bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and Factors Associated to Hypertension Among Older Adults in Bogotá, Colombia
Authors: Cano-Gutierrez Carlos , Reyes-Ortiz Carlos A. , Samper-Ternent Rafael , Gélvez-Rueda Juan Sebastián , Borda Miguel German
Published: March 2015

Objective: To characterize older adults in Bogotá with high blood pressure and identify factors associated to this condition within this population. Method: Using data from the Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento (SABE) (Health, Well-being and Aging) Bogotá Study, we analyzed community-dwelling adults 60 years and older with hypertension. We estimated the prevalence and used logistic regression models to identify factors associated to hypertension. Results: The overall prevalence for hypertension was 56.9%. Older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.07, 1.97]), having health insurance (OR = 4.15, CI = [1.95, 8.85]), cardiovascular diseases (ORs between 1.70 and 3.65), and poor self-rated health (OR = 1.57, CI = [1.20,2.06]) significantly increased the odds of hypertension. Most individuals received pharmacologic treatment (93.5%); however, 28.4% of individuals had uncontrolled hypertension. Discussion: We found a high prevalence of hypertension in our cohort and found that comorbidities and poor self-rated health increase the odds of hypertension. Future studies need to tailor interventions for hypertension management in old age.
An artificial neural network model as a preliminary track design tool
Authors: Domingo Laura Montalbán , Fernández-Villa Juan Antonio Villaronte , Sendra Claudio Masanet , Herráiz Julia I. Real
Published: March 2015

The formula derived from Zimmermann’s theory is commonly used in railway track design. However, this formula depends on variables such as the ballast coefficient, which are difficult to determine. In recent years, numerical models have been widely used as they allow the track to be studied as a complete system in which the input variables are known. However, the computation time of numerical models is often very large. This paper presents a pre-design tool that is based on an artificial neural network (ANN). This tool permits the efficient determination of the independent variables of the model, which depend on the track characteristics, the height of the embankment and the quality of the material used to form the embankment. The main advantage of the ANN model is the optimization of the design process, providing a pre-design scenario in which the independent variables are calculated on the basis of the vertical displacement of the rail top, which is the output of the ANN. This leads to significant savings in the computational time required to solve the finite element model.
A systematic review of contemporary models of shared HIV care and HIV in primary care in high-income settings
Authors: Mapp Fiona , Hutchinson Jane , Estcourt Claudia
Published: March 2015

Summary

HIV shared care is uncommon in the UK although shared care could be a beneficial model of care. We review the literature on HIV shared care to determine current practice and clinical, economic and patient satisfaction outcomes. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, NICE Evidence, Cochrane collaboration, Google and websites of the British HIV Association, Aidsmap, Public Health England, World Health Organization and Terrence Higgins Trust using relevant search terms in August 2014. Studies published after 2000, from healthcare settings comparable to the UK that described links between primary care and specialised HIV services were included and compared using principles of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date, Significance frameworks. Three of the nine included models reported clinical or patient satisfaction outcomes but data collection and analyses were inadequate. None reported economic outcomes although some provided financial costings. Facilitators of shared care included robust clinical protocols, training and timely communication. Few published examples of HIV shared care exist and quality of evidence is poor. There is no consistent association with improved clinical outcomes, cost effectiveness or acceptability. Models are context specific, driven by local need, although some generalisable features could inform novel service delivery. Further evaluative research is needed to determine optimal components of shared HIV care.
A 300-year surge history of the Drangajökull ice cap, northwest Iceland, and its maximum during the ‘Little Ice Age’
Authors: Brynjólfsson Skafti , Schomacker Anders , Guðmundsdóttir Esther Ruth , Ingólfsson Ólafur
Published: March 2015

Over the last 300 years, each of the three surge-type outlet glaciers of the Drangajökull ice cap in northwest Iceland has surged 2–4 times. There is valuable historical information available on the surge frequencies since the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) maximum because of the proximity of the surging outlets, Reykjarfjarðarjökull, Leirufjarðarjökull and Kaldalónsjökull, to farms and pastures and monitoring of these glaciers since 1931. We have reconstructed the surge history of the Drangajökull ice cap, based on geomorphological mapping, sedimentological studies and review of historical records. Geomorphological mapping of the glacier forefields reveals twice as many end moraines as previously recognized. This indicates a higher surge interval than earlier perceived. A clear relationship between the surge interval and climate cannot be established. Surges were observed more frequently during the 19th century and the earliest 20th century compared with the relatively cool 18th century and the late 20th century, possibly reflecting a lack of information rather than a long quiescent phase of the glaciers. We have estimated the magnitude of the maximum surge events during the LIA by reconstruction of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) that can be compared with modern DEMs. As reference points for the digital elevation modelling, we used the recently mapped lateral moraines and historical information on the exposure timing of nunataks. During the LIA maximum surge events, the outlet glaciers extended 3–4 km further down-valley than at present. Their ice volumes were at least 2–2.5 km3 greater than in the beginning of the 21st century.
Chlorobenzylidene malononitrile tear gas exposure
Authors: Brvar M
Published: March 2015

Objective:

Chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) is the tear gas used by the police. The aim was to evaluate an amphoteric, hypertonic, and chelating rinsing solution in CS exposure.

