bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification and physiological characterization of two sister lines ofindicarice (Oryza sativaL.) with contrasting levels of cold tolerance
Authors: Adamski Janete M. , Cargnelutti Denise , Sperotto Raul A. , Terra Tatiana F. , Rosa Luis M.G. , Cruz Renata P. , Fett Janette P.
Published: April 2016

Exposure to low temperature during germination and vegetative growth is a limiting factor to the establishment and development of rice seedlings. Higher cold tolerance of japonica than indica subspecies is well documented. However, reports of cold tolerance in indica genotypes are rare. We screened a large number of indica rice genotypes for cold tolerance during germination and initial vegetative growth. The indica genotypes IRGA 959-1-2-2F-4-1-4-A and IRGA 959-1-2-2F-4-1-4-D-1-CA-1, derived from the same cross, were characterized, respectively, as tolerant and sensitive to low temperature. Indexes of photosynthetic performance during light absorption were heavily affected by cold in both genotypes, but recovered after cold exposure only in the tolerant genotype. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT (at the vegetative stage) and CAT and APX (at the germination stage) were higher in the tolerant than in the sensitive genotype. Expression of 20 genes previously related to cold response in rice was evaluated. Expression of OsLIP9 and OsWCOR413 were higher in the tolerant genotype upon or prior to cold exposure, respectively. The two sister lines show different molecular and physiological responses to low temperature stress. Further in-depth studies with these lines may help to identify new cold tolerance mechanisms in rice.
Bolt common bean
Authors: Khanal Raja , Rupert Terry , Navabi Alireza , Smith Thomas H. , Michaels Thomas E. , Burt Andrew J. , Pauls Karl P.
Published: April 2016

The breeding line ACUG10-1 named as Bolt (CFIA registration no. 7366) of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is resistant to anthracnose [caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magnus)] with an upright plant architecture, suitable for direct harvest and high yield potential. Bolt is recommended for the dry bean growing areas in southwestern Ontario.
Dynasty kidney bean
Authors: Khanal Raja , Smith Thomas H. , Michaels Thomas E. , Pauls K. Peter
Published: April 2016

Dynasty is a dark red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivar with excellent yield potential and resistant to races 17 and 73 of anthracnose.
AAC Montrose barley
Authors: Choo Thin Meiw , Xue Allen G. , Martin Richard A.
Published: April 2016

AAC Montrose is a six-row spring feed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivar developed by the Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It has high yield and good resistance to lodging, neck break, and straw break. AAC Montrose performs well in Ontario.
Wormhole geometries in fourth-order conformal Weyl gravity
Authors: Varieschi Gabriele U. , Ault Kellie L.
Published: April 2016

We present an analysis of the classic wormhole geometries based on conformal Weyl gravity, rather than standard general relativity. The main characteristics of the resulting traversable wormholes remains the same as in the seminal study by Morris and Thorne, namely, that effective super-luminal motion is a viable consequence of the metric. Improving on previous work on the subject, we show that for particular choices of the shape and redshift functions the wormhole metric in the context of conformal gravity does not violate the main energy conditions at or near the wormhole throat. Some exotic matter might still be needed at the junction between our solutions and flat spacetime, but we demonstrate that the averaged null energy condition (as evaluated along radial null geodesics) is satisfied for a particular set of wormhole geometries. Therefore, if fourth-order conformal Weyl gravity is a correct extension of general relativity, traversable wormholes might become a realistic solution for interstellar travel.
Vacuum fluctuation inside a star and their consequences for neutron stars, a simple model
Authors: Caspar G. , Rodríguez I. , Hess P. O. , Greiner W.
Published: April 2016

Applying semi-classical quantum mechanics, the vacuum fluctuations within a star are determined, assuming a constant mass density and applying a monopole approximation. It is found that the density for the vacuum fluctuations does not only depend linearly on the mass density, as assumed in a former publication, where neutron stars up to 6 solar masses were obtained. This is used to propose a simple model on the dependence of the dark energy to the mass density, as a function of the radial distance [Formula: see text]. It is shown that stars with up to 200 solar masses can, in principle, be obtained. Though, we use a phenomenological model, it shows that in the presence of vacuum fluctuations stars with large masses can be stabilized and probably stars up to any mass can exist, which usually are identified as black holes.
Knowledge Generation Strategies: Empirical Analysis of Industrial Enterprises
Authors: Panikarova Svetlana , Vlasov Maxim
Published: April 2016

The aim of the research is to develop theory and practice of strategic planning in the field of knowledge generation as competitiveness factors of economic entities. The paper presents results of empirical researches of knowledge generation strategies that the Russian industrial enterprises realise. This study focuses on analysis of microdata (enterprise level) as the key instrument to reveal facts and hypotheses describing the innovation activities depending on different types of changed resource, quantity of new products made by the company, structure of costs for different types of knowledge, profit growth. The idea locates about strategies generation of different types of knowledge (operational, structural, functional) considerably differ. The authors prove that effective innovative company development, particularly in the difficult economic condition, stresses the importance of organising optimal cost structure for different types of knowledge. It is strategic knowledge management based on company strategy, its aims and growth trends that gives the most significant effect in the field of providing competitiveness.
CAN NEURAL NETWORKS PREDICT BUSINESS FAILURE? EVIDENCE FROM SMALL HIGH TECH FIRMS IN THE UK
Authors: WILLIAMS DENSIL A.
Published: April 2016

