bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Raising the Bar for Clinical Trials in Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Sands Bruce E , Cheifetz Adam S , Nduaka Chudy I , Quirk Daniel , Wang Wenjin , Maller Eric , Friedman Gary S , Su Chinyu , Higgins Peter D R
Published: February 2019

In order to identify the practical implications for both health care practitioners and patients in understanding differences between the results of trials assessing therapies for ulcerative colitis [UC], we reviewed clinical trials of therapies for moderate to severe UC, with a focus on trial design. Over time, patient populations in UC trials have become more refractory, reflecting that patients are failing treatment with additional and different classes of drug, including conventional therapies, immunosuppressant drugs, and anti-tumour necrosis factor therapies. Outcomes used to measure efficacy have become increasingly stringent in order to meet the expectations of patients and physicians, and the requirements of regulatory bodies. Trial design has also evolved to integrate induction and maintenance therapy phases, so as to facilitate patient recruitment and to answer clinically important questions such as how efficacious therapies are in specific subpopulations of patients and during long-term use. As UC clinical trial design continues to evolve, and with limited head-to-head trials and real-world comparative effectiveness studies evaluating UC therapies, careful judgment is required to appreciate the differences and similarities in trial designs, and to understand how these variances may affect the observed efficacy and safety outcomes.
Differential astrometric framework for the Jupiter relativistic experiment with Gaia
Authors: Abbas Ummi , Bucciarelli Beatrice , Lattanzi Mario G
Published: February 2019

We employ differential astrometric methods to establish a small field reference frame stable at the microarcsecond (μas) level on short time-scales using high-cadence simulated observations taken by Gaia in 2017 February of a bright star close to the limb of Jupiter, as part of the relativistic experiment on Jupiter’s quadrupole. We achieve subμas-level precision along scan through a suitable transformation of the field angles into a small-field tangent plane and a least-squares fit over several overlapping frames for estimating the plate and geometric calibration parameters with tens of reference stars that lie within ∼0.5 deg from the target star, assuming perfect knowledge of stellar proper motions and parallaxes. Furthermore, we study the effects of unmodelled astrometric parameters on the residuals and find that proper motions have a stronger effect than unmodelled parallaxes, e.g. unmodelled Gaia DR2 proper motions introduce extra residuals of ∼23 μas (AL) and 69 μas (AC) versus the ∼5 μas (AL) and 17 μas (AC) due to unmodelled parallaxes. On the other hand, assuming catalogue errors in the proper motions and parallaxes such as those from Gaia DR2 has a minimal impact on the stability introducing subμas and μas level residuals in the along and across scanning direction, respectively. Finally, the effect of a coarse knowledge in the satellite velocity components (with time-dependent errors of 10 μas s−1) is capable of enlarging the size of the residuals to roughly 0.2 mas.
Modeling the oxidative consumption of curcumin from controlled released poly(beta-amino ester) microparticles in the presence of a free radical generating system
Authors: Jordan Carolyn T , Hilt J Zach , Dziubla Thomas D
Published: February 2019

Despite the promise of its therapeutic benefits, curcumin as a free molecule has failed to demonstrate significant clinical success. Arguably, its inherently poor stability and rapid clearance is a significant reason for these negative outcomes. The incorporation of curcumin into the backbone of a crosslinked hydrogel that utilizes poly(beta-amino ester) (PBAE) chemistry can provide a tunable protective network with the ability to release at a controlled rate while improving its therapeutic potential. Kinetics of curcumin conjugated PBAE microparticles controlled release delivery system in the presence of oxidative environments was studied for the first time, where consumption rates of active curcumin and release products were obtained. The constituent amount of curcumin present in solution was improved by incorporating the active into the network in comparison to curcumin as a free drug. Modeling curcumin conjugated PBAE microparticles will provide a design platform to improve translation and overall success in delivering a therapeutic agent that matches levels of oxidative stress.
The Bright Side of Fire Sales
Authors: Meier Jean-Marie , Servaes Henri
Published: February 2019

Firms that buy assets in fire sales earn excess returns that are 2 percentage points higher than in regular acquisitions. The mechanism behind this result is the sellers’ reduced bargaining power. We find no difference in real effects or in the combined returns for buyers and sellers between fire sales and regular acquisitions, suggesting that the quality of the match is similar in both types of transactions. The externalities of fire sales for other stakeholders are limited. These results indicate that the welfare losses associated with fire sales are smaller than previously thought.

Received December 17, 2015; editorial decision November 20, 2018 by Editor Itay Goldstein.
A Critical Appraisal of the Placement of Xiphosura (Chelicerata) with Account of Known Sources of Phylogenetic Error
Authors: Ballesteros Jesús A , Sharma Prashant P
Published: February 2019

