bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subdimensional Structure of the Hogan Personality Inventory
Authors: Salgado Jesús F. , Moscoso Silvia , Alonso Pamela
Published: August 2013

This study examined the subdimensional structure of the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI). A sample of 200 Spanish applicants completed the HPI as a requirement of a selection process for several jobs at a large international company. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted with the homogenous item composites (HIC) included in the HPI. Globally, the results indicated that the Big Five are divided into 13 subdimensions, which explained the variance of the HICs. Based on these results, we suggest that the HPI can be described as a personality inventory consisting of a hierarchical structure of three levels (Big Five – subdimensions – HICs).
How Interviewees Consider Content and Context Cues to Person–Organization Fit
Authors: Kutcher Eugene J. , Bragger Jennifer D. , Masco Jamie L.
Published: August 2013

The interview is an ideal opportunity for job candidates to assess their fit with potential employers. While research shows that candidates' perceptions of person–organization (PO) fit lead to important outcomes, fewer studies explore how such perceptions are formed. A policy‐capturing study modeled how job candidates detect and interpret cues from the interview to inform their determinations of PO fit. A total of 213 participants read a series of vignettes representing interview scenarios, and rated each in terms of his/her perceived PO fit. Evidence showed that participants considered context factors (interview procedure practices and interviewer behaviors) more than the values‐relevant content of interview questions when assessing their level of PO fit.
Power of the Circumplex: Incremental validity of intersection traits in predicting counterproductive work behaviors
Authors: Gonzalez‐Mulé Erik , DeGeest David , Mount Michael K.
Published: August 2013

This study examines the role of the circumplex model of personality in predicting counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). Drawing on the fidelity‐bandwidth principle, we investigate the hypotheses that each of the three sets of circumplex traits representing the intersections of conscientiousness–agreeableness, conscientiousness–emotional stability, and agreeableness–emotional stability will account for significant incremental variance over five‐factor model (FFM) traits in predicting CWBs. Results indicated the circumplex traits contribute incremental variance over the FFM traits, are relatively more important than the FFM traits, and account for 1.5–2.0 times more variance in the total R2 associated with CWBs. Collectively, these findings show that circumplex traits capture unique information not explained by FFM traits, and this information leads to a better understanding of the dispositional nature of CWBs.
Object Locations, Identity and Absent Reference Understanding at 12 Months
Authors: Osina Maria A. , Saylor Megan M. , Ganea Patricia A.
Published: August 2013

Spatial and contextual information plays an organizing role in many cognitive processes including object individuation and memory retrieval. Recently, attention has been drawn to the fact that changes in an object's location negatively affect infants' learning in different domains. One example is that prestudy exposure to a target object in a nontest location disrupts infants' ability to locate that object when it is hidden in a test room. In the current study, we investigate the possibility that infants' difficulty finding the object is the result of confusion about the identity of the target object. In the current research, infants were familiarized with an object in one room and tested in the other. Infants who were shown a characteristic identifying feature on the object in both locations and who were thus able to track the object identity could later locate the absent referent. In contrast, when infants' attention was drawn to different features on the object in the two locations or to the object itself via pointing, infants were unable to find the object.
The use of ordered weighted averaging method for decision making under uncertainty
Authors: Ahn Byeong Seok , Yager Ronald R.
Published: August 2013

A decision making under uncertainty (DMUU) prevails at the outset and often evolves into a decision making under partial uncertainty as information on the states of nature, for example, a probability distribution, is advanced. Many methods have emerged for solving the DMUU problems, which includes the classical decision criteria and the domain criterion. Yager (1988) introduced a new approach, the so‐called ordered weighted averaging (OWA) as a viable method for solving the DMUU problems. The OWA weights to be used in the aggregation are generated under the degree of optimism provided by a decision maker and then combined with the reordered payoffs to produce aggregated payoffs for each strategy. The reordering process, one of the characterizing features of the OWA method, enables us to perform various types of aggregations including maximax, maximin, and Hurwicz‐α index in conjunction with the generated weights. The OWA method obviously extends the Hurwicz approach by taking into account the tradeoffs among the entire payoffs while the Hurwicz approach considers a tradeoff only between the two extremes, the maximum and the minimum payoffs. In this paper, we examine the features of the OWA method in light of Milnor's set of requirements for reasonable decision criteria, thus providing a solid methodological foundation for the DMUU. The OWA method can also be used to solve a group DMUU problem by exploiting individual decision results in the situation when the use of a fuzzy majority is advocated.
The Developing Habitus of the Anti‐Social Behaviour Practitioner: From Expansion in Years of Plenty to Surviving the Age of Austerity
Authors: Brown Kevin J.
Published: August 2013

