bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Navigation Lymphatic Supermicrosurgery for the Treatment of Cancer-Related Peripheral Lymphedema
Authors: Yamamoto Takumi , Yamamoto Nana , Numahata Takao , Yokoyama Ai , Tashiro Kensuke , Yoshimatsu Hidehiko , Narushima Mitsunaga , Koshima Isao
Published: November 2013

Background:

Lymphatic supermicrosurgery is becoming the treatment of choice for refractory lymphedema. Detection and anastomosis of functional lymphatic vessels are important for lymphatic supermicrosurgery.

Methods

Navigation lymphatic supermicrosurgery was performed using an operating microscope equipped with an integrated near-infrared illumination system (OPMI Pentero Infrared 800; Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany). Eight patients with extremity lymphedema who underwent navigation lymphatic supermicrosurgery were evaluated.

Results:

A total of 21 lymphaticovenular anastomoses were performed on 8 limbs through 14 skin incisions. Lymphatic vessels were enhanced by intraoperative microscopic indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography in 12 of the 14 skin incisions, which resulted in early dissection of lymphatic vessels. All anastomoses showed good anastomosis patency after completion of anastomoses. Postoperative extremity lymphedema index decreased in all limbs.

Conclusions:

Navigation lymphatic supermicrosurgery, in which lymphatic vessels are visualized with intraoperative microscopic ICG lymphography, allows a lymphatic supermicrosurgeon to find and dissect lymphatic vessels earlier and facilitates successful performance of lymphaticovenular anastomosis.
Grand Total EEG as a Predictive Biomarker for Cognitive Impairment Severity in Cerebral Infarcts of Chinese
Authors: Wang Xiao-Hong , Sun Yong-Xin , Zhao Jiu-Han , Xu Ai-Hua
Published: November 2013

Cerebral infarct (CI) is a common disease of older adults, which increases the risk for cognitive impairment or dementia. CI-associated mild cognitive impairment is a potential prodromal stage of serious cognitive impairment. The grand total EEG (GTE) score is a rating scale for clinical electroencephalography (EEG) analyses, which is useful in the evaluation of different types of cognitive impairment. Sixty-five patients with CI underwent neuropsychological testing and resting state EEG. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between a short version of the GTE score and severity of cognitive impairment in CI. Significant correlations with deteriorating cognition (combined Montreal Cognitive Assessment/clock drawing test) were found for the overall short GTE score (Spearman rank correlation, ρ = −0.61, r = −0.88491, P = 0.009) and for the subscore “Frequency of Rhythmic Background Activity” (ρ = −0.63, r = −0.92559, P = 0.007). In conclusion, the GTE short score and Frequency of Rhythmic Background Activity were increased with the deteriorating cognitive impairment in patients with CI.
Preferences for Gender-Targeted Health Information
Authors: Turchik Jessica A. , Rafie Samantha , Rosen Craig S. , Kimerling Rachel
Published: November 2013

No prior research has examined men’s opinions or preferences regarding receiving health education materials related to sexual violence. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether male veteran patients who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST) prefer gender-targeted versus gender-neutral printed health information and whether receipt of this information increased utilization of outpatient mental health services in the following 6-month period. In-person 45-minute interviews were conducted with 20 male veterans receiving health care services at a large Veterans Health Administration facility to evaluate opinions on a gender-targeted and a gender-neutral brochure about MST. An additional 153 veterans received psychoeducational materials through the mail and participated in the completion of a survey as part of a psychoeducational intervention. Our results demonstrate that male veterans prefer gender-targeted information about sexual trauma compared to gender-neutral information. Whereas veterans in the study had clear preferences for gender-targeted materials, receipt of information about MST (whether gender-targeted or gender-neutral) did not increase utilization of mental health care in the 6 months following receipt of these materials. These results demonstrated that materials about sexual trauma are acceptable to men and should be gender-targeted. Further research is needed to examine strategies to increase access to mental health care among male Veterans who have experienced MST.
Too Impatient to Smell the Roses
Authors: House Julian , DeVoe Sanford E. , Zhong Chen-Bo
Published: November 2013

We tested whether exposure to the ultimate symbols of an impatience culture—fast food—undermines people’s ability to experience happiness from savoring pleasurable experiences. Study 1 found that the concentration of fast-food restaurants in individuals’ neighborhoods predicted their tendencies to savor. Study 2 revealed that exposure to fast-food primes impeded participants’ ability to derive happiness from pictures of natural beauty. Study 3 showed that priming fast food undermined positive emotional responses to a beautiful melody by inducing greater impatience, measured by both subjective perception of time passage and self-reports of impatience experienced during the music. Together, these studies show that as pervasive symbols of impatience, fast food can inhibit savoring, producing negative consequences for how we experience pleasurable events.
The Joshua Generation: Conquest and the Promised Land
Authors: Havrelock Rachel
Published: November 2013

I set out to read the book of Joshua together with its most literal interpreters – those who enacted a version of the war for the Promised Land – and suggest that interpretations of the book are always bound up with current ideas about war and territorial rights. In particular, I analyze how David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, and his Bible study group parsed the book of Joshua and argue that their interpretations, like the book of Joshua itself, represent projections of nationalist desire onto a varied, multifarious social setting. Joshua’s conquest and Israel’s founding narrative both involve military narratives generated in order to obscure the presence of non-nationals. In the next stage of the argument, I suggest that the story of the conquest itself attests to the very fluid social setting that it aims to overcome. Just as Ben-Gurion appealed to Joshua as precedent and the contemporary State of Israel looks to Ben-Gurion as a model, post-nationalists can locate a paradigm in the selfsame founding myths.
Applying the UTAUT to Understand Factors Affecting the Use of English E-Learning Websites in Taiwan
Authors: Tan Paul Juinn Bing
Published: November 2013

