bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is combined cataract surgery associated with acute postoperative endophthalmitis? A nationwide study from 2005 to 2014
Authors: Creuzot-Garcher Catherine P , Mariet Anne Sophie , Benzenine Eric , Daien Vincent , Korobelnik Jean-François , Bron Alain M , Quantin Catherine
Published: June 2018

Purpose

To assess the incidence of acute postoperative endophthalmitis (POE) after cataract surgery combined with corneal, glaucoma or vitreoretinal surgical procedures from 2005 to 2014 in France.

Methods

In this cohort study, acute POE occurring within 6 weeks after surgery was identified by means of billing codes recorded in a national database in patients operated for cataract extraction with phacoemulsification, or corneal, glaucoma or vitreoretinal surgical procedures, either combined or stand-alone.

Results

From January 2005 to December 2014, up to 6 260 477 eyes underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery as a single procedure and 115 468 eyes underwent phacoemulsification combined with corneal, glaucoma or vitreoretinal surgical procedures. The crude incidence of acute POE after stand-alone or combined cataract surgery was 0.102% and 0.149%, respectively. In multivariate Poisson analysis, combined surgery taken as a whole was at higher risk than cataract stand-alone surgery, with an adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) (95% CI) of 1.38 (1.11 to 1.70; p=0.0054). Glaucoma surgeries were associated with a lower acute POE incidence compared with phacoemulsification, conversely to vitreoretinal surgical procedures: IRR 0.63 (0.47 to 0.85; p<0.001) and IRR 1.78 (1.58 to 2.01; p<0.001), respectively.

Conclusion

A higher incidence of acute POE after combined cataract surgery than after cataract surgery done as a stand-alone procedure was observed based on the French nationwide medical-administrative database. The incidence of acute POE after combined surgery was related to the type of surgery performed simultaneously with cataract extraction.
Intraocular bleeding in patients managed with novel oral anticoagulation and traditional anticoagulation: a network meta-analysis and systematic review
Authors: Phan Kevin , Lloyd Declan , Wilson-Smith Ash , Leung Vannessa , Andric Marko
Published: June 2018

Background/aim

To clarify the nature of the relationship between novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and traditional anticoagulation in respect to intraocular bleeding.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search up to October 2017 yielded 12 randomised controlled trials. Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis was employed to investigate the relationship across multiple trials with varying NOACs. Random effects (informative priors) ORs were applied for the risk of intraocular bleeding due to various treatment measures. Mantel-Haenszel pairwise analyses were also performed. A total of 102 617 participants from 12 different randomised controlled trials. 11 746 received apixaban, 16 074 received dabigatran, 18 132 received edoxaban, 11 893 received rivaroxaban and 44 764 received warfarin.

Results

Edoxaban was significantly associated with a reduced risk of intraocular bleeding in comparison to warfarin (OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.98). All other findings were non-significant; however, apixaban was the only NOAC to trend with an increased event rate against warfarin. The Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo modelling indicated that edoxaban had the greatest chance of producing the lowest rate of bleeding (surface under the cumulative ranking curve 0.8642). Pooled pairwise analysis supported the network analysis results favouring edoxaban against warfarin (OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.90; p=0.02) as well as subgroup analysis of low-dose edoxaban versus warfarin (OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.24 to 0.78).

Conclusion

The analysis suggests that edoxaban may be the paramount agent in reducing intraocular bleeding rates. Given a paucity of reporting data for this rare event, future research and confirmation is strongly recommended.
2018 Consensus statement on exercise therapy and physical interventions (orthoses, taping and manual therapy) to treat patellofemoral pain: recommendations from the 5th International Patellofemoral Pain Research Retreat, Gold Coast, Australia, 2017
Authors: Collins Natalie J , Barton Christian J , van Middelkoop Marienke , Callaghan Michael J , Rathleff Michael Skovdal , Vicenzino Bill T , Davis Irene S , Powers Christopher M , Macri Erin M , Hart Harvi F , de Oliveira Silva Danilo , Crossley Kay M
Published: June 2018

Patellofemoral pain affects a large proportion of the population, from adolescents to older adults, and carries a substantial personal and societal burden. An international group of scientists and clinicians meets biennially at the International Patellofemoral Research Retreat to share research findings related to patellofemoral pain conditions and develop consensus statements using best practice methods. This consensus statement, from the 5th International Patellofemoral Research Retreat held in Australia in July 2017, focuses on exercise therapy and physical interventions (eg, orthoses, taping and manual therapy) for patellofemoral pain. Literature searches were conducted to identify new systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published since the 2016 Consensus Statement. The methodological quality of included systematic reviews and RCTs was graded using AMSTAR and PEDro, respectively. Evidence-based statements were developed from included papers and presented to a panel of 41 patellofemoral pain experts for consensus discussion and voting. Recommendations from the expert panel support the use of exercise therapy (especially the combination of hip-focused and knee-focused exercises), combined interventions and foot orthoses to improve pain and/or function in people with patellofemoral pain. The use of patellofemoral, knee or lumbar mobilisations in isolation, or electrophysical agents, is not recommended. There is uncertainty regarding the use of patellar taping/bracing, acupuncture/dry needling, manual soft tissue techniques, blood flow restriction training and gait retraining in patients with patellofemoral pain. In 2017, we launched the International Patellofemoral Research Network (www.ipfrn.org) to consolidate and grow our patellofemoral research community, facilitate collaboration and disseminate patellofemoral pain knowledge to clinicians and the general public. The 6th International Patellofemoral Research Retreat will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, in October 2019.
Emergency hospital admissions associated with a non-randomised housing intervention meeting national housing quality standards: a longitudinal data linkage study
Authors: Rodgers Sarah E , Bailey Rowena , Johnson Rhodri , Berridge Damon , Poortinga Wouter , Lannon Simon , Smith Robert , Lyons Ronan A
Published: June 2018