Horseshoe crabs (Xiphosura) are traditionally regarded as sister group to the clade of terrestrial chelicerates (Arachnida). This hypothesis has been challenged by recent phylogenomic analyses, but the non-monophyly of Arachnida has consistently been disregarded as artifactual. We re-evaluated the placement of Xiphosura among chelicerates using the most complete phylogenetic data set to date, expanding outgroup sampling, and including data from whole genome sequencing projects. In spite of uncertainty in the placement of some arachnid clades, all analyses show Xiphosura consistently nested within Arachnida as the sister group to Ricinulei (hooded tick spiders). It is apparent that the radiation of arachnids is an old one and occurred over a brief period of time, resulting in several consecutive short internodes, and thus is a potential case for the confounding effects of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). We simulated coalescent gene trees to explore the effects of increasing levels of ILS on the placement of horseshoe crabs. In addition, common sources of systematic error were evaluated, as well as the effects of fast-evolving partitions and the dynamics of problematic long branch orders. Our results indicated that the placement of horseshoe crabs cannot be explained by missing data, compositional biases, saturation, or ILS. Interrogation of the phylogenetic signal showed that the majority of loci favor the derived placement of Xiphosura over a monophyletic Arachnida. Our analyses support the inference that horseshoe crabs represent a group of aquatic arachnids, comparable to aquatic mites, breaking a long-standing paradigm in chelicerate evolution and altering previous interpretations of the ancestral transition to the terrestrial habitat. Future studies testing chelicerate relationships should approach the task with a sampling strategy where the monophyly of Arachnida is not held as the premise.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists Practice Parameter Methodology
Authors: Apfelbaum Jeffrey L. , Connis Richard T.
Published: February 2019

The methodology used during the development of American Society of Anesthesiologists evidence-based practice parameters, from conceptualization through final adoption of the documents, is described. Features of the methodology include the literature search, review and analysis, survey development and application, and consolidation of the full body of evidence used for preparing clinical practice recommendations. Anticipated risks of bias, validation of the process, and the importance of the documents for clinical use are discussed.
Application of Vancomycin Powder to Reduce Surgical Infection and Deep Surgical Infection in Spinal Surgery
Authors: He Xiaoqi , Sun Tianwei , Wang Jizhou , Li Guang , Fei Qiaoman
Published: February 2019

Study Design:

This was a meta-analysis study.

Objective:

Our meta-analysis study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of vancomycin powder to reduce the surgical site infection (SSI) in spinal surgery.

Summary of Background Data:

The SSI is a potential and devastating complication after spinal surgery. Local application of vancomycin powder is an attractive adjunctive therapy to reduce SSI in spinal surgery.

Methods:

Studies were identified from PubMed, The Cochrane Library, AMED, Web of Science, Scopus, Ovid, EMBASE, and Ebsco Medline. The fixed-effects model was used to compute the merge of relative risk and 95% confidence interval (CI). Heterogeneity tests were checked by I
2 statistics. Subgroup analysis was performed to determine whether vancomycin powder was beneficial, that could reduce the SSI in spinal surgery, or not. Publication bias was explored by funnel plot.

Results:

We included 21 studies for final analysis. In our analysis, application of vancomycin powder was associated with a significantly reduced risk of SSI and deep SSI. Pooled relative risks showed significant changes: SSI, 0.36 (95% CI: 0.27–0.47, P=0.000), SSI in the instrumented group, 0.35 (95% CI: 0.25–0.49, P=0.000), SSI in the noninstrumented group, 0.39 (95% CI: 0.24–0.65, P=0.000), deep SSI, 0.28 (95% CI: 0.18–0.44, P=0.000), and the incidence pseudoarthrosis, 0.88 (95% CI: 0.35–2.21, P=0.784). In the subgroup analysis, vancomycin powder showed beneficial effects to SSI in the instrumented group. Pooled the heterogeneity: SSI (P=0.124, I
2=30.0%), SSI in the instrumented group (P=0.366, I
2=8.2%), SSI in the noninstrumented group (P=0.039, I
2=60.5%), deep SSI (P=0.107, I
2=33.5%).

Conclusions:

The application of vancomycin powder could decrease the SSI and deep SSI in spinal surgery. In the subgroup, vancomycin powder is beneficial to the SSI in the instrumented group. The available evidence is too limited to make the conclusion that the use of vancomycin powder causes pseudoarthrosis in spinal surgery, its extrapolation should be carefully executed.
Randomized, Controlled, Multicentered, Double-Blind Investigation of Injectable Poly-l-Lactic Acid for Improving Skin Quality
Authors: Bohnert Krista , Dorizas Andrew , Lorenc Paul , Sadick Neil S.
Published: February 2019

BACKGROUND

Poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) is an injectable filler used for restoring facial fat volume loss.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of repeated PLLA injections on skin quality.

METHODS

Forty healthy women were enrolled in this randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter study. Eligible subjects received 3 treatments every 4 weeks with either PLLA (treatment group) or saline (control group) injections, into both sides of the face. Follow-up visits were at 6, 9, and 12 after the last treatment. Assessments included biophysical measuring instruments, live ratings, patient questionnaires, and rating of standardized pictures by a blinded evaluator.

RESULTS

At the 12-month follow-up, there was a statistically significant increase of skin elasticity and hydration in PLLA-treated subjects and a decrease in transepidermal water loss in both groups. Pigmentation, erythema, and pore size were significantly decreased, whereas radiance and smoothness were significantly increased at 12 months per blinded investigator rating in this group. No treatment-related adverse events occurred.

CONCLUSION

Repeated PLLA treatments may improve skin quality in a time-dependent manner.
Associations of prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls with long-term gut microbiome structure: a pilot study
Authors: Laue Hannah E. , Brennan Kasey J. M. , Gillet Virginie , Abdelouahab Nadia , Coull Brent A. , Weisskopf Marc G. , Burris Heather H. , Zhang Wei , Takser Larissa , Baccarelli Andrea A.
Published: February 2019

Background:

The gut microbiome is influenced by early-life exposures, but—despite potentially enormous implications for child health—is understudied in environmental epidemiology. This pilot study is one of the first to explore in utero exposures and long-term gut microbiome profiles. We examined the association between exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) during pregnancy and the mid-childhood gut microbiome.

