bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thin‐slice T2 MRI imaging predicts vascular pathology in hemifacial spasm: A case‐control study
Authors: Sekula Raymond F. , Frederickson Andrew M. , Branstetter Barton F. , Oskin James E. , Stevens Dale R. , Zwagerman Nathan T. , Grandhi Ramesh , Hughes Marion A.
Published: July 2014

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a condition that may severely reduce patients' quality of life. We sought to determine the sensitivity and specificity of thin‐slice T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting vascular compression in HFS patients. Prospective information was collected on 28 patients with HFS who presented to our center between March 2011 and March 2012 with thin‐slice T2 MR imaging. The sensitivity and specificity for differentiating patients from controls were calculated. Sensitivities were 78.6% and 92.9% for the blinded radiologists and 75% for the partially blinded neurosurgeon. Specificities were 42.9% and 28.6% for the blinded radiologists and 75% for the partially blinded neurosurgeon. Magnetic resonance imaging of the facial nerve can guide clinicians in selecting patients who are good surgical candidates. Thin‐slice T2 MRI should be viewed as supportive rather than diagnostic. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Investigation of diamond electrodes for photo‐electrochemistry
Authors: Bechter Jonathan , Pietzka Carsten , Petkov Christo , Reintanz Philipp , Siemeling Ulrich , Popov Cyril , Pasquarelli Alberto
Published: July 2014

Boron doped diamond (BDD) shows high chemical stability in contact with a liquid phase even under extreme pH conditions, high electrochemical activity, and allows very stable covalent functionalization on O‐ or N‐terminated surfaces. It is therefore an excellent electrode material for many applications such as analytics, biosensors, and purification. Furthermore, the electrodes can be covalently functionalized with photo‐sensitive dyes to generate photo currents. However, the energetic conditions and charge transfer mechanisms are not fully known and therefore have been investigated in this work. The focus was set on the energy band diagrams of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) layers, especially on the flat‐band potential VF and the band‐bending ϕB in the space charge layer, for both O‐ and N‐terminated surfaces, and the charge transfer mechanisms at the semiconductor/electrolyte phase‐boundary, with or without electro‐active organic dyes, such as manganese phthalocyanine. For this study NCD samples were grown by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) with a boron doping density NA ranging between 5.8 and 9.6 × 1020 cm−3. The pristine surface was then processed by oxygen or ammonia plasma to modify the termination to O and NH2, respectively. After that a series of Mott–Schottky plots was measured for both terminations at several frequencies spanning from 3 Hz to 10 kHz and in two different electrolytes, namely 0.1 M H2SO4 and 0.1 M KCl. The results showed nearly the same flat‐band potential for both surface terminations, but a remarkable difference in the band‐bending. The latter is most probably responsible for the better photoelectrical conversion observed in N‐terminated NCD samples. The open‐circuit potential (OCP) and chronoamperometric measurements performed after covalent functionalization of the samples with the color dyes revealed that only the N‐terminated material delivered a measurable photocurrent. Although the global efficiency of the photoelectric conversion was low, these initial results show that by optimized selection of materials and modification technologies providing a proper match of the energy levels at all charge transfer steps, a higher energy output could be achieved.
Turmeric Toxicity in A431 Epidermoid Cancer Cells Associates with Autophagy Degradation of Anti‐apoptotic and Anti‐autophagic p53 Mutant
Authors: Thongrakard Visa , Titone Rossella , Follo Carlo , Morani Federica , Suksamrarn Apichart , Tencomnao Tewin , Isidoro Ciro
Published: July 2014

The keratinocyte‐derived A431 Squamous Cell Carcinoma cells express the p53R273H mutant, which has been reported to inhibit apoptosis and autophagy. Here, we show that the crude extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa), similarly to its bioactive component Curcumin, could induce both apoptosis and autophagy in A431 cells, and these effects were concomitant with degradation of p53. Turmeric and curcumin also stimulated the activity of mTOR, which notoriously promotes cell growth and acts negatively on basal autophagy. Rapamycin‐mediated inhibition of mTOR synergized with turmeric and curcumin in causing p53 degradation, increased the production of autophagosomes and exacerbated cell toxicity leading to cell necrosis. Small‐interference mediated silencing of the autophagy proteins BECLIN 1 or ATG7 abrogated the induction of autophagy and largely rescued p53 stability in Turmeric‐treated or Curcumin‐treated cells, indicating that macroautophagy was mainly responsible for mutant p53 degradation. These data uncover a novel mechanism of turmeric and curcumin toxicity in chemoresistant cancer cells bearing mutant p53. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Selective functionalization of silicon surface controlled by metastable helium atom beam for patterning chemisorbed monolayer molecular assemblies
Authors: Wang Z. P. , Zhang J. W. , Zhang Z. M. , Ding Z. J. , Yamauchi Y.
Published: July 2014

