bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Access 3project protocol: young people and health system navigation in the digital age: a multifaceted, mixed methods study
Authors: Kang Melissa , Robards Fiona , Sanci Lena , Steinbeck Katharine , Jan Stephen , Hawke Catherine , Kong Marlene , Usherwood Tim
Published: August 2017

Background

The integration of digital technology into everyday lives of young people has become widespread. It is not known whether and how technology influences barriers and facilitators to healthcare, and whether and how young people navigate between face-to-face and virtual healthcare. To provide new knowledge essential to policy and practice, we designed a study that would explore health system access and navigation in the digital age. The study objectives are to: (1) describe experiences of young people accessing and navigating the health system in New South Wales (NSW), Australia; (2) identify barriers and facilitators to healthcare for young people and how these vary between groups; (3) describe health system inefficiencies, particularly for young people who are marginalised; (4) provide policy-relevant knowledge translation of the research data.

Methods and analysis

This mixed methods study has four parts, including: (1) a cross-sectional survey of young people (12–24 years) residing in NSW, Australia; (2) a longitudinal, qualitative study of a subsample of marginalised young people (defined as young people who: identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander; are experiencing homelessness; identify as sexuality and/or gender diverse; are of refugee or vulnerable migrant background; and/or live in rural or remote NSW); (3) interviews with professionals; (4) a knowledge translation forum.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approvals were sought and granted. Data collection commenced in March 2016 and will continue until June 2017. This study will gather practice and policy-relevant intelligence about contemporary experiences of young people and health services, with a unique focus on five different groups of marginalised young people, documenting their experiences over time.Access 3will explore navigation around all levels of the health system, determine whether digital technology is integrated into this, and if so how, and will translate findings into policy-relevant recommendations.
Future of clinical leadership: saving our greatest intensity for human beings
Authors: Harrison Marc
Published: August 2017

Do the qualities that distinguish good doctors always lead to success in the operational space? The few studies that have explored this question suggest they can, though it’s not a guarantee, and there may be a tension. This article looks at the studies and suggests that with the global healthcare landscape changing so rapidly—politically, economically and technologically—introducing physicians to the craft of leadership in the operational space may be more important than ever. It can also be more rewarding than ever, so long as clinicians don’t lose sight of what it is they can uniquely offer as physician leaders. The article concludes that clinicians may be uniquely positioned to connect important points being raised about the healthcare ecosystem back to the reason it exists in the first place: to support caregivers in the sacred act of healing the sick, of preserving human life and human potential. ‘Saving our greatest intensity for human beings’ is ultimately what must distinguish clinical leaders.
Shame, stigma, HIV: philosophical reflections
Authors: Hutchinson Phil , Dhairyawan Rageshri
Published: August 2017

It is a distinctive feature of HIV that its pathology cannot be adequately grasped separate from a number of psychosocial factors, and stigma is widely seen as the most prominent. We argue that it is equally important to have an adequate understanding of shame, as the emotional response to stigma. We have identified five ways shame might negatively impact upon attempts to combat and treat HIV, which emerge from the stigma HIV carries and STI-stigma in general. In this paper, we draw out four insights from philosophical work on emotions and shame which we propose will improve understanding of shame and stigma. We conclude by briefly discussing how these insights might shed light on the negative role shame can play for a person living with HIV engaging with, or being retained in, care. We conclude by proposing further study.
Concurrent metastatic islet cell carcinoma, ACTH‐producing pituitary carcinoma, adrenocortical necrosis and glucocorticoid‐deficient hypoadrenocorticism in a dog
Authors: Cridge Harry , McLewee Natalie , Cooley Jim , Lathan Patty
Published: August 2017

A 13‐year‐old female spayed boxer presented for severe hypoglycaemia. Electrolyte concentrations were within reference range, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test results were consistent with hypoadrenocorticism. Abdominal ultrasound revealed pancreatic and hepatic nodules. The left adrenal gland was of normal size, but the cranial pole of the right adrenal gland was enlarged. While the patient was severely hypoglycaemic, the insulin concentration was above reference range, consistent with insulinoma. The patient was hospitalised on dextrose supplementation and discharged on prednisone and directions to feed small, frequent meals. Surgery to remove the insulinoma was declined by the owner. When the hypoglycaemia became refractory to increasing doses of prednisone, diazoxide was added. Two months following initial presentation, the patient was euthanased due to refractory hypoglycaemia. Postmortem examination revealed a pancreatic islet cell carcinoma with metastatic lesions in the liver and pancreatic lymph nodes, a pituitary carcinoma that stained strongly positive with ACTH antibody, and adrenocortical necrosis.
Tetralogy of Fallot in a red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra)
Authors: Emerson Jessica A , Whittington Julia K , Jones Ashley E , O'Brien Robert T
Published: August 2017