The evolution of the Internet diminishes learning’s limits on time and location and attracts more and more students to learning websites or online learning environments to pursue their chosen studies. The purpose of this study is to explore Taiwanese college students’ needs for English E-learning websites. Accordingly, this paper uses the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to investigate and explain Taiwanese college students’ acceptance of English E-learning websites. After analysis, the results demonstrate that performance expectations, effort expectancy, and social influence have positive effects on behavior intentions and facilitating conditions; behavioral intentions also have positive effects on use behavior. Overall, if students believe that English E-learning websites can help them increase their performance and that they are easy to use, there is an increase in their intention to use them. This suggests that web designers should improve knowledge management functions and improve user interfaces to be easier to operate.
The Politics of Commerce
Authors: Dilley Andrew
Published: November 2013

In the last decade, historians studying Britain’s relations with the self-governing settlement empire (the dominions) have emphasized the role of shared culture and dense networks in shaping what Bridge and Fedorowich have called the “British world.” Recent scholarship has begun to discern a political life within this British world, at times resurrecting the term Greater Britain. This article builds on these developments through research on a neglected pan-imperial institution: the Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire. The article shows that the Congress, which was dominated by chambers from Britain and the dominions, acted primarily as a business lobby seeking to shape aspects of pan-imperial economic governance. This conclusion highlights the need to place greater emphasis on patterns of politics and governance within the British World (or Greater Britain).
Clinical features and determinants of COPD exacerbation in the Hokkaido COPD cohort study
Authors: Suzuki Masaru , Makita Hironi , Ito Yoichi M. , Nagai Katsura , Konno Satoshi , Nishimura Masaharu
Published: November 2013

Exacerbations are among the major factors that may affect the natural history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim was to investigate the clinical characteristics and determinants of COPD exacerbations in our 5-year observational cohort study which had a very low exacerbation frequency.

A total of 279 patients with COPD participated in the Hokkaido COPD cohort study, and 268 subjects who had clinical data for multiple visits were analysed. Exacerbation was defined in multiple ways: the patient’s subjective complaint, symptom definition, requiring prescription change, requiring antibiotic treatment, or requiring hospital admission.

Exacerbation frequency (events per person per year) was 0.78±1.16, 0.24±0.47, 0.20±0.43, 0.13±0.28 and 0.06±0.19 for subjective complaint and symptom, prescription, antibiotic and hospital admission definitions, respectively. Exacerbation events did not significantly affect the annual decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s. A high St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire total score, especially activity score, and a low body mass index were strongly associated with exacerbation-free survival, exacerbation frequency and development of recurrent exacerbations.

Despite the low exacerbation frequency in our cohort, impaired health-related quality of life and weight loss were found to be independent risk factors for COPD exacerbations.
The IL-6 response to Chlamydia from primary reproductive epithelial cells is highly variable and may be involved in differential susceptibility to the immunopathological consequences of chlamydial infection
Authors: Cunningham Kelly , Stansfield Scott H , Patel Pooja , Menon Shruti , Kienzle Vivian , Allan John A , Huston Wilhelmina M
Published: November 2013

Background

Chlamydia trachomatis infection results in reproductive damage in some women. The process and factors involved in this immunopathology are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of primary human cellular responses to chlamydial stress response proteases and chlamydial infection to further identify the immune processes involved in serious disease sequelae.

Results

Laboratory cell cultures and primary human reproductive epithelial cultures produced IL-6 in response to chlamydial stress response proteases (CtHtrA and CtTsp), UV inactivated Chlamydia, and live Chlamydia. The magnitude of the IL-6 response varied considerably (up to 1000 pg ml-1) across different primary human reproductive cultures. Thus different levels of IL-6 production by reproductive epithelia may be a determinant in disease outcome. Interestingly, co-culture models with either THP-1 cells or autologous primary human PBMC generally resulted in increased levels of IL-6, except in the case of live Chlamydia where the level of IL-6 was decreased compared to the epithelial cell culture only, suggesting this pathway may be able to be modulated by live Chlamydia. PBMC responses to the stress response proteases (CtTsp and CtHtrA) did not significantly vary for the different participant cohorts. Therefore, these proteases may possess conserved innate PAMPs. MAP kinases appeared to be involved in this IL-6 induction from human cells. Finally, we also demonstrated that IL-6 was induced by these proteins and Chlamydia from mouse primary reproductive cell cultures (BALB/C mice) and mouse laboratory cell models.

Conclusions

We have demonstrated that IL-6 may be a key factor for the chlamydial disease outcome in humans, given that primary human reproductive epithelial cell culture showed considerable variation in IL-6 response to Chlamydia or chlamydial proteins, and that the presence of live Chlamydia (but not UV killed) during co-culture resulted in a reduced IL-6 response suggesting this response may be moderated by the presence of the organism.
Humoral and cellular responses to a non-adjuvanted monovalent H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine in hospital employees
Authors: Herrera Ma Teresa , Gonzalez Yolanda , Juárez Esmeralda , Hernández-Sánchez Fernando , Carranza Claudia , Sarabia Carmen , Guzman-Beltran Silvia , Manjarrez Ma Eugenia , Muñoz-Torrico Marcela , Garcia-Garcia Lourdes , Sada Eduardo , Torres Martha
Published: November 2013

Background

The efficacy of the H1N1 influenza vaccine relies on the induction of both humoral and cellular responses. This study evaluated the humoral and cellular responses to a monovalent non-adjuvanted pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine in occupationally exposed subjects who were previously vaccinated with a seasonal vaccine.

