bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oral Gentamicin Gut Decontamination for Prevention of KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Infections: Relevance of Concomitant Systemic Antibiotic Therapy
Authors: Tascini Carlo , Sbrana Francesco , Flammini Sarah , Tagliaferri Enrico , Arena Fabio , Leonildi Alessandro , Ciullo Ilaria , Amadori Francesco , Di Paolo Antonello , Ripoli Andrea , Lewis Russell , Rossolini Gian Maria , Menichetti Francesco
Published: January 2014

Gut colonization represents the main source for KPC-producing
Klebsiella pneumoniae
(KPC-Kp) epidemic dissemination. Oral gentamicin, 80 mg four times daily, was administered to 50 consecutive patients with gut colonization by gentamicin-susceptible KPC-Kp in cases of planned surgery, major medical intervention, or need for patient transfer. The overall decontamination rate was 68% (34/50). The median duration of gentamicin treatment was 9 days (interquartile range, 7 to 15 days) in decontaminated patients compared to 24 days (interquartile range, 20 to 30 days) in those with persistent colonization (
P
< 0.001). In the six-month period of follow-up, KPC-Kp infections were documented in 5/34 (15%) successfully decontaminated patients compared to 12/16 (73%) persistent carriers (
P
< 0.001). The decontamination rate was 96% (22/23) in patients receiving oral gentamicin only, compared to 44% (12/27) of those treated with oral gentamicin and concomitant systemic antibiotic therapy (CSAT) (
P
< 0.001). The multivariate analysis confirmed CSAT and KPC-Kp infection as the variables associated with gut decontamination. In the follow-up period, KPC-Kp infections were documented in 2/23 (9%) of patients treated with oral gentamicin only and in 15/27 (56%) of those also receiving CSAT (
P
= 0.003). No difference in overall death rate between different groups was documented. Gentamicin-resistant KPC-Kp strains were isolated from stools of 4/16 persistent carriers. Peak gentamicin blood levels were below 1 mg/liter in 12/14 tested patients. Oral gentamicin was shown to be potentially useful for gut decontamination and prevention of infection due to KPC-Kp, especially in patients not receiving CSAT. The risk of emergence of gentamicin-resistant KPC-Kp should be considered.
Acute Alcohol Intoxication Impairs Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clearance in the Lung by Impeding Epithelial Production of Reg3γ
Authors: Choi Sun-Mi , McAleer Jeremy P. , Trevejo-Nunez Giraldina , Pociask Derek A. , Armentrout Rachel A. , Chen Kong , Kolls Jay K.
Published: January 2014

The incidence of community-associated methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) pneumonia in previously healthy individuals has increased in the past 5 years. Such infections are associated with bronchiectasis and high mortality rates, making them a significant public health concern. The mechanisms of host defense against this pathogen are not well characterized. However, patients diagnosed with MRSA, as opposed to methicillin-susceptible
S. aureus
(MSSA), are more likely to have abused alcohol in the past, and these patients are more likely to die from sepsis. In the United States, USA300 is the predominant strain that causes necrotizing pneumonia. To investigate whether acute ethanol exacerbates MRSA pneumonia, mice were intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered 2 or 4 g/kg of ethanol 30 min prior to oropharyngeal inoculation of 2 × 10
7
CFU of USA300. An increased pulmonary bacterial burden was observed in alcohol-intoxicated mice at 16 and 24 h and was associated with decreased levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6). IL-6 activates signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) as part of an acute-phase response of infection. Reg3γ is an antimicrobial C-type lectin that is induced by STAT3 signaling in response to Gram-positive bacteria. Previously,
in situ
hybridization studies showed that
Reg3g
is highly expressed in lung epithelium. In the present study, we found that acute ethanol exacerbated USA300 in a murine model of USA300 pneumonia. This was associated with reduced IL-6 expression
in vivo
as well as inhibition of IL-6 induction of STAT3 signaling and
Reg3g
expression in mouse lung epithelial (MLE12) cells
in vitro
. Furthermore, recombinant Reg3γ administration 4 h after MRSA infection in alcohol-intoxicated mice rescued USA300 clearance
in vivo
. Therefore, acute alcohol intoxication leads to decreased MRSA clearance in part by inhibiting IL-6/STAT3 induction of the antimicrobial protein Reg3γ in the pulmonary epithelium.
Distinct Roles of the Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium CyaY and YggX Proteins in the Biosynthesis and Repair of Iron-Sulfur Clusters
Authors: Velayudhan Jyoti , Karlinsey Joyce E. , Frawley Elaine R. , Becker Lynne A. , Nartea Margaret , Fang Ferric C.
Published: January 2014

