bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Isokinetic Rotator Cuff Functional Ratios and the Development of Shoulder Injury in Collegiate Baseball Pitchers
Authors: Vogelpohl Rachele E. , Kollock Roger O.
Published: April 2015

Context:

Shoulder injury in baseball pitchers is a very common problem and has been linked to an imbalance in rotator cuff strength. Recently, the use of functional shoulder strength ratios has become more popular because they more closely resemble the actions of the shoulder during the throwing motion.

Objective:

To investigate the link between preseason shoulder rotator cuff functional strength ratios and the development of shoulder pain and injury.

Design:

Prospective research design.

Setting:

University human performance laboratory.

Patients:

Fifteen collegiate baseball pitchers participated in this study. At the end of the baseball season, six (19.5 ± 1.8 years, 73.6 ± 2.8 inches, 198.7 ± 19.1 lbs) developed shoulder injury and were placed in the injured group, and nine (21.0 ± 1.7 years, 73.1 ± 2.3 inches, 207.9 ± 28.1 lbs) did not develop injury and were placed in the noninjured group.

Interventions:

Isokinetic peak torque was collected concentrically and eccentrically for both shoulder internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) at 60°-s−1, 180°-s−1, and 300°-s−1.

Main Outcome Measure:

The following functional ratios were calculated from the peak torque measures: concentric ER: concentric IR; eccentric ER: eccentric IR; concentric ER: eccentric IR (cocking phase); and eccentric ER: concentric IR (acceleration phase). Analysis was conducted using an analysis of variance comparing the injured and noninjured groups. A secondary analysis was conducted using an analyses of variance on the concentric and eccentric peak torque for shoulder IR and ER between groups.

Results:

The acceleration phase functional shoulder ratio was significantly higher (p = .019) in the injured group and a concentric IR peak torque (p = .003) was significantly lower in the injured group compared with the noninjured group.

conclusion:

Increased acceleration phase ratios and decreased concentric IR peak torque may be linked to the development of shoulder injury during a baseball season.
An RNA polymerase III subunit determines sites of retrotransposon integration
Authors: Bridier-Nahmias Antoine , Tchalikian-Cosson Aurélie , Baller Joshua A. , Menouni Rachid , Fayol Hélène , Flores Amando , Saïb Ali , Werner Michel , Voytas Daniel F. , Lesage Pascale
Published: April 2015

Keeping jumping genes out of harm's way

The genomes of most eukaryotes, including our own, are jam-packed with parasitic mobile DNA elements. Most are nonfunctional remnants, but a few are still active, capable of jumping about in our DNA, potentially causing serious damage to our genes. Nevertheless, they avoid landing in and disrupting coding regions. For example, in yeast, the retrotransposon Ty1 is targeted away from protein genes to positions upstream of yeast RNA polymerase III genes. Bridier-Nahmias
et al.
show that Ty1 is targeted to these “safe havens” through an interaction between a Ty1-encoded protein that controls its genome jumping activity and a subunit of the yeast RNA polymerase III complex.

Science
, this issue p.
585
Nanophotonics: Shrinking light-based technology
Authors: Koenderink A. Femius , Alù Andrea , Polman Albert
Published: April 2015

The study of light at the nanoscale has become a vibrant field of research, as researchers now master the flow of light at length scales far below the optical wavelength, largely surpassing the classical limits imposed by diffraction. Using metallic and dielectric nanostructures precisely sculpted into two-dimensional (2D) and 3D nanoarchitectures, light can be scattered, refracted, confined, filtered, and processed in fascinating new ways that are impossible to achieve with natural materials and in conventional geometries. This control over light at the nanoscale has not only unveiled a plethora of new phenomena but has also led to a variety of relevant applications, including new venues for integrated circuitry, optical computing, solar, and medical technologies, setting high expectations for many novel discoveries in the years to come.
Embryo engineering study splits scientific community
Authors: Kaiser Jocelyn , Normile Dennis
Published: April 2015

First test of gene-editing technique on human embryos illustrates clinical risks.
Greece raids research funds to pay salaries
Authors: Cartlidge Edwin
Published: April 2015

Beleaguered scientists are spending reserves to protect them from confiscation.
Mechanical crack propagation drives millisecond daughter cell separation in
Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Zhou Xiaoxue , Halladin David K. , Rojas Enrique R. , Koslover Elena F. , Lee Timothy K. , Huang Kerwyn Casey , Theriot Julie A.
Published: April 2015

Pop goes the coccus

Daughter cell separation in
Staphylococcus aureus
proceeds much like the cracking of an egg. So say Zhou
et al.
, who examined dividing cells with millisecond precision using high-speed videomicroscopy. Rather than proceeding gradually, tiny imperfections in the mother cell wall were seen to crack open, leaving two daughter cells linked by a hinge.

Science
, this issue p.
574
Selective information routing by ventral hippocampal CA1 projection neurons
Authors: Ciocchi S. , Passecker J. , Malagon-Vina H. , Mikus N. , Klausberger T.
Published: April 2015

How the brain sorts and routes messages

How do higher brain areas communicate with each other? Do they send out all computations equally to all target areas and leave the recipient to extract the needed and relevant information? Or does the transmitting region package and route computations differentially to distinct target areas, depending on the content? Ciocchi
et al.
found that the ventral hippocampus routes anxiety-related information preferentially to the prefrontal cortex and goal-related information preferentially to the nucleus accumbens. Hippocampal neurons with multiple projections were more involved in a variety of behavioral tasks and in memory consolidation.