Methods:

The first (CS) group of six police officers was exposed to CS only. The second (preexposure) group of eight sprayed their faces with an aqueous, hypertonic, amphoteric, and chelating solution before CS exposure. The third (postexposure) group of eight sprayed their faces with an aqueous, hypertonic, amphoteric, and chelating solution after CS exposure. The time between exiting the CS cloud and arriving at the “ready for action” checkpoint was measured. Their facial pain both inside the CS cloud and at the checkpoint was assessed (0–10 points).

Results:

The pain level inside the CS cloud was significantly lower in the preexposed group (5.6 ± 1.1; p = 0.01) than in the CS group (9.7 ± 0.5) and in the postexposure group (9.1 ± 0.4) where it was similar. The time interval between CS exposure and arrival at the checkpoint in the preexposure group (1:26 ± 0:44 min) was significantly shorter than both in the CS group (2:28 ± 0:25 min; p = 0.04) and postexposure group (2:30 ± 0:48 min; p = 0.02) where it was not different. The residual pain at the checkpoint in the preexposure (1.1 ± 0.4) and postexposure (1.4 ± 0.7) groups was similar with a significant lower pain level than in the CS group (2.3 ± 0.5; p = 0.02).

Conclusion:

CS decontamination with an aqueous, hypertonic, amphoteric, and chelating solution reduces facial pain, whereas prevention with it reduces pain and recovery time.
Epithelioid Mammary Myofibroblastoma Mimicking Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
Authors: Arafah Maria A. , Ginter Paula S. , D’Alfonso Timothy M. , Hoda Syed A.
Published: March 2015

A case of a 53-year-old woman with the epithelioid variant of mammary myofibroblastoma, which was initially misinterpreted as invasive lobular carcinoma, is presented. A needle core biopsy of the 1.6 cm mass showed interlacing bundles of epithelioid myofibroblasts amid dense fibrous tissue associated with lobular carcinoma in situ of the classical type. Most epithelioid cells showed nuclear atypia, and a few exhibited signet-ring cytology. Immunoreactivity for estrogen and progesterone receptors further compounded the deception, and the neoplasm was misinterpreted as invasive lobular carcinoma. Excisional biopsy showed a circumscribed stromal tumor with foci suspicious for invasive lobular carcinoma. The latter was excluded by cytokeratin negativity throughout the tumor. The overall histopathological appearance and immunostaining pattern was confirmatory of myofibroblastoma. This case report emphasizes the potential for mistaking epithelioid myofibroblastoma for invasive lobular carcinoma—particularly in the setting of limited sampling, hormone-receptor immunoreactivity of the lesional cells, and synchronous lobular carcinoma in situ.
Accuracy of Short Forms of the Dutch Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence
Authors: Hurks Petra , Hendriksen Jos , Dek Joelle , Kooij Andress
Published: March 2015

This article investigated the accuracy of six short forms of the Dutch Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence–Third edition (WPPSI-III-NL) in estimating intelligent quotient (IQ) scores in healthy children aged 4 to 7 years ( N = 1,037). Overall, accuracy for each short form was studied, comparing IQ equivalences based on the short forms with the original WPPSI-III-NL Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores. Next, our sample was divided into three groups: children performing below average, average, or above average, based on the WPPSI-III-NL FSIQ estimates of the original long form, to study the accuracy of WPPSI-III-NL short forms at the tails of the FSIQ distribution. While studying the entire sample, all IQ estimates of the WPPSI-III-NL short forms correlated highly with the FSIQ estimates of the original long form (all rs ≥ .83). Correlations decreased significantly while studying only the tails of the IQ distribution ( rs varied between .55 and .83). Furthermore, IQ estimates of the short forms deviated significantly from the FSIQ score of the original long form, when the IQ estimates were based on short forms containing only two subtests. In contrast, unlike the short forms that contained two to four subtests, the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence short form (containing the subtests Vocabulary, Similarities, Block Design, and Matrix Reasoning) and the General Ability Index short form (containing the subtests Vocabulary, Similarities, Comprehension, Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, and Picture Concepts) produced less variations when compared with the original FSIQ score.
A Practical Guide to Check the Consistency of Item Response Patterns in Clinical Research Through Person-Fit Statistics
Authors: Meijer Rob R. , Niessen A. Susan M. , Tendeiro Jorge N.
Published: March 2015

