bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human chorionic gonadotropin decreases human breast cancer cell proliferation and promotes differentiation
Authors: Liao Xing‐Hua , Wang Yue , Wang Nan , Yan Ting‐Bao , Xing Wen‐Jing , Zheng Li , Zhao Dong‐Wei , Li Yan‐Qi , Liu Long‐Yue , Sun Xue‐Guang , Hu Peng , Zhang Tong‐Cun
Published: April 2014

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein produced by placental trophoblasts. Previous studies indicated that hCG could be responsible for the pregnancy‐induced protection against breast cancer in women. It is reported that hCG decreases proliferation and invasion of breast cancer MCF‐7 cells. Our research also demonstrates that hCG can reduce the proliferation of MCF‐7 cells by downregulating the expression of proliferation markers, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and proliferation‐related Ki‐67 antigen (Ki‐67). Interestingly, we find here that hCG elevates the state of cellular differentiation, as characterized by the upregulation of differentiation markers, β‐casein, cytokeratin‐18 (CK‐18), and E‐cadherin. Inhibition of hCG secretion or luteinizing hormone/hCG receptors (LH/hCGRs) synthesis can weaken the effect of hCG on the induction of cell differentiation. Furthermore, hCG can suppress the expression of estrogen receptor alpha. hCG activated receptor‐mediated cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A signaling pathway. These findings indicated that a protective effect of hCG against breast cancer may be associated with its growth inhibitory and differentiation induction function in breast cancer cells. © 2014 IUBMB Life, 66(5):352–360, 2014
Transferable pseudoclassical electrons for aufbau of atomic ions
Authors: Ekesan Solen , Kale Seyit , Herzfeld Judith
Published: April 2014

Generalizing the LEWIS reactive force field from electron pairs to single electrons, we present LEWIS• in which explicit valence electrons interact with each other and with nuclear cores via pairwise interactions. The valence electrons are independently mobile particles, following classical equations of motion according to potentials modified from Coulombic as required to capture quantum characteristics. As proof of principle, the aufbau of atomic ions is described for diverse main group elements from the first three rows of the periodic table, using a single potential for interactions between electrons of like spin and another for electrons of unlike spin. The electrons of each spin are found to distribute themselves in a fashion akin to the major lobes of the hybrid atomic orbitals, suggesting a pointillist description of the electron density. The broader validity of the LEWIS• force field is illustrated by predicting the vibrational frequencies of diatomic and triatomic hydrogen species. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Budding process during the organogenesis of the ventral prostatic lobe in mongolian gerbil
Authors: Sanches Bruno Domingos Azevedo , Biancardi Manoel Francisco , Dos Santos Fernanda Cristina Alcantara , GóEs Rejane Maira , Vilamaior PatríCia Simone Leite , Taboga SebastiãO Roberto
Published: April 2014

The prostate is a mammalian gland that shows a complex process of organogenesis. Here, a morphological study to characterize the organogenesis of the ventral prostate lobe in male gerbils was conducted. The urogenital sinus (UGS) was dissected out and processed for paraffin embedding. Histological sections were subjected to cytochemical, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemical, and three‐dimensional reconstruction techniques. We found that the first ventral buds emerged from the ventral urethral epithelium between the days 20 and 21 of prenatal life, reaching the ventral mesenchymal pad and initiating the branching process on the first day of postnatal life. The buds presented a V‐shaped elongation, suggesting that the smooth muscle layer (SML) plays an important role during budding events. Indeed, whereas the androgen receptor (AR) was preferentially found in the UGS mesenchyme (UGM), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) was localized in both the UGM and in the emerging buds. This study characterized the morphological aspects of the budding process in a different rodent from rat and mice, serving as a new model for future studies on developmental biology of the prostate. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:458–466, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Penetrability of AH plus and MTA fillapex after endodontic treatment and retreatment: A confocal laser scanning microscopy study
Authors: Kok Daniela , Da Rosa Ricardo Abreu , Barreto Mirela Sangoi , Busanello Fernanda Hoffmann , Santini Manuela Favarin , Pereira Jefferson Ricardo , Só Marcus ViníCius Reis
Published: April 2014

The aim of the study was to assess the penetrability of two endodontic sealers (AH Plus and MTA Fillapex) into dentinal tubules, submitted to endodontic treatment and subsequently to endodontic retreatment. Thirty ex vivo incisors were prepared using ProTaper rotary system up to F3 instrument and divided in three groups according to the endodontic sealer used for root canal filling: AH Plus (AHP), MTA Fillapex (MTAF), and control group (CG) without using EDTA previously to the root canal filling. Rhodamine B dye (red) was incorporated to the sealers in order to provide the fluorescence which will enable confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) assessment. All specimens were filled with gutta‐percha cones using the lateral compaction technique. The specimens were submitted to endodontic retreatment using ProTaper Retreatment system, re‐prepared up to F5 instruments and filled with gutta‐percha cones and the same sealer used during endodontic retreatment. Fluorescein dye (green) was incorporated to the sealer in order to distinguish from the first filling. The roots were sectioned 2 mm from the apex and assessed by CLSM. No difference was found between the two experimental groups (P > 0.05). On the other hand, in the control group the sealers were not capable to penetrate into dentinal tubules after endodontic treatment (P > 0.05). In retreatment cases, none of the sealers were able to penetrate into dentin tubules. It can be concluded that sealer penetrability is high during endodontic treatment. However, MTA Fillapex and AH Plus do not penetrate into dentinal tubules after endodontic retreatment. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:467–471, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular cloning of VIP and distribution of VIP/VPACR system in the testis ofPodarcis sicula
Authors: Agnese Marisa , Rosati Luigi , Coraggio Francesca , Valiante Salvatore , Prisco Marina
Published: April 2014

