bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Responses of non-eye movement central vestibular neurons to sinusoidal horizontal translation in compensated macaques after unilateral labyrinthectomy
Authors: Newlands Shawn D. , Lin Nan , Wei Min
Published: April 2014

After vestibular labyrinth injury, behavioral deficits partially recover through the process of vestibular compensation. The present study was performed to improve our understanding of the physiology of the macaque vestibular system in the compensated state (>7 wk) after unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL). Three groups of vestibular nucleus neurons were included: pre-UL control neurons, neurons ipsilateral to the lesion, and neurons contralateral to the lesion. The firing responses of neurons sensitive to linear acceleration in the horizontal plane were recorded during sinusoidal horizontal translation directed along six different orientations (30° apart) at 0.5 Hz and 0.2 g peak acceleration (196 cm/s2). This data defined the vector of best response for each neuron in the horizontal plane, along which sensitivity, symmetry, detection threshold, and variability of firing were determined. Additionally, the responses of the same cells to translation over a series of frequencies (0.25–5.0 Hz) either in the interaural or naso-occipital orientation were obtained to define the frequency response characteristics in each group. We found a decrease in sensitivity, increase in threshold, and alteration in orientation of best responses in the vestibular nuclei after UL. Additionally, the phase relationship of the best neural response to translational stimulation changed with UL. The symmetry of individual neuron responses in the excitatory and inhibitory directions was unchanged by UL. Bilateral central utricular neurons still demonstrated two-dimension tuning after UL, consistent with spatio-temporal convergence from a single vestibular end-organ. These neuronal data correlate with known behavioral deficits after unilateral vestibular compromise.
Testosterone Deficiency, Cardiac Health, and Older Men
Authors: Hackett G. , Kirby M. , Sinclair A. J.
Published: April 2014

Low levels of testosterone are manifested by erectile dysfunction, reduced sexual desire, and loss of morning erections with increasing numbers of men are being diagnosed and require treatment. The prevalence rates of testosterone deficiency vary according to different studies but may be as high as 40% in populations of patients with type 2 diabetes. There is increasing evidence that testosterone deficiency is associated with increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Screening for low testosterone is recommended in a number of high risk groups including those with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. There are recent data to suggest that testosterone replacement therapy may reduce cardiovascular mortality as well as improving multiple surrogate markers for cardiovascular events. Specific clinical trials of testosterone replacement therapy are needed in selected populations but in the meantime we must treat patients based on the best current evidence.
Association of Immunological Cell Profiles with Specific Clinical Phenotypes of Scleroderma Disease
Authors: López-Cacho José Manuel , Gallardo Soledad , Posada Manuel , Aguerri Miriam , Calzada David , Mayayo Teodoro , González-Rodríguez María Luisa , Rabasco Antonio María , Lahoz Carlos , Cárdaba Blanca
Published: April 2014

This study aimed to search the correlation among immunological profiles and clinical phenotypes of scleroderma in well-characterized groups of scleroderma patients, comparing forty-nine scleroderma patients stratified according to specific clinical phenotypes with forty-nine healthy controls. Five immunological cell subpopulations (B, CD4+and CD8+T-cells, NK, and monocytes) and their respective stages of apoptosis and activation were analyzed by flow cytometry, in samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Analyses of results were stratified according to disease stage, time since the diagnosis, and visceral damage (pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and cardiac affliction) and by time of treatment with corticosteroids. An increase in the percentages of monocytes and a decrease in the B cells were mainly related to the disease progression. A general apoptosis decrease was found in all phenotypes studied, except in localized scleroderma. An increase of B and NK cells activation was found in patients diagnosed more than 10 years ago. Specific cell populations like monocytes, NK, and B cells were associated with the type of affected organ. This study shows how, in a heterogeneous disease, proper patient’s stratification according to clinical phenotypes allows finding specific cellular profiles. Our data may lead to improvements in the knowledge of prognosis factors and to aid in the analysis of future specific therapies.
Phylogenetic Analysis ofStenotrophomonasspp. Isolates Contributes to the Identification of Nosocomial and Community-Acquired Infections
Authors: Cerezer Vinicius Godoy , Bando Silvia Yumi , Pasternak Jacyr , Franzolin Marcia Regina , Moreira-Filho Carlos Alberto
Published: April 2014

Stenotrophomonasssp. has a wide environmental distribution and is also found as an opportunistic pathogen, causing nosocomial or community-acquired infections. One species,S. maltophilia, presents multidrug resistance and has been associated with serious infections in pediatric and immunocompromised patients. Therefore, it is relevant to conduct resistance profile and phylogenetic studies in clinical isolates for identifying infection origins and isolates with augmented pathogenic potential. Here, multilocus sequence typing was performed for phylogenetic analysis of nosocomial isolates ofStenotrophomonasspp. and, environmental and clinical strains ofS. maltophilia. Biochemical and multidrug resistance profiles of nosocomial and clinical strains were determined. The inferred phylogenetic profile showed high clonal variability, what correlates with the adaptability process ofStenotrophomonasto different habitats. Two clinical isolates subgroups ofS. maltophiliasharing high phylogenetic homogeneity presented intergroup recombination, thus indicating the high permittivity to horizontal gene transfer, a mechanism involved in the acquisition of antibiotic resistance and expression of virulence factors. For most of the clinical strains, phylogenetic inference was made using only partialppsA gene sequence. Therefore, the sequencing of just one specific fragment of this gene would allow, in many cases, determining whether the infection withS. maltophiliawas nosocomial or community-acquired.
Composition Operators in Hyperbolic Bloch-Type andFp,q,sSpaces
Authors: Kotilainen Marko , Pérez-González Fernando
Published: April 2014

