bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anhaltende Trauerstörung
Authors: Znoj H.
Published: September 2018

Auch wenn die Bezeichnung noch uneinheitlich ist, so herrscht doch Konsens darüber, dass es Trauerzustände gibt, die nicht von selbst besser werden oder sich sogar noch über die Zeit intensivieren können. Die Symptome unterscheiden sich nicht wesentlich von den Zuständen intensiver Trauerreaktionen. Im Artikel werden Symptome aufrecht erhaltende Mechanismen beschrieben. Dabei wird auch auf Diagnosekriterien eingegangen. Weiter werden Risikofaktoren beschrieben und es wird auf spezifische Prinzipien und Wirkfaktoren psychologischer Interventionen eingegangen. Trauer ist eine biologisch angelegte Reaktion auf den Verlust einer gebundenen Person (enge Verwandtschaft, Partner). Insofern können bei anhaltenden Problemen die Prinzipien therapeutischen Handelns auch auf getrennte, aber nicht verstorbene Personen angewendet werden.
The coupled Hirota system as an example displaying discrete breathers: Rogue waves, modulation instability and varying cross-phase modulations
Authors: Pan Q. , Chung W. C. , Chow K. W.
Published: September 2018

Discrete dynamical systems constitute an elegant branch of nonlinear science, where ingenious techniques provide penetrating insight for vibrations and wave motion on lattices. In terms of applications, such systems can model oscillators with hard quartic nonlinearities and switching of optical pulses on discrete arrays. A two-component Hirota system is investigated as an extension of the widely studied Ablowitz-Ladik equation by including discrete third order dispersion. Breathers (periodic pulsating modes) are derived analytically, and are used to establish conservation laws. Rogue waves (unexpectedly large displacements from equilibrium configurations) exhibit unusual features in undergoing oscillations above and below the mean level, and may even reverse polarity. Coupling produces new regimes of modulation instabilities for discrete evolution equations. The robustness of these novel rogue waves, in terms of sensitivity to initial conditions, is elucidated by numerical simulations. Self-phase modulations and cross-phase modulations of the same or opposite signs will generate nonlinear corrections of the frequency, due to the intensity of the wave train itself and the one in the accompanying waveguide respectively. Such effects have a crucial influence on the evolution of discrete and continuous multi-component dynamical systems.
Ultrafast extreme ultraviolet photoemission without space charge
Authors: Corder Christopher , Zhao Peng , Bakalis Jin , Li Xinlong , Kershis Matthew D. , Muraca Amanda R. , White Michael G. , Allison Thomas K.
Published: September 2018

Time- and Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy from surfaces can be used to record the dynamics of electrons and holes in condensed matter on ultrafast time scales. However, ultrafast photoemission experiments using extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) light have previously been limited by either space-charge effects, low photon flux, or limited tuning range. In this article, we describe XUV photoelectron spectroscopy experiments with up to 5 nA of average sample current using a tunable cavity-enhanced high-harmonic source operating at 88 MHz repetition rate. The source delivers >1011 photons/s in isolated harmonics to the sample over a broad photon energy range from 18 to 37 eV with a spot size of 58 × 100 μm2. From photoelectron spectroscopy data, we place conservative upper limits on the XUV pulse duration and photon energy bandwidth of 93 fs and 65 meV, respectively. The high photocurrent, lack of strong space charge distortions of the photoelectron spectra, and excellent isolation of individual harmonic orders allow us to observe laser-induced modifications of the photoelectron spectra at the 10−4 level, enabling time-resolved XUV photoemission experiments in a qualitatively new regime.
Microbial production of neryl-α-d-glucopyranoside from nerol by Agrobacterium sp. M-12 reflects glucosyl transfer activity
Authors: Takahashi Kazuki , Terauchi Issei , Ono Marie , Satoh Hiroshi , Ueda Makoto
Published: September 2018

Terpene alcohol is widely used in perfumes and is known to possess antibacterial activity. Moreover, in its glycosylated form, it can be applied as a nonionic surfactant in food, and in the pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, and detergent industries. Presently, chemical production of terpene glucosides is hampered by high costs and low yields. Here, we investigated the microbial glucosylation of nerol (cis-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dien-1-ol), a component of volatile oils, by Agrobacterium sp. M-12 isolated from soil. A microbial reaction using washed cells of Agrobacterium sp. M-12, 1 g/L of nerol, and 100 g/L of maltose under optimal conditions yielded 1.8 g/L of neryl-α-d-glucopyranoside after 72 h. The molar yield of neryl-α-D-glucopyranoside was 87.6%. Additionally, we report the successful transglucosylation of other monoterpene alcohols, such as geraniol, (-)-β-citronellol, and (-)-linalool, by Agrobacterium sp. M-12. Thus, microbial glucosylation has potential widespread applicability for efficient, low-cost production of glycosylated terpene alcohols.
Cargo induces retromer-mediated membrane remodeling on membranes
Authors: Purushothaman Latha Kallur , Ungermann Christian
Published: September 2018

