bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Snettisham Treasure: excavations in 1990
Authors: Stead I. M.
Published: January 2016

New finds of astonishing splendour have come to light at Snettisham (Norfolk, England), a place which already holds a special, if enigmatic, place in Iron Age studies. Discoveries there first put British gold torques on the map; the magnificent great torque not only gave its name to an art-style but held a coin that helped to date it, and the very wealth of the place has provoked endless speculation.
ESR chronology of a 100,000-ýear archaeological sequence at Pech de l'Azé II, France
Authors: Grün Rainer , Mellars Paul , Laville Henri
Published: January 2016

Electron spin resonance (ESR) provides a dated sequence for a classic site in a classic Palaeolithic region, a sequence that covers that difficult period for absolute dating which has often proved too old for radiocarbon and too young for other radiometric methods.
Utilization of cattle for traction during the later Neolithic in southeastern Poland
Authors: Milisauskas Sarunas , Kruk Janusz
Published: January 2016

The site of Bronocice provides a valuable chance to explore aspects of economic changes in the later Neolithic of central Europe, thanks to its large sample of animal bones, and to a remarkable trace of haulage on a horn-core.
The circumstances of the first prehistoric science in Italy
Authors: Desittere Marcel
Published: January 2016

In another – and perhaps the last – of the sequence of contributions to Antiquity on the subject of the invention of prehistory in various lands, the example of Italy is explored. Again, the basic inspirations, especially from geology, are the same; and again the particular form of Italian prehistory also reflected, and may yet reflect, the special conditions of the nation's cultural and intellectual life in the 19th century.
Craft specialization and social organization in the Chalcolithic Deccan, India
Authors: Shinde Vasant
Published: January 2016

The Deccan Chalcolithic and its sites

Systematic archaeological research began in the Deccan after 1950 when a Chalcolithic settlement was discovered at Jorwe near Sangamner in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra state. The Deccan, which includes the present states of Maharashtra, (except for the western coast and some parts of Vidarbha in the east) and northern Karnataka, falls in a semi-arid zone with a precipitation ranging between 400 and 900 mm. There are three major river valleys in the Deccan, the Tapi in the north, the Godavari in the centre and the Bhima in the south. Microecological variations in each valley have considerably affected the settlement patterns of the early farmers. Altogether 150 Chalcolithic settlements have so far been discovered in this part of India. The Tapi valley in the north, considered to be one of the most fertile tracts in the country and well watered by the Tapi and several of its perennial tributaries, was extensively occupied, for over 100 Chalcolithic settlements have so far been discovered there (Shinde in press). It was also observed that there was a general tendency to locate a settlement away from the main river because of the danger posed by the severe monsoon floodings. Most of the settlements were located along the banks of its tributaries, which are safe. In the Godavari and Bhima basins, on the other hand, because of the inadequate perennial water supply and limited availability of fertile soil, there were sporadic settlements (Shinde 1989) (FIGURE1 ). On the basis of environmental studies, surface finds, site location, the extent and thickness of habitation deposits, the Chalcolithic sites in the Deccan have been divided into different categories such as a regional centre, a farming village, a farmstead, a herding unit, and a camp to exploit localized resources (Shinde in press).
Humans, island colonization and Pleistocene extinctions in the Mediterranean: the view from AkrotiriAetokremnos, Cyprus
Authors: Simmons Alan H.
Published: January 2016

The rôle played by humans in the extinction of late Pleistocene vertebrate fauna is a controversial topic (Diamond 1989; Grayson 1989; Martin & Klein 1984), and actual archaeological data for a human factor are quite rare. Recent multidisciplinary excavations in Cyprus, however, suggest that people were at least partially responsible for the extinction of local endemics, primarily pygmy hippopotamus (Phanourios minutus).
The archaeology of the longue durée: temporal and spatial scale in the evolution of social complexity on the southern Northwest Coast
Authors: Ames Kenneth M.
Published: January 2016

The emphasis on temporal and geographic scale of the French Annales school of history (cf. Braudel 1980; Baker 1984; Lewthwaite 1988) is the inspiration for this paper. Braudel (1980) divides time into three durations: short term events (days, weeks, months, a few years), medium length conjunctures (years, decades, even major portions of centuries), and longterm structures (which may last centuries, even millennia). This last duration is the longue durée. Basic to Annales’ thought – and the longue durée – is the idea that to understand historical developments, to explain their causes and dynamics, one must know their temporal and their geographic scale; one must know what happened at their edges and their centre, why they developed and why they passed away; and how they changed during their span. To do this, since we cannot assume we know the scales relevant to the phenomena which interest us (Braudel 1980), we must continually play different temporal and geographic scales off against each other.
Sir Mortimer Wheeler
Authors: Fagan Brian M.
Published: January 2016