Composition operatorsCφfrom Bloch-typeℬαspaces toFp,q,sclasses, fromFp,q,stoℬα, and fromFp1,q1,0toFp2,q2,s2are considered. The criteria for these operators to be bounded or compact are given. Our study also includes the corresponding hyperbolic spaces.
Investors’ Risk Preference Characteristics Based on Different Reference Point
Authors: Wen Fenghua , He Zhifang , Gong Xu , Liu Aiming
Published: April 2014

Taking the stock market as a whole object, we assume that prior losses and gains are two different factors that can influence risk preference separately. The two factors are introduced as separate explanatory variables into the time-varying GARCH-M (TVRA-GARCH-M) model. Then, we redefine prior losses and gains by selecting different reference point to study investors’ time-varying risk preference. The empirical evidence shows that investors’ risk preference is time varying and is influenced by previous outcomes; the stock market as a whole exhibits house money effect; that is, prior gains can decrease investors’ risk aversion while prior losses increase their risk aversion. Besides, different reference points selected by investors will cause different valuation of prior losses and gains, thus affecting investors’ risk preference.
Research on Dynamic Routing Mechanisms in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Zhao A. Q. , Weng Y. N. , Lu Y. , Liu C. Y.
Published: April 2014

WirelessHART is the most widely applied standard in wireless sensor networks nowadays. However, it does not provide any dynamic routing mechanism, which is important for the reliability and robustness of the wireless network applications. In this paper, a collection tree protocol based, dynamic routing mechanism was proposed for WirelessHART network. The dynamic routing mechanism was evaluated through several simulation experiments in three aspects: time for generating the topology, link quality, and stability of network. Besides, the data transmission efficiency of this routing mechanism was analyzed. The simulation and evaluation results show that this mechanism can act as a dynamic routing mechanism for the TDMA-based wireless sensor network.
Laboratory Assessment of Select Methods of Corrosion Control and Repair in Reinforced Concrete Bridges
Authors: Pritzl Matthew D. , Tabatabai Habib , Ghorbanpoor Al
Published: April 2014

Fourteen reinforced concrete laboratory test specimens were used to evaluate a number of corrosion control (CoC) procedures to prolong the life of patch repairs in corrosion-damaged reinforced concrete. These specimens included layered mixed-in chlorides to represent chloride contamination due to deicing salts. All specimens were exposed to accelerated corrosion testing for three months, subjected to patch repairs with various treatments, and further subjected to additional three months of exposure to accelerated corrosion. The use of thermal sprayed zinc, galvanic embedded anodes, epoxy/polyurethane coating, acrylic coating, and an epoxy patch repair material was evaluated individually or in combination. The specimens were assessed with respect to corrosion currents (estimated mass loss), chloride ingress, surface rust staining, and corrosion of the reinforcing steel observed after dissection. Results indicated that when used in patch repair applications, the embedded galvanic anode with top surface coating, galvanic thermal sprayed zinc, and galvanic thermal sprayed zinc with surface coating were more effective in controlling corrosion than the other treatments tested.
Finite-TimeH∞Control for Discrete-Time Markov Jump Systems with Actuator Saturation
Authors: Li Bo , Zhao Junjie
Published: April 2014

This paper investigates the finite-time control problem for discrete-time Markov jump systems subject to saturating actuators. A finite-state Markovian process is given to govern the transition of the jumping parameters. The finite-timeH∞controller via state feedback is designed to guarantee that the resulting system is mean-square locally asymptotically finite-time stabilizable. Based on stochastic finite-time stability analysis, sufficient conditions that ensure stochastic control performance of discrete-time Markov jump systems are derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Interactions of NeuropathogenicEscherichia coliK1 (RS218) and Its Derivatives Lacking Genomic Islands with PhagocyticAcanthamoeba castellaniiand Nonphagocytic Brain Endothelial Cells
Authors: Yousuf Farzana Abubakar , Yousuf Zuhair , Iqbal Junaid , Siddiqui Ruqaiyyah , Khan Hafsa , Khan Naveed Ahmed
Published: April 2014

Here we determined the role of various genomic islands inE. coliK1 interactions with phagocyticA. castellaniiand nonphagocytic brain microvascular endothelial cells. The findings revealed that the genomic islands deletion mutants of RS218 related to toxins (peptide toxin,α-hemolysin), adhesins (P fimbriae, F17-like fimbriae, nonfimbrial adhesins, Hek, and hemagglutinin), protein secretion system (T1SS for hemolysin), invasins (IbeA, CNF1), metabolism (D-serine catabolism, dihydroxyacetone, glycerol, and glyoxylate metabolism) showed reduced interactions with bothA. castellaniiand brain microvascular endothelial cells. Interestingly, the deletion of RS218-derived genomic island 21 containing adhesins (P fimbriae, F17-like fimbriae, nonfimbrial adhesins, Hek, and hemagglutinin), protein secretion system (T1SS for hemolysin), invasins (CNF1), metabolism (D-serine catabolism) abolishedE. coliK1-mediated HBMEC cytotoxicity in a CNF1-independent manner. Therefore, the characterization of these genomic islands should reveal mechanisms of evolutionary gain forE. coliK1 pathogenicity.
The Role of PAM4 in the Management of Pancreatic Cancer: Diagnosis, Radioimmunodetection, and Radioimmunotherapy
Authors: Han Suxia , Jin Guihua , Wang Lijuan , Li Meng , He Chenchen , Guo Xijing , Zhu Qing
Published: April 2014