Methods

Sixty healthy workers from a respiratory disease hospital were recruited. Sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained prior to and 1 month after vaccination with a non-adjuvanted monovalent 2009 H1N1 vaccine (Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine Panenza, Sanofi Pasteur). Antibody titers against the pandemic A/H1N1 influenza virus were measured via hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and microneutralization assays. Antibodies against the seasonal HA1 were assessed by ELISA. The frequency of IFN-γ-producing cells as well as CD4+ and CD8+ T cell proliferation specific to the pandemic virus A/H1N peptides, seasonal H1N1 peptides and seasonal H3N2 peptides were assessed using ELISPOT and flow cytometry.

Results

At baseline, 6.7% of the subjects had seroprotective antibody titers. The seroconversion rate was 48.3%, and the seroprotection rate was 66.7%. The geometric mean titers (GMTs) were significantly increased (from 6.8 to 64.9, p < 0.05). Forty-nine percent of the subjects had basal levels of specific IFN-γ-producing T cells to the pandemic A/H1N1 peptides that were unchanged post-vaccination. CD4+ T cell proliferation in response to specific pandemic A/H1N1 virus peptides was also unchanged; in contrast, the antigen-specific proliferation of CD8+ T cells significantly increased post-vaccination.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that a cellular immune response that is cross-reactive to pandemic influenza antigens may be present in populations exposed to the circulating seasonal influenza virus prior to pandemic or seasonal vaccination. Additionally, we found that the pandemic vaccine induced a significant increase in CD8+ T cell proliferation.
Use of alternative and complementary therapies in labor and delivery care: a cross-sectional study of midwives’ training in Catalan hospitals accredited as centers for normal birth
Authors: Muñoz-Sellés Ester , Vallès-Segalés Antoni , Goberna-Tricas Josefina
Published: November 2013

Background

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and complementary and alternative therapies (CAT) during pregnancy is increasing. Scientific evidence for CAM and CAT in the field of obstetrics mainly covers pain relief in labor. Midwives are responsible for labor and delivery care: hence, their knowledge of CAM and CAT is important. The aims of this study are to describe the professional profile of midwives who provide care for natural childbirth in Catalan hospitals accredited as centers for normal birth, to assess midwives’ level of training in CAT and their use of these therapies, and to identify specific resources for CAT in labor wards.

Methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative method was used to assess the level of training and use of CAT by midwives working at 28 hospitals in Catalonia, Spain, accredited as public normal birth centers.

Results

Just under a third of midwives (30.4%) trained in CAT after completion of basic training. They trained in an average of 5.97 therapies (SD 3.56). The number of CAT in which the midwives were trained correlated negatively with age (r = - 0.284; p < 0.001) and with their time working at the hospital in years (r = - 0.136; p = 0.036). Midwives trained in CAT considered that the following therapies were useful or very useful for pain relief during labor and delivery: relaxation techniques (64.3%), hydrotherapy (84.8%) and the application of compresses to the perineum (75.9%). The availability of resources for providing CAT during normal birth care varied widely from center to center.

Conclusions

Age may influence attitudes towards training. It is important to increase the number of midwives trained in CAM for pain relief during childbirth, in order to promote the use of CAT and ensure efficiency and safety. CAT resources at accredited hospitals providing normal childbirth care should also be standardized.
Induction of pro-inflammatory response of the placental trophoblast by Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes and TNF
Authors: Vásquez Ana María , Segura Cesar , Blair Silvia
Published: November 2013

Background

Plasmodium falciparumplacental malaria is characterized by the sequestration of infected erythrocytes (IEs) in the placental intervillous space via adherence to chondroitin sulphate A (CSA), production of inflammatory molecules, and leukocytes infiltration. Previous reports suggest that the syncytiotrophoblast (ST) immunologically responds to IEs contact. This study explores the inflammatory response induced in BeWo cells by adherence of IEs and TNFstimulation.

Methods

A non-syncitialized BeWo cells (trophoblast model) were used to evaluate its response to CSA-adherents IEs (FCB1csa, FCB2csa, FCR3csa, 3D7csa) and TNF stimulation. Expression of membrane ICAM-1 (mICAM-1) receptor in BeWo cells was quantified by flow cytometry and the IL-8, IL-6 and soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) concentrations were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay (ELISA) in BeWo stimulated supernatants.

Results

BeWo cells stimulated with TNF and CSA-adherents IEs of FCB1csa and 3D7csa (strains with higher adhesion) increase the expression of ICAM-1 on the surface of cells and the secretion of immune factors IL-8, IL-6 and sICAM-1. This inflammatory response appears to be related to the level of adherence of IEs because less adherent strains do not induce significant changes.

Conclusions

It was found that BeWo cells responds to CSA-IEs and to TNF favouring a placental pro-inflammatory environment, evidenced by increases in the expression of membrane mICAM-1 and release of soluble ICAM-1, as well as the IL-8 and IL-6 secretion. The expression of ICAM-1 in BeWo cells might be associated to an increase in leukocyte adhesion to the trophoblast barrier, promoting greater inflammation, while the sICAM-1 release could be a protection mechanism activated by trophoblastic cells, in order to regulate the local inflammatory response.
Proteomic characterization of serine hydrolase activity and composition in normal urine
Authors: Navarrete Mario , Ho Julie , Krokhin Oleg , Ezzati Peyman , Rigatto Claudio , Reslerova Martina , Rush David N , Nickerson Peter , Wilkins John A
Published: November 2013

Background

Serine hydrolases constitute a large enzyme family involved in a diversity of proteolytic and metabolic processes which are essential for many aspects of normal physiology. The roles of serine hydrolases in renal function are largely unknown and monitoring their activity may provide important insights into renal physiology. The goal of this study was to profile urinary serine hydrolases with activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) and to perform an in-depth compositional analysis.