Sir Mortimer Wheeler towers over twentiethcentury archaeology like a colossus. One of the last of the great archaeological adventurers, Wheeler has left a mark on our discipline that shows no sign of diminishing even as immediate memories of his long life fade into history. A biography of this extraordinary, almost heroic, figure was inevitable, and sure enough it has appeared. Jacquetta Hawkes’s Mortimer Wheeler: adventurer in archaeology arrives just six years after his death; far too soon for a really dispassionate assessment. Hawkes has been careful to compile a life, not a hagiography. She has avoided the pitfalls of a cult book, such as those devoted to other well-known figures in recent years. Wheeler would never have approved of groupies nor of a cult, for he was only too aware of his own imperfections. Nevertheless, he emerges from Hawkes’s biography as rather larger than life. ‘Mortimer Wheeler will rise from these pages as a Hero figure’, Hawkes disarmingly admits at the beginning. She undertook the daunting task of sifting not only through piles of dusty notes and archaeological field notes, but through peoples’ opinions of the man that varied from unqualified hero-worship to virulent hatred. What is remarkable is that his detractors were also admirers of his energy and vitality. Hawkes is refreshingly honest about her own feelings for Wheeler. She had ‘a very great liking’ for him. She enjoyed, she tells us, ‘his company, his talk, his power to brighten the day.’ She had the disadvantage of never having worked with him, which she describes, probably accurately, as ‘a terrifying as well as immensely profitable’ experience. Her well written, enjoyable biography paints Wheeler as a form of epic character, one of the last people to belong in the heroic age of archaeology.
Exxon: Transforming Energy, 1973–2005
Authors: Wilkins Mira
Published: January 2016

Four giant volumes (plus a companion one on Humble Oil) appeared between 1955 and 1988 on the history of Standard Oil Company (New Jersey) and its successor (as of 1972) Exxon Corporation. These well-documented volumes took the story to 1975. As related by the publisher and author of this book, about four years after the 1999 megamerger of Exxon and Mobil and the formation of ExxonMobil, the merged unit gave a collection of its historical files—containing some four million documents—to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History (DBC) at the University of Texas at Austin. When the document transfer was made, in 2003, William Hale, a thirty-year Exxon/ExxonMobil manager (most recently in the public relations department) suggested that it was time for a fifth volume of Exxon history. ExxonMobil's top management approved, and in 2005 the DBC asked Joseph Pratt to write it. He agreed, and the book under review, which covers the period 1973 through the merger to 2005, was written by Pratt “with the assistance of William Hale” and published by DBC.
EDITORIAL FOREWORD
Authors: Khater Akram , Culang Jeffrey
Published: January 2016

This issue is focused on the politics of belonging/exclusion at the level of rhetoric and everyday practice. We open with two articles—Jonathan Shannon's “There and Back Again: Rhetorics of al-Andalus in Modern Syrian” and Ellen McLarney's “Freedom, Justice, and the Power of Adab”—both exploring linkages between culture and political ideas. In his article, Shannon analyzes the interweaving of a mythologized al-Andalus (the Arab-Muslim Iberian Peninsula) into Syrian popular culture, particularly music, in order to show how it was critical to the formation of Syrian memory cultures and, by extension, nation building. Yet within past- and future-oriented nationalist discourse, this rhetoric of nostalgia—whose genesis dates to the Pan-Arab halcyon days of the 1960s—posits “not only a lost paradise of past glory, but also a (utopian) vision of a future state of glory in the Arab world itself, a sort of neo-Andalusia.” Financed by petrodollars and fostered by Arab migration to and investment in Spain, literary, cinematic, and musical productions evoking al-Andalus and linking it intimately to Syria continued in the subsequent era of what one of Shannon's interlocutors describes as “political, economic, and cultural decline,” in part as a source of solace. With today's Syria tragically fractured, Shannon concludes by suggesting that “the rhetoric of al-Andalus, so closely tied not only to Arabism but also to a broad understanding of community, may yet again offer a way to reimagine the Syria of tomorrow as a ‘first rate place.’”
Listening for Jazz in Post-Armistice Istanbul
Authors: Woodall G. Carole
Published: January 2016

On the evening of 14 July 2013, while living in Istanbul, I walked down Kumbaracı Yokuşu away from the sounds of protest to the city's contemporary art museum. As part of the Istanbul Jazz Festival lineup, the Istanbul Modern screened director Batu Akyol's documentary Türkiye'de Caz (Jazz in Turkey), which gathers interviews with Turkish jazz musicians intimate with the country's jazz scene from the 1940s onward. The emergence of a jazz ecology of musician-composers, entrepreneurs, jazz promoters, and collectors runs in tandem with the history of the Turkish Republic, beginning in the years leading up to and including World War I and gaining momentum in the 1930s and 1940s. The documentary does not present a hermetically sealed nationalist understanding of Turkish jazz, but rather affirms a vibrant celebration of the music. To date, Istanbul's arts organizations host international jazz summer festivals and yearlong jazz programs. There are jazz clubs, radio programs, and magazines that highlight international and local events. Turkish university music departments offer jazz studies and formal performance opportunities for musicians. But there are also informal venues, such as the streets, cafes, and bookstores. While out late in Istanbul when I lived there, I would frequently listen to a lone street musician stationed outside of Narmanlı Han playing “My Funny Valentine” on his trumpet. On more recent trips, I have come across a jazz band playing Dixieland tunes along İstiklal Avenue. This is all to say that Istanbul is a city where one can listen to jazz standards, Dixieland, bebop, cool, and fusion as well as take lindy hop dance lessons from a local group. Although Akyol's documentary uncovers a jazz soundtrack dating to the 1930s that is composed of personal stories of local musicians becoming jazzers, the post-Armistice period (1918–23) remains mute, mired in what I consider to be a standard version of the city's origin story of jazz. I want to consider the case of jazz in post-Armistice Istanbul to think about how master narratives erase some sounds and privilege others.
Preservation of cochlear structures and hearing when using the Nucleus Slim Straight (CI422) electrode in children
Authors: Skarzynski H , Matusiak M , Lorens A , Furmanek M , Pilka A , Skarzynski P H
Published: January 2016