Metastable neutral helium atoms are highly chemical sensitive to surface dangling bonds. As the basis of a new lithographic technique, a method for fabrication of self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) and mixed SAMs by the irradiation‐promoted exchange reaction has been recently developed. Metastable helium atoms irradiation is shown to modify organosilane SAM films and Si–H and Si–OH covering surfaces, which render the surface amendable to further SAM modification. The exposure regions can undergo a second chemisorption reaction to produce an assembly of octadecyltrichlorosilane SAMs. Metastable helium atom beam patterned films can be used as templates for selective buildup of fluorophores, amino group, and biological cells to obtain further surface functionalization. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Variable selection in subdistribution hazard frailty models with competing risks data
Authors: Ha Il Do , Lee Minjung , Oh Seungyoung , Jeong Jong‐Hyeon , Sylvester Richard , Lee Youngjo
Published: July 2014

The proportional subdistribution hazards model (i.e. Fine‐Gray model) has been widely used for analyzing univariate competing risks data. Recently, this model has been extended to clustered competing risks data via frailty. To the best of our knowledge, however, there has been no literature on variable selection method for such competing risks frailty models. In this paper, we propose a simple but unified procedure via a penalized h‐likelihood (HL) for variable selection of fixed effects in a general class of subdistribution hazard frailty models, in which random effects may be shared or correlated. We consider three penalty functions, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) and HL, in our variable selection procedure. We show that the proposed method can be easily implemented using a slight modification to existing h‐likelihood estimation approaches. Numerical studies demonstrate that the proposed procedure using the HL penalty performs well, providing a higher probability of choosing the true model than LASSO and SCAD methods without losing prediction accuracy. The usefulness of the new method is illustrated using two actual datasets from multi‐center clinical trials. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
“We Don't Know Her History, Her Background”: Adoptive Parents’ Perspectives on Whole Genome Sequencing Results
Authors: Crouch Julia , Yu Joon‐Ho , Shankar Aditi G. , Tabor Holly K.
Published: July 2014

Exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing (ES/WGS) can provide parents with a wide range of genetic information about their children, and adoptive parents may have unique issues to consider regarding possible access to this information. The few papers published on adoption and genetics have focused on targeted genetic testing of children in the pre‐adoption context. There are no data on adoptive parents’ perspectives about pediatric ES/WGS, including their preferences about different kinds of results, and the potential benefits and risks of receiving results. To explore these issues, we conducted four exploratory focus groups with adoptive parents (N = 26). The majority lacked information about their children's biological family health history and ancestry, and many viewed WGS results as a way to fill in these gaps in knowledge. Some expressed concerns about protecting their children's future privacy and autonomy, but at the same time stated that WGS results could possibly help them be proactive about their children's health. A few parents expressed concerns about the risks of WGS in a pre‐adoption context, specifically about decreasing a child's chance of adoption. These results suggest that issues surrounding genetic information in the post‐adoption and ES/WGS contexts need to be considered, as well as concerns about risks in the pre‐adoption context. A critical challenge for ES/WGS in the context of adoption will be balancing the right to know different kinds of genetic information with the right not to know. Specific guidance for geneticists and genetic counselors may be needed to maximize benefits of WGS while minimizing harms and prohibiting misuse of the information in the adoption process.
A Survey of Genetic Counselors About the Needs of 18–25 Year Olds from Families with Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome
Authors: Werner‐Lin Allison , Ratner Rachel , Hoskins Lindsey M. , Lieber Caroline
Published: July 2014

As a result of modern treatments, the life of women who test positive for BRCA mutations may be plotted along the arc of preventive medicine rather than the slope of diagnostics. Despite evidence supporting the benefits of risk reduction, protocols for early detection and prevention among women from families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) are not yet proven, and clinical trials have not been undertaken for patients aged 18 to 25. The absence of psychosocial data may leave genetic counselors without uniform guidance on how to manage the care of these patients. This project sought to investigate perspectives on counseling 18–25 year‐old patients from families with hereditary cancer syndromes, with specific emphasis on HBOC, given their unique developmental, familial, and medical challenges. Certified genetic counselors were recruited through the NSGC's Cancer Genetics Special Interest Group listserv. Researchers constructed an online survey which included 41 items and elicited information about: counselor demographics, training, and practice settings; approaches to cancer risk assessment; and common challenges in work with 18‐ to 25‐year‐old patients. The survey was also informed by previous work by researchers with 18 to 25‐year‐olds with BRCA gene mutations. Eighty‐six surveys were completed. Researchers used a combination of grounded theory and content analysis for open‐ended responses, supported and triangulated with statistical analysis to maximize the interpretation of data. Genetic counselors who responded to this survey experience 18–25 year old patients presenting for cancer risk assessment differently than older patients, and some reported adapting their counseling style to address these differences. Respondents differed in the extent to which they felt well‐versed in the developmental needs of patients in this age group. Respondents aged 39 and under reported feeling familiar with this stage in life, having more recently completed it; respondents aged 40 and over reported they were less familiar with, and more interested in learning about, this age group. A primary challenge in cancer risk assessment of these patients, reported primarily by counselors aged 39 and under, is navigating family dynamics in counseling sessions and addressing the developmentally labile young adult. With respect to BRCA‐related cancer risk, where penetrance is incomplete, onset in early adulthood is rare. Evidence‐based treatment/prevention options exist, but providers may not have clarity regarding how or when to provide directive counsel. A rich understanding of the themes inherent in how people grow and change over time might enhance the counselor's capacity to assess patients and their family members. The integration of a developmental approach to genetic counseling has the potential to reduce the imperative for non‐directive counseling.
Tocotrienol Rich Fraction Reverses Age‐Related Deficits in Spatial Learning and Memory in Aged Rats
Authors: Taridi Nursiati Mohamad , Abd Rani Nazirah , Abd Latiff Azian , Wan Ngah Wan Zurinah , Mazlan Musalmah
Published: July 2014