This paper, using a flexible and more robust analytical tool, neural networks models, analyzes the most important factors in determining business failure among small, high-technology firms. Using the resource-based view and organizational ecology as the theoretical lenses through which to view the problem, the paper modeled a number of variables that stood as proxies for resources. The results suggest profit, in the form of retained earnings, is the most significant factor that determines failure among these firms. Other factors of importance are governance structure, location and firm size. Importantly, the issue of governance structure as a resource has received very little attention in existing works on business failure, and as such, this paper makes a contribution to the literature by adding governance as an important resource.
Presentability by products for some classes of groups
Authors: de la Harpe P. , Kotschick D.
Published: April 2016

In various classes of infinite groups, we identify groups that are presentable by products, i.e. groups having finite index subgroups which are quotients of products of two commuting infinite subgroups. The classes we discuss here include groups of small virtual cohomological dimension and irreducible Zariski dense subgroups of appropriate algebraic groups. This leads to applications to groups of positive deficiency, to fundamental groups of three-manifolds and to Coxeter groups.

For finitely generated groups presentable by products we discuss the problem of whether the factors in a presentation by products may be chosen to be finitely generated.
Geochemistry of a large impoundment – Part II: Fe and Mn cycling and metal transport
Authors: Sun Li , Leybourne Matthew I. , Rissmann Clinton F. W. , Brikowski Tom
Published: April 2016

Depletion of oxygen in lakes and reservoirs due to summer stratification has significant effects on many aspects of water chemistry, including lake productivity, elemental cycling and water quality. We have studied the redox conditions of Lake Texoma, a large impoundment lake on the border of Texas and Oklahoma, USA, formed from the confluence of the Red and Washita rivers, in order to understand the impact of summer anoxia on metal distribution. In summer, dissolved oxygen decreases with depth (from
c.
7.0 to 0.1 mg/L), whereas dissolved (<0.45 µm) Fe (and Fe
2+
), Mn and HS
−
concentrations show complementary increases in the hypolimnion. Summer anoxia is, to a large degree, responsible for vertical variations in Fe and Mn concentrations, and Fe speciation is controlled by Fe-oxyhydroxide reduction and subsequent pyrite precipitation in sulphide-rich bottom waters. Summer anoxia is also responsible for vertical variations in the concentration of other metals including Ba, Pb and Ni in the deepest portion (main lake) of the lake. Lake Texoma and its two river arms show relatively minor variation in δ
34
S
CDT
(from +11.5 to +13.4‰), mirroring variation in Permian/Cretaceous marine gypsum and anhydrite deposits (δ
34
S
CDT
+10 to +15‰) in the headwater regions of the catchment. Increasing δ
34
S
CDT
with depth (>16 m) in the main lake is consistent with fractionation associated with sulphate reduction in anoxic bottom waters. δ
13
C
PDB
values of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) become more negative (from –2.5 to –8.2 ‰) with depth in summer, due to bacterial oxidation of organic matter linked to sulphate reduction. Summer anoxia may induce temporal degradation of water quality in the central three zones of the lake with elevated Fe and Mn concentrations owing to breakdown of oxyhydroxides and release of adsorbed heavy metals, such as Pb and Ni. However, complete turnover of the water column in the autumn lowers dissolved Fe, Mn and heavy metal concentrations by oxidation and formation of oxyhydroxides
.
The characterization of anoxia in Lake Texoma provides the background for further water quality research and management for the rapidly increasing population of North Texas and improves our understanding of redox cycling and metal mobility in reservoirs.
Impact of a mild decrease in fasting plasma glucose on β-cell function in healthy subjects and patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Seghieri Marta , Rebelos Eleni , Astiarraga Brenno D. , Baldi Simona , Mari Andrea , Ferrannini Ele
Published: April 2016

Restoring euglycaemia for weeks or months improves insulin secretion in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We tested whether mild decrements in fasting glucose (FPG) acutely affect β-cell function and insulin sensitivity. Thirteen normotolerant (NGT) and 10 T2D patients volunteered in pairs. In an isoglycemic test (Iso), after 100 min of stabilization, an incremental glucose infusion over 3 h was applied to raise plasma glucose to >22 mmol/l, followed by an arginine challenge; in a subisoglycemic test (Sub), a glucose infusion matching the plasma glucose time course of Iso was preceded by an insulin infusion period (100 min) aimed at maintaining a mild FPG reduction while avoiding hypoglycaemia. β-Cell function was assessed by mathematical modeling, whereas the acute insulin response (AIR) to arginine was determined from C-peptide levels. In the Sub, FPG was lowered by 17% in NGT and 31% in T2D patients. On the glucose ramp, total insulin release was lower in Sub than in Iso in both groups [from 106 (43) to 75 (39) nmol/m−2 in NGT and from 71 (63) to 64 (41) nmol/m−2 in T2D, P = 0.001]. In the Sub, β-cell glucose sensitivity was significantly ( P = 0.008) reduced in NGT [from 50 (31) to 43 (21) pmol·min−1·m−2·mM−1] but not in T2D [19 (20) to 20 (20) pmol·min−1·m−2·mM−1]. Likewise, AIR was lowered in NGT [8.9 (4.6) to 7.1 (4.4) nmol/l, P = 0.048] but not in T2D [4.7 (3.3) to 5.3 (3.2) nmol/l]. Insulin sensitivity improved in NGT but only marginally in T2D. Prestimulatory glucose levels acutely influence both β-cell function and insulin sensitivity differentially in nondiabetic and type 2 diabetic individuals.
Methanolic Extract of Clinacanthus nutans Exerts Antinociceptive Activity via the Opioid/Nitric Oxide‐Mediated, but cGMP‐Independent, Pathways
Authors: Abdul Rahim Mohammad Hafiz , Zakaria Zainul Amiruddin , Mohd Sani Mohd Hijaz , Omar Maizatul Hasyima , Yakob Yusnita , Cheema Manraj Singh , Ching Siew Mooi , Ahmad Zuraini , Abdul Kadir Arifah
Published: April 2016