Although there are many studies devoted to person-fit statistics to detect inconsistent item score patterns, most studies are difficult to understand for nonspecialists. The aim of this tutorial is to explain the principles of these statistics for researchers and clinicians who are interested in applying these statistics. In particular, we first explain how invalid test scores can be detected using person-fit statistics; second, we provide the reader practical examples of existing studies that used person-fit statistics to detect and to interpret inconsistent item score patterns; and third, we discuss a new R-package that can be used to identify and interpret inconsistent score patterns.
Effects of Paclitaxel on the Ability of Aspirin and Clopidogrel to Inhibit Platelet Aggregation
Authors: Zhang Shu , Sun Changli , Hu Hai , He Yarong , Yao Yuanchang , Cao Yu , Zeng Zhi
Published: March 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different paclitaxel concentrations on platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP). This experiment involved platelet suspensions that were obtained from fasting morning blood specimens from healthy adult male volunteers aged 22 to 28 years. The effect of paclitaxel on platelet aggregation induced by ADP and the inhibition rate of platelet aggregation were calculated in 6 groups with varying concentrations of paclitaxel, respectively. The optimal incubation time and concentration of ADP were 10 minutes and 10 μmol/mL, respectively. When the concentration of paclitaxel increased, platelet aggregation induced by ADP increased accordingly. When the concentration of paclitaxel exceeded 0.1 ng/mL, the ability of ADP to induce platelet aggregation increased significantly with increasing paclitaxel concentrations. In all the 3 experimental groups, that is A, C, and AC groups, the ability to inhibit platelet aggregation was weakened as paclitaxel concentration increased. Paclitaxel can enhance platelet aggregation induced by ADP, and this ability was observed to increase as paclitaxel concentration increased. In conclusion, paclitaxel can reduce the ability of aspirin, clopidogrel, and aspirin combined with clopidogrel to inhibit platelet aggregation. Furthermore, the ability to inhibit platelet aggregation was weakened as paclitaxel concentration increased in all 3 experimental groups.
The Means and End of Greenwash
Authors: Lyon Thomas P. , Montgomery A. Wren
Published: March 2015

Corporate claims about environmental performance have increased rapidly in recent years, as has the incidence of greenwash, that is, communication that misleads people into forming overly positive beliefs about an organization’s environmental practices or products. References to greenwash in the literature have grown rapidly since the term was introduced more than 2 decades ago, with a sharp increase in articles since 2011. We review and synthesize this fragmented and multidisciplinary literature, showing that greenwash is a broad umbrella term that encompasses a variety of specific forms of misleading environmental communication. More research is needed that identifies and catalogues the varieties of greenwash, theorizes and models their mechanisms drawing on existing social science research, and measures their impacts on corporate performance and social welfare.
Meeting at the edge of fear: Theory on a world scale
Authors: Connell Raewyn
Published: March 2015

Rich and sophisticated analyses of gender have been produced around the postcolonial world. But the theory in this work gets little recognition in the current global economy of knowledge. Feminist theory needs an understanding of the coloniality of gender, seeing the gender dynamic in imperialism and the significance of global processes for the meaning of gender itself. The agendas of feminist theory are being re-shaped on issues that include violence, power and the state, identity, methodology, and the land. An alternative structure of knowledge is emerging that can re-shape the global terrain of feminist theory and its connections with practice.
How to do realistic political theory (and why you might want to)
Authors: Hall Edward
Published: March 2015

In recent years, a number of realist thinkers have charged much contemporary political theory with being idealistic and moralistic. While the basic features of the realist counter-movement are reasonably well understood, realism is still considered a critical, primarily negative creed which fails to offer a positive, alternative way of thinking normatively about politics. Aiming to counteract this general perception, in this article I draw on Bernard Williams’s claims about how to construct a politically coherent conception of liberty from the non-political value of freedom. I do this because Williams’s argument provides an illuminating example of the distinctive nature of realist political thinking and its attractions. I argue that Williams’s account of realist political thinking challenges the orthodox moralist claim that normative political arguments must be guided by an ideal ethical theory. I then spell out the repercussions Williams’s claims about the significance of political opposition and non-moralised accounts of motivation have for our understanding of the role and purpose of political theory. I conclude by defending the realist claim that action-guiding political theory should accordingly take certain features of our politics as given, most centrally the reality of political opposition and the passions and experiences that motivate them. On this reading political realism offers a viable way of thinking about political values which cannot be understood in terms of the categories of intellectual separation – ideal/nonideal or fact-insensitive/fact-sensitive – that have marked political theory in recent years.
Subfractions of enamel matrix derivative differentially influence cytokine secretion from human oral fibroblasts
Authors: Villa Oscar , Brookes Steven J , Thiede Bernd , Heijl Lars , Lyngstadaas Staale P , Reseland Janne E
Published: March 2015

Enamel matrix derivative is used to promote periodontal regeneration during the corrective phase of the treatment of periodontal defects. Our main goal was to analyze the bioactivity of different molecular weight fractions of enamel matrix derivative. Enamel matrix derivative, a complex mixture of proteins, was separated into 13 fractions using size-exclusion chromatography and characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry. Human periodontal ligament fibroblasts were treated with either enamel matrix derivative or the different fractions. Proliferation and cytokine secretion to the cell culture medium were measured and compared to untreated cells. The liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry analyses revealed that the most abundant peptides were amelogenin and leucine-rich amelogenin peptide related. The fractions containing proteins above 20 kDa induced an increase in vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-6 secretion, whereas lower molecular weight fractions enhanced proliferation and secretion of interleukin-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and reduced interleukin-4 release. The various molecular components in the enamel matrix derivative formulation might contribute to reported effects on tissue regeneration through their influence on vascularization, the immune response, and chemotaxis.
Fever-Induced Brugada Syndrome
Authors: Manohar Sandhya , Dahal Binaya Raman , Gitler Bernard
Published: March 2015