Little is known about the effect of vitamin E on brain function. Therefore, in this study we evaluated the effect of tocotrienol rich fraction (TRF) on behavioral impairment and oxidative stress in aged rats. Thirty‐six male Wistar rats (young: 3‐months‐old; aged: 21‐months‐old) were treated with either the control (olive oil) or TRF (200 mg/kg) for 3 months. Behavioral studies were performed using the open field test and Morris water maze (MWM) task. Blood was taken for assessment of DNA damage, plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and vitamin E, and erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activity. Brains were also collected to measure vitamin E levels. Results showed that aged rats exhibited reduced exploratory activity, enhanced anxiety and decreased spatial learning and memory compared with young rats. DNA damage and plasma MDA were increased, and vitamin E levels in plasma and brain were reduced in aged rats. Aged rats supplemented with TRF showed a markedly reduced level of anxiety, improved spatial learning and memory, reduced amount and severity of DNA damage, a reduced level of MDA, and increased levels of antioxidant enzyme activity and plasma/brain vitamin E compared with age‐matched controls. In conclusion, TRF supplementation reverses spatial learning and memory decline and decreases oxidative stress in aged rats.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Iran
Authors: Ghavamzadeh Ardeshir , Alimogaddam Kamran , Jahani Mohammad , Mousavi Seyedasadollah , Iravani Masoud , Bahar Babak , Khodabandeh Ali , Khatami Farnaz , Jalali Arash
Published: July 2014

Since 1991,2042 first hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) have been performed at the Hematology- Oncology and stem cell Transplantation Research center at Tehran university of Medical sciences. Acute myelogenous leukemia (548 patients), thalassemia major (335 patients) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (275 patients) have been the most common transplanted disorders. There were 1418 cases that received allogeneic HSCT and 624 cases that have received autologous HSCT. The numbers of allogeneic and autologous HSCT have increased, but the allogeneic to autologous ratio has remained constant. the first peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed in 1996; since then, 1671 have been done. the donor types for 1418 allogeneic first HSCT were 1367 (96.4%) human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched-identical siblings, 29(2%) HLA-mismatched sibling/other relative, 13 (0.9%) syngeneic twins, 5 (0.4%) HLA-matched other relatives and 4 (0.3%) unrelated. The first cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed in 1998 and since then there have been 14 patients that have obtained cord blood transplantations. Recently, new methods have been used like donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) and cellular therapy. There were 111 patients with cellular therapy for post-myocardial infarction, cirrhosis, thalassemia major, multiple sclerosis, head of femur necrosis and renal cell carcinoma.
A new chemoimmunotherapy regimen (OXAFI) for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Ang Mei-Kim , Poon Donald , Foo Kian-Fong , Yaw-Fui Chung , Chow Pierce , Wan Wei-Keat , Thng Choon-Hua , Ooi London
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND:

Chemotherapeutic treatment options for advanced unresectable and/or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited. Currently available treatments are associated with low response rates and little evidence of improved survival, so we evaluated a new chemoimmunotherapy regimen.

METHODS:

seven patients with unresectable and/or metastatic HCC were treated with intravenous oxaliplatin (30mg/m2) and doxorubicin (20mg/m2) given on days 1, 8 and 15 in a 28-day cycle, a daily continuous infusion of fluorouracil (200mg/m2) and subcutaneous interferon alfa-2b 5 MU administered thrice weekly (OXAFI). Treatment was administered to a maximum of six cycles. Data on the response to treatment, toxicity, surgical procedures and survival outcome was reviewed.

RESULTS:

The best response was three partial responses, three stable disease responses and one progressive disease response. TWO patients underwent interval hepatic resection, and histological analysis in one patient showed a complete pathological response. Another patient underwent a liver transplant after four cycles of treatment. These three patients were alive with no evidence of disease at 23, 21 and 18 months follow-up, respectively. At a median follow-up of 14 months (range 2-23 months), one patient died 2 months after diagnosis due to progressive disease, while all six other patients were alive. Neutropenia was the predominant toxicity, but there were no episodes of febrile neutropenia, hospital admissions or deaths. There were no cases of hepatitis B virus re-activation.

CONCLUSIONS:

OXAFI shows activity in HCC and has manageable toxicity. complete pathological remission is possible with this regimen.
Additional chromosomal abnormalities in Philadelphia-positive chronic myeloid leukemia
Authors: Syed Naveen Naz , Usman Mohammad , Adil Salman , Khurshid Mohammad
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

The emergence of non-random chromosomal abnormalities is a well-rec-ognized occurrence in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and detection of these abnormalities is important in prognostic stratification. The frequency and types of additional chromosomal abnormalities in CML patients has not been determined in our region.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

We conducted a descriptive, prospective study of additional chromosomal ab-normalities in patients with an established diagnosis of philadelphia-positive CML from May 2001 to June 2007. cytogenetic studies were repeated every three months with the conventional G-banding technique and described according to the international system for Human cytogenetic Nomenclature. All patients received imatinib mesylate.

