bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endophlebectomy of the common femoral vein and arteriovenous fistula creation as adjuncts to venous stenting for post-thrombotic syndrome
Authors: de Wolf M A F , Jalaie H , van Laanen J H H , Kurstjens R L M , Mensinck M J S , de Geus M J , Gombert A , de Graaf R , Wittens C H A
Published: February 2017

Background

Good results have been reported for angioplasty and stenting of post-thrombotic lesions of the iliac and proximal femoral veins. If lesions at the origin of the superficial femoral and profunda veins are stented, the intraluminal synechiae can be pushed against the orifices of inflow vessels, potentially decreasing stent inflow. Surgical disobliteration of the common femoral vein (endophlebectomy) has been suggested to mitigate this problem. Because of a temporary increase in thrombogenicity, this procedure may be accompanied by arteriovenous fistula creation.

Methods

Data on consecutive patients treated by hybrid venous reconstruction, between December 2010 and May 2015, were analysed. Standard recording consisted of clinical scoring systems (including Villalta scale) and imaging. Patency was assessed with duplex ultrasonography.

Results

Seventy-six legs (70 patients) were included. Median follow-up was 379 (range 73–1508) days. Primary, assisted primary and secondary patency rates at 12 months were 51, 70 and 83 per cent respectively. Sixty per cent of loss of primary patency (24 of 40 legs) was related to common femoral vein stenosis, and the rest to rethrombosis. Other complications included wound infection (29 per cent) and lymphatic leak (39 per cent). The Villalta score had decreased by a median of 7 points at 1-year follow-up.

Conclusion

The combination of venous stenting, endophlebectomy and arteriovenous fistula creation for patients with extensive post-thrombotic vein damage and severe post-thrombotic syndrome is feasible.
Downregulation of miRNA‐141 in breast cancer cells is associated with cell migration and invasion: involvement of ANP32E targeting
Authors: Li Ping , Xu Tao , Zhou Xin , Liao Liangying , Pang Guolian , Luo Wan , Han Lu , Zhang Jiankun , Luo Xianyong , Xie Xiaobing , Zhu Kuichun
Published: February 2017

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many cellular activities, including cancer development, progression, and metastasis. Some miRNAs are involved in breast cancer (BC) migration and invasion, thus affect patients’ prognosis. Microarray analysis was performed to compare miRNA expression in BC tissues, and results confirmed by qPCR. BC cell migration and invasion were studied in vitro with MDA‐MB‐231 cells using microplate transwell assays. miRNA targeting was investigated using luciferase assays, qPCR, and Western blot analysis in cells with overexpression of miRNA mimics. Knockdown of miRNA targets was performed using target siRNA lentiviral infection. Results show that microRNA‐141 (miR‐141) was downregulated in breast cancer tumor tissues compared with matched surrounding tissues. Downregulation of miR‐141 expression correlated with tumor stage, lymph node involvement, and expressions of PCNA, Ki67, and HER2. Overexpression of miR‐141 inhibited BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. ANP32E gene was selected as one putative target for further studies based on results from in silico analysis. Results from a dual‐luciferase reporter system suggested ANP32E as a direct target of miR‐141. Overexpression of miR‐141 downregulated ANP32E expression at both mRNA and protein levels in BC cells. Knockdown of ANP32E inhibited BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, mimicking the effect of the overexpression of miR‐141. Our study revealed important roles miR‐141 plays in BC growth and metastasis. Moreover, for the first time, we identified ANP32E as one of the miR‐141 targets, and demonstrated its involvement in the regulation of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.
Diagnostic approach using ERCP‐guided transpapillary forceps biopsy or EUS‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy according to the nature of stricture segment for patients with suspected malignant biliary stricture
Authors: Lee Yun Nah , Moon Jong Ho , Choi Hyun Jong , Kim Hee Kyung , Choi Seo‐Youn , Choi Moon Han , Lee Tae Hee , Lee Tae Hoon , Cha Sang‐Woo , Park Sang‐Heum
Published: February 2017

In malignant biliary stricture (MBS), the diagnostic accuracy of ERCP‐based tissue sampling is insufficient. EUS‐guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (EUS‐FNAB) is emerging as a reliable diagnostic procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of a diagnostic approach using ERCP‐guided transpapillary forceps biopsy (TPB) or EUS‐FNAB according to the characteristics of suspected MBS. Consecutive patients diagnosed with suspected MBS with obstructive jaundice and/or cholangitis were enrolled prospectively. ERCP with intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) and TPB were performed as initial diagnostic procedures. Based on the results of imaging studies and IDUS, all MBS were classified as extrinsic or intrinsic type. If the malignancy was not confirmed by TPB, EUS‐FNAB for extrinsic type or second TPB for intrinsic type was performed. Among a total of 178 patients, intrinsic and extrinsic types were detected in 88 and 90 patients, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of first TPB was significantly higher in the intrinsic than in the extrinsic type (81.8% vs. 67.8, P = 0.023). In 33 patients with extrinsic type and negative for malignancy on first TPB, the diagnostic accuracy of EUS‐FNAB was 90.9%. In 19 patients with intrinsic type and negative for malignancy on first TPB, the diagnostic accuracy of second TPB was 84.2%. The diagnostic accuracies of the combination of initial TPB with EUS‐FNAB and second TPB were 96.7% and 96.6%, respectively. A diagnostic approach using EUS‐FNAB or TPB according to the origin of MBS is considered effective to improve the diagnostic accuracy of MBS with negative for malignancy on first TPB. (Clinical trial registration number: UMIN000016886).
Contextual Risk, Individualised Responses: An Assessment of Safeguarding Responses to Nine Cases of Peer‐on‐Peer Abuse
Authors: Firmin Carlene
Published: February 2017

