bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Biology of Benzothiazoles
Authors: Gill Rupinder K. , Rawal Ravindra K. , Bariwal Jitender
Published: February 2015

Benzothiazole is a privileged heterocyclic scaffold having a benzene ring fused with a five‐membered thiazole ring. This moiety has attracted considerable attention because of its wide range of pharmacological activities such as antitubercular, antimicrobial, antimalarial, anticonvulsant, anthelmintic, analgesic, anti‐inflammatory, antidiabetic, antitumor activity, etc. In the last few years, some novel benzothiazoles have been developed with varied biological activities. To access this scaffold in high yield and to introduce diversity, a variety of new synthetic methods have been invented. In this review, we highlight the development of novel benzothiazoles for various biological activities along with the best synthetic protocols for their synthesis.
Explicit search result diversification using score and rank aggregation methods
Authors: Ozdemiray Ahmet Murat , Altingovde Ismail Sengor
Published: February 2015

Search result diversification is one of the key techniques to cope with the ambiguous and underspecified information needs of web users. In the last few years, strategies that are based on the explicit knowledge of query aspects emerged as highly effective ways of diversifying search results. Our contributions in this article are two‐fold. First, we extensively evaluate the performance of a state‐of‐the‐art explicit diversification strategy and pin‐point its potential weaknesses. We propose basic yet novel optimizations to remedy these weaknesses and boost the performance of this algorithm. As a second contribution, inspired by the success of the current diversification strategies that exploit the relevance of the candidate documents to individual query aspects, we cast the diversification problem into the problem of ranking aggregation. To this end, we propose to materialize the re‐rankings of the candidate documents for each query aspect and then merge these rankings by adapting the score(‐based) and rank(‐based) aggregation methods. Our extensive experimental evaluations show that certain ranking aggregation methods are superior to existing explicit diversification strategies in terms of diversification effectiveness. Furthermore, these ranking aggregation methods have lower computational complexity than the state‐of‐the‐art diversification strategies.
Effects of ego involvement and social norms on individuals' uploading intention on Wikipedia: A comparative study between the United States and South Korea
Authors: Park Namkee , Oh Hyun Sook , Kang Naewon
Published: February 2015

This study investigates the reasons and factors associated with individuals' intentions to upload content on Wikipedia with a focus on the role of ego involvement and social norms. The study also compares the associations between the factors and uploading intentions of two different cultures, the United States and South Korea. Using data from surveys of college students from the two countries (n = 249 and 173), structural equation modeling analyses revealed that ego involvement not only plays an essential role in explaining uploading intention but also functions as an antecedent of attitude and perceived behavioral control in both countries. However, the subjective norm was not significantly associated with uploading intention in either country, and the descriptive norm was a marginally significant factor in accounting for uploading intention in the United States. Moreover, it was found that, only in the United States, attitude was significantly associated with uploading intention, whereas perceived behavioral control was a significant factor in explaining uploading intention in both countries. These findings suggest that the effects of cultural differences, the impact of subjective norms in particular, may be weakened with the more self‐oriented nature of Web 2.0 applications and social media such as Wikipedia. Theoretical implications are discussed.
Identifying the role of individual user messages in an online discussion and its use in thread retrieval
Authors: Bhatia Sumit , Biyani Prakhar , Mitra Prasenjit
Published: February 2015

Online discussion forums have become a popular medium for users to discuss with and seek information from other users having similar interests. A typical discussion thread consists of a sequence of posts posted by multiple users. Each post in a thread serves a different purpose providing different types of information and, thus, may not be equally useful for all applications. Identifying the purpose and nature of each post in a discussion thread is thus an interesting research problem as it can help in improving information extraction and intelligent assistance techniques. We study the problem of classifying a given post as per its purpose in the discussion thread and employ features based on the post's content, structure of the thread, behavior of the participating users, and sentiment analysis of the post's content. We evaluate our approach on two forum data sets belonging to different genres and achieve strong classification performance. We also analyze the relative importance of different features used for the post classification task. Next, as a use case, we describe how the post class information can help in thread retrieval by incorporating this information in a state‐of‐the‐art thread retrieval model.
Uncovering information from social media hyperlinks: An investigation of twitter
Authors: Vaughan Liwen
Published: February 2015

Analyzing hyperlink patterns has been a major research topic since the early days of the web. Numerous studies reported uncovering rich information and methodological advances. However, very few studies thus far examined hyperlinks in the rapidly developing sphere of social media. This paper reports a study that helps fill this gap. The study analyzed links originating from tweets to the websites of 3 types of organizations (government, education, and business). Data were collected over an 8‐month period to observe the fluctuation and reliability of the individual data set. Hyperlink data from the general web (not social media sites) were also collected and compared with social media data. The study found that the 2 types of hyperlink data correlated significantly and that analyzing the 2 together can help organizations see their relative strength or weakness in the two platforms. The study also found that both types of inlink data correlated with offline measures of organizations' performance. Twitter data from a relatively short period were fairly reliable in estimating performance measures. The timelier nature of social media data as well as the date/time stamps on tweets make this type of data potentially more valuable than that from the general web.
Factors that influence the teaching use of Wikipedia in higher education
Authors: Meseguer‐Artola Antoni , Aibar Eduard , Lladós Josep , Minguillón Julià , Lerga Maura
Published: February 2015

