bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract IA23: Personalizing cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Schreiber Robert D.
Published: March 2017

We previously showed that the immune system not only protects individuals against tumor outgrowth but also facilitates tumor escape by sculpting tumor cell immunogenicity, a process we called “Cancer Immunoediting”. We subsequently elucidated the mechanisms underlying cancer immunoediting, demonstrated the importance of tumor-specific mutant neoantigens as targets of this process, and translated our findings into cancer immunotherapies by showing that tumor-specific mutant neoantigens can be used to generate therapeutically effective personalized cancer vaccines against established tumors. We have since gone on to define the minimal antigenic requirements for therapeutically effective personalized cancer vaccines and documented the synergistic activity that neoantigen vaccines show when used in combination with current immunotherapies, chemotherapies and radiotherapy. Most recently we have developed evidence for a powerful immunodominance effect that occurs between different tumor antigens and have identified what appears to be a unique mechanism by which at least some forms of immunotherapies induce tumor specific destruction. These findings will be discussed.

Citation Format: Robert D. Schreiber. Personalizing cancer immunotherapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2016 Oct 20-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2017;5(3 Suppl):Abstract nr IA23.
Fibroblast Growth Factor 15/19 in Hepatocarcinogenesis
Authors: Alvarez-Sola Gloria , Uriarte Iker , Latasa M. Ujue , Urtasun Raquel , Bárcena-Varela Marina , Elizalde Maria , Jiménez Maddalen , Rodriguez-Ortigosa Carlos M. , Corrales Fernando J. , Fernández-Barrena Maite G. , Berasain Carmen , Avila Matías A.
Published: March 2017

Background: Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a neoplastic disease with a very bad prognosis and increasing worldwide incidence. HCCs are resistant to conventional chemotherapy and the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib is the only agent that has shown some clinical efficacy. It is therefore important to identify key molecular mechanisms driving hepatocarcinogenesis for the development of more efficacious therapies. However, HCCs are heterogeneous tumors and different molecular subclasses have been characterized. This heterogeneity may underlie the poor performance of most of the targeted therapies so far tested in HCC patients. The fibroblast growth factor 15/19 (FGF15/19), FGF receptor 4 (FGFR4) and beta-Klotho (KLB) correceptor signaling system, a key regulator of bile acids (BA) synthesis and intermediary metabolism, is emerging as an important player in hepatocarcinogenesis. Key Messages: Aberrant signaling through the FGF15/19-FGFR4 pathway participates in the neoplastic behavior of HCC cells, promotes HCC development in mice and its overexpression has been characterized in a subset of HCC tumors from patients with poorer prognosis. Pharmacological interference with FGF15/19-FGFR4 signaling inhibits experimental hepatocarcinogenesis, and specific FGFR4 inhibitors are currently being tested in selected HCC patients with tumoral FGF19-FGFR4/KLB expression. Conclusions: Interference with FGF19-FGFR4 signaling represents a novel strategy in HCC therapy. Selection of candidate patients based on tumoral FGF19-FGFR4/KLB levels as biomarkers may result in increased efficacy of FGFR4-targeted drugs. Nevertheless, attention should be paid to the potential on target toxic effects of FGFR4 inhibitors due to the key role of this signaling system in BA metabolism.
Intestinal Farnesoid X Receptor and Takeda G Protein Couple Receptor 5 Signaling in Metabolic Regulation
Authors: Chiang John Y.L. , Pathak Preeti , Liu Hailiang , Donepudi Ajay , Ferrell Jessica , Boehme Shannon
Published: March 2017

Bile acids play a critical role in the regulation of glucose, lipid and energy metabolisms by activating the nuclear bile acid receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and membrane G protein-coupled bile acid receptor-1 (aka takeda G protein couple receptor 5, TGR5) signaling. Paradoxical roles of FXR in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism and metabolic disorder have been reported recently. The activation or inhibition of intestinal FXR signaling has been shown to improve insulin and glucose sensitivity and energy metabolism to prevent diabetes, obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). TGR5 has an anti-inflammatory function in the intestine and stimulates glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in the intestine to stimulate insulin secretion from the pancreas. The role of TGR5 in metabolism and metabolic regulation is not clear and warrants further study. FXR and TGR5 are co-expressed in the ileum and colon. These 2 bile acid-activated receptors may cooperate to stimulate GLP-1 secretion and improve hepatic metabolism. FXR and TGR5 dual agonists may have therapeutic potential for treating diabetes and NAFLD.
Analysis of Choroidal Thickness Change after 25-Gauge Vitrectomy for Idiopathic Epiretinal Membrane with or without Phacoemulsification and Intraocular Lens Implantation
Authors: Casini Giamberto , Loiudice Pasquale , Lazzeri Stefano , Pellegrini Marco , Ripandelli Guido , Figus Michele , Dalle Lucche Flavio , Cirmi Giuseppe , Nardi Marco
Published: March 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate choroidal thickness modifications before and after vitrectomy with or without phacoemulsification for idiopathic epiretinal membrane in the operated eye and in the unaffected fellow eye. Methods: In total, 53 eyes of 53 patients underwent 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy plus internal limiting membrane peeling and air tamponade. Twenty-seven eyes underwent combined surgery with phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. Choroidal thickness was measured using enhanced deep image spectral-domain optical coherence tomography at the fovea and at 500 and 2,500 µm from the fovea. Fellow eyes without any previous ocular surgery history served as controls. Results: Baseline comparison did not show significant differences between study and fellow eyes (p > 0.05). Choroidal thickness significantly decreased in the subfoveal area (p = 0.004) as well as at 500 µm (p = 0.026) and 2,500 µm nasally (p = 0.019) and at 500 µm (p = 0.039) and 2,500 µm (p = 0.005) temporally to the fovea. No significant changes were observed postoperatively in the superior and inferior areas (p > 0.05). No differences were found between eyes which underwent combined surgery and those which underwent vitrectomy alone (p > 0.05). The unaffected eyes did not show any significant changes (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Comparison of baseline values did not show any differences between affected and unaffected eyes, meaning that choroidal thickness was not influenced by the development of epiretinal membrane. Vitrectomy plus epiretinal and inner limiting membrane removal may influence choroidal homeostasis, leading to a decrease in choroidal thickness in the subfoveal, nasal, and temporal areas. Combined surgery did not show significant differences when compared to vitrectomy alone.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunting Complications in Children
Authors: Hanak Brian W. , Bonow Robert H. , Harris Carolyn A. , Browd Samuel R.
Published: March 2017