Specialist anti‐social behaviour units are common within social housing providers, with many established in response to the policies of the New Labour governments of 1997–2010. These units now find themselves operating in a different political and financial environment. Following the English riots of 2011, the Coalition government, whilst imposing budgetary cuts across the public sector, called on social housing providers to intensify their role in tackling disorder. This article explores the habitus or working cultures within anti‐social behaviour units post‐New Labour. It does so through empirical research conducted in the aftermath of the English riots. The research finds that practitioners view their work as a core function of social housing provision. They have developed an understanding of human behaviour, which crosses the criminal and social policy fields with a wide skillset to match. A number of factors including national policy, community expectations, and multi‐partnership engagement influence their dynamic working culture.
The Registry Evaluating Functional Outcomes of Resynchronization Management (REFORM): Quality of Life and Psychological Functioning in Patients Receiving Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
Authors: FORD JESSICA , SEARS SAMUEL , RAMZA BRIAN , REYNOLDS DWIGHT W. , NGUYEN PAUL , FEDEWA MICHELLE , HOUSE JOHN , KENNEDY PAUL , THOMPSON ROSE , MURRAY CHRISTINA
Published: August 2013

QoL and Psychosocial Outcomes of CRT. Background

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a treatment for heart failure (HF) that improves cardiac, functional, and quality of life (QoL) outcomes. This study was designed to examine the effect of the addition of CRT (CRTD) to the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) on psychological functioning.

Methods and Results

Overall, 99 participants completed batteries before and 9 months after ICD or CRTD implantation in a registry of HF patients receiving device treatment in 3 US centers. Measures included validated indices of mental health (State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire: Depression) and generic and disease/device‐specific QoL (Medical Outcomes Study‐Short Form‐12, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, Florida Patient Acceptance Survey, Florida Shock Anxiety Scale). Mixed between‐within analyses of covariance were employed to compare device groups on each outcome controlling for cardiac and demographic covariates. Clinically significant anxiety was elevated in both groups at both time points (57% CRTD at baseline, 29% CRTD 9 months, 44% ICD at baseline, 45% ICD 9 months). Clinically significant depressive symptoms were high at baseline (38% CRTD, 31% ICD), but dropped at follow‐up (16% CRTD, 7% ICD; P = 0.01). Participants with CRTD had improved mental component and disease‐specific QoL following CRT; however, CRTD patients had worse QoL, worse mental component QoL at baseline, and worse device acceptance at 9‐month follow‐up than patients with ICDs (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Evidence of low QoL, psychological functioning, and device acceptance provides the impetus to increase research on well‐being of HF patients being implanted with CRTD in research and clinical work.
Progression in idiopathic, diabetic, paraproteinemic, alcoholic, andB12deficiency neuropathy
Authors: Sachedina Shafina , Toth Cory
Published: August 2013

We determined prospectively the clinical and electrophysiological progression of idiopathic, diabetic, paraproteinemic, alcoholic, andB12deficiency neuropathy in 606 subjects over 3 years. We hypothesized that idiopathic peripheral neuropathy would demonstrate slower progression when compared with other etiologies. Laboratory assessments were used to determine the etiology of peripheral neuropathy at baseline and after 3 years. When compared with peripheral neuropathy related to type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus, subjects with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy progressed much slower, but demonstrated similar rates of progression to that of the other groups. Overall, detectable progression was minimal over 3 years. After 3 years, only 3% of cases of idiopathic peripheral neuropathy had any potentially identifiable causes discovered. Clinical and electrophysiological detection of very slow progression for these five types of peripheral neuropathy is possible using currently established clinical scales and standard electrophysiological techniques.
Tradition or change? Sources of body procurement for the Anatomical Institute of the University of Cologne in the Third Reich
Authors: Kaiser Stephanie
Published: August 2013

While it is known that all German anatomical institutes that have been examined made use of the bodies of victims of the National Socialist (NS) regime for teaching and research between 1933 and 1945, detailed investigations on many institutions are still missing. Among these is the anatomical institute of the University of Cologne. This university was the first university to voluntarily self‐align with the policies of the new regime and was therefore often called a ‘model NS university’. In addition, Cologne was the site of a NS special court and a central place for executions. Based on archival sources, this study investigates the interaction between the anatomical institute of the University of Cologne with the NS authorities and the origin of the body supply for dissection and research. The documents reveal that the institute continued to receive bodies from traditional sources like the public morgue and hospitals, but with the beginning of World War II (WWII) an increasing amount of bodies of victims of the NS regime became available. Thus, the anatomical institute of Cologne collaborated and benefited from the policies of the NS regime, especially during WWII, like all other already explored anatomical institutes in Germany to varying degrees.
An investigation of cellular dynamics during the development of intramembranous bones: the scleral ossicles
Authors: Jabalee J. , Hillier S. , Franz‐Odendaal T. A.
Published: August 2013

