bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antimesenteric jejunal diverticulosis after a remote history of necrotising enterocolitis: a case report
Authors: Monteiro Rosebel , Schneble Erica , Mino Jeffrey , Stallion Anthony
Published: April 2013

Jejunal diverticulosis is a rare, acquired pathology of the small bowel. While most patients are asymptomatic, the condition is difficult to diagnose. It may present with chronic abdominal pain, diarrhoea, bloating and complications including malabsorption, diverticulitis, bleeding, intestinal obstruction or perforation. This is a case presentation of a 27-year-old woman with a history of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) requiring surgical resection as a premature newborn who presented with recurrent abdominal pain and was found to have several small bowel diverticula intraoperatively. She underwent resection with complete resolution of symptoms over a 2-year follow-up. This is the first case report to suggest that small bowel diverticular disease as a long-term complication of NEC may result in chronic morbidity in long-term survivors.
Plasmodium knowlesiinfection: a diagnostic challenge
Authors: Fan Lijia , Lee Shir Ying , Koay Evelyn , Harkensee Christian
Published: April 2013

Plasmodium knowlesimalaria is an uncommon, but highly prevalent parasitic infection in parts of Malaysia. This is the case of a 14-year-old Singaporean boy presenting to our emergency department with an 11-day history of fever following a school trip to Malaysia. Hepatosplenomegaly was the only clinical finding; laboratory tests showed thrombocytopaenia, lymphopaenia, mild anaemia and liver transaminitis. Specific malaria antigen tests were negative, but the peripheral blood film showed plasmodia with atypical features, with a parasite load of 0.5%. PCR confirmed the diagnosis ofP knowlesi. The patient was successfully treated with chloroquine. The clinical course ofP knowlesimalaria is indistinguishable from that ofPlasmodium falciparum. This case highlights the importance of taking detailed travel history, careful examination of malaria blood films and judicious use of molecular techniques. Antigen tests alone may have missed a malaria diagnosis altogether, while blood film examination may wrongly identify the species asPlasmodium malariaeorP falciparum. Third-generation PCR assays can be used to reliably identifyP knowlesi.
Treatment of a colonic Dieulafoy lesion with endoscopic hemoclipping
Authors: Fukita Yosho
Published: April 2013

A 39-year-old man presented to our hospital with massive haematochezia and dizziness. A colonoscopy indicated the presence of an abnormal visible vessel with an adherent clot at the ascending colon. No mucosal abnormality surrounding the lesion was noted. The lesion was diagnosed as a Dieulafoy lesion, and was managed by application of two haemostatic clips. During the 6-month follow-up period, no recurrence of haematochezia was noted, and his haemoglobin level returned to the normal level after 6 months.
Building high reliability teams: progress and some reflections on teamwork training
Authors: Salas Eduardo , Rosen Michael A
Published: April 2013

The science of team training in healthcare has progressed dramatically in recent years. Methodologies have been refined and adapted for the unique and varied needs within healthcare, where once team training approaches were borrowed from other industries with little modification. Evidence continues to emerge and bolster the case that team training is an effective strategy for improving patient safety. Research is also elucidating the conditions under which teamwork training is most likely to have an impact, and what determines whether improvements achieved will be maintained over time. The articles in this special issue are a strong representation of the state of the science, the diversity of applications, and the growing sophistication of teamwork training research and practice in healthcare. In this article, we attempt to situate the findings in this issue within the broader context of healthcare team training, identify high level themes in the current state of the field, and discuss existing needs.
Energy-dependent stereodynamics for the H(2S)+NH(X3)→H2(X1Σg+)+N(4S) reaction on the improved ZH potential energy surface
Authors: Yao Cui-Xia , Zhao Guang-Jiu
Published: April 2013

In this work, quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) calculations have been first carried out for the title reaction on a new global potential energy surface for the lowest quartet electronic state, 4A″. The average rotational alignment factor [P2(j'·k)] as a function of collision energy and the two commonly used polarization dependent generalized differential cross sections PDDCS00, PDDCS20, have been calculated in the center-of-mass (CM) frame, separately. Three angular distributions, P(θr), P(φr), and P(θr, φr) are also calculated to gain insight into the alignment and the orientation of the product molecules. Calculations show that the average rotational alignment factor on the ZH PES is almost invariant with collision energies. The distributions of P(θr) and P(φr) derived from the title reaction indicate that the product polarization is strong. Validity of the QCT calculation has been examined and proven in the comparison with the quantum-wave-packet calculation results. Comparisons with available quasi-classical trajectory results are made and discussed.
Protective effects of farrerol against hydrogen-peroxide-induced apoptosis in human endothelium-derived EA.hy926 cells
Authors: Li Jian-Kuan , Ge Rui , Tang Li , Li Qing-Shan
Published: April 2013