Background

We investigated tenant healthcare utilisation associated with upgrading 8558 council houses to a national quality standard. Homes received multiple internal and external improvements and were analysed using repeated measures of healthcare utilisation.

Methods

The primary outcome was emergency hospital admissions for cardiorespiratory conditions and injuries for residents aged 60 years and over. Secondary outcomes included each of the separate conditions, for tenants aged 60 and over, and for all ages. Council home address and intervention records for eight housing cointerventions were anonymously linked to demographic data, hospital admissions and deaths for individuals in a dynamic cohort. Counts of health events were analysed using multilevel regression models to investigate associations between receipt of each housing improvement, adjusting for potential confounding factors and regional trends.

Results

Residents aged 60 years and over living in homes when improvements were made were associated with up to 39% fewer admissions compared with those living in homes that were not upgraded (incidence rate ratio=0.61, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.72). Reduced admissions were associated with electrical systems, windows and doors, wall insulation, and garden paths. There were small non-significant reductions for the primary outcome associated with upgrading heating, adequate loft insulation, new kitchens and new bathrooms.

Conclusion

Results suggest that hospital admissions can be avoided through improving whole home quality standards. This is the first large-scale longitudinal evaluation of a whole home intervention that has evaluated multiple improvement elements using individual-level objective routine health data.
Childhood IQ and mortality during 53 years’ follow-up of Swedish men and women
Authors: Sörberg Wallin Alma , Allebeck Peter , Gustafsson Jan-Eric , Hemmingsson Tomas
Published: June 2018

Background

The association between childhood cognitive ability measured with IQ tests and mortality is well documented. However, studies on the association in women are few and conflicting, and the mechanisms underlying the association are unclear.

Methods

Data on IQ were collected at school at age 13 among 19 919 men and women born in 1948 and 1953. Information on childhood socioeconomic position, the participants’ socioeconomic and social circumstances in middle age and mortality up to 2013 was collected through national registers.

Results

Lower IQ was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality among men (1070 cases, HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.39 for one SD decrease in IQ) and among women (703 cases, HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.25). IQ was associated with mortality from several causes of death in men, and cancer and cardiovascular disorder mortality in women. Adjustment for socioeconomic factors in childhood and, in particular, in adulthood attenuated the associations considerably in men and near completely in women.

Conclusion

Lower IQ was associated with an increased risk of mortality in men and women. The explanatory effects of socioeconomic factors in adulthood suggest that they constitute an important pathway in the association between IQ and mortality, especially in women.
From post-traumatic stress disorder to absolute dependence in an intensive care unit: reflections on a clinical account
Authors: Sideris Tina
Published: June 2018

This paper tells the story of one man’s experience of terrifying hallucinations and nightmares in an intensive care unit (ICU), drawing attention to the reality that intensive care treatment induces emotional suffering severe enough to be identified as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A body of international research, confirmed by South African studies, links life-saving critical care to symptoms which qualify for secondary psychiatric diagnosis including of post-traumatic stress. Risk factors include pre-ICU comorbid psychopathology. Early on in the clinical encounter with the patient in this paper it emerged that he bore the scars of another trauma. He had been a soldier. Recounting the terror he experienced when he was being weaned off mechanical ventilation evoked memories of his military history. Paradoxically, these shifted the focus away from the symptoms of PTSD, to make the helplessness and dependency of ICU patients more visible. This patient’s clinical account and patient experiences in other studies reveal the relational vulnerability of ICU patients. In as much as experiences of ICU treatment can be terrifying, the non-response of carers distresses patients. This interplay of wounding and care provides a starting point from which to explore how we account for the neglect of relational care that is a recurring theme in medical contexts, without blaming the carers. These questions find resonance in a South African novel to which the paper refers. A novel about war and trauma movingly portrays the internal conflict of the central character, a nurse and her quest not to care, as a defence against vulnerability. In these ways writing about the relational vulnerability of patients opened up questions about the social and institutional context of carer vulnerability.
Expanding the role of stent-retriever endovascular thrombectomy: a case series of free-floating thrombus
Authors: Fitzpatrick Neasa , Motyer Ronan , Gibney Brian , Duffy Sharon , Murphy Sean , O’Brien Paul , Ryan Daniel , Thornton John
Published: June 2018

Carotid artery free-floating thrombus (FFT) is a rare but clinically significant cause of embolic stroke. Treatment has historically been confined to carotid surgery or best medical therapy, with neither option proved to be superior. However, recent advancements in endovascular interventions have heralded a new age of innovative management strategies for vascular disease. We present three distinct cases of stroke secondary to carotid artery FFT, successfully treated with stent retriever endovascular thrombectomy.
Impact of improved cookstoves on women’s and child health in low and middle income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Thakur Megha , Nuyts Paulien A W , Boudewijns Esther A , Flores Kim Javier , Faber Timor , Babu Giridhara R , van Schayck Onno C P , Been Jasper V
Published: June 2018

Objectives

Improved biomass cookstoves may help reduce the substantial global burden of morbidity and mortality due to household air pollution (HAP) that disproportionately affects women and children in low and middle income countries (LMICs).