The development of intramembranous bone is a dynamic and complex process requiring highly coordinated cellular activities. Although the literature describes the detailed cellular dynamics of early mesoderm‐derived endochondral bone, studies regarding neural crest‐derived intramembranous bone have failed to keep pace. We analyzed the development of chick scleral ossicles from the onset of osteoid deposition to mineralization at morphological, histological, and ultrastructural levels. We find that the mesenchymal condensations from which ossicles develop change their shape from ellipsoidal to trapezoidal concurrent with an increase in size. Furthermore, the size of an ossicle is dependent upon its time of induction. Our histological analyses of condensation growth reveal cell migration and osteoid secretion as key cellular processes determining condensation size; these processes occur concomitantly to increase both the area and thickness of condensations. We also describe the formation of the zone of overlap between ossicles and conclude that the process is similar to that of cranial suture formation. Finally, transmission electron microscopy of early condensations demonstrates that early osteoblasts secrete collagen parallel to the long axis of the condensation. This study elucidates fundamental mechanisms of intramembranous bone development at the cellular level, furthering our knowledge of this important process among vertebrates.
Oral motor assessment in individuals with Moebius syndrome
Authors: Ortega Adriana de Oliveira Lira , Marques‐Dias Maria Joaquina , Santos Maria Teresa Botti Rodrigues dos , Castro Talita , Gallottini Marina
Published: August 2013

Background

Moebius syndrome (MS) is a rare congenital condition that is characterised by facial hypomimia and congenital strabismus caused by complete or partial impairment of the 6th and 7th cranial nerves. MS may be further associated with other nerves or malformations, mainly involving the extremities. The objective of this study was to quantify the decrease in oral motor performance in people with MS compared with normoreactive individuals using the Oral Motor Assessment Scale (OMAS).

Methods

The study group comprised 33 subjects between the ages of 2 and 20 years (average age: 10 ± 5 years) with MS along with 46 age‐ and gender‐matched control subjects.

Results

The study group displayed a lower average functional score than the control group (P < 0.0001). A significant lack of lip closure (P = 0.03) and anterior lingual seal during swallowing (P = 0.03) occurred in the study group; in most cases, the individuals with MS were classified as ‘subfunctional’. In addition, individuals with MS in the older age group displayed better functional scores than those in the younger group (P = 0.05).

Conclusions

Functional damage to oral motor function in individuals with MS is evident, but differs among patients with respect to severity and the movements that are compromised. However, overall, improvements in the functional patterns of these individuals can be observed as they mature in age.
Plum Pox Virus in Japanese Plum from Argentina: Serological Detection and Molecular Characterization of an Isolate from cv. Red Beauty
Authors: Dal Zotto Angélica , Balzarini Mónica , Raigón Juan M. , Rossini Mirta N. , Ducasse Daniel A.
Published: August 2013

A Plum pox virus (PPV) isolate detected in a Japanese plum orchard in Pocito (San Juan, Argentina) was transmitted mechanically to Prunus tomentosa and Nicotiana benthamiana. DAS‐ELISA and DASI‐ELISA indicated the virus presence and serological relationship with D‐strain isolates; IC‐RT‐PCR amplified a 1.2‐kb fragment of the virus genome encoding the CP‐3′ nc region. The analysis of the sequence showed the presence of the DAG motif at the 5′ end of the capsid protein and the Rsa I and Alu I sites at the 3′ end. The phylogenetic relationships and multiple alignment with PPV isolates from NCBI database indicated greatest (+98%) homology with the D strain and close identity with MNAT1 (AF360579) USA peach isolate. The sequence analysed showed two amino acid mutations towards the 5′ N‐terminus of CP (the most variable region) with respect to a consensus of PPV D‐strain isolates. This is the first molecular characterization of 3′terminal genome region of PPV isolate to confirm D strain in a Japanese plum from Argentina.
Melatonin ameliorates vascular endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and atherosclerosis by suppressing the TLR4/NF‐κB system in high‐fat‐fed rabbits
Authors: Hu Ze‐Ping , Fang Xiao‐Ling , Fang Nan , Wang Xiao‐Bian , Qian Hai‐Yan , Cao Zhong , Cheng Yuan , Wang Bang‐Ning , Wang Yuan
Published: August 2013

Vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED) and inflammation contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Melatonin (MLT) normalizes lipid profile, improves endothelial function, and possesses anti‐inflammatory properties. However, the precise mechanisms are still unclear. This study investigated whether MLT could ameliorate VED, inflammation, and atherosclerosis by suppressing the Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) system in high‐fat‐fed rabbits. Rabbits were randomly divided into three groups that received a standard diet (control group), high‐cholesterol diet (atherosclerosis group), or high‐cholesterol diet plus 10 mg/kg/day MLT (MLT group) for 12 wk. After treatment, high‐fat diet significantly increased serum lipid and inflammatory markers in rabbits in atherosclerosis group compared with that in control group. In addition, high‐fat diet also induced VED and typical atherosclerotic plaque formation and increased intima/media thickness ratio, which were significantly improved by MLT therapy as demonstrated in MLT group. Histological and immunoblot analysis further showed that high‐fat diet enhanced the expressions of TLR4, myeloid differentiation primary response protein (MyD88), and NF‐κB p65, but decreased inhibitor of NF‐κB (IκB) expression. By contrast, MLT therapy decreased the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, and NF‐κB p65 and increased IκB expression. This study has demonstrated that MLT ameliorates lipid metabolism, VED, and inflammation and inhibits the progression of atherosclerosis in high‐fat‐fed rabbits. Moreover, our study indicates for the first time that suppression of the TLR4/NF‐κB system in local vasculature with atherosclerotic damage is important for the protective effects of MLT.
Melatonin‐enhanced autophagy protects against neural apoptosis via a mitochondrial pathway in early brain injury following a subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Chen Jingyin , Wang Lin , Wu Cheng , Hu Qiang , Gu Chi , Yan Feng , Li Jianru , Yan Wei , Chen Gao
Published: August 2013