Labile [4Fe-4S]
2+
clusters found at the active sites of many dehydratases are susceptible to damage by univalent oxidants that convert the clusters to an inactive [3Fe-4S]
1+
form. Bacteria repair damaged clusters in a process that does not require
de novo
protein synthesis or the Isc and Suf cluster assembly pathways. The current study investigates the participation of the bacterial frataxin ortholog CyaY and the YggX protein, which are proposed to play roles in iron trafficking and iron-sulfur cluster repair. Previous reports found that individual mutations in
cyaY
or
yggX
were not associated with phenotypic changes in
Escherichia coli
and
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium, suggesting that CyaY and YggX might have functionally redundant roles. However, we have found that individual mutations in
cyaY
or
yggX
confer enhanced susceptibility to hydrogen peroxide in
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium. In addition, inactivation of the
stm3944
open reading frame, which is located immediately upstream of
cyaY
and which encodes a putative inner membrane protein, dramatically enhances the hydrogen peroxide sensitivity of a
cyaY
mutant. Overexpression of STM3944 reduces the elevated intracellular free iron levels observed in an
S
. Typhimurium
fur
mutant and also reduces the total cellular iron content under conditions of iron overload, suggesting that the
stm3944
-encoded protein may mediate iron efflux. Mutations in
cyaY
and
yggX
have different effects on the activities of the iron-sulfur cluster-containing aconitase, serine deaminase, and NADH dehydrogenase I enzymes of
S
. Typhimurium under basal conditions or following recovery from oxidative stress. In addition,
cyaY
and
yggX
mutations have additive effects on 6-phosphogluconate dehydratase-dependent growth during nitrosative stress, and a
cyaY
mutation reduces
Salmonella
virulence in mice. Collectively, these results indicate that CyaY and YggX play distinct supporting roles in iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis and the repair of labile clusters damaged by univalent oxidants.
Salmonella
experiences oxidative and nitrosative stress within host phagocytes, and CyaY-dependent maintenance of labile iron-sulfur clusters appears to be important for
Salmonella
virulence.
Evidence for Strain-Specific Immunity in Patients Treated for Early Lyme Disease
Authors: Khatchikian Camilo E. , Nadelman Robert B. , Nowakowski John , Schwartz Ira , Wormser Gary P. , Brisson Dustin
Published: January 2014

Lyme disease, caused by
Borrelia burgdorferi
, is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States. Many patients treated for early Lyme disease incur another infection in subsequent years, suggesting that previous exposure to
B. burgdorferi
may not elicit a protective immune response. However, identical strains are almost never detected from patients who have been infected multiple times, suggesting that
B. burgdorferi
exposure may elicit strain-specific immunity. Probabilistic and simulation models assuming biologically realistic data derived from patients in the northeastern United States suggest that patients treated for early Lyme disease develop protective immunity that is strain specific and lasts for at least 6 years.
Development of the Rapid Assessment, Prioritisation and Referral Tool (RAPaRT) for multidisciplinary teams in emergency care settings
Authors: McPhail Steven M , Vivanti Angela , Robinson Kate
Published: January 2014

Objective

This investigation utilised the expertise of allied members of multidisciplinary teams working in emergency care settings to develop and validate a Rapid Assessment Prioritisation and Referral Tool (RAPaRT). This instrument is intended for use among patients (with non-life threatening acuity) presenting to emergency care settings to indicate when referral to an allied member of the multidisciplinary team is warranted.

Method

This three stage instrument development and validation study included: a Delphi panel process to determine key criteria to guide instrument development and identify potential items to be carried forward for testing (stage 1); a prospective cohort of consecutive admissions (n=153) to investigate item sensitivity and specificity and retain only the most suitable items (stage 2); then final consultation with the Delphi panel to ensure the final instrument was clinically amenable (stage 3).

Results

23 potential items were identified following stage 1. At the completion of item sensitivity and specificity analysis and in consultation with the Delphi panel, seven items were retained in the instrument. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.803 for these seven items in predicting when a referral was warranted. Final consultation with the Delphi panel members also resulted in the addition of an open ended (eighth) item to allow description of any infrequent, but important, reason for referral.

Conclusions

The RAPaRT has demonstrated substantial promise as an efficient clinically amenable instrument to assist multidisciplinary teams in emergency care settings. Further research to investigate the wider implementation of the RAPaRT is warranted.
A simple tool to predict admission at the time of triage
Authors: Cameron Allan , Rodgers Kenneth , Ireland Alastair , Jamdar Ravi , McKay Gerard A
Published: January 2014

Aim

To create and validate a simple clinical score to estimate the probability of admission at the time of triage.

Methods

This was a multicentre, retrospective, cross-sectional study of triage records for all unscheduled adult attendances in North Glasgow over 2 years. Clinical variables that had significant associations with admission on logistic regression were entered into a mixed-effects multiple logistic model. This provided weightings for the score, which was then simplified and tested on a separate validation group by receiving operator characteristic (ROC) analysis and goodness-of-fit tests.

Results

215 231 presentations were used for model derivation and 107 615 for validation. Variables in the final model showing clinically and statistically significant associations with admission were: triage category, age, National Early Warning Score (NEWS), arrival by ambulance, referral source and admission within the last year. The resulting 6-variable score showed excellent admission/discharge discrimination (area under ROC curve 0.8774, 95% CI 0.8752 to 0.8796). Higher scores also predicted early returns for those who were discharged: the odds of subsequent admission within 28 days doubled for every 7-point increase (log odds=+0.0933 per point, p<0.0001).