The objectives of the present study were to determine the mechanisms of antinociceptive effect of methanol extract of Clinacanthus nutans (Acanthaceae) leaves (MECN) using various animal nociceptive models. The antinociceptive activity of orally administered 10% DMSO, 100 mg/kg acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), 5 mg/kg morphine, or MECN (100, 250, and 500 mg/kg) was determined using the acetic acid‐induced abdominal constriction (ACT), formalin‐induced paw licking (FT), and hot plate tests (HPT). The role of opioid and nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO/cGMP) systems was also investigated. The results showed that MECN produced a significant (p < 0.05) antinociceptive response in all nociceptive models with the recorded ED50 value of 279.3 mg/kg for the ACT, while, for the early and late phases of the FT, the value was >500 mg/kg or 227.7 mg/kg, respectively. This antinociceptive activity was fully antagonized by naloxone (a nonselective opioid antagonist) but was partially reversed by l‐arginine (l‐arg; a nitric oxide [NO] precursor), Nω‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l‐NAME; an NO synthase inhibitor), or their combinations thereof. In contrast, 1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazole[4,3‐a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ; a soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor) enhanced the extract’s antinociception. UHPLC analysis revealed the presence of several flavonoid‐based compounds with antinociceptive action. In conclusion, MECN exerted the peripherally and centrally mediated antinociceptive activity via the modulation of the opioid/NO‐mediated, but cGMP‐independent, systems.
Growth Hormone Therapy Benefits Pituitary Stalk Interruption Syndrome Patients with Short Stature: A Retrospective Study of 75 Han Chinese
Authors: Wang Cheng-Zhi , Guo Ling-Ling , Han Bai-Yu , Wang An-Ping , Liu Hong-Yan , Su Xing , Guo Qing-Hua , Mu Yi-Ming
Published: April 2016

Objective. We aim to investigate the long-term benefits of growth hormone (GH) therapy in short stature adolescents and adults with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS), which would be beneficial for future clinical applications.Design and Methods. In this study, initial height, final height, total height gain, and GH treatment history were retrospectively investigated in 75 Chinese PSIS patients. We compared height gain between the GH treated cohort and untreated cohort and explored the impact of different GH therapy duration on height gain.Results. For GH treated patients, their final height (SDS) increased from-1.99±1.91(−6.93~2.80) at bone age (BA) of 11.2 (5.0~17.0) years to-1.47±1.64(−7.82~1.05) at BA of 16.6 (8.0~18.0) years (P=0.016). And GH treated patients had more height gain than the untreated patients (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between the different GH therapy duration groups (P=0.001): GH 0 versus GH 3,P=0.000; GH 1 versus GH 3,P=0.028; GH 2 versus GH 3,P=0.044.Conclusion. Adult Chinese PSIS patients with short stature benefited the most from at least 12 months of GH therapy. Although patient diagnosis age was lagged behind in the developing countries, GH treatment was still effective for them and resulted in a higher final height and more height gain.
Multilayer Membranes of Glycosaminoglycans and Collagen I Biomaterials Modulate the Function and Microvesicle Release of Endothelial Progenitor Cells
Authors: Dai Bingyan , Pan Qunwen , Li Zhanghua , Zhao Mingyan , Liao Xiaorong , Wu Keng , Ma Xiaotang
Published: April 2016

Multilayer composite membrane of biomaterials can increase the function of adipose stem cells or osteoprogenitor cells. Recent evidence indicates endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and EPCs released microvesicles (MVs) play important roles in angiogenesis and vascular repair. Here, we investigated the effects of biomaterial multilayer membranes of hyaluronic acid (HA) or chondroitin sulfate (CS) and Collagen I (Col I) on the functions and MVs release of EPCs. Layer‐by‐layer (LBL) technology was applied to construct the multilayer composite membranes. Four types of the membranes constructed by adsorbing either HA or CS and Col I alternatively with different top layers were studied. The results showed that all four types of multilayer composite membranes could promote EPCs proliferation and migration and inhibit cell senility, apoptosis, and the expression of activated caspase‐3. Interestingly, these biomaterials increased the release and the miR‐126 level of EPCs‐MVs. Moreover, the CS‐Col I membrane with CS on the top layer showed the most effects on promoting EPCs proliferation, EPCs‐MV release, and miR‐126 level in EPCs‐MVs. In conclusion, HA/CS and Collagen I composed multilayer composite membranes can promote EPCs functions and release of miR‐126 riched EPCs‐MVs, which provides a novel strategy for tissue repair treatment.
Plant-Based Vaccines: Production and Challenges
Authors: Laere Erna , Ling Anna Pick Kiong , Wong Ying Pei , Koh Rhun Yian , Mohd Lila Mohd Azmi , Hussein Sobri
Published: April 2016