Melatonin is a strong antioxidant that has beneficial effects against early brain injury (EBI) following a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in rats; protection includes reduced mortality and brain water content. The molecular mechanisms underlying these clinical effects in the SAH model, however, have not been clearly identified. This study was undertaken to determine the influence of melatonin on neural apoptosis and the potential mechanism of these effects in EBI following SAH using the filament perforation model of SAH in male Sprague Dawley rats. Melatonin (150 mg/kg) or vehicle was given via an intraperitoneal injection 2 hr after SAH induction. Brain samples were extracted 24 hr after SAH. The results show that melatonin treatment markedly reduced caspase‐3 activity and the number of TUNEL‐positive cells, while the treatment increased the LC3‐II/LC3‐I, an autophagy marker, which indicated that melatonin‐enhanced autophagy ameliorated apoptotic cell death in rats subjected to SAH. To further identify the mechanism of autophagy protection, we demonstrated that melatonin administration reduced Bax translocation to the mitochondria and the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol. Taken together, this report demonstrates that melatonin improved the neurological outcome in rats by protecting against neural apoptosis after the induction of filament perforation SAH; moreover, the mechanism of these antiapoptosis effects was related to the enhancement of autophagy, which ameliorated cell apoptosis via a mitochondrial pathway.
Melatonin alleviates secondary brain damage and neurobehavioral dysfunction after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage: possible involvement of TLR4‐mediated inflammatory pathway
Authors: Wang Zhong , Wu Lingyun , You Wanchun , Ji Chengyuan , Chen Gang
Published: August 2013

Previous studies proved that melatonin protected against secondary brain damage by modulating oxidative stress after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), but it has not been evaluated yet about its effects on inflammatory pathway and secondary cognitive dysfunction in SAH model. This study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of melatonin on toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway and neurobehavioral tests after SAH. Adult SD rats were divided into four groups: control group (n = 20), SAH group (n = 20), SAH+vehicle group (n = 20), and SAH+melatonin group (n = 20). The rat SAH model was induced by injection of 0.3 mL fresh arterial, nonheparinized blood into the prechiasmatic cistern in 20 s. In SAH+melatonin group, melatonin was administered i.p. at 150 mg/kg at 2 and 24 hr after the induction of SAH. Cognitive and memory changes were investigated in the Morris water maze. Treatment with melatonin markedly decreased the expressions of TLR4 pathway‐related agents, such as high‐mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), TLR4, nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Administration of melatonin following SAH significantly ameliorated spatial learning and memory deficits in this prechiasmatic blood injection model. Staining of apoptosis and necrosis indicated that fewer positive cells appeared in melatonin‐treated group than SAH+vehicle group. In conclusion, melatonin may attenuate neurobehavioral dysfunction in this SAH model, and melatonin exhibits neuroprotection possibly not only through anti‐oxidative pathway but also anti‐inflammatory signaling after experimental SAH.
Association Between Clinical Decision Support System Use and Rural Quality Disparities in the Treatment of Pneumonia
Authors: Mitchell Jordan , Probst Janice , Brock‐Martin Amy , Bennett Kevin , Glover Saundra , Hardin James
Published: August 2013

Purpose

To determine whether there is an association between clinical decision support system (CDSS) use and quality disparities in pneumonia process indicators between rural and urban hospitals.

Methods

Data were used from the FY 2009 American Hospital Association electronic health record (EHR) adoption survey (3,616 responding hospitals) to identify hospitals that used CDSS for clinical guidelines and reminders. This was linked to the 2009 Hospital Compare data set from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (3,805 reporting hospitals). The merged data set contained 2,405 hospitals: 1,330 were noncritical in metropolitan ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs), 692 were noncritical in rural ZCTAs, and there were 383 critical access hospitals (CAHs; 359 in rural ZCTAs, 24 in urban ZCTAs). The dependent variable was a pneumonia composite quality score, composed of 6 pneumonia process indicators calculated for each hospital. Adjusted analysis controlled for a hospital's propensity to use CDSS.

Findings

While quality was lower in rural institutions, unadjusted pneumonia quality scores varied modestly, from 90.08% in CAHs to 93.38% in urban hospitals. Hospitals that used CDSS had higher unadjusted pneumonia process composite scores than their non‐CDSS counterparts. After controlling for CDSS use, the propensity for CDSS use, and hospital and community characteristics, hospitals in rural ZCTAs did not have significantly different process composite scores than their metropolitan counterparts.