Vascular endothelium plays an important role in the physiological homeostasis of blood vessels. Endothelial injury is considered to be implicated in the pathogenesis of many cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis. Farrerol, a flavonoid considered to be the major bioactive component in a traditional Chinese herb, “Man-shan-hong”, which is the dried leaves of Rhododendron dauricum L., displays many bioactive properties, including antibechic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and the inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. In this study, the protective effects of farrerol on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis in human endothelium-derived EA.hy926 cells were investigated. The results showed that farrerol significantly inhibited the loss of cell viability and enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in H2O2-induced EA.hy926 cells. Meanwhile, farrerol inhibited H2O2-induced elevation in the levels of intracellular malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species, as well as cell apoptosis. Furthermore, real time RT–PCR and Western blot analysis showed that farrerol significantly decreased the expression of Bax mRNA, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and phosph-p38 MAPK, while increasing the exporession of Bcl-2 mRNA and Bcl-2 in H2O2-induced EA.hy926 cells. These results are the first demonstration that farrerol has protective effects against H2O2-induced apoptosis in EA.hy926 cells, and suggests that farrerol is a potential candidate for the intervention of endothelial-injury-associated cardiovascular diseases.
THE DIGITAL MOTION CONTROL SYSTEM FOR THE SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY ANTENNAS
Authors: HUNTER T. R. , WILSON R. W. , KIMBERK R. , LEIKER P. S. , PATEL N. A. , BLUNDELL R. , CHRISTENSEN R. D. , DIVEN A. R. , MAUTE J. , PLANTE R. J. , RIDDLE P. , YOUNG K. H.
Published: April 2013

We describe the design and performance of the digital servo and motion control system for the 6-meter parabolic antennas of the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The system is divided into three nested layers operating at a different, appropriate bandwidth. (1) A rack-mounted, real-time Unix system runs the position loop which reads the high resolution azimuth and elevation encoders and sends velocity and acceleration commands at 100 Hz to a custom-designed servo control board (SCB). (2) The microcontroller-based SCB reads the motor axis tachometers and implements the velocity loop by sending torque commands to the motor amplifiers at 558 Hz. (3) The motor amplifiers implement the torque loop by monitoring and sending current to the three-phase brushless drive motors at 20 kHz. The velocity loop uses a traditional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm, while the position loop uses only a proportional term and implements a command shaper based on the Gauss error function. Calibration factors and software filters are applied to the tachometer feedback prior to the application of the servo gains in the torque computations. All of these parameters are remotely adjustable in the software. The three layers of the control system monitor each other and are capable of shutting down the system safely if a failure or anomaly occurs. The Unix system continuously relays the antenna status to the central observatory computer via reflective memory. In each antenna, a Palm Vx hand controller displays the complete system status and allows full local control of the drives in an intuitive touchscreen user interface. The hand controller can also be connected outside the cabin, a major convenience during the frequent reconfigurations of the interferometer. Excellent tracking performance (~ 0.3′′ rms) is achieved with this system. It has been in reliable operation on 8 antennas for over 10 years and has required minimal maintenance.
A Globally Convergent Hybrid Conjugate Gradient Method and Its Numerical Behaviors
Authors: Huang Yuan-Yuan , Liu San-Yang , Du Xue-Wu , Dong Xiao-Liang
Published: April 2013

We consider a hybrid Dai-Yuan conjugate gradient method. We confirm that its numerical performance can be improved provided that this method uses a practical steplength rule developed by Dong, and the associated convergence is analyzed as well.
Enhancement of LymphangiogenesisIn Vitrovia the Regulations of HIF-1αExpression and Nuclear Translocation by Deoxyshikonin
Authors: Prangsaengtong Orawin , Park Jun Yeon , Inujima Akiko , Igarashi Yoshiko , Shibahara Naotoshi , Koizumi Keiichi
Published: April 2013

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of deoxyshikonin on lymphangiogenesis. Deoxyshikonin enhanced the ability of human dermal lymphatic microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-dLy) to undergo time-dependentin vitrocord formation. Interestingly, an opposite result was observed in cells treated with shikonin. The increased cord formation ability following deoxyshikonin treatment correlated with increased VEGF-C mRNA expression to higher levels than seen for VEGF-A and VEGF-D mRNA expression. We also found that deoxyshikonin regulated cord formation of HMVEC-dLy by increasing the HIF-1αmRNA level, HIF-1αprotein level, and the accumulation of HIF-1αin the nucleus. Knockdown of the HIF-1αgene by transfection with siHIF-1αdecreased VEGF-C mRNA expression and cord formation ability in HMVEC-dLy. Deoxyshikonin treatment could not recover VEGF-C mRNA expression and cord formation ability in HIF-1αknockdown cells. This indicated that deoxyshikonin induction of VEGF-C mRNA expression and cord formation in HMVEC-dLy on Matrigel occurred mainly via HIF-1αregulation. We also found that deoxyshikonin promoted wound healingin vitroby the induction of HMVEC-dLy migration into the wound gap. This study describes a new effect of deoxyshikonin, namely, the promotion of cord formation by human endothelial cells via the regulation of HIF-1α. The findings suggest that deoxyshikonin may be a new drug candidate for wound healing and treatment of lymphatic diseases.
The Approximate Solutions of Fredholm Integrodifferential-Difference Equations with Variable Coefficients via Homotopy Analysis Method
Authors: Karakoç Seydi Battal Gazi , Eryılmaz Aytekin , Başbük Musa
Published: April 2013