Conclusions

This simple, 6-variable score accurately estimates the probability of admission purely from triage information. Most patients could accurately be assigned to ‘admission likely’, ‘admission unlikely’, ‘admission very unlikely’ etc., by setting appropriate cut-offs. This could have uses in patient streaming, bed management and decision support. It also has the potential to control for demographics when comparing performance over time or between departments.
Correlations among some clay parameters — the multivariate distribution
Authors: Ching Jianye , Phoon Kok-Kwang
Published: January 2014

This paper constructs a 10-dimensional multivariate probability distribution covering 10 clay parameters. The parameters are the liquid limit, plasticity index (PI), liquidity index, effective vertical stress, undrained shear strength, sensitivity, and three piezocone test parameters. A CLAY/10/7490 database is compiled in a companion paper for this purpose. The database consists of 7490 data points from 251 studies. The number of data points associated with each study varies from 1 to 419 with an average 30 data points per study. The clay properties cover a wide range of overconsolidation ratios (but mostly 1∼10), a wide range of sensitivity (St) (sites with St= 1∼tens or hundreds are fairly typical), and a wide range of PI (but mostly 8∼100). The constructed multivariate probability distribution can be used as a prior distribution to derive the joint distribution of design parameters based on limited but site-specific field data. Note that the entire joint distribution of the 10 clay parameters is derived, not marginal distributions or simply means and coefficients of variation. These multiple design parameters can be updated from multiple field measurements, which is more useful than updating one design parameter using one field measurement that is typical in current practice. This paper also demonstrates that it is practical to build multivariate probability models by combining available bivariate models, which are prevalent in the geotechnical engineering correlation literature. The proposed approach circumvents the need to collect multivariate data, which are rarely found in typical site investigation programs.
A peaked logistic-based selection curve
Authors: Smith James A. , Taylor Matthew D.
Published: January 2014

Length-based selection curves define the relative catchability of fish to specific types of fishing gear, with catchability often highest at intermediate fish lengths. Distributions such as the normal, lognormal, or gamma are often used to define “peaked” selection curves, but these have limited capabilities to describe strongly asymmetric selection relationships, such as those sometimes observed for hooks or gillnets. Another, more flexible, peaked selection curve is proposed, which is derived by combining multiple logistic distributions. While the logistic distribution is frequently used to describe monotonic selection curves, incorporating multiple logistic equations (that describe either the increasing or decreasing catchability) can define a large range of asymmetric peaked selection curves. This “peak-logistic” curve also allows nonzero asymptotic selection for the largest size classes, which may be the selection occurring in some hook-and-line fisheries. We demonstrate examples of selection in hook, haul net, and mixed hook fisheries, for which the peak-logistic curve is more appropriate than comparative lognormal and binormal selection curves. We also promote an alternative to the peak-logistic: the two-sided normal curve.
SPREADING OF WAVE PACKETS FOR NEUTRINO OSCILLATIONS
Authors: PÉREZ Y. F. , QUIMBAY C. J.
Published: January 2014

The effects originated in dispersion with time on spreading of wave packets for the time-integrated two-flavor neutrino oscillation probabilities in vacuum are studied in the context of a field theory treatment. The neutrino flavor states are written as superpositions of neutrino mass eigenstates which are described by localized wave packets. This study is performed for the limit of nearly degenerate masses and considering an expansion of the energy until third-order in the momentum. We obtain that the time-integrated neutrino oscillation probabilities are suppressed by a factor 1/L2 for the transversal and longitudinal dispersion regimes, where L is the distance between the neutrino source and the detector.
THE EFFECT OFCe–NCODOPING ON THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE AND OPTICAL PROPERTY OF ANATASETiO2: A FIRST-PRINCIPLES STUDY
Authors: MAO FEI , HOU QINGYU , ZHAO CHUNWANG , GUO SHAOQIANG , ZHANG YUE
Published: January 2014

Based on the first-principles plane wave ultra-soft pseudo potential (USP) method of density function theory pure N and Ce doped and Ce – N codoping anatase TiO2supercell models were established, respectively, and calculated their energy in this paper. The calculated results show that the three doping systems compared to the pure anatase TiO2band gap narrowed which results in red-shift of the optical absorption edges and Ce – N codoped anatase TiO2have the most obvious visible effect. Meanwhile, synergy is very effective for the separation of electron–hole pairs and the electrons have a better lifespan. Research found that the trend of the donor's movements at the shallow level of Ce – N codoped anatase TiO2is not obvious. This is due to its very thick shell, resulting in shielding effect of the outer layer of the Ce -4f.
RESONANCE DYNAMICS IN COUPLED CHANNELS
Authors: DÖRING MICHAEL
Published: January 2014

General properties of the S-matrix, such as constraints from two- and three-body unitarity as well as gauge invariance, are discussed and illustrated for the example of a dynamical coupled channel approach. The Jülich model has been updated to analyze πN, ηN, and KY production as well as pion photoproduction. Partial wave amplitudes and resonance properties are determined.
A STUDY OF THE πN SCATTERING DATA WITH JP = 3/2- AND A PROOF OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE N*(1700)
Authors: GARZON E. J. , XIE JUJUN , OSET E.
Published: January 2014