A key impact the Internet is having on university teaching involves the new choices being provided because of open educational content. Wikipedia is a clear example of these new options. It is a gigantic open repository of knowledge, and it can also be considered a platform that facilitates collaboration in knowledge creation and dissemination. Our research objective is to understand what the main factors are that influence the teaching uses of Wikipedia among university faculty. Based on a technology acceptance model, and using data from a survey sent to all faculty members of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, we analyze the relationships within the internal and external constructs of the model. We found that both the perception of colleagues' opinions about Wikipedia and the perceived quality of the information in Wikipedia play a central role. These two constructs have a significant direct impact on the perceived usefulness of Wikipedia. This perceived usefulness affects, mediated by the behavioral intention of using Wikipedia, the effective use behavior of the encyclopedia. The degree to which an individual considers it is important to participate in open collaborative environments and the Web 2.0 profile of the faculty members also play an important role in our model.
Iodine‐Catalyzed Oxidative Coupling Reactions Utilizing CH and XH as Nucleophiles
Authors: Liu Dong , Lei Aiwen
Published: February 2015

In recent decades, iodine‐catalyzed oxidative coupling reactions utilizing CH and XH as nucleophiles have received considerable attention because they represent more efficient, greener, more atom‐economical, and milder bond‐formation strategies over transition‐metal‐catalyzed oxidative coupling reactions. This Focus Review gives a brief summary of recent development on iodine‐catalyzed oxidative coupling reactions utilizing CH and XH as nucleophiles.
The North American winter ‘dipole’ and extremes activity: a CMIP5 assessment
Authors: Wang Shih‐Yu Simon , Huang Wan‐Ru , Yoon Jin‐Ho
Published: February 2015

The 2013–2014 winter in North America brought intense drought in the West and severe cold in the East. The circulation anomalies were characterized as a dipole: an amplified upper‐level ridge over the West Coast and a deepened trough over the central‐eastern United States. A previous study using a single model has linked the dipole to the El Niño precursor and found that this link has strengthened in recent years. Here, 17 models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 are used to examine the dipole activity. Most models capture the dipole and its association with El Niño precursor and project this association to strengthen.
Self‐similar evolutionary solutions for an accreting magneto‐fluid around a compact object with finite electrical conductivity
Authors: Habibi F. , Pazhouhesh R. , Shaghaghian M.
Published: February 2015

In this paper, we investigate the time evolution of an accreting magneto‐fluid with finite conductivity. For the case of a thin disk, the fluid equations along with Maxwell's equations are derived in a simplified, one‐dimensional model that neglects the latitudinal dependence of the flow. The finite electrical conductivity of the plasma is taken into account by Ohm's law; however, the shear viscous stress is neglected, as well as the self‐gravity of the disk. In order to solve the integrated equations that govern the dynamical behaviour of the magneto‐fluid, we have used a self‐similar solution. We introduce two dimensionless variables, S0 and εϱ, which represent the size of the electrical conductivity and the density behaviour with time, respectively. The effect of each of these on the structure of the disk is studied. While the pressure is obtained simply by solving an ordinary differential equation, the density, the magnetic field, the radial velocity, and the rotational velocity are presented analytically. The solutions show that the S0 and εϱ parameters affect the radial thickness of the disk. Also, radial velocity and gas pressure are more sensitive to the electrical conductivity in the inner regions of disk. Moreover, the parameter εϱ has a more significant effect on the physical quantities for small radii. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Geometric characterization of the Arjuna orbital domain
Authors: de la Fuente Marcos C. , de la Fuente Marcos R.
Published: February 2015

Arjuna‐type orbits are characterized by being Earth‐like, having both low‐eccentricity and low‐inclination. Objects following these trajectories experience repeated trappings in the 1:1 commensurability with the Earth and can become temporary Trojans, horseshoe librators, quasi‐satellites, and even transient natural satellites. Here, we review what we know about this peculiar dynamical group and use a Monte Carlo simulation to characterize geometrically the Arjuna orbital domain, studying its visibility both from the ground and with the European Space Agency Gaia spacecraft. The visibility analysis from the ground together with the discovery circumstances of known objects are used as proxies to estimate the current size of this population. The impact cross‐section of the Earth for minor bodies in this resonant group is also investigated. We find that, for ground‐based observations, the solar elongation at perigee of nearly half of these objects is less than 90°. They are best observed by space‐borne telescopes, but Gaia is not going to improve significantly the current discovery rate for members of this class. Our results suggest that the size of this population may have been underestimated by current models. On the other hand, their intrinsically low encounter velocities with the Earth induce a 10–1000‐fold increase in the impact cross‐section with respect to what is typical for objects in the Apollo or Aten asteroid populations. We estimate that their probability of capture as transient natural satellites of our planet is about 8 %. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Digitization of sunspot drawings by Spörer made in 1861–1894
Authors: Diercke A. , Arlt R. , Denker C.
Published: February 2015