A 3.5‐month‐old male 1.4 kg red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) was evaluated following auscultation of a grade IV/VI systolic cardiac murmur during routine neonatal examination. Echocardiography revealed a perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD), overriding (dextropositioned) aorta, right ventricular concentric hypertrophy and moderate pulmonic valve stenosis. There was right‐to‐left blood flow through the VSD. These findings are consistent with a tetralogy of Fallot with right‐to‐left shunting. Despite the poor prognosis associated with this disease, this patient has done relatively well for six years. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first published report of a tetralogy of Fallot in any lemur species.
Modulation of taste processing by temperature
Authors: Lemon Christian H.
Published: August 2017

Taste stimuli have a temperature that can stimulate thermosensitive neural machinery in the mouth during gustatory experience. Although taste and oral temperature are sometimes discussed as different oral sensory modalities, there is a body of literature that demonstrates temperature is an important component and modulator of the intensity of gustatory neural and perceptual responses. Available data indicate that the influence of temperature on taste, herein referred to as “thermogustation,” can vary across taste qualities, can also vary among stimuli presumed to share a common taste quality, and is conditioned on taste stimulus concentration, with neuronal and psychophysical data revealing larger modulatory effects of temperature on gustatory responding to weakened taste solutions compared with concentrated. What is more, thermogustation is evidenced to involve interplay between mouth and stimulus temperature. Given these and other dependencies, identifying principles by which thermal input affects gustatory information flow in the nervous system may be important for ultimately unravelling the organization of neural circuits for taste and defining their involvement with multisensory processing related to flavor. Yet thermal effects are relatively understudied in gustatory neuroscience. Major gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of thermogustation include delineating supporting receptors, the potential involvement of oral thermal and somatosensory trigeminal neurons in thermogustatory interactions, and the broader operational roles of temperature in gustatory processing. This review will discuss these and other issues in the context of the literature relevant to understanding thermogustation.
Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in women with nonobstructive ischemic heart disease: insights from magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy
Authors: Nelson Michael D.
Published: August 2017

Ischemic heart disease, in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease, is prevalent in women and constitutes a major risk factor for developing major adverse cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. For decades, diagnosis was considered benign and often minimized; however, it is now known that this etiology carries much risk and is a significant burden to the health care system. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on nonobstructive ischemic heart disease (NOIHD), the association between NOIHD and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, potential links between NOIHD and the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and therapeutic options and knowledge gaps for patients living with NOIHD.
Vasa recta pericyte density is negatively associated with vascular congestion in the renal medulla following ischemia reperfusion in rats
Authors: Crislip G. Ryan , O’Connor Paul M. , Wei Qingqing , Sullivan Jennifer C.
Published: August 2017

Recent evidence suggests that a greater density of pericytes in renal cadaveric allografts is associated with better recovery following transplant. The physiological mechanism(s) through which pericyte density may be beneficial is not well understood. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that lower medullary pericyte density is associated with greater renal injury following ischemia reperfusion (IR) in a rat model, providing a basis for future studies to better understand pericytes in a pathological environment. To test our hypothesis, we determined the association between medullary pericyte density and renal injury in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) following 45 min of warm bilateral IR. We found that there was a significant negative relationship between pericyte density and plasma creatinine (slope = −0.03, P = 0.02) and blood urea nitrogen (slope = −0.5, P = 0.01) in female but not male SHR. Pericyte density was negatively associated with medullary peritubular capillary (PT) congestion in both sexes following IR (male: slope = −0.04, P = 0.009; female: slope = −0.03, P = 0.0001). To further test this relationship, we used a previously reported method to reduce pericyte density in SHR. Medullary erythrocyte congestion in vasa recta (VR) and PT significantly increased following IR in both sexes when pericyte density was pharmacologically decreased (VR: P = 0.03; PT: P = 0.03). Our data support the hypothesis that pericyte density is negatively associated with the development of IR injury in SHR, which may be mediated by erythrocyte congestion in the medullary vasculature.
Dealing with Insufficient Location Fingerprints in Wi-Fi Based Indoor Location Fingerprinting
Authors: Dong Kai , Ling Zhen , Xia Xiangyu , Ye Haibo , Wu Wenjia , Yang Ming
Published: August 2017

The development of the Internet of Things has accelerated research in the indoor location fingerprinting technique, which provides value-added localization services for existing WLAN infrastructures without the need for any specialized hardware. The deployment of a fingerprinting based localization system requires an extremely large amount of measurements on received signal strength information to generate a location fingerprint database. Nonetheless, this requirement can rarely be satisfied in most indoor environments. In this paper, we target one but common situation when the collected measurements on received signal strength information are insufficient, and show limitations of existing location fingerprinting methods in dealing with inadequate location fingerprints. We also introduce a novel method to reduce noise in measuring the received signal strength based on the maximum likelihood estimation, and compute locations from inadequate location fingerprints by using the stochastic gradient descent algorithm. Our experiment results show that our proposed method can achieve better localization performance even when only a small quantity of RSS measurements is available. Especially when the number of observations at each location is small, our proposed method has evident superiority in localization accuracy.
Effect of Fe Loading Condition and Reductants on CO2 Reduction Performance with Fe/TiO2 Photocatalyst
Authors: Nishimura Akira , Ishida Noriaki , Tatematsu Daichi , Hirota Masafumi , Koshio Akira , Kokai Fumio , Hu Eric
Published: August 2017