RESULTS:

In 219 patients with philadelphia-positive CML, 34 (15.5%) (median age, 38 years) developed 51 ad-ditional chromosomal abnormalities. Five cases had variant translocations prior to starting imatinib; the remaining 29 cases acquired chromosomal abnormalities after starting imatinib, including 8 cases that received prior interferon-alfa. Twenty-one patients were in chronic phase, 10 in accelerated phase and 3 were in blast crisis. Trisomy 8 was the most frequent abnormality followed by random chromosomal abnormalities and variants of the philadelphia chromosome.

CONCLUSIONS:

The overall frequency of additional chromosomal abnormalities was similar to that in previous reports. Early identification of these abnormalities may help in adapting to a more appropriate therapeutic approach.
Validation of a modified cryopreservation method for leukemic blasts for flow cytometry assessment
Authors: Alsayed Huda , Owaidah Tarek , Rawas Faisal Al
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND:

Cryopreservation, a common method for storing human cells, has advantages when cells are used in retrospective studies of selected cell populations. Frozen lymphocytes can be used for tissue typing, for monitoring cell-mediated immunity, and for various immunological tests. Our report describes an efficient, simple and inexpensive method for cryopreservation of human acute leukemia cells.

METHODS:

Leukemia cells from 20 newly diagnosed cases were frozen at -80°C after cryopreservation with 5% dimethysulfoxide and then assayed by flow cytometry for antigen expression determined by monoclonal antibodies at different time intervals.

RESULTS:

All cases had viability above 75% at presentation. After 4 weeks, 91% of pre-B ALL, 88% of T-ALL, 100% of AML, and 100% of biphenotypic aliquots had viability over 75%. Viability continued to be reliably above 75% at 6 weeks from cryopreservation.

CONCLUSION:

We confirm that the method does not significantly alter the viability of cells and it preserved the antigenic expression of leukemia cells.
Assessing the quality of randomized controlled trials from two leading cancer journals using the CONSORT statement
Authors: Süt Necdet , Şenocak Mustafa , Uysal Ömer , Köksalan Hilal
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND:

No study has been conducted on the scientific quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the cancer field. Our objective was to determine whether adherence to the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement is associated with scientific properties of RCT reports from two leading cancer journals.

METHODS:

We conducted an observational study of RCTS published between 2002 and 2004 in two leading cancer journals that did not endorse the CONSORT statement during that period. We determined the adherence rates with confidence intervals of 33 RCTs according to the 19 methodological items of the CONSORT statement. Each RCT was blindly assessed by three independent evaluators; then the evaluators examined all judgments sequentially and obtained a consensus regarding each methodological item of the CONSORT statement.

RESULTS:

The average adherence of these 33 RCTs to the 19 methodological items of the coNSoRT statement was 79.3% (95% cl, 75.3-83.4%). Most descriptors from the checklist were determined to be methodologically adequate except sequence generation (56.1 %; 95% Cl, 40.9-71.3%), allocation concealment (27.3%; 95% Cl, 13.2-41.4%), implementation (7.6%; 95% Cl, 0.0-15.4%), blinding (30.3%; 95% Cl, 14.4-46.3%) and sample size (74.2%; 95% Cl, 59.5-89.0%). Of all CONSORT checklist items, randomization implementation was the most often omitted.

CONCLUSION:

Some key methodological items of the CONSORT statement seem poorly addressed in RCTs from these leading cancer journals. Thus researchers should be urged to conform to the CONSORT statement when reporting on RCTs, and the poorly addressed items of the CONSORT statement should be reevaluated for RCTs already reported.
Validation of tissue microarray biomarker expression of breast carcinomas in Saudi women
Authors: Alkushi Abdulmohsen
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND:

Analysis of immunohistochemical expression of a large number of tumor tissue samples with conventional techniques is costly, tedious and slow. Tissue microarray (TMA) technology can facilitate the sampling of over 500 tumors on a one-glass slide, which then can be analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), RNA in situ hybridization, or immunohistochemistry. We attempted to validate this technique in breast cancer specimens by comparing the staining result obtained by TMA with the conventional whole-section method.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Eighty cases of breast cancer of diverse subtypes were used to build a breast cancer biomarker evaluation model. serial sections of the recipient block were immunostained with a panel of 4 antibodies (ER, SR, HER2 and p53). concordance of immunohistochemical expression between TMA sections and whole-sections was expressed as a K statistic.

RESULTS:

Target tumors were accurately sampled by two cores in 19 of 26 donor blocks, and by only one core in 5 blocks. Failure to sample tumor was seen in 2 blocks. concordance between the staining results of TMA and whole sections was good for PR (K=0.67) and ER (K=0.67) and very good for p53 (K=0.91) and HER2 (K=0.91), when all the 26 recipient blocks were included. The rate improved to excellent for p53 (K=1.0) and did not change for the other markers when concordance analysis was limited to recipient blocks that had been sampled by two cores.

