bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Zofenopril and Ramipril in Combination with Acetyl Salicylic Acid in Postmyocardial Infarction Patients with Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction: A Retrospective Analysis of the SMILE‐4 Randomized, Double‐Blind Study in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Borghi Claudio , Omboni Stefano , Novo Salvatore , Vinereanu Dragos , Ambrosio Giuseppe , Ambrosioni Ettore ,   the SMILE‐4 Working Party
Published: January 2016

Objective

In the SMILE‐4 study, zofenopril + acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) was more effective than ramipril + ASA on 1‐year prevention of major cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by left ventricular dysfunction. In this retrospective analysis, we evaluated drug efficacy in subgroups of patients, according to a history of diabetes mellitus.

Methods

The primary study endpoint was 1‐year combined occurrence of death or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes. Diabetes was defined according to medical history (previous known diagnosis).

Results

A total of 562 of 693 (81.0%) patients were classified as nondiabetics and 131 (18.9%) as diabetics. The adjusted rate of MACE was lower under zofenopril than under ramipril in both nondiabetics [27.9% vs. 34.9% ramipril; odds ratio, OR and 95% confidence interval: 0.55 (0.35, 0.86)] and diabetics [30.9% vs. 41.3%; 0.56 (0.18, 1.73)], although the difference was statistically significant only for the nondiabetic group (P = 0.013). Zofenopril was superior to ramipril as regards to the primary study endpoint in the subgroup of 157 patients with uncontrolled blood glucose (≥126 mg/dL), regardless of a previous diagnosis of diabetes [0.31 (0.10, 0.90), P = 0.030]. Zofenopril significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular causes in both nondiabetics [0.64 (0.43, 0.96), P = 0.030] and diabetics [0.38 (0.15, 0.95), P = 0.038], whereas it was not better than ramipril in terms of prevention of cardiovascular deaths.

Conclusions

This retrospective analysis of the SMILE‐4 study confirmed the good efficacy of zofenopril plus ASA in the prevention of long‐term MACE also in the subgroup of patients with diabetes mellitus.
Chronic alcohol exposure disrupts CB1 regulation of GABAergic transmission in the rat basolateral amygdala
Authors: Varodayan Florence P. , Bajo Michal , Soni Neeraj , Luu George , Madamba Samuel G. , Schweitzer Paul , Roberto Marisa
Published: January 2016

The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) is critical to the pathophysiology of anxiety‐driven alcohol drinking and relapse. The endogenous cannabinoid/type 1 cannabinoid receptor (eCB/CB1) system curbs BLA‐driven anxiety and stress responses via a retrograde negative feedback system that inhibits neurotransmitter release, and BLA CB1 activation reduces GABA release and drives anxiogenesis. Additionally, decreased amygdala CB1 is observed in abstinent alcoholic patients and ethanol withdrawn rats. Here, we investigated the potential disruption of eCB/CB1 signaling on GABAergic transmission in BLA pyramidal neurons of rats exposed to 2–3 weeks intermittent ethanol. In the naïve rat BLA, the CB1 agonist WIN 55,212‐2 (WIN) decreased GABA release, and this effect was prevented by the CB1 antagonist AM251. AM251 alone increased GABA release via a mechanism requiring postsynaptic calcium‐dependent activity. This retrograde tonic eCB/CB1 signaling was diminished in chronic ethanol exposed rats, suggesting a functional impairment of the eCB/CB1 system. In contrast, acute ethanol increased GABAergic transmission similarly in naïve and chronic ethanol exposed rats, via both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. Notably, CB1 activation impaired ethanol's facilitation of GABAergic transmission across both groups, but the AM251‐induced and ethanol‐induced facilitation of GABA release was additive, suggesting independent presynaptic sites of action. Collectively, the present findings highlight a critical CB1 influence on BLA GABAergic transmission that is dysregulated by chronic ethanol exposure and, thus, may contribute to the alcohol‐dependent state.
In vitro evaluation of tooth discolouration induced by mineral trioxide aggregate Fillapex and iRoot SP endodontic sealers
Authors: Forghani Maryam , Gharechahi Maryam , Karimpour Sahar
Published: January 2016

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tooth discolouration potential of two new calcium‐silicate‐based sealers (mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) Fillapex and iRoot SP). Sixty premolars were resected below the coronal third of the root. Pulp chamber was instrumented and irrigated via the apical access. Samples were randomly assigned into groups A (MTA Fillapex), B (AH plus), C (iRoot SP) and D (unfilled as control). Colour assessment was performed at baseline, 1st, 3rd and 6th months with an intraoral spectrophotometer. Analysis of variance with additional multiple comparisons of post hoc were used for statistical analysis. All sealers caused perceptible tooth discolouration and there was no statistically significant difference between them. Discolouration progressed within the first 3 months and then decreased until the 6th month.
The Klinefelter syndrome is associated with high recurrence of copy number variations on the X chromosome with a potential role in the clinical phenotype
Authors: Rocca M. S. , Pecile V. , Cleva L. , Speltra E. , Selice R. , Di Mambro A. , Foresta C. , Ferlin A.
Published: January 2016

The Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most frequent sex chromosomal disorder in males, characterized by at least one supernumerary X chromosome (most frequent karyotype 47,XXY). This syndrome presents with a broad range of phenotypes. The common characteristics include small testes and infertility, but KS subjects are at increased risk of hypogonadism, cognitive dysfunction, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and autoimmune disorders, which are present in variable proportion. Although part of the clinical variability might be linked to a different degree of testicular function observed in KS patients, genetic mechanisms of the supernumerary X chromosome might contribute. Gene‐dosage effects and parental origin of the supernumerary X chromosome have been suggested to this regard. No study has been performed analyzing the genetic constitution of the X chromosome in terms of copy number variations (CNVs) and their possible involvement in phenotype of KS. To this aim, we performed a SNP arrays analysis on 94 KS and 85 controls. We found that KS subjects have more frequently than controls X‐linked CNVs (39/94, [41.5%] with respect to 12/42, [28.6%] of females, and 8/43, [18.6%] of males, p < 0.01). The number of X‐linked CNVs in KS patients was 4.58 ± 1.92 CNVs/subject, significantly higher with respect to that found in control females (1.50 ± 1.29 CNVs/subject) and males (1.14 ± 0.37 CNVs/subject). Importantly, 94.4% X‐linked CNVs in KS subjects were duplications, higher with respect to control males (50.0%, p < 0.001) and females (83.3%, p = 0.1). Half of the X‐linked CNVs fell within regions encompassing genes and most of them (90%) included genes escaping X‐inactivation in the regions of X–Y homology, particularly in the pseudoautosomal region 1 (PAR1) and Xq21.31. This study described for the first time the genetic properties of the X chromosome in KS and suggests that X‐linked CNVs (especially duplications) might contribute to the clinical phenotype.
Review article: safety and tolerability of direct‐acting anti‐viral agents in the new era of hepatitis C therapy
Authors: Banerjee D. , Reddy K. R.
Published: January 2016

Background

Direct‐acting anti‐virals (DAAs) licensed to treat chronic HCV infection have revolutionised treatment algorithms by drastically mitigating side effects while enhancing efficacy relative to interferon‐based therapy.

Aim

To review adverse events (AEs) uniquely associated with DAA therapy across a broad spectrum of patient populations.

Methods

Searches of PubMed and FDA surveillance studies were undertaken to complete an exhaustive review. Search terms included ‘DAAs’, ‘safety’, and ‘tolerability’.

Results

While DAAs are remarkably well tolerated, they are accompanied by unique AEs. Simeprevir, an NS3/4A protease inhibitor, has been known, albeit infrequently, to cause mild hyperbilirubinemia and photosensitivity reactions; and paritaprevir boosted with ritonavir causes bilirubin and ALT elevations. Asunaprevir, another protease inhibitor, infrequently causes elevated transaminase levels. NS5A and NS5B inhibitors are well tolerated, although sofosbuvir is contraindicated in patients with severe renal impairment. Ribavirin co‐administered in certain treatment regimens has been associated with cough, rash and haemolytic anaemia.

Conclusions

With the impending reality of a more tolerable interferon‐sparing regimen, the future of DAA therapy offers shorter treatment duration, simplified disease management, and a patient‐centred regimen. With advantages come drawbacks, including development of resistance to therapy and accessibility to this expensive treatment. DAA therapy continues to advance at a brisk pace with a promising trend for higher tolerability, even in difficult‐to‐treat subgroups such as those with cirrhosis, nonresponders to prior therapy, and transplant recipients. Subgroup‐specific contraindications and safety‐related limitations are active areas of research. Concerted research efforts and continuing advances lend hope to the goal of rendering HCV a routinely curable disease.
The effects of ethical pressure and power distance orientation on unethical pro‐organizational behavior: the case of earnings management
Authors: Tian Qing , Peterson Dane K.
Published: January 2016

A multiphase study tested a proposed mediated moderation model for the joint effects of ethical pressure and power distance orientation on accountants’ ethical judgments of earnings management. Results based on a sample of 354 accountants from China indicated that the relationship between ethical pressure and ethical judgments of earnings management is contingent on the accountants’ power distance orientation. That is, the relationship between ethical pressure and ethical judgments of earnings management was stronger for accountants with a high power distance orientation. The results also demonstrated that ethical beliefs in support of the company serve as a mediator for the interaction effect of ethical pressure and power distance orientation on the outcome. These results are discussed in terms of viewing earnings management as a form of unethical pro‐organizational behavior which can be effectively investigated within the framework of the person‐situation interactionist model.
Estimation and Interpretation of Heterogeneous Vaccine Efficacy Against Recurrent Infections
Authors: Mehtälä Juha , Dagan Ron , Auranen Kari
Published: January 2016