Methods

Eighteen healthy individuals provided random, mid-stream urine samples. ABPP was performed by reacting urines (n = 18) with a rhodamine-tagged fluorophosphonate probe and visualizing on SDS-PAGE. Active serine hydrolases were isolated with affinity purification and identified on MS-MS. Enzyme activity was confirmed with substrate specific assays. A complementary 2D LC/MS-MS analysis was performed to evaluate the composition of serine hydrolases in urine.

Results

Enzyme activity was closely, but not exclusively, correlated with protein quantity. Affinity purification and MS/MS identified 13 active serine hydrolases. The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and calcium channel (TRPV5) regulators, tissue kallikrein and plasmin were identified in active forms, suggesting a potential role in regulating sodium and calcium reabsorption in a healthy human model. Complement C1r subcomponent-like protein, mannan binding lectin serine protease 2 and myeloblastin (proteinase 3) were also identified in active forms. The in-depth compositional analysis identified 62 serine hydrolases in urine independent of activity state.

Conclusions

This study identified luminal regulators of electrolyte homeostasis in an active state in the urine, which suggests tissue kallikrein and plasmin may be functionally relevant in healthy individuals. Additional serine hydrolases were identified in an active form that may contribute to regulating innate immunity of the urinary tract. Finally, the optimized ABPP technique in urine demonstrates its feasibility, reproducibility and potential applicability to profiling urinary enzyme activity in different renal physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Successful management of trachea stenosis with massive substernal goiter via thacheobronchial stent
Authors: Piao Meihua , Yuan Ye , Wang Yanshu , Feng Chunsheng
Published: November 2013

A case of 65 year-old Chinese male patient with severe tracheal stenosis due to a massive substernal goiter, is presented. MRI and CT scan revealed that the massive substernal goiter was 9.3 × 6.1 × 4.7 cm in size, displacing the trachea and adjacent large vessels to the patient’s right contributing to severe intrathoracic trachea compression up to 6 cm in length and the narrowest caliber of the trachea only 3.0 mm in diameter. To the best of our knowledge, optimal airway management for the massive substernal goiter resection was considered to be temporary tracheobronchial stent placement pre-operation.
Insulin resistance determined by Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) and associations with metabolic syndrome among Chinese children and teenagers
Authors: Yin Jinhua , Li Ming , Xu Lu , Wang Ying , Cheng Hong , Zhao Xiaoyuan , Mi Jie
Published: November 2013

Objective

The aim of this study is to assess the association between the degree of insulin resistance and the different components of the metabolic syndrome among Chinese children and adolescents. Moreover, to determine the cut-off values for homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) at MS risk.

Methods

3203 Chinese children aged 6 to 18 years were recruited. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured. Metabolic syndrome (MS) was identified by a modified Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) definition. HOMA-IR index was calculated and the normal reference ranges were defined from the healthy participants. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to find the optimal cutoff of HOMA-IR for diagnosis of MS.

Results

With the increase of insulin resistance (quintile of HOMA-IR value), the ORs of suffering MS or its related components were significantly increased. Participants in the highest quintile of HOMA-IR were about 60 times more likely to be classified with metabolic syndrome than those in the lowest quintile group. Similarly, the mean values of insulin and HOMA-IR increased with the number of MS components. The present HOMA-IR cutoff point corresponding to the 95th percentile of our healthy reference children was 3.0 for whole participants, 2.6 for children in prepubertal stage and 3.2 in pubertal period, respectively. The optimal point for diagnosis of MS was 2.3 in total participants, 1.7 in prepubertal children and 2.6 in pubertal adolescents, respectively, by ROC curve, which yielded high sensitivity and moderate specificity for a screening test. According to HOMA-IR > 3.0, the prevalence of insulin resistance in obese or MS children were 44.3% and 61.6% respectively.

Conclusions

Our data indicates insulin resistance is common among Chinese obese children and adolescents, and is strongly related to MS risk, therefore requiring consideration early in life. As a reliable measure of insulin resistance and assessment of MS risk, the optimal HOMA-IR cut-off points in this cohort were developed with variation regarding puberty. HOMA-IR may be useful for early evaluating insulin resistance in children and teenagers and could have a long-term benefit of preventive and diagnostic therapeutic intervention.
Characterization of soil organic matter in perhumid natural cypress forest: comparison of humification in different particle-size fractions
Authors: Chen Jenn-Shing , Chung Tay-Lung , Tian Guanglong , Chiu Chih-Yu
Published: November 2013

Background

The Chamaecyparis forest is a valuable natural resource in eastern Asia. The characteristics of soil humic substances and the influence of environmental factors in natural Chamaecyparis forests in subtropical mountain regions are poorly understood. The study site of a perhumid Chamaecyparis forest is in the Yuanyang Lake Preserved Area in northcentral Taiwan. We collected samples from organic horizons (Oi, Oe and Oa) and from the surface horizon (O/A horizon) at the summit, footslope and lakeshore to characterize the composition of the soil organic matter. Samples of organic horizons were dried and ground, and those of the O/A horizon were passed through wet sieving for different particle-size fractions before analysis. The C chemical structure in the samples was determined with CP/MAS 13C NMR spectra.