Using molecular, biochemical, and cytological tools, we studied the nucleotide and the deduced amino acid sequence of PHI/VIP and the distribution of VIP/VPAC receptor system in the testis of the Italian wall lizardPodarcis siculato evaluate the involvement of such a neuropeptide in the spermatogenesis control. We demonstrated that (1)Podarcis siculaVIP had a high identity with other vertebrate VIP sequences, (2) differently from mammals, VIP was synthesized directly in the testis, and (3) VIP and its receptor VPAC2were widely distributed in germ and somatic cells, while the VPAC1R had a distribution limited to Leydig cells. Our results demonstrated that inPodarcis siculathe VIP sequence is highly preserved and that this neuropeptide is involved in lizard spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis.J. Exp. Zool. 321A: 334–347, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expedient Protocols for the Installation of 1,5‐Benzoazepino‐Based Privileged Templates on the 2‐Position of 1,4‐Benzodiazepine Through a Phenoxyl Spacer
Authors: Kaur Navjeet , Tyagi Ruchi , Kishore Dharma
Published: April 2014

An efficient novel strategy for the hetero‐annulation of 2‐chloro‐1,4‐benzodiazepine ring, substituted on its 5‐position with a carboxamido group (5), has been developed to allow the incorporation of 1,5‐benzodiazepine, 1,5‐benzothiazepine, and 1,5‐benzoxazepine (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) rings through their dimethylaminomethylene ketone intermediate (7).
Automated detection of the arterial input function using normalized cut clustering to determine cerebral perfusion by dynamic susceptibility contrast‐magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Yin Jiandong , Sun Hongzan , Yang Jiawen , Guo Qiyong
Published: April 2014

Purpose

To propose a new clustering method for the automatic detection of arterial input function (AIF) with high accuracy in dynamic susceptibility contrast‐magnetic resonance imaging (DSC‐MRI).

Materials and Methods

A novel method for automatically determining the AIF was proposed to facilitate the analysis of MR perfusion, which relied on normalized cut (Ncut) clustering. Its performance was compared with those of two other previously reported clustering methods: k‐means and fuzzy c‐means (FCM) techniques, in terms of the detection accuracy and computational time. Both simulated perfusion data and data collected from 42 healthy human subjects were applied to investigate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Results

In the simulation study, the partial volume effect (PVE) level, peak value (PV), time to peak (TTP), full width at half maximum (FWHM), area under AIF curve (AUC), root mean square error (RMSE) between the estimated AIF and true AIF, and M value given by [PV/(FWHM×TTP)] were 45.45, 4.2737, 29.92, 6.4563, 76.4836, 0.0519, and 0.0221 for Ncut‐based AIF, 96.45, 3.8385, 31.74, 7.5133, 75.7364, 0.3295, and 0.0161 for FCM‐based AIF, 91.18, 3.8990, 31.73, 7.4544, 76.0476, 0.3128, and 0.0165 for k‐means‐based AIF, 0, 4.4592, 29.51, 6.2016, 76.8669, 0, and 0.0244 for true AIF. In the clinical study, the mean PV, TTP, FWHM, AUC, M, error between estimated AIF and manual AIF were 1.7395, 30.95, 5.5923, 19.1081, 0.0397, and 0.4406 for Ncut‐based AIF, 1.3629, 31.31, 6.8616, 17.9992, 0.0123, and 0.0846 for k‐means‐based AIF, 1.2101, 31.61, 7.1729, 16.6238, 0.0102, and 0.1016 for FCM‐based AIF. The differences in PV, M, FWHM, and error reached a significant level (P = 0.032, 0.010, 0.003, and 0.002, respectively) between Ncut and k‐means methods as well as between Ncut and FCM methods (P = 0.013, 0.008, 0.007, and 0.009, respectively). There was no significant difference in TTP between Ncut and each of the other two methods (P = 0.173 and 0.097, respectively). For AUC, a significant difference was found between Ncut and FCM algorithms (P = 0.025), but not between Ncut and k‐means methods (P = 0.138). The mean execution time was 0.4406 for the Ncut method, 0.2649 for the k‐means method, and 0.1371 for the FCM method, and the differences were significant both between Ncut and k‐means methods (P = 0.002) and between Ncut and FCM methods (P = 0.004).