Objective:

In cochlear implantation, there are two crucial factors promoting hearing preservation: an atraumatic surgical approach and selection of an electrode that does not damage cochlear structures. This study aimed to evaluate hearing preservation in children implanted with the Nucleus Slim Straight (CI422) electrode.

Methods:

Nineteen children aged 6–18 years, with partial deafness, were implanted using the 6-step Skarzynski procedure. Electrode insertion depth was 20–25 mm. Hearing status was assessed with pure tone audiometry before surgery, and at 1, 5, 9, 12 and 24 months after surgery. Electrode placement was confirmed with computed tomography.

Results:

Mean hearing preservation in the study group at activation of the cochlear implant was 73 per cent (standard deviation = 37 per cent). After 24 months, it was 67 per cent (standard deviation = 45 per cent). On a categorical scale, hearing preservation was possible in 100 per cent of cases.

Conclusion:

Hearing preservation in children implanted with the Nucleus CI422 slim, straight electrode is possible even with 25 mm insertion depth, although the recommended insertion depth is 20 mm. A round window approach using a soft, straight electrode is most conducive to hearing preservation.
Does the intravenous administration of frusemide reduce endolymphatic hydrops?
Authors: Fiorino F , Mattellini B , Vento M , Mazzocchin L , Bianconi L , Pizzini F B
Published: January 2016

Objective:

To verify the hypothesis that intravenous frusemide reduces endolymphatic hydrops, as evaluated by three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging following intratympanic gadolinium administration.

Methods:

The study comprised 12 patients (7 females and 5 males, aged 19–74 years) with Ménière's disease. Disease duration ranged from 0.5 to 8 years, with a frequency of 0.5 to 6 vertigo spells per month, as calculated in the last 6 months. Three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging was performed 24 hours after intratympanic injection of gadobutrol diluted eight-fold. Frusemide 20 mg was given intravenously immediately after imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging was repeated after 1 hour, using the same parameters and sequence.

Results:

All patients showed enhancement defects, indicating endolymphatic hydrops of variable degrees. No modifications occurred at the second magnetic resonance imaging performed 1 hour after frusemide administration.

Conclusion:

There was no evidence of endolymphatic hydrops modification 1 hour after intravenously administered frusemide. Therefore, loop diuretics in Ménière's disease, which are today used on an empirical basis, must be reconsidered. Implications of these outcomes are discussed and related to the role of endolymphatic hydrops in the development of Ménière's disease.
Immunomics: a 21st century approach to vaccine development for complex pathogens
Authors: DE SOUSA KARINA P. , DOOLAN DENISE L.
Published: January 2016

Immunomics is a relatively new field of research which integrates the disciplines of immunology, genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and bioinformatics to characterize the host-pathogen interface. Herein, we discuss how rapid advances in molecular immunology, sophisticated tools and molecular databases are facilitating in-depth exploration of the immunome. In our opinion, an immunomics-based approach presides over traditional antigen and vaccine discovery methods that have proved ineffective for highly complex pathogens such as the causative agents of malaria, tuberculosis and schistosomiasis that have evolved genetic and immunological host-parasite adaptations over time. By using an integrative multidisciplinary approach, immunomics offers enormous potential to advance 21stcentury antigen discovery and rational vaccine design against complex pathogens such as thePlasmodiumparasite.
Intending war rightly: Right intentions, public intentions, and consent
Authors: Grynaviski Eric
Published: January 2016

This article defends the normative status of the right intentions requirement in just war theory. Before we turn to many ethical questions about a conflict – whether there was just cause or whether a war was fought well – we often begin by asking whether the war was rightly intended. Particularly in the contemporary world, where questions of humanitarian intentions and their place in international law is an important political issue, clarifying what we mean by right intentions and showing why they matter is politically very important. Unfortunately, despite the importance of right intentions in the history of political thought, recent discussions give the concept mixed attention, leaving it obscure and difficult to apply. The first section reviews four traditional accounts, showing their underlying (and important) differences and respective weaknesses. The second section of the article argues that these models fail because they are rooted in private instead of public reason. A model of right intentions as public intentions is described and justified, where an intention is only right when the motives that underlie it can be endorsed by the group it is supposed to aid, and the opportunities it provides that group are endorsable by the intervener.
Multi-nucleate retinal pigment epithelium cells of the human macula exhibit a characteristic and highly specific distribution
Authors: STARNES AUSTIN C. , HUISINGH CARRIE , MCGWIN GERALD , SLOAN KENNETH R. , ABLONCZY ZSOLT , SMITH R. THEODORE , CURCIO CHRISTINE A. , ACH THOMAS
Published: January 2016

