bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Expression of Formyl Peptide Receptor 1 is Correlated with Tumor Invasion of Human Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Li Shu-Qin , Su Ning , Gong Ping , Zhang Hai-Bo , Liu Jin , Wang Ding , Sun Yan-Ping , Zhang Yan , Qian Feng , Zhao Bo , Yu Yang , Ye Richard D.
Published: July 2017

Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) are G protein-coupled chemoattractant receptors expressed mainly in phagocytic leukocytes. High expression of FPRs has also been detected in several cancers but the functions of FPR1 in tumor invasion and metastasis is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the expression of FPRs in primary human colorectal cancer (CRC) and analyzed the association of FPRs expression with clinicopathological parameters. The levels of FPRs mRNA, especially those of FPR1, were significantly higher in colorectal tumors than in distant normal tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues. FPR1 mRNA expression was also associated with tumor serosal infiltration. FPR1 protein expression was both in the colorectal epitheliums and tumor infiltrating neutrophils/macrophages. Furthermore, the functions of FPR1 in tumor invasion and tissue repair were investigated using the CRC cell lines SW480 and HT29. Higher cell surface expression of FPR1 is associated with significantly increased migration in SW480 cells compared with HT29 cells that have less FPR1 membrane expression. Finally, genetic deletion of fpr1 increased the survival rate of the resulting knockout mice compared with wild type littermates in a mouse model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Our data demonstrate that FPR1 may play an important role in tumor cell invasion in CRC patients.
Protein trafficking in the mitochondrial intermembrane space: mechanisms and links to human disease
Authors: MacPherson Lisa , Tokatlidis Kostas
Published: July 2017

Mitochondria fulfill a diverse range of functions in cells including oxygen metabolism, homeostasis of inorganic ions and execution of apoptosis. Biogenesis of mitochondria relies on protein import pathways that are ensured by dedicated multiprotein translocase complexes localized in all sub-compartments of these organelles. The key components and pathways involved in protein targeting and assembly have been characterized in great detail over the last three decades. This includes the oxidative folding machinery in the intermembrane space, which contributes to the redox-dependent control of proteostasis. Here, we focus on several components of this system and discuss recent evidence suggesting links to human proteopathy.
Optimal operation of smart multi-energy hub systems incorporating energy hub coordination and demand response strategy
Authors: Dzobo O. , Xia X.
Published: July 2017

This paper presents the operation and optimisation of a smart multi-energy hub system network using the energy hub concept. The case study system network includes integrated solar photovoltaic and thermal power generation units and natural gas combined heat and power unit systems. A demand response-dynamic economic emission optimisation model is applied in the case study and allows for a comparison of energy hub control strategies including the evaluation of economic and environmental criteria and power import between energy hubs. The results show a significant reduction of more than 50% in both the total generation cost and amount of emission when different energy hub control strategies are employed. The results also show that load shifting capabilities of different energy hub loads cannot be ignored as they reduce the electricity bill of energy hub customers.
Winter wheat cultivars in Australian farming systems: a review
Authors: Hunt James R.
Published: July 2017

Winter wheat cultivars are defined as those that have an obligate vernalisation requirement that must be met before they will progress from the vegetative to reproductive phase of development i.e. they must experience a true winter before they will flower. Historically, very little breeding effort has been applied to the selection of winter cultivars suited to southern Australia, with the notable exception of the New South Wales Agriculture breeding program based in Wagga and Temora that ran from the 1960s until 2002. A shift by growers to earlier sowing, increased usage of dual-purpose cereals, and research highlighting the whole-farm benefits of winter cultivars to average farm wheat yield has increased grower interest and demand for winter cultivars. Three major wheat breeding companies operating in southern Australia have responded by commencing selection for milling quality winter cultivars, the first of which was released in 2017. Existing research relating to winter wheats in southern Australian farming systems is reviewed here, including interactions with agronomic management, environment and weeds and disease. It is concluded that winter wheats can offer significant production and farming system benefits to growers by allowing earlier establishment, which increases water-limited potential yield (PYw) by ~15% relative to later sown spring wheats, and makes forage available for dual-purpose grazing during vegetative development. Winter wheats sown early require agronomic management different to that of later sown spring wheats, including greater attention to control of grass weeds and certain diseases. There are significant research gaps that will prevent growers from maximising the opportunities from new winter cultivars once they are released. The first of these is a well-defined establishment window for winter cultivars, particularly in medium-low rainfall environments of South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia that have not historically grown them. There is circumstantial evidence that the yield advantage of early established winter wheats over later sown spring wheats is greatest when stored soil water is present at establishment, or the soil profile fills during the growing season. Explicit confirmation of this would allow growers to identify situations where the yield advantage of winter wheats will be maximised. Given the imminent release of several new winter wheat cultivars and the increases in PYw that they embody, it is critical to experimentally define the management and environmental conditions under which performance of these new genotypes are optimised, before their release and availability to growers. Optimising the genotype × environmental × management interactions possible with these cultivars will empower growers to make the best use of the technology and better realise the gains in water limited potential yield possible with these genotypes.
Y croire ou ne pas y croire: ‘L’Ermite’ d’Apollinaire
Authors: Ettlin Annick
Published: July 2017