Science
, this issue p.
560
Accelerating extinction risk from climate change
Authors: Urban Mark C.
Published: April 2015

Predicting extinction in a changing world

There is great interest in understanding how species might respond to our changing climate, but predictions have varied greatly. Urban looked at over 130 studies to identify the level of risk that climate change poses to species and the specific traits and characteristics that contribute to risk (see the Perspective by Hille Ris Lambers). If climate changes proceed as expected, one in six species could face extinction. Several regions, including South America, Australia, and New Zealand, face the greatest risk. Understanding these patterns will help us to prepare for, and hopefully prevent, climate-related loss of biodiversity.

Science
, this issue p.
571
; see also p.
501
Observation of the Efimov state of the helium trimer
Authors: Kunitski Maksim , Zeller Stefan , Voigtsberger Jörg , Kalinin Anton , Schmidt Lothar Ph. H. , Schöffler Markus , Czasch Achim , Schöllkopf Wieland , Grisenti Robert E. , Jahnke Till , Blume Dörte , Dörner Reinhard
Published: April 2015

Helium caught in the act of triangulating

Helium is the noblest of noble gases, almost completely unattracted to itself or any other chemical element. Of course, when quantum mechanics comes into play, that “almost” is an inevitable caveat. For several decades, researchers have been intrigued by a theoretically predicted Efimov state composed of three helium atoms held loosely together in a triangle. Kunitski
et al.
now report experimental realization of that state and detection of its acute triangular geometry (see the Perspective by Kornilov). Beyond completing a long quest in helium studies, the results shed light on three-body physics more broadly.

Science
, this issue p.
551
; see also p.
498
Subnanoscale hydrophobic modulation of salt bridges in aqueous media
Authors: Chen Shuo , Itoh Yoshimitsu , Masuda Takuya , Shimizu Seishi , Zhao Jun , Ma Jing , Nakamura Shugo , Okuro Kou , Noguchi Hidenori , Uosaki Kohei , Aida Takuzo
Published: April 2015

Ions' response to hydrophobic surfaces

The strength of interactions between ions depends on their solvation environment. Schellman postulated in the 1950s that when aqueous solvated ions approached a hydrophobic surface (such as a parts of a protein surface), interactions between ions would be enhanced. Chen
et al.
experimentally tested this theory by studying the dissociation of organic ions bonded by salt bridges after the addition of acid. The ion pairs were held by tethers at different distances from hydrophobic surfaces. The salt bridge was stronger when it was closer to the hydrophobic surface.

Science
, this issue p.
555
Quantum optics: Science and technology in a new light
Authors: Walmsley I. A.
Published: April 2015

Light facilitates exploration of quantum phenomena that illuminate the basic properties of nature and also enables radical new technologies based on these phenomena. The critical features of quantum light that underpin the opportunities for discovery and application are exceptionally low noise and strong correlations. Rapid progress in both science and technology has been stimulated by adopting components developed for optical telecommunications and networking, such as highly efficient detectors, integrated photonic circuits, and waveguide- or nanostructure-based nonlinear optical devices. These provide the means to generate new quantum states of light and matter of unprecedented scale, containing many photons with quantum correlations across space and time. Notably, networks with only several tens of photons are already beyond what can be efficiently analyzed by current computers.
Comparison of Two Commercial Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus IgG Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays
Authors: Weissbach Fabian H. , Hirsch Hans H.
Published: April 2015

Despite the availability of protective vaccines, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infections have been increasingly reported to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in the past 2 decades. Since the diagnosis of TBEV exposure relies on serological testing, we compared two commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), i.e., Immunozym FSME IgG assay (ELISA-1) and Euroimmun FSME Vienna IgG assay (ELISA-2). Both assays use whole TBEV antigens, but they differ in viral strains (Neudoerfl for ELISA-1 and K23 for ELISA-2) and cutoff values. In testing of samples from 398 healthy blood donors, ELISA-1 showed higher reactivity levels than ELISA-2 (P< 0.001), suggesting different assay properties. This finding was supported by Bland-Altman analysis of the optical density at 450 nm (OD450) (mean bias, +0.32 [95% limits of agreement, −0.31 to +0.95]) and persisted after transformation into Vienna units. Concordant results were observed for 276 sera (69%) (44 positive and 232 negative results). Discordant results were observed for 122 sera (31%); 15 were fully discordant, all being ELISA-1 positive and ELISA-2 negative, and 107 were partially discordant (101 being ELISA-1 indeterminate and ELISA-2 negative and 6 having positive or indeterminate reactivity in both ELISAs). Neutralization testing at a 1:10 dilution yielded positive results for 33 of 44 concordant positive sera, 1 of 15 fully discordant sera, and 1 of 33 partially discordant sera. Indirect immunofluorescence testing revealed high antibody titers of ≥100 for yellow fever virus in 18 cases and for dengue virus in one case, suggesting that cross-reactivity contributed to the ELISA-1 results. We conclude that (i) cross-reactivity among flaviviruses remains a limitation of TBEV serological testing, (ii) ELISA-2 revealed reasonable sensitivity and specificity for anti-TBEV IgG population screening of human sera, and (iii) neutralization testing is most specific and should be reserved for selective questions.
Loss of Immunization-Induced Epitope-Specific CD4 T-Cell Response following Anaplasma marginale Infection Requires Presence of the T-Cell Epitope on the Pathogen and Is Not Associated with an Increase in Lymphocytes Expressing Known Regulatory Cell Phenotypes
Authors: Brown Wendy C. , Turse Joshua E. , Lawrence Paulraj K. , Johnson Wendell C. , Scoles Glen A. , Deringer James R. , Sutten Eric L. , Han Sushan , Norimine Junzo
Published: April 2015