Conclusion

Ncut clustering yield AIFs more in line with the expected AIF, and might be preferred to FCM and k‐means clustering methods sensitive to randomly selected initial centers. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:1071–1078. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A method combining SPITC and 18O labeling for simultaneous protein identification and relative quantification
Authors: Zhang Wenlong , Long Jia , Zhang Cheng , Cai Naixuan , Liu Zhonghua , Wang Ying , Wang Xianchun , Chen Ping , Liang Songping
Published: April 2014

The relative quantification and identification of proteins by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight MS is very important in /MS is very important in protein research and is usually conducted separately. Chemical N‐terminal derivatization with 4‐sulphophenyl isothiocyanate facilitates de novo sequencing analysis and accurate protein identification, while 18O labeling is simple, specific and widely applicable among the isotopic labeling methods used for relative quantification. In the present study, a method combining 4‐sulphophenyl isothiocyanate derivatization with 18O isotopic labeling was established to identify and quantify proteins simultaneously in one experiment. Reaction conditions were first optimized using a standard peptide (fibrin peptide) and tryptic peptides from the model protein (bovine serum albumin). Under the optimized conditions, these two independent labeling steps show good compatibility, and the linear relativity of quantification within the ten times dynamic range was stable as revealed by correlation coefficient analysis (R2 value = 0.998); moreover, precursor peaks in MS/MS spectrum could provide accurate quantitative information, which is usually acquired from MS spectrum, enabling protein identification and quantification in a single MS/MS spectrum. Next, this method was applied to native peptides isolated from spider venoms. As expected, the de novo sequencing results of each peptide matched with the known sequence precisely, and the measured quantitative ratio of each peptide corresponded well with the theoretical ratio. Finally, complex protein mixtures of spider venoms from male and female species with unknown genome information were analyzed. Differentially expressed proteins were successfully identified, and their quantitative information was also accessed. Taken together, this protein identification and quantification method is simple, reliable and efficient, which has a good potential in the exploration of peptides/proteins from species with unknown genome. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low C24‐OH and C22‐OH sulfatides in human renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Kim Il Chan , Bang Geul , Lee Jeong Hwa , Kim Kwang Pyo , Kim Young Hwan , Kim Hark Kyun , Chung Jinsoo
Published: April 2014

Histopathologic diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) may sometimes be difficult with small biopsy samples. We applied histology‐directed matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry to RCC samples to evaluate whether and how lipid profiles are different between RCC and normal tissue. We evaluated 59 RCC samples and 24 adjacent normal tissue samples collected from patients who underwent surgery. Five peaks were significantly differently expressed (p < 10−7) between RCCs and adjacent normal tissue samples. C24‐OH sulfatide (ST‐OH {18:1/24:0}[M‐H]−; m/z 906.7 in the negative ion mode) and C22‐OH sulfatide (ST‐OH {18:1/22:0}[M‐H]−; m/z 878.6 in the negative ion mode) were most significantly underexpressed in RCC samples, compared with adjacent normal tissue samples. With 100 random training‐to‐test partitions within these samples, the median prediction accuracy (RCC vs. normal) ranged from 96.3% to 100% at p cutoff values for feature selection ranging from 0.001 to 10−7. Two oncocytoma samples were predicted as normal tissue by five lipids that were differentially expressed between RCC and normal tissue at p < 10−7. Clear‐cell, papillary, and chromophobe RCCs were different in lipid profiles. Permutation p‐ values for 0.632+ bootstrap cross‐validated misclassification rates were less than 0.05 for all the classifiers. Thus, lipid profiles differentiate RCC from normal tissue and may possibly classify the histology of RCC. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Mass Spectrometry published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Activation of the prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex induces anxiety‐like behaviors via N‐Methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor‐mediated glutamatergic neurotransmission in mice
Authors: Saitoh Akiyoshi , Ohashi Masanori , Suzuki Satoshi , Tsukagoshi Mai , Sugiyama Azusa , Yamada Misa , Oka Jun‐Ichiro , Inagaki Masatoshi , Yamada Mitsuhiko
Published: April 2014

We investigated the possible roles of the prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex (PL) in the regulation of anxiety‐like behaviors by pharmacologically activating the terminals of neuronal inputs or postsynaptic efferent neurons with a sodium channel activator veratrine. The extracellular glutamate levels were measured by in vivo microdialysis, and the behaviors were assessed with the open field (OF) test in mice simultaneously. The samples were collected every 10 min for 60 min, as basal levels of glutamate. The medium containing drugs were perfused for 30 min. The OF test was performed in the last 10 min of drug perfusion. After the drug treatments, the perfusion medium containing drugs was switched back to perfusion medium without drugs, and then samples were collected for another 90 min. The extracellular glutamate levels were significantly elevated after local perfusion of veratrine in the PL. At the same time, perfusion of veratrine in the PL produced anxiety‐like behaviors in mice. Local coperfusion of a sodium channel blocker, lamotrigine, completely diminished the veratrine‐induced elevated extracellular glutamate levels and the behavioral changes. Local coperfusion of an NMDA receptor antagonist, MK‐801, but not a non‐NMDA (AMPA/kainate) receptor antagonist, CNQX, completely diminished the behavioral changes without any effects on the veratrine‐induced elevated extracellular glutamate levels. This study demonstrates that the activation of the PL with veratrine induces anxiety‐like behaviors via NMDA receptor‐mediated glutamatergic neurotransmission in mice. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Modelling the effect of soil moisture variability on summer precipitation variability over East Asia
Authors: Li Zhongxian , Zhou Tianjun , Chen Haishan , Ni Donghong , Zhang Rong‐Hua
Published: April 2014