Endosomes serve as a central sorting station of lipids and proteins that arrive via vesicular carrier from the plasma membrane and the Golgi complex. At the endosome, retromer complexes sort selected receptors and membrane proteins into tubules or vesicles that bud off the endosome. The mature endosome finally fuses with the lysosome. Retromer complexes consist of a cargo selection complex (CSC) and a membrane remodeling part (sorting nexin [SNX]-Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs [BAR], or Snx3 in yeast) and different assemblies of retromer mediate recycling of different cargoes. Due to this complexity, the exact order of events that results in carrier formation is not yet understood. Here, we reconstituted this process on giant unilamellar vesicles together with purified retromer complexes from yeast and selected cargoes. Our data reveal that the membrane remodeling activity of both Snx3 and the SNX-BAR complex is strongly reduced at low concentrations, which can be reactivated by CSC. At even lower concentrations, these complexes still associate with membranes, but only remodel membranes in the presence of their specific cargoes. Our data thus favor a simple model, where cargo functions as a specific trigger of retromer-mediated sorting on endosomes.
Neutrophils as sources of dinucleotide polyphosphates and metabolism by epithelial ENPP1 to influence barrier function via adenosine signaling
Authors: Curtis Valerie F. , Cartwright Ian M. , Lee J. Scott , Wang Ruth X. , Kao Daniel J. , Lanis Jordi M. , Burney Krista M. , Welch Nichole , Hall Caroline H. T. , Goldberg Matthew S. , Campbell Eric L. , Colgan Sean P.
Published: September 2018

Extracellular adenosine signaling is established as a protective component in mucosal inflammatory responses. The sources of extracellular adenosine include enzymatic processing from nucleotides, such as ATP and AMP, that can be liberated from a variety of cell types, including infiltrating leukocytes. Here we demonstrate that activated human neutrophils are a source of diadenosine triphosphate (Ap3A), providing an additional source of nucleotides during inflammation. Profiling murine enteroids and intestinal epithelial cell lines revealed that intestinal epithelia prominently express apical and lateral ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase-1 (ENPP1), a member of the ENPP family of enzymes that metabolize diadenosine phosphates, especially Ap3A. Extensions of these studies demonstrated that intestinal epithelia metabolize Ap3A to ADP and AMP, which are further metabolized to adenosine and made available to activate surface adenosine receptors. Using loss and gain of ENPP1 approaches, we revealed that ENPP1 coordinates epithelial barrier formation and promotes epithelial wound healing responses. These studies demonstrate the cooperative metabolism between Ap3A and ENPP1 function to provide a significant source of adenosine, subserving its role in inflammatory resolution.
Development and Validation of Social Motivation Questionnaire
Authors: Gong Xianmin , Seaman Kendra L , Fung Helene H , Loeckenhoff Corinna , Lang Frieder R
Published: September 2018

Background and Objectives

Information-seeking (IS) and emotion-regulatory (ER) motivation play meaningful roles in age-related changes in social interaction across adulthood. This study aimed to develop and validate the Social Motivation Questionnaire (SMQ) to assess these two types of motivation.

Research Design and Methods

Ten items were selected from a pool as the candidate items of SMQ and were administered to 480 German adults (20–91 years old) for validation. These items were also administered to 150 U.S. (18–40 years old) and 131 Hong Kong younger adults (18 to 26 years old) for cultural-invariance examination.

Results

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that a two-factor, eight-item structure fits the German adults’ data well with satisfactory reliability. Multigroup comparisons showed cross-age invariance among younger, middle-aged, and older German adults, as well as cross-cultural invariance among German, U.S., and Hong Kong younger adults.

Discussion and Implications

A new questionnaire, SMQ, was developed and validated to measure IS and ER social motivation across adulthood and across cultures.
Melanoma diagnosis: predictive value of macroscopic changes observed by the patient
Authors: Tromme Isabelle , Sacré Laurine , Hammouch Fatima , Richez Pauline , Degryse Jean-Marie , Speybroeck Niko
Published: September 2018

About half of the melanomas are detected by patients but the mean thickness of such melanomas is higher than when diagnosed by physicians. Symptoms and signs described by patients are dynamic changes and pruritus, the appearance of a new lesion having been rarely investigated. These observations are documented for melanomas but not for benign naevi. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in which both melanomas and suspected excised naevi were included. The main objectives were to (a) analyse the value of the anamnestic predictors for melanoma versus non-melanoma and (b) calculate the influence of age on the most significant anamnestic predictors. In order to reach these objectives, we prospectively collected data on symptoms (pruritus, anxiety) and signs (de novo appearance, dynamic changes and bleeding) described by patients undergoing the excision of lesions clinically diagnosed as melanocytic and considered as suspicious by 46 Belgian dermatologists. Among 1865 lesions, dynamic changes and de novo appearance were significant predictors for melanoma versus non-melanoma diagnosis in all patients and patients older than 50, respectively. More precisely, dynamic changes and de novo appearance occurred to be strong predictors for melanoma diagnosis in patients greater than 41.5 and greater than 44.5 years, respectively. Pruritus was not significant for melanoma diagnosis. As a conclusion, when mid-age or older patients observe melanocytic lesions as recently changed or newly appeared, such lesions should be considered more carefully than when observed by young patients.
Alveolar Soft-Part Sarcoma of the Tongue
Authors: Alegría-Landa Victoria , Lora Viviana , Cota Carlo , Kutzner Heinz , Requena Luis
Published: September 2018