Souvent ignoré par la critique, le poème d’Apollinaire intitulé ‘L’Ermite’, repris dans
Alcools
, témoigne de son entrée en poésie. Parce qu’il s’inspire d’une manière, de thèmes et de motifs typiques du symbolisme, qu’il arbore une dédicace ‘à Félix Fénéon’ servant à rappeler sa première publication, alors particulièrement significative pour le jeune auteur en quête de reconnaissance, mais aussi parce qu’il met en scène un personnage aux prises avec un dilemme métaphysique, sommé de ‘croire ou ne pas croire’ à l’amour, à la poésie aussi, ces jeux du cœur ou de l’esprit pour lesquels il éprouve un désir violent, le poème permet de réfléchir d’une part aux enjeux sociologiques et d’autre part aux raisons théoriques du geste que commet celui qui opte pour la littérature. Il évoque au moyen d’une allégorie métapoétique, dont il n’est pas évident de déterminer le degré de sérieux, cet ‘investissement’ au sujet duquel Pierre Bourdieu inventera plus tard le concept d’
illusio
, qu’il invite à renégocier. Soumis dans cet article à une lecture rapprochée, le poème d’Apollinaire engage en outre à une réflexion sur la valeur ontologique de la poésie, tiraillée entre un idéal de ‘vérité’ et son accointance pourtant manifeste avec le ‘faux’.
Successful Primary Therapy With Posaconazole for Fulminant Progressive Disseminated Histoplasmosis in a Renal Transplant Recipient
Authors: Akram Sami , Sundareshan Vidya , West Bradford , Prakash Vidhya , Bergman Scott , Koirala Janak
Published: July 2017

For severe cases of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis (PDH), Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends treatment with liposomal amphotericin B for 2 weeks followed by itraconazole. In patients who are at risk for renal failure and for renal transplant patients on multiple nephrotoxic medications, there are no alternatives currently in clinical use. Posaconazole has shown promise in the animal experiments and also as salvage therapy in patients who have failed therapy with polyene and azole antifungal agents. Posaconazole has seldom been used as an initial drug for severe cases of PDH. We report a case of a renal transplant patient with severe PDH, on immunosuppressive therapy, successfully treated with posaconazole.
Dual-Energy Computed Tomography in Stroke Imaging: Technical and Clinical Considerations of Virtual Noncontrast Images for Detection of the Hyperdense Artery Sign
Authors: Winklhofer Sebastian , Vittoria De Martini Ilaria , Nern Chrisitian , Blume Iris , Wegener Susanne , Pangalu Athina , Valavanis Antonios , Alkadhi Hatem , Guggenberger Roman
Published: July 2017

Objective

The technical feasibility of virtual noncontrast (VNC) images from dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for the detection of the hyperdense artery sign (HAS) in ischemic stroke patients was investigated.

Methods

True noncontrast (TNC) scans of 60 patients either with or without HAS (n = 30 each) were investigated. Clot presence and characteristics were assessed on VNC images from DECT angiography and compared with TNC images. Clot characterization included the level of confidence for diagnosing HAS, a qualitative clot burden score, and quantitative attenuation (Hounsfield unit [HU]) measurements.

Results

Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of VNC for diagnosing HAS were 97%, 90%, and 93%, respectively. No significant differences were found regarding the diagnostic confidence (P = 0.18) and clot burden score (P = 0.071). No significant HU differences were found among vessels with HAS in VNC (56 ± 7HU) and TNC (57 ± 8HU) (P = 0.691) images.

Conclusions

Virtual noncontrast images derived from DECT enable an accurate detection and characterization of HAS.
Versatile open software to quantify cardiomyocyte and cardiac muscle contractionin vitroandin vivo
Authors: Sala L. , van Meer B.J. , Tertoolen L.G.J. , Bakkers J. , Bellin M. , Davis R.P. , Denning C. , Dieben M.A.E. , Eschenhagen T. , Giacomelli E. , Grandela C. , Hansen A. , Holman E.R. , Jongbloed M.R. M. , Kamel S.M. , Koopman C.D. , Lachaud Q. , Mannhardt I. , Mol M.P.H. , Orlova V.V. , Passier R. , Ribeiro M.C. , Saleem U. , Smith G.L. , Mummery C.L. , Burton F.L.
Published: July 2017

Contraction of muscle reflects its physiological state. Methods to quantify contraction are often complex, expensive and tailored to specific models or recording conditions, or require specialist knowledge for data extraction. Here we describe an automated, open-source software tool (MUSCLEMOTION) adaptable for use with standard laboratory and clinical imaging equipment that enables quantitative analysis of normal cardiac contraction, disease phenotypes and pharmacological responses. MUSCLEMOTION allowed rapid and easy measurement of contractility in (i) single cardiomyocytes from primary adult heart and human pluripotent stem cells, (ii) multicellular 2D-cardiomyocyte cultures, 3D engineered heart tissues and cardiac organoids/microtissuesin vitroand (iii) intact hearts of zebrafish and humansin vivo. Good correlation was found with conventional measures of contraction in each system. Thus, using a single method for processing video recordings, we obtained reliable pharmacological data and measures of cardiac disease phenotype in experimental cell- and animal models and human echocardiograms.
Transmission trees on a known pathogen phylogeny: enumeration and sampling
Authors: Hall Matthew , Colijn Caroline
Published: July 2017

