bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics of Amphotericin B Colloidal Dispersion in Critically Ill Patients with Cholestatic Liver Disease
Authors: Weiler Stefan , Überlacher Elisabeth , Schöfmann Julia , Stienecke Eva , Dunzendorfer Stefan , Joannidis Michael , Bellmann Romuald
Published: July 2012

The pharmacokinetics of lipid-bound and liberated amphotericin B (AMB) was assessed in 11 critically ill patients with cholestatic liver disease (CSLD) and in 9 subjects with normal liver function treated with AMB colloidal dispersion (ABCD). Exposure to lipid-bound AMB was higher in patients with CSLD. Levels of liberated AMB were elevated by CSLD only after the first dose, whereas its pharmacokinetics was unaffected at steady state. The standard dosage of ABCD is probably adequate for patients with CSLD.
Inhibition of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infectivity by a Dendrimeric Heparan Sulfate-Binding Peptide
Authors: Donalisio Manuela , Rusnati Marco , Cagno Valeria , Civra Andrea , Bugatti Antonella , Giuliani Andrea , Pirri Giovanna , Volante Marco , Papotti Mauro , Landolfo Santo , Lembo David
Published: July 2012

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) interacts with cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) to initiate infection. The interaction of RSV with HSPGs thus presents an attractive target for the development of novel inhibitors of RSV infection. In the present study, a minilibrary of linear, dimeric, and dendrimeric peptides containing clusters of basic amino acids was screened with the aim of identifying peptides able to bind HSPGs and thus block RSV attachment and infectivity. Of the compounds identified, the dendrimer SB105-A10 was the most potent inhibitor of RSV infectivity, with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC
50
s) of 0.35 μM and 0.25 μM measured in Hep-2 and A549 cells, respectively. SB105-A10 was found to bind to both cell types via HSPGs, suggesting that its antiviral activity is indeed exerted by competing with RSV for binding to cell surface HSPGs. SB105-A10 prevented RSV infection when added before the viral inoculum, in line with its proposed HSPG-binding mechanism of action; moreover, antiviral activity was also exhibited when SB105-A10 was added postinfection, as it was able to reduce the cell-to-cell spread of the virus. The antiviral potential of SB105-A10 was further assessed using human-derived tracheal/bronchial epithelial cells cultured to form a pseudostratified, highly differentiated model of the epithelial tissue of the human respiratory tract. SB105-A10 strongly reduced RSV infectivity in this model and exhibited no signs of cytotoxicity or proinflammatory effects. Together, these features render SB105-A10 an attractive candidate for further development as a RSV inhibitor to be administered by aerosol delivery.
Evaluation of an Oral Suspension of VP20621, Spores of Nontoxigenic Clostridium difficile Strain M3, in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Villano Stephen A. , Seiberling Michael , Tatarowicz Walter , Monnot-Chase Elizabeth , Gerding Dale N.
Published: July 2012

VP20621, spores of nontoxigenic
Clostridium difficile
(NTCD) strain M3, is protective against challenge with toxigenic strains in hamsters. Human administration and colonization may prevent primary
C. difficile
infection (CDI) or recurrent CDI. Healthy adult subjects 18 to 45 years old or ≥60 years old received single or multiple doses of an oral suspension of VP20621 (10
4
, 10
6
, or 10
8
spores) or placebo. Group 4 (≥60 years old) received oral vancomycin for 5 days, followed by 14 days of VP20621 or placebo. Subjects were monitored for safety and followed through day 28. Stool was cultured for
C. difficile
before, during, and after VP20621 administration. Isolates were tested for toxin by enzyme immunoassay, and VP20621 was confirmed by molecular typing. After single escalating doses, no subjects had
C. difficile
-positive stool cultures. VP20621 was found in the stool of all subjects given 10
8
spores twice a day. Following vancomycin administration, VP20621 was detected in the stool of all subjects given 10
4
, 10
6
, or 10
8
spores daily beginning on day 2 to 6. Recovered isolates were toxin negative and confirmed to be VP20621. There were no serious adverse events, and no subjects prematurely discontinued study drugs. Following vancomycin administration, 2 placebo subjects became colonized with toxigenic
C. difficile
and 3 placebo subjects became colonized with VP20621. Persistent colonization with VP20621 was detected in stools on days 21 to 28 in 44% of subjects. VP20621 was well tolerated and able to colonize the gastrointestinal tracts of subjects pretreated with vancomycin. Further study of VP20621 to prevent CDI in patients is warranted.
Linezolid Is Superior to Vancomycin in Experimental Pneumonia Caused by Superantigen-Producing Staphylococcus aureus in HLA Class II Transgenic Mice
Authors: Karau Melissa J. , Tilahun Ashenafi Y. , Schmidt Suzannah M. , Clark Chad R. , Patel Robin , Rajagopalan Govindarajan
Published: July 2012