Conclusions

CDSS was positively associated with quality of care for pneumonia. Adoption of EHRs with CDSS functionality in rural hospitals may serve to reduce quality gaps. Costs of EHR implementation may be a barrier to this process.
The Selectivity and Potency of the New PDE5 Inhibitor TPN729MA
Authors: Wang Zhen , Zhu Difeng , Yang Xiaochun , Li Jianfeng , Jiang Xiangrui , Tian Guanghui , Terrett Nicholas Kenneth , Jin Jie , Wu Honghai , He Qiaojun , Yang Bo , Shen Jingshan
Published: August 2013

Introduction

TPN729MA is a newly developed phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, which offers potential for greater selectivity and longer duration of action than PDE5i in current clinical use.

Aim

We investigated the in vitro inhibitory potency and selectivity of TPN729MA on PDE isozymes, and its efficacy in animal models.

Methods

The inhibition of 11 human recombinant PDEs by TPN729MA, sildenafil, and tadalafil were determined using radioimmunoassay. The effect of TPN729MA and sildenafil on intracavernous pressure (ICP), blood pressure (BP), and ICP/BP ratio were determined in a rat model of erection induced by electric stimulation and in a dog model of erection induced by sodium nitroprusside injection.

Main Outcome Measures

The main outcome measures were IC50 of TPN729MA, sildenafil, and tadalafil for PDE1-PDE11; maximum ICP; BP and ICP/BP ratio.

Results

The IC50 of TPN729MA, sildenafil, and tadalafil for PDE5 was 2.28, 5.22, and 2.35 nM, respectively. TPN729MA showed 248, 366, 20, and 2671-fold selectivity against PDE1, PDE4, PDE6, and PDE11, respectively. TPN729MA showed excellent selectivity against PDE2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10 (>10,000-fold). In the rat model of erection, TPN729MA (5.0 and 2.5 mg/kg), but not sildenafil, significantly increased the maximum ICP compared with vehicle. Significantly increased ICP/BP was observed in the TPN729MA (5.0 mg/kg) group at all time points, in the TPN729MA (2.5 mg/kg) group at 75, 90, 105, and 120 minutes time points, and in sildenafil group at 75 and 90 minutes time points compared with vehicle. In the dog model of erection, TPN729MA and sildenafil significantly increased ICP and ICP/BP but showed no significant effect on BP compared with vehicle.

Conclusions

TPN729MA is a potent PDE5i with a balanced selectivity profile. TPN729MA shows excellent in vitro and in vivo potency, and a longer effect on erectile function than sildenafil in animal model.
The severity of individual obstruction events is related to increased mortality rate in severe obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Muraja‐Murro Anu , Kulkas Antti , Hiltunen Mikko , Kupari Salla , Hukkanen Taina , Tiihonen Pekka , Mervaala Esa , Töyräs Juha
Published: August 2013

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to an increased mortality rate. However, the severity of individual obstruction events is rarely considered quantitatively in clinical practice. We hypothesized that OSA with especially severe obstruction events would predispose a patient to greater health risks than OSA with a similar apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), but lower severity of individual events. This hypothesis was tested in a follow‐up (198.2 ± 24.7 months) of a population of 1068 men referred for ambulatory polygraphic recording due to suspected OSA. The recordings were analysed according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Furthermore, a novel obstruction severity parameter was determined; this was defined as the product of duration of the individual obstruction event and area of the related desaturation event. Patients treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) were omitted. We identified 125 deceased patients from our original population and for 113 of these a matching alive patient with similar AHI, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits and follow‐up time could be found. The deceased patients with severe OSA (based on conventional AHI) showed higher obstruction severity values than their AHI‐matched alive controls. Based on the multivariate logistic regression analysis, obstruction severity was the only parameter which was related statistically significantly to mortality in the severe OSA category. Furthermore, 59% of all deceased patients and 83% of those who had severe OSA displayed higher obstruction severity than the AHI‐matched alive counterparts. To conclude, the obstruction severity parameter provided valuable prognostic information supplementing AHI. The obstruction severity parameter might improve recognition of the patients with the highest risk.
Riboflavin‐responsive multiple acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: A frequent condition in the southern Chinese population
Authors: Liang Wen‐Chen , Nishino Ichizo
Published: August 2013

Multiple acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) is caused by the recessive mutations in any of ETFA, ETFB and ETFDH, respectively, encoding electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF)‐α, ETF‐β and ETF‐ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF‐QO), resulting in defects in the transfer of high‐energy electrons from acyl‐CoA dehydrogenases in mitochondria and leading to dysfunction of all ETF‐dependent acyl‐CoA dehydrogenases. MADD seems to be very rare, at least in the Japanese population, but not among the southern Chinese population because of the presence of the common c.250G>A (p.Ala84Thr) mutation in ETFDH, with an estimated carrier frequency of approximately 1%. This mutation was originally identified in MADD patients in Taiwan; but later, several reports of the same mutation, including those from southern China, ensued this. So far, this mutation has not been identified in any other population, except for only a few patients in northern China, probably as a result of migration. High‐dose riboflavin supplementation therapy has been shown to be efficacious in MADD patients with certain ETFDH mutations, including p.Ala84Thr, suggesting that MADD in most southern Chinese patients might be treatable. Therefore, the possibility of MADD should be highly suspected in southern Chinese patients with relevant clinical manifestations.
Relationship between orofacial function, dentofacial morphology, and bite force in young subjects
Authors: Marquezin MCS , Gavião MBD , Alonso MBCC , Ramirez‐Sotelo LR , Haiter‐Neto F , Castelo PM
Published: August 2013

Objective

The aim was to evaluate the relationship between orofacial function, dentofacial morphology, and bite force in young subjects.