Vaccine-induced protection may not be homogeneous across individuals. It is possible that a vaccine gives complete protection for a portion of individuals, while the rest acquire only incomplete (leaky) protection of varying magnitude. If vaccine efficacy is estimated under wrong assumptions about such individual level heterogeneity, the resulting estimates may be difficult to interpret. For instance, population-level predictions based on such estimates may be biased. We consider the problem of estimating heterogeneous vaccine efficacy against an infection that can be acquired multiple times (susceptible-infected-susceptible model). The estimation is based on a limited number of repeated measurements of the current status of each individual, a situation commonly encountered in practice. We investigate how the placement of consecutive samples affects the estimability and efficiency of vaccine efficacy parameters. The same sampling frequency may not be optimal for efficient estimation of all components of heterogeneous vaccine protection. However, we suggest practical guidelines allowing estimation of all components. For situations in which the estimability of individual components fails, we suggest to use summary measures of vaccine efficacy.
Do strategic processes contribute to the specificity of future simulation in depression?
Authors: Addis Donna Rose , Hach Sylvia , Tippett Lynette J.
Published: January 2016

Objectives

The tendency to generate overgeneral past or future events is characteristic of individuals with a history of depression. Although much research has investigated the contribution of rumination and avoidance to the reduced specificity of past events, comparatively little research has examined (1) whether the specificity of future events is differentially reduced in depression and (2) the role of executive functions in this phenomenon. Our study aimed to redress this imbalance.

Methods

Participants with either current or past experience of depressive symptoms (‘depressive group’; N = 24) and matched controls (‘control group’; N = 24) completed tests of avoidance, rumination, and executive functions. A modified Autobiographical Memory Test was administered to assess the specificity of past and future events.

Results

The depressive group were more ruminative and avoidant than controls, but did not exhibit deficits in executive function. Although overall the depressive group generated significantly fewer specific events than controls, this reduction was driven by a significant group difference in future event specificity. Strategic retrieval processes were correlated with both past and future specificity, and predictive of the future specificity, whereas avoidance and rumination were not.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that future simulation appears to be particularly vulnerable to disruption in individuals with current or past experience of depressive symptoms, consistent with the notion that future simulation is more cognitively demanding than autobiographical memory retrieval. Moreover, our findings suggest that even subtle changes in executive functions such as strategic processes may impact the ability to imagine specific future events.

Practitioner points

Future simulation may be particularly vulnerable to executive dysfunction in individuals with current/previous depressive symptoms, with evidence of a differential reduction in the specificity of future events.

Strategic retrieval abilities were associated with the degree of future event specificity whereas levels of rumination and avoidance were not.

Given that the ability to generate specific simulations of the future is associated with enhanced psychological wellbeing, problem solving and coping behaviours, understanding how to increase the specificity of future simulations in depression is an important direction for future research and clinical practice.

Interventions focusing on improving the ability to engage strategic processes may be a fruitful avenue for increasing the ability to imagine specific future events in depression.

The autobiographical event tasks have somewhat limited ecological validity as they do not account for the many social and environmental cues present in everyday life; the development of more clinically‐relevant tasks may be of benefit to this area of study.
Effects of disfluency in writing
Authors: Medimorec Srdan , Risko Evan F.
Published: January 2016

While much previous research has suggested that decreased transcription fluency has a detrimental effect on writing, there is recent evidence that decreased fluency can actually benefit cognitive processing. Across a series of experiments, we manipulated transcription fluency of ostensibly skilled typewriters by asking them to type essays in two conditions: both‐handed and one‐handed typewriting. We used the Coh‐Metrix text analyser to investigate the effects of decreased transcription fluency on various aspects of essay writing, such as lexical sophistication, sentence complexity, and cohesion of essays (important indicators of successful writing). We demonstrate that decreased fluency can benefit certain aspects of writing and discuss potential mechanisms underlying disfluency effects in essay writing.
On the nature of consonant/vowel differences in letter position coding: Evidence from developing and adult readers
Authors: Comesaña Montserrat , Soares Ana P. , Marcet Ana , Perea Manuel
Published: January 2016

In skilled adult readers, transposed‐letter effects (jugde‐JUDGE) are greater for consonant than for vowel transpositions. These differences are often attributed to phonological rather than orthographic processing. To examine this issue, we employed a scenario in which phonological involvement varies as a function of reading experience: A masked priming lexical decision task with 50‐ms primes in adult and developing readers. Indeed, masked phonological priming at this prime duration has been consistently reported in adults, but not in developing readers (Davis, Castles, & Iakovidis, 1998). Thus, if consonant/vowel asymmetries in letter position coding with adults are due to phonological influences, transposed‐letter priming should occur for both consonant and vowel transpositions in developing readers. Results with adults (Experiment 1) replicated the usual consonant/vowel asymmetry in transposed‐letter priming. In contrast, no signs of an asymmetry were found with developing readers (Experiments 2–3). However, Experiments 1–3 did not directly test the existence of phonological involvement. To study this question, Experiment 4 manipulated the phonological prime‐target relationship in developing readers. As expected, we found no signs of masked phonological priming. Thus, the present data favour an interpretation of the consonant/vowel dissociation in letter position coding as due to phonological rather than orthographic processing.
Landscapes of Invisibility: Anachronistic Subjects and Allochronous Spaces in Mill Land Mumbai
Authors: FINKELSTEIN MAURA
Published: January 2016

