bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ratiometric Fluorescence Sensors for 1,2‐Diamines Based on Trifluoromethyl Ketones
Authors: Xu Yimang , Yu Shanshan , Wang Yachen , Hu Lingling , Zhao Feng , Chen Xuemin , Li Yinan , Yu Xiaoqi , Pu Lin
Published: September 2016

Two BINOL‐based trifluoromethyl aryl ketones 3 and 4 show greatly enhanced fluorescence at 375 nm accompanied by a decrease at 500 nm when treated with aliphatic 1,2‐diamines, especially ethylenediamine, in organic solvents. Under the same conditions, other monoamines and diamines caused much smaller or no fluorescence response. Thus, both 3 and 4 can be used as highly selective ratiometric fluorescence sensors for ethylenediamine. Compound 3, the BINOL hydroxyl groups of which are protected, exhibits greater fluorescence enhancement than the corresponding unprotected compound 4. UV and NMR spectroscopic studies have been conducted to probe the mechanism of the sensor–substrate reaction.
Increased prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in CRPS
Authors: Speck V. , Schlereth T. , Birklein F. , Maihöfner C.
Published: September 2016

Background

Although specific psychological disorders in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) have not been identified, studies suggest that CRPS patients may have increased rates of traumatic life events. Because these events do not always lead to apparent psychological symptoms, we systematically screened CRPS patients for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to determine if PTSD could be a risk factor for CRPS.

Methods

Consecutive CRPS patients referred to two university hospital centres (University of Erlangen, UMC Mainz) between December 2011 and April 2013 were prospectively examined using a diagnostic PTSD instrument (Post‐traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS). We also tested maladaptive coping strategies (brief‐COPE inventory) and the PDS severity score as predictors for CRPS. Patients with non‐CRPS extremity pain and healthy individuals were used as control groups.

Results

We collected data from 152 patients with CRPS, 55 control patients and 55 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy individuals. Fifty‐eight CRPS patients (38%), six non‐CRPS pain patients (10%) and two healthy individuals (4%) met diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Initial PTSD symptom onset was prior to CRPS in 50 CRPS patients (86%) and during the course of CRPS in eight patients. Results of a logistic regression revealed that the PTSD severity score was associated with CRPS (p < 0.0001). Maladaptive coping strategies (p < 0.0001) were related to PTSD.

Conclusions

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more frequent in patients with CRPS than it is in the general population.

Significance

Research has not yet provided support for specific psychological predictors for CRPS.
Use strategic enrollment planning to prepare your institution for today's reality
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: September 2016

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Knowing that your institution is on an enrollment cycle, whether up or down, can only get you so far in your planning. In fact, given the trends of higher education today, growing your enrollment exponentially might not be the right course for your institution. Thoughtfully implementing a strategic enrollment management plan to grow your institution to a size optimal for the best services for your students and your faculty might be the key to survival, long‐term growth, and high retention and graduation rates on your campus. At the Society for College and University Planning annual conference, Lewis Sanborne, vice president of Ruffalo Noel Levitz, shared strategies for developing a clear strategic enrollment plan for your institution.
Free community college brings campuswide benefits
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: September 2016

When the Tennessee Promise went into effect in fall 2015, offering recent high school graduates who met certain requirements the opportunity to attend community college for free, officials at Volunteer State Community College weren't quite sure what to expect.
What e‐commerce taught me about higher education
Authors: Talarico Donna
Published: September 2016

My experience in the e‐commerce industry allowed me to bring an interesting and helpful perspective to my then‐new web marketing position at Elizabethtown College in 2010. I had previously served as an admissions representative at a career school before returning to school myself as an adult learner. So when I returned to a campus job, I was quickly able to connect the dots between online retailing and recruiting students. In this month's column, I'll share a few of those observations.
Analyze data to support your institution's enrollment goals
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: September 2016

Understanding the enrollment data and projections for your campus can help with just about everything: scheduling classrooms, understanding true and projected enrollment yields, and accurately reporting retention and graduation rates for federal compliance, for example. In addition, accurately predicting summer melt and the diversity of students can be critical to meeting enrollment targets. Kevin Pinkston, Ph.D., director of enrollment analytics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, shared tips that help him accurately predict enrollment yield for his university.
Investigating the role of dissolved and droplet oil in aquatic toxicity using dispersed and passive dosing systems
Authors: Redman Aaron D. , Butler Josh D. , Letinski Daniel J. , Parkerton Thomas F.
Published: September 2016