Practitioners, academics and policymakers are increasingly questioning the sufficiency of safeguarding practice in protecting young people from peer‐on‐peer abuse in England. Using the findings from an in‐depth analysis of nine cases where young people either raped or murdered their peers, this article explores approaches to assessing and intervening with those affected by peer‐on‐peer abuse. Building upon international calls for a contextual account of abuse between young people, the article identifies a professional struggle to address the interplay between young people's homes and the public and social spaces in which peer‐on‐peer abuse often manifests. Findings from this study are used to illuminate wider research into peer‐on‐peer abuse which has indicated a professional inability to: assess young people's behaviours with reference to the contexts in which they occur; change the environmental factors that influence abusive behaviours; and recognise the vulnerability of those who abuse their peers. The article concludes that to effectively respond to peer‐on‐peer abuse, multiagency partnerships are required which can identify, assess and intervene with the harmful norms in peer groups, schools and public spaces that can facilitate peer‐on‐peer abuse and undermine parental capacity to keep young people safe – thereby adopting a more contextual approach to safeguarding adolescents. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

‘Explores approaches to assessing and intervening with those affected by peer‐on‐peer abuse’

Key Practitioner Messages

Social contexts such as peer groups, schools and neighbourhoods can make young people vulnerable to peer‐on‐peer abuse.

Assessing and intervening with young people and families affected by peer‐on‐peer abuse will not impact upon the social contexts associated with the phenomenon.

Multiagency partnerships need to intervene with social contexts that, albeit beyond the traditional remit of child protection, facilitate peer‐on‐peer abuse and undermine the capacity of parents to keep young people safe.

‘Social contexts such as peer groups, schools and neighbourhoods can make young people vulnerable to peer‐on‐peer abuse’
Diagnosis of myxedema coma complicated by renal failure: a case report
Authors: Takamura Akiteru , Sangen Ryusho , Furumura Yoshiki , Usuda Daisuke , Kasamaki Yuji , Kanda Tsugiyasu
Published: February 2017

Key Clinical Message

Myxedema coma, caused by severe lack of thyroid hormone, is characterized by deterioration of mental status, hypothermia, hypotension, hyponatremia, and hypoventilation. We describe an 84‐year‐old woman who presented with renal failure and new onset severe hypothyroidism leading to challenges in the recognition of myxedema coma.
Crazy paving pattern
Authors: Verma Rajanshu , Abdoh Mamoun
Published: February 2017

Key Clinical Message

Crazy paving pattern is the name given to characteristic polygonal pattern of interlobular thickening on computed tomography (CT scan) of the lung, which results from accumulation of collagen, interstitial fluid, cell, or other pathology and may be seen in multiple clinical conditions including metastatic cancer as described in this case.
Separating Thermodynamics from Kinetics—A New Understanding of the Transketolase Reaction
Authors: Marsden Stefan R. , Gjonaj Lorina , Eustace Stephen J. , Hanefeld Ulf
Published: February 2017

Transketolase catalyzes asymmetric C−C bond formation of two highly polar compounds. Over the last 30 years, the reaction has unanimously been described in literature as irreversible because of the concomitant release of CO2 if using lithium hydroxypyruvate (LiHPA) as a substrate. Following the reaction over a longer period of time however, we have now found it to be initially kinetically controlled. Contrary to previous suggestions, for the non‐natural conversion of synthetically more interesting apolar substrates, the complete change of active‐site polarity is therefore not necessary. From docking studies it was revealed that water and hydrogen‐bond networks are essential for substrate binding, thus allowing aliphatic aldehydes to be converted in the charged active site of transketolase.
Enzyme‐Controlled Nanodevice for Acetylcholine‐Triggered Cargo Delivery Based on Janus Au–Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles
Authors: Llopis‐Lorente Antoni , Díez Paula , de la Torre Cristina , Sánchez Alfredo , Sancenón Félix , Aznar Elena , Marcos María D. , Martínez‐Ruíz Paloma , Martínez‐Máñez Ramón , Villalonga Reynaldo
Published: February 2017

This work reports a new gated nanodevice for acetylcholine‐triggered cargo delivery. We prepared and characterized Janus Au–mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized with acetylcholinesterase on the Au face and with supramolecular β‐cyclodextrin:benzimidazole inclusion complexes as caps on the mesoporous silica face. The nanodevice is able to selectively deliver the cargo in the presence of acetylcholine via enzyme‐mediated acetylcholine hydrolysis, locally lowering the pH and opening the supramolecular gate. Given the key role played by ACh and its relation with Parkinson's disease and other nervous system diseases, we believe that these findings could help design new therapeutic strategies.
Novel Pieces for the Emerging Picture of Sulfoximines in Drug Discovery: Synthesis and Evaluation of Sulfoximine Analogues of Marketed Drugs and Advanced Clinical Candidates
Authors: Sirvent Juan Alberto , Lücking Ulrich
Published: February 2017