Numerical solutions of linear and nonlinear integrodifferential-difference equations are presented using homotopy analysis method. The aim of the paper is to present an efficient numerical procedure for solving linear and nonlinear integrodifferential-difference equations. The reliability and efficiency of the proposed scheme are demonstrated by some numerical experiments and performed on the computer algebraic system.
Asymptotic and Numerical Methods in Estimating Eigenvalues
Authors: Yıldız Guldem , Yılmaz Bulent , Veliev O. A.
Published: April 2013

Asymptotic formulas and numerical estimations for eigenvalues of SturmLiouville problems having singular potential functions, with Dirichlet boundary conditions, are obtained. This study gives a comparison between the eigenvalues obtained by the asymptotic and the numerical methods.
Choice of Cell Source in Cell-Based Therapies for Retinal Damage due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Review
Authors: John Sudhakar , Natarajan Sundaram , Parikumar Periyasamy , Shanmugam P Mahesh , Senthilkumar Rajappa , Green David William , Abraham Samuel J. K.
Published: April 2013

Background. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex disorder that affects primarily the macula involving the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) but also to a certain extent the photoreceptor layer and the retinal neurons. Cell transplantation is a promising option for AMD and clinical trials are underway using different cell types.Methods. We hypothesize that instead of focusing on a particular cell source for concurrent regeneration of all the retinal layers and also to prevent exhaustive research on an array of cell sources for regeneration of each layer, the choice should depend on, precisely, which layer is damaged.Results. Thus, for a damage limited to the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layer, the choice we suggest would be RPE cells. When the damage extends to rods and cones, the choice would be bone marrow stem cells and when retinal neurons are involved, relatively immature stem cell populations with an inherent capacity to yield neuronal lineage such as hematopoietic stem cells, embryonic stem cells, or induced pluripotent stem cells can be tried.Conclusion. This short review will prove to be a valuable guideline for those working on cell therapy for AMD to plan their future directions of research and therapy for this condition.
Homoclinic Orbits for a Class of Nonperiodic Hamiltonian Systems with Some Twisted Conditions
Authors: Wang Qi , Zhang Qingye
Published: April 2013

By the Maslov index theory, we will study the existence and multiplicity of homoclinic orbits for a class of asymptotically linear nonperiodic Hamiltonian systems with some twisted conditions on the Hamiltonian functions.
A Fuzzy Nonlinear Programming Approach for Optimizing the Performance of a Four-Objective Fluctuation Smoothing Rule in a Wafer Fabrication Factory
Authors: Tsai Horng-Ren , Chen Toly
Published: April 2013

In theory, a scheduling problem can be formulated as a mathematical programming problem. In practice, dispatching rules are considered to be a more practical method of scheduling. However, the combination of mathematical programming and fuzzy dispatching rule has rarely been discussed in the literature. In this study, a fuzzy nonlinear programming (FNLP) approach is proposed for optimizing the scheduling performance of a four-factor fluctuation smoothing rule in a wafer fabrication factory. The proposed methodology considers the uncertainty in the remaining cycle time of a job and optimizes a fuzzy four-factor fluctuation-smoothing rule to sequence the jobs in front of each machine. The fuzzy four-factor fluctuation-smoothing rule has five adjustable parameters, the optimization of which results in an FNLP problem. The FNLP problem can be converted into an equivalent nonlinear programming (NLP) problem to be solved. The performance of the proposed methodology has been evaluated with a series of production simulation experiments; these experiments provide sufficient evidence to support the advantages of the proposed method over some existing scheduling methods.
Component-Based Formal Modeling of PLC Systems
Authors: Wang Rui , Guan Yong , Liming Luo , Li Xiaojuan , Zhang Jie
Published: April 2013

Functional validation is an important task in complex embedded system. The formal modeling of PLC system for verification is a rough task. Good verification model should be faithful and concise. At one hand, the model must be consistent with the system at the other hand, the model must have suitable scale because of the state explosion problem of verification. This paper proposes a systemic method for the construction of verification model. PLC system architecture and PLC features are modeled as components. This is universal for all PLC applications. We give an automatic translation method for software modeling based on operational semantics. A small example is demonstrated for our approach.
Nonlocal Problem for Fractional Evolution Equations of Mixed Type with the Measure of Noncompactness
Authors: Chen Pengyu , Li Yongxiang
Published: April 2013

A general class of semilinear fractional evolution equations of mixed type with nonlocal conditions on infinite dimensional Banach spaces is concerned. Under more general conditions, the existence of mild solutions and positive mild solutions is obtained by utilizing a new estimation technique of the measure of noncompactness and a new fixed point theorem with respect to convex-power condensing operator.
A Surface-based Analysis of Language Lateralization and Cortical Asymmetry
Authors: Greve Douglas N. , Van der Haegen Lise , Cai Qing , Stufflebeam Steven , Sabuncu Mert R. , Fischl Bruce , Brysbaert Marc
Published: April 2013