Based on fieldwork conducted in the mill lands of Mumbai, India, this article investigates how deindustrialization shapes contemporary textile mill workers' identities. The centrality of textile manufacturing in Mumbai once made employment in the mills meaningful work. As mills closed and workers began to lose their jobs, the narrative of deindustrialization emphasized the need to protect the rights of the unemployed and eclipsed the reality that some individuals continue to work in the mills and emplace themselves in the city through their identification with mill work. This article demonstrates how deindustrialization discourse tends to erase contemporary textile workers from the city or frame workers as fake or relics of the past. I argue that framing textile workers as anachronistic while labor continues is an aspect of modernity and illuminates Mumbai's mill lands as an allochronous space that is indeed relevant to the city. Deindustrialization produces unemployment; however, it also produces other forms of marginality such as unprotected and unrepresented labor. Given that employed mill workers are not relics of the past, their perspectives are relevant to contemporary understanding of deindustrialization.
Transanal endoscopic microsurgery for giant circumferential rectal adenomas
Authors: Arezzo A. , Arolfo S. , Allaix M. E. , Bullano A. , Miegge A. , Marola S. , Morino M.
Published: January 2016

Aim

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) was originally invented by Buess et al. (Chirurg, 1984, 55, 677–80) for the treatment of infraperitoneal rectal adenomas. Its indications have progressively expanded to include larger and more advanced lesions. The aim of the study was to report the results of TEM used for the treatment of circumferential rectal lesions.

Method

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 17 consecutive patients [median age 69 (32–89) years; nine men] who underwent TEM for a circumferential rectal lesion in our department between September 2010 and January 2015.

Results

The median distance from the anal verge was 4 (3–11) cm, the median longitudinal extent was 7 (3–10) cm and the median surface area was 75 (40–255) cm2. An end‐to‐end anastomosis without proximal bowel mobilization was completed endoscopically in all cases. The median operating time was 120 (40–240) min. Persistent, endoscopically uncontrollable endoluminal bleeding in one patient was successfully treated with a second TEM procedure. One patient underwent preoperative radiotherapy for adenocarcinoma detected at the preoperative assessment. Surgical histology showed a pT3 cancer in one patient who refused further surgery, a pT2 cancer in two who subsequently underwent abdominoperineal resection, a pT1 cancer in four and a ypT0 in one patient. All are at present free of disease. No patients developed faecal incontinence or urinary or sexual dysfunction. Four patients required endoscopic balloon dilatation for stenosis.

Conclusion

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is a feasible and safe technique for large circumferential lesions with a satisfactory outcome. Preoperative staging may be inaccurate.
Predicting IUCN Extinction Risk Categories for the World's Data Deficient Groupers (Teleostei: Epinephelidae)
Authors: Luiz Osmar J. , Woods Rachael M. , Madin Elizabeth M.P. , Madin Joshua S.
Published: January 2016

Groupers are highly susceptible to human‐induced impacts, making them one of the most threatened fish families globally. Extinction risk assessments are important in endangered threatened species management, however the most comprehensive—the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List—cannot classify approximately one‐third of grouper species due to data deficiency. We used an ordinal analytical approach to model relationships between species‐level traits and extinction risk categories. We found that larger species and those with shallower maximum depths and smaller geographic ranges had higher extinction risk. Using our best fitting model, we classified data deficient grouper species into IUCN's extinction risk categories based on traits. Most of these species were predicted to be of least concern. However, 12% were predicted to be endangered or vulnerable, suggesting that they may be of conservation interest. Importantly, we provide a quantitative method for overcoming data gaps that can be applied to conservation of other species.
Patterns of attention to threat across tasks in behaviorally inhibited children at risk for anxiety
Authors: Morales Santiago , Taber‐Thomas Bradley C. , Pérez‐Edgar Koraly E.
Published: January 2016

Although attention bias towards threat has been causally implicated in the development and maintenance of fear and anxiety, the expected associations do not appear consistently. Reliance on a single task to capture attention bias, in this case overwhelmingly the dot‐probe task, may contribute to this inconsistency. Comparing across attentional bias measures could help capture patterns of behavior that have implications for anxiety. This study examines the patterns of attentional bias across two related measures in a sample of children at temperamental risk for anxiety. Children (Meanage = 10.19 ± 0.96) characterized as behaviorally inhibited (N = 50) or non‐inhibited (N = 64) via parent‐report completed the dot‐probe and affective Posner tasks to measure attentional bias to threat. Parent‐report diagnostic interviews assessed children's social anxiety. Behavioral inhibition was not associated with performance in the dot‐probe task, but was associated with increased attentional bias to threat in the affective Posner task. Cross‐task convergence was dependent on temperament, such that attention bias across the two tasks was only related in behaviorally inhibited children. Finally, children who were consistently biased across tasks (showing high or low attentional bias scores in both tasks, rather than high in one but low in the other) had higher levels of anxiety. Convergence across attention bias measures may be dependent on individuals' predispositions (e.g. temperament). Moreover, convergence of attention bias across measures may be a stronger marker of information processing patterns that shape socioemotional outcomes than performance in a single task.
Quote Stuffing
Authors: Egginton Jared F. , Van Ness Bonnie F. , Van Ness Robert A.
Published: January 2016