Sulfoximines have gained considerable recognition as an important structural motif in drug discovery of late. In particular, the clinical kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer, roniciclib (pan‐CDK inhibitor), BAY 1143572 (P‐TEFb inhibitor), and AZD 6738 (ATR inhibitor), have recently drawn considerable attention. Whilst the interest in this underrepresented functional group in drug discovery is clearly on the rise, there remains an incomplete understanding of the medicinal‐chemistry‐relevant properties of sulfoximines. Herein we report the synthesis and in vitro characterization of a variety of sulfoximine analogues of marketed drugs and advanced clinical candidates to gain a better understanding of this neglected functional group and its potential in drug discovery.
Prognostic methylation markers for overall survival in cytogenetically normal patients with acute myeloid leukemia treated on SWOG trials
Authors: Qu Xiaoyu , Othus Megan , Davison Jerry , Wu Yu , Yan Liying , Meshinchi Soheil , Ostronoff Fabiana , Estey Elihu H. , Radich Jerry P. , Erba Harry P. , Appelbaum Frederick R. , Fang Min
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

Aberrant DNA methylation is known to occur in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), whereas methylation signatures and prognostic markers have been proposed. The objective of the current study was to evaluate all CpG sites of the genome and identify prognostic methylation markers for overall survival in patients with AML with normal karyotype (AML‐NK).

METHODS

AML‐NK samples from 7 SWOG trials were analyzed using a novel genome‐wide approach called “CHARMcox” (comprehensive high‐throughput array‐based relative methylation analysis combined with the Cox proportional hazards model) controlling for known clinical covariates. CHARMcox was applied to a phase 1 discovery cohort (72 patients) to identify survival‐associated methylation regions (SAMRs). Subsequently, using bisulfite pyrosequencing, SAMRs were studied in phase 2 model‐building (65 patients) and phase 3 validation (65 patients) cohorts. An independent external cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) AML study (LAML) was used for further validation (93 patients).

RESULTS

Two SAMRs, located at the CpG island shores of leucine zipper tumor suppressor 2 (LZTS2) and nuclear receptor subfamily 6 group a member 1 (NR6A1), respectively, were identified. Multivariable analyses demonstrated that hypomethylation of either LZTS2 or NR6A1 was associated with worse overall survival in the SWOG cohort (P<.001). The prognosis was validated in patients with AML‐NK from the TCGA‐LAML cohort. Methylation values below the median at both markers predicted worse overall survival (SWOG: hazard ratio, 1.89 [P<.001]; and TCGA‐LAML: hazard ratio, 2.08 [P=.006]). The C‐statistic was 0.71 for both cohorts, and the impact was independent of the Fms‐related tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3‐ITD) status.

CONCLUSIONS

The 2 methylation markers, measurable by clinically applicable assays such as bisulfite pyrosequencing, are promising for risk stratification among patients with AML‐NK. Cancer 2017;123:2472–81. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Longitudinal follow‐up of adult survivors of Ewing sarcoma: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
Authors: Marina Neyssa M. , Liu Qi , Donaldson Sarah S. , Sklar Charles A. , Armstrong Gregory T. , Oeffinger Kevin C. , Leisenring Wendy M. , Ginsberg Jill P. , Henderson Tara O. , Neglia Joseph P. , Stovall Marilyn A. , Yasui Yutaka , Randall R. Lor , Geller David S. , Robison Leslie L. , Ness Kirsten K.
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

Ewing sarcoma survivors (ESSs) are at increased risk for treatment‐related complications. The incidence of treatment‐related morbidity and late mortality with aging is unknown.

METHODS

This study reports survival probabilities, estimated with the Kaplan‐Meier method, and the cumulative incidence of cause‐specific mortality and chronic conditions among ESSs in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study who were treated between 1970 and 1986. Piecewise exponential models were used to estimate relative rates (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for these outcomes. Chronic conditions were graded with the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 4.03).

RESULTS

Among 404 5‐year ESSs (median age at last follow‐up, 34.8 years; range, 9.1‐54.8 years), the 35‐year survival rate was 70% (95% CI, 66%‐74%). Late recurrence (cumulative incidence at 35 years, 15.1%) was the most common cause of death, and it was followed by treatment‐related causes (11.2%). There were 53 patients with subsequent neoplasms (SNs; cumulative incidence at 35 years, 24.0%), and 38 were malignant (14.3% at 35 years). The standardized incidence ratios were 377.1 (95% CI, 172.1‐715.9) for osteosarcoma, 28.9 (95% CI, 3.2‐104.2) for acute myeloid leukemia, 14.9 (95% CI, 7.9‐25.5) for breast cancer, and 13.1 (95% CI, 4.8‐28.5) for thyroid cancer. Rates of chronic conditions were highest for musculoskeletal (RR, 18.1; 95% CI, 12.8‐25.7) and cardiac complications (RR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.4‐2.3). Thirty‐five years after the diagnosis, the cumulative incidences of any chronic conditions and 2 or more chronic conditions were 84.6% (95% CI, 80.4%‐88.8%) and 73.8% (95% CI, 67.8%‐79.9%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

With extended follow‐up, ESSs' risk for late mortality and SNs does not plateau. Treatment‐related chronic conditions develop years after therapy, and this supports the need for lifelong follow‐up. Cancer 2017;123:2551–60. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Breast cancer prevention strategies in lobular carcinoma in situ: A decision analysis
Authors: Wong Stephanie M. , Stout Natasha K. , Punglia Rinaa S. , Prakash Ipshita , Sagara Yasuaki , Golshan Mehra
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

Women diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) have a 3‐fold to 10‐fold increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the life expectancy (LE) and differences in survival offered by active surveillance, risk‐reducing chemoprevention, and bilateral prophylactic mastectomy among women with LCIS.