Results

The ratios of alkyl-C/O-alkyl-C and aromaticity increased with decomposition of litter from the Oi, Oe, to Oa horizon. The ratio of alkyl-C/O-alkyl-C also increased from coarse (> 250 μm) to very fine (< 2 μm) particle fractions, which indicates increased humification of soil organic matter (SOM) in the fine-sized fractions. However, aromaticity tended to decrease with decreasing particle size, so it may not be useful in evaluating SOM humification of different particle-size fractions.

Conclusions

The humification degree of the samples from O horizons and different particle-size fractions of the O/A horizon showed no gradient change with change in topography. This prevalent slow decomposition of organic matter in these perhumid climate conditions may narrow the difference in humification from the summit to lakeshore.
Transcriptomic analysis of genetically defined autism candidate genes reveals common mechanisms of action
Authors: Lanz Thomas A , Guilmette Edward , Gosink Mark M , Fischer James E , Fitzgerald Lawrence W , Stephenson Diane T , Pletcher Mathew T
Published: November 2013

Background

Austism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous behavioral disorder or condition characterized by severe impairment of social engagement and the presence of repetitive activities. The molecular etiology of ASD is still largely unknown despite a strong genetic component. Part of the difficulty in turning genetics into disease mechanisms and potentially new therapeutics is the sheer number and diversity of the genes that have been associated with ASD and ASD symptoms. The goal of this work is to use shRNA-generated models of genetic defects proposed as causative for ASD to identify the common pathways that might explain how they produce a core clinical disability.

Methods

Transcript levels ofMecp2,Mef2a,Mef2d,Fmr1,Nlgn1,Nlgn3,Pten, andShank3were knocked-down in mouse primary neuron cultures using shRNA constructs. Whole genome expression analysis was conducted for each of the knockdown cultures as well as a mock-transduced culture and a culture exposed to a lentivirus expressing an anti-luciferase shRNA. Gene set enrichment and a causal reasoning engine was employed to identify pathway level perturbations generated by the transcript knockdown.

Results

Quantification of the shRNA targets confirmed the successful knockdown at the transcript and protein levels of at least 75% for each of the genes. After subtracting out potential artifacts caused by viral infection, gene set enrichment and causal reasoning engine analysis showed that a significant number of gene expression changes mapped to pathways associated with neurogenesis, long-term potentiation, and synaptic activity.

Conclusions

This work demonstrates that despite the complex genetic nature of ASD, there are common molecular mechanisms that connect many of the best established autism candidate genes. By identifying the key regulatory checkpoints in the interlinking transcriptional networks underlying autism, we are better able to discover the ideal points of intervention that provide the broadest efficacy across the diverse population of autism patients.
Decitabine alters the expression of Mecp2 isoforms via dynamic DNA methylation at the Mecp2 regulatory elements in neural stem cells
Authors: Liyanage Vichithra RB , Zachariah Robby M , Rastegar Mojgan
Published: November 2013

Background

Aberrant MeCP2 expression in brain is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism. In the brain of stressed mouse and autistic human patients, reduced MeCP2 expression is correlated with Mecp2/MECP2 promoter hypermethylation. Altered expression of MeCP2 isoforms (MeCP2E1 and MeCP2E2) is associated with neurological disorders, highlighting the importance of proper regulation of both isoforms. While known regulatory elements (REs) within the MECP2/Mecp2 promoter and intron 1 are involved in MECP2/Mecp2 regulation, Mecp2 isoform-specific regulatory mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesized that DNA methylation at these REs may impact the expression of Mecp2 isoforms.

Methods

We used a previously characterized in vitro differentiating neural stem cell (NSC) system to investigate the interplay between Mecp2 isoform-specific expression and DNA methylation at the Mecp2 REs. We studied altered expression of Mecp2 isoforms, affected by global DNA demethylation and remethylation, induced by exposure and withdrawal of decitabine (5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine). Further, we performed correlation analysis between DNA methylation at the Mecp2 REs and the expression of Mecp2 isoforms after decitabine exposure and withdrawal.

Results

At different stages of NSC differentiation, Mecp2 isoforms showed reciprocal expression patterns associated with minor, but significant changes in DNA methylation at the Mecp2 REs. Decitabine treatment induced Mecp2e1/MeCP2E1 (but not Mecp2e2) expression at day (D) 2, associated with DNA demethylation at the Mecp2 REs. In contrast, decitabine withdrawal downregulated both Mecp2 isoforms to different extents at D8, without affecting DNA methylation at the Mecp2 REs. NSC cell fate commitment was minimally affected by decitabine under tested conditions. Expression of both isoforms negatively correlated with methylation at specific regions of the Mecp2 promoter, both at D2 and D8. The correlation between intron 1 methylation and Mecp2e1 (but not Mecp2e2) varied depending on the stage of NSC differentiation (D2: negative; D8: positive).

Conclusions

Our results show the correlation between the expression of Mecp2 isoforms and DNA methylation in differentiating NSC, providing insights on the potential role of DNA methylation at the Mecp2 REs in Mecp2 isoform-specific expression. The ability of decitabine to induce Mecp2e1/MeCP2E1, but not Mecp2e2 suggests differential sensitivity of Mecp2 isoforms to decitabine and is important for future drug therapies for autism.
Prevalence and management of post-transplant anemia in long-term follow-up of Chinese kidney transplant recipients: a single-center report
Authors: Wu Zhixian , Guo Junqi , Liao Lianming , Wu Weizhen , Yang Shunliang , Tan Jianming
Published: November 2013

Background

Post-transplant anemia (PTA) has long been a less-recognized complication in kidney transplant recipients, and its prevalence also tends to be underestimated. This study sought to evaluate the prevalence, management, and risk factors of PTA from a group of long-term follow-up Chinese kidney transplant recipients.