Although cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt placement is the most common procedure performed by pediatric neurosurgeons, shunts remain among the most failure-prone life-sustaining medical devices implanted in modern medical practice. This article provides an overview of the mechanisms of CSF shunt failure for the 3 most commonly employed definitive CSF shunts in the practice of pediatric neurosurgery: ventriculoperitoneal, ventriculopleural, and ventriculoatrial. The text has been partitioned into the broad modes of shunt failure: obstruction, infection, mechanical shunt failure, overdrainage, and distal catheter site-specific failures. Clinical management strategies for the various modes of shunt failure are discussed as are research efforts directed towards reducing shunt complication rates. As it is unlikely that CSF shunting will become an obsolete procedure in the foreseeable future, it is incumbent on the pediatric neurosurgery community to maintain focused efforts to improve our understanding of and management strategies for shunt failure and shunt-related morbidity.
Life Stage Concepts across History and Cultures: Proposal for a New Field on Indigenous Life Stages
Authors: Jensen Arnett Jeffrey
Published: March 2017

This paper draws attention to the pervasiveness of life stage concepts in human cultures and advocates the creation of a new field of study on indigenous life stage concepts. First, historical and cultural examples are presented to illustrate the widespread use of life stage concepts across times and places. Then, sociological research on the institutionalization of life stages in the 19th and 20th centuries in industrial societies is summarized, but with a new interpretation of how those life stage concepts arose. Next, the idea of life stages as master narratives is proposed, as a way of explaining how life stages provide the raw material for individuals to construct a personal identity narrative. The paper concludes by proposing that the exploration of indigenous life stage concepts is an exciting new potential field of study.
Nor-Ursodeoxycholic Acid as a Novel Therapeutic Approach for Cholestatic and Metabolic Liver Diseases
Authors: Halilbasic Emina , Steinacher Daniel , Trauner Michael
Published: March 2017

Norursodeoxycholic acid (norUDCA) is a side-chain-shortened derivative of ursodeoxycholic acid with relative resistance to amidation, which enables its cholehepatic shunting. Based on its specific pharmacologic properties, norUDCA is a promising drug for a range of cholestatic liver and bile duct disorders. Recently, norUDCA has been successfully tested clinically in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) as first application in patients. Moreover, hepatic enrichment of norUDCA facilitates direct therapeutic effects on both parenchymal and non-parenchymal liver cells, thereby counteracting cholestasis, steatosis, hepatic inflammation and fibrosis, inhibiting hepatocellular proliferation, and promoting autophagy. This may open its therapeutic use to other non-cholestatic and metabolic liver diseases. This review article is a summary of a lecture given at the XXIV International Bile Acid Meeting (Falk Symposium 203) on “Bile Acids in Health and Disease” held in Düsseldorf, on June 17-18, 2016 and summarizes the recent progress of norUDCA as novel therapeutic approach in cholestatic and metabolic liver disorders with a specific focus on PSC.
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer Disease, Vascular Dementia, and Mixed Dementia
Authors: Anor Cassandra J. , O'Connor Sean , Saund Amardeep , Tang-Wai David F. , Keren Ron , Tartaglia Maria Carmela
Published: March 2017

Background/Aims: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common in Alzheimer disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD), and are distressful to patients and caregivers. NPS are likely related to the underlying pathology. Previous studies suggest that frontal lobe lesions and vascular changes such as white matter hyperintensities (WMH) have a significant association with specific NPS. The current study aimed to compare NPS in patients with AD, VaD, and mixed AD/VaD, and to evaluate the differences in the prevalence of NPS in relation to frontal WMH volume. Methods: In total, 180 patients with NPS and MRI data (92 probable AD, 51%; 34 probable VaD, 19%; and 54 probable mixed AD/VaD, 30%) were included in the study. Regression analyses were performed to determine the relationships between NPS prevalence and diagnosis, and between NPS and frontal WMH. Results: VaD patients had significantly more agitation (p < 0.05; 40 vs. 14%) and sleep disturbances (p < 0.05; 57 vs. 32%) than AD patients, and significantly more depression (p < 0.05; 48 vs. 20%) and aberrant motor behaviors (p < 0.05; 31 vs. 13%) than mixed AD/VaD patients. AD patients with delusions had significantly greater right frontal WMH volumes than those without (p < 0.05; delusions 1/0 = 314.8/112.6 mm3). Conclusion: Differences in NPS prevalence are likely related to the underlying pathology and warrant further study as they have implications for treatment.
The Association between Depression, Perceived Health Status, and Quality of Life among Individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease: An Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2012
Authors: Nguyen Hoang Anh , Anderson Cheryl A.M. , Miracle Cynthia M. , Rifkin Dena E.
Published: March 2017