CONCLUSION:

TMA is a reliable technique for examining a large set of tumors. it shows immunostaining scores comparable to those obtained by conventional whole-section evaluation in breast cancer. However, some alterations are not detected due to heterogeneity of biomarker expression inherent in these tumors, but this shortfall can be improved.
The many faces of Ewing sarcoma
Authors: Fouda Asharf , Mansour Ahmed , Al-Tonbary Youssef
Published: July 2014

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most frequent primary malignant bone cancer, following osteosarcoma. ES is a small round-cell tumor typically arising in the bones, rarely in soft tissues, of children and ado lescents. We describe four children aged 3, 3.5, 9, and 9.5 years, who presented with two femur masses simultaneously (patient 1), a huge mediastinal mass (patient 2), an abdomino-mediastinal mass with dysphagia (patient 3), and a huge abdomino-pelvic mass (patient 4). Our patients were of younger age and had abnormal presentations that made initial diagnosis difficult, but also are representative of the different problems encountered in pediatric practice. Biopsy initially revealed round cell tumor and by immunohistochemistry, CD99 was positive, which confirmed the diagnosis of ES. Our patients were dif ficult to diagnosis. The patients were misdiagnosed initially, so there was a delay in diagnosis. Definitive diagnosis required use of various radiological imaging methods and immunohistochemistry.
Infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma
Authors: Al-Tonbary Youssef , Fouda Ashraf
Published: July 2014

Infantile hemangioendothelioma is a rare benign vascular tumor of the liver. We report a case of hepatic hemangioendothelioma in an 8- month-old female infant who presented with hepatomegaly and respiratory distress, which was successfully treated with oral prednisolone for six months.
Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) of the uterus with aggressive behavior at presentation
Authors: Liu Jing-Lan , Lin Yueh-Min , Lin Ming-Chieh , Yeh Kun-Tu , Hsu Jui-Chang , Chen Chih-Jung
Published: July 2014

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a rare mesenchymal tumor composed of histologically and immunohistochemically distinctive perivascular epithelioid cells (PECS). Both benign and malignant tumors have been identified, but the criteria for diagnosis of malignancy have not been fully established due to the rarity of the tumor. We report on a case of uterine PEComa in a 33-year old woman with lymph node metastasis at presentation. The tumor had the characteristic histologic features of PEComa with cytologic atypia, mitotic activity of 2/10 high power field (HPF), and necrosis; it exhibited im- munopositivity for HMB-45, calponin and desmin and was negative for melan-A. The patient received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, debulking surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. No evidence of recurrence or metastasis was apparent 8 months after surgery.
The spectrum of noninfectious pulmonary complications following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Soubani Ayman O. , Pandya Chirag M.
Published: July 2014

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an established treatment for a variety of malignant and nonmalignant conditions. Pulmonary complications, infectious and noninfectious, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients. The recent advances in prophylaxis and treatment of infectious complications increased the significance of noninfectious pulmonary conditions. Acute lung injury due to diffuse alveolar hemorrhage or idiopathic pneumonia syndrome are the main acute complications, while bronchiolitis obliterans remains the most challenging pulmonary complications facing clinicians who are taking care of HSCT recipients. There are other noninfectious pulmonary complications folllowing HSCT that are less frequent. This report provides a clinical update of the incidence, risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical characteristics and management of the main noninfectious pulmonary complicattions following HSCT.
Squamous cell carcinoma of the lip after allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Hamadah Issam , Binamer Yousef , Alajlan Saad , Nassar Amr , Saleh Abu Jafar M.
Published: July 2014

Allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been considered a curative treatment opttion for many hematological and non-hematological disorders. Despite the use of advanced methods of tissue typing and new therapies, graft versus host disease (GVHD) remains a major obstacle. Secondary malignancies are also among the most serious long-term complications after HSCT including leukemia, lymphomas, and to a lesser extent, solid tumors. The most commonly observed solid tumor is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We report two cases of SCC of the lower lip diagnosed several years after HSCT. Both cases were complicated with GVHD prior to the development of SCC and had a successful outcome with minimal surgical intervention.
Granulocytic sarcoma of the stomach
Authors: Macedo Antonio Vaz , Freitas Izabela F. , Oliveira Fábio M. , Resende Clarissa C. , Mendes Cláudia Maria C. , Vieira Ana Karine , Castro Lúcia P. , Rego Eduardo M. , Clementino Nelma Cristina D. , Bittencourt Henrique
Published: July 2014