Using an interaction extracted from the local hidden gauge Lagrangians and the coupled channels ρN (s-wave), πN (d-wave), πΔ (s-wave) and πΔ (d-wave), we look in the region of [Formula: see text] and we find two resonances dynamically generated which are naturally associated to the N*(1520)(3/2-) and N*(1700)(3/2-). The N*(1700)(3/2-) appears neatly as a pole in the complex plane. The free parameters of the theory are chosen to fit the πN (d-wave) data. The unitary coupled channel approach followed here, in connection with the experimental data, leads automatically to a pole in the 1700 MeV region and makes this second 3/2- resonance unavoidable.
PREDICTION OF HIDDEN CHARM BARYONS WITH HEAVY QUARK SPIN AND LOCAL HIDDEN GAUGE SYMMETRIES
Authors: XIAO CHU-WEN , NIEVES JUAN , OSET EULOGIO
Published: January 2014

In our talk, we explore a coupled channel unitary approach to investigate the meson baryon interaction with hidden charm, using constraints of heavy quark spin symmetry. With the full space of states demanded by the heavy quark spin symmetry and the dynamics of the local hidden gauge, we find four basic states which are bound by about 50 MeV with respect to the corresponding [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] thresholds respectively and decay mostly into ηcN and J/ψN. All the states appear in isospin I = 1/2, some of which are degenerated in different momentum J.
VECTOR-BARYON DYNAMICS IN γN → K0Σ REACTIONS
Authors: RAMOS A. , OSET E.
Published: January 2014

A coupled channel model for the interaction of vector mesons with baryons is employed in the study of the γp → K0Σ+ reaction around the K*Λ and K*Σ thresholds, where the recent CBELSA/TAPS cross section shows a sudden drop and the differential cross section experiences a transition from a forward-peaked distribution to a flat one. A delicate interference between amplitudes having K*Λ and K*Σ intermediate states is found. The sharp downfall is dictated by the presence of a N* resonance produced by our model, a feature that we have employed to infer its properties. Predictions for the complementary γn → K0Σ0 reaction are also given.
THE CHARMED PENTAQUARK Θc(3250) FROM QCD SUM RULES
Authors: NIELSEN MARINA , ALBUQUERQUE RAPHAEL M. , LEE SU HOUNG
Published: January 2014

We study, using the QCD sum rule framework, the possible existence of a charmed pentaquark that we call Θc(3250). In the QCD side we work at leading order in αs and consider condensates up to dimension 10. The mass obtained: mΘc = (3.21±0.13) GeV, is compatible with the mass of the structure seen by BaBar Collaboration in the decay channel [Formula: see text].
SIMULATION OF NONLINEAR MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL PARTICLE-FILLED ELASTOMERS
Authors: SUN SHULEI , PENG XIONGQI , GUO ZAOYANG
Published: January 2014

Polymer matrix filled with ferromagnetic particles is a class of smart materials whose mechanical properties can be changed under different magnetic field. They are usually referred to as magnetorheological elastomers (MREs). A finite element simulation was presented to describe the mechanical behavior of MREs with the nonlinearity of the particle magnetization being incorporated. By introducing the Maxwell stress tensor, a representative volume element (RVE) was proposed to calculate the Young's modulus and shear modulus of MREs due to the applied magnetic field. The influences of the applied magnetic field and the particle volume fractions in the shear modulus and Young's modulus were studied. Results show that the shear modulus increases with the magnitude of the applied magnetic field, while the Young's modulus decreases.
Revisiting memory management on virtualized environments
Authors: Wang Xiaolin , Weng Lingmei , Wang Zhenlin , Luo Yingwei
Published: January 2014

With the evolvement of hardware, 64-bit Central Processing Units (CPUs) and 64-bit Operating Systems (OSs) have dominated the market. This article investigates the performance of virtual memory management of Virtual Machines (VMs) with a large virtual address space in 64-bit OSs, which imposes different pressure on memory virtualization than 32-bit systems. Each of the two conventional memory virtualization approaches, Shadowing Paging (SP) and Hardware-Assisted Paging (HAP), causes different overhead for different applications. Our experiments show that 64-bit applications prefer to run in a VM using SP, while 32-bit applications do not have a uniform preference between SP and HAP. In this article, we trace this inconsistency between 32-bit applications and 64-bit applications to its root cause through a systematic empirical study in Linux systems and discover that the major overhead of SP results from memory management in the 32-bit GNU C library (
glibc
). We propose enhancements to the existing memory management algorithms, which substantially reduce the overhead of SP. Based on the evaluations using SPEC CPU2006, Parsec 2.1, and cloud benchmarks, our results show that SP, with the improved memory allocators, can compete with HAP in almost all cases, in both 64-bit and 32-bit systems. We conclude that without a significant breakthrough in HAP, researchers should pay more attention to SP, which is more flexible and cost effective.
The perception of egocentric distances in virtual environments - A review
Authors: Renner Rebekka S. , Velichkovsky Boris M. , Helmert Jens R.
Published: January 2014