We have shown that in cattle previously immunized with outer membrane proteins, infection withAnaplasma marginaleinduces a functionally exhausted CD4 T-cell response to theA. marginaleimmunogen. Furthermore, T-cell responses following infection in nonimmunized cattle had a delayed onset and were sporadic and transient during persistent infection. The induction of an exhausted T-cell response following infection presumably facilitates pathogen persistence. In the current study, we hypothesized that the loss of epitope-specific T-cell responses requires the presence of the immunizing epitope on the pathogen, and T-cell dysfunction correlates with the appearance of regulatory T cells. In limited studies in cattle, regulatory T cells have been shown to belong to γδ T-cell subsets rather than be CD4 T cells expressing forkhead box protein P3 (FoxP3). Cattle expressing the DRB3*1101 haplotype were immunized with a truncatedA. marginalemajor surface protein (MSP) 1a that contains a DRB3*1101-restricted CD4 T-cell epitope, F2-5B. Cattle either remained unchallenged or were challenged withA. marginalebacteria that express the epitope or withA. marginalesubsp.centralethat do not. Peripheral blood and spleen mononuclear cells were monitored for MSP1a epitope F2-5B-specfic T-cell proliferative responses and were stained for γδ T-cell subsets or CD4+CD25+FoxP3+T cells before and during infection. As hypothesized, the induction of T-cell exhaustion occurred only following infection withA. marginale, which did not correlate with an increase in either CD4+CD25+FoxP3+T cells or any γδ T-cell subset examined.
Assessment of Reproducibility of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Bacterial and Yeast Identification
Authors: Westblade Lars F. , Garner Omai B. , MacDonald Karen , Bradford Constance , Pincus David H. , Mochon A. Brian , Jennemann Rebecca , Manji Ryhana , Bythrow Maureen , Lewinski Michael A. , Burnham Carey-Ann D. , Ginocchio Christine C.
Published: April 2015

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) has revolutionized the identification of clinical bacterial and yeast isolates. However, data describing the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF MS for microbial identification are scarce. In this study, we show that MALDI-TOF MS-based microbial identification is highly reproducible and can tolerate numerous variables, including differences in testing environments, instruments, operators, reagent lots, and sample positioning patterns. Finally, we reveal that samples of bacterial and yeast isolates prepared for MALDI-TOF MS identification can be repeatedly analyzed without compromising organism identification.
Highly Pathogenic New World and Old World Human Arenaviruses Induce Distinct Interferon Responses in Human Cells
Authors: Huang Cheng , Kolokoltsova Olga A. , Yun Nadezhda E. , Seregin Alexey V. , Ronca Shannon , Koma Takaaki , Paessler Slobodan
Published: April 2015

The arenavirus family includes several important pathogens that cause severe and sometimes fatal diseases in humans. The highly pathogenic Old World (OW) arenavirus Lassa fever virus (LASV) is the causative agent of Lassa fever (LF) disease in humans. LASV infections in severe cases are generally immunosuppressive without stimulating interferon (IFN) induction, a proinflammatory response, or T cell activation. However, the host innate immune responses to highly pathogenic New World (NW) arenaviruses are not well understood. We have previously shown that the highly pathogenic NW arenavirus, Junin virus (JUNV), induced an IFN response in human A549 cells. Here, we report that Machupo virus (MACV), another highly pathogenic NW arenavirus, also induces an IFN response. Importantly, both pathogenic NW arenaviruses, in contrast to the OW highly pathogenic arenavirus LASV, readily elicited an IFN response in human primary dendritic cells and A549 cells. Coinfection experiments revealed that LASV could potently inhibit MACV-activated IFN responses even at 6 h after MACV infection, while the replication levels of MACV and LASV were not affected by virus coinfection. Our results clearly demonstrated that although all viruses studied herein are highly pathogenic to humans, the host IFN responses toward infections with the NW arenaviruses JUNV and MACV are quite different from responses to infections with the OW arenavirus LASV, a discovery that needs to be further investigated in relevant animal models. This finding might help us better understand various interplays between the host immune system and highly pathogenic arenaviruses as well as distinct mechanisms underlying viral pathogenesis.