Most of our knowledge about the Sun's activity cycle arises from sunspot observations over the last centuries since telescopes have been used for astronomy. The German astronomer Gustav Spörer observed almost daily the Sun from 1861 until the beginning of 1894 and assembled a 33‐year collection of sunspot data covering a total of 445 solar rotation periods. These sunspot drawings were carefully placed on an equidistant grid of heliographic longitude and latitude for each rotation period, which were then copied to copper plates for a lithographic reproduction of the drawings in astronomical journals. In this article, we describe in detail the process of capturing these data as digital images, correcting for various effects of the aging print materials, and preparing the data for contemporary scientific analysis based on advanced image processing techniques. With the processed data we create a butterfly diagram aggregating sunspot areas, and we present methods to measure the size of sunspots (umbra and penumbra) and to determine tilt angles of active regions. A probability density function of the sunspot area is computed, which conforms to contemporary data after rescaling. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Surveillance of congenital malformations in infants conceived through assisted reproductive technology or other fertility treatments
Authors: Heisey Angela S. , Bell Erin M. , Herdt‐Losavio Michele L. , Druschel Charlotte
Published: February 2015

Background

As assisted reproductive technology (ART) becomes more common, it is important to understand the associated risks. The objective of this study was to determine if congenital malformations are associated with ART or other fertility treatments in New York.

Methods

In a retrospective cohort study of all live births in upstate New York from 1997 to 2005, exposure was defined using ART or other fertility treatments as noted on birth certificates. Outcomes were assessed from the New York State Congenital Malformations Registry. Specific malformations were examined to determine if there is elevated risk for exposed singleton infants compared with infants conceived naturally.

Results

The study included 7120 in the ART group, 11,890 in the other fertility treatments group and 1,118,162 in the comparison group. The relative risk for a congenital malformation was 1.43 (95% CI 1.19–1.72) for singleton infants conceived through ART compared with singleton infants conceived naturally. The specific defects associated with ART were patent ductus arteriosus, hypospadias, and obstructive defect in the renal pelvis and ureter, while spina bifida, other specific anomalies of the spinal cord, atresia or stenosis of the pulmonary valve, hypospadias, and obstructive defects of the renal pelvis and ureter were associated with other fertility treatment.

Conclusion

Assisted reproductive technology is associated with a slight excess risk of birth defects. The specific congenital malformations with elevated risks for singleton infants vary depending on the exposure. Further research is necessary to understand the mechanism related to the increase in risk. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 103:119–126, 2015 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Statistical evaluation of surrogate endpoints with examples from cancer clinical trials
Authors: Buyse Marc , Molenberghs Geert , Paoletti Xavier , Oba Koji , Alonso Ariel , Van der Elst Wim , Burzykowski Tomasz
Published: February 2015

A surrogate endpoint is intended to replace a clinical endpoint for the evaluation of new treatments when it can be measured more cheaply, more conveniently, more frequently, or earlier than that clinical endpoint. A surrogate endpoint is expected to predict clinical benefit, harm, or lack of these. Besides the biological plausibility of a surrogate, a quantitative assessment of the strength of evidence for surrogacy requires the demonstration of the prognostic value of the surrogate for the clinical outcome, and evidence that treatment effects on the surrogate reliably predict treatment effects on the clinical outcome. We focus on these two conditions, and outline the statistical approaches that have been proposed to assess the extent to which these conditions are fulfilled. When data are available from a single trial, one can assess the “individual level association” between the surrogate and the true endpoint. When data are available from several trials, one can additionally assess the “trial level association” between the treatment effect on the surrogate and the treatment effect on the true endpoint. In the latter case, the “surrogate threshold effect” can be estimated as the minimum effect on the surrogate endpoint that predicts a statistically significant effect on the clinical endpoint. All these concepts are discussed in the context of randomized clinical trials in oncology, and illustrated with two meta‐analyses in gastric cancer.
Influence of thiol capping on the photoluminescence properties of L‐cysteine‐, mercaptoethanol‐ and mercaptopropionic acid‐capped ZnS nanoparticles
Authors: Tiwari A. , Dhoble S. J. , Kher R. S.
Published: February 2015

Mercaptoethanol (ME), mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and L‐cysteine (L‐Cys) having ‐SH functional groups were used as surface passivating agents for the wet chemical synthesis of ZnS nanoparticles. The effect of the thiol group on the optical and photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnS nanoparticles was studied. L‐Cysteine‐capped ZnS nanoparticles showed the highest PL intensity among the studied capping agents, with a PL emission peak at 455 nm. The PL intensity was found to be dependent on the concentration of Zn2+ and S2– precursors. The effect of buffer on the PL intensity of L‐Cys‐capped ZnS nanoparticles was also studied. UV/Vis spectra showed blue shifting of the absorption edge. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using Populus as a lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol
Authors: Porth Ilga , El‐Kassaby Yousry A.
Published: February 2015