Plant-based vaccine technologies involve the integration of the desired genes encoding the antigen protein for specific disease into the genome of plant tissues by various methods. Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer and transformation via genetically modified plant virus are the common methods that have been used to produce effective vaccines. Nevertheless, with the advancement of science and technology, new approaches have been developed to increase the efficiency of former methods such as biolistic, electroporation, agroinfiltration, sonication, and polyethylene glycol treatment. Even though plant-based vaccines provide many benefits to the vaccine industry, there are still challenges that limit the rate of successful production of these third-generation vaccines. Even with all the limitations, continuous efforts are still ongoing in order to produce efficient vaccine for many human and animals related diseases owing to its great potentials. This paper reviews the existing conventional methods as well as the development efforts by researchers in order to improve the production of plant-based vaccines. Several challenges encountered during and after the production process were also discussed.
Microbubble Distillation for Ethanol-Water Separation
Authors: Al-yaqoobi Atheer , Hogg David , Zimmerman William B.
Published: April 2016

In the current study, a novel approach for separating ethanol-water mixture by microbubble distillation technology was investigated. Traditional distillation processes require large amounts of energy to raise the liquid to its boiling point to effect removal of volatile components. The concept of microbubble distillation by comparison is to heat the gas phase rather than the liquid phase to achieve separation. The removal of ethanol from the thermally sensitive fermentation broths was taken as a case of study. Consequently the results were then compared with those which could be obtained under equilibrium conditions expected in an “ideal” distillation unit. Microbubble distillation has achieved vapour compositions higher than that which could be obtained under traditional equilibrium conditions. The separation was achieved at liquid temperature significantly less than the boiling point of the mixture. In addition, it was observed that the separation efficiency of the microbubble distillation could be increased by raising the injected air temperature, while the temperature of the liquid mixture increased only moderately. The separation efficiency of microbubble distillation was compared with that of pervaporation for the recovery of bioethanol from the thermally sensitive fermentation broths. The technology could be controlled to give high separation and energy efficiency. This could contribute to improving commercial viability of biofuel production and other coproducts of biorefinery processing.
Effects of Short-Term Physical Activity Interventions on Simple and Choice Response Times
Authors: Norton Kevin , Norton Lynda , Lewis Nicole
Published: April 2016

Objective. Response time (RT) is important for health and human performance and provides insight into cognitive processes. It deteriorates with age, is associated with chronic physical activity (PA), and improves with PA interventions. We investigated associations between the amount and type of PA undertaken and the rate of change in RT for low-active adults across the age range 18–63 yr.Methods. Insufficiently active adults were assigned to either a walking (n=263) or higher-intensity (n=380) exercise program conducted over 40 days. Active controls were also recruited (n=135). Simple response time (SRT) and choice response time (CRT) were measured before and after the intervention and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up.Results. SRT and CRT slowed across the age range; however, habitually active participants at baseline had significantly faster CRT (p<0.05). The interventions increased weekly PA with corresponding increases in physical fitness. These changes were mirrored in faster CRT across the study for both intervention groups (p<0.05). No changes were found for SRT.Conclusions. Both PA interventions resulted in improvements in CRT among adults starting from a low activity base. These improvements were relatively rapid and occurred in both interventions despite large differences in exercise volume, type, and intensity. There were no effects on SRT in either intervention.
Spatial Circular Granulation Method Based on Multimodal Finger Feature
Authors: Yang Jinfeng , Zhong Zhen , Jia Guimin , Li Yanan
Published: April 2016

Finger-based personal identification has become an active research topic in recent years because of its high user acceptance and convenience. How to reliably and effectively fuse the multimodal finger features together, however, has still been a challenging problem in practice. In this paper, viewing the finger trait as the combination of a fingerprint, finger vein, and finger-knuckle-print, a new multimodal finger feature recognition scheme is proposed based on granular computing. First, the ridge texture features of FP, FV, and FKP are extracted using Gabor Ordinal Measures (GOM). Second, combining the three-modal GOM feature maps in a color-based manner, we then constitute the original feature object set of a finger. To represent finger features effectively, they are granulated at three levels of feature granules (FGs) in a bottom-up manner based on spatial circular granulation. In order to test the performance of the multilevel FGs, a top-down matching method is proposed. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves higher accuracy recognition rate in finger feature recognition.
Physical and Socioeconomic Driving Forces of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes: A Case Study of Wuhan City, China
Authors: Li Xiangmei , Wang Ying , Li Jiangfeng , Lei Bin
Published: April 2016

To investigate precise nexus between land-use and land-cover changes (LUCC) and driving factors for rational urban management, we used remotely sensed images to map land use and land cover (LULC) from 1990 to 2010 for four time periods using Wuhan city, China, as a case study. Partial least squares (PLS) method was applied to analyze the relationships between LUCC and the driving factors, mainly focusing on three types of LULC, that is, arable land, built-up area, and water area. The results were as follows:(1)during the past two decades, the land-use pattern in Wuhan city showed dramatic change. Arable land is made up of the largest part of the total area. The increased built-up land came mainly from the conversion of arable land for the purpose of economic development.(2)Based on the Variable Importance in Projection (VIP), the joint effects of socioeconomic and physical factors on LUCC were dominant, though annual temperature, especially annual precipitation, proved to be less significant to LUCC. Population, tertiary industry proportion, and gross output value of agriculture were the most significant factors for three major types of LULC. This study could help us better understand the driving mechanism of urban LUCC and important implications for urban management.
Label-Free Neurosurgical Pathology with Stimulated Raman Imaging
Authors: Lu Fa-Ke , Calligaris David , Olubiyi Olutayo I. , Norton Isaiah , Yang Wenlong , Santagata Sandro , Xie X. Sunney , Golby Alexandra J. , Agar Nathalie Y.R.
Published: April 2016