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma is a rare neoplasm of unknown histogenesis that accounts for less than 1% of all soft-tissue sarcomas. The tumor is highly vascularized with small vascular spaces separating nests of cells, and from cytogenetic point of view, is characterized by chromosome rearrangement der(17)t(X:17)(p11:q25) that results in the ASPL-TFE3 translocation. It can occur at any age, but it is most common between 15 and 35 years of age. The prognosis is poor, despite the relatively slow growth of the tumor. We present here an atypical case of alveolar soft-part sarcoma in which the age of the patient, the location, and the histopathologic characteristics of the lesion represented a diagnostic challenge.
Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Angiography and the Incidence of Anastomotic Leak After Colorectal Resection for Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-analysis
Authors: Shen Renhui , Zhang Ye , Wang Tong
Published: September 2018

BACKGROUND:

Anastomotic leak is a life-threatening complication of colorectal surgery. Recent studies showed that indocyanine green fluorescence angiography might be a method to prevent anastomotic leak.

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether intraoperative indocyanine green fluorescence angiography can reduce the incidence of anastomotic leak.

DATA SOURCES:

Potential relevant studies were identified from the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure.

STUDY SELECTION:

This meta-analysis included comparative studies investigating the association between indocyanine green fluorescence angiography and anastomotic leak in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer where the diagnosis of anastomotic leak was confirmed by CT and the outcomes of the indocyanine green group were compared with a control group.

INTERVENTION:

Indocyanine green was injected intravenously after the division of the mesentery and colon but before anastomosis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess methodologic quality of the studies. ORs and 95% CIs were used to assess the association between indocyanine green and anastomotic leak.

RESULTS:

In 4 studies with a total sample size of 1177, comparing the number of anastomotic leaks in the indocyanine green and control groups, the ORs were 0.45 (95% CI, 0.18–1.12), 0.30 (95% CI, 0.03–2.98), 0.17 (95% CI, 0.01–3.69), and 0.12 (95% CI, 0.03–0.52). The combined OR was 0.27 (95% CI, 0.13–0.53). The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001), and there was no significant heterogeneity (p = 0.48; I2 = 0).

LIMITATIONS:

Data could not be pooled because of the small number of studies; some differences between studies may influence the results. Also, the pooled data were not randomized.

CONCLUSIONS:

The result revealed that indocyanine green was associated with a lower anastomotic leakage rate after colorectal resection. However, larger, multicentered, high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the benefit of indocyanine green fluorescence angiography.
Life After Surgery: Surgeon Assessments of Quality of Life Among Patients With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
Authors: Dossa Fahima , Morris Arden M. , Wilson Amy R. , Baxter Nancy N.
Published: September 2018

BACKGROUND:

Without prophylactic surgery, patients with familial adenomatous polyposis are at high risk for colorectal cancer development. Various surgical options for prophylaxis are available. Patient decision-making for preventative treatments is often influenced by the preferences of healthcare providers.

OBJECTIVE:

We determined surgeon preferences for the surgical options available to patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.

DESIGN:

We obtained preference estimates for postoperative health states from colorectal surgeons who had treated ≥10 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.

SETTINGS:

Assessments were made at an annual meeting of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Utilities were measured through the time trade-off method. We determined utilities for 3 procedures used for prophylaxis, including total proctocolectomy with permanent ileostomy, colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis, and total proctocolectomy with IPAA. We also assessed utilities for 2 short-term health states: 90 days with a temporary ileostomy and 2 years with a poorly functioning ileoanal pouch.

RESULTS:

Twenty-seven surgeons who had cared for >1700 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis participated in this study. The highest utility scores were provided for colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis (0.98). Lower utility scores were provided for total proctocolectomy with permanent ileostomy (0.87) and IPAA (0.89). The number of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis who were treated by participating surgeons did not influence these estimates; however, more-experienced surgeons gave lower utility scores for a poorly functioning ileoanal pouch than less-experienced surgeons (0.15, 0.50, and 0.25 for high-, medium-, and low-volume surgeons; p = 0.02).

LIMITATIONS:

This study was limited by the sample size.

CONCLUSIONS:

For patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and relative rectal sparing, surgeon preferences are greatest for colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis. Utility estimates provided by this study are important for understanding surgical decision-making and suggest a role for ileorectal anastomosis in appropriately selected patients. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A656.
The Effect of Nonoperative Management of Chronic Anal Fissure and Hemorrhoid Disease on Bowel Function Patient-Reported Outcomes
Authors: Wilson Matthew Z. , Swarup Abhishek , T. Wilson Lauren R. , Ivatury Srinivas Joga
Published: September 2018

BACKGROUND:

Nonoperative management has been reported to decrease symptoms from common anorectal conditions such as chronic anal fissures and hemorrhoids. The effects of these interventions on bowel function are unknown.