Characterization of the aquatic toxicity of oil is needed to support hazard assessment and inform spill response. Natural processes and mitigation strategies involving dispersant use can result in exposures to both dissolved and droplet oil that are not typically differentiated when oil exposures are characterized in toxicity tests. Thus, the impact of droplets on aquatic toxicity is largely uncharacterized. To improve the understanding of the role of droplets, acute toxicity tests with Daphnia magna and Americamysis bahia were performed with Endicott crude oil in low-energy mixing systems with and without Corexit 9500 dispersant. Exposures were also prepared by placing crude oil in silicone tubing and passively dosing test media to provide dissolved oil exposures without droplets. A framework is described for characterizing dissolved phase exposures using both mechanistic modeling and passive sampling measurements. The approach is then illustrated by application to data from the present study. Expression of toxicity in terms of toxic units calculated from modeled dissolved oil concentrations or passive sampling measurements showed similar dose responses between exposure systems and organisms, despite the gradient in droplet oil. These results indicate that droplets do not appreciably contribute to toxicity for the 2 species investigated and further support hazard evaluation of dispersed oil on the basis of dissolved exposure metrics. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1020–1028. © 2016 SETAC
Tools and terms for understanding illegal wildlife trade
Authors: Phelps Jacob , Biggs Duan , Webb Edward L
Published: September 2016

Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a global conservation issue that threatens thousands of species, including fish, fungi, medicinal plants, and charismatic mammals. Despite widespread recognition of the problem, debates on the science and policy of IWT generally concentrate on a few high‐profile species (eg rhinoceros, tigers, elephants) and often overlook or conflate complex IWT products, actors, networks, and contexts. A poor understanding of IWT is aggravated by the lack of systematic vocabulary and conceptual tools with which to analyze complex phenomena in a more structured way. We synthesize the available evidence on IWT across taxa and contexts into a typology‐based framework that considers (1) the diversity of wildlife products; (2) the roles of various actors involved with IWT, including harvesters, intermediaries, and consumers; and (3) common IWT network configurations. We propose ways in which these tools can inform structured analyses of IWT, to help ensure more nuanced, appropriate, targeted, and effective responses to illegal wildlife harvest, trade, and use.
New Source Review Permitting Challenged by Ozone Modeling Requirements
Authors: Paine Robert , Rodriguez Marco , Taylor Courtney
Published: September 2016

Evolving modeling requirements for new sources to model ozone impacts are creating new and significant permitting challenges.
Innovation Promises and Evidence Realities
Authors: Maschke Karen J.
Published: September 2016

Over the past year media outlets and scientific and bioethics journals have reported about several medical and scientific innovations touted as having the potential to fundamentally change not only how diseases and disorders are diagnosed and treated but even how to alter the genomes of future generations. The purported “miracle” blood‐testing technology of Theranos and the potential use of the genome editing technology CRISPR‐Cas9 to modify human and nonhuman organisms reflect dramatic advances in scientific understanding about the biological mechanisms of humans and other living organisms. Yet evidence about whether these and other innovative biomedical technologies are safe and effective and lead to improved health outcomes for patients young and old is often in dispute. How to assess the safety and effectiveness of innovative biomedical technologies, who should be involved in that effort, and how to define risks and benefits of those technologies are questions at the intersection of values, interests, and politics.
Where Shall We Go?
Authors: Kaebnick Gregory E.
Published: September 2016

This issue of the Hastings Center Report coincides with the annual conference of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, whose theme this year is “Where do we stand?” The issue addresses that theme with the article by Debra Mathews and colleagues and the set of brief response essays that follow it. Mathews et al., drawing on work carried out by the Association of Bioethics Program Directors, pose questions about how to understand and evaluate the worth of bioethics research. Those questions require them to think very broadly about what bioethics is, in the first place, and how it is related to medicine, health policy, science, and society generally. In short, they are thinking at the highest level about the question, where do we stand?
On Being Fired: When Patients or Their Parents Fire Their Physician
Authors: Cummings Christy L.
Published: September 2016

Wait, what? I've been fired?” I repeated, in the middle of morning rounds in the neonatal intensive care unit. Finally, the nurse who was taking care of our patient, Angela, responded, “Her parents fired you last night. They've already called Patient Relations. They want a new doctor.” My heart sank. Only days into my block of service time as the attending physician in the NICU and I was fired, axed, canned, rejected by a family. How could this have happened? On my first day of service, I had introduced myself to Angela's parents, and I had then met with them daily to review results and the plan and to answer their questions. I thought we had connected well. I thought I had done everything right. I thought they trusted me to care for their daughter.
Ethics Hype?
Authors: Caulfield Timothy
Published: September 2016

There has been growing concern about the phenomenon of science hype, the tendency to exaggerate the value or near‐future application of research results. Although this is a problem that touches every area of biomedicine, the topic of genetics seems to be particularly prone to enthusiastic predictions. The world has been told for over two decades‐by the media, researchers, politicians, and the biotech industry‐that a genome‐driven health care revolution is just around the corner. And while the revolution never seems to arrive, the hopeful rhetoric continues. It has been suggested that this unrelenting “genohype” is having a range of adverse social consequences, including misleading the public and hurting the long‐term legitimacy of the field. While we need more good data on the nature and magnitude of these possible harms, few would argue with the proposition that sustained science hype is a bad thing. We all benefit from robust science and accurate public representations of biomedical research. But, to date, there has been very little consideration of the degree to which the scholarship on the related ethical, legal, and social issues has been hyped. Are the conclusions from ELSI scholarship also exaggerated?
From “Personalized” to “Precision” Medicine: The Ethical and Social Implications of Rhetorical Reform in Genomic Medicine
Authors: Juengst Eric , McGowan Michelle L. , Fishman Jennifer R. , Settersten Richard A.
Published: September 2016