The goal of brain tumor surgery is to maximize tumor removal without injuring critical brain structures. Achieving this goal is challenging as it can be difficult to distinguish tumor from nontumor tissue. While standard histopathology provides information that could assist tumor delineation, it cannot be performed iteratively during surgery as freezing, sectioning, and staining of the tissue require too much time. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy is a powerful label-free chemical imaging technology that enables rapid mapping of lipids and proteins within a fresh specimen. This information can be rendered into pathology-like images. Although this approach has been used to assess the density of glioma cells in murine orthotopic xenografts models and human brain tumors, tissue heterogeneity in clinical brain tumors has not yet been fully evaluated with SRS imaging. Here we profile 41 specimens resected from 12 patients with a range of brain tumors. By evaluating large-scale stimulated Raman imaging data and correlating this data with current clinical gold standard of histopathology for 4,422 fields of view, we capture many essential diagnostic hallmarks for glioma classification. Notably, in fresh tumor samples, we observe additional features, not seen by conventional methods, including extensive lipid droplets within glioma cells, collagen deposition in gliosarcoma, and irregularity and disruption of myelinated fibers in areas infiltrated by oligodendroglioma cells. The data are freely available in a public resource to foster diagnostic training and to permit additional interrogation. Our work establishes the methodology and provides a significant collection of reference images for label-free neurosurgical pathology. Cancer Res; 76(12); 3451–62. ©2016 AACR.
Parity and Oral Contraceptive Use in Relation to Ovarian Cancer Risk in Older Women
Authors: McGuire Valerie , Hartge Patricia , Liao Linda M. , Sinha Rashmi , Bernstein Leslie , Canchola Alison J. , Anderson Garnet L. , Stefanick Marcia L. , Whittemore Alice S.
Published: April 2016

Background: Several studies have suggested that the ovarian cancer risk reductions associated with parity and oral contraceptive use are weaker in postmenopausal than premenopausal women, yet little is known about the persistence of these reductions as women age. This question gains importance with the increasing numbers of older women in the population.

Methods: We addressed the question using data from three large U.S. cohort studies involving 310,290 white women aged 50+ years at recruitment, of whom 1,815 developed subsequent incident invasive epithelial ovarian cancer. We used Cox regression, stratified by cohort, to examine age-related trends in the HRs per full-term pregnancy and per year of oral contraceptive use.

Results: The parity-associated risk reductions waned with age (Ptrend < 0.001 in HR with increasing age), particularly among women aged 75 years or more, for whom we observed no association with parity. However, we observed no such attenuation in the oral contraceptive–associated risk reductions (P = 0.79 for trend in HR with increasing age).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that prior oral contraceptive use is important for ovarian cancer risk assessment among women of all ages, while the benefits of parity wane as women age.

Impact: This information, if duplicated in other studies, will be useful to preventive counseling and risk prediction, particularly for women at increased ovarian cancer risk due to a personal history of breast cancer or a family history of ovarian cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(7); 1059–63. ©2016 AACR.
Serum Estrogens and Estrogen Metabolites and Endometrial Cancer Risk among Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Brinton Louise A. , Trabert Britton , Anderson Garnet L. , Falk Roni T. , Felix Ashley S. , Fuhrman Barbara J. , Gass Margery L. , Kuller Lewis H. , Pfeiffer Ruth M. , Rohan Thomas E. , Strickler Howard D. , Xu Xia , Wentzensen Nicolas
Published: April 2016

Background: Although endometrial cancer is clearly influenced by hormonal factors, few epidemiologic studies have investigated the role of endogenous estrogens or especially estrogen metabolites.

Methods: We conducted a nested case–control study within the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI-OS), a cohort of 93,676 postmenopausal women recruited between 1993 and 1998. Using baseline serum samples from women who were non-current hormone users with intact uteri, we measured 15 estrogens/estrogen metabolites via HPLC/MS-MS among 313 incident endometrial cancer cases (271 type I, 42 type II) and 354 matched controls, deriving adjusted ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for overall and subtype-specific endometrial cancer risk.

Results: Parent estrogens (estrone and estradiol) were positively related to endometrial cancer risk, with the highest risk observed for unconjugated estradiol (OR 5th vs. 1st quintile = 6.19; 95% CI, 2.95–13.03, Ptrend = 0.0001). Nearly all metabolites were significantly associated with elevated risks, with some attenuation after adjustment for unconjugated estradiol (residual risks of 2- to 3-fold). Body mass index (kg/m2, BMI) relations were somewhat reduced after adjustment for estrogen levels. The association with unconjugated estradiol was stronger for type I than type II tumors (Phet = 0.01).

Conclusions: Parent estrogens as well as individual metabolites appeared to exert generalized uterotropic activity, particularly for type I tumors. The effects of obesity on risk were only partially explained by estrogens.