In this study we examine intense episodic spikes in quoting activity (frequently referred to as quote stuffing) on market conditions. We find that quote stuffing is pervasive and that over 74% of US exchange‐listed securities experienced at least one episode during 2010. We also find that stocks experience decreased liquidity, higher trading costs, and increased short‐term volatility during periods of intense quoting activity. We find that most quote‐stuffing events occur on the NYSE, ARCA, NASDAQ, and BATS and that during these quote‐stuffing events, the number of new orders and canceled orders increases substantially while the order size and order duration decrease.
The Technology of Ratings Then and Now; Hiding in Plain Sight
Authors: Wilson Berry K. , Donnellan John T.
Published: January 2016

The subprime crisis seriously undermined the credibility of the rating agencies and their approach to analyzing credit risk. Along with other identified problems with bond ratings, this study investigates the issue that the technology used by the ratings agencies is at best dated and little changed since John Moody published his first bond ratings in 1909. The study compares the predictive accuracy of Moody's bond ratings with the structural modeling approach of Vassalou and Xing (2004), using railroad data from the Great Depression. Study results show that the structural modeling approach outperforms the expert judgment incorporated in Moody's bond ratings from that period.
Future Teachers and Historical Habits of Mind: A Pedagogical Case Study
Authors: Lewis Heather
Published: January 2016

For the past ten years, I have taught the Roots of Urban Education, a graduate-level course for preservice art teachers and librarians, and have used the course as a pedagogical case study to help improve my teaching. Given that this is the only history course students in the teacher education program are required to take, the course emphasizes depth over breadth through a place-based study of schooling during key reform eras in twentieth-century New York City. I documented, analyzed, and revised my teaching, with special focus on my expectation that students would develop historical habits of mind and that such competencies would be relevant for future teachers.
Cyclic fatigue resistance of two nickel–titanium rotary instruments in interrupted rotation
Authors: Pedullà E. , Lizio A. , Scibilia M. , Grande N. M. , Plotino G. , Boninelli S. , Rapisarda E. , Lo Giudice G.
Published: January 2016

Aim

To investigate the influence of interrupted rotation on cyclic fatigue of two nickel–titanium rotary instruments.

Methodology

Cyclic fatigue of 300 new ProTaper Next size X1; X2 and Mtwo size 10, .04 taper; size 15, .05 taper; size 20, .06 taper and size 25, .06 taper instruments was tested in continuous or interrupted rotation. Fifty files of the same brand and size were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 10). Group 1 instruments were tested in continuous rotation; groups 2 and 3 in paused rotation for 1 s every 10 or 20 s, respectively; groups 4 and 5 in interrupted rotation for 5 s every 10 or 20 s, respectively. Cyclic fatigue was expressed in time to fracture (TtF) in an artificial canal with 60° angle and 5 mm radius of curvature. The fracture surface was examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Data were evaluated by two‐way analysis of variance.

Results

Cyclic fatigue of groups 2 and 4 of ProTaper Next X2 and Mtwo size 25, .06 taper was significantly lower than that of group 1 of the same instruments (P < 0.01). ProTaper Next X2 had significantly reduced cyclic fatigue in groups 3 and 5 (P < 0.05). No differences were found by interrupting the rotation for 1 or 5 s in all instruments (P > 0.05). Fatigue of other instruments was not affected by interrupted rotation (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Interrupted rotation reduced cyclic fatigue resistance of ProTaper Next X2 and Mtwo size 25, .06 taper, especially when a higher number of interruptions was performed.
Root canal treatment of a dilacerated mandibular premolar using a novel instrumentation approach. A case report
Authors: Chaniotis A. , Filippatos C.
Published: January 2016

Aim

To report on a novel method to instrument a dilacerated double‐curved mandibular premolar.

A 45‐year‐old female was referred suffering from diffuse pain emanating from the mandibular right quadrant. The second premolar (tooth 45) was diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. The radiographic examination revealed a dilacerated S‐shaped root configuration, with 2 severe curvatures of <2 mm radius. Under local anaesthesia and rubber dam isolation, a glide path was created until a size 10 K‐file reached working length. Instrumentation to larger size was achieved with a novel approach using controlled memory files. The controlled memory files were pre‐curved and passively inserted below the curvature until maximum frictional resistance. The motor was activated by maintaining light apical pressure, and the files were withdrawn from the canal. This procedure was repeated until each file could reach the working length. Chemical disinfection was achieved with positive syringe irrigation of 6% NaOCl, followed by 17% EDTA rinsing and manual dynamic gutta‐percha activation of the irrigants. Canal filling was achieved using the continuous wave of condensation technique and thermoplasticized injectable gutta‐percha backfill. The postoperative radiography revealed that the initial canal anatomy of the dilacerated double‐curved root canal was preserved.
Pulp sensibility and vitality tests for diagnosing pulpal health in permanent teeth: a critical review
Authors: Alghaithy R. A. , Qualtrough A. J. E.
Published: January 2016