METHODS

A Markov simulation model was constructed to determine average LE and quality‐adjusted LE (QALE) gains for hypothetical cohorts of women diagnosed with LCIS at various ages under alternative risk‐reduction strategies. Probabilities for invasive breast cancer, breast cancer‐specific mortality, other‐cause mortality and the effectiveness of preventive strategies were derived from published studies and from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

RESULTS

Assuming a breast cancer incidence from 1.02% to 1.37% per year under active surveillance, a woman aged 50 years diagnosed with LCIS would have a total LE of 32.78 years and would gain 0.13 years (1.6 months) in LE by adding chemoprevention and 0.25 years (3.0 months) in LE by adding bilateral prophylactic mastectomy. After quality adjustment, chemoprevention resulted in the greatest QALE for women ages 40 to 60 years at LCIS diagnosis, whereas surveillance remained the preferred strategy for optimizing QALE among women diagnosed at age 65 years and older.

CONCLUSIONS

In this model, among women with a diagnosis of LCIS, breast cancer prevention strategies only modestly affected overall survival, whereas chemoprevention was modeled as the preferred management strategy for optimizing invasive disease‐free survival while prolonging QALE form women younger than 65 years. Cancer 2017;123:2609‐17. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
The Role of Quality Management & Innovativeness on Green Performance
Authors: Pipatprapa Anirut , Huang Hsiang‐Hsi , Huang Ching‐Hsu
Published: February 2017

Recently, many firms have been focusing on sustainable manufacturing. The manager has to understand the social requirement of concern for environmental protection. This study develops a model to enhance the understanding of how market orientation, quality management, and innovativeness assist Thailand's food industry in attaining its optimal green performance, and to assess the mediating effect of quality management and innovativeness on market orientation and green performance. A questionnaire was developed and employed to gather data from 178 managers in the food industry. Data analysis is performed using the structural equation modelling approach. The results indicate that market orientation, quality management, and innovativeness positively and significantly affect green performance, both directly and indirectly. Moreover, quality management and innovativeness have a partial mediator effect on market orientation and green performance. This finding illustrates that Thailand's food industry could achieve green performance by developing market‐driven, quality management capacity and innovation development. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Biological embedding of perinatal social relationships in infant stress reactivity
Authors: Thomas Jenna C. , Letourneau Nicole , Bryce Crystal I. , Campbell Tavis S. , Giesbrecht Gerald F. ,   The APrON Study Team
Published: February 2017

Whereas significant advances have been made in understanding how exposure to early adversity “gets under the skin” of children to result in long term changes in developmental outcomes, the processes by which positive social relationships become biologically embedded remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to understand the pathways by which maternal and infant social environments become biologically embedded in infant cortisol reactivity. Two hundred seventy‐two pregnant women and their infants were prospectively assessed during pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum. In serial mediation analyses, higher perceived social support from partners during pregnancy was associated with lower infant cortisol reactivity or larger decreases in cortisol in response to a stressor at 6 months of age via lower self‐reported prenatal maternal depression and higher mother–infant interaction quality. The findings add to our understanding of how perinatal social relationships become biologically embedded in child development.
Fire history in a western Fennoscandian boreal forest as influenced by human land use and climate
Authors: Rolstad Jørund , Blanck Ylva‐li , Storaunet Ken Olaf
Published: February 2017

Knowing the historical variation in fire regimes is instrumental in managing forests today and in predicting what may happen in the future. By cross‐dating 745 fire scars in 378 samples of remnant Scots pines, we delineated 254 individual forest fires during the past 700 years in a 74‐km2 section of Trillemarka‐Rollagsfjell Nature Reserve in south‐central Norway. Fire sizes, numbers, burn rates, and frequencies were compared with historical climate proxies, vegetation maps, and written sources. The results revealed patterns consistent with a predominantly climate‐driven fire regime up to 1625, followed by periods of strong anthropogenic influence that increased fire frequency during 1600–1700s and diminished fires during 1800–1900s. This was documented by an abrupt increase in number of small fires from the early 1600s that markedly shortened fire intervals from a median of 73 to 37 yr. This shift in fire frequency coincided with a sudden appearance of early‐season fires from 1625 and onward. Whereas late‐season burn rate increased with summer temperature, no such relationship was found for early‐season fires. These results were corroborated by written sources that describe anthropogenic forest fires and slash‐and‐burn cultivation expanding with the increasing population from the late 1500s and subsequently diminishing due to increasing timber values during 1700–1800s. Whereas human activity strongly influenced the fire regime at multidecadal to centennial scales, it was the interannual variability in climate that triggered large fire events, especially during the pre‐1625 period. Prior to 1625, the percentage of years with fire tripled from 7% during cold summers (10–12°C) to 21% during warm summers (14–16°C). Burn rate increased even more, from 0.01% to 1.3% for the same temperature intervals. Ecologically, the post‐1625 period is remarkable in such a way that human activity, first by greatly increasing fire frequency and subsequently almost eradicating fires, possibly influenced the fire regime to such an extent that it may be unprecedented for millennia.
The International Long Term Ecological Research Network: a platform for collaboration
Authors: Vanderbilt Kristin , Gaiser Evelyn
Published: February 2017