Impact: These findings enhance our understanding of estrogen mechanisms involved in endometrial carcinogenesis but also highlight the need for studying additional markers that may underlie the effects on risk of certain risk factors, for example, obesity. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(7); 1081–9. ©2016 AACR.
NQO1-Mediated Tumor-Selective Lethality and Radiosensitization for Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Li Long-Shan , Reddy Srilakshmi , Lin Zhen-Hua , Liu Shuangping , Park Hyunsil , Chun Stephen G. , Bornmann William G. , Thibodeaux Joel , Yan Jingsheng , Chakrabarti Gaurab , Xie Xian-Jin , Sumer Baran D. , Boothman David A. , Yordy John S.
Published: April 2016

Ionizing radiation (IR) is a key therapeutic regimen for many head and neck cancers (HNC). However, the 5-year overall survival rate for locally advanced HNCs is approximately 50% and better therapeutic efficacy is needed. NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is overexpressed in many cancers, and β-lapachone (β-lap), a unique NQO1 bioactivatable drug, exploits this enzyme to release massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) that synergize with IR to kill by programmed necrosis. β-Lap represents a novel therapeutic opportunity in HNC leading to tumor-selective lethality that will enhance the efficacy of IR. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot assays were used to assess the expression levels of NQO1 in HNC cells and tumors. Forty-five percent of endogenous HNCs expressed elevated NQO1 levels. In addition, multiple HNC cell lines and tumors demonstrated elevated levels of NQO1 expression and activity and were tested for anticancer lethality and radiosensitization by β-lap using long-term survival assays. The combination of nontoxic β-lap doses and IR significantly enhanced NQO1-dependent tumor cell lethality, increased ROS, TUNEL-positive cells, DNA damage, NAD+, and ATP consumption, and resulted in significant antitumor efficacy and prolonged survival in two xenograft murine HNC models, demonstrating β-lap radiosensitization of HNCs through a NQO1-dependent mechanism. This translational study offers a potential biomarker-driven strategy using NQO1 expression to select tumors susceptible to β-lap–induced radiosensitization. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(7); 1757–67. ©2016 AACR.
Association between Clinician's Subjective Experience during Patient Evaluation and Psychiatric Diagnosis
Authors: Pallagrosi Mauro , Fonzi Laura , Picardi Angelo , Biondi Massimo
Published: April 2016

Background: Classical psychopathology greatly valued the interaction between clinician and patient, and assigned to the clinician's subjective experience a significant role in the diagnostic process. Psychoanalysis, too, ascribed a privileged position to the clinician's feelings and empathic participation in the assessment and deep understanding of the patient. This study aimed at testing the traditional, though still relatively unexplored empirically, tenet that particular diagnostic groups elicit distinct and diagnostically useful reactions from clinicians. Sampling and Methods: The study was performed in several psychiatric inpatient and outpatient units in Rome, Italy. The clinicians completed the Assessment of Clinician's Subjective Experience (ACSE) questionnaire and other standardized assessment instruments when they evaluated a previously unknown patient. All adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 119), cluster B personality disorder (n = 114), manic or mixed bipolar I episode (n = 59), and unipolar depression or anxiety disorder (n = 130) were included in the study, for a total of 422 patients evaluated by 35 clinicians. Results: We found a significant and theoretically consistent relationship between the clinicians' pattern of subjective experience during the first visit and patients' clinical diagnoses. Patients with unipolar depression/anxiety showed significantly lower scores than the other groups on all ACSE scales except engagement; patients with schizophrenia displayed significantly higher scores than the other groups on difficulty in attunement, and significantly higher scores than patients with cluster B personality disorder on impotence. Compared with the other groups, the patients with cluster B personality disorder displayed significantly lower scores on engagement, and significantly higher scores on disconfirmation. In multivariate models controlling for patient's age and education, symptom severity, clinician's sex, duration of visit and setting, diagnosis remained a significant predictor of scores on all ACSE scales except for impotence. Conclusions: The main limitations of the study are its reliance on clinical diagnoses and the non-independence of assessments. Further studies based on diagnoses made by a third observer through standardized instruments are needed to provide a most stringent test of the hypothesis that different diagnoses are associated with distinct profiles of clinicians' subjective experience. This study provided intriguing, though preliminary, evidence that the clinician's subjective experience may play a useful role in the diagnostic process. Time may have come to reintroduce the concept of intersubjectivity at the core of the diagnostic process.
High Rates of Thromboembolic Events in Patients with Germ Cell Cancer Undergoing Cisplatin-Based Polychemotherapy
Authors: Solari L. , Krönig M. , Ihorst G. , Drognitz K. , Heinz J. , Jilg C.A. , Schultze-Seemann W. , Engelhardt M. , Waller Cornelius F.
Published: April 2016