Methods:

We measured levels of PBDE-47, PBDE-99, PBDE-100, and PBDE-153 and PCB-138, PCB-153, and PCB-180 in maternal plasma during early pregnancy (n = 18) and at delivery (n = 25) in women of European descent who breastfed the child participant of the Gestation and Environment cohort in Sherbrooke, Québec (recruited 2007–2009). Bacteria in the mid-childhood (6–8 years) fecal microbiome were detected with 16S rRNA sequencing. To test for differences at the taxon level, we used the Microbiome Comprehensive Association Mapping algorithm.

Results:

Early pregnancy PCB-153, PCB-180, and the sum of PCBs (Σ3PCB) concentrations were associated with a higher relative abundance of Propionibacteriales and Propionibacteriaceae in mid-childhood. Higher PCB-180 and Σ3PCB were associated with higher relative abundance of Bacillales Family XI. Higher PBDE-99 exposure was associated with a decrease in uncultured bacteria within the Ruminococcaceae NK4A214 group and PBDE-47 was associated with differences in Ruminococcus 2. These taxon-level changes did not result in differences within- or between-subject diversity. Exposures at delivery were not associated with differences in taxa.

Conclusions:

Prenatal exposure to PCBs and PBDEs is associated with mid-childhood gut microbiome profiles. Larger studies are needed to confirm these results and explore health implications.
Green space associations with mental health and cognitive function
Authors: Hystad Perry , Payette Yves , Noisel Nolwenn , Boileau Catherine
Published: February 2019

Background:

Urban green space may be important to mental health, but the association between long-term green space exposures and depression, anxiety, and cognitive function in adults remains unknown.

Methods:

We examined 8,144 adults enrolled in the CARTaGENE cohort in Quebec Canada. Average green space and change in green space with residential mobility were assessed using satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index from 5-year residential address histories. Outcomes included depression and anxiety determined through medical record linkages, self-reported doctor diagnosis of depression, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7scales. Cognitive function was available for 6,658 individuals from computerized tests of reaction time, working memory, and executive function. We used linear and logistic multivariate models to assess associations between green space and each mental health and cognitive function measure.

Results:

In fully adjusted analyses, a 0.1 increase in residential normalized difference vegetation index within 500 m was associated with an odds ratio of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.76, 0.95) for a self-reported doctor diagnosis of depression and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.93) for moderate anxiety assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 scale. Other models showed protective effects of urban green space on depression and anxiety but were not statistically significant, and the magnitude of association varied by green space exposure and mental health outcome assessment method. We did not observe any evidence of associations between green space and cognitive function.

Conclusions:

We observed some evidence to support the hypothesis that urban green space is associated with decreased depression and anxiety but not cognitive function.
Facilitators and barriers to the novice nurse practitioner workforce transition in primary care
Authors: Faraz Asefeh
Published: February 2019

Background and purpose:

Little is known about the facilitators and barriers to the workforce transition of novice nurse practitioners (NPs) in primary care. This research aimed to identify factors contributing and detracting from a successful initial workforce transition for novice NPs in the primary care setting.

Methods:

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted via online survey administered to a national sample of 177 NPs who graduated from an accredited NP program and were practicing in a primary care setting for 3–12 months. Open-ended responses were analyzed using the Krippendorff content analysis method.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated that facilitators of the novice NP transition are the presence of mentorship and social support, finding meaning in their work, job satisfaction, and work–life balance. Barriers to the novice NP transition are lack of support and respect, role ambiguity, and workload.

Implications for practice:

More mentorship, support, role clarity, and respect are needed to facilitate the novice NP workforce transition. More research is needed on interventions that can be implemented by health care organizations to improve the facilitators of role transition identified in this study.
Effects of thoracic epidural anesthesia/analgesia on the stress response, pain relief, hospital stay, and treatment costs of patients with esophageal carcinoma undergoing thoracic surgery
Authors: Li Yan , Dong Hongquan , Tan Shanbai , Qian Yanning , Jin Wenjie
Published: February 2019

Background:

Appropriate postoperative pain management can improve outcomes in patients with esophageal cancer (EC).

Objective:

To compare different combinations of anesthesia and analgesia techniques in patients with EC undergoing open thoracotomy.

Methods:

This randomized, controlled, open-label trial enrolled 100 patients with EC (aged 40–65 years; American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] grade I/II) receiving elective surgery at Jiangsu Province Hospital (China) between July 2016 and December 2017. Patients were randomized to 4 groups (n = 25 per group): total intravenous general anesthesia plus patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (TIVA/PCIA); TIVA plus patient-controlled epidural analgesia (TIVA/PCEA); thoracic epidural anesthesia with intravenous general anesthesia plus PCIA (TEA-IVA/PCIA); and TEA-IVA/PCEA (TEA-IVA plus PCEA). Primary outcomes were plasma cortisol level (measured at baseline, 2 h after skin incision, surgery completion, and 24 and 48 h post-surgery) and pain (assessed at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-surgery using a visual analog scale). Secondary outcomes included time to first flatus, hospital stay and treatment costs. Postoperative adverse events (AEs) were analyzed.

Results:

Baseline and operative characteristics were similar between the 4 groups. Plasma cortisol level increased (P <.05 vs baseline) earlier in the TIVA groups (2 h after skin incision) than in the TEA-IVA groups (24 h after surgery). At 48 hours after surgery, plasma cortisol had returned to baseline levels in the PCEA groups but not in the PCIA groups. VAS pain scores at rest and during coughing were lower in the PCEA groups than in the PCIA groups (P <.05). Compared with the PCIA groups, the PCEA groups had shorter time to first flatus and shorter hospital stay, while use of TEA-IVA lowered the costs of intraoperative anesthesia (P <.05). However, the PCEA groups had a higher incidence of nausea, vomiting, and pruritus.