PAM4, a new monoclonal antibody (MAb) known as clivatuzumab, is highly reactive with pancreatic cancer and precursor lesions. It is absent from the normal tissues and has limited reactivity with nonpancreatic cancer. The detailed characteristic of the PAM4 epitope is unknown but recent studies have shown that it is dependent on MUC1 glycosylation status. The limited PAM4 expression pattern makes it an attractive candidate for management of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In addition, PAM4 is a serum biomarker for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Several different radiolabeled immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic agents of PAM4 have been developed and some are being evaluated in preclinical and/or clinical studies. The review will focus on PAM4 and its potential utility for the diagnosis, radioimmunodetection, and radioimmunotherapy of pancreatic cancer.
Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2Mass Level Is Increased in Elderly Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Fortunato J. , Bláha V. , Bis J. , Št’ásek J. , Andrýs C. , Vojáček J. , Jurašková B. , Sobotka L. , Polanský P. , Brtko M.
Published: April 2014

Objective. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2) is extensively expressed by advanced atherosclerotic lesions and may play a role in plaque instability. We selected a group of elderly subjects that underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or balloon angioplasty (BA) and separated them into two groups, diabetic and nondiabetic, to compare the level of Lp-PLA2mass between them.Methods. 44 patients aged79.6±5.6years with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis underwent TAVI (n=35) or BA (n=9). 21 subjects had confirmed type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lp-PLA2mass was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (USCN Life Science, China) before and 3 days after the procedure.Results. Lp-PLA2mass was significantly elevated in this population (1296±358 ng/mL before TAVI;1413±268 ng/mL before BA) and further increased after TAVI (1604±437 ng/mL,P<0.01) or BA (1808±303 ng/mL,P<0.01). Lp-PLA2mass was significantly increased on the diabetic group before these interventions.Conclusion.Lp-PLA2may be a novel biomarker for the presence of rupture-prone atherosclerotic lesions in elderly patients. Levels of Lp-PLA2in diabetic patients may accompany the higher amount of small dense LDL particles seen in these subjects.
Quantitative Assessment of Heteroplasmy of Mitochondrial Genome: Perspectives in Diagnostics and Methodological Pitfalls
Authors: Sobenin Igor A. , Mitrofanov Konstantin Y. , Zhelankin Andrey V. , Sazonova Margarita A. , Postnov Anton Y. , Revin Victor V. , Bobryshev Yuri V. , Orekhov Alexander N.
Published: April 2014

The role of alterations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the development of human pathologies is not understood well. Most of mitochondrial mutations are characterized by the phenomenon of heteroplasmy which is defined as the presence of a mixture of more than one type of an organellar genome within a cell or tissue. The level of heteroplasmy varies in wide range, and the expression of disease is dependent on the percent of alleles bearing mutations, thus allowing consumption that an upper threshold level may exist beyond which the mitochondrial function collapses. Recent findings have demonstrated that some mtDNA heteroplasmic mutations are associated with widely spread chronic diseases, including atherosclerosis and cancer. Actually, each etiological mtDNA mutation has its own heteroplasmy threshold that needs to be measured. Therefore, quantitative evaluation of a mutant allele of mitochondrial genome is an obvious methodological challenge, since it may be a keystone for diagnostics of individual genetic predisposition to the disease. This review provides a comprehensive comparison of methods applicable to the measurement of heteroplasmy level of mitochondrial mutations associated with the development of pathology, in particular, in atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations.
Prophylaxis of Contrast-Induced Nephrotoxicity
Authors: Ludwig Ulla , Keller Frieder
Published: April 2014

Contrast-induced nephrotoxicity (CIN) is a form of acute kidney injury that follows intravascular contrast media exposure. CIN may be preventable because its risk factors are well established and the timing of renal insult is commonly known in advance. However, contrast-induced nephrotoxicity is still the third leading cause of iatrogenic renal failure. This important complication accounts up to 10% of acute renal failure cases in hospitalized patients and it is associated with increased short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. Prolonged hospitalization follows and overall increases healthcare resource utilization. This paper will discuss the various prophylactic procedures tested in clinical trials.
Soft Robotic Manipulation of Onions and Artichokes in the Food Industry
Authors: Morales R. , Badesa F. J. , Garcia-Aracil N. , Sabater J. M. , Zollo L.
Published: April 2014

This paper presents the development of a robotic solution for a problem of fast manipulation and handling of onions or artichokes in the food industry. The complete solution consists of a parallel robotic manipulatior, a specially designed end-effector based on a customized vacuum suction cup, and a computer vision software developed for pick and place operations. First, the selection and design process of the proposed robotic solution to fit with the initial requeriments is presented, including the customized vacuum suction cup. Then, the kinematic analysis of the parallel manipulator needed to develop the robot control system is reviewed. Moreover, computer vision application is presented inthe paper. Hardware details of the implementation of the building prototype are also shown. Finally, conclusions and future work show the current status of the project.
Precommitted Investment Strategy versus Time-Consistent Investment Strategy for a General Risk Model with Diffusion
Authors: Zhang Lidong , Rong Ximin , Du Ziping
Published: April 2014