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis of (quasi-)experimental studies identified from 13 electronic databases (last update: 6 April 2018), reference and citation searches and via expert consultation.

Setting

LMICs

Participants

Women and children

Interventions

Improved biomass cookstoves

Main outcome measures

Low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth, perinatal mortality, paediatric acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and COPD among women.

Results

We identified 53 eligible studies, including 24 that met prespecified design criteria. Improved cookstoves had no demonstrable impact on paediatric lower ARIs (three studies; 11 560 children; incidence rate ratio (IRR)=1.02 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.24)), severe pneumonia (two studies; 11 061 children; IRR=0.88 (95% CI 0.39 to 2.01)), LBW (one study; 174 babies; OR=0.74 (95% CI 0.33 to 1.66)) or miscarriages, stillbirths and infant mortality (one study; 1176 babies; risk ratio (RR) change=15% (95% CI –13 to 43)). No (quasi-)experimental studies assessed preterm birth or COPD. In observational studies, improved cookstoves were associated with a significant reduction in COPD among women: two studies, 9757 participants; RR=0.74 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.90). Reductions in cough (four studies, 1779 participants; RR=0.72 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.87)), phlegm (four studies, 1779 participants; RR=0.65 (95% CI 0.52 to 0.80)), wheezing/breathing difficulty (four studies; 1779 participants; RR=0.41 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.59)) and conjunctivitis (three studies, 892 participants; RR=0.58 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.78)) were observed among women.

Conclusion

Improved cookstoves provide respiratory and ocular symptom reduction and may reduce COPD risk among women, but had no demonstrable child health impact.

Registration

PROSPERO: CRD42016033075
About the Orders Induced by Implications Satisfying the Law of Importation
Authors: Kesicioğlu M. Nesibe
Published: June 2018

In this paper, an order induced by implications on a bounded lattice under some more lenient conditions than the ones given former studies is defined and some of its properties are discussed. By giving an order based on uninorms on a bounded lattice, the relationships between such generated orders are investigated.
LEVERAGE, COST OF CAPITAL AND BANK VALUATION
Authors: BELTRAME FEDERICO , CASELLI STEFANO , PREVITALI DANIELE
Published: June 2018

In this paper, we present a model that demonstrates the effect of debt on cost of capital and value in the case of banking firms. Using a static partial equilibrium setting, both in a steady state and steady growth scenario, we derive a bank-specific valuation metric which separately attributes value to assets and debt cash flows in the form of a liquidity premium and tax-shield. We run our model on a sample of the largest 26 European banks from 2003 to 2016 finding that the value contribution of debt benefits to enterprise value is large and persistent. Further from our model, we derived an implied cost of capital (ICC) measure finding consistent results with capital asset pricing model (CAPM). The theoretical framework we present is helpful to address bank debt benefits valuation and to reconcile equity and asset side approaches.
INFEX
Authors: Roels Reinout , De Witte Arno , Signer Beat
Published: June 2018

In our daily lives we are witnessing a proliferation of digital devices including tablets, smartphones, digital cameras or wearable appliances. A major effort has been made to enable these devices to exchange information in intelligent spaces and collaborative settings. However, the arising technical challenges often manifest themselves to end users as limitations, inconsistencies or added complexity. A wide range of existing and emerging devices cannot be used with existing solutions for cross-device information exchange due to restrictions in terms of the supported communication protocols, hardware or media types. We present INFEX, a general and extensible framework for cross-device information exploration and exchange. While existing solutions often support a restricted set of devices and networking protocols, our unifying and extensible INFEX framework enables information exchange and exploration across arbitrary devices and also supports devices that cannot run custom software or do not offer their own I/O modalities. The plug-in based INFEX architecture allows developers to provide custom but consistent user interfaces for information exchange and exploration across a heterogeneous set of devices.
Web5VR
Authors: Serpi Matteo , Carcangiu Alessandro , Murru Alessio , Spano Lucio Davide
Published: June 2018