Many scientists around the world became interested in the U.S. Long Term Ecological Research (U.S. LTER) Network's research model during the 1990s and began to develop LTER and Long Term Socio‐ecological Research networks in their own countries. These local networks, including the U.S. LTER Network, were loosely federated in 1993 to form the International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) Network, a “network of networks.” Although the first 10 yr of ILTER Network activities were largely supported by funds from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the ILTER Network had transformed into a robust, self‐sustaining entity by 2006 following a two‐year strategic planning process. The goal of the ILTER Network is to improve understanding of how pressures such as climate change and land use affect global ecosystems in order to inform solutions to current and future environmental problems. To fulfill this mission, the ILTER Network fosters collaborations among member scientists to extend the scope of their research across disciplinary boundaries and across more of the ILTER's 600+ research sites. The ILTER Network also has many long‐term data sets that are freely available for use by students, scientists, and policymakers all over the world. In this collection of papers, we consider how the ILTER Network has been, and will be, leveraged by U.S. researchers to advance understanding of ecological and socio‐ecological systems around the globe.
Discordant response of spider communities to forests disturbed by deer herbivory and changes in prey availability
Authors: Landsman Andrew P. , Bowman Jacob L.
Published: February 2017

Despite the breadth of research on impacts of dense ungulate populations and invasive plants on native vegetation, work involving indirect effects on spider communities is explicitly lacking. Forest spiders depend on palatable insect prey and habitat structure, both of which are affected by herbivory and invasive vegetation. To examine the indirect interactions between spiders and these influential factors, we sampled spider communities, insect prey, and vegetation in paired deer exclusion plots in central Maryland. Spider abundance and richness increased with greater prey density, while increased habitat structure from deer exclusion reduced species richness and the abundance of a dominant web‐building species. Multivariate analyses of spider families also demonstrated the importance of both prey availability and structural complexity to spider community composition. This work identifies the importance of both habitat structure and insect prey in defining the composition, abundance, and richness of forest spider communities. A long history of heavy browsing pressure has resulted in local spider fauna consisting of many species that are able to thrive in low‐growing vegetation and open forest understories. Such changes to vegetative structure from dense deer populations and invasive plants have the potential to affect these important primary predators as well as araneophagic birds and the nutritional dynamics of forest food webs.
Hemiboreal forest: natural disturbances and the importance of ecosystem legacies to management
Authors: Jõgiste Kalev , Korjus Henn , Stanturf John A. , Frelich Lee E. , Baders Endijs , Donis Janis , Jansons Aris , Kangur Ahto , Köster Kajar , Laarmann Diana , Maaten Tiit , Marozas Vitas , Metslaid Marek , Nigul Kristi , Polyachenko Olga , Randveer Tiit , Vodde Floortje
Published: February 2017

The condition of forest ecosystems depends on the temporal and spatial pattern of management interventions and natural disturbances. Remnants of previous conditions persisting after disturbances, or ecosystem legacies, collectively comprise ecosystem memory. Ecosystem memory in turn contributes to resilience and possibilities of ecosystem reorganization following further disturbance. Understanding the role of disturbance and legacies is a prerequisite for maintaining resilience in the face of global change. Several legacy concepts discussed in the peer‐reviewed literature, including disturbance, biological, soil, land‐use, and silvicultural legacies, overlap in complex ways. Here, we review these established legacy concepts and propose that the new terms “material legacy” (individuals or matter, e.g., survivors, coarse woody debris, nutrients left after disturbance) and “information legacy” (adaptations to historical disturbance regimes) cut across these previous concepts and lead to a new classification of legacies. This includes six categories: material legacies with above‐ and belowground, and biotic and abiotic categories, and information legacies with above‐ and belowground categories. These six legacies are influenced by differential patterns of editing and conditioning by “legacy syndromes” that result from natural or human‐manipulated disturbance regimes that can be arranged along a gradient of naturalness. This scheme is applied to a case study of hemiboreal forests in the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, where natural disturbance, traditional clearcut silviculture, and afforestation of abandoned agricultural lands constitute the three main legacy syndromes. These legacy syndromes in turn influence forest response to management actions and constrain resilience, leading to a mosaic of natural, manipulated, and artificial (novel) ecosystems across the landscape, depending on how the legacies in each syndrome affect ecological memory.
Multidimensional contractile reserve predicts adverse outcome in patients with severe systolic heart failure: a 4‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Paraskevaidis Ioannis A. , Ikonomidis Ignatios , Simitsis Panagiotis , Parissis John , Stasinos Vasilios , Makavos George , Lekakis John
Published: February 2017

Aims

Left ventricular contractile reserve is a prognostic indicator for adverse outcome in patients with severe chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We investigated the dobutamine‐induced changes of LV multidimensional deformation and their predictive value for cardiac mortality of patients with severe chronic HFrEF.