Since the late 1980s, the human genetics and genomics research community has been promising to usher in a “new paradigm for health care”—one that uses molecular profiling to identify human genetic variants implicated in multifactorial health risks. After the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, a wide range of stakeholders became committed to this “paradigm shift,” creating a confluence of investment, advocacy, and enthusiasm that bears all the marks of a “scientific/intellectual social movement” within biomedicine. Proponents of this movement usually offer four ways in which their approach to medical diagnosis and health care improves upon current practices, arguing that it is more “personalized,” “predictive,” “preventive,” and “participatory” than the medical status quo. Initially, it was personalization that seemed to best sum up the movement's appeal. By 2012, however, powerful opinion leaders were abandoning “personalized medicine” in favor of a new label: “precision medicine.” The new label received a decisive seal of approval when, in January 2015, President Obama unveiled plans for a national “precision medicine initiative” to promote the development and use of genomic tools in health care.
A Conceptual Model for the Translation of Bioethics Research and Scholarship
Authors: Mathews Debra J.H. , Hester D. Micah , Kahn Jeffrey , McGuire Amy , McKinney Ross , Meador Keith , Philpott‐Jones Sean , Youngner Stuart , Wilfond Benjamin S.
Published: September 2016

While the bioethics literature demonstrates that the field has spent substantial time and thought over the last four decades on the goals, methods, and desired outcomes for service and training in bioethics, there has been less progress defining the nature and goals of bioethics research and scholarship. This gap makes it difficult both to describe the breadth and depth of these areas of bioethics and, importantly, to gauge their success. However, the gap also presents us with an opportunity to define this scope of work for ourselves and to help shape the broader conversation about the impact of academic research.

Because of growing constraints on academic funding, researchers and scholars in many fields are being asked to demonstrate and also forecast the value and impact of their work. To do that, and also to satisfy ourselves that our work has meaningful effect, we must understand how our work can motivate change and how that change can be meaningfully measured. In a field as diverse as bioethics, the pathways to and metrics of change will likewise be diverse. It is therefore critical that any assessment of the impact of bioethics research and scholarship be informed by an understanding of the nature of the work, its goals, and how those goals can and ought to be furthered. In this paper, we propose a conceptual model that connects individual bioethics projects to the broader goals of scholarship, describing the translation of research and scholarly output into changes in thinking, practice, and policy. One of the key implications of the model is that impact in bioethics is generally the result of a collection of projects rather than of any single piece of research or scholarship. Our goal is to lay the groundwork for a thoroughgoing conversation about bioethics research and scholarship that will advance and shape the important conversation about their impact.
Disciplinary Crossings
Authors: Singh Ilina
Published: September 2016

Eighteen months ago, I left a permanent professorship in a generously interdisciplinary department of sociology and took an impermanent, lower‐paying job at a university where I had to apply to something called the “Committee on Distinction” to retain the title of “Professor.” Some people say, “That's what happens when Oxford calls.” But it wasn't just that. It was the opportunity to engage in a groundbreaking experiment: to embed and integrate ethics within the Oxford Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. It's a dream job, for which I was willing to cross the disciplinary line into the medical sciences. In the United Kingdom, many bioethicists still work in departments outside science and medicine; similarly, those of us who work on neuroethics and psychiatric ethics tend to inhabit departments of philosophy, law, or sociology. I can report already that interdisciplinarity from this side feels and looks different.
Nurses at the Table
Authors: Ulrich Connie M.
Published: September 2016

Few bioethicists are educated with a view into nursing. Thus, much of the conceptual and empirical research on ethical issues in nursing practice has been conducted by nurse ethicists themselves and, to a lesser degree, by individuals with a strong interest in nursing ethics. Although this work has internally shaped nursing practice, education, and policy, the broader field of bioethics has seldom examined and acknowledged the everyday ethical concerns of practicing nurses and their important contributions to bioethics discourse. In this special report of the Hastings Center Report —the first to focus on nursing—Christine Grady, Ann Hamric, and I, along with consulting editor Nancy Berlinger, strive to give voice to the contributions of nurses in addressing some of our obstinate everyday ethics and health policy challenges.
Educating Nurses for Ethical Practice in Contemporary Health Care Environments
Authors: Grace Pam , Milliken Aimee
Published: September 2016