Brugada syndrome is increasingly recognized as a cause of sudden cardiac death. Many of these patients do not get diagnosed due its dynamic and often hidden nature. We have come a long way in understanding the disease process, and its electrophysiology appears to be intimately linked with sodium channel mutations or disorders. The cardiac rhythm in these patients can deteriorate into fatal ventricular arrhythmias. This makes it important for the clinician to be aware of the conditions in which arrhythmogenicity of Brugada syndrome is revealed or even potentiated. We present such an instance where our patient’s Brugada syndrome was unmasked by fever.
“Personal Preference” as the New Racism
Authors: Robinson Brandon Andrew
Published: March 2015

In this article, I examine how race impacts online interactions on one of the most popular online gay personal websites in the United States. Based on 15 in-depth interviews and an analysis of 100 profiles, I show that the filtering system on this website allows users to cleanse particular racial bodies from their viewing practices. I use Patricia Hill Collins’s concept of the “new racism” and Sharon Holland’s ideas on everyday practices of racism within one’s erotic life to explain how these social exclusionary practices toward gay men of color in cyberspace are considered not to be racist acts. Specifically, I show how the neoliberal discourse of “personal preference” effaces the larger cultural assumptions that are influencing people’s interpersonal and psychic racial desires, furthering an erotic new racism in this digital age. By also turning to a queer of color analysis, I posit that the practices that gay users engage in lead to the remarginalization of all nonheterosexual individuals, though in qualitatively different ways.
Beyond “Post-Race Paralysis”
Authors: Valiente-Neighbours Jimiliz M.
Published: March 2015

The challenges of facilitating conversations on racial inequality, whiteness, and privilege in classrooms include student disengagement and students’ accusations of prejudice among instructors, particularly instructors of color. Moreover, the election of President Barack Obama in 2008 has promoted the claim that we are now “post-race” and thus no longer need to talk about race. Both students and instructors who believe otherwise and are committed to bringing up these topics in class risk facing ridicule or hostility and for instructors, even threats to their job security or life. However, in a public university where, ideally, racial inequality and privilege intersect, the classroom can be a space for critical dialogue and coalition building around racial justice. I discuss two pedagogical strategies that build opportunities to help students and instructors overcome “post-race paralysis”—the difficulty talking about race in the post-Obama era—and instead practice conversations towards anti-racism.
Anxiolytic-Like Effects of Translocator Protein (TSPO) Ligand ZBD-2 in an Animal Model of Chronic Pain
Authors: Wang Dong-sheng , Tian Zhen , Guo Yan-yan , Guo Hong-liang , Kang Wen-bo , Li Shuo , Den Ya-ting , Li Xu-bo , Feng Bing , Feng Dan , Zhao Jian-ning , Liu Gang , Zhao Ming-gao
Published: March 2015

The activation of Translocator protein (18 kDa) (TSPO) has been demonstrated to mediate rapid anxiolytic efficacy in stress response and stress-related disorders. This protein is involved in the synthesis of endogenous neurosteroids that promote γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated neurotransmission in the central neural system. However, little is known about the functions and the underlying mechanisms of TSPO in chronic pain-induced anxiety-like behaviors. The novel TSPO ligand N-benzyl- N-ethyl-2-(7,8-dihydro-7-benzyl-8-oxo-2-phenyl-9H-purin-9-yl) acetamide (ZBD-2) was used in the present study. We found that ZBD-2 (0.15 or 1.5 mg/kg) significantly attenuated anxiety-like behaviors in mice with chronic inflammatory pain induced by hindpaw injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). However, the treatment did not alter the nociceptive threshold or inflammation in the hindpaw. Hindpaw injection of CFA induced the upregulation of TSPO, GluR1-containing α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, and NR2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). ZBD-2 administration reversed the alterations of the abovementioned proteins in the BLA of the CFA-injected mice. Electrophysiological recording revealed that ZBD-2 could prevent an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory transmissions in the BLA synapses of CFA-injected mice. Therefore, as the novel ligand of TSPO, ZBD-2 induced anxiolytic effects, but did not affect the nociceptive threshold of mice under chronic pain. The anxiolytic effects of ZBD-2 were related to the regulation of the balance between excitatory and inhibitory transmissions in the BLA.
Within field spatial variation in methane emissions from lowland rice in Myanmar
Authors: Oo Aung Zaw , Win Khin Thuzar , Bellingrath-Kimura Sonoko Dorothea
Published: March 2015