One approach to the reconstruction of infectious disease transmission trees from pathogen genomic data has been to use a phylogenetic tree, reconstructed from pathogen sequences, and annotate its internal nodes to provide a reconstruction of which host each lineage was in at each point in time. If only one pathogen lineage can be transmitted to a new host (i.e. the transmission bottleneck is complete), this corresponds to partitioning the nodes of the phylogeny into connected regions, each of which represents evolution in an individual host. These partitions define the possible transmission trees that are consistent with a given phylogenetic tree. However, the mathematical properties of the transmission trees given a phylogeny remain largely unexplored. Here, we describe a procedure to calculate the number of possible transmission trees for a given phylogeny, and we show how to uniformly sample from these transmission trees. The procedure is outlined for situations where one sample is available from each host and trees do not have branch lengths, and we also provide extensions for incomplete sampling, multiple sampling, and the application to time trees in a situation where limits on the period during which each host could have been infected are known. The sampling algorithm is available as an R package (STraTUS).
Gene isoforms as expression-based biomarkers predictive of drug response in vitro
Authors: Safikhani Zhaleh , Thu Kelsie L. , Silvester Jennifer , Smirnov Petr , Lupien Mathieu , Mak Tak W. , Cescon David , Haibe-Kains Benjamin
Published: July 2017

Background

One of the main challenges in precision medicine is the identification of molecular features associated to drug response to provide clinicians with tools to select the best therapy for each individual cancer patient. The recent adoption of next-generation sequencing technologies enables accurate profiling of not only gene expression but also alternatively-spliced transcripts in large-scale pharmacogenomic studies. Given that altered mRNA splicing has been shown to be prominent in cancers, linking this feature to drug response will open new avenues of research in biomarker discovery.

Methods

To address the lack of reproducibility of drug sensitivity measurements across studies, we developed a meta-analytical framework combining the pharmacological data generated within the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC). Predictive models are fitted with CCLE RNA-seq data as predictor variables, controlled for tissue type, and combined GDSC and CCLE drug sensitivity values as dependent variables.

Results

We first validated the biomarkers identified from GDSC and CCLE using an existing pharmacogenomic dataset of 70 breast cancer cell lines. We further selected four drugs with the most promising biomarkers to test whether their predictive value is robust to change in pharmacological assay. We successfully validated 10 isoform-based biomarkers predictive of drug response in breast cancer, including TGFA-001 for the MEK tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) AZD6244, DUOX-001 for the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib, and CPEB4-001 transcript expression associated with lack of sensitivity to paclitaxel.

Conclusion

The results of our meta-analysis of pharmacogenomic data suggest that isoforms represent a rich resource for biomarkers predictive of response to chemo- and targeted therapies. Our study also showed that the validation rate for this type of biomarkers is low (<50%) for most drugs, supporting the requirements for independent datasets to identify reproducible predictors of response to anticancer drugs.
The Genomic Architecture of a Rapid Island Radiation: Recombination Rate Variation, Chromosome Structure, and Genome Assembly of the Hawaiian CricketLaupala
Authors: Blankers Thomas , Oh Kevin P. , Bombarely Aureliano , Shaw Kerry L.
Published: July 2017

Phenotypic evolution and speciation depend on recombination in many ways. Within populations, recombination can promote adaptation by bringing together favorable mutations and decoupling beneficial and deleterious alleles. As populations diverge, cross-over can give rise to maladapted recombinants and impede or reverse diversification. Suppressed recombination due to genomic rearrangements, modifier alleles, and intrinsic chromosomal properties may offer a shield against maladaptive gene flow eroding co-adapted gene complexes. Both theoretical and empirical results support this relationship. However, little is known about this relationship in the context of behavioral isolation, where co-evolving signals and preferences are the major hybridization barrier. Here we examine the genomic architecture of recently diverged, sexually isolated Hawaiian swordtail crickets (Laupala). We assemble ade novogenome and generate three dense linkage maps from interspecies crosses. In line with expectations based on the species’ recent divergence and successful interbreeding in the lab, the linkage maps are highly collinear and show no evidence for large-scale chromosomal rearrangements. The maps were then used to anchor the assembly to pseudomolecules and estimate recombination rates across the genome. We tested the hypothesis that loci involved in behavioral isolation (song and preference divergence) are in regions of low interspecific recombination. Contrary to our expectations, a genomic region where a male song QTL co-localizes with a female preference QTL was not associated with particularly low recombination rates. This study provides important novel genomic resources for an emerging evolutionary genetics model system and suggests that trait-preference co-evolution is not necessarily facilitated by locally suppressed recombination.
Unpaid extinction debts for endemic plants and invertebrates as a legacy of habitat loss on oceanic islands
Authors: Otto Rüdiger , Garzón‐Machado Víctor , del Arco Marcelino , Fernández‐Lugo Silvia , de Nascimento Lea , Oromí Pedro , Báez Marcos , Ibáñez Miguel , Alonso María R. , Fernández‐Palacios José María
Published: July 2017