OBJECTIVE:

This study aims to perform a prospective evaluation of patient-reported outcomes of bowel function on nonoperative management for chronic anal fissures and hemorrhoid disease.

DESIGN:

This is a prospective, observational study.

SETTINGS:

Patient-reported outcome measures were collected from the clinical practice of the division of colon and rectal surgery at a tertiary colon and rectal surgery referral center.

INTERVENTION:

All patients received standardized dietary counseling including fiber supplementation as well as toileting strategies. Those with chronic anal fissures were also prescribed topical calcium channel blockers. The Colorectal Functional Outcome questionnaire was administered at baseline and at first follow-up visit.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

The primary outcomes measured were the mean change in patient-reported bowel function scores after nonoperative management for each disease and in aggregate.

RESULTS:

A cohort of 64 patients was included, 37 patients (58%) with chronic anal fissure and 27 patients with hemorrhoid disease. Incontinence, social impact, stool-related aspects, and the global score were observed to have statistically significant improvement in the aggregate group. When analyzed by diagnosis, hemorrhoid disease demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in incontinence and stool-related aspects, whereas chronic anal fissure was associated with a statistically significant change in social impact, stool-related aspects, and the global score.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was limited by the small cohort size and unclear patient adherence to medical management.

CONCLUSIONS:

Nonoperative management of chronic anal fissures and hemorrhoid disease is associated with significant improvement in patient-reported outcome scores in several domains, suggesting that dietary counseling and medical therapy should be the first-line outpatient therapy for these diseases. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A726.
Executive (dys)function after stroke: special considerations for behavioral pharmacology
Authors: Povroznik Jessica M. , Ozga Jenny E. , Haar Cole V. , Engler-Chiurazzi Elizabeth B.
Published: September 2018

Stroke is a worldwide leading cause of death and long-term disability with concurrent secondary consequences that are largely comprised of mood dysfunction, as well as sensory, motor, and cognitive deficits. This review focuses on the cognitive deficits associated with stroke specific to executive dysfunction (including decision making, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in humans, nonhuman primates, and additional animal models. Further, we review some of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of the individual components of executive dysfunction and their neuroanatomical substrates after stroke, with an emphasis on the changes that occur during biogenic monoamine neurotransmission. We concentrate primarily on changes in the catecholaminergic (dopaminergic and noradrenergic) and serotonergic systems at the levels of neurotransmitter synthesis, distribution, reuptake, and degradation. We also discuss potential secondary stroke-related behavioral deficits (specifically, poststroke depression as well as drug-abuse potential and addiction) and their relationship with stroke-induced deficits in executive function, an especially important consideration given that the average age of the human stroke population is decreasing. In the final sections, we address pharmacological considerations for the treatment of ischemia and the subsequent functional impairment, as well as current limitations in the field of stroke and executive function research.
Investing in workability of patients with inflammatory bowel disease: results of a pilot project Activ84worK (Activate for work)
Authors: Coenen Sofie , Schmickler Marie-Noëlle , Staes Daniëlle , Wieme Frieda , Swinnen Tony , Dekeuleneer Xavier , van Hooland Tineke , van den Cruys Kris , Vermeire Séverine
Published: September 2018

Objectives

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic gastrointestinal conditions mainly affecting young people. Disease symptoms often make it difficult to actively participate in the workplace. The aim of Activ84worK was to stimulate professional activity and reduce absenteeism by removing work-related stress factors and providing patients with more flexible working conditions.

Patients and methods

Activ84worK was a collaboration between Abbvie, Mensura, Proximus, SD Worx, and University Hospitals Leuven (UZ Leuven) with the support of the patient association ‘Crohn-en Colitis Ulcerosa Vereniging (CCV vzw)’ in Flanders, Belgium. Since March 2015, IBD patients whose employer was also willing to participate, were recruited. Informed consent was signed and both the employee and the employer were followed for 6 months.

Results

Between March 2015 and October 2016, 70 patients showed interest in the Activ84worK program, 18 were eligible to participate, and 14 completed the program (29% male, 29% private companies). The case studies, based on interviews conducted with participating employees, indicated that removing work-related stress factors resulted in employees feeling much more at ease. Concretely, this led to absence of sick leave for more than 50% of the included patients. A higher degree of workability and focus of employees was achieved, and a decrease in costs of absenteeism was associated with this.

Conclusion

This pilot project shows that teleworking and flexible working conditions improve labor participation of IBD patients. The results of this project are now used to inspire policy-makers and employers. This initiative should be extended to a larger cohort and tested in other chronic diseases.
Medication Literacy and Somali Older Adults Receiving Home Care
Authors: Miner Sarah , McDonald Margaret V. , Squires Allison
Published: September 2018