Subjects and Methods

Three hundred and sixteen subjects were divided according to dentition stage (early, intermediate, and late mixed and permanent dentition). Orofacial function was screened using the Nordic Orofacial Test‐Screening (NOT‐S). Orthodontic treatment need, bite force, lateral and frontal craniofacial dimensions and presence of sleep bruxism were also assessed. The results were submitted to descriptive statistics, normality and correlation tests, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression to test the relationship between NOT‐S scores and the studied independent variables.

Results

The variance of NOT‐S scores between groups was not significant. The evaluation of the variables that significantly contributed to NOT‐S scores variation showed that age and presence of bruxism related to higher NOT‐S total scores, while the increase in overbite measurement and presence of closed lip posture related to lower scores. Bite force did not show a significant relationship with scores of orofacial dysfunction. No significant correlations between craniofacial dimensions and NOT‐S scores were observed.

Conclusion

Age and sleep bruxism were related to higher NOT‐S scores, while the increase in overbite measurement and closed lip posture contributed to lower scores of orofacial dysfunction.
Locking Plate Fixation of Periprosthetic Femur Fractures with and without Cerclage Wires
Authors: Ebraheim Nabil A , Sochacki Kyle R , Liu Xiaochen , Hirschfeld Adam G , Liu Jiayong
Published: August 2013

Objective

The number of patients requiring knee and hip arthroplasty has been steadily increasing, and periprosthetic fractures are on the rise. Locking plates are the most common treatment for periprosthetic fractures, but the use of cerclage wires with locking plate fixation has been controversial.

Methods

Forty‐seven patients with periprosthetic femur fractures were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty‐four patients received locking plate alone and twenty‐three patients were treated with locking plate and cerclage wires. Patients were evaluated for clinical and radiographic signs of union at two, six, twelve, twenty‐four, and forty‐eight weeks postoperatively.

Results

The average follow‐up time in the plate group was 9.4 ± 6.7 months, while it was 6.0 ± 4.2 months in the cerclage wire group. The time to union in the cerclage wire group (3.6 ± 1.0 months) was significantly less than the plate group (4.8 ± 2.6 months). The group with the cerclage wires had a significantly lower revision rate of 0% compared to 20.8%. There was no statistical significance of union rate and complication rate between the two groups.

Conclusion

Cerclage wires used with locking plate fixation successfully treats periprosthetic fractures of the femur with faster time to union, less complication, and fewer revisions.
Application of marker‐assisted selection and genome‐wide association scanning to the development of winter food barley germplasm resources
Authors: Chutimanitsakun Yada , Cuesta‐Marcos Alfonso , Chao Shiaoman , Corey Ann , Filichkin Tanya , Fisk Scott , Kolding Mathias , Meints Brigid , Ong Yee‐Ling , Rey Juan Ignacio , Ross Andrew S. , Hayes Patrick M.
Published: August 2013

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an important component of heart‐healthy whole grain diets because it contains β‐glucan. All current US barley varieties with high β‐glucan are spring habit and have waxy starch. Winter varieties have agronomic advantages but require low‐temperature tolerance (LTT). Vernalization sensitivity (VS) is associated with higher levels of LTT. To rapidly develop fall‐sown varieties with LTT and higher grain β‐glucan, we therefore used marker‐assisted selection (MAS) at the WX and VRN‐H2 loci. The MAS‐derived lines, together with unrelated non‐waxy germplasm developed via phenotypic selection (PS), were used for a genome‐wide association scan (GWAS). The panel was phenotyped for grain β‐glucan, LTT and VS. It was genotyped with 3072 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and allele‐specific primers. Marker‐assisted selection fixed target alleles at both loci but only one of the target phenotypes (higher β‐glucan percentage) was achieved. Variation for VS and LTT is attributable to (i) incomplete information about VRN‐H1 at the outset of the project and (ii) unexpected allelic variation at VRN‐H3 with a large effect on VS and LTT.
T‐type calcium channel blockers inhibit autophagy and promote apoptosis of malignant melanoma cells
Authors: Das Arindam , Pushparaj Charumathi , Herreros Judit , Nager Mireia , Vilella Ramon , Portero Manuel , Pamplona Reinald , Matias‐Guiu Xavier , Martí Rosa M. , Cantí Carles
Published: August 2013