IMPORTANCE
Infections of humans with the highly pathogenic OW LASV are accompanied by potent suppression of interferon or proinflammatory cytokine production. In contrast, infections with the highly pathogenic NW arenavirus JUNV are associated with high levels of IFNs and cytokines in severe and fatal cases. Arenaviruses initially target macrophages and dendritic cells, which are potent IFN/cytokine-producers. In human macrophages, JUNV reportedly does not trigger IFN responses. We here demonstrated that JUNV activated IFN responses in human dendritic cells. MACV, another highly pathogenic NW arenavirus, also activated IFN responses. LASV did not induce detectable IFN responses, in spite of higher replication levels, and blocked the MACV-triggered IFN response in a coinfection assay. Although these viruses are highly pathogenic to humans, our study highlights distinct innate immune responses to infections with the NW arenaviruses JUNV and MACV and to infection with the OW arenavirus LASV and provides important insights into the virus-host interaction and pathogenesis.
The Human Adenovirus Type 5 L4 Promoter Is Negatively Regulated by TFII-I and L4-33K
Authors: Wright Jordan , Atwan Zeenah , Morris Susan J. , Leppard Keith N.
Published: April 2015

The late phase of adenovirus gene expression is controlled by proteins made in the intermediate phase, including L4 proteins of 22,000- and 33,000-Da apparent molecular mass (L4-22K and -33K proteins) that are expressed initially from the L4 promoter (L4P). The L4P is activated by a combination of viral proteins and cellular p53 and is ultimately inhibited again by its own products. Here, we have examined the L4P of human adenovirus type 5 in detail and have defined its transcription start site, which our data suggest is positioned by a weak TATA box. Rather than contributing positively to promoter activity, a putative initiator element at the transcription start site acts as a target for negative regulation imposed on the L4P by cellular TFII-I. We show that this TFII-I inhibition is relieved by one of the previously defined viral activators of the L4P, the E4 Orf3 protein, which alters the pool of TFII-I in the cell. We also explore further the negative regulation of the L4P by its products and show that the L4-33K protein is more significant in this process than L4-22K. It is the combined actions of positive and negative factors that lead to the transient activation of the L4P at the onset of the late phase of adenovirus gene expression.

IMPORTANCE
The adenovirus replication cycle proceeds through multiple phases of gene expression in which a key step is the activation of late-phase gene expression to produce proteins from which progeny particles can be formed. Working with human adenovirus type 5, we showed previously that two proteins expressed from the L4 region of the viral genome perform essential roles in moving the infection on into the late phase; these two proteins are produced by the action of a dedicated promoter, the L4P, and without them the infection does not proceed successfully to progeny generation. In this new work, we delineate further aspects of L4P activity and regulation. Understanding how the L4P works, and how it contributes to activation of the late phase of infection, is important to our understanding of natural infections by the virus, in which late gene expression can fail to occur, allowing the virus to persist.
A Combined Genetic-Proteomic Approach Identifies Residues within Dengue Virus NS4B Critical for Interaction with NS3 and Viral Replication
Authors: Chatel-Chaix Laurent , Fischl Wolfgang , Scaturro Pietro , Cortese Mirko , Kallis Stephanie , Bartenschlager Marie , Fischer Bernd , Bartenschlager Ralf
Published: April 2015

Dengue virus (DENV) infection causes the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease worldwide. Approved vaccines are not available, and targets suitable for the development of antiviral drugs are lacking. One possible drug target is nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B), because it is absolutely required for virus replication; however, its exact role in the DENV replication cycle is largely unknown. With the aim of mapping NS4B determinants critical for DENV replication, we performed a reverse genetic screening of 33 NS4B mutants in the context of an infectious DENV genome. While the majority of these mutations were lethal, for several of them, we were able to select for second-site pseudoreversions, most often residing in NS4B and restoring replication competence. To identify all viral NS4B interaction partners, we engineered a fully viable DENV genome encoding an affinity-tagged NS4B. Mass spectrometry-based analysis of the NS4B complex isolated from infected cells identified the NS3 protease/helicase as a major interaction partner of NS4B. By combining the genetic complementation map of NS4B with a replication-independent expression system, we identified the NS4B cytosolic loop—more precisely, amino acid residue Q134—as a critical determinant for NS4B-NS3 interaction. An alanine substitution at this site completely abrogated the interaction and DENV RNA replication, and both were restored by pseudoreversions A69S and A137V. This strict correlation between the degree of NS4B-NS3 interaction and DENV replication provides strong evidence that this viral protein complex plays a pivotal role during the DENV replication cycle, hence representing a promising target for novel antiviral strategies.

IMPORTANCEWith no approved therapy or vaccine against dengue virus infection, the viral nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B) represents a possible drug target, because it is indispensable for virus replication. However, little is known about its precise structure and function. Here, we established the first comprehensive genetic interaction map of NS4B, identifying amino acid residues that are essential for virus replication, as well as second-site mutations compensating for their defects. Additionally, we determined the NS4B viral interactome in infected cells and identified the NS3 protease/helicase as a major interaction partner of NS4B. We mapped residues in the cytosolic loop of NS4B as critical determinants for interaction with NS3, as well as RNA replication. The strong correlation between NS3-NS4B interaction and RNA replication provides strong evidence that this complex plays a pivotal role in the viral replication cycle, hence representing a promising antiviral drug target.
Activation and Regulation of DNA-Driven Immune Responses
Authors: Paludan Søren R.
Published: April 2015