Medication literacy is the ability of individuals to access and understand medication information and then use that information to act and take their medication in a safe and appropriate way. The purpose of this study was to explore medication literacy in a group of Somali older adults and their families using qualitative secondary analysis. We conducted an analytic expansion of an existing qualitative study that explored the home healthcare perceptions of Somali older adults and their families. Qualitative data collected from 14 Somali families about home healthcare were reviewed and analyzed for material related to medication literacy. Data analysis revealed a number of important findings related to medication literacy and resulted in the discovery of four themes: Medication literacy is needed among Somali older adults and their families, Using home healthcare (HHC) to improve medication literacy, Better communication is essential to improving medication literacy, and Medication literacy is an intersecting family and social issue. The results of this study indicate that HHC has a role to play in improving the health and medication literacy of these families. They also highlight the need to further explore what techniques, tools, and/or supports HHC professionals need to care for non-English speaking populations. Future research needs to address how to meet the needs of diverse and vulnerable patients like Somali older adults, and how best to prepare HHC providers to do this.
Hidden in Plain Sight
Authors: Wyatt Theresa R. , Sinutko Jaime
Published: September 2018

Human trafficking is a global problem reaping $150 billion annually, mainly from commercial sex or forced labor activities involving adult and child victims. Eighty-seven percent of human trafficking victims are known to have been seen by a healthcare provider at least once during the time held captive, but due to lack of awareness, this opportunity to identify and aid victims is often missed. Home healthcare providers have access to homes where human trafficking victims may be hidden in plain sight. It is critical that home healthcare providers know the signs of human trafficking, how to screen a potential victim, how to report any suspicious activities, and ways to remain safe while working in the community. If a human trafficking victim or perpetrator is identified or even suspected, home healthcare providers should move to a safe location and call the 24/7 National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888).
Improved Visualization of Juxtaprosthetic Tissue Using Metal Artifact Reduction Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Jungmann Pia M. , Bensler Susanne , Zingg Patrick , Fritz Benjamin , Pfirrmann Christian W. , Sutter Reto
Published: September 2018

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to identify an optimal imaging protocol for metal artifact reduced magnetic resonance imaging by application of different imaging and postprocessing parameters in compressed sensing slice-encoding for metal artifact correction (CS-SEMAC) and to test it in patients with total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Materials and Methods

In an experimental setup, a phantom consisting of a standard THA embedded in gadolinium-containing agarose was scanned at 1.5 T. Pulse sequences included coronal short tau inversion recovery (STIR), T1-weighted (w), and T2-w CS-SEMAC sequences. All pulse sequences were acquired with 11, 19, and 27 slice-encoding steps (SESs), respectively. For each raw dataset, postprocessing was performed with variations of the parameters: (1) number of iterations (5, 10, 20, 30, 50) and (2) normalization factor (0.0005, 0.001, 0.002, 0.003, 0.005). Following, in clinical magnetic resonance scans of patients with THA, identical STIR, T1-w, and T2-w pulse sequences with 11 and 19 SESs were acquired and were postprocessed similarly with variations in parameters. Semiquantitative outcome measures were assessed on a 5-point scale (1 = best, 5 = worst). The overall best image quality was determined. Signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio were calculated. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, multivariate regression models, and partial Spearman correlations.

Results

Scan times varied between 2:24 (T2-w, 11 SESs) and 8:49 minutes (STIR, 27 SESs). Reconstruction times varied between 3:14 minutes (T1-w, 11 SESs, 5 iterations) and 85:00 minutes (T2-w, 27 SESs, 50 iterations). Signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio increased with increasing SESs, iterations, and normalization factor. In phantom scans, artifact reduction was optimal with an intermediate normalization factor (0.001) and improved with higher SESs and iterations. However, iterations greater than 20 did not improve artifact reduction or image quality further. On the contrary, ripple artifacts increased with higher SESs and iterations. In clinical scans, up to 20 iterations reduced blurring of the image; no further reduction was observed with iterations greater than 20. A normalization factor of 0.001 or 0.002 was best for reduction of blurring, whereas the soft tissue contrast was better and the distortion of soft tissue was less severe with lower normalization factors. Overall best soft tissue image quality was found for STIR and T1-w images with 19 SESs, 10 iterations, and a normalization factor of 0.001, and for T2-w images with 11 SESs, 10 iterations, and a normalization factor of 0.0005.

Conclusions

Optimized advanced acceleration and reconstruction algorithms of CS-SEMAC have been identified to reduce metal artifacts in patients with THA enabling imaging with clinically feasible acquisition and reconstruction times.
Linearity, Bias, Intrascanner Repeatability, and Interscanner Reproducibility of Quantitative Multidynamic Multiecho Sequence for Rapid Simultaneous Relaxometry at 3 T
Authors: Hagiwara Akifumi , Hori Masaaki , Cohen-Adad Julien , Nakazawa Misaki , Suzuki Yuichi , Kasahara Akihiro , Horita Moeko , Haruyama Takuya , Andica Christina , Maekawa Tomoko , Kamagata Koji , Kumamaru Kanako Kunishima , Abe Osamu , Aoki Shigeki
Published: September 2018

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the linearity, bias, intrascanner repeatability, and interscanner reproducibility of quantitative values derived from a multidynamic multiecho (MDME) sequence for rapid simultaneous relaxometry.