Among brain functions, language is one of the most lateralized. Cortical language areas are also some of the most asymmetrical in the brain. An open question is whether the asymmetry in function is linked to the asymmetry in anatomy. To address this question, we measured anatomical asymmetry in 34 participants shown with fMRI to have language dominance of the left hemisphere (LLD) and 21 participants shown to have atypical right hemisphere dominance (RLD). All participants were healthy and left-handed, and most (80%) were female. Gray matter (GM) volume asymmetry was measured using an automated surface-based technique in both ROIs and exploratory analyses. In the ROI analysis, a significant difference between LLD and RLD was found in the insula. No differences were found in planum temporale (PT), pars opercularis (POp), pars triangularis (PTr), or Heschl's gyrus (HG). The PT, POp, insula, and HG were all significantly left lateralized in both LLD and RLD participants. Both the positive and negative ROI findings replicate a previous study using manually labeled ROIs in a different cohort [Keller, S. S., Roberts, N., Garcia-Finana, M., Mohammadi, S., Ringelstein, E. B., Knecht, S., et al. Can the language-dominant hemisphere be predicted by brain anatomy? Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 2013–2029, 2011]. The exploratory analysis was accomplished using a new surface-based registration that aligns cortical folding patterns across both subject and hemisphere. A small but significant cluster was found in the superior temporal gyrus that overlapped with the PT. A cluster was also found in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex corresponding to the visual word recognition area. The surface-based analysis also makes it possible to disentangle the effects of GM volume, thickness, and surface area while removing the effects of curvature. For both the ROI and exploratory analyses, the difference between LLD and RLD volume laterality was most strongly driven by differences in surface area and not cortical thickness. Overall, there were surprisingly few differences in GM volume asymmetry between LLD and RLD indicating that gross morphometric asymmetry is only subtly related to functional language laterality.
Look Again: Effects of Brain Images and Mind–Brain Dualism on Lay Evaluations of Research
Authors: Hook Cayce J. , Farah Martha J.
Published: April 2013

Brain scans have frequently been credited with uniquely seductive and persuasive qualities, leading to claims that fMRI research receives a disproportionate share of public attention and funding. It has been suggested that functional brain images are fascinating because they contradict dualist beliefs regarding the relationship between the body and the mind. Although previous research has indicated that brain images can increase judgments of an article's scientific reasoning, the hypotheses that brain scans make research appear more interesting, surprising, or worthy of funding have not been tested. Neither has the relation between the allure of brain imaging and dualism. In the following three studies, laypersons rated both fictional research descriptions and real science news articles accompanied by brain scans, bar charts, or photographs. Across 988 participants, we found little evidence of neuroimaging's seductive allure or of its relation to self-professed dualistic beliefs. These results, taken together with other recent null findings, suggest that brain images are less powerful than has been argued.
Two new species of Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) from Rhodes Island (eastern Aegean area, Greece)
Authors: CRESPO MANUEL B. , PENA-MARTÍN CAROLINA
Published: April 2013

Limonium quinnii and L. rhodense (Plumbaginaceae) are here described from the maritime cliffs of Rhodes Island (Greece). These new species can be included in the Limonium palmare aggregate, a group highly diversified in the eastern Mediterranean but still poorly known. The differences among L. quinnii and L. rhodense with the related taxa are provided and discussed. Data on the breeding systems, ecology and distribution of both species are also given.
A new subgenus and species of the genus Hedyphanes Fischer von Waldheim, 1820 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Helopini) from Israel and Egypt
Authors: NABOZHENKO MAXIM V. , LILLIG MARTIN
Published: April 2013

A new species, Hedyphanes chikatunovi sp. n., is described from southern Israel (Negev, Gerofit) and Egypt (Northern Sinai). These localities represent the southwestern limit of the distribution of the genus. The new species is placed in a new monotypic subgenus, Microhedyphanes subgen. n.
Vitamin B12 and ageing: current issues and interaction with folate
Authors: Hughes Catherine F , Ward Mary , Hoey Leane , McNulty Helene
Published: April 2013

A compromised vitamin B12 status is common in older people despite dietary intakes that typically far exceed current recommendations. The maintenance of an optimal status of vitamin B12 is not only dependent on adequate dietary intake but more critically on effective absorption which diminishes with age. The measurement of vitamin B12 is complicated by the lack of a gold standard assay. There are a number of direct and functional indicators of vitamin B12 status; however, none of these are without limitations and should be used in combination. Vitamin B12 is of public health importance, not only because deficiency leads to megaloblastic anaemia and irreversible nerve damage, but also because emerging evidence links low B12 to an increased risk of a number of age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunction, dementia and osteoporosis. Furthermore, there are concerns relating to potential adverse effects for older adults with low vitamin B12 status of over-exposure to folic acid in countries where there is mandatory fortification of food with folic acid. The aim of this review is to examine the known and emerging issues related to vitamin B12 in ageing, its assessment and inter-relationship with folate.
Munchausen syndrome and factitious disorder: the role of the laboratory in its detection and diagnosis
Authors: Kinns H , Housley D , Freedman DB
Published: April 2013