Aim

The majority of documented extinctions world‐wide in the last four centuries are of species endemic to islands. However, the phenomenon of delayed extinctions as a result of habitat loss has rarely been assessed on oceanic islands. In this study, we tested whether extinction debt (ED), in general, occurs on islands and for which taxonomical groups this phenomenon is most pronounced by assessing ED for multiple endemic taxa and for each of the main altitudinal ecosystems in a well‐studied oceanic archipelago.

Location

Canary Islands.

Methods

We characterized habitat preferences for all endemic species of several taxonomic groups (vascular plants, ground and darkling beetles, flies and land snails). Using generalized linear mixed models and available data about habitat distributions, we tested for all taxa and habitat types to determine whether past habitat area better explained current richness of habitat specialists than current habitat area. If so, an extinction debt can be assumed.

Results

For all five major habitat types and five taxonomic groups studied, present‐day richness of habitat specialists fitted better with past than current habitat area, evidencing habitat‐ and taxon‐specific extinction debts. This pattern was consistent for both long‐lived vascular plants and short‐lived invertebrates. Single island endemics in each taxonomic group showed steeper slopes of the species–area relationship (SAR) compared to archipelago endemics indicating higher sensitivity to habitat loss which might increase sizes of ED.

Conclusion

Despite differences in species’ generation times, plants and invertebrates showed delayed extinctions after habitat destruction in the Canary Islands. Our SAR approach suggests that a considerable number of Canary Island endemics will eventually become extinct in the future without further habitat loss. The case of the Canary archipelago is probably not unique. Hence, we interpret our results as a warning for island conservationists that the worst of the extinction crisis on oceanic islands might be yet to come. Conservation actions should focus on habitat restoration to attenuate or reverse current extinction processes.
Individual and partner's level of occupation and the association with HbA1c levels in people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: the Dutch Diabetes Pearl cohort
Authors: Rutte A. , Rauh S. P. , Schram M. T. , Nijpels G. , DeVries J. H. , Holleman F. , Pijl H. , Dekkers O. M. , Özcan B. , Sijbrands E. J. G. , Tack C. J. , Abbink E. J. , de Valk H. W. , Silvius B. , Wolffenbuttel B. H. R. , Stehouwer C. D. A. , Schaper N. C. , Dekker J. M. , Beulens J. W. , Elders P. J. M. , Rutters F. ,   the Diabetes Pearl from the Parelsnoer Initiative
Published: July 2017

Aims

Individual indicators of socio‐economic status have been associated with glycaemic control in people with Type 2 diabetes, but little is known about the association between partner’s socio‐economic status and HbA1c levels. We therefore examined the cross‐sectional association between individual and partner’s level of occupation on HbA1c levels in people with Type 2 diabetes in the Netherlands.

Methods

We included people with Type 2 diabetes with a partner who were treated in primary, secondary and tertiary care in the Diabetes Pearl cohort. Occupational level was classified according to International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)‐08 skill levels. Linear regression analyses were performed stratified for sex, and corrected for age, recruitment centre and diabetes medication.

Results

In total, 3257 participants (59.8% men, mean 62.2±9.4 years) were included. For men, having a partner with an intermediate level of occupation was associated with lower HbA1c levels [e.g. ISCO level 3: –2 mmol/mol (95% CI –4;–1) or ‐0.2% (95% CI –0.4;–0.1)], compared with having a partner of the highest occupational level (ISCO level 4). In women, having an unemployed partner was associated with higher HbA1c levels [14 mmol/mol (95% CI 6; 22) or 1.3% (95% CI 0.6; 2.0)], compared with having a partner of the highest occupational level.

Conclusions

Partner's occupational status provided additional information on the association between socio‐economic status and HbA1c levels in people with Type 2 diabetes. Women seemed to benefit from a partner with a higher occupational status, while men seemed to benefit from a partner with a lower status. Because of the cross‐sectional nature of the present study, more research is necessary to explore this association.
Effect of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors on impaired ventricular repolarization in people with Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Sato T. , Miki T. , Ohnishi H. , Yamashita T. , Takada A. , Yano T. , Tanno M. , Tsuchida A. , Miura T.
Published: July 2017

Aims

To test the hypothesis that treatment with a sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor would reverse ventricular repolarization heterogeneity, a predictor of cardiovascular mortality, in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed changes in indices of ventricular repolarization before and after treatment with a sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor in 46 people with Type 2 diabetes.