The innate immune system provides early defense against infections and also plays a key role in monitoring alterations of homeostasis in the body. DNA is highly immunostimulatory, and recent advances in this field have led to the identification of the innate immune sensors responsible for the recognition of DNA as well as the downstream pathways that are activated. Moreover, information on how cells regulate DNA-driven immune responses to avoid excessive inflammation is now emerging. Finally, several reports have demonstrated how defects in DNA sensing, signaling, and regulation are associated with susceptibility to infections or inflammatory diseases in humans and model organisms. In this review, the current literature on DNA-stimulated innate immune activation is discussed, and important new questions facing this field are proposed.
The cost-effectiveness of theMobileMumsintervention to increase physical activity among mothers with young children: a Markov model informed by a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Burn Edward , Marshall Alison L , Miller Yvette D , Barnett Adrian G , Fjeldsoe Brianna S , Graves Nicholas
Published: April 2015

Objectives

To determine the cost-effectiveness of theMobileMumsintervention.MobileMumsis a 12-week programme which assists mothers with young children to be more physically active, primarily through the use of personalised SMS text-messages.

Design

A cost-effectiveness analysis using a Markov model to estimate and compare the costs and consequences ofMobileMumsand usual care.

Setting

This study considers the cost-effectiveness ofMobileMumsin Queensland, Australia.

Participants

A hypothetical cohort of over 36 000 women with a child under 1 year old is considered. These women are expected to be eligible and willing to participate in the intervention in Queensland, Australia.

Data sources

The model was informed by the effectiveness results from a 9-month two-arm community-based randomised controlled trial undertaken in 2011 and registered retrospectively with the Australian Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000481976). Baseline characteristics for the model cohort, treatment effects and resource utilisation were all informed by this trial.

Main outcome measures

The incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) ofMobileMumscompared with usual care.

Results

The intervention is estimated to lead to an increase of 131 QALYs for an additional cost to the health system of 1.1 million Australian dollars (AUD). The expected incremental cost-effectiveness ratio forMobileMumsis 8608 AUD per QALY gained.MobileMumshas a 98% probability of being cost-effective at a cost-effectiveness threshold of 64 000 AUD. Varying modelling assumptions has little effect on this result.

Conclusions

At a cost-effectiveness threshold of 64 000 AUD,MobileMumswould likely be a cost-effective use of healthcare resources in Queensland, Australia.

Trial registration number

Australian Clinical Trials Registry; ACTRN12611000481976.
Chemokine co-receptor usage in HIV-1-infected treatment-naïve voluntary counselling and testing clients in Southern Taiwan
Authors: Tsai Hung-Chin , Chou Pei-Yun , Wann Shue-Ren , Lee Susan Shin-Jung , Chen Yao-Shen
Published: April 2015

Objective

The goal of this present study was to determine the proportion of CCR5-tropic and CXCR4-tropic viruses and impact of tropism test on clinical presentation, CD4 cell counts, viral load and genotypic drug resistance from drug-naïve, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) clients in southern Taiwan.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study. Plasma samples were collected from HIV-1-infected patients from January 2013 to December 2013; subjects were recruited from free VCT centres in southern Taiwan.

Setting

Taiwan.

Participants

Plasma samples from 108 HIV-1-infected, treatment-naïve, VCT clients were analysed. HIV-1 strains were sequenced, genotype resistance was determined by a commercial kit (Viro-seq) and co-receptor tropism (CRT) was predicted by an internet tool geno2pheno[coreceptor], with a 10% false-positive rate as the cut-off. Differences in progression markers, patient characteristics, VCT questionnaires and HIV subtype distribution were evaluated statistically.

Results

All the 108 VCT clients were male with 90% between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Eighty-eight per cent of the patients were men who have sex with men (MSM). The median (IQR) CD4 cell count was 342 cells/µL (221–454) and the viral load was 4.6 log (4.0–5.0). HIV-transmitted drug resistance was found in 9.3% (10/108) of the patients. CRT predictions indicated that 74% of the patients had only R5-tropic strains. CRT was not associated with CD4 cell counts, patient characteristics, VCT questionnaire and transmitted drug resistance. There was a significant difference with regard to viral load at the time of presentation, showing that patients with R5 more often had a higher viral load as compared with those with X4/DM strains (4.6±0.6 log vs 4.33±0.7 log, p=0.036).

Conclusions

We found that 74% of the VCT clients were infected with R5-tropic virus strains. HIV-transmitted drug resistance was not associated with CRT predictions. Higher viral load at presentation was predictive of R5 co-receptor usage.
Uncovering a missing demographic in trauma registries: epidemiology of trauma among American Indians and Alaska Natives in Washington State
Authors: Hoopes Megan J , Dankovchik Jenine , Weiser Thomas , Cheng Tabitha , Bigback Kristyn , Knaster Elizabeth S , Sugerman David E
Published: April 2015

Background

The objectives of this study were to evaluate racial misclassification in a statewide trauma registry and to describe the epidemiology of trauma among the Washington American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population.

Methods

We performed probabilistic record linkage between the Washington Trauma Registry (2005–2009) and Northwest Tribal Registry, a dataset of known AI/AN. AI/AN patients were compared with caucasians on demographic, injury and clinical outcome factors. A multivariable model estimated odds of mortality.

