bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Actinomycetes: A Source of Lignocellulolytic Enzymes
Authors: Saini Anita , Aggarwal Neeraj K. , Sharma Anuja , Yadav Anita
Published: December 2015

Lignocellulose is the most abundant biomass on earth. Agricultural, forest, and agroindustrial activities generate tons of lignocellulosic wastes annually, which present readily procurable, economically affordable, and renewable feedstock for various lignocelluloses based applications. Lignocelluloses are the focus of present decade researchers globally, in an attempt to develop technologies based on natural biomass for reducing dependence on expensive and exhaustible substrates. Lignocellulolytic enzymes, that is, cellulases, hemicellulases, and lignolytic enzymes, play very important role in the processing of lignocelluloses which is prerequisite for their utilization in various processes. These enzymes are obtained from microorganisms distributed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic domains including bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Actinomycetes are an attractive microbial group for production of lignocellulose degrading enzymes. Various studies have evaluated the lignocellulose degrading ability of actinomycetes, which can be potentially implemented in the production of different value added products. This paper is an overview of the diversity of cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic, and lignolytic actinomycetes along with brief discussion of their hydrolytic enzyme systems involved in biomass modification.
Malaria Prevention, Mefloquine Neurotoxicity, Neuropsychiatric Illness, and Risk-Benefit Analysis in the Australian Defence Force
Authors: McCarthy Stuart
Published: December 2015

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has used mefloquine for malaria chemoprophylaxis since 1990. Mefloquine has been found to be a plausible cause of a chronic central nervous system toxicity syndrome and a confounding factor in the diagnosis of existing neuropsychiatric illnesses prevalent in the ADF such as posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Overall health risks appear to have been mitigated by restricting the drug’s use; however serious risks were realised when significant numbers of ADF personnel were subjected to clinical trials involving the drug. The full extent of the exposure, health impacts for affected individuals, and consequences for ADF health management including mental health are not yet known, but mefloquine may have caused or aggravated neuropsychiatric illness in large numbers of patients who were subsequently misdiagnosed and mistreated or otherwise failed to receive proper care. Findings in relation to chronic mefloquine neurotoxicity were foreseeable, but this eventuality appears not to have been considered during risk-benefit analyses. Thorough analysis by the ADF would have identified this long-term risk as well as other qualitative risk factors. Historical exposure of ADF personnel to mefloquine neurotoxicity now also necessitates ongoing risk monitoring and management in the overall context of broader health policies.
AC_ICAP: A Flexible High Speed ICAP Controller
Authors: Cardona Luis Andres , Ferrer Carles
Published: December 2015

The Internal Configuration Access Port (ICAP) is the core component of any dynamic partial reconfigurable system implemented in Xilinx SRAM-based Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). We developed a new high speed ICAP controller, named AC_ICAP, completely implemented in hardware. In addition to similar solutions to accelerate the management of partial bitstreams and frames, AC_ICAP also supports run-time reconfiguration of LUTs without requiring precomputed partial bitstreams. This last characteristic was possible by performing reverse engineering on the bitstream. Besides, we adapted this hardware-based solution to provide IP cores accessible from the MicroBlaze processor. To this end, the controller was extended and three versions were implemented to evaluate its performance when connected to Peripheral Local Bus (PLB), Fast Simplex Link (FSL), and AXI interfaces of the processor. In consequence, the controller can exploit the flexibility that the processor offers but taking advantage of the hardware speed-up. It was implemented in both Virtex-5 and Kintex7 FPGAs. Results of reconfiguration time showed that run-time reconfiguration of single LUTs in Virtex-5 devices was performed in less than 5 μs which implies a speed-up of more than 380x compared to the Xilinx XPS_HWICAP controller.
Analysis of Chemical Composition of Portland Cement in Ghana: A Key to Understand the Behavior of Cement
Authors: Bediako Mark , Amankwah Eric Opoku
Published: December 2015

The performance of Portland cement in concrete or mortar formation is very well influenced by chemical compositions among other factors. Many engineers usually have little information on the chemical compositions of cement in making decisions for the choice of commercially available Portland cement in Ghana. This work analyzed five different brands of Portland cement in Ghana, namely, Ghacem ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and Portland limestone cement (PLC), CSIR-BRRI Pozzomix, Dangote OPC, and Diamond PLC. The chemical compositions were analyzed with X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. Student’st-test was used to test the significance of the variation in chemical composition between standard literature values and each of the commercial cement brands. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also used to establish the extent of variations between chemical compositions and brand name of the all commercial Portland cement brands. Student’st-test results showed that there were no significant differences between standard chemical composition values and that of commercial Portland cement. The ANOVA results also indicated that each brand of commercial Portland cement varies in terms of chemical composition; however, the specific brands of cement had no significant differences. The study recommended that using any brand of cement in Ghana was good for any construction works be it concrete or mortar formation.
Thyroid Diseases in Omani Type 2 Diabetics: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Al-Sumry Sanaa , Al-Ghelani Thuraya , Al-Badi Huda , Al-Azri Mohammed , Elshafie Kawther
Published: December 2015