Conclusion:

Thoracic epidural anesthesia/analgesia can reduce the stress response, improve postoperative recovery and reduce hospital stay and costs for patients with EC.
Perioperative holistic care more significantly reduces levels of anxiety and depression of pituitary tumor patients versus conventional care
Authors: Xie Yu-Huan , Xie Hai-Tong , Wang Tian-Shu , Shu Yi-Ping , Dai Xing-Liang
Published: February 2019

To compare the effect of perioperative holistic care versus conventional care on the levels of anxiety and depression of pituitary tumor patients at a single tertiary care center in China.

We enrolled 100 patients who underwent transnaso-sphenoidal microsurgical resection of pituitary tumor at our institution between January 2017 and December 2017. The patients were assigned to the conventional care group (n = 50) and the holistic care group by the order of admission. Patients were evaluated by staff nurses at admission and upon discharge from the hospital using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and the self-rating depression scale (SDS). QoL was assessed using EORTC QLQ-C30.

The 2 groups were comparable in the demographic and baseline variables including baseline SDS and SAS scores (P > .05). A significantly greater reduction in SAS score was observed in the holistic care group versus the conventional care group (−19.14% vs −11.60%; P < .05). Moreover, we observed a significantly greater reduction in SDS score in the holistic care group versus the conventional care group (−40.4% vs -18.79%, P < .05). The QoL functional domain scores at discharge were significantly higher in the holistic care group than the conventional care group (P < .05).

Perioperative holistic care significantly alleviates the levels of anxiety and depression and improves QoL of pituitary adenoma patients.
Local recurrence of sinonasal renal cell-like adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wu Jian , Fang Qin , He Yu-Jie , Chen Wei-Xiang , Qi Yu-Kai , Ding Jun
Published: February 2019

Rationale:

Sinonasal renal cell-like adenocarcinoma (SNRCLA) is a very rare sino-nasal carcinoma. Because SNRCLA has the same morphological features as other clear cell carcinomas, and some of them also occurred in sinonasal part, it is necessary to differentiate SNRCLA from these tumors.

Patient concerns:

A 42-year-old man presented with complaints of epistaxis for 1 day. The patient had undergone endoscopic resection of a neoplasm in the right nasal passage at another hospital 35 months before and was diagnosed with SNRCLA at that time, and did not receive any other adjuvant therapy.

Diagnoses:

The postoperative histopathological examination revealed a diagnosis of recurrent SNRCLA.

Interventions:

The tumor was removed under nasal endoscopy.

Outcomes:

The patient was followed up for 2 months and recovered well without any complications.

Lessons:

NSRCLA is a very rare tumor, and should be differentiated from other clear cell tumors including some salivary tumors and metastatic tumors of renal and thyroid.
A novel inflammation-based prognostic index for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Lv Yajuan , Zhang Jiandong , Liu Zhen , Tian Yuan , Liu Fengjun
Published: February 2019

NLR/Alb (neutrophil lymphocyte ratio/albumin ratio), is a prognostic index for esophageal cancer has been confirmed. Prealbumin (PA) is more sensitive to malnutrition than albumin. A new prognostic index, named neutrophil lymphocyte ratio/prealbumin ratio (NLR/PA), for predicting the survival time in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was proposed.

A retrospective study of 315 cases with ESCC was enrolled. The optimal cut-off values were evaluated by ROC curve (the receiver operating characteristics curve). Pearson correlation analyses were used to calculate the correlations among NLR, Alb, NLR/Alb and NLR/PA. The overall survival (OS) was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic factors.

The optimal cut-off value was 0.01 for NLR/PA according to ROC curve. According to multivariate analyses, TNM stage, NLR, NLR/Alb, NLR/PA were prognostic factors for OS. The AUC area (the area under the receiver operating characteristics curves) of the NLR/PA was higher than the areas of NLR and NLR/Alb for all the patients. The index of NLR/ PA had a higher AUC area than that of the index of NLR or NLR/Alb for patients in stage I-II. But in stage III-IVA, the index of NLR had a higher AUC area than that of the index of NLR/PA or NLR/Alb.

The index of NLR/PA is superior to the index of NLR as a prognostic indicator for patients with early stage (stage I-II) ESCC.
Surveillance of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer using fluorescence in situ hybridization
Authors: Lin Tianhai , Jin Hongyu , Gong Lina , Yu Ruichao , Sun Sheng , Yang Lu , Zhang Peng , Han Ping , Cheng Jingqiu , Liu Liangren , Wei Qiang
Published: February 2019

Background:

To evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness and predictive value of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in the surveillance of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Methods:

PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Ovid, Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane Library will be searched for studies related to the topic. The identification, inclusion, and exclusion flowcharts will be conducted according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines. The identified reports will be critically appraised according to the Newcastle–Ottawa scale, quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies-2 and standards for reporting of diagnostic accuracy 2015. Forest plots will be generated to display hazard ratios, sensitivities, and specificities. Pooled estimates with their 95% confidence intervals will be calculated using the bivariate model, the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic model and a fixed- or random-effects model.

Results:

This study will provide evidence and data to form a comprehensive understanding of the value of FISH in the surveillance of NMIBC.