Background: The human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is reportedly 3% bi-nucleated. The importance to human vision of multi-nucleated (MN)-RPE cells could be clarified with more data about their distribution in central retina. Methods: Nineteen human RPE-flatmounts (9 ≤ 51 years, 10 > 80 years) were imaged at 12 locations: 3 eccentricities (fovea, perifovea, near periphery) in 4 quadrants (superior, inferior, temporal, nasal). Image stacks of lipofuscin-attributable autofluorescence and phalloidin labeled F-actin cytoskeleton were obtained using a confocal fluorescence microscope. Nuclei were devoid of autofluorescence and were marked using morphometric software. Cell areas were approximated by Voronoi regions. Mean number of nuclei per cell among eccentricity/quadrant groups and by age were compared using Poisson and binominal regression models. Results: A total of 11,403 RPE cells at 200 locations were analyzed: 94.66% mono-, 5.31% bi-, 0.02% tri-nucleate, and 0.01% with 5 nuclei. Age had no effect on number of nuclei. There were significant regional differences: highest frequencies of MN-cells were found at the perifovea (9.9%) and near periphery (6.8%). The fovea lacked MN-cells almost entirely. The nasal quadrant had significantly more MN-cells compared to other quadrants, at all eccentricities. Conclusion: This study demonstrates MN-RPE cells in human macula. MN-cells may arise due to endoreplication, cell fusion, or incomplete cell division. The topography of MN-RPE cells follows the topography of photoreceptors; with near-absence at the fovea (cones only) and high frequency at perifovea (highest rod density). This distribution might reflect specific requirements of retinal metabolism or other mechanisms addressable in further studies.
Media Manipulation in Interwar France: Evidence from the Archive of Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas, 1914–1937
Authors: FLANDREAU MARC , ZUMER FRÉDÉRIC
Published: January 2016

This article shows how one can read political history from evidence on corporate corruption. The study exploits newly discovered archival material from Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas, a politically connected investment bank. We contribute to current research by replacing existing conjectures with precise qualitative and quantitative evidence. After reviewing previous works and providing a sketch of information repression and media control in France during the interwar period, we argue that the study of patterns of ‘informational criminality’ provides an original entry to the writing of political history and the history of information.
Cardiac changes in anorexia nervosa
Authors: Spaulding-Barclay Michael A. , Stern Jessica , Mehler Philip S.
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder, which is associated with many different medical complications as a result of the weight loss and malnutrition that characterise this illness. It has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. A large portion of deaths are attributable to the cardiac abnormalities that ensue as a result of the malnutrition associated with anorexia nervosa. In this review, the cardiac complications of anorexia nervosa will be discussed.

Methods

A comprehensive literature review on cardiac changes in anorexia nervosa was carried out.

Results

There are structural, functional, and rhythm-type changes that occur in patients with anorexia nervosa. These become progressively significant as ongoing weight loss occurs.

Conclusion

Cardiac changes are inherent to anorexia nervosa and they become more life-threatening and serious as the anorexia nervosa becomes increasingly severe. Weight restoration and attention to these cardiac changes are crucial for a successful treatment outcome.
Linking Competency with Training Needs: Session Summary on Disaster Studies and Evaluation, Session BO-17
Authors: Ling Kelvin W.K. , Daily Elaine K.
Published: January 2016

Editor’s Introductory Note

This section of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine (PDM) presents reports and summaries of the 19th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WCDEM) held in Cape Town, South Africa in April of 2015. Abstracts of Congress oral and poster presentations were published in April 2015 as a supplement to PDM (Volume 30, Supplement 1).

Reports and session summaries of the 19th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(1):117–118.
THE DANGERS WITHIN: FEARS OF IMPRISONMENT IN ENLIGHTENMENT FRANCE
Authors: FREEDMAN JEFFREY
Published: January 2016

This article examines the changing nature of fear in Enlightenment France. While the growing power of the absolutist state reduced many traditional sources of insecurity, fears of state power proliferated during the eighteenth century, prompting leading figures of the French Enlightenment to turn their attention to the problem of political fear: its sources, its effects, and the means for overcoming it. One of the unifying aspects of the Enlightenment was its commitment to reducing the burden of fear in human existence. From that standpoint, however, political fear posed a particular challenge since the objects on which it focused could not be dismissed as purely imaginary. Unlike such traditional religious terrors as hell, purgatory, and the Devil, police agents, police spies, and prisons really existed. And yet political fears too were mediated—and magnified—by collective imaginaries. The fear of imprisonment stands out as a key example of such a phenomenon. Best-selling prison memoirs published in the early 1780s sought to mobilize public opinion againstlettres de cachet(administrative arrest warrants) by evoking the horrors of imprisonment, and especially its psychological torments: solitude, tedium, uncertainty about the future, and the looming threat of insanity. In these works, prisoners inhabit a separate self-contained world, helpless before the omnipotent will of their jailers, who rule over them like “oriental despots.” The wide dissemination of terrifying images of the prison contributed to building the public pressure for the abolition oflettres de cachetduring the Revolution, but the enormous commercial success of the memoirs suggests that some readers found the depictions of life behind prison walls darkly fascinating as well as terrifying. Much the same could be said of readers’ responses to the exposés of Revolutionary prisons published after Thermidor, the Gothic novels of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and the fictional universe of the Marquis de Sade, all of which drew heavily on the carceral imaginary invented under the Old Regime.
Running a Greek Club – The Hereford Cathedral School Experience
Authors: Wright Anne
Published: January 2016