Results

Sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor treatment reduced HbA1c concentration [62±13 mmol/mol (7.7±1.2%) vs 59±16 mmol/mol (7.5±1.4%)], body weight (77.8±13.9 vs 74.7±12.5 kg) and systolic blood pressure (133±18 vs 126±12 mmHg) in the study participants. Heart rate and QTc interval were not changed by sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor treatment, but QTc dispersion was significantly reduced (median, 48.8 vs 44.2 ms). Sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor treatment reversed QTc dispersion more in participants who had larger QTc dispersion before the treatment. Changes in systolic blood pressure (Spearman's ρ= 0.319; P=0.031), but not in HbA1c concentration, were correlated with changes in QTc dispersion after sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor treatment.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor treatment reverses ventricular repolarization heterogeneity in people with Type 2 diabetes, independently of its effect on glycaemic control. The favourable effect on ventricular repolarization heterogeneity could be the mechanism by which empaglifozin reduced cardiovascular events in a recent study.
The spatial distribution and environmental triggers of ant mating flights: using citizen‐science data to reveal national patterns
Authors: Hart Adam G. , Hesselberg Thomas , Nesbit Rebecca , Goodenough Anne E.
Published: July 2017

Many ant species produce winged reproductive males and females that embark on mating flights. Previous research has shown substantial synchrony in flights between colonies and that weather influences phenology but these studies have been limited by sample size and spatiotemporal scale. Using citizen science, we gathered the largest ever dataset (> 13 000 observations) on the location and timing of winged ant sightings over a three‐year period across a broad spatial scale (the United Kingdom). In total, 88.5% of winged ants sampled were Lasius niger. Observations occurred from June to September with 97% occurring in July/August but exact temporal patterns differed substantially between years. As expected, observations within each year showed a small but significant northward/westward trend as summer progressed. However, the predicted spatiotemporal synchrony was far less apparent; observations were not significantly spatially clustered at national, regional or local scales. Nests in urban (vs rural) areas and those associated with heat‐retaining structures produced winged ants earlier. Local weather conditions rather than broad geographical or seasonal factors were shown to be critical in the timing of winged ant activity, presumably to optimize mate finding and to minimize energy consumption and predation. Temperature and wind speed, but not barometric pressure, were significant predictors of observations (positively and negatively, respectively); winged ants were only observed at temperatures > 13°C and wind‐speeds < 6.3 m–1. All days with a mean daily temperature > 25°C had observations. Intriguingly, changes in temperature and wind speed from the day before flight peaks were also significant. We conclude that: 1) spatiotemporal synchrony in flights is lower than previously thought for L. niger, 2) local temperature and wind are key predictors of flight phenology; and 3) ants appear able to determine, at least in a limited way, if weather is improving or deteriorating and adjust their behaviour accordingly.
Colorimetric analysis of soil with flatbed scanners
Authors: Kirillova N. P. , Kemp D. B. , Artemyeva Z. S.
Published: July 2017

Colour is an important physical property in the characterization of soil type and the description of soil profiles. Quantitative data from spectrophotometers and colorimeters have been used in soil research for this purpose, but semi‐quantitative Munsell colour description remains the main method of soil colour evaluation. Low‐cost digital devices (cameras and scanners) could largely replace the semi‐quantitative assessment of colour by Munsell charts if such devices can be calibrated colorimetrically to provide accurate and reproducible data. Robust application of such tools, however, requires standardized light sources, which precludes the use of digital cameras as viable devices for use in the field. Flatbed scanners, on the other hand, enable 2‐D imaging by a contact method under consistent lighting conditions. Power can be provided to such scanners through a USB port by a laptop computer, so they can be used as viable devices in the field. In this study, we explored the feasibility of using flatbed scanners to derive colorimetrically accurate images and data from a set of 161 soil samples. The efficacy of our approach was tested with two low‐cost scanners, and included analysis of two commercial colour charts, six printed colour charts and three editions of the Munsell Soil Colour chart to assess the optimum methods of colorimetric calibration. For both scanners tested, we found that accurate colour characterization could be achieved for > 95% of the soil samples studied (i.e. with colour errors barely perceptible by the human eye). These results illustrate the merit and efficacy of this rapid and low‐cost approach for soil colour evaluation.

Highlights

Can soil colour be measured accurately with commercial scanners?

Scanners can replace semi‐quantitative Munsell chart comparison or spectrophotometers.

With careful calibration, scanners can be used to measure soil colour.

Colour can be measured with an accuracy close to that achievable with spectrophotometers.
The quality of evidence in tablet‐assisted interventions for students with disabilities
Authors: Kim Min Kyung , Park Yujeong , Coleman Mari Beth
Published: July 2017