Conclusion:

The diagnostic efficacy of FISH will be affected by post-therapy factors. However, FISH still could facilitate the surveillance of NMIBC owing to its non-invasive feature. This study will improve the clinical decision-making and enlighten the future research of NMIBC.
IL-1 inhibition improves insulin resistance and adipokines in rheumatoid arthritis patients with comorbid type 2 diabetes
Authors: Ruscitti Piero , Ursini Francesco , Cipriani Paola , Greco Marta , Alvaro Saverio , Vasiliki Liakouli , Di Benedetto Paola , Carubbi Francesco , Berardicurti Onorina , Gulletta Elio , De Sarro Giovambattista , Giacomelli Roberto
Published: February 2019

Recently, it has been shown that some well-known pathogenic mediators in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), could play a pathogenic role in insulin resistance and (IR) and type 2 diabetes (T2D).

In this 6-month longitudinal study, we aimed at investigating if the inhibition of IL-1 or TNF is associated with an improvement of IR in RA patients with comorbid T2D and the possible effects on selected serum adipokines. RA patients with comorbid T2D were recruited among those undergoing treatment with anakinra (ANA) or with TNF inhibitor (TNFi). The 1998-updated version of the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA2) was used to calculate surrogate indexes of IR (HOMA2-IR) and steady-state beta cell function (%B) from fasting values of glucose and C-peptide. Glucagon, adiponectin, adipsin, leptin, and resistin were also measured. All these parameters were collected at baseline, after 3 and 6 months of treatment.

ANA-treated patients showed a significant improvement in HOMA2-%β, HOMA2-IR, and glucagon. In TNFi-treated patients, no significant difference was observed analyzing these metabolic parameters. Adipsin and resistin decreased after 6 months in ANA-treated patients whereas, no difference was recognized analyzing adiponectin and leptin. In TNFi-treated patients, leptin and resistin significantly increased, whereas no difference was found analyzing adiponectin and adipsin, during the follow-up.

Our data may suggest a beneficial effect of IL-1 inhibition on measures of metabolic derangement in RA-associated T2D. If further confirmed by larger studies, IL-1 targeting therapies may represent a tailored approach in these patients.
Fetal cardiac examination can affect patients’ preference on invasive tests
Authors: Ekmekci Emre , Gencdal Servet , Demirel Emine , Kelekci Sefa
Published: February 2019

Background:

Prenatal screening for aneuploidies has seen great changes over the last 2 decades. But there is still no non-invasive diagnostic test. Therefore, prenatal invasive procedures are still being routinely performed due to maternal anxiety. The association of cardiac anomalies and abnormal findings with aneuploidies has been known for a long time. This prospective study was done to evaluate abnormal fetal cardiac examination (FCE) findings on patients undergoing diagnostic invasive procedures due to maternal anxiety and to assess the predictive value of abnormal cardiac findings on abnormal karyotype.

Materials and methods:

Patients who underwent prenatal diagnostic invasive tests due to maternal anxiety indication between March 2013 and September 2016 were included in this study. FCE was performed in the study group immediately prior to invasive tests. Findings of fetal cardiac examination are classified as normal, major–minor cardiac anomalies and soft markers. Fetal karyotypes were compared among groups depending on cardiac findings.

Results:

One hundred eighty-two invasive procedures were performed because of maternal anxiety during this period. There were 29 abnormal findings detected on FCE. A total of 7 abnormal karyotypes were detected. FCE was abnormal in 5 of the abnormal karyotypes (71.4%). The presence of a major cardiac anomaly was most predictive for abnormal karyotype (LR+: 96,67, LR-: 0,34). No association was detected between the presence of minor cardiac anomalies and abnormal karyotype. Normal FCE appeared to be a good predictive factor for normal karyotype (LR-: 0.20).

Conclusions:

This is the first study evaluating the power of early fetal cardiac examination findings on fetal aneuploidies. This study suggested that the application of fetal cardiac examination findings to genetic counseling for screening aneuploidies may be efficient on patients’ preference about invasive tests. Due to the small number of abnormal findings and karyotypes detected (not the large study group), further studies on large study groups are needed to confirm these results.
Diagnostic value of using epicardial fat measurement on screening low-dose chest CT for the prediction of metabolic syndrome
Authors: Kim Hyun Ji , Lee Heon , Lee Bora , Lee Jae Wook , Shin Kyung Eun , Suh Jon , Park Hyun Woo , Kim Jeong A.
Published: February 2019

There has been a marked increase in the use of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening. However, the potential of LDCT to predict metabolic syndrome (MetS) has not been well-documented in this risk-sharing population. We assessed the reliability of epicardial fat volume (EFV) and epicardial fat area (EFA) measurements on chest LDCT for prediction of MetS.

A total of 130 (mean age, 50.2 ± 10.77 years) asymptomatic male who underwent nonelectrocardiography (ECG)-gated LDCT were divided into 2 groups for the main analysis (n = 75) and validation (n = 55). Each group was further divided into subgroups with or without MetS. EFV and EFA were calculated semiautomatically using commercially available software with manual assistance. The area under the curve (AUC) on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and cutoff values to predict MetS on LDCT were then calculated and validated. Female data were not available for analysis due to small sample size in this self-referred lung cancer screening program.