Because health care professions exist to provide a good for society, ethical questions are inherently part of them. Such professions and their members can be assessed based on how effective they are in developing knowledge and enacting practices that further the health and well‐being of individuals and society. The complexity of contemporary health care environments makes it important to prepare clinicians who can anticipate, recognize, and address problems that arise in practice or that prevent a profession from fulfilling its service goals and obligations. Different health care professions have evolved distinct perspectives about appropriate goals for, and the purposes of, their clinicians, even when the goal of improving health and well‐being for society is shared across professions. While medicine and nursing goals are shared in principle, they differ in the particulars. Given the centrality to nursing of ethical questions, the profession has a collective responsibility to help clinicians at all levels of practice become ethically savvy and to reinforce their moral agency as needed. Both knowledge of nursing ethics and knowledge of the interdisciplinary field of bioethics are critical to nursing work.
Creating a Culture of Ethical Practice in Health Care Delivery Systems
Authors: Rushton Cynda Hylton
Published: September 2016

Undisputedly, the United States’ health care system is in the midst of unprecedented complexity and transformation. In 2014 alone there were well over thirty‐five million admissions to hospitals in the nation, indicating that there was an extraordinary number of very sick and frail people requiring highly skilled clinicians to manage and coordinate their complex care across multiple care settings. Medical advances give us the ability to send patients home more efficiently than ever before and simultaneously create ethical questions about the balance of benefits and burdens associated with these advances. Every day on every shift, nurses at the bedside feel an intense array of ethical issues. At the same time, administrators, policy‐makers, and regulators struggle to balance commitments to patients, families, staff members, and governing boards. Ethical responsibilities and the fiduciary, regulatory, and community service goals of health care institutions are not mutually exclusive; they must go hand in hand. If they do not, our health care system will continue to lose valued professionals to moral distress, risk breaking the public's trust, and potentially undermine patient care. At this critical juncture in health care, we must look to new models, tools, and skills to confront contemporary ethical issues that impact clinical practice. The antidote to the current reality is to create a new health care paradigm grounded in compassion and sustained by a culture of ethical practice.
Genomic alterations in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/ERBB2) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Chung Christine H. , Germain Alexis , Subramaniam Rathan M. , Heilmann Andreas M. , Fedorchak Kyle , Ali Siraj M. , Miller Vincent A. , Palermo Robert A. , Fakhry Carole
Published: September 2016

Background

Despite recent advances, survival outcomes for those with metastatic or recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have remained poor. Novel approaches should be investigated to improve outcomes.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed of a patient who presented with a TNM classification III HNSCC of the oropharynx, positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) who had a complete response to a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)‐targeted therapy. Amplification rates of HER2 in the HNSCC Cancer Genome Atlas Network (TCGA) dataset and the FoundationOne genomic profiling dataset were evaluated.

Results

Comprehensive genomic profiling of the tumor obtained from the dermal metastasis identified amplification of HER2. Data from TCGA and FoundationOne showed that the frequency of HER2 alteration was not observed to vary significantly with HPV tumor status.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates the application of genomic profiling to guide treatments in a patient with HNSCC with advanced metastatic disease refractory to standard of care therapies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: E15–E19, 2017
Theta burst stimulation‐induced LTP: Differences and similarities between the dorsal and ventral CA1 hippocampal synapses
Authors: Kouvaros Stylianos , Papatheodoropoulos Costas
Published: September 2016

The hippocampal synapses display a conspicuous ability for long‐term plasticity, which is thought to contribute to learning and memory. Previous research has shown that long‐term potentiation (LTP) greatly differs between the dorsal (DH) and ventral (VH) CA1 hippocampal synapses when induced by high‐frequency stimulation. In this study, using rat hippocampal slices and more physiologically relevant activity patterns based on the frequency of the theta rhythm (i.e., theta‐burst stimulation, TBS) we found that the DH compared with the VH displayed a higher ability for induction and stability of NMDA receptor‐dependent LTP of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential. Nevertheless, the maximal magnitude of LTP was similar in the two hippocampal segments. Blockade of GABAB receptors prevented the LTP induction by the minimal effective TBS and reduced the magnitude of LTP induced by longer TBS. TBS produced a three‐fold higher facilitation of the synaptic burst responses in the DH compared with the VH, accompanied by a strong enhancement in the postsynaptic excitation in the DH but mostly depression in the VH. The DH displayed NMDA receptor‐dependent and NMDA receptor‐independent facilitation, but the facilitation in the VH was only NMDA receptor‐dependent. Also, the TBS‐associated activity of GABAB receptors was higher in the DH than in the VH. The different response profiles during TBS could underlie the differences in LTP between the two hippocampal segments. L‐type voltage‐dependent calcium channels (L‐VDCC) and the metabotropic glutamate receptor‐5 (mGluR5) equally contributed in DH and VH to compound LTP induced by relatively long TBS. We propose that these dorsoventral differences in synaptic plasticity reflect specializations of the intrinsic circuitry of the hippocampus, that are involved in the distinct information processing performed by the two hippocampal segments and could effectively support the contribution of the dorsal and the ventral hippocampal segment to single event memory and to emotional memory respectively. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Interpersonal choice: The advantage on the left or on the right?
Authors: Zhao Xueru , He Xianyou , Zhang Wei , Chen Guangyao , Chen Qing , Huang Lixiang
Published: September 2016