The term Munchausen syndrome is used to describe the patient who chronically fabricates or induces illness with the sole intention of assuming the patient role. Such persons often have a close association with the medical profession and thus use their knowledge to falsify symptoms and laboratory specimens to mimic disease. Cases of factitious disease have appeared in the literature originating from all medical specialties, and include such rare disorders as phaeochromocytoma and Bartter's syndrome. The laboratory can play a key role in the detection and diagnosis of factitious disorders. Indeed discrepant biochemistry results may provide the first clue to the diagnosis. Laboratory staff should be particularly aware of highly variable test results and extreme abnormalities that are not consistent with the wider biochemical profile, suggesting sample tampering. Factitious disorder should also be included in the clinician's differential diagnosis when disease presentation is unusual or an underlying cause cannot be found. Investigation to exclude or confirm factitious disorder at an early stage can prevent unnecessary testing in the search for increasingly rare diseases. Appropriate analyses may include screening tests for the detection of surreptitious drug administration or replication of a fabricated sample to confirm the method used. In all cases close communication between the clinician and laboratory is essential. This will ensure that appropriate tests are conducted particularly with regard to time critical and repeat tests.
Evaluation of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method for the analysis of sweat chloride and sodium for use in the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis
Authors: Pullan N J , Thurston V , Barber S
Published: April 2013

Background

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive condition that has an incidence of 1:2500 live births in Northern Europe. Due to the large number of mutations that can result in classical or atypical CF phenotype, the sweat test, which quantifies the amount of chloride and sodium in sweat, is vital in supporting the diagnosis of CF. Patients with CF have raised concentrations of chloride and sodium in their sweat; however, it is the concentration of chloride in sweat which provides the greatest diagnostic sensitivity for CF.

Method

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for the analysis of sweat chloride and sodium was evaluated for the routine measurement of sweat collected using the Wescor Macroduct® Sweat Collection System. The precision, linearity and agreement with the all laboratories trimmed means (ALTMs) and ‘weighed-in’ concentrations of sodium and chloride in samples supplied by the UK NEQAS external quality assessment (EQA) Sweat Testing Scheme were assessed.

Results

This ICP-MS method for the quantification of chloride and sodium in sweat samples was shown to be accurate, precise and suitable for the routine analysis of sweat chloride and sodium.

Conclusion

The method performs well and is now used in the routine analysis of sweat in this laboratory.
Evaluation of erectile dysfunction in permanent pacemaker implanted patients with cardiac rhythm disorder prediagnosis
Authors: Sagnak L , Ersoy H , Karakoyunlu N , Murat S , Ozok U , Topaloglu H , Ozturk U , Akdemir R
Published: April 2013

Background and aims

To evaluate the anxiety, depression and related psychogenic erectile dysfunction that might be developed before and after pacemaker implantation in patients with cardiac arrhythmias.

Material and methods

Thirty permanent pacemaker implanted male patients, were enrolled to study between September 2006 and September 2008. Erectile function domain questions of International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF‐6) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) questionnaires were applied to patients, 6 months before pacemaker implantation (BP6) and on month 1 (AP1) and 6 after application (AP6). Patients were included in a multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation-adaptation program with a duration of 1–2 months. Patients were evaluated in subgroups.

Results

Mean age was 51.5 ± 10.3. Most frequent diagnosis was observed as AV block in etiology. The mean IIEF values were changed 22.8→20.2→24.6 in BP6, AP1 and AP6 time frames consecutively. However, the mean HAD-Anxiety scores were evaluated as 8.1→17.0→7.3 and the mean HAD-Depression as 3.9→7.9→8.9 consecutively in the same time frames.

Conclusion

Cardiac arrhythmia plus permanent pacemaker implantation, increased anxiety and depression of patients and decreased erectile function at AP1; however, the improvement in cardiac symptoms at AP6 with the possible positive effects of rehabilitation program, helps to reduce anxiety and increased IIEF scores, although there was still a slight increase in depression levels.
Paediatric thyroid cancer: the Scottish experience
Authors: Douglas CM , MacGregor FB
Published: April 2013

Background and aims

Paediatric thyroid cancer is a rare disease, making diagnosis and treatment particularly challenging. Here we present the Scottish experience of thyroid cancer in the paediatric population and give an overview of how a child or adolescent that presents with a thyroid nodule should be investigated and managed.

Methods and results

Data has been obtained from ISD Scotland, giving population-based information on paediatric thyroid cancer. A literature review has been performed on the management and treatment of thyroid cancer in the younger population. Paediatric thyroid cancer in Scotland is a rare disease, although the incidence is increasing each year. In general, differentiated paediatric thyroid cancer carries a good prognosis, while the results are more mixed in the rarer pathologies such as medullary cancer.