Background. Diabetes mellitus and thyroid diseases are common endocrine disorders in the general population and found to exist simultaneously. This study aimed to establish the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among Omani type 2 diabetics and its association with glycemic control. Methodology. A retrospective cross-sectional randomized primary and secondary care based study of 285 Omani type 2 diabetics, ≥ 30 years of age with known thyroid function. The following parameters were examined: age, sex, duration of diabetes, duration of thyroid disease, thyroid morphology, thyroid function, thyroid antibodies, and the mean glycated hemoglobin (mean HbA1C). The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was compared to an independent control group of randomly selected healthy individuals with known thyroid function. Results. Thyroid dysfunction was found in 12.6% of the diabetic patients compared to 4.9% in the control group. The prevalence was higher among the diabetic females (86%) compared to diabetic males (14%). The commonest thyroid dysfunction among diabetics was overt hypothyroidism (4.6%). Subclinical hypothyroidism was the commonest thyroid dysfunction seen in less controlled diabetics at a mean HbA1c of 7.8 (± 0.7). Conclusion. Screening for thyroid dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus should be routinely performed considering the higher prevalence of thyroid diseases in this group compared to the general population.
Conformational Redistribution of Honey Components following Different Storage Conditions
Authors: Cimo’ Giulia , Conte Pellegrino
Published: December 2015

The present study aims at the investigation of the changes in water distribution among the organic components of selected honey samples following honey storage at different temperatures. Results, achieved by application of fast field cycling NMR relaxometry, revealed that the organic constituents were homogeneously distributed within the whole samples stored at room temperature. Conversely, after four months of refrigeration at 4°C, the organic systems were included in persistent clusters, as a consequence of the water release due to the larger stability of the intramolecular interactions over the intermolecular ones. The new conformational arrangements of the honey constituents entailed enhancement of honey moisture content. For this reason, it can be suggested that honey refrigeration prior to storage at room temperature may be detrimental for its long-term storage. In fact, higher risk of fermentation may occur once the sample is warmed after the first refrigeration step.
Online Energy Management of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles for Prolongation of All-Electric Range Based on Dynamic Programming
Authors: Chen Zeyu , Liu Weiguo , Yang Ying , Chen Weiqiang
Published: December 2015

The employed energy management strategy plays an important role in energy saving performance and exhausted emission reduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). An application of dynamic programming for optimization of power allocation is implemented in this paper with certain driving cycle and a limited driving range. Considering the DP algorithm can barely be used in real-time control because of its huge computational task and the dependence ona prioridriving cycle, several online useful control rules are established based on the offline optimization results of DP. With the above efforts, an online energy management strategy is proposed finally. The presented energy management strategy concerns the prolongation of all-electric driving range as well as the energy saving performance. A simulation study is deployed to evaluate the control performance of the proposed energy management approach. All-electric range of the plug-in HEV can be prolonged by up to 2.86% for a certain driving condition. The energy saving performance is relative to the driving distance. The presented energy management strategy brings a little higher energy cost when driving distance is short, but for a long driving distance, it can reduce the energy consumption by up to 5.77% compared to the traditional CD-CS strategy.
SCRHM: A Secure Continuous Remote Health Monitoring System
Authors: Dong Qiuxiang , Guan Zhi , Gao Kunlun , Chen Zhong
Published: December 2015

With the growing need for the remote caring at home and the everincreasing popularity of mobile devices, more and more applications are being developed to enable remote health monitoring. Combining cloud computing with mobile technologies has enabled the healthcare service provider to offer continuous health data collection and physicians to conveniently monitor and assess users’ health while they are at home. However, users’ health data contain highly confidential information, and servers in the cloud are out of users’ trusted domain. Therefore, users may be reluctant to take advantage of remote health monitoring systems before they make sure their data are properly protected. In this paper, we propose a secure continuous remote health monitoring system named SCRHM with the main component, a searchable encryption scheme supporting range searches for remote health monitoring system. With this scheme, remote health monitoring service provider is able to detect outliers over encrypted health parameters. Using analysis, we prove the correctness and security of the proposed scheme on privacy protection of users’ health data. Via simulation experiments, we validate the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of computation and communication overhead.
Etiology of Ascites and Pleural Effusion Associated with Ovarian Tumors: Literature Review and Case Reports of Three Ovarian Tumors Presenting with Massive Ascites, but without Peritoneal Dissemination
Authors: Miyoshi Ai , Miyatake Takashi , Hara Takeya , Tanaka Asuka , Komura Naoko , Komiya Shinnosuke , Kanao Serika , Takeda Masumi , Mimura Mayuko , Nagamatsu Masaaki , Yokoi Takeshi
Published: December 2015