We have recently reported that human melanoma cells express a variety of voltage‐gated calcium (Ca2+) channel types, including low‐voltage‐activated T‐type channels that play a significant role in melanoma cell cycle progression. Here, we challenged melanoma metastatic cells with T‐type channel blockers of clinical use and found a dual effect on cell viability: (i) a reduction in the proliferation rate, through a halt in the progression to the G1‐S phase; and (ii) a promotion of cell death that was partially dependent on the activation of caspases. An in‐depth analysis of the death process showed that the apoptotic pathway is preceded by endoplasmic reticulum stress and the subsequent inhibition of the basal macroautophagy which is active in these cells. The effects of pharmacological blockers on Ca2+ homeostasis, autophagy, and cell death were mimicked by T‐type channel gene silencing. These results provide the basis for a new pharmacological and/or gene silencing approach toward tackling melanoma metastasis.
Immunomodulatory effects of stem cells
Authors: Wada Naohisa , Gronthos Stan , Bartold P. Mark
Published: August 2013

Adult‐derived mesenchymal stem cells have received considerable attention over the past two decades for their potential use in tissue engineering, principally because of their potential to differentiate into multiple stromal‐cell lineages. Recently, the immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells have attracted interest as a unique property of these cells that may be harnessed for novel therapeutic approaches in immune‐mediated diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to inhibit the proliferation of activated T‐cells both in vitro and in vivo but to stimulate T‐regulatory cell proliferation. Mesenchymal stem cells are also known to be weakly immunogenic and to exert immunosuppressive effects on B‐cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells and neutrophils through various mechanisms. Furthermore, intravenous administration of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells has shown a marked suppression of host immune reactions in preclinical animal models of large‐organ transplant rejection and in various autoimmune‐ and inflammatory‐based diseases. Some clinical trials utilizing human mesenchymal stem cells have also produced promising outcomes in patients with graft‐vs.‐host disease and autoimmune diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells identified from various dental tissues, including periodontal ligament stem cells, also possess multipotent and immunomodulatory properties. Hence, dental mesenchymal stem cells may represent an alternate cell source, not only for tissue regeneration but also as therapies for autoimmune‐ and inflammatory‐mediated diseases. These findings have elicited interest in dental tissue mesenchymal stem cells as alternative cell sources for modulating alloreactivity during tissue regeneration following transplantation into human leukocyte antigen‐mismatched donors. To examine this potential in periodontal regeneration, future work will need to assess the capacity of allogeneic periodontal ligament stem cells to regenerate periodontal ligament in animal models of periodontal disease. The present review describes the immunosuppressive effects of mesenchymal stem cells on various types of immune cells, the potential mechanisms through which they exert their mode of action and the preclinical animal studies and human clinical trials that have utilized mesenchymal stem cells, including those populations originating from dental structures.
Matrix metalloproteinase processing of signaling molecules to regulate inflammation
Authors: Butler Georgina S. , Overall Christopher M.
Published: August 2013

Inflammation is a complex and highly regulated process that facilitates the clearance of pathogens and mediates tissue repair. Failure to resolve inflammation can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases such as periodontitis. Matrix metalloproteinases are generally thought to be detrimental in disease because degradation of extracellular matrix contributes to pathology. However, proteomic techniques (degradomics) are revealing that matrix metalloproteinases process a diverse array of substrates and therefore have a broad range of functions. Many matrix metalloproteinase substrates modulate inflammation and hence, by processing these proteins, matrix metalloproteinases can orchestrate the inflammatory response.
Regularized Matrix Regression
Authors: Zhou Hua , Li Lexin
Published: August 2013

Modern technologies are producing a wealth of data with complex structures. For instance, in two-dimensional digital imaging, flow cytometry and electroencephalography, matrix-type covariates frequently arise when measurements are obtained for each combination of two underlying variables. To address scientific questions arising from those data, new regression methods that take matrices as covariates are needed, and sparsity or other forms of regularization are crucial owing to the ultrahigh dimensionality and complex structure of the matrix data. The popular lasso and related regularization methods hinge on the sparsity of the true signal in terms of the number of its non-zero coefficients. However, for the matrix data, the true signal is often of, or can be well approximated by, a low rank structure. As such, the sparsity is frequently in the form of low rank of the matrix parameters, which may seriously violate the assumption of the classical lasso. We propose a class of regularized matrix regression methods based on spectral regularization. A highly efficient and scalable estimation algorithm is developed, and a degrees-of-freedom formula is derived to facilitate model selection along the regularization path. Superior performance of the method proposed is demonstrated on both synthetic and real examples.
Evidence of lateral asthenosphere flow beneath the South China craton driven by both Pacific plate subduction and the India–Eurasia continental collision
Authors: Gong Junfeng , John Chen Y.
Published: August 2013