This study explored whether body specificity unconsciously influenced preferences for certain people. Participants were presented pictures of the heads of 2 persons who were described as having the similar personality, profession and family background. They were instructed to choose 1 in each pair as the preferred date, preferred friend, more charismatic boss or as the better national leader. The results showed body specificity had an influence on the selection preference on first impression. Participants tended to choose the character on their dominant‐hand side. This study not only provided the first social psychological evidence for the body‐specificity hypothesis, but also first demonstrated a role for body specificity in impression formation and selection preference.
The progress and challenges in metabolic research in China
Authors: Xu Li , Ren Hao , Gao Guangang , Zhou Linkang , Malik Muhammad Arshad , Li Peng
Published: September 2016

Metabolism refers to a chain of chemical reactions converting food/fuel into energy to conduct cellular processes, including the synthesis of the building blocks of the body, such as proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates, and the elimination of nitrogenous wastes. Metabolic chain reactions are catalyzed by various enzymes that are orchestrated in specific pathways. Metabolic pathways are important for organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. The coordinated regulation of metabolic pathways is important for maintaining metabolic homeostasis. The key steps and crucial enzymes in these pathways have been well investigated. However, the crucial regulatory factors and feedback (or feedforward) mechanisms of nutrients and intermediate metabolites of these biochemical processes remain to be fully elucidated. In addition, the roles of these enzymes and regulatory factors in controlling metabolism under physiological and pathological conditions are largely unknown. In particular, metabolic dysregulation is closely linked to the development of many diseases, including obesity, fatty liver, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, metabolism, an old area of biochemistry, has attracted much attention in the last decade. With substantially increased government funding, the involvement of talented researchers, an improved infrastructure and scientific environment over the last ten years, the basic research in the field of metabolism in China has dramatically advanced. Here, we have summarized the major discoveries of scientists in China in the last decade in the area of metabolism. Due to the vast amount of information, we focused this review on specific aspects of metabolism, particularly metabolic regulation and lipid metabolism in vertebrates. © 2016 IUBMB Life, 68(11):847–853, 2016
In vivo study of alginate hydrogel conglutinating cells to polycaprolactone vascular scaffolds fabricated by electrospinning
Authors: Sun Kwang‐Hsiao , Liu Zhao , Liu Chang‐Jian , Yu Tong , Zhou Min , Liu Cheng , Ran Feng , Pan Li‐Jia , Zhang Huan
Published: September 2016

Objective

The aim of this study was to explore an innovative cell‐seeding technology applied on artificial vascular scaffolds.

Methods

Scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning polycaprolactone (PCL) and seeded with rat endothelial progenitor cells differentiated from adipose‐derived stem cells. Then, we modified the PCL scaffolds through the use of alginate hydrogel conglutinating cells (AHCC), a blank alginate hydrogel coating (BAHC), and natural sedimentation seeding cells (NSSC). The blank PCL (BP) scaffolds without any modifications were considered the blank control group. After modification, the scaffolds were implanted in a rat model. The implanted scaffolds were harvested and observed using histological and immunohistochemical methods and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after implantation, respectively.

Results

The best regeneration and configuration of the endothelium tissue and the most similar morphology to that of natural endangium was observed qualitatively in the AHCC scaffolds. The BP scaffolds had qualitatively the worst regeneration and configuration and the most dissimilar morphology at the same time point. In the AHCC group, cells could adhere directly on the inner surface of the vascular scaffolds, eliminating the time delay via the NSSC method prior to cell adhesion.

Conclusion

AHCC are an effective method for seeding cells on vascular scaffolds and can eliminate the time delay for cell adhesion. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 2443–2454, 2017.
Bone Density Loss Is Associated With Blood Cell Counts
Authors: Valderrábano Rodrigo J , Lui Li-Yung , Lee Jennifer , Cummings Steven R , Orwoll Eric S , Hoffman Andrew R , Wu Joy Y ,   for the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study Research Group
Published: September 2016

Hematopoiesis depends on a supportive microenvironment. Preclinical studies in mice have demonstrated that osteoblasts influence the development of blood cells, particularly erythrocytes, B lymphocytes, and neutrophils. However, it is unknown whether osteoblast numbers or function impact blood cell counts in humans. We tested the hypothesis that men with low BMD or greater BMD loss have decreased circulating erythrocytes and lymphocytes and increased myeloid cells. We performed a cross-sectional analysis and prospective analysis in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study, a multisite longitudinal cohort study. A total of 2571 community-dwelling men (≥65 years) who were able to walk without assistance, did not have a hip replacement or fracture, and had complete blood counts (CBCs) at the third study visit were analyzed. Multivariable (MV)-adjusted logistic regression estimated odds of white blood cell (WBC) subtypes (highest and lowest quintile versus middle), and anemia (clinically defined) associated with BMD by DXA scan (at visit 3), annualized percent BMD change (baseline to visit 3), and high BMD loss (>0.5%/year, from baseline to visit 3) at the femoral neck (FN) and total hip (TH). MV-adjusted models included age, BMI, cancer history, smoking status, alcohol intake, corticosteroid use, self-reported health, thiazide use, and physical activity. At visit 3 greater TH BMD loss (per 1 SD) was associated with increased odds of anemia, high neutrophils, and low lymphocytes. Annualized BMD loss of >0.5% was associated with increased odds of anemia, high neutrophils, and low lymphocytes. Similar results were observed for FN BMD regarding anemia and lymphocytes. We conclude that community-dwelling older men with declining hip BMD over about 7 years had increased risks of anemia, lower lymphocyte count, and higher neutrophil count, consistent with preclinical studies. Bone health and hematopoiesis may have greater interdependency than previously recognized. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Functional Effects of Cigarette Smoke‐Induced Changes in Airway Smooth Muscle Mitochondrial Morphology
Authors: Aravamudan Bharathi , Thompson Michael , Sieck Gary C. , Vassallo Robert , Pabelick Christina M. , Prakash Y. S.
Published: September 2016