Fe-doped TiO2 (Fe/TiO2) film photocatalyst was prepared by sol-gel and dip-coating process and pulse arc plasma method. The effect of pulse number on the CO2 reduction performance with the Fe/TiO2 was investigated in this study. In addition, the effect of reductants such as H2O, H2, and NH3/H2O on the CO2 reduction performance with the Fe/TiO2 photocatalyst was also investigated. The characteristics of the prepared Fe/TiO2 film coated on a netlike glass fiber which is a base material were analyzed by SEM, EPMA, EDX, and EPMA. Furthermore, the CO2 reduction performance of the Fe/TiO2 film was tested under a Xe lamp with or without ultraviolet (UV) light. The results show that the CO2 reduction performance with the pulse number of 100 is the best with H2O and/or H2 as reductant under UV light illumination, while that with the pulse number of 500 is the best when NH3/H2O is used as reductant. On the other hand, the CO2 reduction performance with the pulse number of 500 is the best under every reductant condition without UV light illumination. The highest CO2 reduction performance with the Fe/TiO2 is obtained under H2 + H2O/CO2 condition, and the best moral ratio of total reductants to CO2 is 1.5 : 1.
The Role of Hysteroscopy in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Adenomyosis
Authors: Di Spiezio Sardo Attilio , Calagna Gloria , Santangelo Fabrizia , Zizolfi Brunella , Tanos Vasilis , Perino Antonino , De Wilde Rudy Leon
Published: August 2017

Uterine adenomyosis is a common gynecologic disorder in women of reproductive age, characterized by the presence of ectopic endometrial glands and stroma within the myometrium. Dysmenorrhea, abnormal uterine bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, and deep dyspareunia are common symptoms of this pathological condition. However, adenomyosis is often an incidental finding in specimens obtained from hysterectomy or uterine biopsies. The recent evolution of diagnostic imaging techniques, such as transvaginal sonography, hysterosalpingography, and magnetic resonance imaging, has contributed to improving accuracy in the identification of this pathology. Hysteroscopy offers the advantage of direct visualization of the uterine cavity while giving the option of collecting histological biopsy samples under visual control. Hysteroscopy is not a first-line treatment approach for adenomyosis and it represents a viable option only in selected cases of focal or diffuse “superficial” forms. During office hysteroscopy, it is possible to enucleate superficial focal adenomyomas or to evacuate cystic haemorrhagic lesions of less than 1.5 cm in diameter. Instead, resectoscopic treatment is indicated in cases of superficial adenomyotic nodules > 1.5 cm in size and for diffuse superficial adenomyosis. Finally, endometrial ablation may be performed with the additional removal of the underlying myometrium.
Platonia insignis Mart., a Brazilian Amazonian Plant: The Stem Barks Extract and Its Main Constituent Lupeol Exert Antileishmanial Effects Involving Macrophages Activation
Authors: Souza Adriana Cunha , Alves Michel Muálem de Moraes , Brito Lucas Moreira , Oliveira Luciano Gomes De Castro , Sobrinho-Júnior Enoque Pereira Costa , Costa Isabella Cristhina Gonçalves , Freitas Sâmya Danielle Lima , Rodrigues Klinger Antonio da Franca , Chaves Mariana Helena , Arcanjo Daniel Dias Rufino , Carvalho Fernando Aécio de Amorim
Published: August 2017

Platonia insignis Mart., popularly known as “bacurizeiro,” is used in traditional medical practices based on its diverse biological properties. This study was aimed at evaluating the antileishmanial effects of the ethanol extract (EtOH‐Ext), hexane fraction (Hex‐F), and its main isolated Lupeol obtained from stem barks of P. insignis against Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis, as well as their cytotoxicity and possible mechanisms of action. The EtOH‐Ext, Hex‐F, and Lupeol inhibited the growth of L. amazonensis promastigote forms at IC50 of 174.24, 45.23, and 39.06 µg/mL, respectively, as well as L. amazonensis axenic amastigote forms at IC50 of 40.58, 35.87, and 44.10 µg/mL, respectively. The mean cytotoxic concentrations for macrophages (CC50) were higher than those for amastigotes (341.95, 71.65, and 144.0 µg/mL, resp.), indicating a selective cytotoxicity towards the parasite rather than the macrophages. Interestingly, all treatments promoted antileishmanial effect against macrophage‐internalized amastigotes at concentrations lower than CC50. Furthermore, increases of lysosomal volume of macrophages treated with EtOH‐Ext, Hex‐F, and Lupeol were observed. On the other hand, only Lupeol stimulated increase of phagocytic capability of macrophages, suggesting this compound might be characterized as the biomarker for the antileishmanial effect of P. insignis stem bark, as well as the involvement of immunomodulatory mechanisms in this effect.
The Advances of Carbon Nanotubes in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics
Authors: Chen Zhou , Zhang Aili , Wang Xiaobing , Zhu Jing , Fan Yamin , Yu Hongmei , Yang Zhaogang
Published: August 2017