Methods and results

In this prospective study, out of 130 patients with severe HFrEF who underwent a low‐dose dobutamine stress echocardiography (LDSE) study using speckle tracking imaging, 100 patients were followed up for the occurrence of cardiac death over a period of 4 years. Compared with survivors, non‐survivors (n = 32) had lower radial strain (RS) and strain rate (RSR) (10.7 ± 5.9 vs. 20.1 ± 8% and 0.5 ± 0.2 vs. 0.8 ± 0.3 L/s, P < 0.001), a smaller increase of global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rate after LDSE (0.9 ± 1.5 vs. –3.3 ± 3.5% and −0.1 ± 0.1 vs. –0.3 ± 0.3 L/s, P < 0.001), and a lack of change in the circumferential and radial deformation. The dobutamine‐induced changes of all speckle tracking indices predicted cardiac mortality, while, among resting echocardiographic parameters, only RS and RSR predicted survival, after adjusting for age, sex, cardiomyopathy aetiology, NYHA class, AF, BNP levels, resting LVED, and LV outflow tract velocity–time integral, and their respective changes produced by dobutamine (P < 0.05). The dobutamine‐induced change of GLS and resting RS were the best additive predictors of mortality with a net reclassification improvement of 0.518 (P = 0.022)

Conclusion

In severe chronic HFrEF, resting RS and the dobutamine‐induced change of GLS are independent predictors of cardiac mortality.
Transition‐Metal Complexes with (C–C)→M Agostic Interactions
Authors: Harvey Benjamin G. , Ernst Richard D.
Published: February 2017

Invited for the cover of this issue are Benjamin Harvey at the US Navy, China Lake, California, USA, and Richard Ernst at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA. The cover image shows the first two recognized examples of C–C agostic interactions with a transition metal center and consumer products containing materials prepared by catalytic reactions that rely on these interactions.
Synthesis of Electron‐Deficient Tetrahydro‐ and Dihydroimidazo[1,2‐f]phenanthridines by Microwave‐Mediated IMDAF Reactions
Authors: Gulbrandsen Håkon Sætren , Alfaro Jessica Lizeth Dominguez , Read Matthew Lovell , Gundersen Lise‐Lotte
Published: February 2017

N‐Substituted tetrahydroimidazo[1,2‐f]phenanthridines (TIPs) and dihydroimidazo[1,2‐f]phenanthridines (DIPs) have a variety of interesting properties, but structural variations of these compounds have, until now, included nitrogen substituents. Herein, TIPs and DIPs that have electron‐withdrawing groups on the phenanthridine moiety have been synthesized. A microwave‐mediated one‐pot intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction of furan (IMDAF) and subsequent aromatization were employed as the key steps. The electron‐deficient dihydrophenanthridines constructed by an IMDAF were oxidized in situ by 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone (DDQ), and the salts generated were treated with benzylamine to give N‐benzyl TIP compounds. These TIPs were remarkably stable towards air‐mediated oxidation relative to those TIPs that do not contain electron‐withdrawing substituents and were isolated in high yields. Electron‐deficient TIPs were easily oxidized to give the corresponding DIPs by treatment with N‐bromosuccinimide.
Facile Synthesis of Poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) Coated SiO2 Core‐shell Microspheres via Surface‐initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for H2O2 Biosensor Applications
Authors: Manivannan K. , Cheng C.‐C. , Chen J.‐K.
Published: February 2017

In this study, inorganic/organic composites containing poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) coated core‐shell SiO2 microspheres were prepared via surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The thermal responsive polymer, N‐isopropylacrylamide was treated with methanol, water and CuBr/CuBr2/1,1,4,7,7‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) at room temperature to form PNIPAM@SiO2 microspheres. The as‐prepared PNIPAM@SiO2 microspheres were characterized by FT‐IR, TGA, XPS, SEM, TEM analyses. Hemoglobin (Hb) was immobilized onto the surfaces of PNIPAM@SiO2 microspheres via hydrophobic and π‐π stacking interactions. The as‐prepared Hb/PNIPAM@SiO2 electrode exhibits well‐defined redox peak at a formal potential of −0.38 V, validating the direct electrochemistry of Hb. The Hb immobilized composite film retained its bioelectroactivity without any significant loss of catalytic activity. The modified electrode detects H2O2 over a wide linear concentration range (0.1 μM to 333 μM) with a detection limit of 0.07 μM. This modified electrode also successfully detects H2O2 from food and disinfectant samples with appreciable recovery values, validating its practicality. We believe that PNIPAM@SiO2 composite has great potential to be used in the detection of H2O2 and development of other enzyme based biosensors.
Inflammation is independent of steatosis in a murine model of steatohepatitis
Authors: Wang Wei , Xu Ming‐Jiang , Cai Yan , Zhou Zhou , Cao Haixia , Mukhopadhyay Partha , Pacher Pal , Zheng Shusen , Gonzalez Frank J. , Gao Bin
Published: February 2017