Long‐term exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) triggers airway hyperreactivity and remodeling, effects that involve airway smooth muscle (ASM). We previously showed that CS destabilizes the networked morphology of mitochondria in human ASM by regulating the expression of mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins via multiple signaling mechanisms. Emerging data link regulation of mitochondrial morphology to cellular structure and function. We hypothesized that CS‐induced changes in ASM mitochondrial morphology detrimentally affect mitochondrial function, leading to CS effects on contractility and remodeling. Here, ASM cells were exposed to 1% cigarette smoke extract (CSE) for 48 h to alter mitochondrial fission/fusion, or by inhibiting the fission protein Drp1 or the fusion protein Mfn2. Mitochondrial function was assessed via changes in bioenergetics or altered rates of proliferation and apoptosis. Our results indicate that both exposure to CS and inhibition of mitochondrial fission/fusion proteins affect mitochondrial function (i.e., energy metabolism, proliferation, and apoptosis) in ASM cells. In vivo, the airways in mice chronically exposed to CS are thickened and fibrotic, and the expression of proteins involved in mitochondrial function is dramatically altered in the ASM of these mice. We conclude that CS‐induced changes in mitochondrial morphology (fission/fusion balance) correlate with mitochondrial function, and thus may control ASM proliferation, which plays a central role in airway health. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 1053–1068, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Biliary atresia: Indications and timing of liver transplantation and optimization of pretransplant care
Authors: Sundaram Shikha S. , Mack Cara L. , Feldman Amy G. , Sokol Ronald J.
Published: September 2016

Biliary atresia (BA) is a progressive, fibro‐obliterative disorder of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts in infancy. The majority of affected children will eventually develop end‐stage liver disease and require liver transplantation (LT). Indications for LT in BA include failed Kasai portoenterostomy, significant and recalcitrant malnutrition, recurrent cholangitis, and the progressive manifestations of portal hypertension. Extrahepatic complications of this disease, such as hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension, are also indications for LT. Optimal pretransplant management of these potentially life‐threatening complications and maximizing nutrition and growth require the expertise of a multidisciplinary team with experience caring for BA. The timing of transplant for BA requires careful consideration of the potential risk of transplant versus the survival benefit at any given stage of disease. Children with BA often experience long wait times for transplant unless exception points are granted to reflect severity of disease. Family preparedness for this arduous process is therefore critical. Liver Transplantation 23:96–109 2017 AASLD.
Influence of CMC Molecular Weight and Degree of Substitution on Clay Swelling Inhibition in Water‐Based Drilling Fluids
Authors: Santana Fagundes Keila R. , Fagundes Fabio P. , de Carvalho Laura G. G. , Amorim Luciana V. , Balaban Rosangela C.
Published: September 2016

In this paper, the clay hydration inhibitive properties of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in drilling fluids systems were studied. The clay swelling degree was evaluated as a function of time in presence of different aqueous solutions containing sodium chloride, potassium chloride, CMC A (9 × 104 g/mol − DS 0.7), CMC B (2.5 × 105 g/mol − DS 0.7), CMC C (2.5 × 105 g/mol − DS 1.2) and a commercial clay inhibitor based in quaternary amine, that was used as reference pattern. According to results obtained, the low molecular weight CMC showed slightly lower clay swelling degree compared to the high molecular weight along 180 minutes. In parallel, it was confirmed the higher efficiency of quaternary amine‐based commercial inhibitor (QABCI) to control the clay swelling mechanism. Basically, this inhibition effect was attributed to the ability of cationic quaternary ammonium groups to form electrostatic interactions with negatively charged surfaces of the clay, enhancing associative interaction between their particles. Besides, it was visualized by microscopy that the highest molecular weight of CMC provided a reduction in formation and pores size compared to CMC of lower molecular weight after 1,000 minutes in aqueous medium. This behavior could be attributed to the dynamic of interactions between clay and high molecular weight CMC along the time, which is a result of strong contribution of electrostatic interactions between carboxylate groups located along the polymer backbone and positively charged clay layers edges as well as hydrogen bonds.
Thermal Ageing and Accelerated Weathering of HMSPP: Structural and Morphological Studies
Authors: Oliani Washington L. , Komatsu Luiz G. H. , Lugao Ademar B. , Parra Duclerc F.
Published: September 2016