The availability of consumer-level devices for both visualising and interacting with Virtual Reality (VR) environments opens the opportunity to introduce more immersive contents and experiences, even on the web. For reaching a wider audience, developing VR applications in a web environment requires a flexible adaptation to the different input and output devices that are currently available. This paper examines the required support and explores how to develop VR applications based on web technologies that can adapt to different VR devices. We summarize the main engineering challenges and we describe a flexible framework for integrating and exploiting various VR devices for both input and output. Using such framework, we describe how we re-implemented four manipulation techniques from the literature to enable them within the same application, providing details on how we adapted its parts for different input and output devices such as Kinect and Leap Motion. Finally, we briefly examine the usability of the final application using our framework.
Identifying Cognitive Assistance with Mobile Electroencephalography
Authors: Kosch Thomas , Funk Markus , Schmidt Albrecht , Chuang Lewis L.
Published: June 2018

Manual assembly at production is a mentally demanding task. With rapid prototyping and smaller production lot sizes, this results in frequent changes of assembly instructions that have to be memorized by workers. Assistive systems compensate this increase in mental workload by providing "just-in-time" assembly instructions through in-situ projections. The implementation of such systems and their benefits to reducing mental workload have previously been justified with self-perceived ratings. However, there is no evidence by objective measures if mental workload is reduced by in-situ assistance. In our work, we showcase electroencephalography (EEG) as a complementary evaluation tool to assess cognitive workload placed by two different assistive systems in an assembly task, namely paper instructions and in-situ projections. We identified the individual EEG bandwidth that varied with changes in working memory load. We show, that changes in the EEG bandwidth are found between paper instructions and in-situ projections, indicating that they reduce working memory compared to paper instructions. Our work contributes by demonstrating how design claims of cognitive demand can be validated. Moreover, it directly evaluates the use of assistive systems for delivering context-aware information. We analyze the characteristics of EEG as real-time assessment for cognitive workload to provide insights regarding the mental demand placed by assistive systems.
Real-Time Anomaly Detection in Elderly Behavior with the Support of Task Models
Authors: Parvin Parvaneh , Chessa Stefano , Manca Marco , Paterno' Fabio
Published: June 2018

With today's technology, elderly can be supported in living independently in their own homes for a prolonged period of time. Monitoring and analyzing their behavior in order to find possible unusual situation helps to provide the elderly with health warnings at the proper time. Current studies are focusing on the elderly daily activity and the detection of anomalous behaviors aiming to provide the older people with remote support. To this aim, we propose a real-time solution which models the user daily routine using a task model specification and detects relevant contextual events occurred in their life through a context manager. In addition, by a systematic validation through a system that automatically generates wrong sequences of tasks, we show that our algorithm is able to find behavioral deviations from the expected behavior at different times by considering the extended classification of the possible deviations with good accuracy.
Protein Evolution and Design
Authors: von Heijne Gunnar
Published: June 2018

This article introduces the Protein Evolution and Design theme of the Annual Review of Biochemistry Volume 87.
Metabolite–Enzyme Coevolution: From Single Enzymes to Metabolic Pathways and Networks
Authors: Noda-Garcia Lianet , Liebermeister Wolfram , Tawfik Dan S.
Published: June 2018

How individual enzymes evolved is relatively well understood. However, individual enzymes rarely confer a physiological advantage on their own. Judging by its current state, the emergence of metabolism seemingly demanded the simultaneous emergence of many enzymes. Indeed, how multicomponent interlocked systems, like metabolic pathways, evolved is largely an open question. This complexity can be unlocked if we assume that survival of the fittest applies not only to genes and enzymes but also to the metabolites they produce. This review develops our current knowledge of enzyme evolution into a wider hypothesis of pathway and network evolution. We describe the current models for pathway evolution and offer an integrative metabolite–enzyme coevolution hypothesis. Our hypothesis addresses the origins of new metabolites and of new enzymes and the order of their recruitment. We aim to not only survey established knowledge but also present open questions and potential ways of addressing them.
Reductionist Approach in Peptide-Based Nanotechnology
Authors: Gazit Ehud
Published: June 2018

The formation of ordered nanostructures by molecular self-assembly of proteins and peptides represents one of the principal directions in nanotechnology. Indeed, polyamides provide superior features as materials with diverse physical properties. A reductionist approach allowed the identification of extremely short peptide sequences, as short as dipeptides, which could form well-ordered amyloid-like β-sheet-rich assemblies comparable to supramolecular structures made of much larger proteins. Some of the peptide assemblies show remarkable mechanical, optical, and electrical characteristics. Another direction of reductionism utilized a natural noncoded amino acid, α-aminoisobutryic acid, to form short superhelical assemblies. The use of this exceptional helix inducer motif allowed the fabrication of single heptad repeats used in various biointerfaces, including their use as surfactants and DNA-binding agents. Two additional directions of the reductionist approach include the use of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) and coassembly techniques. The diversified accomplishments of the reductionist approach, as well as the exciting future advances it bears, are discussed.
Chromatin and Metabolism
Authors: Suganuma Tamaki , Workman Jerry L.
Published: June 2018