The potential role of surface soil moisture (SSM) in improving the simulation of interannual East Asian summer precipitation is investigated using a coupled land‐atmosphere climate model, the Community Atmosphere Model version 3 (CAM3). Forced by specified observational sea surface temperature (SST), two ensemble simulations for 22 boreal‐summer seasons (1979–2000) are conducted, one with interannually varying SSM (SSMinter) forcing and another with climatological SSM (SSMclim) forcing. Results show that, relative to the SSMclim run, interannual variability of East Asian summer precipitation is better simulated in the SSMinter run over the mid‐ and high‐latitudes of East Asia, especially in northwest China, where the correlation coefficient between precipitation simulated and observed from the Climate Prediction Center Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) is increased from 0.12 to 0.56 during 1979–2000. Meanwhile, positive relationships between anomalies of local soil evaporation and summer precipitation in northwest China can be better reproduced in the SSMinter run than in the SSMclim run. Possible mechanisms for the improved simulations of the interannual summer precipitation variability in northwest China are analysed; the improvement is resulted from the reasonable reproduction of anomalous atmospheric circulation in Siberia and Iranian plateau.
Survival of Atlantic Flyway resident population Canada geese in New Jersey
Authors: Beston Julie A. , Nichols Theodore C. , Castelli Paul M. , Williams Christopher K.
Published: April 2014

Atlantic Flyway Resident Population Canada geese (Branta canadensis) are long‐lived birds that were established during the mid‐1900s. At high densities, resident Canada geese reduce water quality, impair landscape aesthetic, damage crops, and cause safety concerns. Managers need information about survival to more effectively manage these populations via implementation of harvest and cull regulations. We analyzed records for 39,711 Canada geese captured 54,309 times during 1994–2011, of which 5,883 were recovered by the summer of 2012. We used the Burnham model to estimate survival, recapture rate, recovery, and fidelity and identify factors that affect them. Candidate models included combinations of sex, age class, year, hunting season length, bag limit, total harvest, number culled, the North Atlantic Oscillation Index, density, an indicator for urban banded birds, and percent agriculture, natural, rural, and urban land cover at the last known capture location. The best‐supported model included effects of age class, year, and whether the individual was banded in an urban or rural locale on survival and effects of year and locale on Seber recovery rate. We used it to construct a hierarchical model to estimate mean survival and Seber recovery rates for urban and rural birds and their variances. Mean survival of after‐hatch‐year urban Canada geese was 0.724 (95% CI: 0.675–0.772) and that of after‐hatch‐year rural geese was 0.718 (0.665–0.770). Based on estimates of survival and recovery, mean harvest rate was 3.8% (3.4–4.2%) for after‐hatch‐year urban geese and 7.8% (6.7–9.0%) for after‐hatch‐year rural geese. Hatch‐year geese in rural areas had lower survival and higher harvest rates than after‐hatch‐year geese, but the opposite was true in urban areas. Survival generally decreased over the course of the study and harvest increased. Hatch‐year males had the lowest fidelity of any group, and after‐hatch‐year geese of both sexes had fidelity greater than 85%. Knowledge of survival and its relationship with management and environmental factors will allow managers to better predict population responses to harvest and cull and to achieve population goals. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.
Liver transplantation outcomes for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Authors: Chinnaratha Mohamed A. , Chelvaratnam Uthayanan , Stuart Katherine A. , Strasser Simone I. , McCaughan Geoffrey W. , Gow Paul , Adams Leon A. , Wigg Alan J.
Published: April 2014

An increased liver disease burden has been reported for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSIs) in Australia; however, few proceed to liver transplantation (LT). We aimed to compare overall survival and graft survival after LT between ATSI and non-ATSI populations, assess the factors influencing survival within ATSIs, and finally examine the proportion of ATSIs undergoing LT. This study was a retrospective review of the Australia and New Zealand Liver Transplant Registry from 1985 to 2012 and examined consecutive primary LT performed in Australia. Overall and graft survival were compared between ATSI and non-ATSI groups. The Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) was used to calculate the remoteness of individuals. There were 3493 primary LT performed, and 45 patients (1.3%; 14 children and 31 adults) were ATSIs. The median (range) ages of the ATSI children and adults at the time of LT were 9.6 (0.2-15.3) years and 44.5 (19.5-65.5) years, respectively. There were 10 deaths in the ATSI cohort. The median (range) overall survival was similar for ATSI and non-ATSI children [6.5 (0.1-23.5) years versus 9.0 (0-28.2) years, P = 0.9] and adults [7.1 (0.1-15.7) years versus 6.3 0-26.7) years, P = 0.8]. The cumulative graft survival was similar for ATSI and non-ATSI children (P = 0.8) and adults (P = 0.8). High ARIA scores [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-1.53, P = 0.03] in children and blood group O (HR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.1-12.7, P = 0.03) in adults predicted worse outcomes for ATSIs. Although ATSIs accounted for 4.7% and 1.8% of the Australian pediatric and adult populations, respectively, they represented only 2.2% of pediatric LT recipients (χ2 = 8.2, P = 0.004) and 1.1% of adult LT recipients (χ2 = 7.9, P = 0.005). In conclusion, overall survival and graft survival after LT are comparable in ATSIs and non-ATSIs. There is a trend toward increased death/retransplantation in ATSIs from remote areas. ATSI children and adults appear to be underrepresented in the Australian LT population. Liver Transpl 20:798-806, 2014. © 2014 AASLD.
Analysis of Parkinson's disease brain–derived DNA for alpha‐synuclein coding somatic mutations
Authors: Proukakis Christos , Shoaee Maryiam , Morris James , Brier Timothy , Kara Eleanna , Sheerin Una‐Marie , Charlesworth Gavin , Tolosa Eduardo , Houlden Henry , Wood Nicholas W. , Schapira Anthony H.
Published: April 2014

Background

Although alpha‐synuclein (SNCA) is crucial to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), mutations in the gene appear to be rare. We have recently hypothesized that somatic mutations in early development could contribute to PD.