Obesity and alcohol consumption synergistically promote steatohepatitis, and neutrophil infiltration is believed to be associated with steatosis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) plays a complex role in lipid metabolism and inflammation; therefore, the purpose of this study was to dissect its role in regulating steatosis and neutrophil infiltration in a clinically relevant mouse steatohepatitis model of 3‐month high‐fat diet (HFD) feeding plus a binge of ethanol (HFD‐plus‐binge ethanol). Hepatocyte‐specific Pparg disruption reduced liver steatosis but surprisingly increased hepatic neutrophil infiltration after HFD‐plus‐binge ethanol. Knockout or knockdown of the PPARγ target gene, fat‐specific protein 27, reduced steatosis without affecting neutrophil infiltration in this model. Moreover, hepatocyte‐specific deletion of the Pparg gene, but not the fat‐specific protein 27 gene, markedly up‐regulated hepatic levels of the gene for chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) ligand 1 (Cxcl1, a chemokine for neutrophil infiltration) in HFD‐plus‐binge ethanol‐fed mice. In vitro, deletion of the Pparg gene also highly augmented palmitic acid or tumor necrosis factor alpha induction of Cxcl1 in mouse hepatocytes. In contrast, activation of PPARγ with a PPARγ agonist attenuated Cxcl1 expression in hepatocytes. Palmitic acid also up‐regulated interleukin‐8 (a key chemokine for human neutrophil recruitment) expression in human hepatocytes, which was attenuated and enhanced by cotreatment with a PPARγ agonist and antagonist, respectively. Finally, acute ethanol binge markedly attenuated HFD‐induced hepatic PPARγ activation, which contributed to the up‐regulation of hepatic Cxcl1 expression post–HFD‐plus‐binge ethanol. Conclusion: Hepatic PPARγ plays an opposing role in controlling steatosis and neutrophil infiltration, leading to dissociation between steatosis and inflammation; acute ethanol gavage attenuates hepatic PPARγ activation and subsequently up‐regulates hepatic CXCL1/interleukin‐8 expression, thereby exacerbating hepatic neutrophil infiltration. (Hepatology 2017;66:108–123).
Women's willingness and ability to feel the strings of their intrauterine device
Authors: Melo Juliana , Tschann Mary , Soon Reni , Kuwahara Melissa , Kaneshiro Bliss
Published: February 2017

Objective

To determine how many intrauterine device (IUD) users are willing and able to palpate their IUD strings.

Methods

A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among IUD users presenting for their 6‐week follow‐up visit after insertion at the University of Hawaii, USA, between January 2011 and January 2012. Participants were asked whether they had previously felt the strings and whether they were willing to do so during the visit. Bivariate analyses and multiple logistic regression were performed.

Results

Previous attempts to palpate IUD strings were reported by 74 (58.7%) of 126 participants, of whom 49 (66.2%) could feel the strings. At the study visit, 60 (47.6%) participants were willing to try to feel their strings; 33 (55.0%) were successful. Overall, 58 (46.0%) participants were willing and able to palpate their IUD strings at home and/or at the study visit. Fewer women who self‐identified as native Hawaiian than women of other races reported previous attempts (P=0.005). Previous instruction to check IUD strings was associated with willingness to palpate them before and after controlling for native Hawaiian race (odds ratio 8.78, 95% CI 3.43–22.43; adjusted odds ratio 9.64, 95% CI 3.57–26.04).

Conclusion

Approximately half the participants were willing and able to palpate their IUD strings. Routinely counseling women to check their IUD strings could have limited clinical utility.
Residence time distribution and Peclet number correlation for continuous oscillatory flow reactors
Authors: Slavnić Danijela S , Živković Luka V , Bjelić Ana V , Bugarski Branko M , Nikačević Nikola M
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

Oscillatory baffled reactors have good prospect for use in batch to continuous transition for many industries. For reliable design and scale up it is essential to mathematically describe mixing and flow pattern of oscillatory flow. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of operating conditions on residence time distribution (RTD) of liquid phase in a continuous oscillatory baffled reactor (COBR) and to propose a correlation that accurately describes the flow pattern.

RESULTS

Analysis of results obtained for a wide variety of operating conditions in two geometrically similar reactors show that increase of oscillation frequency and amplitude both decrease axial dispersion, with a more prominent effect of amplitude. Proposed power‐law correlation is in very good agreement with all performed experiments. Peclet numbers predicted by this correlation are in reasonably good agreement with the literature experimental data and is much better than the ones obtained by the commonly used correlation, which contains more fitting parameters.

CONCLUSION

Results show that relatively high amplitudes, low frequencies and low to moderate secondary non‐oscillatory flow should be used to ensure effective mixing with a low net flow in COBR. Developed correlation offers a simple, yet reliable way to predict the macroscopic flow pattern of liquid in COBR. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Efficient agmatine production using an arginine decarboxylase with substrate‐specific activity
Authors: Sun Anran , Song Wei , Qiao Weihua , Chen Xiulai , Liu Jia , Luo Qiuling , Liu Liming
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

Agmatine is a valuable pharmaceutical intermediate biosynthesised from l‐arginine by arginine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.19). It has various potential therapeutic functions in neurotransmitter systems, nitric oxide synthesis, and polyamine metabolism. To establish a green and efficient process for agmatine production, a novel arginine decarboxylase (SpA9) from Shewanella putrefaciens was identified, overexpressed, and functionally characterised in this study.

RESULTS

The SpA9 gene from S. putrefaciens was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the recombinant SpA9 was purified 7.7‐fold. The recombinant SpA9 exhibited a higher Kcat/Km value (4.8 s−1 mM−1). Furthermore, SpA9 showed the highest activity at pH 8.5 and 37°C towards l‐arginine. The highest enzyme activity of 1281 U mL−1 was achieved by optimising the nutrient, culture, and induction conditions. Under optimum transformation conditions, the maximum conversion yield of agmatine was 92.6%, with a space‐time yield of 276.88 g L−1·day−1 at a 1 L scale.

CONCLUSIONS

To our best knowledge, this bioprocess produced the highest yield and conversion rate of any biocatalyst method reported yet. It is also a greener and more cost‐effective method for agmatine production compared with other available methods in the pharmaceutical industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Simultaneous recovery of ammonium and phosphate from simulated treated wastewater effluents by activated calcium and magnesium zeolites
Authors: You Xialei , Valderrama César , Cortina José Luis
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

In this study a sodium zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash (NaP1‐NA) was modified to calcium and magnesium forms (Ze‐Ca, Ze‐Mg) as sorbent materials for simultaneous recovery of ammonium and phosphate from simulated treated wastewater effluents.