Background: Depression is the most common mental health disorder among those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), with prevalence of 15-40%. However, the association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and depression is more variable. We examined the associations of CKD with depression, perceived health status, and quality of life in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012. Methods: This study included 4,075 adults. Depression was defined as a condition when a Patient Health Questionnaire score was ≥10, or when there was reported antidepressant use. Reduced quality of life was defined by the number of days having poor mental and physical health, or feeling anxious. We calculated ORs for associations between CKD and depression and self-perceived health status, and used linear regression to examine associations between CKD and the number of days of poor health or anxiety. Results: The prevalence of CKD was 7.0% and that of depression was 19.1%. Those with CKD were not more likely to be depressed versus those without CKD after multivariate adjustment. Although they were 2.2 times more likely to have fair/poor health status after adjusting for demographic characteristics, this was attenuated by adjustment for confounders. Those with CKD reported one more day of being inactive due to poor health in the past month (p < 0.05), after multivariate adjustment. No differences were found for self-reported anxiety. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that NHANES participants with CKD have more days of poor health but are not more likely to be depressed or anxious. This may reflect differences between clinical CKD populations and community-based samples.
Dynamic Analysis of Coupled Sawtooth and Rectangle Cellular Neural Networks with Application in HBV Patients' B-Scan Images
Authors: Wang Mian , Min Lequan , Litscher Gerhard , Li Min
Published: March 2017

Liver damage caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections is diffuse. Live medical images and FibroScan images show that it is inhomogeneous. Modeling and interpreting such phenomena are both important for theoretical research and practical application. The cellular neural networks (CNNs) introduced by Chua and Yang can model widely observed patterns in both nonbiological and biological media. The sawtooth and rectangle (SR) CNN introduced by Chua and colleagues is able to generate SR-shaped patterns for any random-input grayscale patterns, which are also similar to some chronic HBV-infected patients' liver B-scan images. This paper will mathematically study the dynamic behaviors of the SR CNN, numerically simulate the output images of the SR CNN, and biologically interpret the relationships between the output images of the SR CNN and the patterns in HBV-infected patients' liver B-scan images. Our research results show that the SR CNN may be used as a candidate for modeling liver infections.
A Case of Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia Which Was Aggravated by Acid Reducer
Authors: Nakade Yukiomi , Ozeki Tomonori , Kanamori Hiroyuki , Inoue Tadahisa , Yamamoto Takaya , Kobayashi Yuji , Ishii Norimitsu , Ohashi Tomohiko , Ito Kiyoaki , Yoneda Masashi
Published: March 2017

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is known to be characterized by red patches or spots in a diffuse or linear array in the antrum of the stomach. The precise etiology of GAVE remains to be elucidated. Argon plasma laser coagulation (APC) has been used to control oozing from GAVE; however, there is no satisfactory long-term effect of APC in the control of oozing from GAVE. An acid reducer is used after APC because even physiological acid exposure might delay post-APC ulcer healing. We describe the case of a patient who had used an acid reducer and experienced repeated gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to GAVE. After ceasing to administer the acid reducer, incidences of hospitalization due to oozing from GAVE stopped. After the administration of the acid reducer was restarted, the patient had tarry stool, and diffuse oozing of blood was seen again. We report a first case of GAVE which was aggravated by acid reducer.
Therapeutic Interventional Endoscopic Ultrasound Based on Rare Cases in Indonesia: A Single-Center Experience in Unselected Patients
Authors: Lesmana Cosmas Rinaldi A. , Gani Rino A. , Hasan Irsan , Sulaiman Andri Sanityoso , Lesmana Laurentius A.
Published: March 2017

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is still not widely available and has a barrier in most Southeast Asian countries due to lack of training program, high cost, and hospital investment. In this study, we would like to show the impact of therapeutic interventional EUS procedures in gastroenterology practice in Indonesia, which represents the biggest Southeast Asian country. Methods: Patients who underwent interventional EUS procedure in Medistra Hospital were prospectively recruited within 1 year. Results: Of 147 patients who underwent EUS procedures, 39 patients underwent fine needle aspiration. Most of the cases suffered from pancreatic cancer (47.5%) followed by ampullary cancer (20%), gastric subepithelial mass (10%), and other conditions. There were 4 rare cases that underwent therapeutic interventional EUS procedures. Patients with large mesenteric cyst attached to the gastric wall and large left liver lobe cyst with gastric compression who were previously suspected with gastrointestinal stromal tumor were successfully managed by cyst aspiration. One patient with a large pseudocyst due to chronic pancreatitis was successfully managed by plastic stent placement. Another patient with duodenal duplication cyst causing duodenal obstruction was managed by inserting a plastic stent through the cyst. No complications were observed during and after the therapeutic EUS procedures. Conclusions: Innovation in interventional EUS has a high impact in gastroenterology practice as well as in a developing country like Indonesia, which represents the biggest Southeast Asian country. Further developments are needed regarding the cost, investment, and especially the necessary training curriculum to make this technology available in tertiary referral centers.
Perioperative Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Locally Advanced Adenocarcinoma of the Stomach and the Esophagogastric Junction: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis of Toxicity and Efficacy at the National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg
Authors: Haag Georg Martin , Byl Anne , Jäger Dirk , Berger Anne Katrin
Published: March 2017