Background: We examined whether or not extended prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) would significantly reduce thromboembolic event (TEE) rates in germ cell cancer patients undergoing cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: LMWH prophylaxis was given from the first day of chemotherapy until 21 days after completing the last chemotherapy cycle to 45 out of 93 (48.4%) patients (extended), and to 48 out of 93 (51.6%) patients during their hospitalization only (limited) between January 2008 and December 2013. Patients were analyzed retrospectively for TEEs such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), myocardial infarction (MI) or peripheral arterial thrombosis. Results: A total of 22/93 (23.7%) patients experienced 30 TEE during chemotherapy: 12 out of 30 (40%) deep vein thrombosis, 4 out of 30 (13.3%) MI, 10 out of 30 (33.3%) PE and 4 out of 30 peripheral arterial thrombosis (13.3%). TEE rates in both groups did not differ significantly (extended: 26.7 vs. limited: 20.8%). Conclusions: The introduction of extended LMWH prophylaxis did not significantly reduce TEE rates in our patient cohort.
Renoprotective Effects of DNAse-I Treatment in a Rat Model of Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Peer Victoria , Abu Hamad Ramzia , Berman Sylvia , Efrati Shai
Published: April 2016

Background: Massive DNA destruction/accumulation of cell-free DNA debris is a sensitive biomarker of progressive organ/tissue damage. Deleterious consequences of DNA debris accumulation are evident in cardiac ischemia, thrombosis, auto-inflammatory diseases, SLE-induced lupus nephritis and cystic fibrosis. In case of renal pathologies, degradation and elimination of DNA debris are suppressed, due to downregulated DNAse-I activity within the diseased kidneys. The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether exogenous DNAse-I administration might exert renoprotective effects in the setting of acute kidney injury (AKI or acute renal failure). Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent unilateral nephrectomy, with simultaneous clamping of contralateral kidney artery. The treated group received DNAse-I injection before discontinuing anesthesia. Positive (ischemic) controls received saline injection. Negative (non-ischemic) controls were either non-operated or subjected to surgery of similar duress and duration without ischemia. Renal perfusion was evaluated using the Laser-Doppler technique. Blood was procured for evaluating DNAse-I activity, renal functioning, renal perfusion. The kidneys were allocated for histopathologic examinations and for the evaluation of renal hypoxia, intra-renal apoptosis and proliferation. Results: Contrary to the situation in untreated ischemic rats, renal perfusion was significantly improved in DNAse-treated animals, concomitantly with significant amelioration of damage to renal functioning and tissue integrity. Treatment with DNAse-I significantly decreased the ischemia-induced renal hypoxia and apoptosis, simultaneously stimulating renal cell proliferation. Exogenous DNAse-I administration accelerated the clearance of intra-renal apoptotic DNA debris. Conclusion: Functional/histologic hallmarks of renal injury were ameliorated, renal functioning improved, intra-renal hypoxia decreased and intra-renal regeneration processes were activated. Thus, DNAse-I treatment protected the kidney from deleterious consequences of ischemia-induced AKI.
Allosteric Modulation of K
v
11.1 (hERG) Channels Protects Against Drug-Induced Ventricular Arrhythmias
Authors: Yu Zhiyi , Liu Jia , van Veldhoven Jacobus P.D. , IJzerman Adriaan P. , Schalij Martin J. , Pijnappels Daniël A. , Heitman Laura H. , de Vries Antoine A.F.
Published: April 2016

Background—

Ventricular arrhythmias as a result of unintentional blockade of the K
v
11.1 (hERG [human ether-à-go-go–related gene]) channel are a major safety concern in drug development. In past years, several highly prescribed drugs have been withdrawn for their ability to cause such proarrhythmia. Here, we investigated whether the proarrhythmic risk of existing drugs could be reduced by K
v
11.1 allosteric modulators.

Methods and Results—

Using [
3
H]dofetilide-binding assays with membranes of human K
v
11.1-expressing human embryonic kidney 293 cells, 2 existing compounds (VU0405601 and ML-T531) and a newly synthesized compound (LUF7244) were found to be negative allosteric modulators of dofetilide binding to the K
v
11.1 channel, with LUF7244 showing the strongest effect at 10 μmol/L. The K
v
11.1 affinities of typical blockers (ie, dofetilide, astemizole, sertindole, and cisapride) were significantly decreased by LUF7244. Treatment of confluent neonatal rat ventricular myocyte (NRVM) monolayers with astemizole or sertindole caused heterogeneous prolongation of action potential duration and a high incidence of early afterdepolarizations on 1-Hz electric point stimulation, occasionally leading to unstable, self-terminating tachyarrhythmias. Pretreatment of NRVMs with LUF7244 prevented these proarrhythmic effects. NRVM monolayers treated with LUF7244 alone displayed electrophysiological properties indistinguishable from those of untreated NRVM cultures. Prolonged exposure of NRVMs to LUF7244 or LUF7244 plus astemizole did not affect their viability, excitability, and contractility as assessed by molecular, immunological, and electrophysiological assays.

Conclusions—

Allosteric modulation of the K
v
11.1 channel efficiently suppresses drug-induced ventricular arrhythmias in vitro by preventing potentially arrhythmogenic changes in action potential characteristics, raising the possibility to resume the clinical use of unintended K
v
11.1 blockers via pharmacological combination therapy.
Levels of Circulating Progenitor Cells, Cardiovascular Outcomes and Death
Authors: Rigato Mauro , Avogaro Angelo , Fadini Gian Paolo
Published: April 2016

Rationale:

Circulating progenitor cells (CPCs), including endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are biologically related to many aspects of cardiovascular disease, as they promote angiogenesis and vascular repair.

Objective:

We herein aimed to meta-analyze studies reporting the prognostic role of the CPC/EPC measure on cardiovascular outcomes and death.