In the analysis group, the mean EFV was 123.12 ± 42.29 and 67.30 ± 20.68 cm3 for the MetS and non-MetS subgroups, respectively (P < .001), and the mean EFA was 7.95 ± 3.10 and 4.04 ± 1.73 cm2, respectively (P < .001). Using 93.65 and 4.94 as the cutoffs for EFV and EFA, respectively, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy for predicting MetS were 84.2% and 84.2%, and 92.9% and 64.3% (P < .001); 80% and 44.4% (P = .01); 94.5% and 92.3%; and 90.7% and 69.3% (P < .001), respectively. The AUC for EFV and EFA for predicting MetS was 0.909 and 0.808 (95% confidence interval, 0.819–1.000 and 0.702–0.914, respectively) (P = .02). Using the same cutoff values in the analysis group, there was no significant difference in diagnostic performance using EFV and EFA between the analysis and validation sets.

Although quantification of both EFA and EFV is feasible on non-ECG-gated LDCT, EFV may be used to reliably predict MetS with fairly high and better diagnostic performance in selected population.
Effect of Home Medication Titration on Blood Pressure Control in Patients With Hypertension
Authors: Chen Ting-Yu , Kao Chi-Wen , Cheng Shu-Meng , Chang Yue-Cune
Published: February 2019

Background:

Medication titration has been used in home blood pressure (BP) control, with the expectation of enabling patients with hypertension to better manage their BP.

Objective:

The study goal was to estimate the effects of medication titration intervention in lowering the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of patients with hypertension.

Methods:

The meta-analysis included randomized controlled trials on adults diagnosed with hypertension and BP≧130/80 mm Hg, having a medication-titration intervention, and using a home BP measurement. We systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL, Ovid-Medline, and the Cochrane Library, for studies published from 1997 to 2017. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the Modified Jadad scale. Statistical heterogeneity among the trials was evaluated using Q statistics and I
2. Publication bias was assessed with the funnel plot and Rosenthal’s fail-safe N.

Results:

The meta-analysis included 4 studies randomizing 1335 participants. Medication-titration intervention significantly assisted hypertensive patients to improve BP control; systolic blood pressure was reduced by 6.86 mm Hg [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.80-8.93, P<0.0001] and diastolic blood pressure by 3.03 mm Hg (95% CI, 2.07-3.99, P<0.0001), did not significantly affect EQ-5D scores (mean difference, 0.02; 95% CI, −0.01 to 0.04, P=0.13).

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest home medication titration of antihypertensive medication for hypertensive patients significantly improved home BP control. However, the strategy did not enhance quality of life in patients with hypertension.
Continuation and stability of rotating waves in the magnetized spherical Couette system: secondary transitions and multistability
Authors: Garcia Ferran , Stefani Frank
Published: February 2019

Rotating waves (RW) bifurcating from the axisymmetric basic magnetized spherical Couette (MSC) flow are computed by means of Newton–Krylov continuation techniques for periodic orbits. In addition, their stability is analysed in the framework of Floquet theory. The inner sphere rotates while the outer is kept at rest and the fluid is subjected to an axial magnetic field. For a moderate Reynolds number
Re
 = 10
3
(measuring inner rotation), the effect of increasing the magnetic field strength (measured by the Hartmann number
Ha
) is addressed in the range
Ha
∈(0, 80) corresponding to the working conditions of the HEDGEHOG experiment at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. The study reveals several regions of multistability of waves with azimuthal wavenumber
m
 = 2, 3, 4, and several transitions to quasi-periodic flows, i.e modulated rotating waves. These nonlinear flows can be classified as the three different instabilities of the radial jet, the return flow and the shear layer, as found in the previous studies. These two flows are continuously linked, and part of the same branch, as the magnetic forcing is increased. Midway between the two instabilities, at a certain critical
Ha
, the non-axisymmetric component of the flow is maximum.
Quantifying microbial chatter: scanning electrochemical microscopy as a tool to study interactions in biofilms
Authors: Darch Sophie E. , Koley Dipankar
Published: February 2019

Bacteria are often found in their natural habitats as spatially organized biofilm communities. While it is clear from recent work that the ability to organize into precise spatial structures is important for fitness of microbial communities, a significant gap exists in our understanding regarding the mechanisms bacteria use to adopt such physical distributions. Bacteria are highly social organisms that interact, and it is these interactions that have been proposed to be critical for establishing spatially structured communities. A primary means by which bacteria interact is via small, diffusible molecules including dedicated signals and metabolic by-products; however, quantitatively monitoring the production of these molecules in time and space with the micron-scale resolution required has been challenging. In this perspective, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is discussed as a powerful tool to study microbe–microbe interactions through the detection of small redox-active molecules. We highlight SECM as a means to quantify and spatially resolve the chemical mediators of bacterial interactions and begin to elucidate the mechanisms used by bacteria to regulate the emergent properties of biofilms.
Bridging trees for posterior inference on ancestral recombination graphs
Authors: Heine K. , Beskos A. , Jasra A. , Balding D. , De Iorio M.
Published: February 2019

We present a new Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm, implemented in the software Arbores, for inferring the history of a sample of DNA sequences. Our principal innovation is a bridging procedure, previously applied only for simple stochastic processes, in which the local computations within a bridge can proceed independently of the rest of the DNA sequence, facilitating large-scale parallelization.
이산화염소수와 초음파 병행처리를 통한 신선편이 브로콜리의 Listeria monocytogenes 저감 효과
Authors: Park Jong Jin , Lee Won Young
Published: February 2019