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), one of the unique one-dimensional nanomaterials, have gained great attention because of their specific characters, versatile functionalization chemistry, and biological compatibility in the past few decades. CNTs can be functionalized via different methods to perform their specific functions. CNTs have been used in various areas of biomedicine as nanocarriers, including cancer diagnosis and therapy. Different molecules such as peptide, antigen, and nucleic acid can be delivered to cancer cells by CNTs with high efficiency. In this review, we summarized the properties of CNTs and the method of CNTs functionalization and illustrated their application in cancer diagnosis and therapy.
Sequential Venous Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty and Balloon Dilatation of the Interatrial Septum during Percutaneous Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair
Authors: Jorbenadze Rezo , Patzelt Johannes , Gawaz Meinrad , Seizer Peter , Langer Harald F.
Published: August 2017

Percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (PMVR) is widely used for selected, high-risk patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR). This report describes a case of 81-year-old woman presenting with severe and highly symptomatic mitral valve regurgitation (MR) caused by a flail of the posterior mitral valve leaflet (PML). PMVR turned out to be challenging in this patient because of a stenosis and tortuosity of both iliac veins as well as sclerosis of the interatrial septum, precluding the vascular and left atrial access by standard methods, respectively. We managed to achieve atrial access by venous percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and balloon dilatation of the interatrial septum. Subsequently, we could advance the MitraClip® system to the left atrium, and deployment of the clip in the central segment of the mitral valve leaflets (A2/P2) resulted in a significant reduction of MR.
Serum Autoantibodies against STIP1 as a Potential Biomarker in the Diagnosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Xu Yi-Wei , Liu Can-Tong , Huang Xin-Yi , Huang Li-Sheng , Luo Yu-Hao , Hong Chao-Qun , Guo Hai-Peng , Xu Li-Yan , Peng Yu-Hui , Li En-Min
Published: August 2017

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality around the world. The identification of novel serum biomarkers is required for early detection of ESCC. This study was designed to elucidate whether autoantibodies against STIP1 could be a diagnostic biomarker in ESCC. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to detect serum levels of STIP1 autoantibodies in a training cohort (148 ESCC patients and 111 controls) and a validation cohort (60 ESCC patients and 40 controls). Mann–Whitney’s U test showed that ESCC patients in two cohorts have higher levels of autoantibodies against STIP1 when compared to controls (P<0.001). According to receiver operating characteristic analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of autoantibodies against STIP1 in ESCC were 41.9%, 90.1%, and 0.682 in the training cohort and 40.0%, 92.5%, and 0.710 in the validation cohort, respectively. Moreover, detection of autoantibodies against STIP1 could discriminate early-stage ESCC patients from controls, with sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 35.7%, 90.1%, and 0.684 in the training cohort and 38.5%, 92.5%, and 0.756 in the validation cohort, respectively. Our findings indicated that autoantibodies against STIP1 might be a useful biomarker for early-stage ESCC detection.
Interval Forecasting of Carbon Futures Prices Using a Novel Hybrid Approach with Exogenous Variables
Authors: Zhang Lu , Zhang Junbiao , Xiong Tao , Su Chiao
Published: August 2017

This paper examines the interval forecasting of carbon futures prices in one of the most important carbon futures market. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to present a novel hybrid approach, which is composed of multioutput support vector regression (MSVR) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), in the task of forecasting the highest and lowest prices of carbon futures on the next trading day. Furthermore, we set out to investigate if considering some potential predictors, which have strong influence on carbon futures prices, in modeling process is useful for achieving better prediction performance. Aiming at testing its effectiveness, we benchmark the forecasting performance of our approach against four competitors. The daily interval prices of carbon futures contracts traded in the Intercontinental Futures Exchange from August 12, 2010, to November 13, 2014, are used as the experiment dataset. The statistical significance of the interval forecasts is examined. The proposed hybrid approach is found to demonstrate the higher forecasting performance relative to all other competitors. Our application offers practitioners a promising set of results with interval forecasting in carbon futures market.
Systematic Review on Acupuncture for Treatment of Dysphagia after Stroke
Authors: Ye Qiuping , Xie Yu , Shi Junheng , Xu Zhenhua , Ou Aihua , Xu Nenggui
Published: August 2017

Objective. To assess the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture for dysphagia after stroke. Methods. Seven electronic databases were searched from their inception until 31 September 2016. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) incorporating acupuncture or acupuncture combined with other interventions for treatment of dysphagia after stroke were enrolled. Then they were extracted and assessed by two independent evaluators. Direct comparisons were conducted in RevMan 5.3.0 software. Results. 6010 patients of 71 papers were included. The pooled analysis of efficacy rate of 58 studies indicated that acupuncture group was superior to the control group with moderate heterogeneity (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.13 1.21, Z = 9.08, and P < 0.00001); meta‐analysis of the studies using blind method showed that the efficacy rate of acupuncture group was 3.01 times that of control group with no heterogeneity (RR = 3.01, 95% CI: 1.95 4.65, Z = 4.97, and P < 0.00001). Only 13 studies mentioned the safety evaluation. Conclusion. The result showed that the acupuncture group was better than control group in terms of efficacy rate of dysphagia after stroke. And the combining result of those researches using blind method was more strong in proof. Strict evaluation standard and high‐quality RCT design are necessary for further exploration.
Hepatic Immune Microenvironment in Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Liver Disease
Authors: Byun Jin-Seok , Yi Hyon-Seung
Published: August 2017