The aim of this review was to critically appraise the literature related to pulp vitality and sensibility testing in order to determine the diagnostic accuracy of pulp tests with reference to a gold standard or control group. Implications of the results for research and clinical practice are also explored. The MEDLINE (Ovid), MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase and Cochrane databases were searched for English‐language clinical trials in humans in which in vivo studies were designed to evaluate or compare the accuracy of selected pulp sensibility and pulp vitality tests in determining the state of pulpal health in permanent teeth. Studies were included only if the results were compared to a control group or to a valid gold or reference standard. Eight studies were identified. Shortcomings in research design were found to influence the findings. The limited number of studies investigating pulp vitality tests was insufficient to answer the research question. It was concluded from this critical appraisal of the literature that laser Doppler flowmetry appeared to be the most accurate method for diagnosing the state of pulpal health and came closest to serving as a gold standard. Pulp vitality tests proved superior to pulp sensibility tests for early and accurate assessments of the pulpal health of traumatized teeth. When accurately used and interpreted, pulp sensibility tests provide valuable diagnostic information, particularly when an electric pulp test is used in combination with either CO2 snow or Endo‐Ice.
Developing ecological sustainability: a green IS response model
Authors: Hedman Jonas , Henningsson Stefan
Published: January 2016

Growing private and public concern with the environment is pushing businesses to increase their awareness and action. Using the Nordic bank Nordea as a case study and a Green information systems (IS) organizational response model developed on the basis of extant literature, we investigate how Green IS initiatives become part of a firm's overall strategy and part of the organizational sustainability process. We find that Green IS initiatives are initiated through a bottom‐up process where environmentally concerned individuals identify issues and become Green IS champions. They use their authority and edification skills to promote Green IS to the organizational agenda. If the issue is aligned with the organizational agenda, it receives management's endorsement. The empirical case also shows two types of systemic feedback that can fuel a self‐reinforcing sustainability process. The first type of feedback increases the champion's ability to promote Green IS in the future through authority and edification. The second type leads to the transformation of organizational value through reinforcement and extension. Finally, we identify interrelationships between organizational response processes, where higher‐order response processes, e.g. change of corporate values, function as gatekeepers or pre‐conditions for when and which issues are promoted to the organizational agenda. © 2016 Wiley Publishing Ltd
Falling female labour force participation in Kerala: Empirical evidence of discouragement?
Authors: MATHEW Shalina Susan
Published: January 2016

India's female employment and labour force participation have been declining since the mid‐2000s. Kerala, traditionally its best‐performing state on these indicators, has done worse than the country as a whole. This article examines the shifts that occurred in Kerala's female employment and participation between 2004 and 2012, by household income level, age group, level of education and occupational category. Those dropping out of the labour market are typically young, educated women qualified for professional occupations, suggesting a discouragement effect exacerbated by widening gender pay differentials in top occupations. These shifts have obliterated some of the hitherto defining features of Kerala's labour market.
Gender earnings discrimination in Jordan: Good intentions are not enough
Authors: ALFARHAN Usamah F.
Published: January 2016

Jordan has long been a party to the main international instruments prohibiting discrimination against women, yet it still displays a significant gender pay gap. Using data from the 2002, 2006 and 2008 Household Expenditure and Income Surveys for decomposition analysis, while also accounting for the labour force participation decisions of women and men, the author finds that the pay gap is entirely explained by gender differentials in his estimated coefficients. The gap is initiated upon recruitment into wage employment through “screening discrimination”, though it tends to narrow over time. Women's selectively low participation also contributes to a statistical improvement in their relative earnings.
An Alternative Protocol for Single Zircon Dissolution with Application to (U‐Th‐Sm)/He Thermochronometry
Authors: Tibari Bouchaïb , Vacherat Arnaud , Stab Martin , Pik Raphaël , Yeghicheyan Delphine , Hild Pascal
Published: January 2016

Zircon (U‐Th‐Sm)/He (ZHe) thermochronometry is a powerful tool that has been widely used in geology to constrain the exhumation histories of orogens. In this study, we present an alternative protocol for dissolving zircon grains for determination of parent nuclides. This new alkali fusion procedure developed at the SARM (Service d'Analyse des Roches et des Minéraux) in Nancy, France, is fast (requiring only 2 d, including cleaning steps) and offers several advantages over conventional methods by avoiding: (i) use of HF pressure dissolution and (ii) complete removing of grains from the metal microvials. After dissolution, U, Th and Sm were measured using an ICP‐MS. We tested the new procedure on two different ZHe reference materials, the Fish Canyon Tuff and Buluk Tuff; these provided precision values for ZHe‐age estimations of 9 and 6% (1s), respectively. In addition, using this method, zircons from the Buluk Tuff are shown to be chemically more homogenous and more suitable for assessing the uncertainty of the entire integrated procedure.
Systemic antimicrobials adjuvant to periodontal therapy in diabetic subjects: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Grellmann Alessandra Pascotini , Sfreddo Camila Silveira , Maier Juliana , Lenzi Tathiane Larissa , Zanatta Fabricio Batistin
Published: January 2016

Background

Adjuvant antibiotics have been suggested to improve periodontal therapy in diabetic subjects.

Aim

The aim of this study was to systematically review randomized clinical trials assessing systemic antimicrobial use adjuvant to scaling and root planing (SRP) versus SRP alone in diabetic subjects.

Material and Methods

The PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, TRIP, Web of Science and LILACS databases and the grey literature were searched through May 2015. Of 2534 potentially eligible studies, 13 were included in the systematic review. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) in probing depth (PD) reduction and clinical attachment level (CAL) gain (primary outcomes), and plaque index (PI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) reductions, were estimated using a random effect model.