Over the last 20 years research has been done on the question of how egocentric distances, i.e., the subjectively reported distance from a human observer to an object, are perceived in virtual environments. This review surveys the existing literature on empirical user studies on this topic. In summary, there is a mean estimation of egocentric distances in virtual environments of about 74% of the modeled distances. Many factors possibly influencing distance estimates were reported in the literature. We arranged these factors into four groups, namely measurement methods, technical factors, compositional factors, and human factors. The research on these factors is summarized, conclusions are drawn, and promising areas for future research are outlined.
Targeting Metabolic Changes in Cancer: Novel Therapeutic Approaches
Authors: Bobrovnikova-Marjon Ekaterina , Hurov Jonathan B.
Published: January 2014

Therapeutic strategies designed to target cancer metabolism are an area of intense research. Antimetabolites, first used to treat patients in the early twentieth century, served as an early proof of concept for such therapies. We highlight strategies that attempt to improve on the anti-metabolite approach as well as new metabolic drug targets. Some of these targets have the advantage of a strong genetic anchor to drive patient selection (isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2, Enolase 2). Additional approaches described here derive from hypothesis-driven and systems biology efforts designed to exploit tumor cell metabolic dependencies (fatty acid oxidation, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide synthesis, glutamine biology).
Research on Workplace Creativity: A Review and Redirection
Authors: Zhou Jing , Hoever Inga J.
Published: January 2014

Workplace creativity exhibited by individual employees and teams is a key driver of organizational innovation and success. After briefly touching upon issues related to the historical roots of research on workplace creativity, we focus on reviewing empirical work published since 2000 by researchers in the field of organizational psychology and management. We observe that although earlier research tended to take either an actor-centered or a context-centered approach, continuing to do so may have diminishing returns. To understand creativity in all its complexity and potential, an interactionist perspective that emphasizes actor–context interactive effects on creativity holds much promise. Moreover, after reviewing existing work taking an interactionist approach, we conclude that the nature of the actor–context interaction needs further theoretical advancement and refinement. Toward this end, we propose a typology that reveals a complex and intriguing set of actor–context interactions, including ones that are synergistic, antagonistic, inhibitory, remedial, and configurational, as well as ones that show patterns of diminishing gains and diminishing losses. We also discuss future research directions and practical implications.
Perspectives on Power in Organizations
Authors: Anderson Cameron , Brion Sebastien
Published: January 2014

Power is a critical resource for organizational actors. Given the profound importance of power to individual functioning, it is essential to understand how some individuals acquire power when others do not, why some individuals retain their power once they have attained it, and why others fall from their lofty positions in spite of the political advantages power provides. In this review, we conceptualize power as a process that unfolds over time and review research that speaks to three distinct but related dynamics: the acquisition, maintenance, and loss of power. We address and attempt to reconcile a burgeoning set of findings that appear to conflict with each other, especially findings vis-à-vis the maintenance and loss of power. We conclude by addressing overlooked topics and areas for future research.
H- and J-Aggregate Behavior in Polymeric Semiconductors
Authors: Spano Frank C. , Silva Carlos
Published: January 2014

Aggregates of conjugated polymers exhibit two classes of fundamental electronic interactions: those occurring within a given chain and those occurring between chains. The impact of such excitonic interactions on the photophysics of polymer films can be understood using concepts of J- and H-aggregation originally developed by Kasha and coworkers to treat aggregates of small molecules. In polymer assemblies, intrachain through-bond interactions lead to J-aggregate behavior, whereas interchain Coulombic interactions lead to H-aggregate behavior. The photophysics of common emissive conjugated polymer films are determined by a competition between intrachain, J-favoring interactions and interchain, H-favoring interactions. We review formalisms describing absorption and photoluminescence lineshapes, based on intra- and intermolecular excitonic coupling, electron-vibrational coupling, and correlated energetic disorder. Examples include regioregular polythiophenes, pheneylene-vinylenes, and polydiacetylene.
Long-Term Effects of Postearthquake Distress on Brain Microstructural Changes
Authors: Sekiguchi Atsushi , Kotozaki Yuka , Sugiura Motoaki , Nouchi Rui , Takeuchi Hikaru , Hanawa Sugiko , Nakagawa Seishu , Miyauchi Carlos Makoto , Araki Tsuyoshi , Sakuma Atsushi , Taki Yasuyuki , Kawashima Ryuta
Published: January 2014

Stressful events can have both short- and long-term effects on the brain. Our recent investigation identified short-term white matter integrity (WMI) changes in 30 subjects soon after the Japanese earthquake. Our findings suggested that lower WMI in the right anterior cingulum (Cg) was a pre-existing vulnerability factor and increased WMI in the left anterior Cg and uncinate fasciculus (Uf) after the earthquake was an acquired sign of postearthquake distress. However, the long-term effects on WMI remained unclear. Here, we examined the 1-year WMI changes in 25 subjects to clarify long-term effects on the WMI. We found differential FAs in the right anterior Cg, bilateral Uf, left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and left thalamus, suggesting that synaptic enhancement and shrinkage were long-term effects. Additionally, the correlation between psychological measures related to postearthquake distress and the degree of WMI alternation in the right anterior Cg and the left Uf led us to speculate that temporal WMI changes in some subjects with emotional distress occurred soon after the disaster. We hypothesized that dynamic WMI changes predict a better prognosis, whereas persistently lower WMI is a marker of cognitive dysfunction, implying the development of anxiety disorders.
A Promising Approach to Provide Appropriate Colon Target Drug Delivery Systems of Vancomycin HCL: Pharmaceutical and Microbiological Studies
Authors: Elkhodairy Kadria A. , Afifi Samar A. , Zakaria Azza S.
Published: January 2014