An assessment of within field spatial variations in grain yield and methane (CH4) emission was conducted in lowland rice fields of Myanmar. Two successive rice fields (1st field and 2nd field) were divided into fertilized and non-fertilized parts and CH4 measurements were conducted at the inlet, middle and outlet positions of each field. The results showed that CH4 emissions at non-fertilized parts were higher than those at fertilized part in both rice fields. The average CH4 emissions ranged from 8.7 to 26.6 mg m-2 h-1 in all positions in both rice fields. The spatial variation in CH4 emission among the positions was high in both rice fields with the highest emissions in the outlet of the 1st field and the inlet of the 2nd field. The CH4 emissions at these two positions showed 2 - 2.5 times higher than those at other positions in both rice fields. Stepwise regression analysis indicates that soil total carbon content is the primary factor for CH4 emission. The average CH4 emissions during rice growing season were 13.5 mg m-2 h-1 for the 1st field and 15.7 mg m-2 h-1 for the 2nd field. Spearman rank order correlation analysis showed that CH4 emission was significantly and positively correlated with soil temperature, surface water depth and negatively correlated with soil redox potential. The result indicated that high within field spatial variation in CH4 emissions required different site specific management practices to mitigate CH4 emissions in lowland paddy rice soil.
Bisphenol A Exposure Disrupts Metabolic Health Across Multiple Generations in the Mouse
Authors: Susiarjo Martha , Xin Frances , Bansal Amita , Stefaniak Martha , Li Changhong , Simmons Rebecca A. , Bartolomei Marisa S.
Published: March 2015

Accumulating evidence has suggested that a suboptimal early life environment produces multigenerational developmental defects. A proposed mechanism is stable inheritance of DNA methylation. Here we show that maternal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in C57BL/6 mice produces multigenerational metabolic phenotypes in their offspring. Using various methods including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry analyses, glucose tolerance tests, and perifusion islet studies, we showed that exposure to 10 μg/kg/d and 10 mg/kg/d BPA in pregnant F0 mice was associated with higher body fat and perturbed glucose homeostasis in F1 and F2 male offspring but not female offspring. To provide insight into the mechanism of the multigenerational metabolic abnormalities, we investigated the maternal metabolic milieu and inheritance of DNA methylation across generations. We showed that maternal glucose homeostasis during pregnancy was altered in the F0 but not F1 female mice. The results suggested that a compromised maternal metabolic milieu may play a role in the health of the F1 offspring but cannot account for all of the observed multigenerational phenotypes. We further demonstrated that the metabolic phenotypes in the F1 and F2 BPA male offspring were linked to fetal overexpression of the imprinted Igf2 gene and increased DNA methylation at the Igf2 differentially methylated region 1. Studies in H19Δ3.8/+ mouse mutants supported the role of fetal Igf2 overexpression in altered adult glucose homeostasis. We conclude that early life BPA exposure at representative human exposure levels can perturb metabolic health across multiple generations in the mouse through stable inheritance of DNA methylation changes at the Igf2 locus.
Structural Determination of Ulvan from Green Seaweed Ulva reticulata Collected at Central Coast of Vietnam
Authors: Thu Quach Thi Minh , Bang Truong Hai , Nu Nguyen Thi , Luong Đang Vu , Ly Bui Minh , Van Tran Thi Thanh , Thuy Thanh Thi Thu
Published: March 2015

We extracted ulvan from the green seaweed Ulva reticulata collected from the Nha-Trang bay, central coast of Vietnam. The ulvan is composed of rhamnose, galactose, xylose, mannose, and glucose with molar ratio Rha:Gal:Xyl:Man:Glu = 1:0.1:0.11:0.01:0.21, uronic acid content of 19.3 wt %, and sulfate content of 14.3 wt %. Chemical structure determination using NMR and ESI-MS techniques showed that ulvan is composed of mainly two disaccharides β-d-GlcAp(1→2)-α-l-Rhap and α-l-IdoAp(1→4)-α-l-Rhap. Branching point is at O-2 of uronic acid. Sulfate groups were attached at C-2, C-3, and C-4 of the rhamnose residues.
Splicing predictions reliably classify different types of alternative splicing
Authors: Busch Anke , Hertel Klemens J.
Published: March 2015

Alternative splicing is a key player in the creation of complex mammalian transcriptomes and its misregulation is associated with many human diseases. Multiple mRNA isoforms are generated from most human genes, a process mediated by the interplay of various RNA signature elements andtrans-acting factors that guide spliceosomal assembly and intron removal. Here, we introduce a splicing predictor that evaluates hundreds of RNA features simultaneously to successfully differentiate between exons that are constitutively spliced, exons that undergo alternative 5′ or 3′ splice-site selection, and alternative cassette-type exons. Surprisingly, the splicing predictor did not feature strong discriminatory contributions from binding sites for known splicing regulators. Rather, the ability of an exon to be involved in one or multiple types of alternative splicing is dictated by its immediate sequence context, mainly driven by the identity of the exon's splice sites, the conservation around them, and its exon/intron architecture. Thus, the splicing behavior of human exons can be reliably predicted based on basic RNA sequence elements.
Riscos ambientais em grandes metrópoles. O caso de São Paulo, Brasil
Authors: Ortigosa Silvia Aparecida Guarnieri , Lombardo Magda Adelaide
Published: March 2015

A metrópole em toda sua complexidade social e ambiental oferece um cenário propício para o desenvolvimento de práticas consumistas e, com isso, os impactos ambientais decorrentes destes comportamentos tendem a ganhar proporções que oferecem maiores riscos às gerações futuras.
Stress térmico na frente de fogo no combate a incendio florestal: avaliação de risco
Authors: Talaia Mário , Ferreira Valente
Published: March 2015