Last autumn, Hereford Cathedral School began an after-school Greek Club open to state-school pupils from across Hereford. This article aims to provide some ideas about what works and how best to foster interest in Greek and Greek culture.
Bringing Ancient Languages Into a Modern Classroom: Some Reflections
Authors: Bracke Evelien
Published: January 2016

In France, recent curriculum reforms have signalled the cull of Latin and Greek from the secondary school curriculum – a teacher who criticised the reforms was censured; his blog disappeared. Belgium – because of the strength of its Catholic education long a beacon for Classical education – is witnessing schools dropping ancient languages in favour of STEM subjects at an alarming rate, driven similarly by the government agenda. As I am writing this article, I notice an online piece on the deteriorating situation in Malta, too. Throughout Europe, the financial crisis is spurring on governments and schools to intensify their push for STEM subjects – hailed as an instant fix for the faltering global economy – while vilifying less immediately practical subjects. A conversation with a French colleague who was lamenting the oppressing regime made me realise how well the UK is doing in comparison with other countries in Europe. Numbers of (state) secondary schools offering Latin are increasing, and thanks to the Department for Education, primary schools can offer Latin and Greek at Key Stage 2. Of course we should not delude ourselves: the number of secondary schools offering Latin is still low, the teaching of Greek is particularly disheartening, and only about 2% of all primary schools so far have opted to teach Latin and none (to my knowledge) have chosen Greek. Nevertheless, in comparison to the rest of Europe, a government which (whatever else one may think of it) supports the teaching of Classical languages, a growing number of hubs which see all levels of education collaborating creatively, and flourishing outreach organisations which offer financial and logistical support, give the UK at least some cause for optimism.
Deficiencies of Serum Ferritin and Vitamin B12, but not Folate, are Common in Adolescent Girls Residing in a Slum in Delhi
Authors: Gupta Bansal Priyanka , Singh Toteja Gurudayal , Bhatia Neena , Kishore Vikram Naval , Siddhu Anupa , Kumar Garg Ashok , Kumar Roy Ashok
Published: January 2016

Abstract. Anemia among adolescent girls is one of the major challenges faced by India. The present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of anemia and status of other hematological parameters among adolescent girls (11 - 18 years) residing in an urban slum of Delhi. A total of 794 adolescent girls were recruited for the study. The prevalence of anemia was estimated using the cyanmethemoglobin method. Serum levels of ferritin, folic acid and vitamin B12 were estimated for anemic subjects. The prevalence of anemia was reported as 58.7 %, with 31.6 %, 25.7 % and 1.4 % of subjects being mild, moderate and severely anemic. Hemoglobin levels of subjects who had attained menarche were found to be significantly lower than those who had not attained menarche. The prevalence of serum ferritin, folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency among those who were anemic was reported as 41.1 %, 5.0 % and 63.3 % respectively. A total of 23.5 % anemic subjects had concomitant micronutrient deficiencies of serum vitamin B12 and ferritin. The results indicate that supplemental iron and vitamin B12 may better address the burden of anemia in adolescent girls in Delhi.
Supplementation with Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) for Migraine Prophylaxis in Adults and Children: A Review
Authors: Namazi Nazli , Heshmati Javad , Tarighat-Esfanjani Ali
Published: January 2016

Abstract. Background and Aim: Migraine is a unilateral and pulsating headache associated with nausea, photophobia, vomiting, and sensitivity to light. Low vitamin B2 can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and may have an effect on migraine pathogenesis. The aim of the present study was to carry out a review of existing evidence regarding the effects of riboflavin (vitamin B2) supplementation on migraine prophylaxis in adults and children. Material and Methods: We searched the databases of PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Springer between 1990 and December 2013. Key words included vitamin B2, riboflavin, migraine, vomiting headache, and prevention. We limited our search to human studies in the English language. Review articles and abstracts from symposiums and conferences were excluded. Results: Finally, eleven eligible articles were found: seven involved studies with adults and four involved studies with children. The results indicated that supplementation with vitamin B2 in adults can play a positive role in reducing the frequency and duration of migraine attacks with no serious side effects. Conclusions: It seems that riboflavin is a safe and well-tolerated option for preventing migraine symptoms in adults, however, there is insufficient evidence to make recommendations regarding vitamin B2 as an adjunct therapy in adults and children with migraine.
A Vitamin D-Calcium-Fortified Yogurt Drink Decreased Serum PTH but did not Affect Osteocalcin in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Neyestani Tirang R. , Nikooyeh Bahareh , Kalayi Ali , Zahedirad Maliheh , Shariatzadeh Nastaran
Published: January 2016