Vancomycin HCl was prepared as orally administered colon target drug delivery tablets for systemic therapy. Tablet matrices containing 10–60% of tablet weight of guar gum (F1–F6) were prepared by direct compression and subjected toin vitrorelease studies to explore their sustained release in the colon. Various synthetic and natural polymers were incorporated to F6 to modify the drug release rate. Different 15 matrix tablet formulations (F6–F20) were enteric coated with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose phthalate. F6, F13 and F20 showed promising sustained release results having median dissolution time (MDT) values: 8.25, 7.97, and 7.64, respectively. Microbiological assay was performed to test the efficacy of F6, F13, and F20 to inhibit clinicalStaphylococcus aureus(SA) isolates. Bactericidal activity of F6 was reached after 2, 4, and 24 hours of incubation against MSSA 18, MRSA 29, and MRSA 11 strains, respectively, while it was reached within 6–8 hours in case of F13, and F20 against all strains tested. F13 enhanced log microbial reduction by 1.74, 0.65 and 2.4 CFU/mL compared to F6 while it was 1, 2.57 and 1.57 compared to F20 against MSSA18, MRSA11 and MRSA29, respectively. Vancomycin HCl tablets displayed a promising sustained releasein vitroand microbiological inhibitory action on all isolates tested.
Reduced Seminal Concentration of CD45pos Cells after Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Treatment in Selected Patients with Idiopathic Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia
Authors: Condorelli Rosita A. , Calogero Aldo E. , Vicari Enzo , Mongioi’ Laura , Burgio Giovanni , Cannarella Rossella , Giacone Filippo , Iacoviello Linda , Morgia Giuseppe , Favilla Vincenzo , Cimino Sebastiano , La Vignera Sandro
Published: January 2014

The present study evaluated the conventional sperm parameters and the seminal concentration of CD45pos cells (pan-leukocyte marker) of infertile patients with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT). The patients were arbitrarily divided into three groups treated with recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone FSH:α(Group A = 20 patients), recombinant FSH-β(Group B = 20 patients), and highly purified human FSH (Group C = 14 patients). All treated groups achieved a similar improvement of the main sperm parameters (density, progressive motility, and morphology), but only the increase in the percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology was significant compared to the baseline in all three examined groups. Moreover, all groups had a significant reduction of the seminal concentration of CD45pos cells and of the percentage of immature germ cells. Before and after the treatment, the concentration of CD45pos cells showed a positive linear correlation with the percentage of immature germ cells and a negative correlation with the percentage of spermatozoa with regular morphology. These results demonstrate that treatment with FSH is effective in patients with idiopathic OAT and that there are no significant differences between the different preparations. The novelty of this study is in the significant reduction of the concentration of CD45pos cells observed after the treatment.
Sedative Drug Use among King Saud University Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Sampling Study
Authors: Al-Sayed Ahmed A. , Al-Rashoudi Abdualltef H. , Al-Eisa Abdulrhman A. , Addar Abdullah M. , Al-Hargan Abdullah H. , Al-Jerian Albaraa A. , Al-Omair Abdullah A. , Al-Sheddi Ahmed I. , Al-Nowaiser Hussam I. , Al-Kathiri Omar A. , Al-Hassan Abdullah H.
Published: January 2014

Introduction.Medical students experience significant psychological stress and are therefore at higher risk of using sedatives. There are currently no studies describing the prevalence of sedative drug use among medical students in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with sedative drug use among medical students in Saudi Arabia.Materials and Methods.A cross-sectional convenience sampling study gathered data by anonymous questionnaire from students enrolled at the King Saud University College of Medicine in 2011. The questionnaires collected data regarding social and demographic variables, sleep patterns, and the use of stimulant and sedative drugs since enrollment. Sedatives were defined as any pharmaceutical preparations that induce sleep.Results and Discussion.Of the 729 students who returned questionnaires, 17.0% reported sedative drug use at some time since enrollment. Higher academic year, lower grade point average, regular exercise, fewer hours of sleep per day, poorer quality of sleep, and the presence of sleeping disorders were found to be significantly associated with sedative drug use.Conclusions.Further study is required to increase our understanding of sedative drug use patterns in this relatively high-risk group, as such understanding will help in the development of early intervention programs.
Laboratory Mix Design of Asphalt Mixture Containing Reclaimed Material
Authors: Lo Presti Davide , Khan Rawid , Abdul Hassan Norhidayah , Airey Gordon , Collop Andrew
Published: January 2014