Borderline ovarian tumors are benign but relatively large tumors that are often initially mistaken as ovarian cancers. We report three cases of stage I borderline ovarian tumors having massive ascites that we (preoperatively) suspected of being advanced ovarian cancer. The three patients (35, 47, and 73 years old) reported feeling fullness of the abdomen before consulting their gynecologist. By CT scan, they were diagnosed with a pelvic tumor accompanied by massive ascites, the diameters of which were 11, 20, and 11 cm, respectively. Postsurgical pathology showed all were stage I borderline ovarian tumors without dissemination; two were mucinous and one was serous. The amount of ascites was 6,300, 2,600, and 3,600 mL, respectively, and was serous in all. Cytodiagnosis of the ascites found that one was positive for tumor cells and two were negative. After resection of the mass, the ascites disappeared in all three cases. No pleural effusion was present at any time. The literature is reviewed concerning ascites and pleural effusions linked to ovarian tumors, and a supposition is forwarded of why pleural effusion presents sporadically in these cases.
Some New Results on Fixed Points of Meromorphic Functions Defined in Annuli
Authors: Wu Zhaojun , Xuan Zuxing , Chen Yuxian
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the fixed points of meromorphic functions in annuli. Some well-known facts of fixed points for meromorphic functions in the plane will be considered in annuli.
Segmentation of Brain Tissues from Magnetic Resonance Images Using Adaptively Regularized Kernel-Based FuzzyC-Means Clustering
Authors: Elazab Ahmed , Wang Changmiao , Jia Fucang , Wu Jianhuang , Li Guanglin , Hu Qingmao
Published: December 2015

An adaptively regularized kernel-based fuzzyC-means clustering framework is proposed for segmentation of brain magnetic resonance images. The framework can be in the form of three algorithms for the local average grayscale being replaced by the grayscale of the average filter, median filter, and devised weighted images, respectively. The algorithms employ the heterogeneity of grayscales in the neighborhood and exploit this measure for local contextual information and replace the standard Euclidean distance with Gaussian radial basis kernel functions. The main advantages are adaptiveness to local context, enhanced robustness to preserve image details, independence of clustering parameters, and decreased computational costs. The algorithms have been validated against both synthetic and clinical magnetic resonance images with different types and levels of noises and compared with 6 recent soft clustering algorithms. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms are superior in preserving image details and segmentation accuracy while maintaining a low computational complexity.
Performances and Reliability of Bruker Microflex LT and VITEK MS MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Systems for the Identification of Clinical Microorganisms
Authors: Bilecen Kivanc , Yaman Gorkem , Ciftci Ugur , Laleli Yahya Rauf
Published: December 2015

In clinical microbiology laboratories, routine microbial identification is mostly performed using culture based methodologies requiring 24 to 72 hours from culturing to identification. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technology has been established as a cost effective, reliable, and faster alternative identification platform. In this study, we evaluated the reliability of the two available MALDI-TOF MS systems for their routine clinical level identification accuracy and efficiency in a clinical microbiology laboratory setting. A total of 1,341 routine phenotypically identified clinical bacterial and fungal isolates were selected and simultaneously analyzed using VITEK MS (bioMérieux, France) and Microflex LT (Bruker Diagnostics, Germany) MALDI-TOF MS systems. For any isolate that could not be identified with either of the systems and for any discordant result, 16S rDNA gene or ITS1/ITS2 sequencing was used. VITEK MS and Microflex LT correctly identified 1,303 (97.17%) and 1,298 (96.79%) isolates to the species level, respectively. In 114 (8.50%) isolates initial phenotypic identification was inaccurate. Both systems showed a similar identification efficiency and workflow robustness, and they were twice as more accurate compared to routine phenotypic identification in our sample pool. MALDITOF systems with their accuracy and robustness offer a good identification platform for routine clinical microbiology laboratories.
A Novel Energy-Efficiency Social-Inspired Video Sharing Solution in Wireless Networks
Authors: Jia Shijie , Ma Youzhong , Zhang Yongxin , Zhong Lujie , Xu Changqiao
Published: December 2015

Mobile multimedia streaming services provide rich-content visual resources for the mobile users via ubiquitous access to Internet. The video resource sharing focuses on the matching of appropriate resource supplier for the resource requesters and is a key issue for P2P-based video system scalability and user quality of experience. In this context, leveraging social-driven interaction between mobile users enables the discovery of common interests to improve video content sharing efficiency. In this paper, we propose a novel energy-efficiency social-inspired video sharing solution in wireless networks (ESVS). By the analysis of historical request behaviors of users, ESVS designs an estimation method of relationship between videos and groups the videos into a chain-based tree structure. Based on the constructed video tree, ESVS designs a hybrid resource lookup algorithm including push and pull and a communication quality-aware selection strategy of video suppliers, which improves the communication capacities between requesters and suppliers and reduces the network bandwidth consumption. Simulation results also show how ESVS achieves higher resource lookup success rate, lower startup delay, less packet loss rate, and lower maintenance cost than another state-of-the-art solution.
MeHg Developing Exposure Causes DNA Double-Strand Breaks and Elicits Cell Cycle Arrest in Spinal Cord Cells
Authors: Ferreira Fabiana F. , Ammar Dib , Bourckhardt Gilian F. , Kobus-Bianchini Karoline , Müller Yara M. R. , Nazari Evelise M.
Published: December 2015