Abstract. Introduction: There is sparse evidence of the effect of vitamin D on bone biomarkers in diabetic patients, and therefore, in a randomized clinical trial, we evaluated the effects of the daily intake of vitamin D, either with or without extra calcium, on selected bone biomarkers. Materials and Methods: Ninety women and men aged 30 - 50 years old with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into three groups in a double-blind manner. Group 1 (PD), the control group, received a plain yogurt drink. Groups 2 (DD) and 3 (CDD) received 1000 IU vitamin D3, and 1000 IU vitamin D3 plus 500 mg calcium, respectively, via drinking two 250 mL bottles a day of a fortified yogurt drink for twelve weeks. Anthropometric and biochemical assessments were made, including 25(OH), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), osteocalcin, and calcium. Results: Although the time and time×group interaction effects on the bone biomarkers were not statistically significant, there was a modest decrease in iPTH concentrations in both DD and CDD groups over twelve weeks. The subgroups with initial vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in the CDD group had greater and significant decrease in serum iPTH concentrations after twelve weeks of treatment compared to the PD group (- 9.0 ± 21.2 v.s 8.6 ± 21.8 pg/mL, p = 0.042). Conclusion: The improvement in vitamin D status following the daily intake of fortified doogh for twelve weeks was accompanied by a decrement in iPTH, mostly in those subjects with poor initial vitamin D status.
Folate and Prevention of Neural Tube Defects: New Insights from a Bayesian Model
Authors: Ströhle Alexander , Bohn Torsten
Published: January 2016

Abstract. Maternal folate status before and during pregnancy influences a woman’s risk of having a pregnancy affected by congenital malformations of the neural tube (neural tube defects, NTD). For NTD prevention, it is recommended that women use periconceptional supplementation of folic acid. However, the recommended dose varies considerably (400 - 800 µg folic acid/day). Insufficient data exists on the relation between folate status and the risk of NTD. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal provides evidence for a generalizable dose-response relation between folate status and risk of NTD. The lowest risk of having a child with NTD was related to red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations of ≥ 1000 nmol/L.
High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Associated Risk Factors among Employed Women in a Sunny Industrial City
Authors: Hassannia Tahereh , GhaznaviRad Ehsan , Vakili Rosita , Taheri Sohaila , Rezaee Seyed Abdolrahim
Published: January 2016

Abstract. Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a public health concern associated with the pathogenesis of several chronic disorders, particularly in women. Aim: To evaluate serum vitamin D levels and its deficiency and risk factors among employed women in a sunny industrial city. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, serum vitamin D levels, biochemical and hematological factors were assessed in 382 healthy employed women. Demographic information was collected using a standard questionnaire and data was analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The mean vitamin D serum level was 22 ± 19.8 ng/ml. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were 62 % and 12.94 %, respectively. Deficiency was more common among younger subjects (< 29 years old). 23.5 % of subjects had normal and 1.35 % had toxic levels of vitamin D. Maximum serum level was observed in part-time job employees (33 ng/ml), and the lowest in Media and Culture Organizations (15 ng/ml).Vitamin D deficiency was associated with the lack of sunlight exposure at home, and taking anti-hypertensive medications. The common symptoms in deficiency condition were history of hyperlipidemia, depression, weakness, fatigue, finger tingling, leg cramps, and body and muscle pain. Moreover, LDL-cholesterol serum levels were significantly higher in the vitamin D deficiency group, with a prevalence of 40 %. Conclusion: The symptoms of vitamin D deficiency including depression, weakness, fatigue, tingling, leg cramps and body and muscle pain have been observed in more than 90 % after recruitment and treatment. Therefore, for improving the health and productivity of employees, a routine monitoring system for vitamin D and the other factors should be put in place.
Potential of apoptotic pathway-targeted cancer therapeutic research: Where do we stand?
Authors: Baig S , Seevasant I , Mohamad J , Mukheem A , Huri H Z , Kamarul T
Published: January 2016

Underneath the intricacy of every cancer lies mysterious events that impel the tumour cell and its posterity into abnormal growth and tissue invasion. Oncogenic mutations disturb the regulatory circuits responsible for the governance of versatile cellular functions, permitting tumour cells to endure deregulated proliferation, resist to proapoptotic insults, invade and erode normal tissues and above all escape apoptosis. This disruption of apoptosis has been highly implicated in various malignancies and has been exploited as an anticancer strategy. Owing to the fact that apoptosis causes minimal inflammation and damage to the tissue, apoptotic cell death-based therapy has been the centre of attraction for the development of anticancer drugs. Increased understanding of the molecular pathways underlying apoptosis has enabled scientists to establish unique approaches targeting apoptosis pathways in cancer therapeutics. In this review, we reconnoitre the two major pathways (intrinsic and extrinsic) targeted cancer therapeutics, steering toward chief modulators of these pathways, such as B-cell lymphoma 2 protein family members (pro- and antiapoptotic), inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, and the foremost thespian of extrinsic pathway regulator, tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing agent. Together, we also will have a look from clinical perspective to address the agents (drugs) and therapeutic strategies adopted to target these specific proteins/pathways that have entered clinical trials.
Effect of hydroxychloroquine and characterization of autophagy in a mouse model of endometriosis
Authors: Ruiz A , Rockfield S , Taran N , Haller E , Engelman R W , Flores I , Panina-Bordignon P , Nanjundan M
Published: January 2016