Superantigens (SAg), the potent activators of the immune system, are important determinants of
Staphylococcus aureus
virulence and pathogenicity. Superior response to SAg in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR3 transgenic mice rendered them more susceptible than C57BL/6 mice to pneumonia caused by SAg-producing strains of
S. aureus
. Linezolid, a bacterial protein synthesis inhibitor, was superior to vancomycin in inhibiting SAg production by
S. aureus
in vitro
and conferred greater protection from pneumonia caused by SAg-producing staphylococci.
Identification of Small Molecules That Antagonize Diguanylate Cyclase Enzymes To Inhibit Biofilm Formation
Authors: Sambanthamoorthy Karthik , Sloup Rudolph E. , Parashar Vijay , Smith Joshua M. , Kim Eric E. , Semmelhack Martin F. , Neiditch Matthew B. , Waters Christopher M.
Published: July 2012

Bacterial biofilm formation is responsible for numerous chronic infections, causing a severe health burden. Many of these infections cannot be resolved, as bacteria in biofilms are resistant to the host's immune defenses and antibiotic therapy. New strategies to treat biofilm-based infections are critically needed. Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a widely conserved second-messenger signal essential for biofilm formation. As this signaling system is found only in bacteria, it is an attractive target for the development of new antibiofilm interventions. Here, we describe the results of a high-throughput screen to identify small-molecule inhibitors of diguanylate cyclase (DGC) enzymes that synthesize c-di-GMP. We report seven small molecules that antagonize these enzymes and inhibit biofilm formation by
Vibrio cholerae
. Moreover, two of these compounds significantly reduce the total concentration of c-di-GMP in
V. cholerae
, one of which also inhibits biofilm formation by
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
in a continuous-flow system. These molecules represent the first compounds described that are able to inhibit DGC activity to prevent biofilm formation.
Vaccine-Induced Th17 Cells Are Maintained Long-Term Postvaccination as a Distinct and Phenotypically Stable Memory Subset
Authors: Lindenstrøm Thomas , Woodworth Joshua , Dietrich Jes , Aagaard Claus , Andersen Peter , Agger Else Marie
Published: July 2012

Th17 cells are increasingly being recognized as an important T helper subset for immune-mediated protection, especially against pathogens at mucosal ports of entry. In several cases, it would thus be highly relevant to induce Th17 memory by vaccination. Th17 cells are reported to exhibit high plasticity and may not stably maintain their differentiation program once induced, questioning the possibility of inducing durable Th17 memory. Accordingly, there is no consensus as to whether Th17 memory can be established unless influenced by continuous Th17 polarizing conditions. We have previously reported (T. Lindenstrøm, et al., J. Immunol. 182:8047–8055, 2009) that the cationic liposome adjuvant CAF01 can prime both Th1 and Th17 responses and promote robust, long-lived Th1 memory. Here, we demonstrate that subunit vaccination in mice with CAF01 leads to establishment of bona fide Th17 memory cells. Accordingly, Th17 memory cells exhibited lineage stability by retaining both phenotypic and functional properties for nearly 2 years. Antigen-specific, long-term Th17 memory cells were found to be mobilized from lung-draining lymph nodes to the lung following an aerosol challenge byMycobacterium tuberculosisnearly 2 years after their induction and proliferated at levels comparable to those of Th1 memory cells. During the infection, the vaccine-induced Th17 memory cells expanded in the lungs and adapted Th1 characteristics, implying that they represent a metastable population which exhibits plasticity when exposed to prolonged Th1 polarizing, inflammatory conditions such as those found in theM. tuberculosis-infected lung. In the absence of overt inflammation, however, stable bona fide Th17 memory can indeed be induced by parenteral immunization.
Activation of Host Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases by Secreted Legionella pneumophila Effectors That Inhibit Host Protein Translation
Authors: Fontana Mary F. , Shin Sunny , Vance Russell E.
Published: July 2012

Studies of innate immunity in metazoans have largely focused on detection of microbial molecules by host pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). A complementary mode of innate immune recognition, based on detection of pathogen-encoded activities, has long been recognized in plants, where it is termed effector-triggered immunity; however, little is known about the possibility of effector-triggered immunity in metazoans.
Legionella pneumophila
is an intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes Legionnaires' disease, an inflammatory pneumonia. We recently demonstrated that macrophages infected with
L. pneumophila
exhibit mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (MAPK) activation that is independent of known PRRs but dependent on a functional bacterial secretion system. Here, we show that five secreted
L. pneumophila
effectors are responsible for the activation of host MAP kinases. These five effectors inhibit host translation, and their activity is required for host MAPK activation. We demonstrate that MAPK activation by these effectors shapes the host transcriptional response to
L. pneumophila
. Furthermore, we find that uninfected macrophages treated with two different translation inhibitors exhibit activation of MAP kinases and upregulation of target genes, indicating that translation inhibition alone is sufficient to elicit this response in macrophages. MAP kinase pathways are crucial in many aspects of the immune response, including inflammation and cell motility. Our results demonstrate that this important host pathway can be activated in response to a pathogen-encoded activity, adding to an emerging body of evidence in support of this novel mode of innate immune detection in metazoans.
Peripheral (limb) myokymic discharges in motor neuron disease
Authors: Rauf Javeria , Akhtar Junaid , Khealani Bhojo Assumal , Ali Liaquat
Published: July 2012