Materials and Methods

The NIST/ISMRM (National Institute of Standards and Technology/International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine) phantom, containing spheres with standardized T1 and T2 relaxation times and proton density (PD), and 10 healthy volunteers, were scanned 10 times on different days and 2 times during the same session, using the MDME sequence, on three 3 T scanners from different vendors. For healthy volunteers, brain volumetry and myelin estimation were performed based on the measured T1, T2, and PD. The measured phantom values were compared with reference values; volunteer values were compared with their averages across 3 scanners.

Results

The linearity of both phantom and volunteer measurements in T1, T2, and PD values was very strong (R2= 0.973–1.000, 0.979–1.000, and 0.982–0.999, respectively) The highest intrascanner coefficients of variation (CVs) for T1, T2, and PD were 2.07%, 7.60%, and 12.86% for phantom data, and 1.33%, 0.89%, and 0.77% for volunteer data, respectively. The highest interscanner CVs of T1, T2, and PD were 10.86%, 15.27%, and 9.95% for phantom data, and 3.15%, 5.76%, and 3.21% for volunteer data, respectively. Variation of T1 and T2 tended to be larger at higher values outside the range of those typically observed in brain tissue. The highest intrascanner and interscanner CVs for brain tissue volumetry were 2.50% and 5.74%, respectively, for cerebrospinal fluid.

Conclusions

Quantitative values derived from the MDME sequence are overall robust for brain relaxometry and volumetry on 3 T scanners from different vendors. Caution is warranted when applying MDME sequence on anatomies with relaxometry values outside the range of those typically observed in brain tissue.
Evaluation the Efficacy of Hilotherm Cooling System in Reducing Postoperative Pain and Edema in Maxillofacial Traumatized Patients and Orthognathic Surgeries
Authors: Lateef Thair A. , AL-Anee Auday M. , Agha Muntasser T. Fattah
Published: September 2018

Surgical treatment in patients with facial bone surgeries governs a meaningful extent of tissue trauma prompting prevalent postoperative portents of pain, facial swelling, and inconvenience. Beneficial effects of local cold therapy following surgery, facial swelling, pain, and inflammation have been discussed. The aim of study is to evaluate the efficacy of hilotherm cooling system in reducing postoperative pain and edema in patients following maxillofacial trauma and orthognathic surgeries.

A clinical prospective study was done in the postoperative period for patients with facial trauma or those subjected to orthognathic surgery, 34 patients divided randomly into 2 groups; study group treated with the hilotherm cooling system and control group without. Facial swelling was quantified by 5 linear distances (A, B, C, D, and E). Pain was reported on day 1, 2, and 7 postoperatively. Satisfaction with cooling therapy at day 7 following surgery was recorded. The means of swelling variation in study group were less than in control group with highly significant difference (P < 0.01) except in (line D) which is from tragus to the chin most prominent point where it was significant. Pain scores in control group were higher than in study group with highly significant difference (P < 0.01) except at 7th day which was not significant (P > 0.05). All patients in the study group were very satisfied.
Effect of Septoplasty on Cardiopulmonary Functions in the Patients With Nasal Obstruction
Authors: Öğreden Şahin , Tansuker Hasan Deniz , Cengiz A. Buğra , Tabaru Alper , Özyilmaz Cemal , Oğur Özcan , Katkat Fahrettin
Published: September 2018

Objective:

In this study, the authors aimed to investigate whether septoplasty has an effect on cardiopulmonary functions in the patients with nasal obstruction.

Methods:

A total of 53 patients with nasal obstruction due to septum deviation were included in the study. All the patients were performed septoplasty operation. Echocardiography and spirometric analysis were performed to assess cardiopulmonary functions before and after the operation (6 months postoperatively). The same evaluation was done for the degree of nasal obstruction by visual analogue scale. The preoperative and postoperative values were compared with each other.

Results:

Of the total 53 patients, 44 were males (83%) and 9 were female (17%). The mean age was 31.71 ± 9.46. The preoperative and postoperative mean right ventricular volumes were 2.0736 and 2.0906, respectively. The preoperative and postoperative mean left ventricular volumes were 4.4264 and 4.3528, respectively. The preoperative and postoperative mean cardiac septal thicknesses were 0.9642 and 0.9358, respectively. The mean value of preoperative cardiac posterior wall thicknesses was 0.8849, whereas the postoperative value was measured as 0.8340. The preoperative and postoperative mean pulmonary artery pressures were 27.8302 mmHg and 23.6415, respectively, and this was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The preoperative and postoperative mean forced vital capacities (FVC) were 4.3221 and 4.5564, respectively, and this was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The preoperative and postoperative mean 1st second forced expiratory volumes (FEV1) were 3.6698 and 3.8085, respectively, and this was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The mean value of preoperative FEV1/FVC was 84.9811, whereas postoperative mean value was measured as 83.8019 and this was statistically significant (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

In this study, the authors observed that septoplasty has positive effect on cardiopulmonary functions in the patients with nasal obstruction due to nasal septum deviation. The authors also claim that septoplasty may be a preventive procedure for future pathologies of cardiopulmonary functions.
Respiratory Pathway and Swallowing Management in a Patient With Epiglottis Loss After Life-Threatening Penetrating Laryngeal Trauma
Authors: Ertugrul Suha
Published: September 2018