Populus species along with species from the sister genus Salix will provide valuable feedstock resources for advanced second‐generation biofuels. Their inherent fast growth characteristics can particularly be exploited for short rotation management, a time and energy saving cultivation alternative for lignocellulosic feedstock supply. Salicaceae possess inherent cell wall characteristics with favorable cellulose to lignin ratios for utilization as bioethanol crop. We review economically important traits relevant for intensively managed biofuel crop plantations, genomic and phenotypic resources available for Populus, breeding strategies for forest trees dedicated to bioenergy provision, and bioprocesses and downstream applications related to opportunities using Salicaceae as a renewable resource. Challenges need to be resolved for every single step of the conversion process chain, i.e., starting from tree domestication for improved performance as a bioenergy crop, bioconversion process, policy development for land use changes associated with advanced biofuels, and harvest and supply logistics associated with industrial‐scale biorefinery plants using Populus as feedstock. Significant hurdles towards cost and energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, and yield maximization with regards to biomass pretreatment, saccharification, and fermentation of celluloses and the sustainability of biorefineries as a whole still need to be overcome.
Optimization of adiponectin‐derived peptides for inhibition of cancer cell growth and signaling
Authors: Otvos Laszlo , Kovalszky Ilona , Olah Julia , Coroniti Roberta , Knappe Daniel , Nollmann Friederike I. , Hoffmann Ralf , Wade John D. , Lovas Sandor , Surmacz Eva
Published: February 2015

Adiponectin, an adipose tissue‐excreted adipokine plays protective roles in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and exerts anti‐cancer activities, partially by interfering with leptin‐induced signaling. Previously we identified the active site in the adiponectin protein, and generated both a nanomolar monomeric agonist of the adiponectin receptor (10‐mer ADP355) and an antagonist (8‐mer ADP400) to modulate various adiponectin receptor‐mediated cellular functions. As physiologically circulating adiponectin forms multimeric complexes, we also generated an agonist dimer with improved biodistribution and in vitro efficacy. In the current report, we attempted to optimize the monomeric agonist structure. Neither extension of the peptide up to 14‐mer analogs nor reinstallation of native residues in permissible positions enhanced significantly the activity profile. The only substitutions that resulted in 5–10‐fold improved agonistic activity were the replacement of turn‐forming Gly4 and Tyr7 residues with Pro and Hyp, respectively, yielding the more active native β‐sheet structure. All peptides retained good stability in human serum exhibiting half‐lives >2 h. The cellular efficacy and stability rankings among the peptides followed expected structure–activity relationship trends. To investigate whether simultaneous activation of adiponectin pathways and inhibition of leptin‐induced signals can result in cytostatic and anti‐oncogenic signal transduction processes, we developed a chimera of the leptin receptor antagonist peptide Allo‐aca (placed to the N‐terminus) and ADP355 (at the C‐terminus). The in vitro anti‐tumor activity and intracellular signaling of the chimera were dominated by the more active Allo‐aca component. The ADP355 part, however, reversed unfavorable in vivo metabolic effects of the leptin receptor antagonist. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 104: 156–166, 2015.
Site‐specific fab fragment biotinylation at the conserved nucleotide binding site for enhanced ebola detection
Authors: Mustafaoglu Nur , Alves Nathan J. , Bilgicer Basar
Published: February 2015

The nucleotide binding site (NBS) is a highly conserved region between the variable light and heavy chains at the Fab domains of all antibodies, and a small molecule that we identified, indole‐3‐butyric acid (IBA), binds specifically to this site. Fab fragment, with its small size and simple production methods compared to intact antibody, is good candidate for use in miniaturized diagnostic devices and targeted therapeutic applications. However, commonly used modification techniques are not well suited for Fab fragments as they are often more delicate than intact antibodies. Fab fragments are of particular interest for sensor surface functionalization but immobilization results in damage to the antigen binding site and greatly reduced activity due to their truncated size that allows only a small area that can bind to surfaces without impeding antigen binding. In this study, we describe an NBS‐UV photocrosslinking functionalization method (UV‐NBSBiotin) in which a Fab fragment is site‐specifically biotinylated with an IBA‐EG11‐Biotin linker via UV energy exposure (1 J/cm2) without affecting its antigen binding activity. This study demonstrates successful immobilization of biotinylated Ebola detecting Fab fragment (KZ52 Fab fragment) via the UV‐NBSBiotin method yielding 1031‐fold and 2‐fold better antigen detection sensitivity compared to commonly used immobilization methods: direct physical adsorption and NHS‐Biotin functionalization, respectively. Utilization of the UV‐NBSBiotin method for site‐specific conjugation to Fab fragment represents a proof of concept use of Fab fragment for various diagnostic and therapeutic applications with numerous fluorescent probes, affinity molecules and peptides. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1327–1334. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Automated detection of whole‐cell mitochondrial motility and its dependence on cytoarchitectural integrity
Authors: Kandel Judith , Chou Philip , Eckmann David M.
Published: February 2015

Current methodologies used for mitochondrial motility analysis tend to either overlook individual mitochondrial tracks or analyze only peripheral mitochondria instead of mitochondria in all regions of the cell. Furthermore, motility analysis of an individual mitochondrion is usually quantified by establishing an arbitrary threshold for “directed” motion. In this work, we created a custom, publicly available computational algorithm based on a previously published approach (Giedt et al., 2012. Ann Biomed Eng 40:1903–1916) in order to characterize the distribution of mitochondrial movements at the whole‐cell level, while still preserving information about single mitochondria. Our technique is easy to use, robust, and computationally inexpensive. Images are first pre‐processed for increased resolution, and then individual mitochondria are tracked based on object connectivity in space and time. When our method is applied to microscopy fields encompassing entire cells, we reveal that the mitochondrial net distances in fibroblasts follow a lognormal distribution within a given cell or group of cells. The ability to model whole‐cell mitochondrial motility as a lognormal distribution provides a new quantitative paradigm for comparing mitochondrial motility in naïve and treated cells. We further demonstrate that microtubule and microfilament depolymerization shift the lognormal distribution in directions which indicate decreased and increased mitochondrial movement, respectively. These findings advance earlier work on neuronal axons (Morris and Hollenbeck, 1993. J Cell Sci 104:917–927) by relating them to a different cell type, applying them on a global scale, and automating measurement of mitochondrial motility in general. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1395–1405. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adipositas – eine Bürde der Evolution?
Authors: Kirchengast Sylvia
Published: February 2015