We mainly study a general risk model and investigate the precommitted strategy and the time-consistent strategy under mean-variance criterion, respectively. A lagrange method is proposed to derive the precommitted investment strategy. Meanwhile from the game theoretical perspective, we find the time-consistent investment strategy by solving the extended Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations. By comparing the precommitted strategy with the time-consistent strategy, we find that the company under the time-consistent strategy has to give up the better current utility in order to keep a consistent satisfaction over the whole time horizon. Furthermore, we theoretically and numerically provide the effect of the parameters on these two optimal strategies and the corresponding value functions.
High-Speed GPU-Based Fully Three-Dimensional Diffuse Optical Tomographic System
Authors: Saikia Manob Jyoti , Kanhirodan Rajan , Mohan Vasu Ram
Published: April 2014

We have developed a graphics processor unit (GPU-) based high-speed fully 3D system for diffuse optical tomography (DOT). The reduction in execution time of 3D DOT algorithm, a severely ill-posed problem, is made possible through the use of (1) an algorithmic improvement that uses Broyden approach for updating the Jacobian matrix and thereby updating the parameter matrix and (2) the multinode multithreaded GPU and CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) software architecture. Two different GPU implementations of DOT programs are developed in this study: (1) conventional C language program augmented by GPU CUDA and CULA routines (C GPU), (2) MATLAB program supported by MATLAB parallel computing toolkit for GPU (MATLAB GPU). The computation time of the algorithm on host CPU and the GPU system is presented for C and Matlab implementations. The forward computation uses finite element method (FEM) and the problem domain is discretized into 14610, 30823, and 66514 tetrahedral elements. The reconstruction time, so achieved for one iteration of the DOT reconstruction for 14610 elements, is 0.52 seconds for a C based GPU program for 2-plane measurements. The corresponding MATLAB based GPU program took 0.86 seconds. The maximum number of reconstructed frames so achieved is 2 frames per second.
Oral Complications in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Recipients: The Role of Inflammation
Authors: Haverman T. M. , Raber-Durlacher J. E. , Rademacher W. M. H. , Vokurka S. , Epstein J. B. , Huisman C. , Hazenberg M. D. , de Soet J. J. , de Lange J. , Rozema F. R.
Published: April 2014

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is widely used as a potentially curative treatment for patients with various hematological malignancies, bone marrow failure syndromes, and congenital immune deficiencies. The prevalence of oral complications in both autologous and allogeneic HSCT recipients remains high, despite advances in transplant medicine and in supportive care. Frequently encountered oral complications include mucositis, infections, oral dryness, taste changes, and graft versus host disease in allogeneic HSCT. Oral complications are associated with substantial morbidity and in some cases with increased mortality and may significantly affect quality of life, even many years after HSCT. Inflammatory processes are key in the pathobiology of most oral complications in HSCT recipients. This review article will discuss frequently encountered oral complications associated with HSCT focusing on the inflammatory pathways and inflammatory mediators involved in their pathogenesis.
Tackling Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia with Memantine
Authors: Paraschakis Antonios
Published: April 2014

We present a case of a 52-year-old male patient suffering from chronic schizophrenia stabilized on risperidone long-acting injection (37,5 mg/2 weeks) and biperiden 4 mg/day. Residual symptoms are affective flattening, alogia, avolition, and asociality. Memantine 10 mg/day was added. After 1.5 months, the patient spontaneously referred to “feel better being in company of my relatives.” The following scales have been completed: the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (96), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (3), the Mini Mental Scale Examination (26), and the Calgary Depression for Schizophrenia Scale (2). Memantine was increased to 20 mg/day and biperiden was decreased to 2 mg/day. Two months later, apathy and asociality considerably improved and affective flattening, alogia, and attention slightly got better (SANS 76, SAPS 1, MMSE 26, and CDSS 1). After two more months, the improvement continued in the same domains (SANS: 70, SAPS: 1 MMSE: 27, and CDSS: 1). Positive symptoms remained in full remission. It has been hypothesized that one of the causes of schizophrenia is glutamate excitotoxicity. Memantine, a glutamate receptor antagonist, could possibly ameliorate schizophrenia symptoms, the negative ones among them, used as add-on therapy to atypical antipsychotics. Memantine could be of potential help in schizophrenia patients with severe residual negative symptoms.
Decrease of PPARδin Type-1-Like Diabetic Rat for Higher Mortality after Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Tsai Cheng-Chia , Lee Kung-Shing , Chen Sheng-Hsien , Chen Li-Jen , Liu Keng-Fan , Cheng Juei-Tang
Published: April 2014