Objective: Esophagogastric cancer occurs more frequently in older patients, but these are underrepresented in clinical studies establishing the current treatment standards for perioperative chemotherapy in locally advanced disease. This leads to uncertainty regarding the treatment of older patients with potentially toxic but active regimens. Methods: Using a prospectively generated database, we analyzed 63 patients aged ≥70 years undergoing perioperative chemotherapy for locally advanced esophagogastric cancer. The information included Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, comorbidity index, body mass index, regimen of chemotherapy, toxicity, dosage adjustments, date of surgery, application of adjuvant treatment, date of progression, and date of death. Survival times were calculated. Results: The median age was 73 years. 96.8% of the patients received an oxaliplatin-containing regimen. In 17.5% of the patients, the dosage was reduced, and treatment was previously permanently stopped in 7.9%; 80% of the patients underwent curatively intended surgery, but only 27.5% of those undergoing resection started adjuvant treatment. Major histological regression was observed in 21.6% of the patients. The median survival was 19.1 months. Significantly improved survival times were observed for patients undergoing surgery (p = 0.008) and for patients with a triplet therapy (p = 0.004). Survival was worse for patients aged ≥75 years. Conclusion: perioperative treatment is feasible and effective in elderly patients with esophagogastric cancer.
A Case of Noncuratively Resected Gastric Cancer and Postoperative Chemotherapy with S-1 Monotherapy Resulting in Long-Term Survival for Over 8 Years
Authors: Suh Byoung Jo
Published: March 2017

We report the case of a noncuratively resected gastric cancer patient who was successfully treated with S-1 monotherapy, resulting in long-term survival of 96 months. A 72-year-old woman underwent noncurative resection of subtotal gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer with conglomerated lymph node metastasis and pancreatic invasion. She received chemotherapy with S-1 monotherapy postoperatively. S-1 (100 mg/day) was administered orally after breakfast and dinner for 28 days followed by a 14-day break for a total of 52 months. Regular checkups with esophagogastroduodenoscopy, abdominopelvic computed tomography, and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography revealed no evidence of cancer 96 months after the operation. The patient was effectively treated with long-term administration of S-1 after noncurative gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer.
ENETS Consensus Guidelines for the Standards of Care in Neuroendocrine Tumors: Pre- and Perioperative Therapy in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Kaltsas Gregory , Caplin Martyn , Davies Philippa , Ferone Diego , Garcia-Carbonero Rocio , Grozinsky-Glasberg Simona , Hörsch Dieter , Tiensuu Janson Eva , Kianmanesh Reza , Kos-Kudla Beata , Pavel Marianne , Rinke Anja , Falconi Massimo , de Herder Wouter W. ,   all other Antibes Consensus Conference participants
Published: March 2017

Neuroendocrine tumors of the small intestine are the most common causes of the carcinoid syndrome. Carcinoid heart disease occurs in more than half of the patients with the carcinoid syndrome. Patients with carcinoid heart disease who need to undergo surgery should also undergo preoperative evaluation by an expert cardiologist. Treatment with long-acting somatostatin analogs aims at controlling the excessive hormonal output and symptoms related to the carcinoid syndrome and at preventing a carcinoid crisis during interventions. Patients with a gastrinoma require pre- and postoperative treatment with high doses of proton pump inhibitors. Patients with a glucagonoma require somatostatin analog treatment and nutritional supplementation. Patients with a VIPoma also require somatostatin analog treatment and intravenous fluid and electrolyte therapy. Insulinoma patients generally require intravenous glucose infusion prior to operation. In patients with localized operable insulinoma, somatostatin analog infusion should only be considered after the effect of this therapy has been electively studied.
Alterations of Serum IP-10 and TARC in Patients with Early Acute Rejection after Liver Transplantation
Authors: Meng Xingchu , Gao Wei , Tang Ying , Shen Zhongyang , Wang Zhenglu
Published: March 2017

Background/Aims: To analyze alterations of interferon-γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10) and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) levels in early acute liver transplantation rejection. Methods: Thirty-six patients with early acute liver transplantation rejection were classified as non-, mild, moderate, and severe rejection groups. The levels of serum IP-10 and TARC were determined on days 3, 2, 1, and 0 before biopsy. Results: The IP-10 activities in all rejection groups were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in the non-rejection group at all time points and correlated with the extent of rejection (p < 0.05). The differences in TARC among the three rejection groups were significant (p < 0.05), and its highest level was found in the mild rejection group at all observed time points, whereas its lowest level was detected in the severe rejection group. The analysis of the TARC/IP-10 ratio revealed that the volume was correlated with the rejection degree. This ratio in the moderate and severe rejection groups on days 2, 1, and 0 before biopsy were 20% lower than that before transplantation. Conclusion: Serum IP-10 showed an increasing trend during early acute liver transplantation rejection. IP-10 increase or TARC/IP-10 ratio decrease combining with abnormal hepatic enzymatic alteration could be a valuable and specific sign for early rejection of the transplanted liver.
Water-Pipe Smoke Exposure-Induced Circulatory Disturbances in Mice, and the Influence of Betaine Supplementation Thereon
Authors: Nemmar Abderrahim , Al-Salam Suhail , Beegam Sumaya , Yuvaraju Priya , Oulhaj Abderrahim , Ali Badreldin H.
Published: March 2017