Conclusion

Due to the small numbers of patients diagnosed each year in Scotland, it is imperative that these patients are discussed at a multidisciplinary thyroid MDT and managed in a tertiary referral centre by consultants and medical/nursing support staff who have experience in treating these patients.
Unfamiliar orthographic information and second language word learning: A novel lexicon study
Authors: Showalter Catherine E. , Hayes-Harb Rachel
Published: April 2013

Recent research indicates that knowledge of words’ spellings can influence knowledge of the phonological forms of second language (L2) words when the first and second languages use the same orthographic symbols. It is yet unknown whether learners can make similar use of unfamiliar orthographic symbols. In this study we investigate whether native English speakers use orthographic tone marks to help them associate lexical tone with new L2 words? Native English speakers with no knowledge of Mandarin were assigned to ‘Tone Marks’ or ‘No Tone Marks’ word learning groups. During a word learning phase, they learned to associate Mandarin nonwords varying in lexical tone with orthographic forms (written in pinyin with/without tone marks) and pictured ‘meanings’. In Experiment 1, participants were asked whether a picture associated with, for example, tone 1 matched an auditory form containing tone 2. Tone Marks participants outperformed No Tone Marks participants, suggesting that the availability of unfamiliar orthographic symbols helped them associate lexical tone with the new words. In Experiment 2, the test involved matching an orthographic representation and an auditory word. Tone Marks participants performed above chance, while No Tone Marks participants did not, indicating that Tone Marks participants learned the correspondences between auditory tones and tone marks to some extent. We conclude that the presence of a novel orthographic feature (in this case, tone marks) can support native English speakers’ ability to associate a novel phonological feature (in this case, lexical tone) with newly-learned lexical items.
Chromatin structure, pluripotency and differentiation
Authors: Serrano Lourdes , Vazquez Berta N , Tischfield Jay
Published: April 2013

The state of cell differentiation in adult tissues was once thought to be permanent and irreversible. Since Dolly's cloning and, more recently, the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from differentiated cells, the traditional paradigm of cell identity has been reexamined. Much effort has been directed toward understanding how cellular identity is achieved and maintained, and studies are ongoing to investigate how cellular identity can be changed. Cell-specific transcription patterns can be altered by modulating the expression of a few transcription factors, which are known as master regulators of cell fate. Epigenetics also plays a major role in cell type specification because the differentiation process is accompanied by major chromatin remodeling. Moreover, whole-genome analyses reveal that nuclear architecture, as defined by the establishment of chromatin domains, regulates gene interactions in a cell-type-specific manner. In this paper, we review the current knowledge of chromatin states that are relevant to both pluripotency and gene expression during differentiation. Information about the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in iPSCs or naïve embryonic stem cells, compared with their differentiated derivatives, will be important as a practical consideration in the long-term maintenance of pluripotent cell cultures for therapeutic purposes.
Directed neural differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells from non-human primates
Authors: Farnsworth Steven L , Qiu Zhifang , Mishra Anuja , Hornsby Peter J
Published: April 2013

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are important for the future development of regenerative medicine involving autologous cell therapy. Before autologous cell therapy can be applied to human patients, suitable animal models must be developed, and in this context non-human primate models are critical. We previously characterized several lines of marmoset iPS cells derived from newborn skin fibroblasts. In the present studies, we explored methods for the directed differentiation of marmoset iPS cells in the neuroectodermal lineage. In this process we used an iterative process in which combinations of small molecules and protein factors were tested for their effects on mRNA levels of genes that are markers for the neuroectodermal lineage. This iterative process identified combinations of chemicals/factors that substantially improved the degree of marker gene expression over the initially tested combinations. This approach should be generally valuable in the directed differentiation of pluripotent cells for experimental cell therapy.
Identifying Authors by Phonoprints in Their Characters’ Names: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Wilcox Brad , Brown Bruce L , Smemoe Wendy Baker , Black Sharon , Bray Justin
Published: April 2013

AbstractIf authors put words together in ways that can be recognized as wordprints (; ; ), do they put sounds together in identifiable ways when they invent names? Could they have unique sound prints (phonoprints) as well? This exploratory study compared phonemic patterns of fictional names in the poorly written Manuscript Story by Spalding and the extremely well-written Lord of the Rings and related works by J. R. R. Tolkein with names from an authentic public record, the nineteenth-century US Census. Phonotactic probabilities were determined using a calculator (Vitevitch and Luce, 2004) available on the Internet. When multivariate patterns of mean phonotactic probabilities at each ordinal phoneme position were considered, phonoprints emerged that merit further examination.
On a new semilocal convergence analysis for the Jarratt method
Authors: Argyros Ioannis K , Cho Yeol Je , Khattri Sanjay Kumar
Published: April 2013

We develop a new semilocal convergence analysis for the Jarratt method. Through our new idea of recurrent functions, we develop new sufficient convergence conditions and tighter error bounds. Numerical examples are also provided in this study.

MSC:65H10, 65G99, 65J15, 47H17, 49M15.
WEP: a high-performance analysis pipeline for whole-exome data
Authors: D'Antonio Mattia , D'Onorio De Meo Paolo , Paoletti Daniele , Elmi Berardino , Pallocca Matteo , Sanna Nico , Picardi Ernesto , Pesole Graziano , Castrignanò Tiziana
Published: April 2013

Background

The advent of massively parallel sequencing technologies (Next Generation Sequencing, NGS) profoundly modified the landscape of human genetics.