Die hohen Raten an Adipositas sind das Resultat des dramatischen Missverhältnisses zwischen unserer heutigen adipogenen Umwelt und unserer genetischen Ausstattung. Verschiedene evolutionsbiologische Hypothesen versuchen diesen Zusammenhang zu erklären. Immer wenn eine effiziente Energiespeicherung in der Umwelt unserer evolutionären Anpassung sich als Vorteil erwies und einen entsprechenden Genotyp begünstigte, wirkt eine adipogene Umwelt, die typisch für Industriestaaten westlicher Prägung ist, desaströs.
Die Stereofotografie biologischer Objekte
Authors: Sturm Robert
Published: February 2015

Stereofotografien lassen sich nach dem Anaglyphenprinzip mit rotem und grünem Halbbild relativ einfach herstellen. Die Stereoskopie ist in den Naturwissenschaften wertvoll, wenn anhand der zusätzlichen Tiefeninformation genauere Erkenntnisse zu Struktur und Form eines Objekts gewonnen werden können. Mittels verschiedener Motive aus Malakologie und Paläontologie sollen wesentliche Einsatzbereiche der Stereofotografie diskutiert werden.
Steinmarder als Materialtester
Authors: Högermann Christiane
Published: February 2015

In einem einmaligen Forschungsprojekt des Otterzentrums Hankensbüttel mit Autoherstellern und deren Zulieferern wird seit einigen Jahren eine Versuchsreihe zur Entwicklung von “marderfesten” Schläuchen und Kabeln durchgeführt. Dabei werden Steinmarder eingesetzt, um Kabelmaterial auf seine Haltbarkeit zu testen.
Heat Induced Epitope Retrieval (HIER) in der Immunhistochemie
Authors: Hauk Andrea
Published: February 2015

Mit Hilfe der Immunhistochemie (IHC) wird überprüft, in welchem Gewebe ein bestimmtes Antigen (z. B. ein Tumormarker) vorhanden ist oder in welchem Zellkompartiment es sich befindet. Bevor der eigentliche Versuch startet, kochen viele Laborkollegen die Objektträger mit den Gewebeschnitten in siedend heißem Puffer. Durch diese rabiate Methode soll das Epitop, also die Stelle auf dem Antigen, die vom Antikörper erkannt werden soll, sichtbar gemacht werden. Ist das Epitop denn zuvor unsichtbar? Und wenn ja, warum?
Polymorphisms of IKBKE gene are associated with major depressive disorder and panic disorder
Authors: Traks Tanel , Koido Kati , Balõtšev Roman , Eller Triin , Kõks Sulev , Maron Eduard , Tõru Innar , Shlik Jakov , Vasar Eero , Vasar Veiko
Published: February 2015

Background

The immune system has been increasingly implicated in the development of mood and anxiety disorders. Inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells, kinase epsilon (IKBKE) gene encodes IKKε protein that is involved in innate immunity, predominantly antiviral response generation. It also bears pro‐inflammatory properties that could affect psychiatric outcomes. In order to investigate the possible role of IKBKE gene in major depressive disorder (MDD) and panic disorder (PD), we conducted a case–control genetic association study concerning these disorders.

Methods

In all, 14 SNPs of IKBKE gene were genotyped in groups of 391 patients with MDD and 190 patients with PD together with respective 389 and 371 healthy control individuals. The given groups were further divided by gender for additional analyses.

Results

Substantial genetic associations were revealed between IKBKE SNPs and MDD (multiple testing adjusted P < 0.05) and suggestive associations in case of PD (Padj > 0.05). In addition, two SNPs that were only associated with PD among males, also displayed significantly different allele frequencies compared to PD females. This may indicate a specific role of these SNPs in male PD, but caution should be applied here due to the small size of the studied PD males group.

Conclusions

The results of this study confirm our initial findings and indicate a possible role of IKBKE gene in mood and anxiety disorders.
Risk factors for DSM 5 PTSD symptoms in Israeli civilians during the Gaza war
Authors: Gil Sharon , Weinberg Michael , Or‐Chen Keren , Harel Hila
Published: February 2015

Background

In light of the current modifications presented in the diagnostic criteria of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the DSM 5, this study aimed at revalidating well‐known PTSD risk factors, including gender, peritraumatic dissociation, social support, level of threat, and trait tendency for forgiveness.

Method

Five hundred and one Israeli civilians were assessed during real‐time exposure to missile and rocket fire at the eruption of the Gaza war. Assessments took place approximately one to 2 weeks after the beginning of this military operation, relying on web administration of the study, which allowed simultaneous data collection from respondents in the three regions in Israel that were under attack.