This paper presents a study on the production of asphalt test specimens in the laboratory containing reclaimed asphalt. The mixtures considered were stone mastic asphalt concrete mixtures containing up to 30% of reclaimed asphalt. Specimens were compacted to the reference density obtained from the Marshall mix design. Gyration compaction method was used for preparing specimens for the experimental programme, while coring and cutting methods and X-ray computed tomography (CT) were used to investigate the change in properties within the specimens and to validate the selected methodology. The study concluded that gyratory compaction is suitable to produce homogeneous test specimens also for mixtures containing high amount of reclaimed asphalt. Nevertheless, preliminary trials for each material are mandatory, as well as final coring and trimming of the specimens due to side effects.
Gastric Adenocarcinoma Presenting with Gastric Outlet Obstruction in a Child
Authors: Al-Hussaini Abdulrahman , AlGhamdi Salem , Alsaaran Rasha , Al-Kasim Fawaz , Habib Zakaria , Ourfali Nouri
Published: January 2014

Gastric carcinoma is extremely rare in children representing only 0.05% of all gastrointestinal malignancies. Here, we report the first pediatric case of gastric cancer presenting with gastric outlet obstruction. Upper endoscopy revealed a markedly thickened antral mucosa occluding the pylorus and a clean base ulcer 1.5 cm × 2 cm at the lesser curvature of the stomach. The narrowed antrum and pylorus underwent balloon dilation, and biopsy from the antrum showed evidence ofHelicobacter pylorigastritis. The biopsy taken from the edge of the gastric ulcer demonstrated signet-ring-cell type infiltrate consistent with gastric adenocarcinoma. At laparotomy, there were metastases to the liver, head of pancreas, and mesenteric lymph nodes. Therefore, the gastric carcinoma was deemed unresectable. The patient died few months after initiation of chemotherapy due to advanced malignancy. In conclusion, this case report underscores the possibility of gastric adenocarcinoma occurring in children and presenting with gastric outlet obstruction.
Comparing Adolescent Only Children with Those Who Have Siblings on Academic Related Outcomes and Psychosocial Adjustment
Authors: Chen Zeng-yin , Liu Ruth X.
Published: January 2014

This study uses a large and representative sample of adolescents to test the theoretically informed hypotheses comparing adolescent singletons with those who have siblings. The results found that, for academic related outcomes (educational expectations, time spent on homework, and self-reported grades), there are no differences between singletons and firstborns who have any number of younger siblings. Singletons are also not different from laterborns from two-child families. In contrast, singletons are more advantageous compared to laterborns who have two or more siblings on educational expectations and grades. Singletons also spend more time on homework than laterborns who have three or more siblings. For psychosocial outcomes (psychological distress, susceptibility to negative peer pressure, and problem behaviors), singletons are not different from both firstborns and laterborns with any number of siblings. The findings suggest that singletons are not at any disadvantage compared to their peers who have siblings and they enjoy some advantages over laterborns from medium to large families on academic related outcomes.
MicroRNAs in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Authors: Li Rong , Chung Arthur C. K. , Yu Xueqing , Lan Hui Y.
Published: January 2014

Rapid growth of diabetes and diabetic kidney disease exerts a great burden on society. Owing to the lack of effective treatments for diabetic kidney disease, treatment relies on drugs that either reduces its progression or involve renal replacement therapies, such as dialysis and kidney transplantation. It is urgent to search for biomarkers for early diagnosis and effective therapy. The discovery of microRNAs had lead to a new era of post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Studies from cells, experimental animal models and patients under diabetic conditions demonstrate that expression patterns of microRNAs are altered during the progression of diabetic kidney disease. Functional studies indicate that the ability of microRNAs to bind 3′ untranslated region of messenger RNA not only shows their capability to regulate expression of target genes, but also their therapeutic potential to diabetic kidney disease. The presence of microRNAs in plasma, serum, and urine has been shown to be possible biomarkers in diabetic kidney disease. Therefore, identification of the pathogenic role of microRNAs possesses an important clinical impact in terms of prevention and treatment of progression in diabetic kidney disease because it allows us to design novel and specific therapies and diagnostic tools for diabetic kidney disease.
A Case of Myomatous Erythrocytosis Syndrome Associated with a Large Uterine Leiomyoma
Authors: Ono Yosuke , Hidaka Takao , Fukuta Kaori , Kouchi Keiko , Yasoshima Kuniaki , Takagawa Kiyoshi , Arai Takashi
Published: January 2014

Several etiologies have been proposed for erythrocytosis associated with uterine leiomyoma. We report a case of erythrocytosis associated with a large uterine leiomyoma, in which specific immunostaining for erythropoietin was positive. A 55-year-old woman, gravida 0, para 0, was referred to our hospital for treatment for a large uterine myoma and erythrocytosis. She had no vaginal bleeding after she reached menopause at 50 years old. She had severe polycythemia: hemoglobin (Hb), 19.9 g/dL; red blood cell count (RBC), 6.65 × 106/mm3; hematocrit, (Hct) 59.1%. An abdominal simple hysterectomy was performed, and a pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of leiomyoma of the uterus. In addition, immunostaining demonstrated that the cytoplasm of the leiomyoma cells was strongly positive for erythropoietin. After the operation, the patient’s hemoglobin and hematocrit levels normalized, and we diagnosed her condition as myomatous erythrocytosis syndrome.
Narcolepsy as an Immune-Mediated Disease
Authors: De la Herrán-Arita Alberto K. , García-García Fabio
Published: January 2014