In particular, Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) is the NGS branch that focuses on the exonic regions of the eukaryotic genomes; exomes are ideal to help us understanding high-penetrance allelic variation and its relationship to phenotype. A complete WES analysis involves several steps which need to be suitably designed and arranged into an efficient pipeline.

Managing a NGS analysis pipeline and its huge amount of produced data requires non trivial IT skills and computational power.

Results

Our web resource WEP (Whole-Exome sequencing Pipeline web tool) performs a complete WES pipeline and provides easy access through interface to intermediate and final results. The WEP pipeline is composed of several steps:

1) verification of input integrity and quality checks, read trimming and filtering; 2) gapped alignment; 3) BAM conversion, sorting and indexing; 4) duplicates removal; 5) alignment optimization around insertion/deletion (indel) positions; 6) recalibration of quality scores; 7) single nucleotide and deletion/insertion polymorphism (SNP and DIP) variant calling; 8) variant annotation; 9) result storage into custom databases to allow cross-linking and intersections, statistics and much more. In order to overcome the challenge of managing large amount of data and maximize the biological information extracted from them, our tool restricts the number of final results filtering data by customizable thresholds, facilitating the identification of functionally significant variants. Default threshold values are also provided at the analysis computation completion, tuned with the most common literature work published in recent years.

Conclusions

Through our tool a user can perform the whole analysis without knowing the underlying hardware and software architecture, dealing with both paired and single end data. The interface provides an easy and intuitive access for data submission and a user-friendly web interface for annotated variant visualization.

Non-IT mastered users can access through WEP to the most updated and tested WES algorithms, tuned to maximize the quality of called variants while minimizing artifacts and false positives.

The web tool is available at the following web address: http://www.caspur.it/wep
Differential expression of two novel odorant receptors in the locust (Locusta migratoria)
Authors: Xu Haozhi , Guo Mei , Yang Ying , You Yinwei , Zhang Long
Published: April 2013

Background

Olfaction in animals is important for host localization, mating and reproduction in heterogeneous chemical environments. Studying the molecular basis of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) systems can elucidate the evolution of olfaction and associated behaviours. Odorant receptors (ORs) in insects have been identified, particularly in the holometabolous model Drosophila, and some of them have been functionally studied. However, ORs in the locust—a hemimetabolous model insect and the most important insect crop pest—have not yet been identified, hindering our understanding of locust olfaction. Here, we report for the first time four putative ORs in Locusta migratoria: LmigOR1, LmigOR2, LmigOR3 and LmigOR4.

Results

These four putative OR genes encoded proteins with amino acids of 478, 436, 413 and 403 respectively. Sequence identity among them ranged from 19.7% to 35.4%. All ORs were tissue-specifically expressed in olfactory organs, without sex-biased characteristics. However, LmigOR1, LmigOR3 and LmigOR4 were only expressed in the antenna, while LmigOR2 could also be detected in mouthparts. In situ hybridization demonstrated that the LmigOR1antisense probe labelled olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in almost all segments of the antenna, but only a few segments housed ORNs expressing LmigOR2. The number of neurons labelled by LmigOR1 antisense probes in each antennal segment was much greater (>10 neurons/segment) than that labelled by LmigOR2 probes (generally 1–3 neurons/segment). Furthermore, some of the labelled neurons could be attributed to the basiconic sensilla, but LmigOR1 and LmigOR2 were expressed in different subtypes.

Conclusions

Our results strongly suggested that these newly discovered genes encode locust ORs and the differential expression patterns of LmigOR1 and LmigOR2 implied distinct functions. These results may offer insights into locust olfaction and contribute to the understanding of the evolution of insect chemoreception.
Remifentanil ameliorates intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury
Authors: Cho Steven SC , Rudloff Ina , Berger Philip J , Irwin Michael G , Nold Marcel F , Cheng Wei , Nold-Petry Claudia A
Published: April 2013

Background

Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) can occur in clinical scenarios such as organ transplantation, trauma and cardio-pulmonary bypass, as well as in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis or persistent ductus arteriosus. Pharmacological protection by pretreating (“preconditioning”) with opioids attenuates IRI in a number of organs. Remifentanil appears particularly attractive for this purpose because of its ultra-short duration of action and favorable safety profile. To date, little is known about opioid preconditioning of the intestine.

Methods

Young adult C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to receive tail vein injections of 1 μg/kg of remifentanil or normal saline and underwent either ischemia-reperfusion of the intestine or a sham laparotomy. Under isoflurane anesthesia, the mice were subjected to intestinal ischemia-reperfusion by occlusion (clamping) of the superior mesenteric artery for 30 min, followed by unclamping and 60 min of reperfusion. After completion of this protocol, tissue injury and lipid peroxidation in jejunum and ileum were analyzed by histology and malondialdehyde (MDA), respectively. Systemic interleukin (IL)-6 was determined in the plasma by ELISA.