Results

A structural equation model design revealed that higher levels of forgiveness toward situations were associated with fewer PTSD symptoms, whereas peritraumatic dissociation and high levels of objective and subjective threat were positively associated with PTSD symptoms. Additionally, females were at higher risk for PTSD symptoms than males.

Conclusions

The findings of this study provide further evidence for the importance of directing preventive attention to those vulnerable to the development of elevated levels of PTSD symptoms. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
Surface anatomy of the parotid duct and its clinical relevance
Authors: Toure Gaoussou , Foy Jean‐Philippe , Vacher Christian
Published: February 2015

The trajectory of the parotid duct (PD) makes it vulnerable to injuries during facial trauma and facial rejuvenation procedures. The PD is usually represented as a straight line, although its description in the literature varies. Our objective was to study the trajectory of the PD and to define reliable cutaneous landmarks. We dissected 35 human cadaver half‐heads. We defined three points: point I where the PD crossed a line (line 2) between point T (the intertragal incisura) and point C (the corner of the mouth), point S for the top of the PD, and point B where the PD penetrated the buccinator muscle. We measured the distance (D) between points T and C, the distance (d1) between points T and I, and the distance (d2) between points T and B. We also determined the height (h) of the orthogonal line between point S and line 2. We noted that for all of the half‐heads that we examined, the PD followed a curved trajectory between points I and B above line 2. Point I was located 1/3 of the way along distance D. Point B was tangential to line 2, and was located 2/3 of the way along distance D. The average height measurement (h) was 1.4 cm. We demonstrated that the PD follows a curved trajectory from the 1/3 mark to the 2/3 mark along distance D, the top of this curve being 1.5 cm above the line TC. Clin. Anat. 28:455–459, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Know where to go to prepare for possibility of Ebola on campus
Authors: Gomez Cynthia
Published: February 2015

Declared a “public health emergency of international concern” by the World Health Organization, the current Ebola outbreak — the biggest ever recorded — has predictably reached the United States from Africa, where it began. For campus safety officials, the disease's spread brings with it the need to be prepared should Ebola affect members of your campus community.
Legislative Watch: State Legislative Bills
Authors: Gomez Cynthia
Published: February 2015

Ore. approves medical marijuana, with long list of restrictions

D.C. passes pot initiative, but legislators may overrule vote
Aza‐Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Saruma henryi
Authors: Ma Yangmin , Jia Qiangqiang , Wang Pengfei , Cheng Xiaowei , Kang Yongxiang
Published: February 2015

A new azafluoranthene alkaloid, named sarumine (1), along with six known N‐containing derivatives of phenanthrenes, 2–7, were isolated from the whole herb of Saruma henryi. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. Moreover, antimicrobial activities of all compounds were evaluated.
Population Variability of Essential Oils of Pinus heldreichii from the Scardo‐Pindic Mountains Ošljak and Galičica
Authors: Nikolić Biljana , Ristić Mihailo , Bojović Srdjan , Krivošej Zoran , Matevski Vlado , Marin Petar D.
Published: February 2015

The needle‐terpene profiles of two natural Pinus heldreichii populations from Mts. Ošljak and Galičica (Scardo‐Pindic mountain system) were analyzed. Among the 68 detected compounds, 66 were identified. The dominant constituents were germacrene D (28.7%), limonene (27.1%), and α‐pinene (16.2%). β‐Caryophyllene (6.9%), β‐pinene (5.2%), β‐myrcene (2.3%), pimaric acid (2.0%), α‐humulene (1.2%), and seven additional components were found to be present in medium‐to‐high amounts (0.5–10%). Although the general needle‐terpene profile of the population from Galičica was similar to those of the populations from Lovćen, Zeletin, Bjelasica, and Zlatibor‐Pešter (belonging to the Dinaric Alps), the principle‐component analysis (PCA) of seven terpenes (β‐myrcene, limonene, β‐elemene, β‐caryophyllene, α‐humulene, δ‐cadinene, and germacrene D‐4‐ol) in 121 tree samples suggested a partial divergence in the needle‐terpene profiles between the populations from the Scardo‐Pindic mountain system and the Dinaric Alps. According to previously reported data, the P. heldreichii samples from the Balkan‐Rhodope mountains lack β‐caryophyllene and germacrene D, but contain γ‐muurolene in their terpene profile. Differences in the terpene composition between populations growing in the three above‐mentioned mountain systems were compared and discussed.
Effect of Aglycon Structure on Saccharide Elongation by Cells
Authors: Kimura Tamami , Kasuya Maria Carmelita Z. , Hatanaka Kenichi , Matsuoka Koji
Published: February 2015

