 88% and a recall of 100%.
Effects of White Wine Consumption on Weight in Rats: Do Polyphenols Matter?
Authors: Milat Ana Marija , Mudnić Ivana , Grković Ivica , Ključević Nikola , Grga Mia , Jerčić Iva , Jurić Diana , Ivanković Danica , Benzon Benjamin , Boban Mladen
Published: November 2017

Introduction. Effects of white wine and the role of wine polyphenols on weight gain in rats of different age were examined in the 4‐week‐voluntary‐consumption trial. Methods and Materials. Biochemically characterized standard (low polyphenols, W) and macerated (high polyphenolic content, PW) white wines were compared. One‐ and three‐month‐old Sprague‐Dawley male rats (n = 78) were used. Each age group was subdivided into water‐only‐drinking controls (C), W, and PW‐drinking animals. Daily wine and total liquid consumption, food intake, and body weight were measured, and energy intake and feed efficiency index were calculated. Results. In both age categories, wine‐drinking animals consumed less food and gained less weight in comparison to C (181 ± 2, 179 ± 6, and 201 ± 5 in younger animals and 32 ± 5, 28 ± 6, and 47 ± 4 grams in older animals, resp.), regardless of wine type. Total energy intake was the lowest in PW‐drinking animals. Conclusion. Wine‐drinking animals gained less weight in comparison to C, regardless of the wines’ polyphenol content. Although our results are indicative of the major role of nonphenolic constituents of the wines (probably ethanol), the modifying role of wine phenolics on weight gain cannot be excluded as the group consuming PW had lower total energy intake than other groups.
Adaptation and Molecular Characterization of Two Malaysian Very Virulent Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Isolates Adapted in BGM-70 Cell Line
Authors: Lawal Nafi’u , Hair-Bejo Mohd , Arshad Siti Suri , Omar Abdul Rahman , Ideris Aini
Published: November 2017

Two Malaysian very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) strains UPM0081 and UPM190 (also known as UPMB00/81 and UPM04/190, respectively) isolated from local IBD outbreaks were serially passaged 12 times (EP12) in specific pathogen free (SPF) chicken embryonated eggs (CEE) by chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) route. The EP12 isolate was further adapted and serially propagated in BGM-70 cell line up to 20 passages (P20). Characteristic cytopathic effects (CPEs) were subtly observed at P1 in both isolates 72 hours postinoculation (pi). The CPE became prominent at P5 with cell rounding, cytoplasmic vacuoles, granulation, and detachment from flask starting from day 3 pi, up to 7 days pi with titers of 109.50 TCID50/mL andlog109.80 TCID50/mL for UPM0081 and UPM190, respectively. The CPE became subtle at P17 and disappeared by P18 and P19 for UPM0081 and UPM190, respectively. However, the presence of IBDV was confirmed by immunoperoxidase, immunofluorescence, and RT-PCR techniques. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these two isolates were of the vvIBDV. It appears that a single mutation of UPM190 and UPM0081 IBDV isolates at D279N could facilitate vvIBDV strain adaptability in CEE and BGM-70 cultures.