Results

Pretreatment with remifentanil markedly reduced intestinal IRI (P < 0.001): In the ileum, we observed a more than 8-fold decrease in injured villi (4% vs 34% in saline-pretreated animals). In fact, the mucosa in the remifentanil group was as healthy as that of sham-operated animals. This protective effect was not as pronounced in the jejunum, but the percentage of damaged villi was still reduced considerably (18% vs 42%). There was up to 3-fold more tissue MDA after intestinal ischemia-reperfusion than after sham laparotomy, but this increase in lipid peroxidation was prevented by preconditioning with remifentanil (P < 0.05). The systemic inflammatory response triggered by intestinal IRI was significantly attenuated in mice pretreated with remifentanil (159 vs 805 pg/ml of IL-6 after saline pretreatment, with 92 pg/ml in the sham groups). After sham operations, no difference was detected between the saline- and remifentanil-pretreatments in any of the parameters investigated.

Conclusion

Preconditioning with remifentanil attenuates intestinal IRI and the subsequent systemic inflammatory response in mice. We therefore suggest that prophylaxis with this ultra-short-acting opioid may be advantageous in various clinical scenarios of human IRI.
Cross-sectional dietary deficiencies among a prison population in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Gould Camilla , Tousignant Benoit , Brian Garry , McKay Robert , Gibson Rosalind , Bailey Karl , Venn Bernard J
Published: April 2013

Background

To investigate the dietary adequacy of prisoners of Beon Prison, Madang, Papua New Guinea in response to a report of possible nutritional deficiency.

Methods

We undertook an observational, cross-sectional study. All 254 male inmates (May 2010) were eligible to answer a validated interview-based questionnaire; to have a comprehensive dietary assessment; and to provide blood for biochemical analysis (α-tocopherol, β-carotene, lutein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, homocysteine, zinc, ferritin, and vitamins A, B12and C). Prison guards were invited to participate as a comparison group.

Results

148 male prisoners (58.3%) and 13 male prison guards participated. Prison rations consisted of white rice fortified with thiamin, niacin, and iron, tinned tuna, tinned corned beef, water crackers, and black tea, with occasional intakes of fruit and vegetables. Some prisoners received supplementary food from weekend visitors. From assessment of the prisoners dietary data, median intakes of calcium (137 mg), potassium (677 mg), magnesium (182 mg), riboflavin (0.308 mg), vitamin A (54.1 μg), vitamin E (1.68 mg), vitamin C (5.7 mg) and folate (76.4 μg) were found to be below estimated average requirements (EAR).

Following are the prisoners median (P25, P75) concentration of circulating nutrients and the percentage of prisoners with levels below normal reference ranges or recognized cut-off values: serum retinol 0.73 (0.40, 1.21) μmol/L, 46% below 0.7 μmol/L; plasma folate 2.0 (1.4, 2.6) nmol/L, 98% below 6.8 nmol/L; plasma vitamin C 6.3 (1.0, 19.3) μmol/L, 64% below 11.4 μmol/L; serum zinc 9.9 (8.8, 11.1) μmol/L, 66% below 10.7 μmol/L. Guards had diets with a higher dietary diversity that were associated with greater intakes of nutrients and biomarker concentrations.

Conclusions

The prisoners diets are likely lacking in several micronutrients and recommendations for dietary change have been made to the prison authorities. Ongoing vigilance is required in prisons to ensure the basic human right of access to a nutritionally adequate diet is being observed.
Replication stress induces specific enrichment of RECQ1 at common fragile sites FRA3B and FRA16D
Authors: Lu Xing , Parvathaneni Swetha , Hara Toshifumi , Lal Ashish , Sharma Sudha
Published: April 2013

Background

Stalled replication forks at common fragile sites are a major cause of genomic instability. RecQ helicases, a highly conserved family of DNA-unwinding enzymes, are believed to ease ‘roadblocks’ that pose challenge to replication fork progression. Among the five known RecQ homologs in humans, functions of RECQ1, the most abundant of all, are poorly understood. We previously determined that RECQ1 helicase preferentially binds and unwinds substrates that mimic DNA replication/repair intermediates, and interacts with proteins involved in DNA replication restart mechanisms.

Method

We have utilized chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by quantitative real-time PCR to investigate chromatin interactions of RECQ1 at defined genetic loci in the presence or absence of replication stress. We have also tested the sensitivity of RECQ1-depleted cells to aphidicolin induced replication stress.

Results

RECQ1 binds to the origins of replication in unperturbed cells. We now show that conditions of replication stress induce increased accumulation of RECQ1 at the lamin B2 origin in HeLa cells. Consistent with a role in promoting fork recovery or repair, RECQ1 is specifically enriched at two major fragile sites FRA3B and FRA16D where replication forks have stalled following aphidicolin treatment. RECQ1-depletion results in attenuated checkpoint activation in response to replication stress, increased sensitivity to aphidicolin and chromosomal instability.

Conclusions

Given a recent biochemical observation that RECQ1 catalyzes strand exchange on stalled replication fork structures in vitro, our results indicate that RECQ1 facilitates repair of stalled or collapsed replication forks and preserves genome integrity. Our findings provide the first evidence of a crucial role for RECQ1 at naturally occurring fork stalling sites and implicate RECQ1 in mechanisms underlying common fragile site instability in cancer.