Background/Aims: It has been shown, both experimentally and clinically, that water-pipe smoke (WPS) exposure adversely affects the cardiovascular system (CVS) through the generation of oxidative stress and inflammation. Betaine, a naturally occurring compound in common foods, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. However, its potential to mitigate the adverse effect of WPS on the CVS has never been reported before. This is the subject of this study in mice. Methods: Mice were exposed daily for 30 min to either normal air (control), or to WPS for two consecutive weeks. Betaine was administered daily by gavage at a dose of 10mg/kg, 1h before either air or WPS exposure. Results: Betaine mitigated the in vivo prothrombotic effect of WPS in pial arterioles and venules. Moreover, it reversed the WPS-induced decrease in circulating platelets. Likewise, betaine alleviated platelet aggregation in vitro, and the shortening of activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time induced by WPS. Betaine reduced the increase of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and fibrinogen concentrations in plasma induced by WPS. Betaine also diminished the WPS-induced increase of plasma concentrations of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor α, and attenuated the increase of lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase. Immunohistochemical analysis of the heart revealed an increase in the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cytochrome C by cardiomyocytes of the WPS-exposed mice. These effects were averted by betaine. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that betaine treatment significantly mitigated WPS-induced hypercoagulability, and inflammation, as well as systemic and cardiac oxidative stress.
Improved Diastolic Function Is Associated With Higher Cardiac Output in Patients With Heart Failure Irrespective of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction
Authors: Tobushi Tomoyuki , Nakano Masatsugu , Hosokawa Kazuya , Koga Hidenobu , Yamada Akira
Published: March 2017

Background

Little is known regarding the impact of diastolic function on cardiac output (
CO
) in patients with heart failure, particularly in patients with lower ejection fraction. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of end‐diastolic pressure–volume relationship (
EDPVR
) on
CO
and end‐diastolic pressure (
EDP
).

Methods and Results

We retrospectively analyzed 1840 consecutive patients who underwent heart catheterization. We divided patients into 8 groups according to ejection fraction (
EF
) (35–45%, 46–55%, 56–65%, and 66–75%) and
EDP
(>16 or ≤16 mm Hg). We estimated
EDPVR
from single measurements in the catheterization data set. Then, we replaced
EDPVR
s of high‐
EDP
groups with those of normal‐
EDP
groups and compared
CO
before and after
EDPVR
replacement. Normalized
EDPVR
significantly increased
CO
at
EDP
=10 mm Hg regardless of
EF
(
EF
35–45%, from 4.5±1.6 to 4.9±1.0;
EF
46–55%, 4.6±1.3 to 5.1±1.1;
EF
56–65%, 4.9±1.5 to 5.2±1.0;
EF
66–75%, 4.9±1.5 to 5.2±1.1). Changes in
CO
were similar across
EF
groups.

Conclusions

Diastolic function normalization was associated with higher
CO
irrespective of
EF
. Diastolic dysfunction plays an important role in determining
CO
irrespective of
EF
in heart failure patients.
Characterisation of a Meloidogyne species complex parasitising rice in southern Brazil
Authors: Negretti Rafael R.R.D. , Gomes Cesar B. , Mattos Vanessa S. , Somavilla Lúcia , Manica-Berto Roberta , Agostinetto Dirceu , Castagnone-Sereno Philippe , Carneiro Regina M.D.G.
Published: March 2017

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) are important plant pathogens affecting rice in South-East Asia and southern Brazil in irrigated rice fields. In order to investigate the specific diversity of RKN associated with irrigated rice in southern Brazil, Meloidogyne spp. from Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and Santa Catarina (SC) States were characterised biochemically by esterase (Est) and malate dehydrogenase (Mdh) phenotypes. Fifty-six Meloidogyne spp. populations were detected in 48% of rice samples, and a total of five esterase phenotypes were identified, four of which presented as drawn-out bands in different positions. In RS State, M. graminicola (Est VS1), Meloidogyne sp. 2 (Est R2) and Meloidogyne sp. 3 (Est R3) were identified, which corresponded to ca 80, 40 and 10% of samples, respectively. In SC State, M. graminicola, M. javanica (Est J3), Meloidogyne sp. 1 (Est R1), Meloidogyne sp. 2 and Meloidogyne sp. 3 accounted for ca 93.75, 12.50, 62.50, 12.25 and 6.25% of samples, respectively. The esterase phenotypes R1, R2 and R3 are new, never having been detected on rice before. Meloidogyne javanica showed a N1 Mdh phenotype (Rm: 1.0), while four other populations exhibited a N1a (Rm: 1.4) phenotype. All populations were tested with two SCAR markers specific to M. graminicola, which confirmed that, but no specificity was obtained with both markers in relation to the atypical populations analysed. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer-rRNA (ITS) were performed to infer the phylogenetic relationship of these atypical Meloidogyne spp. populations. Meloidogyne sp. 1 grouped with the mitotic parthenogenetic species, while the two others (Meloidogyne sp. 2 and sp. 3) clustered with M. graminicola and other meiotic parthenogenetic species. Taken together, these data highlight the unprecedented specific diversity of RKN associated with irrigated rice in southern Brazil. Further morphological and phylogenetic studies involving these atypical isolates will be carried out to identify this complex of species.
The Symphony of Temperance in Republic 4
Authors: Lynch Tosca
Published: March 2017