A temperatura é um dos parâmetros mais importantes a considerar quando se pretende avaliar o stress térmico do ser humano. Nesta investigação avalia-se um choque térmico que ocorre, muitas vezes, durante um incêndio florestal e que é suscitado quando em dado momento se faz a luta com base em água em jacto e com uma exposição durante o combate com meios sapadores.São usados índices de stress térmico, para um ambiente quente por efeito da transferência de energia sob a forma de calor, por radiação, convecção e evaporação, nomeadamente, os índices WBGT, HSI, ITE. Os resultados são comparados com a interpretação física a partir do diagrama de duas entradas da WMO.
Uptake and impact of a clinical diagnostic decision support tool at an academic medical center
Authors: Barbieri John S. , French Benjamin , Umscheid Craig A.
Published: March 2015

Background: Use of differential diagnosis (DDX) generators may reduce the incidence of misdiagnosis-related harm, but there is a paucity of research examining the use and impact of such systems in real-world settings.

Methods: In September 2012, the DDX generator VisualDx was made available across our entire academic healthcare system. We examined the use of VisualDx by month for the 18 months following its introduction. In addition, we compared the number of inpatient dermatology consults requested per month at the flagship hospital of our healthcare system for the 12 months before versus 18 months after VisualDx introduction.

Results: Across our entire academic healthcare system, there were a median of 474 (interquartile range 390–544) unique VisualDx sessions per month. VisualDx was accessed most frequently through mobile devices (35%) and the inpatient electronic health record (34%). Prior to VisualDx introduction, there was a non-significant increase in the number of inpatient dermatology consultations requested per month at the flagship hospital of our healthcare system (1.0 per month, 95% CI –2.5–4.6, p=0.54), which remained 1.0 consults per month (95% CI –0.9–2.9, p=0.27) following its introduction (p=0.99 comparing post- versus pre-introduction rates).

Conclusions: The DDX generator VisualDx was regularly used, primarily on mobile devices and inpatient workstations, and was not associated with a change in inpatient dermatology consultation requests. Given the interest in DDX generators, it will be important to evaluate further the impact of such tools on the quality and value of care delivered.
‘Like’-similes in a 1st-person narrative: Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go
Authors: Ikeo Reiko
Published: March 2015

Kathy’s 1st-person narrative in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go depicts the relationships among three leading characters, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, who live in a near-contemporary world, where (we slowly grasp) some human clones are raised to be a source of replacement organs for non-cloned humans in ill health. Kathy and her friends are three such clones. Figurative expressions in Kathy’s narrative tend to appear in the form of similes or with explicit markers of similitude such as ‘like’ and ‘the sort’, and the frequency of ‘like’ is particularly high. The primary focus of this paper is to examine the effects which are achieved by ‘like’-similes and how they contribute to constructing the fictional world of the novel. ‘Like’ is used here with syntactic flexibility and semantic versatility and these ‘like’-similes are predominantly used to describe the characters’ actions, intentions, emotions and the situations in which they act. As the three friends grow older and approach the final phase of their lives, when they will be organ donors, the characters’ viewpoints and the narrator’s presentation of them shift. Through an array of ‘like’-similes, the 1st-person narrator consistently interprets other characters’ internal states and signals the way she is making assumptions about them and the surrounding environments.
Spatially Heterogeneous Choroid Plexus Transcriptomes Encode Positional Identity and Contribute to Regional CSF Production
Authors: Lun Melody P. , Johnson Matthew B. , Broadbelt Kevin G. , Watanabe Momoko , Kang Young-jin , Chau Kevin F. , Springel Mark W. , Malesz Alexandra , Sousa André M.M. , Pletikos Mihovil , Adelita Tai , Calicchio Monica L. , Zhang Yong , Holtzman Michael J. , Lidov Hart G.W. , Sestan Nenad , Steen Hanno , Monuki Edwin S. , Lehtinen Maria K.
Published: March 2015

A sheet of choroid plexus epithelial cells extends into each cerebral ventricle and secretes signaling factors into the CSF. To evaluate whether differences in the CSF proteome across ventricles arise, in part, from regional differences in choroid plexus gene expression, we defined the transcriptome of lateral ventricle (telencephalic) versus fourth ventricle (hindbrain) choroid plexus. We find that positional identities of mouse, macaque, and human choroid plexi derive from gene expression domains that parallel their axial tissues of origin. We then show that molecular heterogeneity between telencephalic and hindbrain choroid plexi contributes to region-specific, age-dependent protein secretionin vitro. Transcriptome analysis of FACS-purified choroid plexus epithelial cells also predicts their cell-type-specific secretome. Spatial domains with distinct protein expression profiles were observed within each choroid plexus. We propose that regional differences between choroid plexi contribute to dynamic signaling gradients across the mammalian cerebroventricular system.
Deep Brain Stimulation of Different Pedunculopontine Targets in a Novel Rodent Model of Parkinsonism
Authors: Gut Nadine K. , Winn Philip
Published: March 2015