The purpose of this review is to weigh the evidence of the effectiveness of tablet‐assisted instructions (TAIs) at improving academic outcomes of students with disabilities. An extensive search process with inclusion and exclusion criteria yielded a total of 17 studies to be included in the present study: three group design studies and 14 single‐subject design studies. The quality indicators proposed by Gersten et al. () and Horner et al. () were applied to evaluate the methodological rigour of TAI studies and their feasibility to be considered evidence‐based. Results revealed that (a) most group design studies provided little information about the intervention agent and equivalence of groups across conditions, (b) the social validity of using tablets for students with disabilities was strongly established across all single‐subject design studies and (c) procedural fidelity in assessment and intervention implementation was inadequately addressed in group design studies. Although this review suggests that TAI used in single‐subject design studies can be a potentially evidence‐based practice for students with disabilities, there still remains to be established whether the group design studies can be considered evidence‐based, because of the lack of methodological rigour in group design studies. Finally, implications for future directions and practical ideas are discussed.
A sliding two-alternative forced-choice paradigm for pitch discrimination
Authors: Arzounian Dorothée , de Kerangal Mathilde , de Cheveigné Alain
Published: July 2017

Studies that measure frequency discrimination often use 2, 3, or 4 tones per trial. This paper shows an investigation of a two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) task in which each tone of a series is judged relative to the previous tone (“sliding 2AFC”). Potential advantages are a greater yield (number of responses per unit time), and a more uniform history of stimulation for the study of context effects, or to relate time-varying performance to cortical activity. The new task was evaluated relative to a classic 2-tone-per-trial 2AFC task with similar stimulus parameters. For each task, conditions with different stimulus parameters were compared. The main results were as follows: (1) thresholds did not differ significantly between tasks when similar parameters were used. (2) Thresholds did differ between conditions for the new task, showing a deleterious effect of inserting relatively large steps in the frequency sequence. (3) Thresholds also differed between conditions for the classic task, showing an advantage for a fixed frequency standard. There was no indication that results were more variable with either task, and no reason was found not to use the new sliding 2AFC task in lieu of the classic 2-tone-per-trial 2AFC task.
Selective Expression of CCR10 and CXCR3 by Circulating Human Herpes Simplex Virus-Specific CD8 T Cells
Authors: Hensel Michael T. , Peng Tao , Cheng Anqi , De Rosa Stephen C. , Wald Anna , Laing Kerry J. , Jing Lichen , Dong Lichun , Magaret Amalia S. , Koelle David M.
Published: July 2017

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is restricted to epithelial cells and neurons and is controlled by CD8 T cells. These cells both traffic to epithelial sites of recurrent lytic infection and to ganglia and persist at the dermal-epidermal junction for up to 12 weeks after lesion resolution. We previously showed that cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA), a functional E-selectin ligand (ESL), is selectively expressed on circulating HSV-2-specific CD8 T cells. CLA/ESL mediates adhesion of T cells to inflamed vascular endothelium. Later stages in T-cell homing involve chemokines (Ch) and lymphocyte chemokine receptors (ChR) for vascular wall arrest and diapedesis. Several candidate ChR have been implicated in skin homing. We measured cell surface ChR on HSV-specific human peripheral blood CD8 T cells and extended our studies to HSV-1. We observed preferential cell surface expression of CCR10 and CXCR3 by HSV-specific CD8 T cells compared to CD8 T cells specific for control viruses, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV), and compared to bulk memory CD8 T cells. CXCR3 ligand mRNA levels were selectively increased in skin biopsy specimens from persons with recurrent HSV-2, while the mRNA levels of the CCR10 ligand CCL27 were equivalent in lesion and control skin. Our data are consistent with a model in which CCL27 drives baseline recruitment of HSV-specific CD8 T cells expressing CCR10, while interferon-responsive CXCR3 ligands recruit additional cells in response to virus-driven inflammation.

IMPORTANCEHSV-2 causes very localized recurrent infections in the skin and genital mucosa. Virus-specific CD8 T cells home to the site of recurrent infection and participate in viral clearance. The exit of T cells from the blood involves the use of chemokine receptors on the T-cell surface and chemokines that are present in infected tissue. In this study, circulating HSV-2-specific CD8 T cells were identified using specific fluorescent tetramer reagents, and their expression of several candidate skin-homing-associated chemokine receptors was measured using flow cytometry. We found that two chemokine receptors, CXCR3 and CCR10, are upregulated on HSV-specific CD8 T cells in blood. The chemokines corresponding to these receptors are also expressed in infected tissues. Vaccine strategies to prime CD8 T cells to home to HSV lesions should elicit these chemokine receptors if possible to increase the homing of vaccine-primed cells to sites of infection.
Anaplastic carcinoma of thyroid gland with widespread soft tissue metastasis: an unusual presentation
Authors: Hassan Muhammad , Janjua Taimoor Khalid , Afridi Hira Khan , Zahid Naila Anjum
Published: July 2017

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is the rarest tumour of the thyroid gland, representing only 2% of clinically recognised thyroid cancers. The most common metastatic sites are lungs, followed by the intrathoracic and neck lymph nodes. We report the case of a 62-year-old woman who presented to our setting with multiple soft tissue nodules, thyroid mass, head swelling and weight loss. Radiological investigation showed a large thyroid mass with widespread metastasis in subcutaneous tissues of both upper limbs, chest and abdomen. Metastasis was also found in lungs, skull and adrenal glands after which the patient was diagnosed with stage IVc anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). After careful consideration of patient’s clinical condition with multiple poor prognostic factors, medical therapy was withheld and she was discharged on hospice care. The patient expired after 1 month. In ATC, metastasis to subcutaneous tissue is an extremely rare occurrence of which there is hardly any evidence in literature.
Ocular surface cytokine profile in chronic Stevens-Johnson syndrome and its response to mucous membrane grafting for lid margin keratinisation
Authors: Gurumurthy Srividya , Iyer Geetha , Srinivasan Bhaskar , Agarwal Shweta , Angayarkanni Narayanasamy
Published: July 2017

Background

To study the tear cytokine and the conjunctival and oral mucosal marker profile in chronic ocular Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and their alteration following mucous membrane grafting (MMG) for lid margin keratinisation (LMK).