This paper calls into question a long-lasting but ill-founded tenet of Platonic scholarship, namely that Plato was not interested in, or aware of, the technical implications of the musical concepts he employed in the dialogues. Conversely, I will show how Plato exploited the technical and practical features of the concept ofsymphōnía dià pasôn, and of choral singing more generally, to highlight the unique role played by temperance (sōphrosýnē) in the ideal city. More precisely I contend that Plato’s musical images, far from being decorative or purely metaphoric devices, enrich our understanding of this ethical notion precisely by means of their technical and performative implications, which were very familiar to the original readers of theRepublic. Hence musical theory and practice, in addition to being central elements of the cultural context in which Plato’s reflections must be interpreted, represent also a repertoire of concepts that significantly informed his philosophical theories.
The floral organogenesis of Eurycorymbus cavaleriei (Sapindaceae) and its systematic implications
Authors: CAO LI-MIN , RONSE DE CRAENE LOUIS P. , WANG ZHI-XIN , WANG YUE-HUA
Published: March 2017

Eurycorymbus is an unusual monotypic genus of Sapindaceae endemic to China. The floral organogenesis of E. cavaleriei has been investigated with the light and scanning electron microscope to clarify its floral characters and its uncertain systematic position. Eurycorymbus cavaleriei possesses several unique characteristics in Sapindaceae. Flowers are unisexual. Sepals initiate in a spiral sequence, followed by five alternating petals which resemble sepals at maturity. The sequential initiation of eight stamens partly overlaps with that of the petals. Three carpellary lobes are simultaneously demarcated and merge gradually to form a tricarpellate ovary. Mature stamens of male flowers have long and smooth filaments, which are folded in buds. In female flowers only one or two ovules per ovary develop into seeds. The extrastaminal nectary forms doubly scalloped lobes. Symmetry changes from oblique monosymmetry at a mid-developmental stage to polysymmetry at maturity. It is suggested that monosymmetry might precede polysymmetry in the evolution of Sapindaceae.
Taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical species of Pachyanthidium Friese (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Anthidiini)
Authors: EARDLEY CONNAL , GRISWOLD TERRY
Published: March 2017

The Afrotropical species of Pachyanthidium Friese are revised. Sixteen species are recognized in four subgenera. One new species, Pachyanthidium (Trichanthidium) anoplos sp. n. is described; and one species, Pachyanthidium (Trichanthidium) cucullatum (Friese), is reinstated as a valid species. Four new synonymy are proposed: Pachyanthidium minutulum Pasteels =Pachyanthidium (Trichanthidiodes) semiluteum Pasteels syn. n.; Anthidium africanum Smith = P. (P.) bicolor (Lepeletier) syn. n.; Pachyanthidium cordatum swellemdamense Mavromoustakis = Pachyanthidium (P.) cordatum (Smith) syn. n. and Anthidium cordatum var. salamense Friese 1931 = Pachyanthidium (P.) salamense (Friese 1915) syn. n. Identification keys for the Afrotropical species are given.
Morphology, songs and genetics identify two new cicada species from Morocco: Tettigettalna afroamissa sp. nov. and Berberigetta dimelodica gen. nov. & sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Cicadettini)
Authors: COSTA GONÇALO JOÃO , NUNES VERA L. , MARABUTO EDUARDO , MENDES RAQUEL , LAURENTINO TELMA G. , QUARTAU JOSÉ ALBERTO , PAULO OCTÁVIO S. , SIMÕES PAULA CRISTINA
Published: March 2017

Morocco has been the subject of very few expeditions on the last century with the objective of studying small cicadas. In the summer of 2014 an expedition was carried out to Morocco to update our knowledge with acoustic recordings and genetic data of these poorly known species. We describe here two new small-sized cicadas that could not be directly assigned to any species of North African cicadas: Tettigettalna afroamissa sp. nov. and Berberigetta dimelodica gen. nov. & sp. nov. In respect to T. afroamissa it is the first species of the genus to be found outside Europe and we frame this taxon within the evolutionary history of the genus. Acoustic analysis of this species allows us to confidently separate T. afroamissa from its congeners. With B. dimelodica, a small species showing a remarkable calling song characterized by an abrupt frequency modulation, a new genus had to be erected. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses with DNA-barcode sequences of Cytochrome C Oxidase 1 support the monophyly of both species, their distinctness and revealed genetic structure within B. dimelodica. Alongside the descriptions we also provide GPS coordinates of collection points, distributions and habitat preferences.
A new species of the endemic Chilean leafhopper genus Chileanoscopus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Idiocerinae)
Authors: XUE QINGQUAN , MCKAMEY STUART H. , ZHANG YALIN
Published: March 2017