Methods

Expanding on our recent negative small study, we used high‐resolution melting (HRM) analysis to screen SNCA coding exons for somatic point mutations in DNA from 539 PD and DLB cerebellar samples, with two additional regions (frontal cortex, substantia nigra) for 20 PD cases. We used artificial mosaics to determine sensitivity where possible.

Results

We did not detect any evidence of somatic coding mutations. Three cases were heterozygous for known silent polymorphisms. The protocol we used was sensitive enough to detect 5% to 10% mutant DNA.

Conclusion

Using DNA predominantly from cerebellum, but also from frontal cortex and substantia nigra (n = 20 each), we have not detected any somatic coding SNCA point mutations. © 2014 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Deep brain stimulation in the ventrolateral thalamus/subthalamic area in dystonia with head tremor
Authors: Pauls K. Amande M. , Hammesfahr Sven , Moro Elena , Moore A. Peter , Binder Ellen , El Majdoub Faycal , Fink Gereon R. , Sturm Volker , Krauss Joachim K. , Maarouf Mohammad , Timmermann Lars
Published: April 2014

Background

Pallidal deep brain stimulation (GPi‐DBS) effectively ameliorates idiopathic dystonia, although approximately 15% of patients respond insufficiently. Although various thalamic and subthalamic targets have been suggested for dystonic tremor, no systematic studies have been published on thalamic DBS in dystonic tremor. We assessed the effect of thalamic/subthalamic area DBS (Th‐DBS) on dystonic head tremor and dystonia in a single‐blind design.

Methods

Dystonic head tremor and dystonia before and 3 months after surgery were quantified via blinded video‐ratings using the Fahn‐Tolosa‐Marin‐Tremor‐Scale and the Burke‐Fahn‐Marsden‐Dystonia‐Rating‐Scale in seven patients with idiopathic cervical or segmental dystonia, dystonic head tremor, and bilateral Th‐DBS. Pain, side effects, adverse events, and stimulation parameters were assessed.

Results

Th‐DBS improved dystonic tremor and dystonia (P < 0.05; 57.1% and 70.4%, respectively). Head tremor amplitude and pain were also improved (P < 0.05; 77.5% and 90.0%, respectively). Side effects included dysarthria, gait disturbance, slowness of movement, and weight gain.

Conclusion

Dystonic head tremor and dystonia can be improved with Th‐DBS. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Complex difference constrained compressed sensing reconstruction for accelerated PRF thermometry with application to MRI‐induced RF heating
Authors: Cao Zhipeng , Oh Sukhoon , Otazo Ricardo , Sica Christopher T. , Griswold Mark A. , Collins Christopher M.
Published: April 2014

Purpose

Introduce a novel compressed sensing reconstruction method to accelerate proton resonance frequency shift temperature imaging for MRI‐induced radiofrequency heating evaluation.

Methods

A compressed sensing approach that exploits sparsity of the complex difference between postheating and baseline images is proposed to accelerate proton resonance frequency temperature mapping. The method exploits the intra‐image and inter‐image correlations to promote sparsity and remove shared aliasing artifacts. Validations were performed on simulations and retrospectively undersampled data acquired in ex vivo and in vivo studies by comparing performance with previously published techniques.

Results

The proposed complex difference constrained compressed sensing reconstruction method improved the reconstruction of smooth and local proton resonance frequency temperature change images compared to various available reconstruction methods in a simulation study, a retrospective study with heating of a human forearm in vivo, and a retrospective study with heating of a sample of beef ex vivo.

Conclusion

Complex difference based compressed sensing with utilization of a fully sampled baseline image improves the reconstruction accuracy for accelerated proton resonance frequency thermometry. It can be used to improve the volumetric coverage and temporal resolution in evaluation of radiofrequency heating due to MRI, and may help facilitate and validate temperature‐based methods for safety assurance. Magn Reson Med 73:1420–1431, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Biodegradable, polymer encapsulated, metal oxide particles for MRI‐based cell tracking
Authors: Shapiro Erik M.
Published: April 2014