Methods

In a 1-year prospective study, SJS cases (n=25) and age-matched/sex-matched healthy controls (n=25) were recruited. Tear specimen (Schirmer’s strip), conjunctival and oral mucosal imprints were collected from controls and SJS cases pre-MMG and post-MMG (at first follow-up, n=17). Tear cytokines were profiled using 27-bioplex array. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)-mediated extracellular matrix changes in conjunctival and oral mucosal cells were analysed by gene expression studies. 30

Results

Tear cytokine profiling of chronic SJS cases at pre-MMG stage revealed significant upregulation of cytokines granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin (IL)-8, IL-1β, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, IL-15, IL-2, IL-17A and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) with downregulation of IP-10 (interferon gamma-induced protein 10), tumour necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, IL-10, vascular endothelial growth factor, regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), IL-7, IL-12p70 and IL-13, with maximal increase in GM-CSF and maximal downregulation of IP-10, respectively. Of these, IL-2, IL-15, bFGF and IL-17A showed significant correlation with disease severity, pre-MMG. Conjunctival cells pre-MMG showed increase in TGF-β1, TGF-βRII, connective tissue growth factor and collagen-III gene expression by 10, 67, 173 and 184 folds, respectively, which dropped to 1.3, 11, 13.5 and 19 folds correspondingly, post-MMG. However, their expressions in oral mucosa were negligible.

Conclusion

A proinflammatory, profibrotic, antiapoptotic ocular surface milieu characterises chronic ocular SJS. IP-10, an antifibrotic cytokine was noted to be maximally downregulated, unlike in other forms of chronic dry eye disease. The alterations in the ocular surface are seen to reverse largely with MMG for LMK.
Anticipation, teamwork and cognitive load: chasing efficiency during robot-assisted surgery
Authors: Sexton Kevin , Johnson Amanda , Gotsch Amanda , Hussein Ahmed A , Cavuoto Lora , Guru Khurshid A
Published: July 2017

Introduction

Robot-assisted surgery (RAS) has changed the traditional operating room (OR), occupying more space with equipment and isolating console surgeons away from the patients and their team. We aimed to evaluate how anticipation of surgical steps and familiarity between team members impacted efficiency.

Methods

We analysed recordings (video and audio) of 12 robot-assisted radical prostatectomies. Any requests between surgeon and the team members were documented and classified by personnel, equipment type, mode of communication, level of inconvenience in fulfilling the request and anticipation. Surgical team members completed questionnaires assessing team familiarity and cognitive load (National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Task Load Index). Predictors of team efficiency were assessed using Pearson correlation and stepwise linear regression.

Results

1330 requests were documented, of which 413 (31%) were anticipated. Anticipation correlated negatively with operative time, resulting in overall 8% reduction of OR time. Team familiarity negatively correlated with inconveniences. Anticipation ratio, per cent of requests that were non-verbal and total request duration were significantly correlated with the console surgeons’ cognitive load (r=0.77, p=0.006; r=0.63, p=0.04; and r=0.70, p=0.02, respectively).

Conclusions

Anticipation and active engagement by the surgical team resulted in shorter operative time, and higher familiarity scores were associated with fewer inconveniences. Less anticipation and non-verbal requests were also associated with lower cognitive load for the console surgeon. Training efforts to increase anticipation and team familiarity can improve team efficiency during RAS.
Inhalation therapy for equine lower respiratory tract disease
Authors: Pirie R. Scott , McGorum Bruce C.
Published: July 2017

The delivery of drugs to horses via the inhalation route is being increasingly adopted as a therapeutic approach in equine practice; predominantly used to treat equine lower airway disease, including, but not restricted to, severe and mild to moderate equine asthma (previously termed recurrent airway obstruction and inflammatory airway disease, respectively), and exercise‐induced pulmonary haemorrhage. Like many therapeutic approaches, there are both advantages and disadvantages associated with inhalation therapy that must be considered when selecting the most appropriate treatment. Additionally, there are a number of unanswered questions with respect to inhalation therapy in the horse, most notably in relation to the efficiency and variability of drug delivery to the lower airways, which most commonly constitutes the principal target site of drug deposition. Even in the absence of lower airway disease, achieving such drug deposition within a system designed to avoid particle penetration of the lungs can be challenging. This review discusses the principles of inhalation therapy, the advantages and disadvantages of this approach, the techniques commonly used to administer inhaled medication and the drugs commonly administered via the inhaled route.
Using behavioural science to improve pain management
Authors: Bradbury Guen , Morton Katie
Published: July 2017