The neurotoxicity caused by methylmercury (MeHg) is well documented; however, the developmental neurotoxicity in spinal cord is still not fully understood. Here we investigated whether MeHg affects the spinal cord layers development. Chicken embryos at E3 were treatedin ovowith 0.1 μg MeHg/50 μL saline solution and analyzed at E10. Thus, we performed immunostaining using anti-γ-H2A.X to recognize DNA double-strand breaks and antiphosphohistone H3, anti-p21, and anti-cyclin E to identify cells in proliferation and cell cycle proteins. Also, to identify neuronal cells, we used anti-NeuN and anti-βIII-tubulin antibodies. After the MeHg treatment, we observed the increase onγ-H2A.X in response to DNA damage. MeHg caused a decrease in the proliferating cells and in the thickness of spinal cord layers. Moreover, we verified that MeHg induced an increase in the number of p21-positive cells but did not change the cyclin E-positive cells. A significantly high number of TUNEL-positive cells indicating DNA fragmentation were observed in MeHg-treated embryos. Regarding the neuronal differentiation, MeHg induced a decrease in NeuN expression and did not change the expression ofβIII-tubulin. These results showed thatin ovoMeHg exposure alters spinal cord development by disturbing the cell proliferation and death, also interfering in early neuronal differentiation.
A Case Report on Oral Subcutaneous Dirofilariasis
Authors: Jayasinghe R. D. , Gunawardane S. R. , Sitheeque M. A. M. , Wickramasinghe S.
Published: December 2015

Dirofilariasis is an uncommon zoonotic parasitic infection affecting human. The natural hosts for this nematode are animals such as dogs, cats, foxes, jackals, and raccoons. This disease is endemic in South Eastern United States, Australia, Europe, and Central and Southern Asia.Dirofilaria immitisandD. repensare the common mosquito borne filarial nematodes that cause infection. Several species of mosquitos includingMansonia uniformis,M. annulifera, andAedes aegyptiare the potential vectors for this disease in Sri Lanka. Two rare cases of dirofilariasis presenting as facial and intraoral lumps are presented.
Clostridium septicumGas Gangrene in Colon Cancer: Importance of Early Diagnosis
Authors: Nanjappa Sowmya , Shah Sweta , Pabbathi Smitha
Published: December 2015

The Clostridia species are responsible for some of the deadliest diseases including gas gangrene, tetanus, and botulism.Clostridium septicumis a rare subgroup known to cause atraumatic myonecrosis and is associated with colonic malignancy or immunosuppression. It is a Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus found in the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to direct, spontaneous infections of the bowel and peritoneal cavity. The anaerobic glycolysis of the tumor produces an acidic, hypoxic environment favoring germination of clostridial spores. Tumor-induced mucosal ulceration allows for translocation of sporulated bacteria from the bowel into the bloodstream, leading to fulminant sepsis.C. septicumbacteremia can have a variable presentation and is associated with greater than 60% mortality rate. The majority of deaths occur within the first 24 hours if diagnosis and appropriate treatment measures are not promptly started. We report a case of abdominal myonecrosis in a patient with newly diagnosed colon cancer. The aim of this study is to stress the importance of maintaining a high suspicion ofC. septicuminfection in patients with underlying colonic malignancy.
Cardiac Sympathetic Nerve Sprouting and Susceptibility to Ventricular Arrhythmias after Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Li Chang-Yi , Li Yi-Gang
Published: December 2015

Ventricular arrhythmogenesis is thought to be a common cause of sudden cardiac death following myocardial infarction (MI). Nerve remodeling as a result of MI is known to be an important genesis of life-threatening arrhythmias. It is hypothesized that neural modulation might serve as a therapeutic option of malignant arrhythmias. In fact, left stellectomy orβ-blocker therapy is shown to be effective in the prevention of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), and sudden cardiac death (SCD) after MI both in patients and in animal models. Results from decades of research already evidenced a positive relationship between abnormal nerve density and ventricular arrhythmias after MI. In this review, we summarized the molecular mechanisms involved in cardiac sympathetic rejuvenation and mechanisms related to sympathetic hyperinnervation and arrhythmogenesis after MI and analyzed the potential therapeutic implications of nerve sprouting modification for ventricular arrhythmias and SCD control.
The Effects of Rhythm and Robotic Interventions on the Imitation/Praxis, Interpersonal Synchrony, and Motor Performance of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Srinivasan Sudha M. , Kaur Maninderjit , Park Isabel K. , Gifford Timothy D. , Marsh Kerry L. , Bhat Anjana N.
Published: December 2015

We assessed the effects of three interventions, rhythm, robotic, and standard-of-care, on the imitation/praxis, interpersonal synchrony, and overall motor performance of 36 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) between 5 and 12 years of age. Children were matched on age, level of functioning, and services received, prior to random assignment to one of the three groups. Training was provided for 8 weeks with 4 sessions provided each week. We assessed generalized changes in motor skills from the pretest to the posttest using a standardized test of motor performance, the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition (BOT-2). We also assessed training-specific changes in imitation/praxis and interpersonal synchrony during an early and a late session. Consistent with the training activities practiced, the rhythm and robot groups improved on the body coordination composite of the BOT-2, whereas the comparison group improved on the fine manual control composite of the BOT-2. All three groups demonstrated improvements in imitation/praxis. The rhythm and robot groups also showed improved interpersonal synchrony performance from the early to the late session. Overall, socially embedded movement-based contexts are valuable in promoting imitation/praxis, interpersonal synchrony, and motor performance and should be included within the standard-of-care treatment for children with ASD.
Monitoring of220Rn Concentrations in Buildings of Kufa Technical Institute, Iraq
Authors: Al-Hamidawi Ali Abid Abojassim
Published: December 2015