South China Cenozoic basalts (SCCB) are regionally distributed at the south‐east coastal area and can be grouped into three zones: a western zone (>38 Ma), a central zone (17–8 Ma) and an eastern zone (<8 Ma), leaving a temporal gap at 38–17 Ma between the western and central zones. An eastward migration of the SCCB could therefore be identified by the systematic decrease in the eruption age from the western inland to the eastern coast. We propose that most SCCB were associated with the lateral asthenospheric flows moving along the lithosphere/asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath South China and the subsequent decompressional partial melting. The lateral asthenospheric flows had been pulled by the eastward retreat of the pan‐Pacific plate subduction before 38 Ma and have been pushed by the northward indentation of the Indian plate into the Eurasian plate since 17 Ma.
Indo‐Antarctic derived detritus on the northern margin of Gondwana: evidence for continental‐scale sediment transport
Authors: Rösel Delia , Boger Steven David , Möller Andreas , Gaitzsch Birgit , Barth Matthias , Oalmann Jeffrey , Zack Thomas
Published: August 2013

Provenance studies from Cambro‐Ordovician sediments of the North Gondwana passive margin typically ascribe a North African source, a conclusion that cannot be reconciled with all observations. We present new U‐Pb ages from detrital rutile and zircon from Late Ordovician sediments from Saxo‐Thuringia, Germany. Detrital zircons yield age populations of 500–800 Ma, 900–1050 Ma and 1800–2600 Ma. The detrital rutile age spectra are unimodal with ages between 500 and 650 Ma and likely represent, together with the 500–800 Ma and 1800–2600 Ma zircon populations, detritus sourced predominantly from North Africa. In contrast, the c. 950 Ma zircons, which are persistently found in Cambro‐Ordovician sediments of North Gondwana, have no obvious African source. We propose that these zircons are sourced from the Rayner Complex–Eastern Ghats regions of Antarctica and India. An Indo‐Antarctic source indicates either continental‐scale sedimentary transport from central Gondwana to its peripheries or multiple cycles of sediment reworking and redeposition.
Durbachites–Vaugnerites – a geodynamic marker in the central European Variscan orogen
Authors: von Raumer Jürgen F. , Finger Fritz , Veselá Petra , Stampfli Gérard M.
Published: August 2013

Durbachites–Vaugnerites are K–Mg‐rich magmatic rocks derived from an enriched mantle source. Observed throughout the European Variscan basement, their present‐day geographical distribution does not reveal any obvious plate‐tectonic context. Published geochronological data show that most durbachites–vaugnerites formed around 335–340 Ma. Plotted in a Visean plate‐tectonic reconstruction, the occurrences of durbachites–vaugnerites are concentrated in a hotspot like cluster in the Galatian superterrane, featuring a distinctive regional magmatic province. Reviewing the existing local studies on Variscan durbachite–vaugnerite rocks, we interpret their extensive appearance in the Visean in terms of two factors: (i) long‐term mantle enrichment above early Variscan subduction systems; and (ii) melting of this enriched subcontinental mantle source during the Variscan collision stage due to thermal anomalies below the Galatian superterrane, possibly created by slab windows and and/or the sinking of the subducted Rheic slab into the mantle. The tectonic reorganization of Europe in the Late Palaeozoic and during the Alpine orogeny has torn apart and blurred this marked domain of durbachites–vaugnerites.
A dominant repressor version of the tomato Sl‐ERF.B3 gene confers ethylene hypersensitivity via feedback regulation of ethylene signaling and response components
Authors: Liu Mingchun , Pirrello Julien , Kesari Ravi , Mila Isabelle , Roustan Jean‐Paul , Li Zhengguo , Latché Alain , Pech Jean‐Claude , Bouzayen Mondher , Regad Farid
Published: August 2013

Ethylene Response Factors (ERFs) are downstream components of the ethylene signal transduction pathway, although their role in ethylene‐dependent developmental processes remains poorly understood. As the ethylene‐inducible tomato Sl‐ERF.B3 has been shown previously to display a strong binding affinity to GCC‐box‐containing promoters, its physiological significance was addressed here by a reverse genetics approach. However, classical up‐ and down‐regulation strategies failed to give clear clues to its roles in planta, probably due to functional redundancy among ERF family members. Expression of a dominant repressor ERF.B3‐SRDX version of Sl‐ERF.B3 in the tomato resulted in pleiotropic ethylene responses and vegetative and reproductive growth phenotypes. The dominant repressor etiolated seedlings displayed partial constitutive ethylene response in the absence of ethylene and adult plants exhibited typical ethylene‐related alterations such as leaf epinasty, premature flower senescence and accelerated fruit abscission. The multiple symptoms related to enhanced ethylene sensitivity correlated with the altered expression of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling genes and suggested the involvement of Sl‐ERF.B3 in a feedback mechanism that regulates components of ethylene production and response. Moreover, Sl‐ERF.B3 was shown to modulate the transcription of a set of ERFs and revealed the existence of a complex network interconnecting different ERF genes. Overall, the study indicated that Sl‐ERF.B3 had a critical role in the regulation of multiple genes and identified a number of ERFs among its primary targets, consistent with the pleiotropic phenotypes displayed by the dominant repression lines.