This work focuses of the influence of weathering factors − UV radiation, humidity, and temperature on the structure and morphology poly(propylene) (PP) with high melt strength (HMSPP), also called poly(propylene) modified by irradiation. The HMSPP was prepared from isotactic poly(propylene) (iPP) in presence of acetylene at 110 kPa pressure and irradiated with γ of60Co at doses of 5, 12.5 and 20 kGy. It has been observed that HMSPP deteriorates in the weathering and thermal resistance, and the long‐term stability of HMSPP, beyond substantial color changes. The aged samples were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), optical microscopy (OM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The optical microscopy shows different mechanisms on thermal and artificial weathering ageing. The ageing result under elevated temperature in HMSPPs exposed surfaces follows the order: HMSPP 20 > 12.5 > 5 kGy > iPP. The intense crack formation in surface exposed justifies thermooxidative degradation.
Identification of Biodegradable and Oxo‐Biodegradable Plastic Bags Samples Composition
Authors: Finzi‐Quintão Cristiane M. , Novack Kátia M. , Bernardes‐Silva Ana Cláudia
Published: September 2016

Plastic films used to make market bags are based on polymers such as polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene. These materials require a long time to degrade in the environment. Alternative technologies have been developed to reduce the degradation time and the impact on the environment caused by the conventional polymer materials, using pro‐degrading additives or by the development of biodegradable polymers. In Brazil, some city's laws require the use of biodegradable material in the production of market bags, but the absence of specific surveillance policies makes their chemical composition unknown. The plastic bags didn't show the expected environmental behavior by the manufactures, so it is important to understand the reasons why they are not biodegradable in Brazilian landfills. In this paper, 7 samples that were obtained from a trading company and commercial market of Belo Horizonte were analyzed. The samples were characterized by biodegradable analysis, XRF, FTIR, SEM and TGA/DTA, which allowed the identification and evaluation of the thermal behavior of the material in an inert and oxidizing atmosphere. The results showed that plastic bags were composed by a mixture of PLA and PBAT, with possible presence of TPS and titanium and calcium fillers. All samples presented low biodegradability in compostable environment.
PEMFC: Study of the Routine Synthesis of a New Series of SPAES for Use as Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)
Authors: Souza Júlio C. , Simões Ana L. A. , Sousa Ricardo G. , Freitas Roberto F. S. , Silva Maria Elisa S. R.
Published: September 2016

Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s sulfonated are promising materials for application as proton exchange membranes (PEM) due to their good electrochemical properties. In this study, the synthesis procedure was studied aiming at the production of a new copolymer for use as a PEM. In addition, considering the inefficiency of the recovery route described in the literature, the influence of each monomer in the copolymer recovery from the polymerization solution was evaluated. The monomers were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetry (TG), confirming their structure and purity. The four copolymers, produced as a result of different monomers’ molar ratios, were recovered in different ways. While those with sulfonic groups were recovered with acidic solution, the other polymers without pending sulfonic groups were recovered with deionized water. The copolymers were characterized by FTIR, wherein the copolymers characteristic bands were observed, including those characteristic of diaryl ethers, evidence of the proposed polymerization mechanism.
Carboxymethylcellulose Grafted to Amino‐Terminated Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide): Preparation, Characterization and Evaluation of the Thermoassociative Behaviour at Low Concentrations
Authors: do Nascimento Marques Nívia , de Lima Bruna Luiza Batista , de Carvalho Balaban Rosangela
Published: September 2016

Amino‐terminated poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM‐NH2) was synthesized by free‐radical polymerization in water by using the redox pair potassium persulfate/2‐aminoethanethiol hydrochloride (KPS/AET.HCl) in a glove box under N2(g) atmosphere. PNIPAM‐NH2 was then used to produce graft copolymers with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in water by applying a water‐soluble carbodiimide and N‐hydroxysuccinimide as activators. The samples were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and the thermal behaviour on solid state was investigated by thermogravimetry. Also, the rheological behaviour of the copolymers at 25 and 60 °C was evaluated in water at 3 and 7 g/L. Contrary to CMC and PNIPAM‐NH2, which had only one DTG peak, the thermal decomposition of the graft copolymers occurred at two steps, being the first DTG peak higher and second one lower than the corresponding precursors. Thermoassociative behaviour in water for CMC‐g‐PNIPAM graft copolymers depend on the amount of chain transfer agent used for the PNIPAM‐NH2 synthesis. Thermothickening effect occurred for the copolymer that had PNIPAM‐NH2 prepared with lower AET.HCl content, at a polymer concentration of 7 g/L, which is much lower than the concentrations previously reported in literature for graft copolymers with poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide).
ICI‐RS 2015—Is a better understanding of sleep the key in managing nocturia?
Authors: Denys Marie‐Astrid , Cherian Jerald , Rahnama'i Mohammad S. , O'Connell Kathleen A. , Singer Jonathan , Wein Alan J. , Dhondt Karlien , Everaert Karel , Weiss Jeffrey P.
Published: September 2016

Aims

Nocturia, or waking up at night to void, is a highly prevalent and bothersome lower urinary tract symptom. However, the applied treatment modalities do not improve symptoms in about half of the patients. The aim of this report is to generate new ideas for future nocturia research, with special emphasis on the role of sleep physiology and sleep disorders.