Chromatin is a mighty consumer of cellular energy generated by metabolism. Metabolic status is efficiently coordinated with transcription and translation, which also feed back to regulate metabolism. Conversely, suppression of energy utilization by chromatin processes may serve to preserve energy resources for cell survival. Most of the reactions involved in chromatin modification require metabolites as their cofactors or coenzymes. Therefore, the metabolic status of the cell can influence the spectra of posttranslational histone modifications and the structure, density and location of nucleosomes, impacting epigenetic processes. Thus, transcription, translation, and DNA/RNA biogenesis adapt to cellular metabolism. In addition to dysfunctions of metabolic enzymes, imbalances between metabolism and chromatin activities trigger metabolic disease and life span alteration. Here, we review the synthesis of the metabolites and the relationships between metabolism and chromatin function. Furthermore, we discuss how the chromatin response feeds back to metabolic regulation in biological processes.
The Structural Enzymology of Iterative Aromatic Polyketide Synthases: A Critical Comparison with Fatty Acid Synthases
Authors: Tsai Shiou-Chuan (Sheryl)
Published: June 2018

Polyketides are a large family of structurally complex natural products including compounds with important bioactivities. Polyketides are biosynthesized by polyketide synthases (PKSs), multienzyme complexes derived evolutionarily from fatty acid synthases (FASs). The focus of this review is to critically compare the properties of FASs with iterative aromatic PKSs, including type II PKSs and fungal type I nonreducing PKSs whose chemical logic is distinct from that of modular PKSs. This review focuses on structural and enzymological studies that reveal both similarities and striking differences between FASs and aromatic PKSs. The potential application of FAS and aromatic PKS structures for bioengineering future drugs and biofuels is highlighted.
Electron Bifurcation: A Long-Hidden Energy-Coupling Mechanism
Authors: Müller Volker , Chowdhury Nilanjan Pal , Basen Mirko
Published: June 2018

A decade ago, a novel mechanism to drive thermodynamically unfavorable redox reactions was discovered that is used in prokaryotes to drive endergonic electron transfer reactions by a direct coupling to an exergonic redox reaction in one soluble enzyme complex. This process is referred to as flavin-based electron bifurcation, or FBEB. An important function of FBEB is that it allows the generation of reduced low-potential ferredoxin (Fdred) from comparably high-potential electron donors such as NADH or molecular hydrogen (H2). Fdred is then the electron donor for anaerobic respiratory chains leading to the synthesis of ATP. In many metabolic scenarios, Fd is reduced by metabolic oxidoreductases and Fdred then drives endergonic metabolic reactions such as H2 production by the reverse, electron confurcation. FBEB is energetically more economical than ATP hydrolysis or reverse electron transport as a driving force for endergonic redox reactions; thus, it does “save” cellular ATP. It is essential for autotrophic growth at the origin of life and also allows for heterotrophic growth on certain low-energy substrates.
Spo11-Independent Meiosis in Social Amoebae
Authors: Bloomfield Gareth
Published: June 2018

Sex in social amoebae (or dictyostelids) has a number of striking features. Dictyostelid zygotes do not proliferate but grow to a large size by feeding on other cells of the same species, each zygote ultimately forming a walled structure called a macrocyst. The diploid macrocyst nucleus undergoes meiosis, after which a single meiotic product survives to restart haploid vegetative growth. Meiotic recombination is generally initiated by the Spo11 enzyme, which introduces DNA double-strand breaks. Uniquely, as far as is known among sexual eukaryotes, dictyostelids lack a SPO11 gene. Despite this, recombination occurs at high frequencies during meiosis in dictyostelids, through unknown mechanisms. The molecular processes underlying these events, and the evolutionary drivers that brought them into being, may shed light on the genetic conflicts that occur within and between genomes, and how they can be resolved.
Heat shock protein 72 regulates hepatic lipid accumulation
Authors: Archer Ashley E. , Rogers Robert S. , Von Schulze Alex T. , Wheatley Joshua L. , Morris E. Matthew , McCoin Colin S. , Thyfault John P. , Geiger Paige C.
Published: June 2018

Induction of the chaperone heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) through heat treatment (HT), exercise, or overexpression improves glucose tolerance and mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. Less is known about HSP72 function in the liver where lipid accumulation can result in insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The purpose of this study was 1) to determine whether weekly in vivo HT induces hepatic HSP72 and improves glucose tolerance in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and 2) to determine the ability of HSP72 to protect against lipid accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction in primary hepatocytes. Male Wistar rats were fed an HFD for 15 wk and were given weekly HT (41°C, 20 min) or sham treatments (37°C, 20 min) for the final 7 wk. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity were assessed, along with HSP72 induction and triglyceride storage, in the skeletal muscle and liver. The effect of an acute loss of HSP72 in primary hepatocytes was examined via siRNA. Weekly in vivo HT improved glucose tolerance, elevated muscle and hepatic HSP72 protein content, and reduced muscle triglyceride storage. In primary hepatocytes, mitochondrial morphology was changed, and fatty acid oxidation was reduced in small interfering HSP72 (siHSP72)-treated hepatocytes. Lipid accumulation following palmitate treatment was increased in siHSP72-treated hepatocytes. These data suggest that HT may improve systemic metabolism via induction of hepatic HSP72. Additionally, acute loss of HSP72 in primary hepatocytes impacts mitochondrial health as well as fat oxidation and storage. These findings suggest therapies targeting HSP72 in the liver may prevent NAFLD.
Effects of postweaning calorie restriction on accelerated growth and adiponectin in nutritionally programmed microswine offspring
Authors: DuPriest Elizabeth A. , Lin Baoyu , Kupfer Philipp , Sekiguchi Kaiu , Bhusari Amruta , Quackenbush Alexandra , Celebic Almir , Morgan Terry K. , Purnell Jonathan Q. , Bagby Susan P.
Published: June 2018