The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) has been proposed as a target for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in parkinsonian patients, particularly for symptoms such as gait and postural difficulties refractory to dopaminergic treatments. Several patients have had electrodes implanted aimed at the PPTg, but outcomes have been disappointing, with little evidence that gait and posture are improved. The PPTg is a heterogeneous structure. Consequently, exact target sites in PPTg, possible DBS mechanisms, and potential benefits still need systematic investigation in good animal models. We have investigated the role of PPTg in gait, developed a refined model of parkinsonism including partial loss of the PPTg with bilateral destruction of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons that mimics human pathophysiology, and investigated the effect of DBS at different PPTg locations on gait and posture using a wireless device that lets rats move freely while receiving stimulation. Neither partial nor complete lesions of PPTg caused gait deficits, underlining questions raised previously about the status of PPTg as a motor control structure. The effect of DBS in the refined and standard model of parkinsonism were very different despite minimal behavioral differences in nonstimulation control conditions. Anterior PPTg DBS caused severe episodes of freezing and worsened gait, whereas specific gait parameters were mildly improved by stimulation of posterior PPTg. These results emphasize the critical importance of intra-PPTg DBS location and highlight the need to take PPTg degeneration into consideration when modeling parkinsonian symptoms. They also further implicate a role for PPTg in the pathophysiology of parkinsonism.
The Wnt Adaptor Protein ATP6AP2 Regulates Multiple Stages of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis
Authors: Schafer Simon T. , Han Jinju , Pena Monique , von Bohlen und Halbach Oliver , Peters Jörg , Gage Fred H.
Published: March 2015

In the mammalian hippocampus, canonical Wnt signals provided by the microenvironment regulate the differentiation of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) toward the neuronal lineage. Wnts are part of a complex and diverse set of signaling pathways and the role of Wnt/Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling in adult neurogenesis remains unknown. Usingin vitroassays on differentiating adult NSCs, we identified a transition of Wnt signaling responsiveness from Wnt/β-catenin to Wnt/PCP signaling. In mice, retroviral knockdown strategies against ATP6AP2, a recently discovered core protein involved in both signaling pathways, revealed that its dual role is critical for granule cell fate and morphogenesis. We were able to confirm its dual role in neurogenic Wnt signalingin vitrofor both canonical Wnt signaling in proliferating adult NSCs and non-canonical Wnt signaling in differentiating neuroblasts. Although LRP6 appeared to be critical for granule cell fate determination,in vivoknockdown of PCP core proteins FZD3 and CELSR1-3 revealed severe maturational defects without changing the identity of newborn granule cells. Furthermore, we found that CELSR1-3 control distinctive aspects of PCP-mediated granule cell morphogenesis with CELSR1 regulating the direction of dendrite initiation sites and CELSR2/3 controlling radial migration and dendritic patterning.

The data presented here characterize distinctive roles for Wnt/β-catenin signaling in granule cell fate determination and for Wnt/PCP signaling in controlling the morphological maturation of differentiating neuroblasts.
Ventral Pallidal Projections to Mediodorsal Thalamus and Ventral Tegmental Area Play Distinct Roles in Outcome-Specific Pavlovian-Instrumental Transfer
Authors: Leung Beatrice K. , Balleine Bernard W.
Published: March 2015

Outcome-specific Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) demonstrates the way that reward-related cues influence choice between instrumental actions. The nucleus accumbens shell (NAc-S) contributes critically to this effect, particularly through its output to the rostral medial ventral pallidum (VP-m). Using rats, we investigated in two experiments the role in the PIT effect of the two major outputs of this VP-m region innervated by the NAc-S, the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). First, two retrograde tracers were injected into the MD and VTA to compare the neuronal activity of the two populations of projection neurons in the VP-m during PIT relative to controls. Second, the functional role of the connection between the VP-m and the MD or VTA was assessed using asymmetrical pharmacological manipulations before a PIT test. It was found that, whereas neurons in the VP-m projecting to the MD showed significantly more neuronal activation during PIT than those projecting to the VTA, neuronal activation of these latter neurons correlated with the size of the PIT effect. Disconnection of the two pathways during PIT also revealed different deficits in performance: disrupting the VP-m to MD pathway removed the response biasing effects of reward-related cues, whereas disrupting the VP-m to VTA pathway preserved the response bias but altered the overall rate of responding. The current results therefore suggest that the VP-m exerts distinct effects on the VTA and MD and that these latter structures mediate the motivational and cognitive components of specific PIT, respectively.
Thoracic periaortic adipose tissue is increased in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism
Authors: Akyürek Ömer , Efe Duran , Kaya Zeynettin
Published: March 2015

Objective

To evaluate thoracic periaortic adipose tissue (TAT) volume in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) in comparison with controls and in relation to cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods

The study population consisted of 28 newly diagnosed SH patients (mean (s.d.) age: 37.3 (±11.4) years, 85.7% were females) and 37 healthy volunteers (mean (s.d.) age: 35.3 (±10.7) years, 81.5% were females). Comparisons between patient and control groups used demographic characteristics, anthropometrics, and laboratory findings. All participants underwent thoracic radiographic assessment in the supine position, using an eight-slice multidetector computed tomography scanner and TAT volume was measured.

Results

The TAT volume was determined to be 27.2 (±12.7) cm3in the SH group and 16.3 (±8.1) cm3in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). In addition, TSH levels were significantly higher in the patient group compared with the control group (P<0.001). A significant correlation was also found between TSH levels and TAT volume (r=0.572;P<0.001). In SH patients, no significant difference was noted in TAT levels with respect to sex (P=0.383) or concomitant smoking status (P=0.426).