Methods

One hundred and fifty-four adult kidney transplant recipients were followed up at Fuzhou General Hospital, China, and retrospectively studied.

Results

PTA prevalence at transplant and at 5-yearly time points after transplantation were 45.5%, 10.7%, 9.6%, 14.8%, 13.5%, and 19.6%, respectively. Overall, 38.3% of patients had been anemic at least once during the follow-up period, and 42% of these patients had recurrent anemia. Correlation analysis indicated that hemoglobin levels were associated with graft function. No correlations between anemia and age, gender, immunosuppressive regimens, or antihypertensive agents were observed. Binary logistic regression analysis suggested that serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were associated with the diagnosis of anemia at 1 year post-transplant. At 5 years post-transplant, only serum creatinine concentrations correlated with anemia. Although iron drugs are frequently used, erythropoietin was rarely administered in those anemic patients suffering poor graft function that necessitated such therapies.

Conclusions

The prevalence of PTA is noticeably high, and impaired kidney graft function seemed to be the major risk factor for anemia. There is an urgent need to improve current PTA management and to establish modified guidelines for this common complication in kidney transplant recipients.
Genome-wide expression profiles of subchondral bone in osteoarthritis
Authors: Chou Ching-Heng , Wu Chia-Chun , Song I-Wen , Chuang Hui-Ping , Lu Liang-Suei , Chang Jen-Huei , Kuo San-Yuan , Lee Chian-Her , Wu Jer-Yuarn , Chen Yuan-Tsong , Kraus Virginia Byers , Lee Ming Ta Michael
Published: November 2013

Introduction

The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the differences in gene expression profiles of normal and osteoarthritic (OA) subchondral bone in human subjects.

Methods

Following histological assessment of the integrity of overlying cartilage and the severity of bone abnormality by micro-computed tomography, we isolated total RNA from regions of interest from human OA (n = 20) and non-OA (n = 5) knee lateral tibial (LT) and medial tibial (MT) plateaus. A whole-genome profiling study was performed on an Agilent microarray platform and analyzed using Agilent GeneSpring GX11.5. Confirmatory quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was performed on samples from 9 OA individuals to confirm differential expression of 85 genes identified by microarray. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was used to investigate canonical pathways and immunohistochemical staining was performed to validate protein expression levels in samples.

Results

A total of 972 differentially expressed genes were identified (fold change ≥ ± 2, P ≤0.05) between LT (minimal degeneration) and MT (significant degeneration) regions from OA samples; these data implicated 279 canonical pathways in IPA. The qRT-PCR data strongly confirmed the accuracy of microarray results (R2 = 0.58, P <0.0001). Novel pathways were identified in this study including Periostin (POSTN) and Leptin (LEP), which are implicated in bone remodeling by osteoblasts.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the most comprehensive direct assessment to date of gene expression profiling in OA subchondral bone. This study provides insights that could contribute to the development of new biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for OA.
Meeting report: mitosis and nuclear structure
Authors: Meadows John C. , Graumann Katja , Platani Melpi , Schweizer Nina , Shimi Takeshi , Vagnarelli Paola , Gatlin Jesse C.
Published: November 2013

The Company of Biologists Workshop entitled ‘Mitosis and Nuclear Structure’ was held at Wiston House, West Sussex in June 2013. It provided a unique and timely opportunity for leading experts from different fields to discuss not only their own work but also its broader context. Here we present the proceedings of this meeting and several major themes that emerged from the crosstalk between the two, as it turns out, not so disparate fields of mitosis and nuclear structure. Co-chaired by Katherine Wilson (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD), Timothy Mitchison (Harvard University, Cambridge, MA) and Michael Rout (Rockefeller University, New York, NY), this workshop brought together a small group of scientists from a range of disciplines to discuss recent advances and connections between the areas of mitosis and nuclear structure research. Several early-career researchers (students, postdoctoral researchers, junior faculty) participated along with 20 senior scientists, including the venerable and affable Nobel Laureate Tim Hunt. Participants were encouraged to embrace unconventional thinking in the ‘scientific sandbox’ created by this unusual combination of researchers in the inspiring, isolated setting of the 16th-century Wiston House.
An unanticipated early function of DEAD-box ATPase Prp28 during commitment to splicing is modulated by U5 snRNP protein Prp8
Authors: Price Argenta M. , Görnemann Janina , Guthrie Christine , Brow David A.
Published: November 2013

The stepwise assembly of the highly dynamic spliceosome is guided by RNA-dependent ATPases of the DEAD-box family, whose regulation is poorly understood. In the canonical assembly model, the U4/U6.U5 triple snRNP binds only after joining of the U1 and, subsequently, U2 snRNPs to the intron-containing pre-mRNA. Catalytic activation requires the exchange of U6 for U1 snRNA at the 5′ splice site, which is promoted by the DEAD-box protein Prp28. Because Prp8, an integral U5 snRNP protein, is thought to be a central regulator of DEAD-box proteins, we conducted a targeted search in Prp8 for cold-insensitive suppressors of a cold-sensitive Prp28 mutant, prp28-1. We identified a cluster of suppressor mutations in an N-terminal bromodomain-like sequence of Prp8. To identify the precise defect in prp28-1 strains that is suppressed by the Prp8 alleles, we analyzed spliceosome assembly in vivo and in vitro. Surprisingly, in the prp28-1 strain, we observed a block not only to spliceosome activation but also to one of the earliest steps of assembly, formation of the ATP-independent commitment complex 2 (CC2). The Prp8 suppressor partially corrected both the early assembly and later activation defects of prp28-1, supporting a role for this U5 snRNP protein in both the ATP-independent and ATP-dependent functions of Prp28. We conclude that the U5 snRNP has a role in the earliest events of assembly, prior to its stable incorporation into the spliceosome.
Οπισθόφυλλο
Authors: Eranistes Eranistes
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Θουκυδίδης, Αρχαίοι μυθογράφοι. Δύο ματαιωμένα εκδοτικά σχέδια του Κοραή
Authors: Φραγκίσκος Εμμ. Ν.
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Οπισθοσέλιδα
Authors: Eranistes Eranistes
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Πρωτοσέλιδα
Authors: Eranistes Eranistes
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Εργογραφία Χ. Γ. Πατρινέλη
Authors: Eranistes Eranistes
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Ένας νέος λόγος καθαίρεσης θεσμοθετείται το 1593
Authors: Ευαγγέλου Γιούλη
Published: November 2013