Laryngeal trauma is a rare but potentially life-threatening injury. Damage to larynx structures may occur in forms of a simple contusion, fractures of the laryngeal cartilage, and may even result in laryngotracheal disjunction depending on the ossification level of the larynx and the severity of the trauma. However, in almost all cases, damaged laryngeal tissue is also observed in the trauma area. Because thyroid cartilage protects the endolaryngeal tissues like a shield against trauma. Epiglottis prevents escape of the food to respiratory tract and directs food to digestive system. In this article, a case of knife attack resulted in deep neck incision with loss of epiglottis in the incision area, the surgical operation, and the postoperative recovery period which had a clinical significance due to loss of epiglottis were presented. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first laryngeal trauma case with loss of epiglottis.
Novel Mapping Method for the Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring of Sexual Function During Prostate Surgery
Authors: Martín-Palomeque Guillermo , Cabañes-Martínez Lidia , de Blas Beorlegui Gema , Moreno Galera M del Mar , López Jaime R. , Burgos Francisco Javier , Regidor Bailly-Baillière Ignacio
Published: September 2018

Purpose:

The occurrence of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction after surgical treatment for prostate cancer is a significant and lingering problem. The aim of this study is to revise and improve older techniques of intraoperative cavernous nerve mapping already in use to improve accuracy and reliability.

Methods:

We prospectively studied this technique in 12 patients suffering from prostate cancer. Inhalation or intravenous anesthetic regimen was used with nondepolarizing muscle relaxants. Stimulation protocol was 30 Hz, 0.2 ms, 10 to 20 mA intensity and a maximum duration of 30 seconds. Recording was performed with a system for measuring pressure changes using a stainless steel needle electrode inside the cavernous bodies. Stimulation was systematically performed at three distinct moments during the surgery at various points. An increase or decrease in pressure of 4 cm of H20 in the cavernous bodies was considered a positive result and negative response when no changes occurred after 30 seconds of continuous stimulation.

Results:

Of patients, 91.6% had positive responses to initial stimulation. The anesthetic regimen did not appear to significantly influence the responses in our series.

Conclusions:

In light of the results of this study, the stimulation of the cavernous nerves may be a viable technique in the right context, which includes good patient selection (young patients with a localized tumor and with preserved potency). The major limitation is that mapping techniques are useful to localize functional nerves, but not to monitor function in a continuous manner.
Chronically-implanted Neuropixels probes enable high yield recordings in freely moving mice
Authors: Juavinett A.L. , Bekheet G. , Churchland A.K.
Published: September 2018

The advent of high-yield electrophysiology using Neuropixels probes is now enabling researchers to simultaneously record hundreds of neurons with remarkably high signal to noise. However, these probes have not been comprehensively tested in freely moving mice. It is critical to study neural activity in unrestricted animals, and the field would benefit from the inclusion of ethological approaches to studying the neural circuitry of behavior. We therefore adapted Neuropixels probes for chronically-implanted experiments in freely moving mice. We demonstrate the ease and utility of this approach in recording hundreds of neurons across weeks, and provide the methodological details for other researchers to do the same. Importantly, our approach enables researchers to explant and reuse these valuable probes.
Ecological niche modelling of the wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) suggest range expansion and contraction during the Pleistocene
Authors: Zacarias Daniel Augusta
Published: September 2018

This paper attempts to understand the potential effects of historical climate changes on the distribution of the wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus). The potential distribution in past and present climatic scenarios is investigated through ensemble distribution modelling of 232 independent and sparsely distributed occurrence records. Potential effects of climate change were evaluated by means on niche overlap and niche gains and losses across time scales. Massive range expansion was observed from the Last Interglacial (LIG) era to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), with loss of suitability in most areas of western Africa and an increase in suitability across southern and eastern Africa. From the LGM, climate suitability tended to establish in southern and eastern Africa with slight disjunction in the mid-Holocene, a trend that was maintained through current distribution. Results indicate the presence of southern and northern refugia, with massive range expansion in central populations. These results support the idea that the current disjunct distribution of the wattled crane is driven by climate oscillations during the Pleistocene that generated range expansion and retraction of the species and also support the hypothesis that the current occurrence of the species is driven by other factors such as food and habitat availability.
SimulateCNVs: a novel software application for simulating CNVs in WES and WGS data
Authors: Xing Yue , Dabney Alan R. , Li Xiao , Casola Claudio
Published: September 2018

SimulateCNVs is a fast and novel software application for simulating CNVs in WES and WGS data. Current NGS simulators cannot simulate rearranged genomes and their alignment files for WES data and are not easy to use. SimulateCNVs is the first software application that can simulate CNVs in both WES and WGS data, is easy to install, has many unique features, and can output rearranged genomes, short reads and bam files in a single command.