Poor prenatal development, followed by rapid childhood growth, conveys greater cardiometabolic risk in later life. Microswine offspring exposed to perinatal maternal protein restriction [MPR; “low protein offspring” (LPO)] grow poorly in late-fetal/neonatal stages. After weaning to an ad libitum (AL) diet, LPO-AL exhibit accelerated growth and fat deposition rates with low adiponectin mRNA, despite low-normal body fat and small intra-abdominal adipocytes. We examined effects of caloric restriction (CR) on growth and metabolic status in LPO and normal protein offspring (NPO) randomized to AL or CR diets from weaning. CR transiently reduced growth in both LPO and NPO, delaying recovery in female LPO-CR. Over 7.5–12.5 weeks, linear growth rates in LPO-CR were slower than LPO-AL ( P < 0.001) but exceeded NPO-AL; body weight growth rates fell but were lower in LPO-CR versus NPO-CR. Linear acceleration ceased after 12 weeks. At 16 weeks, percent catch-up in LPO-CR was reduced versus LPO-AL ( P < 0.001). Plasma growth hormone was low in LPO ( P < 0.02). CR normalized fat deposition rate, yet adiponectin mRNA remained low in LPO-CR ( P < 0.001); plasma adiponectin was low in all LPO-AL and in female LPO-CR. Insulin sensitivity improved during CR. We conclude that in LPO: 1) CR delays onset of, but does not abolish, accelerated linear growth, despite low growth hormone; 2) CR yields stunting via delayed onset, plus a finite window for linear growth acceleration; 3) MPR lowers adiponectin mRNA independently of growth, adiposity, or adipocyte size; and 4) MPR reduces circulating adiponectin in LPO-AL and female LPO-CR, potentially enhancing cardiometabolic risk.
Intrarenal Toll-like receptor 4 and Toll-like receptor 2 expression correlates with injury in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis
Authors: O’Sullivan Kim M. , Ford Sharon L. , Longano Anthony , Kitching A. Richard , Holdsworth Stephen R.
Published: June 2018

In antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV), Toll-like receptors (TLRs) may be engaged by infection-associated patterns and by endogenous danger signals, linking infection and innate inflammation with this autoimmune disease. This study examined intrarenal TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 expression and renal injury in AAV, testing the hypothesis that increased TLR expression correlates with renal injury. Patients with AAV exhibited both glomerular and tubulointerstitial expression of TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9, with TLR4 being the most prominent in both compartments. Glomerular TLR4 expression correlated with glomerular segmental necrosis and cellular crescents, with TLR2 expression correlating with glomerular segmental necrosis. The extent and intensity of glomerular and tubulointerstitial TLR4 expression and the intensity of glomerular TLR2 expression inversely correlated with the presenting estimated glomerular filtration rate. Although myeloid cells within the kidney expressed TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9, TLR2 and TLR4 colocalized with endothelial cells and podocytes, whereas TLR9 was expressed predominantly by podocytes. The functional relevance of intrarenal TLR expression was further supported by the colocalization of TLRs with their endogenous ligands high-mobility group box 1 and fibrinogen. Therefore, in AAV, the extent of intrarenal TLR4 and TLR2 expression and their correlation with renal injury indicates that TLR4, and to a lesser degree TLR2, may be potential therapeutic targets in this disease.
Physiological functions of ferroportin in the regulation of renal iron recycling and ischemic acute kidney injury
Authors: Wang Xueqiao , Zheng Xiaoqing , Zhang Juanlian , Zhao Shifeng , Wang Zhigang , Wang Fudi , Shang Wenjun , Barasch Jonathan , Qiu Andong
Published: June 2018

Renal iron recycling preserves filtered iron from urinary excretion. However, it remains debated whether ferroportin (FPN), the only known iron exporter, is functionally involved in renal iron recycling and whether renal iron recycling is required for systemic iron homeostasis. We deleted FPN in whole nephrons by use of a Nestin-Cre and in the distal nephrons and collecting ducts, using a Ksp-Cre, and investigated its impacts on renal iron recycling and systemic iron homeostasis. FPN deletion by Nestin-Cre, but not by Ksp-Cre, caused excess iron retention and increased ferritin heavy chain (FTH1) specifically in the proximal tubules and resulted in the reduction of serum and hepatic iron. The systemic iron redistribution was aggravated, resulting in anemia and the marked downregulation of hepatic hepcidin in elderly FPN knockout (KO)/Nestin-Cre mice. Similarly, in iron-deficient FPN KO/Nestin-Cre mice, the renal iron retention worsened anemia with the activation of the erythropoietin-erythroferrone-hepcidin pathway and the downregulation of hepatic hepcidin. Hence, FPN likely located at the basolateral membrane of the proximal tubules to export iron into the circulation and was required for renal iron recycling and systemic iron homeostasis particularly in elderly and iron-deficient mice. Moreover, FPN deletion in the proximal tubules alleviated ischemic acute kidney injury, possibly by upregulating FTH1 to limit catalytic iron and by priming antioxidant mechanisms, indicating that FPN could be deleterious in the pathophysiology of ischemic acute kidney injury (AKI) and thus may be a potential target for the prevention and mitigation of ischemic AKI.
Regulation of renal Na transporters in response to dietary K
Authors: Yang Lei , Xu Shuhua , Guo Xiaoyun , Uchida Shinichi , Weinstein Alan M. , Wang Tong , Palmer Lawrence G.
Published: June 2018