We present the case of a 28-year-old gentleman who presented with weakness and wasting in the right arm. He complained about painful cramps in his left leg but there were no sensory, visual or swallowing problems. Neurological examination was significant for asymmetric weakness of both upper and lower limbs and deep tendon reflexes were asymmetrically brisk. Initial laboratory investigations, MRI brain and MRI spine were normal. Electromyography revealed active denervation and chronic neurogenic motor unit action potential. Myokymic discharges were noted in the left deltoid muscle.
TIMED PRIVACY-AWARE BUSINESS PROTOCOLS
Authors: MOKHTARI-ASLAOUI KARIMA , BENBERNOU SALIMA , SAHRI SOROR , ANDRIKOPOULOS VASILIOS , LEYMANN FRANK , HACID MOHAND-SAID
Published: July 2012

Web services privacy issues have been attracting more and more attention in the past years. Since the number of Web services-based business applications is increasing, the demands for privacy enhancing technologies for Web services will also be increasing in the future. In this paper, we investigate an extension of business protocols, i.e. the specification of which message exchange sequences are supported by the web service, in order to accommodate privacy aspects and time-related properties. For this purpose we introduce the notion of Timed Privacy-aware Business Protocols (TPBPs). We also discuss TPBP properties can be checked and we describe their verification process.
VERIFICATION OF CONJUNCTIVE ARTIFACT-CENTRIC SERVICES
Authors: DE GIACOMO GIUSEPPE , DE MASELLIS RICCARDO , ROSATI RICCARDO
Published: July 2012

An artifact-centric service is a stateful service that holistically represents both the data and the process in terms of a (dynamic) artifact. An artifact is constituted by a data component, holding all the data of interest for the service, and a lifecycle, which specifies the process that the service enacts. In this paper, we study artifact-centric services whose data component is a full-fledged relational database, queried through (first-order) conjunctive queries, and the lifecycle component is specified as sets of condition-action rules, where actions are tasks invocations, again based on conjunctive queries. Notably, the database can evolve in an unbounded way due to new values (unknown at verification time) inserted by tasks. The main result of the paper is that verification in this setting is decidable under a reasonable restriction on the form of tasks, called weak acyclicity, which we borrow from the recent literature on data exchange. In particular, we develop a sound, complete and terminating verification procedure for sophisticated temporal properties expressed in a first-order variant of μ-calculus.
Oxygen reduction reaction usingN4-metallomacrocyclic catalysts: fundamentals on rational catalyst design
Authors: Masa Justus , Ozoemena Kenneth , Schuhmann Wolfgang , Zagal José H.
Published: July 2012

In this review, we describe and discuss the developments in the use of metalloporphyrins and metallophthalocyanines as catalysts for oxygen reduction in aqueous electrolytes. The main goal of most researchers in this field has been to design catalysts which can achieve facile reduction of oxygen by the four-electron transfer pathway at the lowest overpotential possible. With this in mind, the primary objective of this review was to bring to light the research frontiers uncovering important milestones towards the synthesis and design of promising N4-metallomacrocyclic catalysts which accomplish the four-electron reduction of oxygen, and, based on literature, to draw attention to the fundamental requirements for synthesis of improved catalysts operating at low overpotentials. Our emphasis was not to make parallel comparisons between individual classes of N4-metallomacrocyclic complexes with respect to their activity, but rather to focus on the commonalities of the fundamental properties that govern their reactivities and how these may be aptly manipulated to develop better catalysts. Therefore, besides discussion of the progress attained with regard to synthesis and design of catalysts with high selectivity towards four-electron reduction of O2, a major part of the review highlights quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) which govern the activity and stability of these complexes, which when well understood, refined and carefully implemented should constitute a fundamental gateway for rational design of better catalysts.
A comparative study on photophysical and photochemical properties of zinc phthalocyanines with different molecular symmetries
Authors: Göksel Meltem , Durmuş Mahmut , Atilla Devrim
Published: July 2012

The five possible non-peripherally substituted zinc(II) phthalocyanines with different molecular symmetries (Pc1–Pc5) were synthesized from statistical condensation of the phthalonitrile derivatives (A and B). 2-[2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethoxy]-1-[2-((2-ethoxyethoxy)-ethoxy)ethoxymethyl]ethyloxy and 2′-[(tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino]ethoxy groups were used as substituents. The structures of the new compounds were characterized using elemental analysis and spectroscopic data including IR, 1H and 13C NMR, electronic absorption and mass spectra. The photophysical and photochemical properties of these new compounds were investigated in DMSO. The effect of the molecular symmetry of phthalocyanine molecules on the photophysical and photochemical properties was compared in this study.
Protonation of some non-transition metal phthalocyanines — spectral and photophysicochemical consequences
Authors: Ogunsipe Abimbola O. , Idowu Mopelola A. , Ogunbayo Taofeek B. , Akinbulu Isaac A.
Published: July 2012