In endometriosis, the increased survival potential of shed endometrial cells (which normally undergo anoikis) is suggested to promote lesion development. One mechanism that may alter anoikis is autophagy. Using an autophagic flux inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), we identified that it reduces the in vitro survival capacity of human endometriotic and endometrial T-HESC cells. We also identified that HCQ could decrease lesion numbers and disrupt lesion histopathology, as well as increase the levels of peritoneal macrophages and the IP-10 (10 kDa interferon-γ-induced protein) chemokine in a mouse model of endometriosis. We noted that RNA levels of a subset of autophagic markers were reduced in lesions relative to uterine horns from endometriosis-induced (untreated) mice. In addition, the RNA levels of autophagic markers were decreased in uterine horns of endometriosis-induced mice compared with those from controls. However, we noted that protein expression of LC3B (microtubule-associated protein 1 light-chain 3β; an autophagic marker) was increased in uterine horns of endometriosis-induced mice compared with uterine horns of controls. By immunohistochemical staining of a human endometriosis-focused tissue microarray, we observed LC3B expression predominantly in epithelial relative to stromal cells in both eutopic and ectopic endometria. Via transmission electron microscopy, cells from eutopic endometria of endometriosis-induced mice contained more lipid droplets (rather than autophagosomes) compared with uterine horns from controls. Collectively, our findings indicate that the autophagic pathway is dysregulated in both ectopic and eutopic endometrium in a murine model of endometriosis and that HCQ has potential as a therapeutic agent for women afflicted with endometriosis.
CSGene: a literature-based database for cell senescence genes and its application to identify critical cell aging pathways and associated diseases
Authors: Zhao M , Chen L , Qu H
Published: January 2016

Cell senescence is a cellular process in which normal diploid cells cease to replicate and is a major driving force for human cancers and aging-associated diseases. Recent studies on cell senescence have identified many new genetic components and pathways that control cell aging. However, there is no comprehensive resource for cell senescence that integrates various genetic studies and relationships with cell senescence, and the risk associated with complex diseases such as cancer is still unexplored. We have developed the first literature-based gene resource for exploring cell senescence genes, CSGene. We complied 504 experimentally verified genes from public data resources and published literature. Pathway analyses highlighted the prominent roles of cell senescence genes in the control of rRNA gene transcription and unusual rDNA repeat that constitute a center for the stability of the whole genome. We also found a strong association of cell senescence with HIV-1 infection and viral carcinogenesis that are mainly related to promoter/enhancer binding and chromatin modification processes. Moreover, pan-cancer mutation and network analysis also identified common cell aging mechanisms in cancers and uncovered a highly modular network structure. These results highlight the utility of CSGene for elucidating the complex cellular events of cell senescence.
Reduced interleukin‐2 responsiveness impairs the ability of Treg cells to compete for IL‐2 in nonobese diabetic mice
Authors: James Cini R , Buckle Irina , Muscate Franziska , Otsuka Masayuki , Nakao Mari , Oon Jack SH , Steptoe Raymond J , Thomas Ranjeny , Hamilton‐Williams Emma E
Published: January 2016

Enhancement of regulatory T cell (Treg cell) frequency and function is the goal of many therapeutic strategies aimed at treating type 1 diabetes (T1D). The interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) pathway, which has been strongly implicated in T1D susceptibility in both humans and mice, is a master regulator of Treg cell homeostasis and function. We investigated how IL‐2 pathway defects impact Treg cells in T1D‐susceptible nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice in comparison with protected C57BL/6 and NOD congenic mice. NOD Treg cells were reduced in frequency specifically in the lymph nodes and expressed lower levels of CD25 and CD39/CD73 immunosuppressive molecules. In the spleen and blood, Treg cell frequency was preserved through expansion of CD25low, effector phenotype Treg cells. Reduced CD25 expression led to decreased IL‐2 signaling in NOD Treg cells. In vivo, treatment with IL‐2–anti‐IL‐2 antibody complexes led to effective upregulation of suppressive molecules on NOD Treg cells in the spleen and blood, but had reduced efficacy on lymph node Treg cells. In contrast, NOD CD8+ and CD4+ effector T cells were not impaired in their response to IL‐2 therapy. We conclude that NOD Treg cells have an impaired responsiveness to IL‐2 that reduces their ability to compete for a limited supply of IL‐2.
Reversal of axonal growth defects in an extraocular fibrosis model by engineering the kinesin–microtubule interface
Authors: Minoura Itsushi , Takazaki Hiroko , Ayukawa Rie , Saruta Chihiro , Hachikubo You , Uchimura Seiichi , Hida Tomonobu , Kamiguchi Hiroyuki , Shimogori Tomomi , Muto Etsuko
Published: January 2016