Metallic particles have shaped the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for molecular and cellular imaging. Although these particles have generally been developed for extracellular residence, either as blood pool contrast agents or targeted contrast agents, the coopted use of these particles for intracellular labeling has grown over the last 20 years. Coincident with this growth has been the development of metal oxide particles specifically intended for intracellular residence, and innovations in the nature of the metallic core. One promising nanoparticle construct for MRI‐based cell tracking is polymer encapsulated metal oxide nanoparticles. Rather than a polymer coated metal oxide nanocrystal of the core: shell type, polymer encapsulated metal oxide nanoparticles cluster many nanocrystals within a polymer matrix. This nanoparticle composite more efficiently packages inorganic nanocrystals, affording the ability to label cells with more inorganic material. Further, for magnetic nanocrystals, the clustering of multiple magnetic nanocrystals within a single nanoparticle enhances r2 and
relaxivity. Methods for fabricating polymer encapsulated metal oxide nanoparticles are facile, yielding both varied compositions and synthetic approaches. This review presents a brief history into the use of metal oxide particles for MRI‐based cell tracking and details the development and use of biodegradable, polymer encapsulated, metal oxide nanoparticles and microparticles for MRI‐based cell tracking. Magn Reson Med 73:376–389, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
No small surprise – small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcaemic type, is a malignant rhabdoid tumour
Authors: Foulkes William D , Clarke Blaise A , Hasselblatt Martin , Majewski Jacek , Albrecht Steffen , McCluggage W Glenn
Published: April 2014

Whole‐exome sequencing (WES) is revolutionizing medical diagnostics and taxonomy. In less than 5 years since its first use, WES has revealed unexpected molecular drivers of numerous cancers. Here, we describe our use of WES to uncover the true nature of an enigmatic pathological entity, small‐cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcaemic type (SCCOHT), which has resisted definitive characterisation since it was first described in 1979. We conducted WES using three families with SCCOHT and identified deleterious mutations in the chromatin‐remodelling gene SMARCA4 (encoding BRG1) in all cases. Follow‐up of these findings, using both Sanger sequencing and WES of formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tumours, showed that virtually all SCCOHTs we studied lacked functional SMARCA4/BRG1. Notably, this gene, and the related SMARCB1 gene, is mutated in most, if not all, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumours and malignant rhabdoid tumours. Other groups have similar findings. We review the relationship between these three neoplasms, discuss how they were distinguished from morphologically similar neoplasms, consider their similarities and show how WES has revealed that SCCOHTs are in fact rhabdoid tumours. We propose that SCCOHT be renamed ‘malignant rhabdoid tumour of the ovary’ (MRTO) to reflect these observations. Copyright © 2014 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MicroRNA‐519a is a novel oncomir conferring tamoxifen resistance by targeting a network of tumour‐suppressor genes in ER+ breast cancer
Authors: Ward Aoife , Shukla Kirti , Balwierz Aleksandra , Soons Zita , König Rainer , Sahin Özgür , Wiemann Stefan
Published: April 2014

Tamoxifen is an endocrine therapy which is administered to up to 70% of all breast cancer patients with oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression. Despite the initial response, most patients eventually acquire resistance to the drug. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non‐coding RNAs which have the ability to post‐transcriptionally regulate genes. Although the role of a few miRNAs has been described in tamoxifen resistance at the single gene/target level, little is known about how concerted actions of miRNAs targeting biological networks contribute to resistance. Here we identified the miRNA cluster, C19MC, which harbours around 50 mature miRNAs, to be up‐regulated in resistant cells, with miRNA‐519a being the most highly up‐regulated. We could demonstrate that miRNA‐519a regulates tamoxifen resistance using gain‐ and loss‐of‐function testing. By combining functional enrichment analysis and prediction algorithms, we identified three central tumour‐suppressor genes (TSGs) in PI3K signalling and the cell cycle network as direct target genes of miR‐519a. Combined expression of these target genes correlated with disease‐specific survival in a cohort of tamoxifen‐treated patients. We identified miRNA‐519a as a novel oncomir in ER+ breast cancer cells as it increased cell viability and cell cycle progression as well as resistance to tamoxifen‐induced apoptosis. Finally, we could show that elevated miRNA‐519a levels were inversely correlated with the target genes' expression and that higher expression of this miRNA correlated with poorer survival in ER+ breast cancer patients. Hence we have identified miRNA‐519a as a novel oncomir, co‐regulating a network of TSGs in breast cancer and conferring resistance to tamoxifen. Using inhibitors of such miRNAs may serve as a novel therapeutic approach to combat resistance to therapy as well as proliferation and evasion of apoptosis in breast cancer. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2014 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Morphology and structure changes of aromatic copolysulfonamide fibers heat‐drawn at various temperatures
Authors: Yu Jinchao , Wang Rui , Yang Chunlei , Chen Shenghui , Tian Feng , Wang Huaping , Zhang Yumei
Published: April 2014

Pre‐drawn aromatic copolysulfonamide (co‐PSA) fibers were prepared by wet spinning and then heat drawing at temperatures varying from 350 to 390 °C, which are below the decomposition temperature. The fibers were then characterized using tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and small‐angle X‐ray scattering. The relationship between structure and properties of the co‐PSA fibers drawn at different temperatures was investigated. The heat‐drawn co‐PSA fibers displayed similar glass transition temperature of about 355 °C, which was higher than that of pre‐drawn co‐PSA fibers of 345 °C. The crystal orientation was high as a crystalline structure formed during heat drawing and the crystallinity increased with the heat‐drawing temperature. However, the tenacity of the co‐PSA fibers did not increase linearly with the draw temperature. When the drawing temperature was higher than the glass transition temperature, a decrease in tenacity was observed, which could be attributed to an increase of crystallite size of the (100) plane and a decrease of the long period of the lamellar structure. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Intrinsic α‐helical and β‐sheet conformational preferences: A computational case study of alanine
Authors: Caballero Diego , Määttä Jukka , Zhou Alice Qinhua , Sammalkorpi Maria , O'Hern Corey S. , Regan Lynne
Published: April 2014