RESULTS

Increasing the temperature during the modification step to magnesium form improved the zeolite conversion. The maximum sorption capacities obtained were 123.1±9.1 mg NH4 g−1 and 119.5±7.5 mg PO4 g−1 in an ammonium/phosphate binary system for Ze‐Ca, while 55.2±2.4/ 60.5 ±14.1 and 32.3±4.4/ 23.9±3.4 were obtained for Ze‐Mg1 and Ze‐Mg2, respectively. The sorption process is faster for Ze‐Mg zeolites and the sorption mechanism that controls the overall process, for both zeolites, is diffusion into the particle according to the HPDM and SPM models.

CONCLUSIONS

Salt modification improved the performance of zeolites towards phosphate sorption. The sorption mechanism involves both ammonium exchange to the Mg and Ca ions, and precipitation of Ca and Mg phosphates or mixed ammonium‐magnesium phosphate minerals such as brushite (CaHPO4.H2O) and struvite (MgNH4PO4). © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Acute diffuse thyroid swelling: A rare complication of fine‐needle aspiration
Authors: Tang Wai Kiu , Bhatia Kunwar S. S. , Pang Angel S. W. , Ahuja Anil
Published: February 2017

We present a case illustrating the rare complication of acute generalized thyroid swelling shortly after sonographic‐guided fine needle aspiration of a thyroid nodule. Ultrasound revealed the presence of characteristic linear hypoechoic avascular areas interspersed throughout the gland suggestive of edema. The patient was treated conservatively, with near complete normalization of the thyroid within 24 hours. Recognition of this potential complication is important, as the rapid onset of diffuse thyroid enlargement is often alarming but typically has a transient and self‐limiting course. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:426–429, 2017
Sonographic appearance of a cholesterol granuloma mimicking breast cancer
Authors: Kim Young‐Seon , Chang Jung Min
Published: February 2017

A breast cholesterol granuloma is a rare benign condition that can be a pitfall in diagnosing breast cancer. We describe a cholesterol granuloma in the breast mimicking breast cancer on sonography. The mass was confirmed to be a cholesterol granuloma through a core needle biopsy, but an excisional biopsy was eventually performed due to suspicious sonographic appearance and histopathological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:608–611, 2017
Association of IGF1 gene polymorphism with Parkinson's disease in a Han Chinese population
Authors: Xiao Yousheng , Cen Luan , Mo Mingshu , Chen Xiang , Huang Shuxuan , Wei Lei , Li Shaomin , Yang Xinling , Qu Shaogang , Pei Zhong , Xu Pingyi
Published: February 2017

Background

Accumulating evidence suggests that insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF1) plays an important role in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. However, it is not clear whether IGF1 polymorphism contributes to PD risk.

Methods

We performed a case–control study in a Han Chinese population that included 512 sporadic PD cases and 535 matched controls. All participants were genotyped for rs972936 using the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform. Serum IGF1 levels of 61 de novo, drug‐naïve PD patients and 55 age‐ and sex‐matched controls were also measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Genotype frequency of rs972936‐CC was significantly associated with an increased PD risk (p = 0.009), especially in males (p = 0.024) and late‐onset patients (p = 0.013). Serum IGF1 levels were significantly increased in de novo, drug‐naïve PD patients compared to controls (p = 0.036), although they were not correlated with motor dysfunction in PD patients (p = 0.220).

Conclusions

The present study shows that rs972936 polymorphism may increase susceptibility to PD, especially in males and late‐onset patients. Furthermore, high serum IGF1 levels may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for PD in the Han Chinese population, although they do not correlate with a more severe motor dysfunction.
Discharges Against Medical Advice at a County Hospital: Provider Perceptions and Practice
Authors: Stearns Cordelia R. , Bakamjian Allison , Sattar Subrina , Weintraub Miranda Ritterman
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND

Patients discharged against medical advice (AMA) have higher rates of readmission and mortality than patients who are conventionally discharged. Bioethicists have proposed best practice approaches for AMA discharges, but studies have revealed that some providers have misconceptions about their roles in these discharges.

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed patient characteristics and provider practices for AMA discharges at a county hospital and provider perceptions and knowledge about AMA discharges.

DESIGN

This mixed‐methods cross‐sectional study involved chart abstraction and survey administration.

PARTICIPANTS

Charts were reviewed for all AMA discharges (n = 319) at a county hospital in 2014. Surveys were completed by 178 healthcare providers at the hospital.

RESULTS

Of 12,036 admissions, 319 (2.7%) ended with an AMA discharge. Compared with conventionally discharged patients, patients who left AMA were more likely to be young, male, and homeless and less likely to be Spanish‐speaking. Of the AMA patients, 29.6% had capacity documented, 21.4% had medications prescribed, and 25.7% had follow‐up arranged. Of patients readmitted within 6 months after AMA, 23.5% left AMA again at the next visit. Attending physicians and trainee physicians were more likely than nurses to say that AMA patients should receive medications and follow‐up (94% and 84% vs 64%; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Although providers overall felt comfortable determining capacity and discussing AMA discharges, they rarely documented these discussions. Nurses and physicians differed in their thinking regarding whether to arrange follow‐up for patients leaving AMA, and in practice arrangements were seldom made.