This paper presents the measurements of thoron and the progeny in fifteen buildings in Kufa Technical Institute, Iraq, from June 2015 to April 2015 using RAD-7 detectors. Also, annual effective dose rate was calculated in all buildings under study. The thoron concentration varies from05.35±0.58 Bq/m3to53.50±1.82 Bq/m3with an average18.39±4.18 Bq/m3. The concentration of thoron daughters was found to vary from 0.14 mWL to 1.44 mWL with an average0.53±0.11 mWL. The annual effective doses due to thoron mainly vary from 0.042 mSv/y to 0.81 mSv/y with an average0.20±0.06 mSv/y. The preliminary results in this study indicate that they may be suitable for evaluating the indoor220Rn and its progeny concentrations whenever the public exposure to220Rn and its progeny is taken into account. During this survey, the continuous difficulty in measuring thoron was also pointed out, due to its short half-life and faults in the measuring system.
Recurrent Thrombotic Vasculopathy in a Former Cocaine User
Authors: Jadhav Preeti , Tariq Hassan , Niazi Masooma , Franchin Giovanni
Published: December 2015

We report a case of a 35-year-old female who presented to the emergency room (ER) complaining of a pruritic rash involving multiple areas of the body. She had a significant history of cocaine use in the past. She had first developed a similar rash in 2013 when she was diagnosed with cocaine-induced vasculitis. Her urine toxicology had been positive for cocaine in the past until July 2013. She was incarcerated and attended a drug rehabilitation program after which she quit cocaine use, which was consistent with negative urine toxicology on subsequent admissions. Further workup did not reveal any other, autoimmune or infectious, etiology of this clinical presentation. The patient underwent biopsy of the skin lesion that was consistent with thrombotic vasculopathy likely secondary to levamisole.
Biotelemetric Wireless Intracranial Pressure Monitoring: AnIn VitroStudy
Authors: Behfar Mohammad H. , Björninen Toni , Moradi Elham , Sydänheimo Lauri , Ukkonen Leena
Published: December 2015

Assessment of intracranial pressure (ICP) is of great importance in management of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). The existing clinically established ICP measurement methods require catheter insertion in the cranial cavity. This increases the risk of infection and hemorrhage. Thus, noninvasive but accurate techniques are attractive. In this paper, we present two wireless, batteryless, and minimally invasive implantable sensors for continuous ICP monitoring. The implants comprise ultrathin (50 μm) flexible spiral coils connected in parallel to a capacitive microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) pressure sensor. The implantable sensors are inductively coupled to an external on-body reader antenna. The ICP variation can be detected wirelessly through measuring the reader antenna’s input impedance. This paper also proposes novel implant placement to improve the efficiency of the inductive link. In this study, the performance of the proposed telemetry system was evaluated in a hydrostatic pressure measurement setup. The impact of the human tissues on the inductive link was simulated using a 5 mm layer of pig skin. The results from thein vitromeasurement proved the capability of our developed sensors to detect ICP variations ranging from 0 to 70 mmHg at 2.5 mmHg intervals.
Clinical Phenotype of DiGeorge Syndrome with Negative Genetic Tests: A Case of DiGeorge-Like Syndrome?
Authors: Laccetta Gianluigi , Toschi Benedetta , Fogli Antonella , Bertini Veronica , Valetto Angelo , Consolini Rita
Published: December 2015

We report a case of DiGeorge-like syndrome in which immunodeficiency coexisting with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, congenital heart disease, delay in emergence of language and in motor milestones, feeding and growing problems, enamel hypoplasia, mild skeletal anomalies, and facial dysmorphisms are associated with no abnormalities found on genetic tests.
Kainic Acid-Induced Excitotoxicity Experimental Model: Protective Merits of Natural Products and Plant Extracts
Authors: Mohd Sairazi Nur Shafika , Sirajudeen K. N. S. , Asari Mohd Asnizam , Muzaimi Mustapha , Mummedy Swamy , Sulaiman Siti Amrah
Published: December 2015

Excitotoxicity is well recognized as a major pathological process of neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases involving the central nervous system (CNS). In the animal models of neurodegeneration, excitotoxicity is commonly induced experimentally by chemical convulsants, particularly kainic acid (KA). KA-induced excitotoxicity in rodent models has been shown to result in seizures, behavioral changes, oxidative stress, glial activation, inflammatory mediator production, endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and selective neurodegeneration in the brain upon KA administration. Recently, there is an emerging trend to search for natural sources to combat against excitotoxicity-associated neurodegenerative diseases. Natural products and plant extracts had attracted a considerable amount of attention because of their reported beneficial effects on the CNS, particularly their neuroprotective effect against excitotoxicity. They provide significant reduction and/or protection against the development and progression of acute and chronic neurodegeneration. This indicates that natural products and plants extracts may be useful in protecting against excitotoxicity-associated neurodegeneration. Thus, targeting of multiple pathways simultaneously may be the strategy to maximize the neuroprotection effect. This review summarizes the mechanisms involved in KA-induced excitotoxicity and attempts to collate the various researches related to the protective effect of natural products and plant extracts in the KA model of neurodegeneration.
Accuracy of Intraocular Lens Power Formulas Involving 148 Eyes with Long Axial Lengths: A Retrospective Chart-Review Study
Authors: Chen Chong , Xu Xian , Miao Yuyu , Zheng Gaoxin , Sun Yong , Xu Xun
Published: December 2015