A fundamental question in protein science is what is the intrinsic propensity for an amino acid to be in an α‐helix, β‐sheet, or other backbone dihedral angle (
‐ψ) conformation. This question has been hotly debated for many years because including all protein crystal structures from the protein database, increases the probabilities for α‐helical structures, while experiments on small peptides observe that β‐sheet‐like conformations predominate. We perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a hard‐sphere model for Ala dipeptide mimetics that includes steric interactions between nonbonded atoms and bond length and angle constraints with the goal of evaluating the role of steric interactions in determining protein backbone conformational preferences. We find four key results. For the hard‐sphere MD simulations, we show that (1) β‐sheet structures are roughly three and half times more probable than α‐helical structures, (2) transitions between α‐helix and β‐sheet structures only occur when the backbone bond angle τ (NCαC) is greater than 110°, and (3) the probability distribution of τ for Ala conformations in the “bridge” region of
‐ψ space is shifted to larger angles compared to other regions. In contrast, (4) the distributions obtained from Amber and CHARMM MD simulations in the bridge regions are broader and have increased τ compared to those for hard sphere simulations and from high‐resolution protein crystal structures. Our results emphasize the importance of hard‐sphere interactions and local stereochemical constraints that yield strong correlations between
‐ψ conformations and τ.
Investigating Environmental Flows for Riparian Vegetation Recruitment Using System Dynamics Modelling
Authors: Morrison R. R. , Stone M. C.
Published: April 2014

System dynamics modelling is an underutilized tool that can provide flexible and system‐response analyses of environmental flows. Because system dynamics models are able to incorporate causal connections between social, economic and environmental aspects of a system, they are well suited to study water management problems. In addition, system dynamics models are excellent tools for incorporating expert and stakeholder feedback, which is an important component of any environmental flow study. Given the benefits of using a system dynamics modelling approach, our objective was to develop and demonstrate a stochastic system dynamics modelling framework to evaluate environmental flow alternatives. Specifically, our research examined the influence of flow alternatives on cottonwood recruitment and reservoir storage within the Rio Chama basin, New Mexico, USA. We used the ‘recruitment box model’ to investigate the impact of three alternatives on cottonwood recruitment within the project reach. The recruitment box model attributes seedling survival to floodplain elevation, annual timing of peak flows and river stage declines that match seedling root growth. We also demonstrate how flow alternatives can be evaluated using comparative metrics, which allow water resource managers to more easily evaluate alternatives before incorporating environmental flows into existing operations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The quest for expansive intellectual property rights and the failure to disclose known relevant prior art
Authors: Steensma H. Kevin , Chari Mukund , Heidl Ralph
Published: April 2014

Expansive patent portfolios may be used by firms to fence off technological space for commercialization, impede the commercialization efforts of competitors, and enhance bargaining power in cross‐licensing negotiations. Low quality patents with claims that overlap those of other patents contribute to these portfolios and patent strategies. By failing to disclose known relevant prior art during the patenting process, inventors and their firms may be granted low quality patents with intellectual property claims which would not otherwise have been granted. We find that the failure of inventors to disclose known relevant prior art increases as they gain experience with the patenting process. Such failure is also greater among inventors employed by relatively small, poorly performing firms that rely on outsourced legal counsel during the application process. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Automatic test case evolution
Authors: Mirzaaghaei Mehdi , Pastore Fabrizio , Pezzè Mauro
Published: April 2014

Software systems evolve incrementally both during and after development, and many test cases become obsolete while software evolves. Updating test suites in the context of software evolution is a complex and time consuming activity. This article focuses on the problem of updating test suites automatically, and identifies eight scenarios that allow either to repair test cases or to use test cases to generate new ones, and proposes eight test evolution algorithms that automatically repair and generate test cases by adapting existing ones. This article presents a framework, TestCareAssistant (TCA), that implements the algorithms to support the evolution of test suites written in Java. The framework has been extensively evaluated on five different open source projects where it has been applied to repair 138 broken test cases, and to generate the test cases for 727 new classes and 2462 new methods. The results obtained with TCA indicate that the approach can successfully repair 90% of the broken test cases, create test cases that cover a large amount of code and complement the test cases that can be generated by state of the art techniques. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Percutaneous minimal‐access fetoscopic surgery for spina bifida aperta. Part II: maternal management and outcome
Authors: Degenhardt J. , Schürg R. , Winarno A. , Oehmke F. , Khaleeva A. , Kawecki A. , Enzensberger C. , Tinneberg H.‐R. , Faas D. , Ehrhardt H. , Axt‐Fliedner R. , Kohl T.
Published: April 2014

Objective

To assess maternal morbidity and outcome in women undergoing minimal‐access fetoscopic surgery for spina bifida aperta.