Changes in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-δ(PPARδ) expression in rats after spinal cord injury (SCI) have been previously reported. Diabetic animals show a higher mortality after SCI. However, the relationship between the progress of diabetes and PPARδin SCI remains unknown. In the present study, we used compressive SCI in streptozotocin-(STZ-) induced diabetic rats. GW0742, a PPARδagonist, was used to evaluate its merit in STZ rats after SCI. Changes in PPARδexpression were detected by Western blot. Survival rates were also estimated. A lower expression of PPARδin spinal cords of STZ-diabetic rats was observed. In addition, the survival times in two-week induction diabetes were longer than those in eight-week induction group, which is consistent with the expression of PPARδin the spinal cord. Moreover, GW0742 significantly increased the survival time of STZ rats. Furthermore, their motor function and pain response were attenuated by GSK0660, a selective PPARδantagonist, but were enhanced by GW0742. In conclusion, the data suggest that higher mortality rate in STZ-diabetic rats with SCI is associated with the decrease of PPARδexpression. Thus, change of PPARδexpression with the progress of diabetes seems responsible for the higher mortality rate after SCI.
Subchronic Toxicity Study in Rats of Two New Ethyl-Carbamates with Ixodicidal Activity
Authors: Prado-Ochoa María Guadalupe , Abrego-Reyes Víctor Hugo , Velázquez-Sánchez Ana María , Muñoz-Guzmán Marco Antonio , Ramírez-Noguera Patricia , Angeles Enrique , Alba-Hurtado Fernando
Published: April 2014

Female and male Wistar rats were used to determine the subchronic oral toxicities of two new ethyl-carbamates with ixodicidal activities (ethyl-4-bromphenyl-carbamate and ethyl-4-chlorphenyl-carbamate). The evaluated carbamates were administered in the drinking water (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg/day) for 90 days. Exposure to the evaluated carbamates did not cause mortality or clinical signs and did not affect food consumption or weight gain. However, exposure to these carbamates produced alterations in water consumption, hematocrit, percentages of reticulocytes, plasma proteins, some biochemical parameters (aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, cholinesterase, and creatinine activities), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and the relative weight of the spleen. Histologically, slight pathological alterations were found in the liver that were consistent with the observed biochemical alterations. The nonobserved adverse effect levels (NOAELs) of the evaluated carbamates were 12.5 mg/kg/day for both the female and male rats. The low severity and reversibility of the majority of the observed alterations suggest that the evaluated carbamates have low subchronic toxicity.
On Certain Subclass of Harmonic Starlike Functions
Authors: Lashin A. Y.
Published: April 2014

Coefficient conditions, distortion bounds, extreme points, convolution, convex combinations, and neighborhoods for a new class of harmonic univalent functions in the open unit disc are investigated. Further, a class preserving integral operator and connections with various previously known results are briefly discussed.
MRI Volume Fusion Based on 3D Shearlet Decompositions
Authors: Duan Chang , Wang Shuai , Wang Xue Gang , Huang Qi Hong
Published: April 2014

Nowadays many MRI scans can give 3D volume data with different contrasts, but the observers may want to view various contrasts in the same 3D volume. The conventional 2D medical fusion methods can only fuse the 3D volume data layer by layer, which may lead to the loss of interframe correlative information. In this paper, a novel 3D medical volume fusion method based on 3D band limited shearlet transform (3D BLST) is proposed. And this method is evaluated upon MRIT2*and quantitative susceptibility mapping data of 4 human brains. Both the perspective impression and the quality indices indicate that the proposed method has a better performance than conventional 2D wavelet, DT CWT, and 3D wavelet, DT CWT based fusion methods.
Dental Sealants: Knowledge, Value, Opinion, and Practice among Dental Professionals of Bathinda City, India
Authors: Asawa Kailash , Gupta Vivek V. , Tak Mridula , Nagarajappa Ramesh , Chaturvedi Pulkit , Bapat Salil , Mishra Prashant , Roy Santanu Sen
Published: April 2014

Objective. The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, value, opinion, and practice regarding use of dental sealants among private dental practitioners in Bathinda City, Punjab, India.Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among all private dental practitioners in Bathinda City, Punjab. A self-administered structured questionnaire consisting of 28 items was used to assess their knowledge, value, opinion, and practice regarding dental sealants. One-way analysis of variance, independent samplet-test, and multivariate regression analysis were utilized for statistical analysis. Confidence level and level of significance were set at 95% and 5%, respectively.Results. The mean scores for knowledge, value, opinion, and practice were 41.8 ± 3.7, 18.7 ± 2.8, 18.1 ± 1.4, and 12.9 ± 2.3, respectively. Analysis revealed that qualification was statistically significant among all dependent variables (P≤0.05); work experience was significantly associated with both knowledge and opinion means scores (P≤0.05).Conclusion. The results suggest that dental practitioners had sufficient knowledge about dental sealants. They also acknowledge the importance of use of dental sealants. Practice of dental sealants in clinics was found adequate but they were not following the specific guidelines and standardized procedures.
The Rate of Convergence of Lupasq-Analogue of the Bernstein Operators
Authors: Wang Heping , Zhang Yanbo
Published: April 2014

We discuss the rate of convergence of the Lupasq-analogues of the Bernstein operatorsRn,q(f;x)which were given by Lupas in 1987. We obtain the estimates for the rate of convergence ofRn,q(f)by the modulus of continuity off, and show that the estimates are sharp in the sense of order for Lipschitz continuous functions.
α-Mangostin Suppresses the Viability and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Downregulating the PI3K/Akt Pathway
Authors: Xu Qinhong , Ma Jiguang , Lei Jianjun , Duan Wanxing , Sheng Liang , Chen Xin , Hu Ang , Wang Zheng , Wu Zheng , Wu Erxi , Ma Qingyong , Li Xuqi
Published: April 2014