Results

Record linkage increased ascertainment of AI/AN cases in the trauma registry 71%, from 1777 to 3039 cases. Compared with caucasians, AI/AN trauma patients were younger (mean age=36 vs 47 years, p<0.001) and more commonly male (66.5% vs 61.2%, p<0.001). AI/AN experienced more intentional injuries (suicide or homicide: 20.1% vs 6.7%, p<0.001), a higher proportion of severe traumatic brain injury (20.7% vs 16.8%, p=0.004) and were less likely than caucasians to use safety equipment such as seat belts/airbags (53.9% vs 76.7%, p<0.001). ISSs were similar (ISS >15: 21.4% vs 20.5%, p=0.63), and no difference was observed in mortality after adjustment for covariates (p=0.58).

Conclusions

Linkage to a state trauma registry improved data quality by correcting racial misclassification, allowing for a comprehensive description of injury patterns for the AI/AN population. AI/AN sustained more severe injuries with similar postinjury outcomes to caucasians. Future efforts should focus on primary prevention for this population, including increased use of seat belts and child safety seats and reduction of interpersonal violence and suicide.
Are all RAS mutations the same? Coexisting KRAS and NRAS mutations in a caecal adenocarcinoma and contiguous tubulovillous adenoma
Authors: Vagaja N N , Parry J , McCallum D , Thomas M A , Bentel J M
Published: April 2015

Mutations of the human Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue (KRAS) and the highly homologous human neuroblastoma RAS viral oncogene homologue (NRAS) are associated with resistance to antiepidermal growth factor receptor therapies in patients with colorectal cancer. In this report, we describe a caecal adenocarcinoma that contains both KRAS c.35G>T (G12V) and NRAS c.34G>A (G12S) mutations. The adenocarcinoma arises from a contiguous high-grade tubulovillous adenoma, which also carries the identicalKRASandNRASmutations, supporting their common origin. WhileKRASmutations are common in colorectal cancers,NRASmutations are relatively rare and the coexistence of multiple RAS mutations is not documented, presumably reflecting similar functions of wild-type and mutant forms of RAS. Recent experimental evidence has suggested that KRAS and NRAS may in fact mediate distinct biological processes in the colon, and this unusual case potentially illustrates the hypothesis clinically. Characterisation of the diverse and divergent functions of RAS family members and mutant forms of RAS in the colon form important considerations for the development of RAS-targeting therapeutics.
Dose monitoring in particle therapy
Authors: Faccini Riccardo , Patera Vincenzo
Published: April 2015

Ion therapy is an emerging technique used for the treatment of solid cancers. The monitoring of the dose delivered during such treatments and the on-line knowledge of the Bragg Peak (BP) position is still a matter of research. This paper reviews the current understanding of which radiation is produced during the interaction of the beam with the patient, the corresponding techniques developed to detect it and the level of understanding of the conversion between the emission spectra and the dose profile. It also performs a comparison between the different approaches.
Supernova bounds on keV-mass sterile neutrinos
Authors: Zhou Shun
Published: April 2015

Sterile neutrinos of keV masses are one of the most promising candidates for the warm dark matter, which could solve the small-scale problems encountered in the scenario of cold dark matter. We present a detailed study of the production of such sterile neutrinos in a supernova core, and derive stringent bounds on the active-sterile neutrino mixing angles and sterile neutrino masses based on the standard energy-loss argument.
Resolving the multiple sequence alignment problem using biogeography-based optimization with multiple populations
Authors: Zemali El-Amine , Boukra Abdelmadjid
Published: April 2015

The multiple sequence alignment (MSA) is one of the most challenging problems in bioinformatics, it involves discovering similarity between a set of protein or DNA sequences. This paper introduces a new method for the MSA problem called biogeography-based optimization with multiple populations (BBOMP). It is based on a recent metaheuristic inspired from the mathematics of biogeography named biogeography-based optimization (BBO). To improve the exploration ability of BBO, we have introduced a new concept allowing better exploration of the search space. It consists of manipulating multiple populations having each one its own parameters. These parameters are used to build up progressive alignments allowing more diversity. At each iteration, the best found solution is injected in each population. Moreover, to improve solution quality, six operators are defined. These operators are selected with a dynamic probability which changes according to the operators efficiency. In order to test proposed approach performance, we have considered a set of datasets from Balibase 2.0 and compared it with many recent algorithms such as GAPAM, MSA-GA, QEAMSA and RBT-GA. The results show that the proposed approach achieves better average score than the previously cited methods.
Effect of melting heat transfer on peristalsis in the presence of thermal radiation and Joule heating
Authors: Hayat T. , Rafiq Maimona , Ahmad B. , Yasmin H.
Published: April 2015

Mathematical model is developed for peristaltic flow of viscous fluid through a compliant wall channel subject to melting heat transfer. Fluid is incompressible and magnetohydrodynamic. Analysis has been performed in the presence of Joule heating and thermal radiation. Solutions for small wave number are obtained. Physical quantities of interest are examined for various parameters of interest.
Symmetry Lie algebras and properties of linear ordinary differential equations with maximal dimension
Authors: Folly-Gbetoula Mensah , Kara A. H.
Published: April 2015

Solutions of linear iterative equations and expressions for these solutions in terms of the parameters of the first-order source equation are obtained. Based on certain properties of iterative equations, finding the solutions is reduced to finding solutions of the second-order source equation. We have therefore found classes of solutions to the source equations by letting the parameters of the source equation be functions of a specific type such as monomials, functions of exponential and logarithmic type.
A 2D Markerless Gait Analysis Methodology: Validation on Healthy Subjects
Authors: Castelli Andrea , Paolini Gabriele , Cereatti Andrea , Della Croce Ugo
Published: April 2015