본 연구에서는 L. monocytogenes로 오염된 브로콜리에 이산화염소수와 초음파 처리를 한 후 조건별로 살균 효과를 비교하였다. L. monocytogenes는 이산화염소수의 농도에 비례하여 감소하였으며, 이산화염소수 단독 처리나 이산화염소수에 초음파를 전처리 또는 후처리했을 때보다 이산화염소수와 초음파를 병행 처리 시 크게 감소하였다. 그리고 L. monocytogenes의 생존 곡선에 Weibull model을 적용하였을 때 곡선은 upward concavity를 나타내었으며, 이산화염소수와 초음파를 병행 처리 시 L. monocytogenes를 90% 사멸시키는 데 필요한 시간이 크게 단축되었다. 브로콜리의 색은 세척수의 종류나 초음파에 의해서 큰 영향을 받지 않았다. 하지만 세척수와 초음파를 병행 처리했을 때 전해질 유출은 유의적으로 증가하였다.
스피루리나의 Kazachstnia servazzii 효모발효 및 자가소화를 통한 생리활성 물질 추출 향상
Authors: Heo Kang-Min , Park Ji-Hyeon , Lee Sam-pin , Jung Young Hoon
Published: February 2019

스피루리나 paste (20%)에 K. servazzii KM2017 효모를 접종하여 30℃에서 2일간 진탕배양 한 후 1℃에서 5일 동안 보관하면서 생리활성물질의 변화를 측정하였다. 스피루리나 발효물의 pH는 효모 발효 2일에 감소한 후 저온 숙성과정에서 약간 증가하였다. 초기 산도는 0.26%에서 효모 발효 2일 동안 0.51%로 증가한 후 저온 숙성과정에서 산도가 감소하였다. 수용성 고형분 함량은 9.4 °Brix에서 효모 발효중에 감소한 후 저온숙성과정에서 약간 증가하였다. 환원당은 초기 4.97%에서 효모 발효 2일에 0.68%로 급격하게 감소한 후 저온숙성 5일에 1.53%로 증가하였다. 항산화활성은 DPPH 라디칼 소거능 측정에서 초기 IC50 값이 2.48 mg/mL에서 효모발효와 저온숙성 후에 각각 1.21 mg/mL, 0.88 mg/mL로 감소하였다. Polyphenol함량은 초기 213.79 μg/mL에서 효모 발효 후에 350.84 μg/mL로 증가하였으며, 5일 동안 저온숙성에 의해서 420.55 μg/mL로 증가하였다. Flavonoid함량은 초기 23.26 μg/mL에서 5일 동안 저온숙성에 의해서 34.01 μg/mL로 증가하였다. 스피루리나 발효물의 색도 값 측정에서 L값은 효모발효와 저온 숙성중에 감소하였으며, 반면에 a, b 값은 증가하였다. C-phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, phycoerythrin색소의 초기 함량은 각각 0.078, 0.055, 0.150 mg/g에서 5일 동안 저온 숙성 후에 0.144, 0.126 , 0.192 mg/g로 증가하였다. 스피루리나 발효물은 초기 효모 생균수 3.24×106 CFU/mL에서 발효 1일에 1.21×108 CFU/mL로 증가한 후 발효 2일에 5.33×107 CFU/mL로 감소였으며, 저온 숙성 5일에 효모 생균수는 4.39×106 CFU/mL로 크게 감소하였다.
The effect of air-bubble washing with natural sanitizers on microbial contamination and quality characteristics of perilla seeds
Authors: Kim Ah-Na , Lee Kyo-Yeon , Ha Myeong-Hwa , Lee Myoung Hee , Kim Jung In , Kwak Doyeon , Choi Sung-Gil
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of air-bubble washing with natural sanitizers on microbial contamination such as aerobic bacteria, yeast, and mold, and the quality characteristics of perilla seeds. Bubble washing was more effective than immersion washing for all washing times. The microorganism counts decreased as a function of bubble washing time, with an optimum air-bubble washing time of 60 min. In addition, immersion and bubble washing with natural sanitizers such as vinegar and brine of 1, 2.5, and 5% caused a dramatic decrease in the microorganism counts compared with washing without sanitizers. There was no significant difference between 2.5% and 5% vinegar in bubble washing efficacy. The results of bubble washing with brine were similar to those of bubble washing with vinegar, but vinegar resulted in more effective microbial decontamination than brine at all concetrations. In addition, bubble washing with vinegar and brine did not alter the oxidative stability of perilla seeds as determined by acid and peroxide values. As a result, air-bubble washing with natural sanitizers is an effective method to reduce the microbial contamination and enhance the microbiological safety of perilla seeds.
Effect of freeze, hot-air, and vacuum drying on antioxidant properties and quality characteristics of samnamul (Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus)
Authors: Kim Ah-Na , Lee Kyo-Yeon , Ha Myeong-Hwa , Heo Ho Jin , Choi Sung-Gil
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of drying methods including freeze, hot-air, and vacuum drying on the nutritional properties, antioxidant activities, and drying properties of Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus. The optimum temperature of hot-air drying was 100℃ based on the total phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activities, which were altered as a function of drying temperatures of 60, 80, 100, and 120℃. In addition, based on the drying curve, the optimum condition of hot-air and vacuum drying was 100℃ for 10 min, whereas that of freeze drying was 210 min. Vacuum drying was most effective for removal of moisture compared with the other drying methods. The water activity and water solubility index of dried samples obtained by the different drying methods were not significantly different. The water absorption index and rehydration ratio increased in the order of freeze, vacuum, and hot-air drying because of differences in porous structure of A. dioicus. Thus, vacuum drying of A. dioicus leads to the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activities, followed by hot-air, and freeze drying.
Changes in the physicochemical characteristics of low-salt Doenjang by addition of halophytes
Authors: Choi Bo-Young , Gil Na-Young , Mun Ji-Young , Yeo Soo-Hwan , Kim So-Young
Published: February 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the physicochemical characteristics of Doenjang fermented with halophyte powder for 24 weeks. The pH of all Doenjang samples slightly decreased during the fermentation period, with a range of 5.3-6.1. The acidity peaked at 8 weeks and subsequently decreased. The content of amino-type nitrogen steadily increased during fermentation and peaked at 1,174.6±18.2 mg% in Doenjang without halophyte powder. On the other hand, in the same sample, the reducing sugar content decreased to 1.0±0.0 mg%. Total bacterial counts slightly decreased during fermentation, but there was no significant difference according to the addition of halophyte powder. In the analysis of taste components using a taste sensor, the richness value was higher in the halophyte Doenjang (4.01 to 7.52) compared with that in the commercial Doenjang, and the sourness (-3.65 to -1.33) and bitterness (-1.63 to -0.27) were lower than those of the commercial Doenjang. Several characteristics were different depending on whether halophyte powder was added, but halophyte powder did not appear to affect the microbial growth. Thus, Doenjang can be produced with superior properties and taste components and improved functionality and taste using halophytes.
Functional properties of newly bred Green ball apple (Malus pumila Mill.)
Authors: Lee Eun­Ho , Kim Ye­Jin , Kwon Soon-Il , Kim Jeong-Hee , Kang In­Kyu , Kim Byung-Oh , Cho Young­Je
Published: February 2019