Results

The WMD in PD reduction [−0.15 mm, n = 11, p = 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.24, −0.06] favoured antibiotic use. WMDs in CAL gain, PI and BOP reductions (−0.14 mm, n = 9, p = 0.11, 95% CI −0.32, 0.03; 4.01%, n = 7, p = 0.05, 95% CI −0.04, 8.07; and −1.91%, n = 7, p = 0.39, 95% CI −6.32, 2.51 respectively) did not favour adjunctive antibiotic use.

Conclusion

Adjunctive therapy may improve the efficacy of SRP in reducing PD in diabetic subjects.
Enhanced healing of surgical periodontal defects in rats following application of a self‐assembling peptide nanofibre hydrogel
Authors: Takeuchi Takahiro , Bizenjima Takahiro , Ishii Yoshihito , Imamura Kentaro , Suzuki Eiichi , Seshima Fumi , Saito Atsushi
Published: January 2016

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a self‐assembling peptide (SAP) nanofibre hydrogel on healing of surgical periodontal defects in rats.

Materials and Methods

In vitro interactions between rat periodontal ligament (PDL) cells and SAP hydrogel (2.5% RADA16) were assessed by cell proliferation assays. In vivo, maxillary first molars of 45 Wistar rats were extracted and after healing, bilateral periodontal defects were surgically created mesially in second molars. Defects were treated with RADA16, Matrigel, or left unfilled. After 2 and 4 weeks, defect healing was evaluated by microcomputed tomography, histological and immunohistochemical analyses.

Results

Periodontal ligament cells grown on RADA16 showed an gradual increase in proliferation up to 72 h. At 4 weeks post surgery, the bone volume fraction and trabecular thickness of defect areas in the RADA16 group were significantly greater than those in other groups. Histologically, enhanced new bone formation was observed in the RADA16 group. At 4 weeks, PDL‐like collagen bundles ran oblique to the root surface in the RADA16 group. Expression levels of PCNA‐positive cells, vascular endothelial growth factor and osteopontin in the RADA16 group were significantly greater than those in other groups.

Conclusions

Within the limitations of the study, application of the SAP hydrogel promoted healing of surgical periodontal defects by enhancing cell recruitment and possibly angiogenesis.
Maternal and Newborn Outcomes Following Waterbirth: The Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project, 2004 to 2009 Cohort
Authors: Bovbjerg Marit L. , Cheyney Melissa , Everson Courtney
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Data on the safety of waterbirth in the United States are lacking.

Methods

We used data from the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project, birth years 2004 to 2009. We compared outcomes of neonates born underwater waterbirth (n = 6534), neonates not born underwater nonwaterbirth (n = 10,290), and neonates whose mothers intended a waterbirth but did not have one intended waterbirth (n = 1573). Neonatal outcomes included a 5‐minute Apgar score of less than 7, neonatal hospital transfer, and hospitalization or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission in the first 6 weeks. Maternal outcomes included genital tract trauma, postpartum hospital transfer, and hospitalization or infection (uterine, endometrial, perineal) in the first 6 weeks. We used logistic regression for all analyses, controlling for primiparity.

Results

Waterbirth neonates experienced fewer negative outcomes than nonwaterbirth neonates: the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for hospital transfer was 0.46 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32‐0.68; P < .001); the aOR for infant hospitalization in the first 6 weeks was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.63‐0.88; P < .001); and the aOR for NICU admission was 0.59 (95% CI, 0.46‐0.76; P < .001). By comparison, neonates in the intended waterbirth group experienced more negative outcomes than the nonwaterbirth group, although only 5‐minute Apgar score was significant (aOR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.40‐2.93; P < 0001). For women, waterbirth (compared to nonwaterbirth) was associated with fewer postpartum transfers (aOR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.50‐0.84; P = .001) and hospitalizations in the first 6 weeks (aOR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.59‐0.87; P < 0.001) but with an increased odds of genital tract trauma (aOR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04‐1.18; P = .002). Waterbirth was not associated with maternal infection. Women in the intended waterbirth group had increased odds for all maternal outcomes compared to women in the nonwaterbirth group, although only genital tract trauma was significant (aOR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.49‐1.87; P < .001).

Discussion

Waterbirth confers no additional risk to neonates; however, waterbirth may be associated with increased risk of genital tract trauma for women.
How many amyloid‐β peptides can a neuron bind before it dies?
Authors: Munter Lisa‐Marie
Published: January 2016

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This Editorial highlights a study by Jana and coworkers published in the current issue of Journal of Neurochemistry, in which the authors performed a detailed, quantitative analysis to identify the Aβ oligomer causing neuronal cell death. While most studies so far aimed to determine the Aβ oligomer with highest toxicity using preformed and characterized Aβ oligomers added to cell cultures, this study established an approach to analyze Aβ oligomers bound to primary neurons. This may shed new light on how oligomeric status changes at the cell surface and if minor oligomeric species may account for measured effects. The authors' procedure allows to monitor the effects of different Aβ oligomers in parallel, constituting an important advancement in the research field.