A new species, C. serrulatus sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Chile. A redescription of this genus is provided together with a key to species for males.
Reply to “Comments on ‘On the Choice of Average Solar Zenith Angle’’’
Authors: Cronin Timothy W.
Published: March 2017

The solar zenith angle controls local insolation and also affects the partitioning of insolation into planetary reflection, atmospheric absorption, and surface absorption. Because of this role of the solar zenith angle in modulating albedo, Cronin and others have proposed that insolation weighting should be used to determine the solar zenith angle when a single-angle calculation is used to represent a spatial or temporal average of solar fluxes. A comment by Li claims instead that daytime weighting is optimal, and that insolation weighting leads to serious errors, but this claim is based on a severe misinterpretation of the method proposed by Cronin. With any method of zenith angle averaging, both the solar constant and the zenith angle are free parameters, but their product—the mean insolation—must be held constant. Li fails to hold insolation constant when comparing different methods of zenith angle averaging and, thus, obtains large but spurious “errors.” This paper attempts to clarify the method proposed by Cronin and tabulates the insolation-weighted solar zenith angle and solar constant that should be used as a function of latitude for annual-average radiative transfer on a planet with Earth’s obliquity and a circular orbit.
Spatial Contrast of Geographically Induced Rainfall Observed by TRMM PR
Authors: Hirose Masafumi , Takayabu Yukari N. , Hamada Atsushi , Shige Shoichi , Yamamoto Munehisa K.
Published: March 2017

In this study, the spatial variability in precipitation at a 0.1° scale is investigated using long-term data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar. Marked regional heterogeneities emerged for orographic rainfall on characteristic scales of tens of kilometers, high concentrations of small-scale systems (<10 km) over alpine areas, and sharp declines around mountain summits. In detecting microclimates, an additional concern is suspicious echoes observed around certain geographical areas with relatively low rainfall. A finescale land–river contrast can be extracted in the diurnal behavior of rainfall in medium-scale systems (10–100 km), corresponding to the course of the Amazon River. In addition, rainfall enhancement over small islands (0.1°–1°) was identified in terms of the storm scale. Even 0.1°-scale flat islands experience more rainfall than the adjacent ocean, primarily as a result of localized small or moderate systems. By contrast, compared with small islands, high-impact large-scale systems (>100 km) result in more rainfall over the adjacent ocean. Finescale hourly data represented the abrupt asymmetric fluctuation in rainfall across the coastline in the tropics and subtropics (30°S–30°N). Significant diurnal modulations in the rainfall due to large-scale systems are found over tropical offshore regions of vast landmasses but not over small islands or in the midlatitudes between 30° and 36°. Rainfall enhancement over small tropical islands is generated by abundant afternoon rainfall, which results from medium-scale storms that are regulated by the island size and inactivity of rainfall over coastal waters.
Strengthened Relationship between Eastern ENSO and Summer Precipitation over Northeastern China
Authors: Han Tingting , Wang Huijun , Sun Jianqi
Published: March 2017

This paper reveals a strengthened relationship between the spring eastern ENSO and summer precipitation over northeastern China (NEC) after the late 1990s. The relationship of the spring eastern ENSO with summer NEC precipitation is insignificant during 1983–97, whereas it becomes significantly positive during 1998–2012. In the earlier period, a zonal tripolar pattern in the middle to high latitudes of the North Asia–Pacific region and an anomalous anticyclone over Japan are the main factors responsible for NEC summer precipitation, although these atmospheric patterns have a weak correlation with the spring eastern ENSO. However, the atmospheric circulation that influences precipitation in NEC develops into the Siberian high and an anomalous cyclone over NEC after the late 1990s, which are strongly correlated with the spring eastern ENSO. The changes in associated atmospheric circulation partially contribute to the strengthening of the eastern ENSO–precipitation relationship. Additionally, the eastern ENSO signals persist from spring to summer via the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) and a dramatic warming trend occurs in the TIO after the late 1990s. Observations and numerical simulations indicate that the circulation anomaly induced by warming in the TIO acts as a bridge linking the eastern ENSO and precipitation after the late 1990s. The northern Hadley and Ferrell cell anomalies associated with the TIO SST anomaly are much more significant and extend farther north to the midlatitudes, and the associated divergence anomalies centers shift from the tropical central Pacific to western Pacific; those further influence the NEC precipitation through modulation to the atmosphere circulation (e.g., geopotential height, horizontal wind, and moisture transport).
Glacial Meltwater Identification in the Amundsen Sea
Authors: Biddle Louise C. , Heywood Karen J. , Kaiser Jan , Jenkins Adrian
Published: March 2017