An 18-year-old male underwent an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the first late chronic phase. On day 132, he was readmitted to the hospital with nausea, vomiting and nodular lesions on endoscopy. A diagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma of the stomach was made. Bone marrow cytogenetic analysis for the Philadelphia chromosome and nested polymerase chain reaction for BCR -ABL 1 were both negative. Immunosuppression was abruptly disconttinued, and by day 180, all gastric lesions had completely disappeared. However, there were histologiccal signs of graft-versus-host disease. The patient developed progressive anorexia and elevated hepatic enzymes, which prompted the reintroduction of cyclosporine. Considering the risk of another relapse, imatinib mesylate (IM) 600 mg/day was started. The patient´s condition improved, and there was no eviddence of disease recurrence at 36 months after relapse. Relapse of CML is the commonest cause of treatmment failure after allo-HSCT . On rare occasions, a localized extramedullary presentation is seen. Unless properly treated, other extramedullary relapse sites and/or marrow infiltration usually occur. Withdrawal of immunosuppression, along with IM therapy seems to be an acceptable approach in this setting.
Gibbon ape leukemia virus transduction of peripheral blood CD34 + -derived dendritic cells
Authors: Moezzi Leili , Alimoghaddam Kamran , Ardjmand Alireza , Shahrokhi Somayeh , Ghaffari Seyed Hamidolah , Bagheri Nadia , Chardouli Bahram , Ghavamzadeh Ardeshir
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND:

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in the immune response and are a candidate for immmunotherapy in cancer. Since gibbon ape leukemia virus (GAL V) transduction of CD 34+ cells is reasonably efficacious, we asessed the efficacy of GAL V transduction of CD 34+ derived DCs as a possible approach to creating genetically modified DCs for immunotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Peripheral blood CD 34+ cells were transduced with retroviruses obtained from the PG13/LN C8 cell line, with the neomycin gene as a marker gene. After prestimulation of hematopoietic cells for 24 hours with 10 ng/mL interleukin (IL)-3, 10 ng/mL IL -6, 100 ng/mL stem cell factor, 100 ng/mL granulocytemacrophage colony stimulating factor and 8 μg/mL protamine sulfate, the cells were cultured in a transforming media prior to differentiating into DCs by GM-CSF, TNF-α and IL-4. Immunophenotyping analyses for confirmattion of the generated DCs, colony formation assay and PCR were done for the expression of neomycin gene in the transduced cells.

RESULTS:

Titration of viral vectors indicated a transduction efficiency of 1×105 CFU /mL. Transduction efficiency for the CD 34+ cells transformed to DCs was 45% and 38% before and after DC differentiation, respectively. Additionally, a mean (SEM) of 26.9% (11.4%) and 41.4 (11.8%) of the genetically modified DCs were positive for CD 86+ HLA -DR and CD 1α+CD 14, respectively

Conclusion:

This study showed that the majority of transduced CD 34+ cells were successfully differentiaated into cells identical to DC s according to morphology and immunophenotyping features, which could be a potential application in immunotherapy.
The Cambridge Dictionary of Linguistics
Authors: Brown Keith , Miller Jim
Published: July 2014

The Cambridge Dictionary of Linguistics provides concise and clear definitions of all the terms any undergraduate or graduate student is likely to encounter in the study of linguistics and English language or in other degrees involving linguistics, such as modern languages, media studies and translation. lt covers the key areas of syntax, morphology, phonology, phonetics, semantics and pragmatics but also contains terms from discourse analysis, stylistics, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics and corpus linguistics. It provides entries for 246 languages, including 'major' languages and languages regularly mentioned in research papers and textbooks. Features include cross-referencing between entries and extended entries on some terms. Where appropriate, entries contain illustrative examples from English and other languages and many provide etymologies bringing out the metaphors lying behind the technical terms. Also available is an electronic version of the dictionary which includes 'clickable' cross-referencing.
The Cambridge Dictionary of English Grammar
Authors: Peters Pam
Published: July 2014

The most up-to-date A-Z resource available for English grammar, this dictionary provides concise, practical definitions and explanations of hundreds of terms. Each term includes examples and cross references to related concepts. All the currently accepted terms of grammar are included, as well as older, traditional names, controversial new coinages, and items from the study of other languages. The dictionary pinpoints differences in the use of the same terminology, such as 'adjunct', 'complement', 'verb phrase', as well as alternative terms used for much the same concept, such as 'noun phrase', 'nominal group'; 'agentless passive', 'short passive'. It provides a wealth of examples, as well as notes on the relative frequencies of grammatical alternatives, such as 'will' and 'shall'. It also draws attention to some of the differences between spoken and written English grammar.
Jewish Political Theology: The Doctrine ofDaʿat Torahas a Case Study
Authors: Brown Benjamin
Published: July 2014

A number of political theologies have emerged within modern Judaism, primarily as a reaction to the rise of Zionism but also, and to a lesser degree, to that of socialism, pacifism, and other ideological movements. Among the characteristics they shared are a “father”—i.e., an individual who fleshed out their tenets in more or less systematic fashion—and an attempt to deal with the nature and governance of a future Jewish state. The majority of these theologies failed to achieve significant influence in the wider public arena. Notably, however, there is one modern Jewish political theology that evolved by means of a different process, one that was gradual and decidedly unsystematic. It also lacks a single founder or figurehead, even though, like its counterparts, it developed and sought to remain within a particular social faction where it has long exercised significant influence and continues to do so to this day. I am referring to the doctrine ofDaʿat Torah(literally “the Torah view,” “the opinion of the Torah,” “the knowledge of the Torah,” or “the Torah mind”), which arose in the first half of the twentieth century in Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) circles. It can be summarized in a single sentence: The great religious authorities hold the power to issue rulings not only in their specific areas of expertise but in all areas of life, including the political realm.
Godforsakenness as the End of Prophecy: A Proposal from Schleiermacher'sGlaubenslehre
Authors: Kuehn Evan
Published: July 2014