The photophysics and photochemistry of phthalocyanine complexes of magnesium (MgPc), aluminum chloride (ClAlPc) and zinc (ZnPc) are studied in N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF). The values obtained for the photophysical and photochemical parameters are normal for simple metallophthalocyanine (MPc) complexes. Protonation of the azomethine bridges reduced the photoactivities of the complexes considerably; however the excited triplet states of the protonated species are more stable towards ground state oxygen. The interaction of the non-protonated MPcs with ground state oxygen is shown to be diffusion-assisted, with bimolecular rate constant values of the order of 1010 M-1.s-1. MgPc could not be protonated; it was easily demetalated by the protonating acid. The kinetics of the demetalation yielded the rate equation: Rate = 0.1[MgPc][H+]2/3
A MULTI-BASELINE 12 GHz ATMOSPHERIC PHASE INTERFEROMETER WITH ONE MICRON PATH LENGTH SENSITIVITY
Authors: KIMBERK ROBERT S. , HUNTER TODD R. , LEIKER PATRICK S. , BLUNDELL RAYMOND , NYSTROM GEORGE U. , PETITPAS GLEN R. , TEST JOHN , WILSON ROBERT W. , YAMAGUCHI PAUL , YOUNG KENNETH H.
Published: July 2012

We have constructed a five station 12 GHz atmospheric phase interferometer (API) for the Submillimeter Array (SMA) located near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Operating at the base of unoccupied SMA antenna pads, each station employs a commercial low noise mixing block coupled to a 0.7 m off-axis satellite dish which receives a broadband, white noise-like signal from a geostationary satellite. The signals are processed by an analog correlator to produce the phase delays between all pairs of stations with projected baselines ranging from 33–261 m. Each baseline's amplitude and phase is measured continuously at a rate of 8 kHz, processed, averaged and output at 10 Hz. Further signal processing and data reduction is accomplished with a Linux computer, including the removal of the diurnal motion of the target satellite. The placement of the stations below ground level with an environmental shield combined with the use of low temperature coefficient, buried fiber optic cables provides excellent system stability. The sensitivity in terms of rms path length is 1.3 microns which corresponds to phase deviations of about 1° of phase at the highest operating frequency of the SMA. The two primary data products are: (1) standard deviations of observed phase over various time scales, and (2) phase structure functions. These real-time statistical data measured by the API in the direction of the satellite provide an estimate of the phase front distortion experienced by the concurrent SMA astronomical observations. The API data also play an important role, along with the local opacity measurements and weather predictions, in helping to plan the scheduling of science observations on the telescope.
Energy-Efficient Sensing with the Low Power, Energy Aware Processing (LEAP) Architecture
Authors: McIntire Dustin , Stathopoulos Thanos , Reddy Sasank , Schmidt Thomas , Kaiser William J.
Published: July 2012

A broad range of embedded networked sensing (ENS) applications have appeared for large-scale systems, introducing new requirements leading to new embedded architectures, associated algorithms, and supporting software systems. These new requirements include the need for diverse and complex sensor systems that present demands for energy and computational resources, as well as for broadband communication. To satisfy application demands while maintaining critical support for low-energy operation, a new multiprocessor node hardware and software architecture, Low Power Energy Aware Processing (LEAP), has been developed. In this article, we described the LEAP design approach, in which the system is able to adaptively select the most energy-efficient hardware components matching an application’s needs. The LEAP platform supports highly dynamic requirements in sensing fidelity, computational load, storage media, and network bandwidth. It focuses on episodic operation of each component and considers the energy dissipation for each platform task by integrating fine-grained energy-dissipation monitoring and sophisticated power-control scheduling for all subsystems, including sensors. In addition to the LEAP platform’s unique hardware capabilities, its software architecture has been designed to provide an easy way to use power management interface and a robust, fault-tolerant operating environment and to enable remote upgrade of all software components. LEAP platform capabilities are demonstrated by example implementations, such as a network protocol design and a light source event detection algorithm. Through the use of a distributed node testbed, we demonstrate that by exploiting high energy-efficiency components and enabling proper on-demand scheduling, the LEAP architecture may meet both sensing performance and energy dissipation objectives for a broad class of applications.
EAVE
Authors: Lee Kyoungwoo , Dutt Nikil , Venkatasubramanian Nalini
Published: July 2012

Energy/QoS provisioning is challenging for video applications over lossy wireless network with power-constrained mobile handheld devices. In this work, we exploit the inherent error tolerance of video data to generate a range of acceptable operating points by controlling the amount of errors in the system. In particular, we propose an error-aware video encoding technique,
EAVE
, that intentionally injects errors while ensuring acceptable QoS. The expanded trade-off space generated by EAVE allows system designers to comparatively evaluate different operating points with varying QoS and energy consumption by aggressively exploiting error-resilience attributes, and could potentially result in significant energy savings. The novelty of our approach resides in
active exploitation of errors
to vary the operating conditions for further optimization of system parameters. Moreover, we present the adaptivity of our approach by incorporating the feedback from the decoding side to achieve the QoS requirement under the dynamic network status. Our experiments show that EAVE can reduce the energy consumption for an encoding device by up to 37% for a video conferencing application over a wireless network without quality degradation, compared to a standard video encoding technique over test video streams. Further, our experimental results demonstrate that EAVE can expand the design space by 14 times with respect to energy consumption and by 13 times with respect to video quality (compared to a traditional approach without active error exploitation) on average, over test video streams.
Automatic RTL Test Generation from SystemC TLM Specifications
Authors: Chen Mingsong , Mishra Prabhat , Kalita Dhrubajyoti
Published: July 2012