Many types of innate (natural killer cells, natural killer T cells, and Kupffer cells/macrophages) and adaptive (T cells and B cells) immune cells are enriched within the liver and function in liver physiology and pathology. Liver pathology is generally induced by two types of immunologic insults: failure to eliminate antigens derived from the gastrointestinal tract which are important for host defense and an impaired tissue protective tolerance mechanism that helps reduce the negative outcomes of immunopathology. Accumulating evidence from the last several decades suggests that hepatic immune cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver injury and inflammation in humans and mice. Here, we focus on the roles of innate and adaptive immune cells in the development and maintenance of alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Additionally, the pathogenesis of liver disease and new therapeutic targets for preventing and treating alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are discussed.
The Effect of Adherence to Dietary Tracking on Weight Loss: Using HLM to Model Weight Loss over Time
Authors: Ingels John Spencer , Misra Ranjita , Stewart Jonathan , Lucke-Wold Brandon , Shawley-Brzoska Samantha
Published: August 2017

The role of dietary tracking on weight loss remains unexplored despite being part of multiple diabetes and weight management programs. Hence, participants of the Diabetes Prevention and Management (DPM) program (12 months, 22 sessions) tracked their food intake for the duration of the study. A scatterplot of days tracked versus total weight loss revealed a nonlinear relationship. Hence, the number of possible tracking days was divided to create the 3 groups of participants: rare trackers (<33% total days tracked), inconsistent trackers (33–66% total days tracked), and consistent trackers (>66% total days tracked). After controlling for initial body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, and gender, only consistent trackers had significant weight loss (−9.99 pounds), following a linear relationship with consistent loss throughout the year. In addition, the weight loss trend for the rare and inconsistent trackers followed a nonlinear path, with the holidays slowing weight loss and the onset of summer increasing weight loss. These results show the importance of frequent dietary tracking for consistent long-term weight loss success.
Hydrogen-Rich Syngas Production from Gasification and Pyrolysis of Solar Dried Sewage Sludge: Experimental and Modeling Investigations
Authors: Ben Hassen Trabelsi Aïda , Ghrib Amina , Zaafouri Kaouther , Friaa Athar , Ouerghi Aymen , Naoui Slim , Belayouni Habib
Published: August 2017

Solar dried sewage sludge (SS) conversion by pyrolysis and gasification processes has been performed, separately, using two laboratory-scale reactors, a fixed-bed pyrolyzer and a downdraft gasifier, to produce mainly hydrogen-rich syngas. Prior to SS conversion, solar drying has been conducted in order to reduce moisture content (up to 10%). SS characterization reveals that these biosolids could be appropriate materials for gaseous products production. The released gases from SS pyrolysis and gasification present relatively high heating values (up to 9.96 MJ/kg for pyrolysis and 8.02  9.96 MJ/kg for gasification) due to their high contents of H2 (up to 11 and 7 wt%, resp.) and CH4 (up to 17 and 5 wt%, resp.). The yields of combustible gases (H2 and CH4) show further increase with pyrolysis. Stoichiometric models of both pyrolysis and gasification reactions were determined based on the global biomass formula, CαHβOγNδSε, in order to assist in the products yields optimization.
Metabolic Tumor Volume by 18F-FDG PET/CT Can Predict the Clinical Outcome of Primary Malignant Spine/Spinal Tumors
Authors: Matsumoto Yoshihiro , Baba Shingo , Endo Makoto , Setsu Nokitaka , Iida Keiichiro , Fukushi Jun-Ichi , Kawaguchi Kenichi , Okada Seiji , Bekki Hirofumi , Isoda Takuro , Kitamura Yoshiyuki , Honda Hiroshi , Nakashima Yasuharu
Published: August 2017

Background and Purpose. Primary malignant spine/spinal tumors (PMSTs) are rare and life-threatening diseases. In this study, we demonstrated the advantage of volume-based 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameter, metabolic tumor volume (MTV), for assessing the aggressiveness of PMSTs. Materials and Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 27 patients with PMSTs and calculated SUVmax, MTV, and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) to compare their accuracy in predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare the reliability of the metabolic parameters and various clinical factors. Results. MTV exhibited greater accuracy than SUVmax or TLG. The cut-off values for PFS and OS derived from the AUC data were MTV 45 ml and 83 ml and TLG 250 SUV⁎ml and 257 SUV⁎ml, respectively. MTV above cut-off value, but not TLG, was identified as significant prognostic factor for PFS by log-lank test (p=0.04). In addition, MTV was the only significant predictive factors for PFS and OS in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions. MTV was a more accurate predictor of PFS and OS in PMSTs compared to TLG or SUVmax and helped decision-making for guiding rational treatment options.
Application of Permutation Entropy in Feature Extraction for Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Noninvasive Blood Glucose Detection
Authors: Li Xiaoli , Li Chengwei
Published: August 2017