Purpose. This study aims to compare the accuracy of intraocular lens power calculation formulas in eyes with long axial lengths from Chinese patients subjected to cataract surgery.Methods. A total of 148 eyes with an axial length of >26 mm from 148 patients who underwent phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation were included. The Haigis, Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, and SRK/T formulas were used to calculate the refractive power of the intraocular lenses and the postoperative estimated power.Results. Overall, the Haigis formula achieved the lowest level of median absolute error 1.025 D (P<0.01for Haigis versus each of the other formulas), followed by SRK/T formula (1.040 D). All formulas were least accurate when eyes were with axial length of >33 mm, and median absolute errors were significantly higher for those eyes than eyes with axial length = 26.01–30.00 mm. Absolute error was correlated with axial length for the SRK/T (r=0.212,P=0.010) and Hoffer Q (r=0.223,P=0.007) formulas. For axial lengths > 33 mm, eyes exhibited a postoperative hyperopic refractive error.Conclusions. The Haigis and SRK/T formulas may be more suitable for calculating intraocular lens power for eyes with axial lengths ranging from 26 to 33 mm. And for axial length over 33 mm, the Haigis formula could be more accurate.
New Strategies in Bladder Cancer: A Second Coming for Immunotherapy
Authors: Ghasemzadeh Ali , Bivalacqua Trinity J. , Hahn Noah M. , Drake Charles G.
Published: December 2015

Urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) remains one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide, and platinum-based chemotherapy, which has been the standard-of-care in metastatic bladder cancer, has had limited success in improving outcomes for patients. The recent development and translation of therapeutic strategies aimed at harnessing the immune system have led to durable and prolonged survival for patients with several different cancers, including UBC. In this review, we discuss new findings in bladder cancer immunotherapy, including recent successes with immune checkpoint blockade. We also discuss therapeutic cancer vaccines and highlight several additional immunotherapy modalities in early stages of development. Clin Cancer Res; 22(4); 793–801. ©2015 AACR.
Scientific Significance of Clinically Insignificant FcγRIIIa-V158F Polymorphism
Authors: Cartron Guillaume , Houot Roch , Kohrt Holbrook E.
Published: December 2015

Kenkre and colleagues report the absence of correlation between FcγRIIIa-V158F polymorphism and rituximab response in follicular lymphoma patients, a result which is in contrast with prior studies. This discrepancy recalls that many other factors (from the host and from the tumor) may influence the efficacy of rituximab in vivo. Clin Cancer Res; 22(4); 787–9. ©2015 AACR.

See related article by Kenkre et al., p. 821
Proteomic Characterization of Head and Neck Cancer Patient–Derived Xenografts
Authors: Li Hua , Wheeler Sarah , Park Yongseok , Ju Zhenlin , Thomas Sufi M. , Fichera Michele , Egloff Ann M. , Lui Vivian W. , Duvvuri Umamaheswar , Bauman Julie E. , Mills Gordon B. , Grandis Jennifer R.
Published: December 2015

Despite advances in treatment approaches for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), survival rates have remained stagnant due to the paucity of preclinical models that accurately reflect the human tumor. Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) are an emerging model system where patient tumors are implanted directly into mice. Increased understanding of the application and limitations of PDXs will facilitate their rational use. Studies to date have not reported protein profiles of PDXs. Therefore, we developed a large cohort of HNSCC PDXs and found that tumor take rate was not influenced by the clinical, pathologic, or processing features. Protein expression profiles, from a subset of the PDXs, were characterized by reverse-phase protein array and the data was compared with The Cancer Genome Atlas HNSCC data. Cluster analysis revealed that HNSCC PDXs were more similar to primary HNSCC than to any other tumor type. Interestingly, while a significant fraction of proteins were expressed similarly in both primary HNSCC and PDXs, a subset of proteins/phosphoproteins were expressed at higher (or lower) levels in PDXs compared with primary HNSCC. These findings indicate that the proteome is generally conserved in PDXs, but mechanisms for both positive and negative model selection and/or differences in the stromal components exist.

Implications: Proteomic characterization of HNSCC PDXs demonstrates potential drivers for model selection and provides a framework for improved utilization of this expanding model system. Mol Cancer Res; 14(3); 278–86. ©2015 AACR.
Cyclin A2 and CDK2 as Novel Targets of Aspirin and Salicylic Acid: A Potential Role in Cancer Prevention
Authors: Dachineni Rakesh , Ai Guoqiang , Kumar D. Ramesh , Sadhu Satya S. , Tummala Hemachand , Bhat G. Jayarama
Published: December 2015