A 2D markerless technique is proposed to perform lower limb sagittal plane kinematic analysis using a single video camera. A subject-specific, multisegmental model of the lower limb was calibrated with the subject in an upright standing position. Ankle socks and underwear garments were used to track the feet and pelvis segments, whereas shank and thigh segments were tracked by means of reference points identified on the model. The method was validated against a marker based clinical gait model. The accuracy of the spatiotemporal parameters estimation was found suitable for clinical use (errors between 1% and 3% of the corresponding true values). Comparison analysis of the kinematics patterns obtained with the two systems revealed high correlation for all the joints(0.82<R2<0.99). Differences between the joint kinematics estimates ranged from 3.9 deg to 6.1 deg for the hip, from 2.7 deg to 4.4 deg for the knee, and from 3.0 deg to 4.7 deg for the ankle. The proposed technique allows a quantitative assessment of the lower limb motion in the sagittal plane, simplifying the experimental setup and reducing the cost with respect to traditional marker based gait analysis protocols.
Surgical Treatment for Profunda Femoris Artery Aneurysms: Five Case Reports
Authors: Igari Kimihiro , Kudo Toshifumi , Toyofuku Takahiro , Inoue Yoshinori
Published: April 2015

Profunda femoris artery aneurysm (PFAA) is an extremely rare entity, with most cases being asymptomatic, which makes obtaining an early diagnosis difficult. We herein report a case series of PFAA, in which more than half of the PFAAs, which presented with no clinical symptoms, were discovered incidentally. All PFAAs were treated surgically with aneurysmectomy with or without vascular reconstruction. In cases involving a patent superficial femoral artery (SFA), graft replacement of the profunda femoris artery (PFA) is not mandatory; however, preserving the blood flow of the PFA is necessary to maintain lower extremity perfusion in patients with occlusion of the SFA. Therefore, the treatment of PFAAs should include appropriate management of both the aneurysmectomy and graft replacement, if possible.
Overexpression of Growth-Related Oncogene-βIs Associated with Tumorigenesis, Metastasis, and Poor Prognosis in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Ye Qing , Zhai Xiaolu , Wang Wei , Zhang Shu , Zhu Huijun , Wang Di , Wang Chenyi
Published: April 2015

Background. Growth-related oncogene- (GRO-)βis a member of the CXC chemokine family, which may mediate various functions, such as attracting neutrophils to sites of inflammation, regulating angiogenesis, and participating in tumorigenesis and progression. However, the expression of GRO-βin ovarian cancer and its relationship to the clinical characteristics of this disease remain poorly understood.Methods. In this study, immunohistochemical analysis using tissue microarray (TMA) was employed to evaluate the expression of GRO-βin ovarian cancer and to contrast expression with normal ovarian epithelial cells and oviduct epithelial cells. Next, we observed the correlation between GRO-βexpression and clinicopathological features of ovarian cancer as well as patient outcome.Results. High GRO-βcytoplasmic expression was observed in 55.15% of patients with ovarian cancer, which was related to lymph node or other metastases (P<0.001), ascites (P=0.027), and International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FIGO) stage (P=0.032). Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analysis revealed that high GRO-βexpression (P=0.002) and high CA19-9 level (P=0.003) were independent prognostic indicators of poor outcome in ovarian cancer.Conclusions. Overall, high GRO-βexpression correlates with poor prognosis and contributes to ovarian cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis.
Dynamic Changes, Cut-Off Points, Sensitivity, and Specificity of Laboratory Data to Differentiate Macrophage Activation Syndrome from Active Disease
Authors: Assari Raheleh , Ziaee Vahid , Mirmohammadsadeghi Arash , Moradinejad Mohammad-Hassan
Published: April 2015

Purpose. To compare the laboratory data and changes in these data between patients with MAS and patients with flare-up of the autoimmune diseases.Methods. In a prospective study, the static laboratory data and dynamic changes in the selected data in 17 consecutive patients with MAS and 53 patients with active disease of SJIA, PJIA, Kawasaki disease, and SLE were compared. The ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate cut-off points, sensitivity, and specificity of the static and dynamic laboratory data to differentiate between MAS and active disease.Results. In the MAS group, the mean CRP3, ALT, AST, total bilirubin, ferritin, LDH, PT, PTT, and INR were significantly higher and the mean WBC2, PMN2, Lymph2, Hgb1, 2, 3, ESR2, serum albumin, and sodium were significantly lower than in control group. Some of the important cut-off points were PLT2 < 209000/microliter, AST > 38.5, ALT > 38, WBC < 8200 × 103/UL, ferritin > 5277 ng/mL.Conclusion. The dynamic changes in some laboratory data, especially PLT, can differentiate between MAS and active disease. The changes in WBC, PMN, and ESR and the levels of the liver enzymes may also be helpful in the early differentiation. Very high levels of ferritin may also help the diagnosis along with other clinical and laboratory signs.
Some Aspects of Nonbeverage Alcohol Consumption in the Former Soviet Union
Authors: Jargin S. V.
Published: April 2015