Diabetes has been one of the four major diseases threatening human life. Accurate blood glucose detection became an important part in controlling the state of diabetes patients. Excellent linear correlation existed between blood glucose concentration and near-infrared spectral absorption. A new feature extraction method based on permutation entropy is proposed to solve the noise and information redundancy in near-infrared spectral noninvasive blood glucose measurement, which affects the accuracy of the calibration model. With the near-infrared spectral data of glucose solution as the research object, the concepts of approximate entropy, sample entropy, fuzzy entropy, and permutation entropy are introduced. The spectra are then segmented, and the characteristic wave bands with abundant glucose information are selected in terms of permutation entropy, fractal dimension, and mutual information. Finally, the support vector regression and partial least square regression are used to establish the mathematical model between the characteristic spectral data and glucose concentration, and the results are compared with conventional feature extraction methods. Results show that the proposed new method can extract useful information from near-infrared spectra, effectively solve the problem of characteristic wave band extraction, and improve the analytical accuracy of spectral and model stability.
Complementary Value of Contralateral Parenchymal Enhancement on DCE-MRI to Prognostic Models and Molecular Assays in High-risk ER+/HER2− Breast Cancer
Authors: van der Velden Bas H.M. , Elias Sjoerd G. , Bismeijer Tycho , Loo Claudette E. , Viergever Max A. , Wessels Lodewyk F.A. , Gilhuijs Kenneth G.A.
Published: August 2017

Purpose: To determine whether markers of healthy breast stroma are able to select a subgroup of patients at low risk of death or metastasis from patients considered at high risk according to routine markers of the tumor.

Experimental Design: Patients with ER+/HER2− breast cancer were consecutively included for retrospective analysis. The contralateral parenchyma was segmented automatically on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), where upon the average of the top-10% late enhancement was calculated. This contralateral parenchymal enhancement (CPE) was analyzed with respect to routine prognostic models and molecular assays (Nottingham Prognostic Index, Dutch clinical chemotherapy-selection guidelines, 70-gene signature, and 21-gene recurrence score). CPE was split in tertiles and tested for overall and distant disease-free survival. CPE was adjusted for patient and tumor characteristics, as well as systemic therapy, using inverse probability weighting (IPW). Subanalyses were performed in patients at high risk according to prognostic models and molecular assays.

Results: Four-hundred-and-fifteen patients were included, constituting the same group in which the association between CPE and survival was discovered. Median follow-up was 85 months, 34/415(8%) patients succumbed. After IPW-adjustment for patient and tumor characteristics, patients with high CPE had significantly better overall survival than those with low CPE in groups at high risk according to the Nottingham Prognostic Index [HR (95% CI): 0.08 (0.00–0.40), P < 0.001]; Dutch clinical guidelines [HR (95% CI): 0.22 (0.00–0.81), P = 0.021]; and 21-gene recurrence score [HR (95% CI): 0.14 (0.00–0.84), P = 0.030]. One group showed a trend [70-gene signature: HR (95% CI): 0.25 (0.00–1.02), P = 0.054].

Conclusions: In patients at high risk based on the tumor, subgroups at relatively low risk were identified using pretreatment enhancement of the stroma on breast DCE-MRI. Clin Cancer Res; 23(21); 6505–15. ©2017 AACR.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging after Breast Oncoplastic Surgery: An Update
Authors: Gigli Silvia , Amabile Maria I. , Di Pastena Francesca , Manganaro Lucia , David Emanuele , Monti Massimo , DʼOrazi Valerio , Catalano Carlo , Ballesio Laura
Published: August 2017

Breast-oncoplastic surgery, allowing local tumor control and a better cosmetic outcome, is oncologically safe when applied to early-stage breast cancer. Breast cancer recurrence following conservative therapy may occur during the first 5 years after treatment, with a peak incidence after 2 years. Therefore, during the follow-up period, patients undergo a series of ultrasound (US) and mammographic examinations. However, after surgery and radiation therapy, several modifications occur in the treated breast, causing difficulties in image interpretation, especially when local recurrence is suspected. Although not included in routine follow-up, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often used in clinical practice, being considered more sensitive than the conventional imaging examinations in discriminating between postsurgical tissue modifications and tumor recurrence. In this review article, we analyze expected and pathologic breast MRI findings after conservative oncoplastic surgery compared to US and mammographic findings in order to distinguish local recurrence and avoid potential pitfalls in image interpretation.
Lichen Planopilaris with Pustules: A Diagnostic Challenge
Authors: Morais Karina L. , Martins Cintia F. , Anzai Alessandra , Valente Neusa Y.S. , Romiti Ricardo
Published: August 2017