Alkyl N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminide (GlcNAc primers) with different aglycon moieties were synthesized and used to determine the effect of the aglycon structure on cellular saccharide elongation. Dodecyl N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminide (GlcNAc‐C12), tridecan‐7‐yl N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminide (GlcNAc‐2C6), and pentacosan‐13‐yl N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminide (GlcNAc‐2C12) primers were synthesized by glycosylation of dodecan‐1‐ol, tridecan‐7‐ol, and pentacosan‐13‐ol, respectively, with peracetylglucosamine. These primers were introduced to mouse B16 melanoma cells to prepare glycolipids. After 48 h incubation, results showed that GlcNAc‐C12 was elongated to give NeuAc‐Gal‐GlcNAc‐C12. GlcNAc‐2C6 was also elongated to afford Gal‐GlcNAc‐2C6 and NeuAc‐Gal‐GlcNAc‐2C6. On the other hand, GlcNAc‐2C12 primer was not elongated. Significantly, the results demonstrated that the amount of glycosylated product increased 1.5‐times by modifying the aglycon structure of GlcNAc from C12 to 2 C6 despite having almost the same number of C‐units.
Solution NMR Studies of Recombinant Aβ(1–42): From the Presence of a Micellar Entity to Residual β‐Sheet Structure in the Soluble Species
Authors: Wälti Marielle Aulikki , Orts Julien , Vögeli Beat , Campioni Silvia , Riek Roland
Published: February 2015

Amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptide is the major component found in senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease patients. The 42‐residue fragment Aβ(1–42) is proposed to be one of the most pathogenic species therein. Here, the soluble Aβ(1–42) species were analyzed by various liquid‐state NMR methods. Transient formation of a micelle species was observed at the onset of the aggregation kinetics. This micelle is dissolved after approximately one day. Subsequent loss of this species and the formation of protofibrils are proposed to be the route of fibril formation. Consequently, the observed micelle species is suggested to be on an off‐pathway mechanism. Furthermore, characterization of the NMR‐observable soluble species shows that it is a random‐coil‐like entity with low propensities for four β‐strands. These β‐strands correlate with the β‐strand segments observed in Aβ fibrils. This finding indicates that the 3D structure of the fibrils might already be predisposed in the soluble species.
Azide‐Tagged Sphingolipids: New Tools for Metabolic Flux Analysis
Authors: Garrido María , Abad José Luis , Fabriàs Gemma , Casas Josefina , Delgado Antonio
Published: February 2015

Several diseases involve alterations in sphingolipid metabolism, so the development of tools for the analysis of sphingolipid metabolic fluxes is of interest. In this work, ω‐azidosphingolipids 1–3 have been synthesized and tested as tracers in live cells. The synthesis starts from (S)‐Garner's aldehyde and uses bromide or tosyloxy precursors for the introduction of the azido group into the sphingoid base. Studies in HGC‐27 cells showed that probes 1–3 compete with the natural metabolites and are incorporated into sphingolipid pathways without affecting cell viability. The reactivity and bioorthogonality of the terminal azido group have been exploited by means of click reactions with different azadibenzocyclooctyne tags. This allows the mass spectrometric characterization of azidosphingolipidomes in pooled samples from different cell populations after independent treatments, providing proof of concept of the applicability of this technology in sphingolipid metabolic flux analysis.
Educational accommodations for college students with ADHD
Authors: Alao Abiola
Published: February 2015

Many questions come to mind when thinking of educational accommodations available for college students who have been diagnosed with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). What is the prevalence of college students with ADHD? How many of these cases were newly diagnosed in college as opposed to those with previous diagnoses carrying over from high school? What is the role of malingering and how can the health care provider avoid being defrauded? What is the outcome of untreated ADHD in college students? What is the availability of educational accommodations in colleges? Are students provided adequate information? What proportion of them actually uses available accommodations? What laws govern accommodations in college?
Keep your eye on…
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: February 2015

Predicting school‐age conduct disorder from preschool behaviors

Stress, depression, and unintended pregnancy in 18–20‐year‐olds
Gender equity in STEMI: Not so simple!
Authors: Wei Janet , Henry Timothy D.
Published: February 2015

Key Points

Women with STEMI undergoing primary PCI have a higher risk of short‐term and long‐term bleeding and MACE compared to men, although increased long‐term MACE is driven by increased female baseline comorbidities and treatment differences.

Female sex is an easily identifiable phenotype that should alert clinicians to perform sex‐specific cardiovascular risk assessment for prevention, recognize female‐pattern angina symptoms, and provide education to reduce the delay between symptom onset and hospital presentation.

Female sex remains an independent predictor of major bleeding and additional studies are required to determine female‐specific antithrombotic regimens and catheter‐access protocols.
A rocky road to LV recovery post TAVI
Authors: Chandrasekhar Jaya , Mehran Roxana
Published: February 2015

Key Points

In patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, complete coronary revascularization may result in greater LV recovery and better in‐hospital and 1‐year survival

Myocardial viability and functional testing should be considered to select patients that may benefit from complete revascularization

Larger pooled data analyzing LV recovery and long‐term mortality are warranted in all patients undergoing TAVI to establish objective guidelines on complete revascularization
Embolization of left atrial appendage closure devices: A systematic review of cases reported with the watchman device and the amplatzer cardiac plug
Authors: Aminian Adel , Lalmand Jacques , Tzikas Apostolos , Budts Werner , Benit Edouard , Kefer Joelle
Published: February 2015

Objectives

We sought to provide a systematic review of reported cases of LAA closure device embolization by focusing on the two most commonly implanted devices: the Watchman (WM) device and the Amplatzer Cardiac Plug (ACP).