SystemC transaction-level modeling (TLM) is widely used to enable early exploration for both hardware and software designs. It can reduce the overall design and validation effort of complex system-on-chip (SOC) architectures. However, due to lack of automated techniques coupled with limited reuse of validation efforts between abstraction levels, SOC validation is becoming a major bottleneck. This article presents a novel top-down methodology for automatically generating register transfer-level (RTL) tests from SystemC TLM specifications. It makes two important contributions: i) it proposes a method that can automatically generate TLM tests using various coverage metrics, and (ii) it develops a test refinement specification for automatically converting TLM tests to RTL tests in order to reduce overall validation effort. We have developed a tool which incorporates these activities to enable automated RTL test generation from SystemC TLM specifications. Case studies using a router example and a 64-bit Alpha AXP pipelined processor demonstrate that our approach can achieve intended functional coverage of the RTL designs, as well as capture various functional errors and inconsistencies between specifications and implementations.
A unified framework for document clustering with dual supervision
Authors: Hu Yeming , Milios Evangelos E. , Blustein James
Published: July 2012

Semi-supervised clustering algorithms for general problems use a small amount of labeled instances or pairwise instance constraints to aid the unsupervised clustering. However, user supervision can also be provided in alternative forms for document clustering, such as labeling a feature by associating it with a document or a cluster. Besides labeled documents, this paper also explores labeled features to generate cluster seeds to seed the unsupervised clustering. In this paper, we present a unified framework in which one can use both labeled documents and features in terms of seeding clusters and refine this information using intermediate clusters. We introduce two methods of using labeled features to generate cluster seeds. Experimental results on several real-world data sets demonstrate that constraining the clustering by both documents and features seeding can significantly improve document clustering performance over random seeding and document only seeding. We also demonstrate that the clustering performance can be improved even with only a fraction of clusters being seeded compared to unsupervised clustering.
Binding Studies of a New Water-Soluble Iron(III) Schiff Base Complex to DNA Using Multispectroscopic Methods
Authors: Shahabadi Nahid , Ghasemian Zeinab , Hadidi Saba
Published: July 2012

A novel iron(III) complex [Fe(SF)](ClO4)3.2H2O; in which SF = N,N0-bis{5-[(triphenylphosphonium chloride)-methyl] salicylidene}-o-phenylenediamine) has been synthesized and characterized using different physicochemical methods. The binding of this complex with calf thymus (CT) DNA was investigated by circular dichroism, absorption studies, emission spectroscopy, voltammetric studies, and viscosity measurements. The results showed that this complex can bind to DNA via external and groove binding modes.
Effects of Neoadjuvant Intraperitoneal/Systemic Chemotherapy (Bidirectional Chemotherapy) for the Treatment of Patients with Peritoneal Metastasis from Gastric Cancer
Authors: Yonemura Yutaka , Elnemr Ayman , Endou Yoshio , Ishibashi Haruaki , Mizumoto Akiyoshi , Miura Masahiro , Li Yan
Published: July 2012

Novel multidisciplinary treatment combined with neoadjuvant intraperitoneal-systemic chemotherapy protocol (NIPS) and peritonectomy was developed. Ninety-six patients were enrolled. Peritoneal wash cytology was performed before and after NIPS through a port system. Patients were treated with 60 mg/m2of oral S-1 for 21 days, followed by a 1-week rest. On days 1, 8, and 15, 30 mg/m2of Taxotere and 30 mg/m2of cisplatin with 500 mL of saline were introduced through the port. NIPS is done 2 cycles before surgery. Three weeks after NIPS, 82 patients were eligible to intend cytoreductive surgery (CRS) by gastrectomy + D2 dissection + periotnectomy to achieve complete cytoreduction. Sixty-eight patients showed positice cytology before NIPS, and the positive cytology results became negative in 47 (69%) patients after NIPS. Complete pathologic response on PC after NIPS was experienced in 30 (36.8%) patients. Stage migration was experienced in 12 patients (14.6%). Complete cytoreduction was achieved in 58 patients (70.7%). By the multivariate analysis, complete cytoreduction and pathologic response became a significantly good survival. However the high morbidity and mortality, stringent patient selection is important. The best indications of the therapy are patients with good pathologic response andPCI≤6, which are supposed to be removed completely by peritonectomy.
Clinical and Pathological Features of Childhood-Onset Nemaline Myopathy: A Report of Four Cases
Authors: Jiang Chao , Wang Jianping , Lu Haidong
Published: July 2012

We examined whether immunological abnormalities can be found in the specimens of four childhood-onset nemaline myopathy (NM) patients without autoimmune diseases. Pathological examination revealed that nemaline rods were found in all specimens. The immunohistochemical results showed that CD4 positive cells and some other cells were gathered among the necrotic muscle fibers. We conclude that immunological abnormalities are present in the specimens of certain childhood-onset NM patients without autoimmune diseases. Further evaluation of the immunological changes is warranted in childhood-onset NM patients.
A Numerical Scheme to Solve Fuzzy Linear Volterra Integral Equations System
Authors: Jafarian A. , Measoomy Nia S. , Tavan S.
Published: July 2012