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that SH patients have significantly higher TAT values than controls and that increased TAT levels correlate with increased TSH levels.
Family therapy and accountability
Authors: Aronsson Karin , Cederborg Ann-Christin
Published: March 2015

A basic issue of family morality is the local matrix of accountabilities, that is, the regulation of issues concerning who is accountable to whom and in what areas. Family therapy talk is therefore a genre that may inform us about the moral order of family life. This paper draws on video-recorded sessions of family therapy (involving adolescents and their parents). The analyses involve detailed sequential analyses of alignments and disalignments in the creation and contestation of various blame accounts, including analyses of justification and excuses as responses to blame. The therapeutic sessions are partly oriented to the nature of ‘the problem’. Therapy talk between parents and children is indeed found to be replete with blame-implicative descriptions and categorizations. The analyses specifically focus on the ways in which blame-implicative descriptions and social categorizations are deployed and contested in blame sequences between parent and child. Both parties deployed a number of interactional resources for backing up their social categorizations and their version of past events.
VAIKŲ SKYDLIAUKĖS VĖŽYS PO PERSIRGTOS ONKOLOGINĖS LIGOS
Authors: Albužytė Ingrida , Lingė Gražina , Mickunaitienė Gražina , Kleinotienė Gražina , Rascon Jelena
Published: March 2015

Thyroid cancer is a rare disease in children. Approximately 5 to 6 children in Lithuania are diagnosed thyroid malignancy each year. According to Thyroid Cancer Survivors‘ Association papillary and follicular thyroid cancer accounts approximately for only 1 percent of all paediatric cancers in the 5–9 year old age group and up to 7 percent of cancers in 15–19 year old age group. Thyroid gland in children is more sensitive to the carcinogenic effect of ionizing radiation than in adults. Damage to the thyroid gland after the first paediatric malignancy is usually the result of radiation to the head or neck area. Regular follow-up after the first oncological disease is essential to identify thyroid lesions early so that the proper treatment can be initiated. Fortunately, the prognosis is excellent for the most cases of paediatric thyroid cancer, even if there is metastatic disease at diagnosis. In this article we aimed to review pathogenesis, risk factors and prognosis of the second thyroid cancer following cure for the first pediatric malignancy. We report also a clinical case of papillary thyroid carcinoma diagnosed in a young patient following 13 years after being treated for nephroblastoma.
Megachile (Megachile) montivaga (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) nesting in live thistle (Asteraceae: Cirsium)
Authors: Orr Michael C. , Portman Zachary M. , Griswold Terry L.
Published: March 2015

Although Megachile Latreille (leafcutter bees) are well known for their diverse nesting habits, records of the genus nesting in live plants are rare.  Here, we report the widespread Megachile (Megachile) montivaga Cresson nesting in live thistle (Cirsium neomexicanum Gray), the first explicit record of this behavior in the Nearctic.
SURGICAL TREATMENT OF CONGENITAL DEFORMATION OF THORACOLUMBAR SPINE IN CHILDREN
Authors: Vissarionov Sergey Valentinovich , Kokushin Dmitriy Nikolaevich , Belyanchikov Sergey Mikhailovich , Murashko Vladislav Valerevich , Kartavenko Kirill Alexandrovich
Published: March 2015

The analysis of the results of surgical treatment of 32 patients with congenital spinal de formity against lateral and posterolateral hemivertebrae in the area of the thoracolumbar junction was carried out. The patients' ages ranged from 1.2 to 4 years old, 11 boys and 21 girls. Terms of postoperative follow-up were from 2 to 10 years. The angle of scoliosis before surgery was from 26 to 52, kyphosis - from 12 to 56. Surgical intervention was performed with the combined approach in the amount of extirpation of abnormal vertebrae with surrounding disks, deformity correction with dorsal metalwork, corporodesis and posterior fusion with local bone autograft. Metal structure was removed in 1.5-2 years after surgery. Correction of scoliosis was 94-100 %, kyphotic - 82-90 %. The progression of deformation, neurological complications and joining of the dysplastic process were not observed. In assessing of the long-term results, scoliosis curve ranged from 0 to 8 (average - 4.2), kyphotic from 0 to 10 (average - 5.1). The progression of the spinal deformity with hemivertebrae in the area of the thoracolumbar transition requires early surgical elimination of the defect with a full radical correction of congenital deformation, restoration of the anatomy of the spinal canal and the physiological curves of the spine at the level of deformation with fixation of a minimum number of spinal motion segments with metal construction and bone plastic stabilization (front and posterior spinal fusion).
ORTHOPEDIC AID TO CHILDREN WITH SEQUELAE OF HEMATOGENOUS OSTEOMYELITIS OF LONG BONES IN THE TURNER ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE
Authors: Garkavenko Yuriy Evgenevich , Pozdeev Alexandr Pavlovich
Published: March 2015

The article presents achievements of the Turner Orthopedic Institute in solution of the problem of treatment in children with sequelae of hematogenous osteomyelitis of the long bones.