Data emerging from the past 10 years have consolidated the rationale for investigating the use of aspirin as a chemopreventive agent; however, the mechanisms leading to its anticancer effects are still being elucidated. We hypothesized that aspirin's chemopreventive actions may involve cell-cycle regulation through modulation of the levels or activity of cyclin A2/cyclin-dependent kinase-2 (CDK2). In this study, HT-29 and other diverse panel of cancer cells were used to demonstrate that both aspirin and its primary metabolite, salicylic acid, decreased cyclin A2 (CCNA2) and CDK2 protein and mRNA levels. The downregulatory effect of either drugs on cyclin A2 levels was prevented by pretreatment with lactacystin, an inhibitor of proteasomes, suggesting the involvement of 26S proteasomes. In-vitro kinase assays showed that lysates from cells treated with salicylic acid had lower levels of CDK2 activity. Importantly, three independent experiments revealed that salicylic acid directly binds to CDK2. First, inclusion of salicylic acid in naïve cell lysates, or in recombinant CDK2 preparations, increased the ability of the anti-CDK2 antibody to immunoprecipitate CDK2, suggesting that salicylic acid may directly bind and alter its conformation. Second, in 8-anilino-1-naphthalene-sulfonate (ANS)-CDK2 fluorescence assays, preincubation of CDK2 with salicylic acid dose-dependently quenched the fluorescence due to ANS. Third, computational analysis using molecular docking studies identified Asp145 and Lys33 as the potential sites of salicylic acid interactions with CDK2. These results demonstrate that aspirin and salicylic acid downregulate cyclin A2/CDK2 proteins in multiple cancer cell lines, suggesting a novel target and mechanism of action in chemoprevention.

Implications: Biochemical and structural studies indicate that the antiproliferative actions of aspirin are mediated through cyclin A2/CDK2. Mol Cancer Res; 14(3); 241–52. ©2015 AACR.
A Chinese Immigrant Paradox? Low Coronary Heart Disease Incidence but Higher Short‐Term Mortality in Western‐Dwelling Chinese Immigrants: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Jin Kai , Ding Ding , Gullick Janice , Koo Fung , Neubeck Lis
Published: December 2015

Background

Chinese form a large proportion of the immigrant population in Western countries. There is evidence that Chinese immigrants experience an increased risk of coronary heart disease (
CHD
) after immigration in part due to cultural habits and acculturation. This is the first systematic review and meta‐analysis that aims to examine the risk of
CHD
in people of Chinese ethnicity living in Western countries, in comparison with whites and another major immigrant group, South Asians.

Methods and Results

Literature on the incidence, mortality, and prognosis of
CHD
among Chinese living in Western countries was searched systematically in any language using 6 electronic databases up to December 2014. Based on the meta‐analysis, Chinese had lower incidence of
CHD
compared with whites (odds ratio 0.29; 95%
CI
: 0.24–0.34) and South Asians (odds ratio 0.37; 95%
CI
: 0.24–0.57) but higher short‐term mortality after first hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction compared with whites (odds ratio 1.34; 95%
CI
, 1.04–1.73) and South Asians (odds ratio 1.82; 95% 1.33–2.50). There was no significant difference between Chinese immigrants and whites in long‐term outcomes (mortality and recurrent events) after acute myocardial infarction.

Conclusions

These findings provide an important focus for resource planning to enhance early secondary prevention of
CHD
to improve short‐term survival outcomes among Western‐dwelling Chinese immigrants.
Myocardial Fibrosis Quantified by Extracellular Volume Is Associated With Subsequent Hospitalization for Heart Failure, Death, or Both Across the Spectrum of Ejection Fraction and Heart Failure Stage
Authors: Schelbert Erik B. , Piehler Kayla M. , Zareba Karolina M. , Moon James C. , Ugander Martin , Messroghli Daniel R. , Valeti Uma S. , Chang Chung‐Chou H. , Shroff Sanjeev G. , Diez Javier , Miller Christopher A. , Schmitt Matthias , Kellman Peter , Butler Javed , Gheorghiade Mihai , Wong Timothy C.
Published: December 2015

Background

Myocardial fibrosis (
MF
) in noninfarcted myocardium may be an interstitial disease pathway that confers vulnerability to hospitalization for heart failure, death, or both across the spectrum of heart failure and ejection fraction. Hospitalization for heart failure is an epidemic that is difficult to predict and prevent and requires potential therapeutic targets associated with outcomes.

Method and Results

We quantified
MF
with cardiovascular magnetic resonance extracellular volume fraction (
ECV
) measures in 1172 consecutive patients without amyloidosis or hypertrophic or stress cardiomyopathy and assessed associations with outcomes using Cox regression.
ECV
ranged from 16.6% to 47.8%. Over a median of 1.7 years, 111 patients experienced events after cardiovascular magnetic resonance, 55 had hospitalization for heart failure events, and there were 74 deaths.
ECV
was more strongly associated with outcomes than “nonischemic”
MF
observed with late gadolinium enhancement, thus
ECV
quantified
MF
in multivariable models. Adjusting for age, sex, renal function, myocardial infarction size, ejection fraction, hospitalization status, and heart failure stage, higher
ECV
was associated with hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio 1.77; 95%
CI
1.32 to 2.36 for every 5% increase in
ECV
), death (hazard ratio 1.87 95%
CI
1.45 to 2.40) or both (hazard ratio 1.85, 95%
CI
1.50 to 2.27).
ECV
improved classification of persons at risk and improved model discrimination for outcomes (eg, hospitalization for heart failure: continuous net reclassification improvement 0.33, 95%
CI
0.05 to 0.66;
P
=0.02; 0.16, 95%
CI
0.01 to 0.33;
P
=0.02; integrated discrimination improvement 0.037, 95%
CI
0.008 to 0.073;
P
<0.01).