Availability

SimulateCNVs is freely available from https://yjulyxing.github.io/

Contact

inumia@tamu.edu, ccasola@tamu.edu
BDNF Val66Met moderates the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and memory in cognitively normal older adults
Authors: Brown Belinda M. , Castalanelli Natalie , Rainey-Smith Stephanie R. , Doecke James , Weinborn Michael , Sohrabi Hamid R. , Laws Simon M. , Martins Ralph N , Peiffer Jeremiah J
Published: September 2018

Higher cardiorespiratory fitness has been associated with enhanced cognitive function in older adults; yet, this relationship demonstrates a degree of variability. Thus, it is hypothesised that variation in genetic factors may influence the relationship between fitness and cognitive health. In this study we evaluate whether the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism moderates the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and verbal and visuospatial memory. Data from ninety-nine cognitively normal men and women aged 60 – 80 years were used. Fitness was assessed by peak oxygen consumption, and verbal and visuospatial memory were evaluated using well-validated measures. Participants were categorised into: lower-fit Met carriers, higher-fit Met carriers, lower-fit Val/Val, or higher-fit Val/Val. A significant interaction was observed between BDNF Val66Met and fitness on visuospatial memory performance; whereby lower-fit Met carriers performed 1SD lower than higher-fit Met carriers (p=0.04). We observed higher levels of fitness mitigated the deleterious effect of BDNF Met allele carriage on visuospatial memory. Future intervention studies should evaluate the effect of structured exercise on cognitive health between BDNF Val66Met carriers and Val/Val homozygotes.
Object-in-Place Memory Predicted by Anterolateral Entorhinal Cortex and Parahippocampal Cortex Volume in Older Adults
Authors: Yeung Lok-Kin , Olsen Rosanna K. , Hong Bryan , Mihajlovic Valentina , D’Angelo Maria C. , Kacollja Arber , Ryan Jennifer D. , Barense Morgan D.
Published: September 2018

The lateral portion of the entorhinal cortex is one of the first brain regions affected by tau pathology, an important biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Improving our understanding of this region’s cognitive role may help identify better cognitive tests for early detection of AD. Based on its functional connections, we tested the idea that the human anterolateral entorhinal cortex (alERC) may play a role in integrating spatial information into object representations. We recently demonstrated that the volume of the alERC was related to processing the spatial relationships of the features within an object (Yeung et al., 2017). In the present study, we investigated whether the human alERC might also play a role in processing the spatial relationships between an object and its environment using an eyetracking task that assessed visual fixations to a critical object within a scene. Guided by rodent work, we measured both object-in-place memory, the association of an object with a given context (Wilson et al., 2013), and object-trace memory, the memory for the former location of objects (Tsao, Moser, & Moser, 2013). In a group of older adults with varying stages of brain atrophy and cognitive decline, we found that the volume of the alERC and the volume of the parahippocampal cortex (PHC) selectively predicted object-in-place memory, but not object-trace memory. These results provide support for the notion that the alERC may integrate spatial information into object representations.
LinkedSV for detection of mosaic structural variants from linked-read exome and genome sequencing data
Authors: Fang Li , Kao Charlly , Gonzalez Michael V , Mafra Fernanda A , Pellegrino da Silva Renata , Li Mingyao , Wenzel Sören , Wimmer Katharina , Hakonarson Hakon , Wang Kai
Published: September 2018

Linked-read sequencing provides long-range information on short-read sequencing data by barcoding reads originating from the same DNA molecule, and can improve the detection and breakpoint identification for structural variants (SVs). We present LinkedSV for SV detection on linked-read sequencing data. LinkedSV considers barcode overlapping and enriched fragment endpoints as signals to detect large SVs, while it leverages read depth, paired-end signals and local assembly to detect small SVs. Benchmarking studies demonstrates that LinkedSV outperforms existing tools, especially on exome data and on somatic SVs with low variant allele frequencies. We demonstrate clinical cases where LinkedSV identifies disease causal SVs from linked-read exome sequencing data missed by conventional exome sequencing, and show examples where LinkedSV identifies SVs missed by high-coverage long-read sequencing. In summary, LinkedSV can detect SVs missed by conventional short-read and long-read sequencing approaches, and may resolve negative cases from clinical genome/exome sequencing studies.
CluSim: a Python package for the comparison of clusterings and dendrograms
Authors: Gates Alexander J. , Ahn Yong-Yeol
Published: September 2018

Quantifying the similarity of clusterings is a fundamental step in data analysis. Clustering similarity is the basis for method evaluation, consensus clustering, and tracking the temporal evolution of clusters, among many other tasks. Here we provide CluSim, a comprehensive Python package for the comparison of partitions, overlapping clusterings, and hierarchical clusterings (dendrograms) with more than 20 similarity measures. The CluSim package provides both analytic and empirical methods for assessing the similarity of clusterings in the context of a random model, and provides the novel element-centric approaches for clustering similarity measure that we introduced recently. We illustrate the use of the package through two examples: an evaluation of the clustering of Gene Expression data in the context of different random models, and detailed analysis of model incongruence using element-centric comparisons between a set of phylogentic trees (dendrograms).

Availability and implementation

The CluSim Python package and accompanying jupyter notebook is available at https://github.com/Hoosier-Clusters/clusim with the MIT open source licence.

Contact

ajgates42@gmail.comor yyahn@iu.edu