The current research attempts to offer a new method for solving fuzzy linear Volterra integral equations system. This method converts the given fuzzy system into a linear system in crisp case by using the Taylor expansion method. Now the solution of this system yields the unknown Taylor coefficients of the solution functions. The proposed method is illustrated by an example and also results are compared with the exact solution by using computer simulations.
Reintroduction of Gluten Following Flour Transamidation in Adult Celiac Patients: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Study
Authors: Mazzarella Giuseppe , Salvati Virginia M. , Iaquinto Gaetano , Stefanile Rosita , Capobianco Federica , Luongo Diomira , Bergamo Paolo , Maurano Francesco , Giardullo Nicola , Malamisura Basilio , Rossi Mauro
Published: July 2012

A lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD) is mandatory for celiac disease (CD) but has poor compliance, justifying novel strategies. We found that wheat flour transamidation inhibited IFN-γsecretion by intestinal T cells from CD patients. Herein, the primary endpoint was to evaluate the ability of transamidated gluten to maintain GFD CD patients in clinical remission. Secondary endpoints were efficacy in prevention of the inflammatory response and safety at the kidney level, where reaction products are metabolized. In a randomized single blinded, controlled 90-day trial, 47 GFD CD patients received 3.7 g/day of gluten from nontransamidated (12) or transamidated (35) flour. On day 15, 75% and 37% of patients in the control and experimental groups, respectively, showed clinical relapse () whereas intestinal permeability was mainly altered in the control group (50% versus 20%, ). On day 90, 0 controls and 14 patients in the experimental group completed the challenge with no variation of antitransglutaminase IgA (), Marsh-Oberhuber grading (), or intestinal IFN-γmRNA (). Creatinine clearance did not vary after 90 days of treatment (). In conclusion, transamidated gluten reduced the number of clinical relapses in challenged patients with no changes of baseline values for serological/mucosal CD markers and an unaltered kidney function.
DMF Data Format Usage for Change Detection
Authors: Cristo Alejandro , Valencia David , Martínez Pablo J. , Pérez Rosa M.
Published: July 2012

Because of the availability of an overwhelming amount of remote sensing data obtained by different instruments, new techniques and applications have been developed in order to pursue the objective of detecting changes that occur in a particular area of the Earth or that affect a large part of the Earth. These studies have used datasets covering different wavelength ranges (visible, IR, radar, and so on), but common to all of them is the necessity for great accuracy to ensure that no bias is introduced due to data correction. Otherwise, a result may be the generation of false positives. Also, many studies have used several different datasets for the same area to detect changes (this is usually called data fusion), but there exists no specific data structure designed for this purpose. In this paper, we propose a data structure to be used for accurate change detection. This structure is transparent to the user and can be used for data fusion to improve those studies.
Warped Product Pseudo‐Slant Submanifolds of a Nearly Cosymplectic Manifold
Authors: Uddin Siraj , Wong Bernardine R. , Mustafa A. A.
Published: July 2012

We study warped product pseudo‐slant submanifolds of a nearly cosymplectic manifold. We obtain some characterization results on the existence or nonexistence of warped product pseudo‐slant submanifolds of a nearly cosymplectic manifold in terms of the canonical structures P and F.
A Numerical Method of High Accuracy for Linear Parabolic Partial Differential Equations
Authors: Liu Jun , Wang Yan
Published: July 2012

We report a new numerical algorithm for solving one‐dimensional linear parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs). The algorithm employs optimal quadratic spline collocation
(QSC) for the space discretization and two‐stage Gauss method for the time discretization. The new algorithm results in errors of fourth order at the gridpoints of both the space partition and the time partition, and large time steps are allowed to save computational cost. The stability of the new algorithm is analyzed for a model problem. Numerical experiments are carried out to confirm the theoretical order of accuracy and demonstrate the effectiveness of the new algorithm.
The Suckling Rat as a Model for Immunonutrition Studies in Early Life
Authors: Pérez-Cano Francisco J. , Franch Àngels , Castellote Cristina , Castell Margarida
Published: July 2012

Diet plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal immune function. Research demonstrates the immunomodulatory properties and mechanisms of particular nutrients; however, these aspects are studied less in early life, when diet may exert an important role in the immune development of the neonate. Besides the limited data from epidemiological and human interventional trials in early life, animal models hold the key to increase the current knowledge about this interaction in this particular period. This paper reports the potential of the suckling rat as a model for immunonutrition studies in early life. In particular, it describes the main changes in the systemic and mucosal immune system development during rat suckling and allows some of these elements to be established as target biomarkers for studying the influence of particular nutrients. Different approaches to evaluate these immune effects, including the manipulation of the maternal diet during gestation and/or lactation or feeding the nutrient directly to the pups, are also described in detail. In summary, this paper provides investigators with useful tools for better designing experimental approaches focused on nutrition in early life for programming and immune development by using the suckling rat as a model.
Underlying Mechanism of Aconitum Lizhong Acting on Experimental Hypothermia with Indigestion in Rats: Role of Ghrelin
Authors: Zhao Xin , Wang Yong , Yang Shijun , Zhang Wentong , Zu Chengzhe , Zhang Taotao , Tang Binghua , Zhang Baochun , Li Guozhang , Deng Bo , Cai Dayong
Published: July 2012