Conclusion

MF
measured by
ECV
is associated with hospitalization for heart failure, death, or both.
MF
may represent a principal phenotype of cardiac vulnerability that improves risk stratification. Because
MF
can be reversible, cells and enzymes regulating collagen could be potential therapeutic targets.
Proteinuria Is an Independent Risk Factor for First Incident Stroke in Adults Under Treatment for Hypertension in China
Authors: Zhang Chunyan , Wang Xiaobin , He Mingli , Qin Xianhui , Tang Genfu , Xu Xin , Wang Yu , Huo Yong , Cai Yefeng , Fu Jia , Zhao Gang , Dong Qiang , Xu Xiping , Wang Binyan , Hou Fan Fan
Published: December 2015

Background

Conflicting evidence exists regarding whether reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (
eGFR
) and proteinuria are independent risk factors for stroke and its subtypes in hypertensive patients. This study investigated the association of these renal measures with first incident stroke in adults under treatment for hypertension in China.

Methods and Results

The study included 19 599 adults aged 45 to 75 years who participated in the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial. Baseline
eGFR
was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine equation. Proteinuria was assessed by qualitative dipstick urinalysis and in a subset by the quantitative albumin–creatinine ratio method. Cox regression analysis was used to examine the effects of
eGFR
and proteinuria on the risk of first incident stroke. During a median of 4.5 years of follow‐up, a total of 585 first strokes (472 ischemic strokes) were identified. Compared to participants without proteinuria, participants with proteinuria (trace or more by dipstick) had a 35% increased risk of first stroke: the adjusted hazard ratio (
HR
) (95%
CI
) was 1.35 (1.09–1.66,
P
=0.005). The results were robust in subgroup analyses. In a subset with data on proteinuria measured by quantitative albumin–creatinine ratio, a similar association was found. In both independent and combined analyses with proteinuria,
eGFR
was not significantly associated with stroke.

Conclusions

In adults under treatment for hypertension in China, baseline proteinuria measured by dipstick or quantitative albumin–creatinine ratio, but not reduced
eGFR
, was found to be an independent risk factor for first incident stroke and ischemic stroke.
Growth rates of black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) in the Rupununi region of Guyana
Authors: Taylor Peter , Li Fernando , Holland Ashley , Martin Michael , Rosenblatt Adam E.
Published: December 2015

We conducted a study of black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) growth rates using data from a long-term mark-recapture study carried out in the Rupununi region of Guyana between 2005 and 2015. In contrast to previous studies, growth rates of black caiman declined with increasing size and this decline occurred more rapidly for females. Size-at-age models predicted that males and females reach asymptotic sizes of 178.2-189.0 cm SVL and 140.1-143.4 cm SVL, respectively. Our results suggest that growth rates of black caiman in the Rupununi region follow the same general patterns as for other crocodilians, and that disparities with previous black caiman studies may be largely related to density-dependent factors, among other possibilities. However, future studies that include large black caiman of known ages are needed to validate our findings.
iSwitch: Spanish-English Mixing in Computer-Mediated Communication
Authors: Montes-Alcalá Cecilia
Published: December 2015

Technology, and the Internet in particular, have rapidly transformed the means of communication in the 21st century, opening the door to a novel and fertile ground of research. What takes place when bi- or multilingual individuals sit at the keyboard has been the focus of several studies exploring computer-mediated communication (cmc). However, there appears to be a lack of research dealing specifically with Spanish-English language mixing online, a surprising fact given that Spanish is the third language of the Internet and its use has grown 800% in the last decade. The present work analyzes and compares data from three different sources of cmc (e-mail, blogs, and social networks including Facebook and Twitter) among Spanish-English bilinguals in an attempt to further explore the still relatively new field of “electronic code-switching”. The study aims to outline the reasons behind bilingual individuals’ language mixing online, hypothesizing that it will accomplish many of the socio-pragmatic functions traditionally ascribed to oral code-switching along with, perhaps, other uses idiosyncratic of cmc. Furthermore, it intends to emphasize the cultural nature of code-switching, a crucial component that has often been overlooked in the search for grammatical constraints.
“Please Check for Grammar.”: Code-Alternations in a Language Learning Blogging Community
Authors: Buendgens-Kosten Judith
Published: December 2015

This paper looks at code-alternations in the language-learning blogging community “Lang-8”. In this community, users write blog posts in their target language and receive feedback and corrections from native speakers. 116 blog posts with the target language English are analyzed in detail. Around 2/3 of those blog posts avoided all code-alternations. Among the remaining third, the most frequently observed type of code-alternation involved translation of part or all of the blog post (interlinear translation and en bloc translation), or switches motivated by lexical need (complex lexical gaps). Quoting, other sentence-level switches and word-level switches for meta-linguistic discussion were rare.

The author argues that technological affordances, different understandings of one’s audience and of the language learning process, and, to a limited degree, community norms, shape code-alternations and their avoidance.