Methods

A comprehensive search of the Pubmed database was conducted until October 1, 2014. Studies were included if they described at least 1 case of embolization of the WM and/or the ACP.

Results

A total of 20 studies reporting 31 cases of device embolization were identified, including 13 cases with WM and 18 cases. The timing of embolization was described in 29 cases and was categorized as acute in 20 cases (65%) and late in 9 cases (30%). The anatomical location of embolized devices was reported in 21 cases: into the aorta in 9 cases, into the left ventricle (LV) in 9 cases and into the left atrial cavity in 3 cases. As compared to embolization into the aorta or the left atrial cavity, device embolization into the LV was associated with a higher rate of surgical retrieval (8/9 vs 2/12; 88% vs 17%, P = 0.0019). Major adverse events related to device embolization occurred in three patients (9.6%).

Conclusions

LAA closure device embolization occurs mainly in the periprocedural period but late embolizations are not uncommon. Although embolization into the aorta or the left atrium can be successfully managed by percutaneous techniques in most cases, device embolization into the LV is associated with a higher rate of surgical retrieval, increasing thereby procedure‐related morbidity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Outcomes following implantation of the biolimus A9‐eluting BioMatrix coronary stent: Primary analysis of the e‐BioMatrix registry
Authors: Urban Philip , Valdés Mariano , Menown Ian , Eberli Franz , Alhaddad Imad , Hildick‐Smith David , Iosseliani David , Roffi Marco , Oldroyd Keith , Kalloudi Erifyli , Eerdmans Pedro , Berland Jacques , Kleber Franz Xaver ,   for the e‐Biomatrix investigators
Published: February 2015

Objectives

To assess the safety and efficacy of Biolimus A9‐eluting stents (BES, BioMatrix™ and BioMatrix Flex™) in routine clinical practice.

Background

The LEADERS randomized trial has documented equivalent efficacy and superior safety of the BES when compared to a first generation Sirolimus‐eluting CypherTM stent.

Methods

5,472 patients from 57 centers, treated with BES, were enrolled in an international multicenter registry and followed clinically up to 2 years.

Results

Mean patient age was 63.2 ± 11 years, 24% of patients had diabetes, and 49.8% presented with an acute coronary syndrome. 99.3% of patients were discharged on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), 83.3% remained on DAPT at 1 year and 30.6% at 2 years. The incidence of the composite primary end point [major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months] was 4.5% [cardiac death 0.9%, myocardial infarction 1.7%, clinically indicated target vessel revascularization (ci‐TVR) 2.8%]. MACE incidence was 6.8% at 24 months (cardiac death 1.5%, myocardial infarction 2.4%, ci‐TVR 4.3%). At 12 months, 32 patients (0.6%) had suffered at least one definite or probable stent thrombosis (ST), and 91 patients (1.7%) a major bleed (MB). Nine patients with ST (27.3%) and 7 patients with a MB (7.7%) died during the first year after the index procedure. Between 12 and 24 months after implantation, there were 18 (0.4%) additional MB and 8 (0.2%) additional ST.

Conclusions

This large international cohort documents a low 12 and 24 months MACE incidence and a very low ST incidence in an unselected patient population undergoing BES implantation. The results are in keeping with those of the randomized controlled LEADERS trial. Even though ST with this stent was a rare event, it was still associated with significant mortality. MB remains a problem, and warrants improved tailoring of DAPT in recipients of drug eluting stents. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A single stent strategy in patients with lifestyle limiting claudication: 3‐year results from the Durability II trial
Authors: Rocha‐Singh Krishna J. , Bosiers Marc , Schultz Greg , Jaff Michael R. , Mehta Manish , Matsumura Jon S. ,   for the Durability II Investigators
Published: February 2015

Objectives

To evaluate longer‐term safety and efficacy of a single self‐expanding stent up to 20 cm in length in patients with atherosclerotic disease of the superficial femoral (SFA) and proximal popliteal arteries.

Background

Angioplasty and stenting are options for revascularization of symptomatic peripheral artery disease. While angioplasty alone is effective in short lesions, outcomes in longer lesions (i.e., mean 8.7 cm) show suboptimal patency rates of 33% at one year.

Methods

Two hundred eighty‐seven patients (mean age 68 years, 66% male) were treated with the EverFlex™ Self‐Expanding Peripheral Stent System. Patients were followed through 3 years with yearly core lab adjudicated duplex ultrasonography for patency, radiographic assessment of stent fractures, and resting ankle brachial indices.

Results

Overall freedom from loss of primary patency at 3 years was 60.0%. Patency was significantly higher for lesions ≤8 cm compared with lesions >8 cm (71.0 vs. 50.5%, P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in patency between single‐stent and multistent recipients (60.4 vs. 52.4%, P = 0.343). The three‐year freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization was 70.0%. At 3 years, the overall stent fracture rate was 0.9%.

Conclusions

DURABILITY II is the first investigational device exemption trial to report 3‐year duplex Doppler defined stent patency and CD‐TLR outcomes in long SFA and proximal popliteal lesions and demonstrated acceptable stent patency and freedom from CD‐TLR with a low fracture rate. These data suggest that use of a single long stent provides reasonable long‐term outcomes when intervention is required for symptomatic SFA and proximal popliteal arterial disease. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.