Introduction: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is a lymphocytic primary cicatricial alopecia presenting with scarring hair loss and variable degrees of perifollicular erythema and scaling. Pustules are infrequent and may mimic folliculitis decalvans (FD) and other forms of neutrophilic alopecia. We present a series of LPP cases with pustules and discuss the importance of differentiating them from primary neutrophilic folliculitis. Materials and Methods: Demographic, clinical, histopathological, and follow-up data of 13 cases of LPP with pustules followed at the Department of Dermatology of the University of São Paulo Medical School were described. Results: Seven females and 6 males were included. Onset of signs and symptoms ranged from 23 to 61 years of age. Previous diagnoses were FD in 3 patients, pityriasis amiantacea in 2 cases, and folliculitis keloidalis nuchae in 1 case. Other 7 cases presented typical clinical features of LPP. Discussion: There is limited data concerning LPP with pustules. Our analysis shows that LPP should be considered a differential diagnosis in patients with refractory folliculitis. Cautious examination of the entire scalp with dermoscopy and/or reevaluation after a course of antibiotics can avoid misdiagnosis. Further studies are required to establish the etiology of pustules in the setting of LPP.
In Vivo Genome Editing Restores Dystrophin Expression and Cardiac Function in Dystrophic Mice
Authors: El Refaey Mona , Xu Li , Gao Yandi , Canan Benjamin D. , Adesanya T.M. Ayodele , Warner Sarah C. , Akagi Keiko , Symer David E. , Mohler Peter J. , Ma Jianjie , Janssen Paul M.L. , Han Renzhi
Published: August 2017

Rationale:

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a severe inherited form of muscular dystrophy caused by mutations in the reading frame of the dystrophin gene disrupting its protein expression. Dystrophic cardiomyopathy is a leading cause of death in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients, and currently no effective treatment exists to halt its progression. Recent advancement in genome editing technologies offers a promising therapeutic approach in restoring dystrophin protein expression. However, the impact of this approach on Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiac function has yet to be evaluated. Therefore, we assessed the therapeutic efficacy of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-mediated genome editing on dystrophin expression and cardiac function in
mdx/Utr
+/−
mice after a single systemic delivery of recombinant adeno-associated virus.

Objective:

To examine the efficiency and physiological impact of CRISPR-mediated genome editing on cardiac dystrophin expression and function in dystrophic mice.

Methods and Results:

Here, we packaged SaCas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat–associated 9 from
Staphylococcus aureus
) and guide RNA constructs into an adeno-associated virus vector and systemically delivered them to
mdx/Utr
+/−
neonates. We showed that CRIPSR-mediated genome editing efficiently excised the mutant exon 23 in dystrophic mice, and immunofluorescence data supported the restoration of dystrophin protein expression in dystrophic cardiac muscles to a level approaching 40%. Moreover, there was a noted restoration in the architecture of cardiac muscle fibers and a reduction in the extent of fibrosis in dystrophin-deficient hearts. The contractility of cardiac papillary muscles was also restored in CRISPR-edited cardiac muscles compared with untreated controls. Furthermore, our targeted deep sequencing results confirmed that our adeno-associated virus-CRISPR/Cas9 strategy was very efficient in deleting the ≈23 kb of intervening genomic sequences.

Conclusions:

This study provides evidence for using CRISPR-based genome editing as a potential therapeutic approach for restoring dystrophic cardiomyopathy structurally and functionally.
Thirty Years of Dream-Wandering: Zhang Ruzhao (1900-1969) and the Making of a Buddhist Laywoman
Authors: Grant Beata
Published: August 2017

Zhang Ruzhao (1900-69), also known as Zhang Shenghui, was ordained as a Buddhist nun, with the title Tiantai Master Benkong. In early life, Zhang established a reputation as a poet, and was actively engaged in many of the political and feminist movements of the 1920s. Disillusioned both politically and personally, she turned to Buddhism and reinvented herself as China’s premier female lay Buddhist scholar, writer and educator during the 1930s and 40s. From 1949, she took ordination as a Buddhist nun and was officially designated a lineage holder in the Tiantai lineage. She was persecuted severely during the early years of Cultural Revolution, and died in 1969. This study offers a historical overview of the life of this relatively unstudied twentieth-century Buddhist woman, with a special focus on a selection of autobiographical writings published in the early 1930s in which Zhang reflects, in both poetry and prose, on her first three decades of personal and emotional turmoil, and how they contributed to her decision to dedicate the second half of her life to the practice and propagation of Buddhism.
Contesting ‘Gifts from Jesus’
Authors: Kloß Sinah Theres
Published: August 2017

Clothes are a means to demonstrate wealth, status, and socio-religious hegemony. Practices of consuming and exchanging clothing enhance or lower one’s status by displaying and creating taste and capital. In Guyana, many Hindus relate charitable clothing distributions exclusively to Christian missions. They commonly state that the distribution of used clothing is a means to convert Hindus to Christianity. While indeed in the past only Christians were able to conduct such distributions due to their links to colonial powers, today and as a result of transnational migration to North America Guyanese Hindus also organize distributions of clothing. For this purpose, migrants collect used clothes and ship them to Guyana. This article proposes that as Hindus remain a minority in Guyana, the practice of and discourse about charitable distributions are a means to counter and resist the perceived ‘threat’ of conversion. It demonstrates how charitable distributions thereby influence the local socio-religious hierarchy and challenge established power structures.
Heimlich/unheimlich
Authors: Figueiredo João de Castro Maia Veiga
Published: August 2017