Read the highlighted article ‘Membrane bound tetramer and trimer Aβ oligomeric species correlate with toxicity towards cultured neurons’ on page 594.
A sphingolipid mechanism for behavioral extinction
Authors: Huston Joseph P. , Kornhuber Johannes , Mühle Christiane , Japtok Lukasz , Komorowski Mara , Mattern Claudia , Reichel Martin , Gulbins Erich , Kleuser Burkhard , Topic Bianca , De Souza Silva Maria A. , Müller Christian P.
Published: January 2016

Reward‐dependent instrumental behavior must continuously be re‐adjusted according to environmental conditions. Failure to adapt to changes in reward contingencies may incur psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression. When an expected reward is omitted, behavior undergoes extinction. While extinction involves active re‐learning, it is also accompanied by emotional behaviors indicative of frustration, anxiety, and despair (extinction‐induced depression). Here, we report evidence for a sphingolipid mechanism in the extinction of behavior. Rapid extinction, indicating efficient re‐learning, coincided with a decrease in the activity of the enzyme acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), which catalyzes turnover of sphingomyelin to ceramide, in the dorsal hippocampus of rats. The stronger the decline in ASM activity, the more rapid was the extinction. Sphingolipid‐focused lipidomic analysis showed that this results in a decline of local ceramide species in the dorsal hippocampus. Ceramides shape the fluidity of lipid rafts in synaptic membranes and by that way can control neural plasticity. We also found that aging modifies activity of enzymes and ceramide levels in selective brain regions. Aging also changed how the chronic treatment with corticosterone (stress) or intranasal dopamine modified regional enzyme activity and ceramide levels, coinciding with rate of extinction. These data provide first evidence for a functional ASM–ceramide pathway in the brain involved in the extinction of learned behavior. This finding extends the known cellular mechanisms underlying behavioral plasticity to a new class of membrane‐located molecules, the sphingolipids, and their regulatory enzymes, and may offer new treatment targets for extinction‐ and learning‐related psychopathological conditions.

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Sphingolipids are common lipids in the brain which form lipid domains at pre‐ and postsynaptic membrane compartments. Here we show a decline in dorsal hippocampus ceramide species together with a reduction of acid sphingomyelinase activity during extinction of conditioned behavior in rats. This reduction was associated with expression of re‐learning‐related behavior, but not with emotional behaviors.

Read the Editorial Highlight for this article on page 485.
Occasional finding of giant bladder diverticulum that simulated an ovarian cyst: A case report and literature review
Authors: Braga Andrea , Serati Maurizio , Vitelli Angela , Caccia Giorgio
Published: January 2016

We present a case of a preoperatively unrecognized giant bladder diverticulum in a 63‐year‐old postmenopausal woman. We carried out preoperative ultrasonographic evaluation and suspected an ovarian cyst. We performed two transvaginal ultrasonography scans before surgery, asking the patient to totally empty her bladder. Consequently, we decided to subject the patient to laparoscopic cyst removal. However, during surgery, the presumed ovarian cyst was not found and a bladder diverticulum was suspected. To confirm our hypothesis, we filled the bladder with saline until the reappearance of giant swelling and we recognized a bladder diverticulum. This case shows that diagnosis based on imaging alone can reveal unpleasant pitfalls. It is important to integrate clinical information, and to consider other possible investigations in order to reduce the chances of a misdiagnosis.
Impact of isolated single umbilical artery on pregnancy outcome and delivery in full‐term births
Authors: Shen Nan , Zhang Weiyuan , Li Guanghui
Published: January 2016

Aim

To identify whether an isolated single umbilical artery (ISUA) impacts pregnancy outcome and delivery mode in single and full‐term births.

Methods

A retrospective study was carried out on 93 592 pregnant women (singleton pregnancy; full‐term birth; no known fetal chromosomal and structural anomalies) who gave birth between January 2011 and January 2012 in 39 hospitals within China. Pregnancy outcomes and modes of delivery were compared between research (313 cases with ISUAs) and comparison groups (1 252 cases with three‐vessel cords in a 1:4 ratio randomly matched by parity).

Results

The birth weights (3264.71 ± 469.95 g vs 3340.76 ± 434.25 g, P = 0.001), birth lengths (48.51± 2.84 cm vs 49.99± 1.65cm, P = 0.000), placental weights (511.31± 76.43 g vs 545.31± 85.06 g, P = 0.002), umbilical cord lengths (52.64 ± 8.82 cm vs 54.08± 7.81cm, P = 0.002) and Apgar scores within one min of birth (8.83 ± 0.96 vs 9.57 ± 0.75, P = 0.000) of newborn infants were significantly lower in the research than the comparison group; the incidence of small for gestational age (10.94% vs 5.39%, P = 0.000) and low birth weight infants (6.69% vs 1.98%, P = 0.000) were significantly higher in the research group. There was no significant difference in fetal/placental weight, incidence of velamentous cord insertions, 1 min Apgar score < 7, 5 min Apgar score < 7 or vaginal or emergency cesarean delivery rates as a result of fetal factors between the two groups.

Conclusion

An ISUA is associated with an adverse pregnancy outcome; however does not decrease the rate of vaginal delivery in full‐term births.