Methods

This was a retrospective study of 51 women undergoing minimal‐access fetoscopic surgery to improve postnatal neurological outcome of spina bifida aperta, at a mean gestational age of 24 weeks, at our center between July 2010 and June 2013. We analyzed various perioperative complications of surgery, namely: maternal and fetal death, need for maternal blood transfusion, placental abruption, pulmonary edema, spontaneous labor, oligohydramnios, chorioamnionitis, chorioamniotic membrane separation, duration of hospitalization, amniotic fluid leakage, gestational age at delivery and status of hysterotomy site.

Results

In none of the 51 women was there maternal demise, spontaneous labor, placental abruption or a need for maternal blood transfusion in the perioperative period. Chorioamniotic membrane separation occurred in one patient, mild pulmonary edema occurred in one and oligohydramnios occurred in seven. All fetuses survived surgery, but there was one very early preterm delivery 1 week after the procedure and this neonate died immediately, from early postoperative chorioamnionitis. Amniotic fluid leakage occurred in 43 patients, at a mean gestational age of 29.7 (range, 22.6–37.3) weeks; two of these patients developed chorioamnionitis. Duration of maternal hospitalization after surgery was 7.2 (range, 4–12) days. Mean gestational age at delivery was 33 (range, 24.6–38.1) weeks. All abdominal and uterine trocar insertion sites healed well.

Conclusion

Minimal‐access fetoscopic surgery for spina bifida aperta is apparently safe for most maternal patients. Despite the common occurrence of amniotic leakage, the majority of women deliver beyond 32 weeks of gestation. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The two water worlds hypothesis: ecohydrological separation of water between streams and trees?
Authors: McDonnell Jeffrey J.
Published: April 2014

Recent work in ecohydrology has shown that in some forested watershed systems, streams and trees appear to return different pools of water to the hydrosphere. Thus far, evidence for this has come exclusively from wet Mediterranean climates. This short opinion article outlines the hypothesis and a research agenda for future work. The most pressing issue is the need to gather more data points whereby dual isotope‐based studies in forested catchments compare samples of plant water and tightly bound soil water as well as mobile waters (soil, groundwater, and streamflow) in the catchment. New work is needed to test the hypothesis across different climates and vegetation regimes, especially places that contrast with the Mediterranean climates and forest types where two water worlds have been found. These include, but are not restricted to humid areas where plant water use and precipitation input are in phase, wetter zones where seasonality of precipitation is low, and drier zones where water stress is higher. Of equal importance to these basic research issues are the practical issues surrounding the sampling methods of plant and soil waters. Studies are needed to compare extraction techniques for low and high mobility soil waters and to understand the effect of sampling protocol on water isotope composition. Once these issues are resolved, high frequency sampling of soil and xylem waters will be especially instructive in development of mechanistic models of ecohydrological interaction—and an explanation for the hypothesis that is still wanting. WIREs Water 2014, 1:323–329. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1027

This article is categorized under:

Science of Water > Hydrological Processes
Causal learning in children
Authors: Sobel David M. , Legare Cristine H.
Published: April 2014

How do children learn the causal structure of the environment? We first summarize a set of theories from the adult literature on causal learning, including associative models, parameter estimation theories, and causal structure learning accounts, as applicable to developmental science. We focus on causal graphical models as a description of children's causal knowledge, and the implications of this computational description for children's causal learning. We then examine the contributions of explanation and exploration to causal learning from a computational standpoint. Finally, we examine how children might learn causal knowledge from others and how computational and constructivist accounts of causal learning can be integrated. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:413–427. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1291

This article is categorized under:

Psychology > Development and Aging

Psychology > Learning
Applying neurodevelopmental theory to school‐based drug misuse prevention during adolescence
Authors: Riggs Nathaniel R. , Black David S. , Ritt‐Olson Anamara
Published: April 2014

Adolescence is characterized by incredible development in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for behavioral and emotional self‐regulation, and higher order cognitive decision‐making skills (that is, executive function). Typically late prefrontal cortical development and its integration with limbic areas of the brain associated with reward, pleasure, novelty seeking, and emotion can contribute to substance misuse vulnerability during adolescence. In this chapter, literature on the developmental integration of the prefrontal cortex with emotion and motivation centers of the brain is reviewed. Then this research is applied to school‐based adolescent substance misuse prevention, highlighting two examples of preventive interventions incorporating neurocognitive models into comprehensive prevention approaches. Finally, innovative strategies (for example, mindfulness training) for promoting neurocognition as a mediator to substance misuse vulnerability are discussed.
Life skills training: Preventing substance misuse by enhancing individual and social competence
Authors: Botvin Gilbert J. , Griffin Kenneth W.
Published: April 2014

Research concerning the etiology and prevention of substance misuse has led to the development of preventive interventions that are theory‐based and effective. One such approach, Life Skills Training (LST), targets key etiologic factors using a conceptual framework derived from social learning theory and problem behavior theory. LST has been extensively tested in a series of randomized trials and found effective in preventing the use/misuse of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other psychoactive drugs. Research demonstrates that it is effective when implemented under different delivery conditions, by different program providers, with different age groups, and with different populations. Follow‐up studies provide evidence of the long‐term effectiveness of LST. Independent economic analysis indicates that LST produces cost savings of as much as $38 for every dollar invested. Finally, LST offers the potential of reducing other health risk behaviors and fostering academic success.