Methods

The following is a report of the presentations and subsequent discussion of the Nocturia Think Tank session at the annual meeting of the International Consultation on Incontinence Research Society (ICI‐RS), which took place in September 2015 in Bristol. General information about the organization of the ICI‐RS meeting can be found on the website “www.ici-rs.org.” An overview of challenges within the existing evidence, future research ideas, and results of research with regard to nocturia and sleep were presented.

Results and conclusion

In order to optimize the management of nocturia and nocturnal polyuria (NP), future research has to focus on the development of unambiguous terminology regarding nocturia and NP, the role of renal function profiles and simplified frequency volume charts as guidance of individualized therapy and the role of sleep disorders such as periodic limb movements during sleep and habitual voiding as a response to awakening. Neurourol. Urodynam. 37:2048–2052, 2018. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expressions of urothelial functional proteins in idiopathic detrusor overactivity patients refractory to antimuscarinic therapy with different urodynamic characteristics
Authors: Liu Hsin‐Tzu , Kuo Hann‐Chorng
Published: September 2016

Aims

This study investigated the expressions of PGP9.5, P2 X 3, muscarinic receptor (M3) and beta‐3 adrenoreceptor (AR) in idiopathic detrusor overactivity (IDO) patients refractory to antimuscarinic treatment, and analyzed the correlation between protein expressions and clinical symptoms of IDO bladders with different urodynamic characteristics.

Methods

Specimens of 48 IDO and 10 control patients without lower urinary tract symptoms were included. The levels of these proteins from bladder mucosa were determined by Western blotting.

Results

The expression levels of β3‐AR and M3 receptor were similar between IDO patients and controls. When IDO patients were divided into two subgroups, phasic DO and terminal DO, the results showed that β3‐AR level in the patients with phasic DO was significantly higher than that of the controls and terminal DO (Both P < 0.05). PGP9.5 and P2 X 3 levels were also significantly increased in phasic DO subgroup than controls. P2 X 3 receptor was positively correlated with PGP9.5 and β3‐AR, and negatively correlated with the first sensation of bladder filling and voided volume in phasic DO.

Conclusions

Similar expression M3 receptor and increased P2 X 3 levels in phasic DO, compared with the controls, indicate that dysregulation of purinergic bladder signaling may contribute to the pathogenesis of phasic DO refractory to antimuscarinics. Elevated expression of β3‐AR in phasic DO but not in terminal DO patients may explain the different urodynamic characteristics of DO between the two subgroups. Our findings suggest that β3‐AR agonist or P2 X 3 antagonist might be a good treatment choice for patients with phasic DO refractory to antimuscarinic therapy.
Catalytic Degradation of Benzene over Nanocatalysts containing Cerium and Manganese
Authors: Wang Zhen , Deng Yuzhou , Shen Genli , Akram Sadia , Han Ning , Chen Yunfa , Wang Qi
Published: September 2016

A Ce–Mn composite oxide possessing a rod‐like morphology (with a fixed molar ratio of Ce/Mn=3:7) was synthesized through a hydrothermal method. Mn ions were doped into a CeO2 framework to replace Ce ions, thereby increasing the concentration of oxygen vacancies. The formation energies of O vacancies for the Ce–Mn composite oxide were calculated by applying density functional theory (DFT). The data showed that it was easier to form an O vacancy in the composite. The catalytic behavior of the Ce–Mn composite oxide for benzene degradation was researched in detail, which exhibited a higher activity than the pure phases. Based on this, the Ce–Mn composite oxide was chosen as a supporter to load PdO nanoparticles. The activity was enhanced further compared with that of the supporter alone (for the supporter, the reaction rate R214 °C=0.68×10−4 mol gcat−1 s−1 and apparent activation energy Ea=12.75 kJ mol−1; for the supporting catalyst, R214 °C=1.46×10−4 mol gcat−1 s−1, Ea=10.91 kJ mol−1). The corresponding catalytic mechanism was studied through in situ Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, which indicated that the process of benzene oxidation was related to different types of oxygen species existing at the surface of the catalysts.
Public finance management reforms in Somalia: a case study on Somalia's finance professionals
Authors: Warsame Mohammed Hersi , Ireri Edward Mugambi
Published: September 2016

There is an unprecedented and pressing need for a major legislative public financial management reform in Somalia to bolster the technical and professional efforts of implementing a modern system of public financial management across the country. Currently, there is no independent auditing authority to enable citizens to access information on the use of public resources. However, the success of any reform depends on establishing strong public budgeting systems as well as developing strong public finance training programs and policy linkage on financial management policies and procedures.