Changes in the expression of Na transport proteins were measured in the kidneys of mice with increased dietary K intake for 1 wk. The epithelial Na channel (ENaC) was upregulated, with enhanced expression of full-length and cleaved forms of α-ENaC and cleaved γ-ENaC. At the same time, the amount of the NaCl cotransporter NCC and its phosphorylated form decreased by ~50% and ~80%, respectively. The expression of the phosphorylated form of the Na-K-2Cl cotransporter NKCC2 also decreased, despite an increase in overall protein content. The effect was stronger in males (80%) than in females (40%). This implies that less Na+ is reabsorbed in the thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop and distal convoluted tubule along with Cl−, whereas more is reabsorbed in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron in exchange for secreted K+. The abundance of the proximal tubule Na/H exchanger NHE3 decreased by ~40%, with similar effects in males and females. Time-course studies indicated that NCC and NHE3 proteins decreased progressively over 7 days on a high-K diet. Expression of mRNA encoding these proteins increased, implying that the decreased protein levels resulted from decreased rates of synthesis or increased rates of degradation. The potential importance of changes in NHE3, NKCC2, and NCC in promoting K+ excretion was assessed with a mathematical model. Simulations indicated that decreased NHE3 produced the largest effect. Regulation of proximal tubule Na+ transport may play a significant role in achieving K homeostasis.
WNK-SPAK/OSR1 signaling: lessons learned from an insect renal epithelium
Authors: Rodan Aylin R.
Published: June 2018

WNK [with no lysine (K)] kinases regulate renal epithelial ion transport to maintain homeostasis of electrolyte concentrations, extracellular volume, and blood pressure. The SLC12 cation-chloride cotransporters, including the sodium-potassium-2-chloride (NKCC) and sodium chloride cotransporters (NCC), are targets of WNK regulation via the intermediary kinases SPAK (Ste20-related proline/alanine-rich kinase) and OSR1 (oxidative stress response). The pathway is activated by low dietary potassium intake, resulting in increased phosphorylation and activity of NCC. Chloride regulates WNK kinases in vitro by binding to the active site and inhibiting autophosphorylation and has been proposed to modulate WNK activity in the distal convoluted tubule in response to low dietary potassium. WNK-SPAK/OSR1 regulation of NKCC-dependent ion transport is evolutionarily ancient, and it occurs in the Drosophila Malpighian (renal) tubule. Here, we review recent studies from the Drosophila tubule demonstrating cooperative roles for chloride and the scaffold protein Mo25 (mouse protein-25, also known as calcium-binding protein-39) in the regulation of WNK-SPAK/OSR1 signaling in a transporting renal epithelium. Insights gained from this genetically manipulable and physiologically accessible epithelium shed light on molecular mechanisms of regulation of the WNK-SPAK/OSR1 pathway, which is important in human health and disease.
Abnormally reduced primary motor cortex output is related to impaired hand function in chronic stroke
Authors: Buetefisch C. M. , Revill K. P. , Haut M. W. , Kowalski G. M. , Wischnewski M. , Pifer M. , Belagaje S. R. , Nahab F. , Cobia D. J. , Hu X. , Drake D. , Hobbs G.
Published: June 2018

Stroke often involves primary motor cortex (M1) and its corticospinal projections (CST). As hand function is critically dependent on these structures, its recovery is often incomplete. The neuronal substrate supporting affected hand function is not well understood but likely involves reorganized M1 and CST of the lesioned hemisphere (M1IL and CSTIL). We hypothesized that affected hand function in chronic stroke is related to structural and functional reorganization of M1IL and CSTIL. We tested 18 patients with chronic ischemic stroke involving M1 or CST. Their hand function was compared with 18 age-matched healthy subjects. M1IL thickness and CSTIL fractional anisotropy (FA) were determined with MRI and compared with measures of the other hemisphere. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied to M1IL to determine its input-output function [stimulus response curve (SRC)]. The plateau of the SRC (MEPmax), inflection point, and slope parameters of the curve were extracted. Results were compared with measures in 12 age-matched healthy controls. MEPmax of M1IL was significantly smaller ( P = 0.02) in the patients, indicating reduced CSTIL motor output, and was correlated with impaired hand function ( P = 0.02). M1IL thickness ( P < 0.01) and CSTIL-FA ( P < 0.01) were reduced but did not correlate with hand function. The results indicate that employed M1IL or CSTIL structural measures do not explain the extent of impairment in hand function once M1 and CST are sufficiently functional for TMS to evoke a motor potential. Instead, impairment of hand function is best explained by the abnormally low output from M1IL.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Hand function often remains impaired after stroke. While the critical role of the primary motor cortex (M1) and its corticospinal output (CST) for hand function has been described in the nonhuman primate stroke model, their structure and function have not been systematically evaluated for patients after stroke. We report that in chronic stroke patients with injury to M1 and/or CST an abnormally reduced M1 output is related to impaired hand function.
A Novel Analytical Method to Calculate the Amounts of Free and Adsorbed Gas in Shale Gas Production
Authors: Li Qingyu , Li Peichao , Pang Wei , Bi Quanfu , Du Zonghe , Li Xuebin , Lu Detang
Published: June 2018