α-Mangostin, a natural product isolated from the pericarp of the mangosteen fruit, has been shown to inhibit the growth of tumor cells in various types of cancers. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unclear. Here, we report thatα-mangostin suppressed the viability and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of pancreatic cancer cells through inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway. Treatment of pancreatic cancer BxPc-3 and Panc-1 cells withα-mangostin resulted in loss of cell viability, accompanied by enhanced cell apoptosis, cell cycle arrest at G1 phase, and decrease of cyclin-D1. Moreover, Transwell and Matrigel invasion assays showed thatα-mangostin significantly reduced the migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. Consistent with these results,α-mangostin decreased the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, N-cadherin, and vimentin and increased the expression of E-cadherin. Furthermore, we found thatα-mangostin suppressed the activity of the PI3K/Akt pathway in pancreatic cancer cells as demonstrated by the reduction of the Akt phosphorylation byα-mangostin. Finally,α-mangostin significantly inhibited the growth of BxPc-3 tumor mouse xenografts. Our results suggest thatα-mangostin may be potentially used as a novel adjuvant therapy or complementary alternative medicine for the management of pancreatic cancers.
Evaluation of Insulin Medium or Chondrogenic Medium on Proliferation and Chondrogenesis of ATDC5 Cells
Authors: Yao Yongchang , Zhai Zhichen , Wang Yingjun
Published: April 2014

Background. The ATDC5 cell line is regarded as an excellent cell model for chondrogenesis. In most studies with ATDC5 cells, insulin medium (IM) was used to induce chondrogenesis while chondrogenic medium (CM), which was usually applied in chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), was rarely used for ATDC5 cells. This study was mainly designed to investigate the effect of IM, CM, and growth medium (GM) on chondrogenesis of ATDC5 cells.Methods. ATDC5 cells were, respectively, cultured in IM, CM, and GM for a certain time. Then the proliferation and the chondrogenesis progress of cells in these groups were analyzed.Results. Compared with CM and GM, IM promoted the proliferation of cells significantly. CM was effective for enhancement of cartilage specific markers, while IM induced the cells to express endochondral ossification related genes. Although GAG deposition per cell in CM group was significantly higher than that in IM and GM groups, the total GAG contents in IM group were the most.Conclusion. This study demonstrated that CM focused on induction of chondrogenic differentiation while IM was in favor of promoting proliferation and expression of endochondral ossification related genes. Combinational use of these two media would be more beneficial to bone/cartilage repair.
Development and Validation of HPTLC Method for Simultaneous Estimation of Diosgenin and Quercetin in Fenugreek Seeds (Trigonella foenum-graceum)
Authors: Laila Omi , Murtaza Imtiyaz , Abdin M. Z. , Ahmad S. , Ganai Nisar Ahmad , Jehangir Majid
Published: April 2014

A sensitive, fast, and reproducible high performance thin-layer chromatographic method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of diosgenin and quercetin from fenugreek seeds, using TLC aluminium plates precoated with silica gel G60F254. Among the different combinations of mobile phases used, best separation was achieved in Toluene-ethyl acetate-formic acid (5 : 4 : 1, v/v/v). Densitometric scanning of the plates directly at 275nm was used for analysis of quercetin. While as for analysis of diosgenin, plates were scanned at 450nm after spraying with anisaldehyde-sulphuric acid reagent. The retardation factorvalue of diosgenin and quercetin was found to be 0.69 ± 0.02 and 0.57 ± 0.02, respectively. The method was validated for specificity, precision (intraday and interday), accuracy, and robustness. Accuracy of the method was checked by recovery study of three different levels with the average percentage recovery of 99.13 ± 0.26 for diosgenin and 99.63 ± 0.34 for quercetin, respectively. Dried fenugreek seed samples were found to contain diosgenin in the range of 0.113–0.135% (w/w) and quercetin in the range of 0.009–0.012% (w/w). The present method is being reported for the first time and can be used for routine quality control and quantification of these marker compounds in various plant samples, extracts, and market formulations.
Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Patients with Fixed Orthodontic Appliances
Authors: Atuğ Özcan Sevil Sema , Ceylan İsmail , Özcan Erkan , Kurt Nezahat , Dağsuyu İlhan Metin , Çanakçi Cenk Fatih
Published: April 2014

Aim.The aim of this study was to examine the changes in the levels of interleukine-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in saliva and IL-1β, TNF-α, and NO in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples of patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.Material and Method.The subject population consisted of 50 volunteers who were in need of orthodontic treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances. GCF and saliva samples were obtained from all individuals before treatment, at 1st month of treatment and at 6th month of treatment. Periodontal clinical parameters were measured. Samples were investigated to detect IL-1β, TNF-α, and 8-OHdG levels using ELISA method and NO and MDA levels using spectrophotometric method.Results.Since IL-1βlevel detected in GCF at the 6th month of orthodontic treatment is statistically significant according to baseline (P<0.05), all other biochemical parameters detected both in saliva and in GCF did not show any significant change at any measurement periods.Conclusion.Orthodontic tooth movement and orthodontic materials used in orthodontic treatment do not lead to a change above the physiological limits that is suggestive of oxidative damage in both GCF and saliva.
Molecular Analysis of Ciprofloxacin Resistance Mechanisms in Malaysian ESBL-ProducingKlebsiella pneumoniaeIsolates and Development of Mismatch Amplification Mutation Assays (MAMA) for Rapid Detection ofgyrAandparCMutations
Authors: Al-Marzooq Farah , Mohd Yusof Mohd Yasim , Tay Sun Tee
Published: April 2014