This study is aimed to investigate the Aconitum Lizhong pill (ALZ) pharmacological actions on hypothermia with indigestion, especially the ghrelin roles. The littermate-matched rats were randomly divided into four groups. Control did sham operation or standard diet, Model carried out interscapular brown adipose (IBA) removal with standard diet, Fat-diet did IBA removal with fat-diet, and ALZ did IBA removal and fat-diet with 4.536 g/kg/d ALZ. The potency of adaptive thermogenesis, ghrelin levels in plasma or gastric mucosa, thyroid hormones and metabolite in sera, expression of ghrelin mRNA, and protein in gastric mucous membrane were determined. ALZ relieved the hypothermia processes with indigestion, via inhibiting ghrelin expression and increasing ghrelin secretion; the dynamics from the therapy is supported with the energy changes as less body weight loss, less plasma lipid decrease, more plasmaT3orT4increase with TSH decrease, and more compensation of thermogenic AUC decrease. Ghrelin played key roles in the actions of ALZ on the hypothermia with indigestion. The pharmacological mechanisms of ALZ involved the homeostasis of ghrelin expression and secretion.
The Redox System inC. elegans, a Phylogenetic Approach
Authors: Johnston Andrew D. , Ebert Paul R.
Published: July 2012

Oxidative stress is a toxic state caused by an imbalance between the production and elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS cause oxidative damage to cellular components such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. While the role of ROS in cellular damage is frequently all that is noted, ROS are also important in redox signalling. The “Redox Hypothesis" has been proposed to emphasize a dual role of ROS. This hypothesis suggests that the primary effect of changes to the redox state is modified cellular signalling rather than simply oxidative damage. In extreme cases, alteration of redox signalling can contribute to the toxicity of ROS, as well as to ageing and age-related diseases. The nematode speciesCaenorhabditis elegansprovides an excellent model for the study of oxidative stress and redox signalling in animals. We use protein sequences from central redox systems inHomo sapiens,Drosophila melanogaster, andSaccharomyces cerevisiaeto query Genbank for homologous proteins inC. elegans. We then use maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis to compare protein families betweenC. elegansand the other organisms to facilitate future research into the genetics of redox biology.
Comparison of Presumed PDF Models of Turbulent Flames
Authors: Huang Chen , Lipatnikov Andrei N.
Published: July 2012

Over the past years, the use of a presumed probability density function (PDF) for combustion progress variable or/and mixture fraction has been becoming more and more popular approach to average reaction rates in premixed and partially premixed turbulent flames. Commonly invoked for this purpose is a beta-function PDF or a combination of Dirac delta functions, with the parameters of the two PDFs being determined based on the values of their first and second moments computed by integrating proper balance equations. Because the choice of any of the above PDFs appears to be totally arbitrary as far as underlying physics of turbulent combustion is concerned, the use of such PDFs implies weak sensitivity of the key averaged quantities to the PDF shape. The present work is aimed at testing this implicit assumption by comparing mean heat release rates, burning velocities, and so forth, averaged by invoking the aforementioned PDFs, with all other things being equal. Results calculated in the premixed case show substantial sensitivity of the mean heat release rate to the shape of presumed combustion-progress-variable PDF, thus, putting the approach into question. To the contrary, the use of a presumed mixture-fraction PDF appears to be a sufficiently reasonable simplification for modeling the influence of fluctuations in the mixture fraction on the mean burning velocity provided that the mixture composition varies within flammability limits.
A Congestion-Aware IDS Node Selection Method for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Choi Jaeun , Kim Gisung , Kim Sehun
Published: July 2012

We propose an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) node selection method for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Due to the WSNs’ distinctive tree structure, network congestion normally occurs in nodes that are located in the vicinity of a static base station. Moreover, in resource-constrained WSNs, network congestion could occur due to resource depletion attacks, such as Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. This congestion increases data loss and reduces the network's lifetime. In this paper, we propose an Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) construction method that considers this network congestion. Moreover, due to the limited battery life of sensor nodes, the proposed method is considered to be efficient in utilizing limited resources by selecting IDS nodes that enhance the network's lifetime and reduce the total energy consumption. The simulation results show that the proposed method enhances the network's lifetime and reduces the total energy consumption of the congested network.
Conventional Nanoindentation in Self‐Assembled Monolayers Deposited on Gold and Silver Substrates
Authors: Costelle Leila , Lind Liina , Jalkanen Pasi , Räisänen Minna T. , Nowak Roman , Räisänen Jyrki
Published: July 2012