The rationalist Johann Friedrich Röhr makes a passing but telling comment in his 1823 review of Schleiermacher's then recently publishedGlaubenslehre, when moving on from the doctrines of redemption and reconciliation: “We can pass over the explanation of the ecclesial doctrine of the prophetic, high priestly, and kingly office of Christ. More important is the doctrine of justification.” Röhr's disinterest has, in large part, been retained by more recent theological considerations of Schleiermacher. Despite ample recognition of the fact that Schleiermacher rejuvenated the doctrine of Christ's threefold office after a period of general neglect, extended reflection upon the actual implications of Schleiermacher's understanding of Christ as prophet, priest, and king for the rest of his system, and his doctrine of redemption in particular, has been lacking. In both editions of theGlaubenslehre, however, four complete sections are devoted to the threefold office, which with two preceding sections on the redeeming and reconciling activity of Christ make up Schleiermacher's doctrinal heading “Of the Work of Christ” within his division on Christology.
Rabbinic Law between Biblical Logic and Biblical Text: The Pitfalls of Exodus 21:33–34
Authors: Schwartz Daniel R.
Published: July 2014

When the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court conclude that some law, or some decision of a lower court, violates the U.S. Constitution, no great difficulties of principle or sentiment need accompany their decision to abrogate the opinions of the earlier legislators or judges. The justices, and others, are expected to understand their decision either as correcting a mistake that had been introduced by fallible people who, with intentions good or bad, or unintentionally, had violated the system's basic rulebook, or as reflecting the fact that since the time those legislators or judges made their decisions something relevant (such as notions of “cruel and unusual punishment” or of what affects interstate commerce) had changed, so what was once constitutionally acceptable no longer is. Thus, however upsetting the substance of the justices’ decision may be, it need not imply a condemnation of their predecessors nor entail a disruption of the system's authority structures—as is seen in the fact that the justices, and American citizens, readily use such explicit verbs as “reverse,” “strike down,” or “overturned” for what the justices do
Volitional Sin in Origen'sCommentary on Romans
Authors: Bagby Stephen
Published: July 2014

The study of Origen's anthropology has generated a great deal of interest in the last few decades. This ongoing reassessment has filled considerable lacunae and redressed fundamental misconceptions in this area of his thought. There remains, however, an aspect of his anthropology in need of more thorough analysis. Scholarship on Origen's understanding of sin remains underdeveloped. Most studies of his conception of sin have concerned themselves with his famous teaching on the preexistent fall found inFirst Principles. Seldom has scholarship traced this theme beyond this early treatise. A notable exception is the ambitious attempt by Georg Teichtweier to offer a comprehensive account of Origen's understanding of sin in hisDie Sündenlehre des Origenes. However, the scope of Teichtweier's project is so broad that any sustained expression of any particular aspect of Origen's hamartiological teaching is inhibited.
Albert Schweitzer and the Jews
Authors: Paget James Carleton
Published: July 2014

Albert Schweitzer's engagement with Judaism, and with the Jewish community more generally, has never been the subject of substantive discussion. On the one hand this is not surprising—Schweitzer wrote little about Judaism or the Jews during his long life, or at least very little that was devoted principally to those subjects. On the other hand, the lack of a study might be thought odd—Schweitzer's work as a New Testament scholar in particular is taken up to a significant degree with presenting a picture of Jesus, of the earliest Christian communities, and of Paul, and his scholarship emphasizes the need to see these topics against the background of a specific set of Jewish assumptions. It is also noteworthy because Schweitzer married a baptized Jew, whose father's academic career had been disadvantaged because he was a Jew. Moreover, Schweitzer lived at a catastrophic time in the history of the Jews, a time that directly affected his wife's family and others known to him. The extent to which this personal contact with Jews and with Judaism influenced Schweitzer either in his writings on Judaism or in his life will in part be the subject of this article.
Ideefix – Entwicklung und Evaluierung eines Kreativitätstrainings für Kinder
Authors: Faßwald-Magnet* Marika , Hefler* Heike , Papousek Ilona , Weiss Elisabeth M. , Fink Andreas
Published: July 2014

In dieser Arbeit wird die Entwicklung und empirische Überprüfung eines Kreativitätstrainings für Volksschulkinder (Ideefix) vorgestellt, das ausgehend von kreativitätsfördernden Prinzipien aus der Literatur (z. B. kognitive Stimulation, positiver Affekt) in spielerischer Form unterschiedliche Facetten der kreativen Denkleistung (verbal, figural-zeichnerisch, handlungsbezogen) stimulieren soll. Die Stichprobe setzte sich aus 146 SchülerInnen der vierten Schulstufe zusammen. Die Kinder wurden zu drei Messzeitpunkten mit verbalen und figural-zeichnerischen Kreativitätstestaufgaben sowie mit dem Test zum schöpferischen Denken getestet. Die Trainingsgruppe (n = 74) erhielt das Training zwischen dem ersten und dem zweiten Messzeitpunkt, während die Wartekontrollgruppe (n = 72) das Training zwischen dem zweiten und dem dritten Messzeitpunkt absolvierte. Das Training wurde an drei aufeinanderfolgenden Tagen (eine Schulstunde pro Tag) durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie zeigen, dass das Training Ideefix eine signifikante Steigerung unterschiedlicher Facetten psychometrisch erfasster Kreativität bewirken konnte.
Life on the edge: functional genomic response of Ignicoccus hospitalis to the presence of Nanoarchaeum equitans
Authors: Giannone Richard J , Wurch Louie L , Heimerl Thomas , Martin Stanton , Yang Zamin , Huber Harald , Rachel Reinhard , Hettich Robert L , Podar Mircea
Published: July 2014