Ninety-three Malaysian extended-spectrumβ-lactamase (ESBL)-producingKlebsiella pneumoniaeisolates were investigated for ciprofloxacin resistance. Two mismatch amplification mutation (MAMA) assays were developed and used to facilitate rapid detection ofgyrAandparCmutations. The isolates were also screened for plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes includingaac(6′)-Ib-cr, qepA, andqnr. Ciprofloxacin resistance (MICs4–≥32 μg/mL) was noted in 34 (37%) isolates, of which 33 isolates had multiple mutations either ingyrAalone(n=1)or in bothgyrAandparCregions(n=32).aac(6′)-Ib-crwas the most common PMQR gene detected in this study(n=61), followed byqnrBandqnrS(n=55and 1, resp.). Low-level ciprofloxacin resistance (MICs 1-2 μg/mL) was noted in 40 (43%) isolates carryingqnrBaccompanied by eitheraac(6′)-Ib-cr(n=34)or a singlegyrA83 mutation(n=6). Ciprofloxacin resistance was significantly associated with the presence of multiple mutations ingyrAandparCregions. While the isolates harbouringgyrAand/orparCalteration were distributed into 11 PFGE clusters, no specific clusters were associated with isolates carrying PMQR genes. The high prevalence of ciprofloxacin resistance amongst the Malaysian ESBL-producingK. pneumoniaeisolates suggests the need for more effective infection control measures to limit the spread of these resistant organisms in the hospital.
MicroRNA-224 Suppresses Colorectal Cancer Cell Migration by Targeting Cdc42
Authors: Ke Tao-Wei , Hsu Han-Lin , Wu Yu-Hua , Chen William Tzu-Liang , Cheng Ya-Wen , Cheng Chao-Wen
Published: April 2014

The metastatic spread of tumor cells is the major risk factor affecting the clinical prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The metastatic phenotype can be modulated by dysregulating the synthesis of different structural and functional proteins of tumor cells. Micro(mi)RNAs are noncoding RNAs that recognize their cognate messenger (m)RNA targets by sequence-specific interactions with the 3′ untranslated region and are involved in the multistep process of CRC development. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and biological roles of miR-224 in CRC. The miR-224 expression level was assessed by a quantitative real-time PCR in 79 CRC and 18 nontumor tissues. Expression levels of miR-224 in CRC tissues were significantly lower than those in nontumor tissues. Its expression level was associated with the mutation status of the APC gene. Ectopic expression of miR-224 suppressed the migratory ability of CRC cell line, but cell proliferation was less affected. Increased miR-224 diminished Cdc42 and SMAD4 expressions at both the protein and mRNA levels and inhibited the formation of actin filaments. Overall, this study indicated a role of miR-224 in negatively regulating CRC cell migration. The expression level of miR-224 may be a useful predictive biomarker for CRC progression.
Harnessing Solar Energy for Every Home: Energy Saving Applications
Authors: Aggarwal Jitisha , Aggarwal M. L.
Published: April 2014

Most of the present day resources of energy are limited and irreplaceable. The next generation will face acute energy crisis if alternate resources of energy are not developed concurrently. Increasing cost and import of conventional resources have bad effect on the economy of a country, and the only cheaper solution is “unlimited power” from the sun. The use of solar energy is so far limited in household applications. In fact, if we harness only 0.0034 percent of the solar energy reaching the Earth’s surface, the energy need of the whole world will be met. In the present work, a substitute of 10-watt conventional night lamp has been proposed by a solar night lamp of the same light intensity through an experimental setup. The developed solar system is cheaper, portable, user friendly, and free from maintenance. The paper stresses on the need of replacement of conventional night lamp by solar night lamp in every home for reducing the energy crisis at present.
Role of Serum Fibrinogen Levels in Patients with Rotator Cuff Tears
Authors: Longo Umile Giuseppe , Petrillo Stefano , Berton Alessandra , Spiezia Filippo , Loppini Mattia , Maffulli Nicola , Denaro Vincenzo
Published: April 2014