Pine Island Ice Shelf, in the Amundsen Sea, is losing mass because of warm ocean waters melting the ice from below. Tracing meltwater pathways from ice shelves is important for identifying the regions most affected by the increased input of this water type. Here, optimum multiparameter analysis is used to deduce glacial meltwater fractions from water mass characteristics (temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen concentrations), collected during a ship-based campaign in the eastern Amundsen Sea in February–March 2014. Using a one-dimensional ocean model, processes such as variability in the characteristics of the source water masses on shelf and biological productivity/respiration are shown to affect the calculated apparent meltwater fractions. These processes can result in a false meltwater signature, creating misleading apparent glacial meltwater pathways. An alternative glacial meltwater calculation is suggested, using a pseudo–Circumpolar Deep Water endpoint and using an artificial increase in uncertainty of the dissolved oxygen measurements. The pseudo–Circumpolar Deep Water characteristics are affected by the under ice shelf bathymetry. The glacial meltwater fractions reveal a pathway for 2014 meltwater leading to the west of Pine Island Ice Shelf, along the coastline.
Economic Inequality and Social Entrepreneurship
Authors: Pathak Saurav , Muralidharan Etayankara
Published: March 2017

This article explores the extent to which income inequality and income mobility—both considered indicators of economic inequality and conditions of formal regulatory institutions (government activism)—facilitate or constrain the emergence of social entrepreneurship. Using 77,983 individual-level responses obtained from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey of 26 countries, and supplementing with country-level data obtained from the Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum, our results from multilevel analyses demonstrate that country-level income inequality increases the likelihood of individual-level engagement in social entrepreneurship, while income mobility decreases this likelihood. Further, income mobility negatively moderates the influence of income inequality on social entrepreneurship, such that the condition of low income mobility and high income inequality is a stronger predictor of social entrepreneurship. We discuss implications and limitations of our study, and we suggest avenues for future research.
New Approaches to Citizen-Building: Shifting Needs, Goals, and Outcomes
Authors: Jones Calvert W.
Published: March 2017

New approaches to citizen-building are flourishing, yet theoretical tools are lacking and empirical research is limited. This article contributes in several ways. Theoretically, it offers a reconceptualization of the traditional “making of citizens” framework, aiming to adapt it to contemporary needs and concerns. Empirically, it offers an examination of the content of civics curricula as well as original data on the outcomes of an ambitious state-led social engineering campaign in the United Arab Emirates, where leaders seek to build more “globalization-ready” citizens—more entrepreneurial, market friendly, patriotic, and civic minded, yet still loyal to the regime. Using a difference-in-differences framework, I find evidence that social engineering is succeeding in some respects but backfiring in others, giving rise to citizens not only more patriotic but also more entitled—in other words, entitled patriots. Findings contribute to knowledge of state-led social engineering and citizen-building in the contemporary era.
Eco’s The Name of the Rose: Bricolage and montage of cultural history
Authors: Capozzi Rocco
Published: March 2017

Umberto Eco loved analogies, was an artist of the déjà-vu and a great bricoleur in architecting a pastiche of genre and a collage of intertextual anxieties of influences. I begin with his inspiration from one of his favorite and most influential writers, James Joyce, and will close with the influence of his all-time favorite movie, Casablanca. Eco’s remarkable study of Joyce’s works appeared in the first edition of Opera aperta. The influence of this meticulous analysis of puns, riddles, metonymy, and interactive metaphors resurfaces with his encyclopedic knowledge in The Name of the Rose. My argument is that Eco, keeping the famous Irish writer in mind, structured his own novels as dynamic epistemological metaphors. In addition to the skillful use of parodies, irony, puns, metaphors, erudition, semiosis, details, and comic relief, The Name of the Rose reveals many of Eco’s narrative strategies. Socratic dialogues, intertextual frames, citations, palimpsests, and chains of associations are at the center of his possible world of fiction where History and stories intertwine. From the cult movie Casablanca Eco learned how an intertextual collage of clichés was used constructively: “two clichés make us laugh, but a hundred clichés move us because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves and celebrating a reunion.” In The Rose we encounter clichés, archetypes, and familiar quotations that with Eco’s encyclopedic knowledge contribute to making his first hybrid cognitive narrative an excellent example of docere et delectare.
Copernicus’s Derivation of the Heliocentric Theory from Regiomontanus’s Eccentric Models of the Second Inequality of the Superior and Inferior Planets
Authors: Swerdlow N.M.
Published: March 2017

A page of notes in Copernicus’s hand shows the origin of the numerical parameters in the Commentariolus from the Alfonsine Tables and provides evidence for the derivation of the heliocentric theory from Regiomontanus’s description of eccentric models of the second inequality for superior and inferior planets in the Epitome of the Almagest. This is an explanation of the derivations of the parameters and of the heliocentric theory followed by comments on Professor Jamil Ragep’s criticisms and his own derivation of the heliocentric theory directly from the planetary models of Ibn ash-Shāṭir.
Exploring relationships between rubber productivity and R&D in Malaysia
Authors: Abdulla Ibragimov , Arshad Fatimah Mohamed
Published: March 2017

In recent decades, the Malaysian rubber sector has developed from a supplier of raw materials to a rubber-based manufacturing industry producing export products such as gloves and tyres. In contrast, the upstream rubber sector has experienced a declining trend in both plantation area and production capacity. In 2015, almost 95% of rubber producers were smallholders who depended on plantations as their main source of income. Despite government efforts to boost growth in the industry, the area and productivity have continued to decline. This study attempts to examine the structural factors that led to a decline in rubber area and natural rubber production and proposes strategies to enhance productivity and returns for smallholders. A system dynamics approach was used to capture the feedback relationships between variables in the rubber production system as well as the temporal lags and non-linearities. The findings suggest that gradual research and development funding for development of high-yielding clones holds major promise for yield improvement and increased income for smallholders.