The Catholic missions of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit have had a strong bearing on the development of Angolan Christianity, especially from the 1890’s onwards. This period coincided with the introduction of photography to the colony. While it has been established that individual Spiritans collaborated with pioneer photographers, the Congregation’s influence on the content of early Angolan “photographic archives” is still largely unconsidered. This study will trace the missionaries’ influence in the work of José Augusto Cunha Moraes (1855–1933) and Elmano Cunha e Costa (1892–1955). Particular attention will be paid to the way these photographers echoed the missionaries’ worldview by portraying their missions as ‘cozy’ places and naturalizing a specific, gendered division of labor.
The taxonomic and phylogenetic status of some poorly known Anolis species from the Andes of Colombia with the description of a nomen nudum taxon
Authors: GRISALES-MARTÍNEZ FREDDY A. , VELASCO JULIÁN A. , BOLÍVAR WILMAR , WILLIAMS ERNEST E. , DAZA JUAN M.
Published: August 2017

We studied the phylogenetic status, morphological variation, dewlap color variation, and geographic distribution of four poorly known Anolis species nested in the Norops clade, particularly in the A. fuscoauratus group from the Andes of Colombia. In addition, we also describe a nomen nudum species based on morphological and molecular evidence. This nomen nudum taxa differ from other fuscoauratoids species in a combination of dewlap color, meristic traits, and molecular evidence. Our integrative analysis (molecular phylogenetics, morphology, and dewlap color) revealed the non-monophyletic status of these Andean taxa. We also confirmed the occurrence of A. fuscoauratus in the Magdalena valley in Colombia (a trans-Andean region). Our findings show that the evolution of Andean anoles is more complex than previously thought and more research is necessary to understand the diversity in this cryptic group.
First record of Rhaphidosoma atkinsoni (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae) from Maharashtra, India, with redescription and observations on its bionomics
Authors: PANSARE PRATIK P. , JOSHI NIKHIL U. , BOYANE SWAPNIL S. , GHATE HEMANT V.
Published: August 2017

A relatively less known assassin bug, Rhaphidosoma atkinsoni Bergroth, 1893 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae) is recorded from Maharashtra State, India, for the first time. Redescription and illustrations of the species, along with the notes on morphology and natural history, are provided.
Genetic and morphological evidence for a new cryptic species of Ectinogonia (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from central Chile
Authors: ANGUITA-SALINAS SIMÓN , BARAHONA-SEGOVIA RODRIGO M. , POULIN ELIE , ZÚÑIGA-REINOSO ALVARO
Published: August 2017

The genus Ectinogonia Spinola, 1837 is a genus mainly found in Chile; it currently contains 17 species. Recent exploration in the Andes Mountain Range of the Bio Bio Region in Chile have resulted in the collection of specimens slightly different morphologically from all previously described species. The aim of this paper is to describe this new species of Ectinogonia using morphological and genetic evidence. To establish differences between species we described the external morphology and compared it to species that are morphologically similar (i.e. E. buqueti Spinola 1837 and E. intermedia Kerremans 1903). We also measured the genetic differences in COI sequences, constructing a distance matrix in which we compared it to species that are morphologically similar (E. buqueti and E. intermedia) and other species found in the same region (E. speciosa oscuripennis Moore 1994). We found that E. cryptica sp. n. differs from E. buqueti (which previously contained E. cryptica sp. n.) in pronotum and elytral patterns. The genetic distance matrix shows that E. cryptica sp. n. differs by 4.6% from all other Ectinogonia species compared, supporting the morphological evidence.
Structure and Maintenance Mechanism of Long-Lived Concentric Eyewalls Associated with Simulated Typhoon Bolaven (2012)
Authors: Tsujino Satoki , Tsuboki Kazuhisa , Kuo Hung-Chi
Published: August 2017

Typhoons with long-lived concentric eyewalls (CEs) are more intense than those with short-lived CEs. It is important for more accurate prediction of typhoon intensity to understand the maintenance mechanism of the long-lived CEs. To study the mechanism of the long-term maintenance of CEs, a numerical experiment of Typhoon Bolaven (2012) is performed using a nonhydrostatic model with full physics. Two aspects of the maintenance of simulated CEs are investigated: the maintenance of the inner eyewall and the contraction of the outer eyewall. To examine the maintenance of the inner eyewall, the equivalent potential temperature budget and air parcel trajectories of the simulated inner eyewall are calculated. The results show that the entropy supply to the inner eyewall is sufficient to maintain the inner eyewall after secondary eyewall formation (SEF). During the early period after SEF, entropy is supplied by an axisymmetric inflow, and later it is supplied by nonaxisymmetric flows of the outer eyewall. To examine the contraction of the outer eyewall, the potential vorticity (PV) budget of the outer eyewall is diagnosed. The result reveals that the negative contribution to the contraction of the outer PV peak (i.e., the outer eyewall) in the early period is the negative PV generation due to axisymmetric advection and diabatic heating just inside of the outer PV peak. In the later period, the negative PV generation due to nonaxisymmetric structure is important for the prevention of contraction. The present study reveals that the structure of the outer eyewall plays important roles in the maintenance of long-lived CEs.