Shale gas has now become an important part of unconventional hydrocarbon resources all around the world. The typical properties of shale gas are that both adsorbed gas and free gas play important roles in gas production. Thus the contributions of free and adsorbed gas to the shale gas production have become a hot, significant, and challenging problem in petroleum engineering. This paper presents a new analytical method to calculate the amounts of free and adsorbed gas in the process of shale gas extraction. First, the expressions of the amounts of adsorbed gas, matrix free gas, and fracture free gas in shale versus the producing time are presented on the basis of Langmuir adsorption model and formation pressure distribution. Next, the mathematical model of multifractured horizontal wells in shale gas reservoirs is established and solved by use of Laplace transform and inversion to obtain the normalized formation pressure distribution. Finally, field case studies of two multifractured horizontal shale gas wells in China are carried out with the presented quantitative method. The amounts of adsorbed and free gas in production are calculated, and the adsorbed-to-total ratio is provided. The results show that the proposed method is reliable and efficient.
A Game Theory Approach for Platoon‐Based Driving for Multimedia Transmission in VANETs
Authors: Junior Wellington Lobato , Rosário Denis , Cerqueira Eduardo , Villas Leandro A. , Gerla Mario
Published: June 2018

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) allow users, services, and vehicles to share information and will change our life experience with new autonomous driving applications. Multimedia will be one of the core services in VANETs and are becoming a reality in smart environments, ranging from safety and security traffic warnings to live entertainment and advertisement videos. However, VANETs have a dynamic network topology with short contact time, which leads to communication flaws and delays, increasing packet loss, and decreasing the Quality of Experience (QoE) of transmitted videos. To cope with this, neighbor vehicles moving on the same direction and wishing to cooperate should form a platoon, where platoon members act as a relay node to forward video packets in autonomous VANETs. In this article, we introduce a game theory approach for platoon‐based driving (GT4P) for video dissemination services in urban and highway VANET scenarios. GT4P encourages the cooperation between neighbor vehicles by offering reward (e.g., money or coupon) for vehicles participating in the platoon. In this sense, GT4P establishes a platoon by taking into account vehicle direction, speed, distance, link quality, and travel path, which reduces the impact of vehicle mobility on the video transmission. Simulation results confirm the efficiency of GT4P for ensuring video transmissions with high QoE support compared to existing platoon‐based driving protocols.
Cognitive‐Empowered Femtocells: An Intelligent Paradigm for Femtocell Networks
Authors: Wang Xiaoyu , Ho Pin-Han , Wong Alexander , Peng Limei
Published: June 2018

Deploying femtocells has been taken as an effective solution for removing coverage holes and improving wireless service performance in 3G‐beyond wireless networks such as WiMAX and Long Term Evolution (LTE). This article investigates a novel framework of dynamic spectrum management for femtocell networks, called cognitive‐empowered femtocells (CEF), aiming at mitigating both cross‐tier and intratier interferences with minimum modifications required on the corresponding macrocell network. With the proposed framework, each CEF base station (BS) and the femtocell users can utilize spatiotemporally available radio resources for the access traffic. We conclude that the proposed CEF framework can effectively complement the existing femtocell design and serve as a value‐added feature to the state‐of‐the‐art femtocell technologies, while achieving high scalability and interoperability by minimizing the required modifications on the macrocell protocol design.
Flame Failures and Recovery in Industrial Furnaces: A Neural Network Steady-State Model for the Firing Rate Setpoint Rearrangement
Authors: Adili Tahmineh , Rostamnezhad Zohreh , Chaibakhsh Ali , Jamali Ali
Published: June 2018

Burner failures are common abnormal conditions associated with industrial fired heaters. Preventing from economic loss and major equipment damages can be attained by compensating the lost heat due to burners’ failures, which can be possible by defining appropriate setpoints to rearrange the firing rates for healthy burners. In this study, artificial neural network models were developed for estimating the appropriate setpoints for the combustion control system to recover an industrial fired-heater furnace from abnormal conditions. For this purpose, based on an accurate high-order mathematical model, constrained nonlinear optimization problems were solved using the genetic algorithm. For different failure scenarios, the best possible excess firing rates for healthy burners to recover the furnace from abnormal conditions were obtained and data were recorded for training and testing stages. The performances of the developed neural steady-state models were evaluated through simulation experiments. The obtained results indicated the feasibility of the proposed technique to deal with the failures in the combustion system.