UN MOTIF NOUVEAU DE DEPOSITION
INTRODUIT EN 1593

Le point de départ de cet article est la tentative de datation d’un acte patriarcal émis par le patriarche de Constantinople Jérémie II (1572-1579, 1580-1584, 1587-1595). Par cet acte, le patriarche convoque un synode à Salonique, où les évêques de l’Ouest et du Péloponnèse doivent se rendre et payer leurs contributions ecclésiastiques, faute de quoi ils seront déposés.
On montre que l’inconséquence fiscale des évêques envers le Patriarcat œcuménique fut introduite pour la première fois comme motif de déposition par un «tome synodal» émis pendant le synode plénier de Constantinople de 1593.
Ensuite, on examine les raisons qui rendirent cette mesure nécessaire pour l’autorité ecclésiastique, ainsi que sa portée et la procédure d’adaptation de la peine ultime de déposition des évêques aux exigences nouvelles de la période postbyzantine.
Enfin, on soutient que l’acte patriarcal de Jérémie II date de l’automne 1594.

JULIE EVANGELOU
Ιχνηλατήσεις στις σελίδες της αλληλογραφίας Κοραή
Authors: Φραγκίσκος Εμμ. Ν.
Published: November 2013

INVESTIGATIONS DANS LA CORRESPONDANCE DE CORAY

1.    Lieux communs dans la correspondance de Coray du début du XIXe siècle et dans sa brochure intitulée Dialogue entre deux Grecs (1805).
On repère dans les deux textes des passages de contenu commun et aux termes presque identiques, qui se réfèrent à trois sujets : 1. les conséquences graves de la défaite militaire russe face aux armées de Napoléon sur la question politique de la Grèce, les Russes étant devenus ainsi incapables de mettre fin à l’Empire ottoman ; 2. l’opinion inébranlable de Coray, pour qui la Grèce asservie au joug des Turcs gagnerait sa liberté pacifiquement et, dans un avenir lointain, par les armes de l’éducation et de la culture ; 3. la nécessité de répartir la richesse matérielle et spirituelle des nations selon les principes de la justice sociale.

2.    «Metakenosis» : aspects linguistiques et interprétatifs.
On examine l’origine du terme «metakenosis», utilisé pour la première fois en 1811 par Coray dans sa correspondance, et on propose une interprétation fondée sur des données grammaticales ainsi que sur l’opinion courante que les lettres et les arts cultivés et développés en Europe avaient leur source dans l’Antiquité grecque. Dès lors, il fallait revenir de nouveau vers la Grèce moderne afin de contribuer à sa régénération culturelle.

3.    La correspondance de Coray avec Félix Malzac, médecin à Castres, pendant la Révolution française.
On a essayé d’identifier un certain Malzac, médecin à Castres, mentionné pour la première fois en 1795 comme correspondant de Coray, avec la personne de Félix Malzac, docteur en médecine de l’université de Montpellier où il avait probablement connu Coray pendant son séjour là-bas, et de révéler les raisons qui ont animé leur amitié.

EMM. N. FRANGHISKOS
Παναγιώτου Σούτσου, Ποιήσεις, 1831. Βιβλιογραφικές διευκρινήσεις, χρονολόγηση της έκδοσης, και κάποιες αθησαύριστες πληροφορίες
Authors: Πολίτης Αλέξης
Published: November 2013

PANAGIOTIS SOUTSOS, POÉSIES, NAUPLIE 1831
Indications bibliographiques, datation de l’édition et quelques
renseignements complémentaires

On trouve deux tirages différents de cette édition ; dans quelques exemplaires, la page de titre et cinq ou six feuilles typographiques sont imprimées avec d’autres caractères que le corps du livre.
L’histoire de l’impression du volume peut nous donner des indications sur cette particularité. Selon toute probabilité, l’impression commença avant juin 1831 ; mais à cette date-là, Soutso quitta Nauplie pour rejoindre l’opposition à Capodistria. Quand il revint, il trouva à l’imprimerie les feuilles déjà imprimées et continua l’impression. Ce désordre peut expliquer le manque de quelques feuilletons quant commença la reliure, qui ne se faisait pas simultanément pour tous les exemplaires, mais au fur et à mesure qu’ils étaient achetés. Le livre ne fut complété qu’après mars 1832, année qui est sa date véritable.
L’article essaye aussi d’expliquer les informations contradictoires de l’auteur sur sa conception de l’idée centrale d’« Odoiporos ».