Methods and Results:

We screened the English-language literature for longitudinal studies reporting the association between baseline CPC/EPC levels, future cardiovascular events, and death. We retrieved 28 studies, 21 of which contained poolable data and entered the meta-analysis, for a total of 4155 patients, mostly with a high baseline cardiovascular risk. Sixty percent of the studies met at least 11 of 16 items of quality assessment. Overall, reduced CPC/EPC levels were associated with a ≈2-fold increased risk of future cardiovascular events and cardiovascular death. The most predictive phenotype was CD34
+
CD133
+
: low versus high levels predicted cardiovascular events, restenosis after endovascular intervention, cardiovascular death, and all-cause mortality. Heterogeneity among studies and according to the CPC/EPC phenotype was generally high. Excluding studies for which the risk estimate had to be extrapolated or limiting the analyses to higher quality studies still indicated a significant risk for future cardiovascular events and death in patients with low versus high progenitor cell counts.

Conclusions:

This meta-analysis shows that a reduction in the levels of circulating cells putatively provided with vasculoregenerative properties represents a risk factor for adverse cardiovascular outcomes and death.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Acute Stroke
Authors: Ifergane Gal , Ovanyan Andrey , Toledano Ronen , Goldbart Aviv , Abu-Salame Ibrahim , Tal Asher , Stavsky Moshe , Novack Victor
Published: April 2016

Background and Purpose—

Sleep-disordered breathing is common among patients with stroke resulting in 4- to 6-fold higher prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We prospectively evaluated clinical characteristics and laboratory markers of inflammation and coagulability associated with OSA severity during the acute post stroke period.

Methods—

Consecutive patients admitted to the department of Neurology after an acute ischemic stroke were evaluated during the first 48 hours of symptom onset using Watch peripheral arterial tonometry, a wrist-worn ambulatory sleep study device that utilizes peripheral arterial tonometry. Morning blood samples of the patient were tested for tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels.

Results—

A total of 43 patients with acute stroke were admitted during the study period, 22 (51%) of which have been found to have moderate sleep apnea (apnea hypopnea index [AHI]≥15), AHI≥5 was found in 86% of the patients, and severe OSA (AHI≥30) in 32.5%. Patients with OSA (AHI≥15) did not differ from the rest in stroke severity or symptoms, yet they had higher prevalence of recurrent stroke and atrial fibrillation. All 3 biomarkers levels were higher among patients with AHI≥15: tumor necrosis factor (6.39 versus 3.57 pg/mL), interleukin-6 (6.64 versus 3.14 pg/mL), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (176.64 versus 98.48 pg/mL). After the stratification of AHI into 3 groups (AHI<5, 5–14, and ≥15), the analysis showed that only the highest AHI group differed from the other 2 groups in biomarkers levels.

Conclusions—

Use of bed-side somnography technology revealed that in an unselected sample of patients with acute ischemic stroke, almost 90% had sleep-disordered breathing with third having severe form of the disorder. Sleep-disordered breathing was associated with significantly increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers, providing possible pathophysiological explanation of OSA-associated stroke risk. These results warrant prospective screening of patients with stroke for the presence of sleep-disordered breathing and lay the rationale for an interventional trial.
A review of the fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) from Argentina
Authors: LARESCHI MARCELA , SANCHEZ JULIANA , AUTINO ANALÍA
Published: April 2016

The Order Siphonaptera comprises cosmopolitan haematophagous ectoparasites of birds and mammals. More than ten years have past since the last list of species known for Argentina. Herein we provide a review of the fleas from the country, which includes an updated list, host species and geographical distribution for each taxa, as well as some comments. We report 127 species and subspecies belonging to eleven different families; 42 of these species are endemic. Four genera (Adoratopsylla, Cleopsylla, Ctenidiosomus, and Nonnapsylla) and six species and subspecies (Adoratopsylla (Adoratopsylla) antiquorum antiquorum, Agastopsylla pearsoni, Polygenis (Polygenis) roberti beebei, Plocopsylla (Plocopsylla) silewi, Plocopsylla (Plocopsylla) wilesi and Tunga terasma) are added to the list for Argentina. Nine species new to science are included, described on the bases of specimens collected from Argentina (Ctenidiosomus austrinus, Ectinorus (Ectinorus) lareschiae, Ectinorus (Ectinorus) spiculatus, Ectinorus (Ectinorus) morenoi, Hectopsylla narium, Plocopsylla (Plocopsylla) linardii, Neotyphloceras crackensis, Neotyphloceras pardinasii and Tunga perforans). Information provided herein contributes to the knowledge of the fleas from Argentina, necessary to a better understanding of their role as parasites themselves and vectors of zoonotic importance.
New records of five sponge species (Porifera) for the Black Sea
Authors: EVCEN ALPER , ÇINAR MELİH ERTAN , ZENGİN MUSTAFA , SÜER SERDAR , RÜZGAR MELİH
Published: April 2016

The present study deals with five sponge species [Chalinula renieroides, Haliclona (Halichoclona) fulva, H. (Rhizoniera) rosea, Hymedesmia (Hymedesmia) pansa and Ircinia variabilis] belonging to 3 families (Chalinidae, Hymedesmiidae, and Irciniidae) found at one locality (near the opening of Kızılırmak River) on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. All these species are new records for the Black Sea. Three species (Chalinula renieroides, H. (R.) rosea and H. (H.) pansa] are also new records for the marine fauna of Turkey. All these species were previously reported from Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The morphological and distributional features of these species are presented