Although rotator cuff (RC) tendinopathy is a frequent pathology of the shoulder, the real understanding of its aetiopathogenesis is still unclear. Several studies showed that RC tendinopathy is more frequent in patients with hyperglycemia, diabetes, obesity, or metabolic syndrome. This paper aims to evaluate the serum concentration of fibrinogen in patients with RC tears. Metabolic disorders have been related to high concentration of serum fibrinogen and the activity of fibrinogen has been proven to be crucial in the development of microvascular damage. Thus, it may produce progression of RC degeneration by reducing the vascular supply of tendons. We report the results of a cross-sectional frequency-matched case-control study comparing the serum concentration of fibrinogen of patients with RC tears with that of a control group of patients without history of RC tears who underwent arthroscopic meniscectomy. We choose to enrol in the control group patients with pathology of the lower limb with a likely mechanic, not metabolic, cause, different from tendon pathology. We found no statistically significant differences in serum concentration of fibrinogen when comparing patients with RC tears and patients who underwent arthroscopic meniscectomy (P= 0.5). Further studies are necessary to clarify the role of fibrinogen in RC disease.
Confinement of Vibrations in Variable-Geometry Nonlinear Flexible Beam
Authors: Gafsi W. , Najar F. , Choura S. , El-Borgi S.
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we propose a novel strategy for controlling a flexible nonlinear beam with the confinement of vibrations. We focus principally on design issues related to the passive control of the beam by proper selection of its geometrical and physical parameters. Due to large deflections within the regions where the vibrations are to be confined, we admit a nonlinear model that describes with precision the beam dynamics. In order to design a set of physical and geometrical parameters of the beam, we first formulate an inverse eigenvalue problem. To this end, we linearize the beam model and determine the linearly assumed modes that guarantee vibration confinement in selected spatial zones and satisfy the boundary conditions of the beam to be controlled. The approximation of the physical and geometrical parameters is based on the orthogonality of the assumed linear mode shapes. To validate the strategy, we input the resulting parameters into the nonlinear integral-partial differential equation that describes the beam dynamics. The nonlinear frequency response curves of the beam are approximated using the differential quadrature method and the finite difference method. We confirm that using the linear model, the strategy of vibration confinement remains valid for the nonlinear beam.
A Potential Candidate for Lamp Phosphor: Eu3+ Activated K2Y2B2O7
Authors: Koparkar K. A. , Bajaj N. S. , Omanwar S. K.
Published: April 2014

The novel phosphor K2Y2B2O7 doped with europium is studied for its photoluminescence properties. The studies show that the phosphor gives strong red emission (PL) at 613 nm related to 5D0-7F2 transition of Eu3+ under the 260 nm excitation (PLE) related to the charge transfer (CT) from the 2p orbital of the O2− ions to the 4f orbital of Eu3+ ions with CIE coordinates (x=0.675; y=0.324). The results of PL and PLE spectra indicate the applicability of K2Y2B2O7:Eu as a red component in lamp phosphor. The phosphor is characterized through XRD pattern analysis, and morphology is explained on the basis of SEM image. Optimum concentration of Eu3+ required for the highest intensity of emission is also studied.
The Evolution of Cardiovascular Surgery in Elderly Patient: A Review of Current Options and Outcomes
Authors: Nicolini Francesco , Agostinelli Andrea , Vezzani Antonella , Manca Tullio , Benassi Filippo , Molardi Alberto , Gherli Tiziano
Published: April 2014

Due to the increase in average life expectancy and the higher incidence of cardiovascular disease with advancing age, more elderly patients present for cardiac surgery nowadays. Advances in pre- and postoperative care have led to the possibility that an increasing number of elderly patients can be operated on safely and with a satisfactory outcome. Currently, coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic and mitral valve surgery, and major surgery of the aorta are performed in elderly patients. The data available show that most cardiac surgical procedures can be performed in elderly patients with a satisfactory outcome. Nevertheless, the risk for these patients is only acceptable in the absence of comorbidities. In particular, renal dysfunction, cerebrovascular disease, and poor clinical state are associated with a worse outcome in elderly patients. Careful patient selection, flawless surgery, meticulous hemostasis, perfect anesthesia, and adequate myocardial protection are basic requirements for the success of cardiac surgery in elderly patients. The care of elderly cardiac surgical patients can be improved only through the strict collaboration of geriatricians, anesthesiologists, cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons, in order to obtain a tailored treatment for each individual patient.
Establishing Reliable miRNA-Cancer Association Network Based on Text-Mining Method
Authors: Li Lun , Hu Xingchi , Yang Zhaowan , Jia Zhenyu , Fang Ming , Zhang Libin , Zhou Yanhong
Published: April 2014

Associating microRNAs (miRNAs) with cancers is an important step of understanding the mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis and finding novel biomarkers for cancer therapies. In this study, we constructed a miRNA-cancer association network (miCancerna) based on more than 1,000 miRNA-cancer associations detected from millions of abstracts with the text-mining method, including 226 miRNA families and 20 common cancers. We further prioritized cancer-related miRNAs at the network level with the random-walk algorithm, achieving a relatively higher performance than previous miRNA disease networks. Finally, we examined the top 5 candidate miRNAs for each kind of cancer and found that 71% of them are confirmed experimentally. miCancerna would be an alternative resource for the cancer-related miRNA identification.
Looking beyond Androgen Receptor Signaling in the Treatment of Advanced Prostate Cancer
Authors: Sunkel Benjamin , Wang Qianben
Published: April 2014

This review will provide a description of recent efforts in our laboratory contributing to a general goal of identifying critical determinants of prostate cancer growth in both androgen-dependent and -independent contexts. Important outcomes to date have indicated that the sustained activation of AR transcriptional activity in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells results in a gene expression profile separate from the androgen-responsive profile of androgen-dependent prostate cancer (ADPC) cells. Contributing to this reprogramming is enhanced FoxA1 recruitment of AR to G2/M phase target gene loci and the enhanced chromatin looping of CRPC-specific gene regulatory elements facilitated by PI3K/Akt-phosphorylated MED1. We have also observed a role for FoxA1 beyond AR signaling in driving G1/S phase cell cycle progression that relies on interactions with novel collaborators MYBL2 and CREB1. Finally, we describe an in-depth mechanism of GATA2-mediated androgen-responsive gene expression in both ADPC and CRPC cells. Altogether these efforts provide evidence to support the development of novel prostate cancer therapeutics that address downstream targets of AR activity as well as AR-independent drivers of disease-relevant transcription programs.