The peel of newly bred Green ball apple was extracted using water and ethanol. Water and 70% ethanol extract showed high phenolic contents of 5.30 and 8.31 mg/g, respectively. The water and ethanol extracts of Green ball apple peel showed 88.26% and 100% DPPH radical scavenging activity, and 99.27% and 99.09% ABTS radical scavenging activity at phenolic concentration of 100 μg/mL, respectively. The water and ethanol extract of Green ball apple peel showed antioxidant protection factor of 1.43 PF and 1.21 PF, respectively. The water and ethanol extracts showed 60.29% and 75.92% anti-oxidative effect on thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) at phenolic concentration of 100 μg/mL. Hence, Green ball apple peel extract can be considered a potential anti-oxidant with anti-aging properties. The water and ethanol extracts 6.45% and 20.78% hyaluronidase inhibition, respectively, at phenolic concentration of 200 μg/mL. The water extract showed 4.55% and 40.06% elastase inhibition and collagenase inhibition, while the ethanol extract showed 63.38% and 80.07% inhibition, respectively. Green ball apple peel was found to exhibit anti-oxidation activity, as well as hyaluronidase, elastase and collagenase inhibitory activities. Therefore, Green ball apple peel can be considered a potential source for new functional foods.
Changes in yeast diversity and volatile flavor compounds during fermentation of mugwort sugar extracts
Authors: Hong Su Young , Jeong Woe Ja , Lee Hee Yul , Lee Jin Hwan , Hwang Chun Eun , Kim Su Cheol , Joo Ok Soo , Cho Kye Man
Published: February 2019

In this study, we investigated the changes in physicochemical properties, yeast diversity, and volatile flavor compounds during fermentation of mugwort sugar extracts (FMSE). The pH and sucrose levels decreased, while the acidity and reducing sugar, fructose, and glucose contents increased during FMSE. Oxalic and succinic acids appeared to be the predominant organic acids in FMSE. Based on 26S rRNA sequencing, a total of 7 different yeast species including Candida lactis-condensi, Hanseniaspora uvarum, Hyphopichia burtonii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces paradoxus, Torulaspora delbruechii, and Zygosaccharomyces pseudorouxii were identified in 5 sampling sites. The prevalence of S. cerevisiae was highest (95%) at 30 days and decreased to 7.5% at 60 days, whereas the abundance of C. lactis-condensi increased from 90% at 60 days to 100% at 90 days of fermentation. The major volatile flavor compound, 3-methyl-1-butanol, considerably increased from 65.95% to 82.98% after 30 days of fermentation and slightly decreased thereafter. In addition, the levels of benzyl alcohol, phenylethyl alcohol, and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxyaldehyde increased to 2.56%, 5.48%, and 2.54%, respectively, whereas isopentyl alcohol substantially decreased to 0.12%, at 120 days of fermentation.
The double tubular contractile structure of the type VI secretion system displays striking flexibility and elasticity
Authors: Stietz Maria Silvina , Liang Xiaoye , Wong Megan , Hersch Steven , Dong Tao G.
Published: February 2019

The double tubular structure of the type VI secretion system (T6SS) is considered as one of the longest straight and rigid intracellular structures in bacterial cells. Contraction of the T6SS outer sheath occurs almost instantly and releases sufficient power to inject the inner needle-like Hcp tube and its associated effectors into target bacterial cells through piercing the stiff cell envelope. The molecular mechanism triggering T6SS contraction remains elusive. Here we report that the double tubular T6SS structure is strikingly flexible and elastic, forming U-, circular-, or S-shapes while maintaining functional for contraction and substrate delivery. We show that physical contact with cytoplasmic membrane induced a range of T6SS structure deformation, but the resultant mechanical pressing force on the T6SS baseplate did not trigger contraction. Our results also reveal a stalling intermediate stage of sheath-tube extension following which the structure contracts or resumes to extend. These observations suggest that the recruitment equilibrium of sheath-tube precursors to the extending structure is key to stability/contraction and lead us to propose a model of T6SS contraction, termed ESCAPE (extension-stall-contraction and precursor equilibrium). Our data highlight the remarkable flexibility of the double tubular T6SS structure and its length control mechanism distinct from the other evolutionarily related contractile cell-puncturing systems.