Mutations in human β3-tubulin (TUBB3) cause an ocular motility disorder termed congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles type 3 (CFEOM3). In CFEOM3, the oculomotor nervous system develops abnormally due to impaired axon guidance and maintenance; however, the underlying mechanism linking TUBB3 mutations to axonal growth defects remains unclear. Here, we investigate microtubule (MT)-based motility in vitro using MTs formed with recombinant TUBB3. We find that the disease-associated TUBB3 mutations R262H and R262A impair the motility and ATPase activity of the kinesin motor. Engineering a mutation in the L12 loop of kinesin surprisingly restores a normal level of motility and ATPase activity on MTs carrying the R262A mutation. Moreover, in a CFEOM3 mouse model expressing the same mutation, overexpressing the suppressor mutant kinesin restores axonal growth in vivo. Collectively, these findings establish the critical role of the TUBB3-R262 residue for mediating kinesin interaction, which in turn is required for normal axonal growth and brain development.
Using food-web theory to conserve ecosystems
Authors: McDonald-Madden E. , Sabbadin R. , Game E. T. , Baxter P. W. J. , Chadès I. , Possingham H. P.
Published: January 2016

Food-web theory can be a powerful guide to the management of complex ecosystems. However, we show that indices of species importance common in food-web and network theory can be a poor guide to ecosystem management, resulting in significantly more extinctions than necessary. We use Bayesian Networks and Constrained Combinatorial Optimization to find optimal management strategies for a wide range of real and hypothetical food webs. This Artificial Intelligence approach provides the ability to test the performance of any index for prioritizing species management in a network. While no single network theory index provides an appropriate guide to management for all food webs, a modified version of the Google PageRank algorithm reliably minimizes the chance and severity of negative outcomes. Our analysis shows that by prioritizing ecosystem management based on the network-wide impact of species protection rather than species loss, we can substantially improve conservation outcomes.
European land CO2 sink influenced by NAO and East-Atlantic Pattern coupling
Authors: Bastos Ana , Janssens Ivan A. , Gouveia Célia M. , Trigo Ricardo M. , Ciais Philippe , Chevallier Frédéric , Peñuelas Josep , Rödenbeck Christian , Piao Shilong , Friedlingstein Pierre , Running Steven W.
Published: January 2016

Large-scale climate patterns control variability in the global carbon sink. In Europe, the North-Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) influences vegetation activity, however the East-Atlantic (EA) pattern is known to modulate NAO strength and location. Using observation-driven and modelled data sets, we show that multi-annual variability patterns of European Net Biome Productivity (NBP) are linked to anomalies in heat and water transport controlled by the NAO–EA interplay. Enhanced NBP occurs when NAO and EA are both in negative phase, associated with cool summers with wet soils which enhance photosynthesis. During anti-phase periods, NBP is reduced through distinct impacts of climate anomalies in photosynthesis and respiration. The predominance of anti-phase years in the early 2000s may explain the European-wide reduction of carbon uptake during this period, reported in previous studies. Results show that improving the capability of simulating atmospheric circulation patterns may better constrain regional carbon sink variability in coupled carbon-climate models.
Functional anterior pituitary generated in self-organizing culture of human embryonic stem cells
Authors: Ozone Chikafumi , Suga Hidetaka , Eiraku Mototsugu , Kadoshima Taisuke , Yonemura Shigenobu , Takata Nozomu , Oiso Yutaka , Tsuji Takashi , Sasai Yoshiki
Published: January 2016

Anterior pituitary is critical for endocrine systems. Its hormonal responses to positive and negative regulators are indispensable for homeostasis. For this reason, generating human anterior pituitary tissue that retains regulatory hormonal control in vitro is an important step for the development of cell transplantation therapy for pituitary diseases. Here we achieve this by recapitulating mouse pituitary development using human embryonic stem cells. We find that anterior pituitary self-forms in vitro following the co-induction of hypothalamic and oral ectoderm. The juxtaposition of these tissues facilitated the formation of pituitary placode, which subsequently differentiated into pituitary hormone-producing cells. They responded normally to both releasing and feedback signals. In addition, after transplantation into hypopituitary mice, the in vitro-generated corticotrophs rescued physical activity levels and survival of the hosts. Thus, we report a useful methodology for the production of regulator-responsive human pituitary tissue that may benefit future studies in regenerative medicine.
Hierarchy of bond stiffnesses within icosahedral-based gold clusters protected by thiolates
Authors: Yamazoe Seiji , Takano Shinjiro , Kurashige Wataru , Yokoyama Toshihiko , Nitta Kiyofumi , Negishi Yuichi , Tsukuda Tatsuya
Published: January 2016

Unique thermal properties of metal clusters are believed to originate from the hierarchy of the bonding. However, an atomic-level understanding of how the bond stiffnesses are affected by the atomic packing of a metal cluster and the interfacial structure with the surrounding environment has not been attained to date. Here we elucidate the hierarchy in the bond stiffness in thiolate-protected, icosahedral-based gold clusters Au25(SC2H4Ph)18, Au38(SC2H4Ph)24 and Au144(SC2H4Ph)60 by analysing Au L3-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure data. The Au–Au bonds have different stiffnesses depending on their lengths. The long Au–Au bonds, which are more flexible than those in the bulk metal, are located at the icosahedral-based gold core surface. The short Au–Au bonds, which are stiffer than those in the bulk metal, are mainly distributed along the radial direction and form a cyclic structural backbone with the rigid Au–SR oligomers.