Toxicity of some legally sold alcoholic beverages has contributed to enhanced mortality in Russia since 1990. Widespread drunkenness during the early 1990s facilitated privatization of economy: workers and some intelligentsia did not oppose privatizations because of drunkenness and involvement in illegal activities. Apparently, alcohol consumption and heavy binge drinking have been decreasing in Russia since approximately the last decade. Exaggeration of alcohol-related problems tends to veil shortages of the health care system. There are motives to exaggerate consumption of nonbeverage alcohol in order to veil the problem of toxicity of some legally sold beverages. It is essential to distinguish between legally and illegally sold rather than between recorded and unrecorded alcohol because sales of poor-quality alcoholic beverages in legally operating shops and kiosks occurred generally with knowledge of authorities.
HEC-MAC: A Hybrid Energy-Aware Cross-Layer MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Mainetti Luca , Mighali Vincenzo , Patrono Luigi
Published: April 2015

Wireless Sensor Networks are a key element of the Internet of Things since they are one of the most interesting pervasive systems. However, they are battery-powered, so energy efficiency represents one of the primary design challenges to address. This goal can be primarily achieved through an optimization of the communication procedure, which is the most power-consuming component of a WSN node. Nevertheless, the poor resources of the embedded devices usually limit the complexity of protocol solutions, which thus are not sufficient to reach satisfactory results. For this reason, the current trend aims at integrating both hardware and software solutions. In this work, a cross-layer solution, based on the combined use of a duty-cycling MAC protocol and a reconfigurable beam-steering antenna, is presented and validated. It significantly reduces the nodes' power consumption by exploiting scheduling techniques and directional communications. Specifically, a MAC scheduler manages the activation of the antenna sectors based on information coming from both MAC and network layers. This way, node awakenings occur only when an actual communication has to take place and only the interested antenna sector is activated. The effectiveness of the proposed cross-layer approach has been evaluated through OMNeT++ simulation tool.
Cutaneous and Skeletal Simultaneous Locations as a Rare Clinical Presentation of Tuberculosis
Authors: Pereira Aida , Miranda Ana , Santo Frederico E. , Fernandes Pedro
Published: April 2015

Tuberculosis is a resurgent disease in most regions of the world, infecting one-third of the world’s population and having a multisystemic involvement. Incidence of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis has increased in the last few decades as a result of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. The authors report a clinical case of the rare concomitant cutaneous and skeletal tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient transferred from endemic area.
Application of Neural Network Modeling to Identify Auditory Processing Disorders in School-Age Children
Authors: Krishnamurti Sridhar
Published: April 2015

P300 Auditory Event-Related Potentials (P3AERPs) were recorded in nine school-age children with auditory processing disorders and nine age- and gender-matched controls in response to tone burst stimuli presented at varying rates (1/second or 3/second) under varying levels of competing noise (0 dB, 40 dB, or 60 dB SPL). Neural network modeling results indicated that speed of information processing and task-related demands significantly influenced P3AERP latency in children with auditory processing disorders. Competing noise and rapid stimulus rates influenced P3AERP amplitude in both groups.
A Discrete Event System Approach to Online Testing of Speed Independent Circuits
Authors: Biswal P. K. , Mishra K. , Biswas S. , Kapoor H. K.
Published: April 2015

With the increase in soft failures in deep submicron ICs, online testing is becoming an integral part of design for testability. Some techniques for online testing of asynchronous circuits are proposed in the literature, which involves development of a checker that verifies the correctness of the protocol. This checker involves Mutex blocks making its area overhead quite high. In this paper, we have adapted the Theory of Fault Detection and Diagnosis available in the literature on Discrete Event Systems to online testing of speed independent asynchronous circuits. The scheme involves development of a state based model of the circuit, under normal and various stuck-at fault conditions, and finally designing state estimators termed as detectors. The detectors monitor the circuit online and determine whether it is functioning in normal/failure mode. The main advantages are nonintrusiveness and low area overheads compared to similar schemes reported in the literature.
Insulin Resistance-Associated Interhemispheric Functional Connectivity Alterations in T2DM: A Resting-State fMRI Study
Authors: Xia Wenqing , Wang Shaohua , Spaeth Andrea M. , Rao Hengyi , Wang Pin , Yang Yue , Huang Rong , Cai Rongrong , Sun Haixia
Published: April 2015

We aim to investigate whether decreased interhemispheric functional connectivity exists in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). In addition, we sought to determine whether interhemispheric functional connectivity deficits associated with cognition and insulin resistance (IR) among T2DM patients. We compared the interhemispheric resting state functional connectivity of 32 T2DM patients and 30 healthy controls using rs-fMRI. Partial correlation coefficients were used to detect the relationship between rs-fMRI information and cognitive or clinical data. Compared with healthy controls, T2DM patients showed bidirectional alteration of functional connectivity in several brain regions. Functional connectivity values in the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and in the superior frontal gyrus were inversely correlated with Trail Making Test-B score of patients. Notably, insulin resistance (log homeostasis model assessment-IR) negatively correlated with functional connectivity in the MTG of patients. In conclusion, T2DM patients exhibit abnormal interhemispheric functional connectivity in several default mode network regions, particularly in the MTG, and such alteration is associated with IR. Alterations in interhemispheric functional connectivity might contribute to cognitive dysfunction in T2DM patients.