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagonic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and disturbed nocturnal sleep patterns. This disease is secondary to the specific loss of hypothalamic hypocretin (orexin)-producing neurons in the lateral hypothalamus. An autoimmune basis for the disease has long been suspected based on its strong association with the genetic marker DQB1*06:02, and current studies greatly support this hypothesis. Narcolepsy with hypocretin deficiency is associated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and T cell receptor (TCR) polymorphisms, suggesting that an autoimmune process targets a peptide unique to hypocretin-producing neurons via specific HLA-peptide-TCR interactions. This concept has gained a lot of notoriety after the increase of childhood narcolepsy in 2010 following the 2009 H1N1 pandemic (pH1N1) in China and vaccination with Pandemrix, an adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine that was used in Scandinavia. The surge of narcolepsy cases subsequent to influenza A H1N1 infection and H1N1 vaccination suggests that processes such as molecular mimicry or bystander activation might be crucial for disease development.
Roles of Bone-Marrow-Derived Cells and Inflammatory Cytokines in Neointimal Hyperplasia after Vascular Injury
Authors: Shoji Makoto , Koba Shinji , Kobayashi Youichi
Published: January 2014

Bone-marrow-derived cells can generate vascular progenitor cells that contribute to pathological remodeling in models of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We created models of vascular injury in mice with bone marrow transplants (BMT) to determine relationships between bone-marrow-derived cells and subsequent biological factors. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) seemed to inhibit the inflammatory reaction and help stabilize injured vascular regions through mobilizing more endogenous bone-marrow-derived (EBMD) cells to the peripheral circulation. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilized more EBMD cells to the peripheral circulation, and they accumulated on the injured side of the vascular lumen. The inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-6 mobilized EBMD cells that play an important role in the process of neointimal hyperplasia after vascular injury. These factors might comprise a mechanism that alters the transdifferentiation or paracrine capabilities of EBMD cells and are potential targets of treatment for patients with cardiovascular diseases.
Application of the American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine Adult Preparticipation Screening Checklist to a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adults Aged ≥40 Years From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2004
Authors: Whitfield Geoffrey P. , Pettee Gabriel Kelley K. , Rahbar Mohammad H. , Kohl Harold W.
Published: January 2014

Background—

Although the American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine’s Preparticipation Questionnaire (AAPQ) is a recommended preexercise cardiovascular screening tool, it has never been systematically evaluated. The purpose of this research is to provide preliminary evidence of its effectiveness among adults aged ≥40 years.

Methods and Results—

Under the assumption that participants would respond to AAPQ items as they responded to a general health survey, we calculated the sex- and age-specific proportions of adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2004 who would receive a recommendation for physician consultation based on AAPQ referral criteria. Additionally, we compared recommended AAPQ referrals to a similar assessment using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire in the study sample. AAPQ referral proportions were higher with older age. Across all age groups ≥40 years, 95.5% (94.3% to 96.8%) of women and 93.5% (92.2% to 94.7%) of men in the United States would be advised to consult a physician before exercise. Prescription medication use and age were the most commonly selected items. When referral based on AAPQ was compared with that of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire, the 2 screening tools produced similar results for 72.4% of respondents.

Conclusions—

These results suggest that >90% of US adults aged ≥40 years would receive a recommendation for physician consultation by the AAPQ. Excessive referral may present an unnecessary barrier to exercise adoption and stress the healthcare infrastructure.
Application of the N-Point Moving Average Method for Brachial Pressure Waveform–Derived Estimation of Central Aortic Systolic Pressure
Authors: Shih Yuan-Ta , Cheng Hao-Min , Sung Shih-Hsien , Hu Wei-Chih , Chen Chen-Huan
Published: January 2014

The N-point moving average (NPMA) is a mathematical low-pass filter that can smooth peaked noninvasively acquired radial pressure waveforms to estimate central aortic systolic pressure using a common denominator of N/4 (where N=the acquisition sampling frequency). The present study investigated whether the NPMA method can be applied to brachial pressure waveforms. In the derivation group, simultaneously recorded invasive high-fidelity brachial and central aortic pressure waveforms from 40 subjects were analyzed to identify the best common denominator. In the validation group, the NPMA method with the obtained common denominator was applied on noninvasive brachial pressure waveforms of 100 subjects. Validity was tested by comparing the noninvasive with the simultaneously recorded invasive central aortic systolic pressure. Noninvasive brachial pressure waveforms were calibrated to the cuff systolic and diastolic blood pressures. In the derivation study, an optimal denominator of N/6 was identified for NPMA to derive central aortic systolic pressure. The mean difference between the invasively/noninvasively estimated (N/6) and invasively measured central aortic systolic pressure was 0.1±3.5 and −0.6±7.6 mm Hg in the derivation and validation study, respectively. It satisfied the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation standard of 5±8 mm Hg. In conclusion, this method for estimating central aortic systolic pressure using either invasive or noninvasive brachial pressure waves requires a common denominator of N/6. By integrating the NPMA method into the ordinary oscillometric blood pressure determining process, convenient noninvasive central aortic systolic pressure values could be obtained with acceptable accuracy.