The marine hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Ignicoccus hospitalis supports the propagation on its surface of Nanoarchaeum equitans, an evolutionarily enigmatic archaeon that resembles highly derived parasitic and symbiotic bacteria. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that enable this interarchaea relationship and the intimate physiologic consequences to I. hospitalis are unknown. Here, we used concerted proteomic and transcriptomic analyses to probe into the functional genomic response of I. hospitalis as N. equitans multiplies on its surface. The expression of over 97% of the genes was detected at mRNA level and over 80% of the predicted proteins were identified and their relative abundance measured by proteomics. These indicate that little, if any, of the host genomic information is silenced during growth in the laboratory. The primary response to N. equitans was at the membrane level, with increases in relative abundance of most protein complexes involved in energy generation as well as that of several transporters and proteins involved in cellular membrane stabilization. Similar upregulation was observed for genes and proteins involved in key metabolic steps controlling nitrogen and carbon metabolism, although the overall biosynthetic pathways were marginally impacted. Proliferation of N. equitans resulted, however, in selective downregulation of genes coding for transcription factors and replication and cell cycle control proteins as I. hospitalis shifted its physiology from its own cellular growth to that of its ectosymbiont/parasite. The combination of these multiomic approaches provided an unprecedented level of detail regarding the dynamics of this interspecies interaction, which is especially pertinent as these organisms are not genetically tractable.
New insights into iron acquisition by cyanobacteria: an essential role for ExbB-ExbD complex in inorganic iron uptake
Authors: Jiang Hai-Bo , Lou Wen-Jing , Ke Wen-Ting , Song Wei-Yu , Price Neil M , Qiu Bao-Sheng
Published: July 2014

Cyanobacteria are globally important primary producers that have an exceptionally large iron requirement for photosynthesis. In many aquatic ecosystems, the levels of dissolved iron are so low and some of the chemical species so unreactive that growth of cyanobacteria is impaired. Pathways of iron uptake through cyanobacterial membranes are now being elucidated, but the molecular details are still largely unknown. Here we report that the non-siderophore-producing cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 contains three exbB-exbD gene clusters that are obligatorily required for growth and are involved in iron acquisition. The three exbB-exbDs are redundant, but single and double mutants have reduced rates of iron uptake compared with wild-type cells, and the triple mutant appeared to be lethal. Short-term measurements in chemically well-defined medium show that iron uptake by Synechocystis depends on inorganic iron (Fe′) concentration and ExbB-ExbD complexes are essentially required for the Fe′ transport process. Although transport of iron bound to a model siderophore, ferrioxamine B, is also reduced in the exbB-exbD mutants, the rate of uptake at similar total [Fe] is about 800-fold slower than Fe′, suggesting that hydroxamate siderophore iron uptake may be less ecologically relevant than free iron. These results provide the first evidence that ExbB-ExbD is involved in inorganic iron uptake and is an essential part of the iron acquisition pathway in cyanobacteria. The involvement of an ExbB-ExbD system for inorganic iron uptake may allow cyanobacteria to more tightly maintain iron homeostasis, particularly in variable environments where iron concentrations range from limiting to sufficient.
Virtual finger boosts three-dimensional imaging and microsurgery as well as terabyte volume image visualization and analysis
Authors: Peng Hanchuan , Tang Jianyong , Xiao Hang , Bria Alessandro , Zhou Jianlong , Butler Victoria , Zhou Zhi , Gonzalez-Bellido Paloma T. , Oh Seung W. , Chen Jichao , Mitra Ananya , Tsien Richard W. , Zeng Hongkui , Ascoli Giorgio A. , Iannello Giulio , Hawrylycz Michael , Myers Eugene , Long Fuhui
Published: July 2014

Three-dimensional (3D) bioimaging, visualization and data analysis are in strong need of powerful 3D exploration techniques. We develop virtual finger (VF) to generate 3D curves, points and regions-of-interest in the 3D space of a volumetric image with a single finger operation, such as a computer mouse stroke, or click or zoom from the 2D-projection plane of an image as visualized with a computer. VF provides efficient methods for acquisition, visualization and analysis of 3D images for roundworm, fruitfly, dragonfly, mouse, rat and human. Specifically, VF enables instant 3D optical zoom-in imaging, 3D free-form optical microsurgery, and 3D visualization and annotation of terabytes of whole-brain image volumes. VF also leads to orders of magnitude better efficiency of automated 3D reconstruction of neurons and similar biostructures over our previous systems. We use VF to generate from images of 1,107 Drosophila GAL4 lines a projectome of a Drosophila brain.