Self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) are promising materials for micromechanical applications. However, characterization of mechanical properties of monolayers is challenging for standard nanoindentation, and new efficient analysis techniques are needed. Hereby, a conventional nanoindentation method has been combined in a unique way with efficient data analysis based on consumed energy calculation and load‐displacement data. The procedure has been applied on SAMs of 4,4′‐biphenyldithiol (BPDT) on Au, 1‐tetradecanethiol (TDT), and 1‐hexadecanethiol (HDT) on Au and Ag substrates being the first study where SAMs of the same thiols on different substrates are analyzed by nanoindentation providing a new insight into the substrate effects. Unlike TDT and HDT SAMs, which are found to strongly enhance the homogeneity and stiffness of the underlying substrate, the BPDT covered Au substrate appears softer in mechanical response. In the case of TDT and HDT SAMs on Ag the structures are softer showing also faster relaxation than the corresponding structures on Au substrate. The proposed procedure enables a fast and efficient way of assessing the complex behaviour of SAM modified substrates. As a consequence, the results are relevant to practical issues dependent on layer activity and toughness.
Global Convergence of a Spectral Conjugate Gradient Method for Unconstrained Optimization
Authors: Liu Jinkui , Jiang Youyi
Published: July 2012

A new nonlinear spectral conjugate descent method for solving unconstrained optimization problems is proposed on the basis of the CD method and the spectral conjugate gradient method. For any line search, the new method satisfies the sufficient descent condition . Moreover, we prove that the new method is globally convergent under the strong Wolfe line search. The numerical results show that the new method is more effective for the given test problems from the CUTE test problem library (Bongartz et al., 1995) in contrast to the famous CD method, FR method, and PRP method.
Differential Quadrature Solution of Hyperbolic Telegraph Equation
Authors: Pekmen B. , Tezer-Sezgin M.
Published: July 2012

Differential quadrature method (DQM) is proposed for the numerical solution of one‐ and two‐space dimensional hyperbolic telegraph equation subject to appropriate initial and boundary conditions. Both polynomial‐based differential quadrature (PDQ) and Fourier‐based differential quadrature (FDQ) are used in space directions while PDQ is made use of in time direction. Numerical solution is obtained by using Gauss‐Chebyshev‐Lobatto grid points in space intervals and equally spaced and/or GCL grid points for the time interval. DQM in time direction gives the solution directly at a required time level or steady state without the need of iteration. DQM also has the advantage of giving quite good accuracy with considerably small number of discretization points both in space and time direction.
Inhibition of Neurotoxic Secretory Phospholipases A2Enzymatic, Edematogenic, and Myotoxic Activities by Harpalycin 2, an Isoflavone Isolated fromHarpalyce brasilianaBenth
Authors: Ximenes Rafael M. , Rabello Marcelo M. , Araújo Renata M. , Silveira Edilberto R. , Fagundes Fábio H. R. , Diz-Filho Eduardo B. S. , Buzzo Simone C. , Soares Veronica C. G. , Toyama Daniela de O. , Gaeta Henrique H. , Hernandes Marcelo Z. , Monteiro Helena S. A. , Toyama Marcos H.
Published: July 2012

Secretory phospholipases A2(sPLA2) exert proinflammatory actions through lipid mediators. These enzymes have been found to be elevated in many inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of harpalycin 2 (Har2), an isoflavone isolated fromHarpalyce brasilianaBenth., in the enzymatic, edematogenic, and myotoxic activities of sPLA2fromBothrops pirajai, Crotalus durissus terrificus, Apis mellifera,andNaja najavenoms. Har2 inhibits all sPLA2tested. PrTX-III (B. pirajaivenom) was inhibited at about 58.7%, Cdt F15 (C. d. terrificusvenom) at 78.8%, Apis (from bee venom) at 87.7%, and Naja (N. najavenom) at 88.1%. Edema induced by exogenous sPLA2administration performed in mice paws showed significant inhibition by Har2 at the initial step. In addition, Har2 also inhibited the myotoxic activity of these sPLA2s. In order to understand how Har2 interacts with these enzymes, docking calculations were made, indicating that the residues His48 and Asp49 in the active site of these enzymes interacted powerfully with Har2 through hydrogen bonds. These data pointed to a possible anti-inflammatory activity of Har2 through sPLA2inhibition.
Markers of B-Cell Activation in Relation to Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: De Roos Anneclaire J. , Mirick Dana K. , Edlefsen Kerstin L. , LaCroix Andrea Z. , Kopecky Kenneth J. , Madeleine Margaret M. , Magpantay Larry , Martínez-Maza Otoniel
Published: July 2012

B-cell activation biomarkers have been associated with increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in HIV-infected populations. However, whether a similar association may exist in general populations has not been established. We conducted a case-control study within the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study cohort to measure the B-cell activation biomarkers sCD23, sCD27, sCD30, sCD44, and CXCL13 in serum samples collected an average of 6 years before NHL diagnosis in 491 cases and 491 controls. Using logistic regression to estimate odds ratios, we observed strong associations between NHL and markers for all B-cell NHL and for major subtypes. Women with marker levels in the highest-versus-lowest quartile categories of CD23, CD27, CD30, or CXCL13 were at 2.8- to 5.5-fold increased risk of B-NHL. In addition, there were significant trends of risk with increasing levels of these markers present. Associations were strongest for cases with shortest lag times between blood draw and diagnosis (<3 years). However, there were also significant associations for cases with the longest prediagnostic lag (9 to 13 years). Taken together, our findings indicate a prominent role for B-cell activation among postmenopausal women in the etiology of B-cell NHL and/or in processes reflective of early disease development as early as 9 years before diagnosis. Cancer Res; 72(18); 4733–43. ©2012 AACR.