Pain management can be challenging to achieve in practice due to the participation of many different stakeholders and the complex behaviours involved in decision‐making. Here, Guen Bradbury and Katie Morton suggest that a better understanding of behavioural science can lead to improved pain management in animals.
Evaluation of a novel liquid embolic agent (precipitating hydrophobic injectable liquid (PHIL)) in an animal endovascular embolization model
Authors: Vollherbst Dominik F , Otto Ruth , von Deimling Andreas , Pfaff Johannes , Ulfert Christian , Kauczor Hans U , Bendszus Martin , Sommer Christof M , Möhlenbruch Markus A
Published: July 2017

Background

The choice of the embolic agent and the embolization technique can have a significant impact on the success of endovascular embolization.

Objective

To evaluate a novel iodinated copolymer-based liquid embolic agent (precipitating hydrophobic injectable liquid (PHIL)) in the porcine rete mirabile (RM), serving as an endovascular embolization model. Onyx, as an established liquid embolic agent, served as comparator.

Materials and methods

Sixteen embolization procedures were performed using PHIL (n=8) or Onyx (n=8) as liquid embolic agent. Waiting time between injections was set to 30 or 60 s (n=4 per study group). Survival time after intervention was 2 hours or 7 days. Embolization characteristics (eg, procedure times, number of injections and volume of embolic agent) and embolization extent (percentage of embolized RM in post-interventional x-ray) were assessed. Post-interventional CT and histopathological analyses were performed.

Results

Embolization characteristics and embolization extent were not significantly different for PHIL and Onyx, including subgroups (eg, embolization extent 44% vs 69% (medians); p=0.101). For PHIL, extension of the waiting time from 30 to 60 s led to a significantly higher embolization extent (24% vs 72% (medians); p=0.035). Moderate disintegration and mild inflammation of the embolized blood vessels were present for both embolic agents.

Conclusion

PHIL is feasible for transarterial embolization in an acute and subacute endovascular embolization model. In this preliminary experimental in vivo study, embolization characteristics, embolization extent, and biocompatibility seem to be similar to those of Onyx.
Acute thrombus formation on phosphorilcholine surface modified flow diverters
Authors: Marosfoi Miklos , Clarencon Frederic , Langan Erin T , King Robert M , Brooks Olivia W , Tamura Takamisu , Wainwright John M , Gounis Matthew J , Vedantham Srinivasan , Puri Ajit S
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Thromboembolic complications remain a limitation of flow diverting stents. We hypothesize that phosphorilcholine surface modified flow diverters (Pipeline Flex with Shield Technology, sPED) would have less acute thrombus formation on the device surface compared with the classic Pipeline Embolization device (cPED).

Methods

Elastase-induced aneurysms were created in 40 rabbits and randomly assigned to receive cPED or sPED devices with and without dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) (four groups, n=10/group). Angioplasty was performed to enhance apposition and create intimal injury for a pro-thrombotic environment. Both before and after angioplasty, the flow diverter was imaged with intravascular optical coherence tomography. The outcome measure was the number of predefined segments along the implant relative to the location of the aneurysm with a minimum of 0 (no clot formation) and maximum of 3 (all segments with thrombus). Clot formation over the device at ostia of branch arteries was assessed as either present or absent.

Results

Following angioplasty, the number of flow diverter segments with clots was significantly associated with the flow diverter (p<0.0001), but not with DAPT (p=0.3872) or aneurysm neck size (p=0.8555). The incidence rate for clots with cPED was 1.72 times more than with sPED. The clots on the flow diverter at the location corresponding to side branch ostia was significantly lower with sPED than with cPED (OR 0.180; 95% CI 0.044 to 0.734; p=0.0168), but was not associated with DAPT (p=0.3198).

Conclusion

In the rabbit model, phosphorilcholine surface modified flow diverters are associated with less thrombus formation on the surface of the device.
Raw milk consumption and other early-life farm exposures and adult pulmonary function in the Agricultural Lung Health Study
Authors: Wyss Annah B , House John S , Hoppin Jane A , Richards Marie , Hankinson John L , Long Stuart , Henneberger Paul K , Beane Freeman Laura E , Sandler Dale P , O’Connell Elizabeth Long , Cummings Christie Barker , Umbach David M , London Stephanie J
Published: July 2017

Literature suggests that early exposure to the farming environment protects against atopy and asthma; few studies have examined pulmonary function. We evaluated associations between early-life farming exposures and pulmonary function in 3061 adults (mean age=63) from a US farming population using linear regression. Childhood raw milk consumption was associated with higher FEV1 (β=49.5 mL, 95% CI 2.8 to 96.1 mL, p=0.04) and FVC (β=66.2 mL, 95% CI 13.2 to 119.1 mL, p=0.01). We did not find appreciable associations with other early-life farming exposures. We report a novel association between raw milk consumption and higher pulmonary function that lasts into older adulthood.