ALEXIS POLITIS
Ένα αυτόγραφο σημείωμα του Νικηφόρου Θεοτόκη από τη Λειψία
Authors: Μακρίδης Βασίλειος Ν.
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Μια κωνσταντινουπολίτικη βιβλιοθήκη στην Αθήνα. Τα βιβλία της Εξαρχίας των Ενωτικών
Authors: Φώσκολος π. Μάρκος
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Οπισθοσέλιδα
Authors: Eranistes Eranistes
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Ένα βιβλίο που λανθάνει: Χρήστου Σουγδουρή, Περί ποδαλγίας, Νίζνα 1780
Authors: Καραμπερόπουλος Δημήτριος Απ.
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Άλκης Αγγέλου, 1917-2001
Authors: Ασδραχάς Σπ. Ι.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ένα ακόμη μαθητικό τετράδιο του Ελευθέριου (Ευγένιου) Βούλγαρη
Authors: Τζιβάρα Παναγιώτα
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Η «Έκθεσις της Ταυρικής Χερσονήσου», ένα έργο του Ευγένιου Βούλγαρη πού έχει εκδοθεί
Authors: Αποστολόπουλος Δημήτρης Γ.
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Το ζήτημα της γλωσσομάθειας του Νικόδημου Αγιορείτη
Authors: Φραγκίσκος Εμμ. Ν.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ρήγας, ένας άλλος Τυρταίος στα μάτια του ευρωπαϊκού φιλελληνισμού
Authors: Δρούλια Λουκία
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Το πρωτότυπο του έργου “Επιστολή περιέχουσά τινας διακρίσεις εις το Ποίημα του Κυρίου Βολτέρ περί της καταστροφής της Λισβώνης”
Authors: Αποστολόπουλος Δ. Γ.
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Le Glaneur : Table des matières
Authors: Eranistes Eranistes
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Γύρω από τη διαθήκη της Ρωξάνδρας Μαυροκορδάτου (+ 1684). Νομικά και Φαναριώτικα
Authors: Αποστολόπουλος Δημήτρης Γ.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ανθρωπολογία και γνωσιοθεωρία στις απαρχές του 18ου αιώνος: Descartes και νεοελληνική σκέψη
Authors: Πέτσιος Κώστας Θ.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ρήγας και Montesquieu. Σκέψεις γύρω από μια μετάφραση που λανθάνει
Authors: Αποστολόπουλος Δημήτρης Γ.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Μαρτυρίες αναφορικά με τη χρονολόγηση γεγονότων του βίου του ιατροφιλοσόφου Γεώργιου Σακελλάριου
Authors: Καρανάσιος Χαρίτωνας
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Η έρευνα ως επιστημονικός όρος στον Αδαμάντιο Κοραή
Authors: Φραγκίσκος Εμμ. Ν.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Μια επιστολή σχετικά με τους Έλληνες της Βεγγάλης
Authors: Μακρίδης Βασίλειος Ν.
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Για το βαρέλι του Ρήγα
Authors: Πιτσάκης Κ. Γ.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Η «Γεωγραφία» του Διονυσίου Πύρρου και η αφιερωτική επιστολή του στον Κύριλλο ΣΤ΄
Authors: Λαγανάς Γεώργιος
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ευρετήριο
Authors: Μιχαηλάρης Π. Δ.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Τρεις ανέκδοτες επιστολές του Θεοφίλου Κορυδαλλέως και οι αριστοτελικές πηγές τους
Authors: Τσιότρας Βασ. Ι.
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Περιεχόμενα του εικοστού πρώτου τόμου
Authors: Eranistes Eranistes
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Η συμβολή του Λέανδρου Βρανούση στην έρευνα του Νεοελληνικού Διαφωτισμού. Εργογραφία
Authors: Eranistes Eranistes
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Αντί του έθνους η πόλη: Η ιστορία πριν από τα Φώτα
Authors: Καραπιδάκης Ν. Ε.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ένας πρόλογος του Σαμουήλ Γεωργιάδη (1787). Τω αναγιγνώσκοντι, Σαμουήλ Αθηναίος χαίρειν
Authors: Μπόμπου–Σταμάτη Βασιλική
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ο Adam Friedel αυτοβιογραφούμενος
Authors: Δημακοπούλου Χαρίκλεια Γ.
Published: November 2013

no abstract
Αντιλήψεις και θεωρίες για την μετάφραση στον 18ο αιώνα. Πρόδρομη ανακοίνωση
Authors: Ταμπάκη Άννα
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ο Γεώργιος Καλαράς και η «Ελληνική Νομαρχία»
Authors: Πατρινέλης Χ. Γ.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Γύρω από την παύση του πατριάρχη Γρηγορίου του ΣΤ΄ (1840). Νέες μαρτυρίες
Authors: Λούκος Χρ.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Μεταφράσεις έργων του Μολιέρου στη βιβλιοθήκη Νικολάου Καρατζά
Authors: Αποστολόπουλος Δ. Γ.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
«Φαναριώτικες» μεταφράσεις έργων του Μολιέρου. Το χφ. ΙΙΙ.284 της Βιβλιοθήκης «M. Eminescu» του Ιασίου
Authors: Ταμπάκη Άννα
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ο φανατισμός κατά τον Αθανάσιο Πάριο και τον Αδαμάντιο Κοραή
Authors: Μακρίδης Βασίλειος Ν.
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Ανέκδοτη επιστολή του Περδικάρη προς τον Άνθιμο Γαζή ή περί καλού και κακού τύπου και «κακορρίζικων» διορθωτών
Authors: Σταμπουλίδου Ελένη
Published: November 2013

No abstract
Δημήτριος Ραμαδάνης. Ένας ιστοριογράφος του 18ου αιώνα σε αφάνεια
Authors: Παΐζη–Αποστολοπούλου Μάχη
Published: November 2013

No abstract