bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decision-making and Management of Ulnar Polydactyly of the Newborn: Outcomes and Satisfaction
Authors: Samra Salem , Bourne Debra , Beckett Joel , Matthew Michael , Thomson J. Grant
Published: September 2016

Background: Polydactyly is the most common congenital hand deformity. There is currently no consensus among pediatricians or hand surgeons regarding optimal management of ulnar (post-axial) type B polydactyly leading to uncertainty in initial treatment decisions for infants with this type of deformity.

Methods: Parents of newborns with type B ulnar polydactyly were enrolled in a prospective, nonrandomized trial from 2010 to 2012. At enrollment they were offered: 1) no treatment, 2) suture ligature, 3) immediate excision under local anesthesia, and 4) delayed excision at four months of age under general anesthesia. After choosing a treatment option, parents were asked to complete an initial survey on their motivation for choosing a particular option, and then additional surveys at one and three month follow-up visits regarding outcomes and satisfaction.

Results: Fourteen newborns were enrolled in the study. Eleven patients had bilateral polydactyly for a total of 25 hands involved in the study. With statistical significance, parents chose an immediate bedside excision over all options. No surgical complications were noted and satisfaction scores were 9.8 or higher in all groups.

Conclusions: A majority of parents whose children are born with type B post-axial polydactyly prefer to have the deformity addressed immediately with excision under local anesthesia at the bedside. This can be accomplished safely, with a satisfaction score of 9.8 out of 10 and no appreciable residual deformity. This may reduce emotional distress or embarrassment in parents who would otherwise have to deal with the deformity for at least a four-month period.
Open Finger Fractures: Incidence, Patterns of Injury and the Influence of Social Deprivation
Authors: Anakwe Raymond E. , Middleton Scott D. , Bugler Kate E. , Duckworth Andrew D. , McQueen Margaret M. , Brown Charles M. Court
Published: September 2016

Background: This study investigates the patterns and epidemiology of open finger fractures. There is little good data about these injuries.

Methods: Data were collected prospectively in a single trauma unit serving a well-defined population.

Results: Over a 15 year period 1090 open finger fractures were treated in 1014 patients. These made up the vast majority of open fractures treated in the trauma unit during this period. The incidence of open finger fractures was 14.0 per 100,000 patients per year. Deprivation did not influence the incidence of open finger fractures but did affect treatment choices for women. Most open finger fractures resulted from crush injuries or falls and required only simple operative treatments: debridement, lavage and early mobilization.

Conclusions: Open finger fractures formed the majority of the workload of open fractures at our trauma centre but usually required simple treatments only. Social deprivation was not shown to influence the patterns or epidemiology of these injuries but did affect treatment choices for women.
Surfing Behind a Boat: Quality and Reliability of Online Resources on Scaphoid Fractures
Authors: Nassiri Mujtaba , Mohamed Osama , Berzins Arvids , Aljabi Yasser , Mahmood Talat , Chenouri Shojaeddin , O’Grady Paul
Published: September 2016

Background: Patients seeking information and advice on treatment of scaphoid fractures unknowingly confront longstanding medical controversies surrounding the management of this condition. However, there are no studies specifically looking into the quality and reliability of online information on scaphoid fractures.

Methods: We identified 44 unique websites for evaluation using the term “scaphoid fractures”. The websites were categorized by type and assessed using the DISCERN score, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria and the Health on the net (HON) code.

Results: The majority of websites were commercial (n = 13) followed by academic (n = 12). Only seven of the websites were HON certified. The mean DISCERN score was 43.8. Only 4 websites scored 63 or above representing excellent quality with minimal shortcomings but 13 websites scored 38 or below representing poor or very poor quality. The mean JAMA benchmark criteria score was 2.2. The Governmental and Non-Profit Organizations category websites had the highest mean JAMA benchmark score. The websites that displayed the HON-code seal had higher mean DISCERN scores and higher mean JAMA benchmark scores compared to websites that did not display the seal.

Conclusions: Good quality health information is certainly available on the Internet. However, it is not possible to predict with certainty which sites are of higher quality. We suggest clinicians should have a responsibility to educate their patients regarding the unregulated nature of medical information on the internet and proactively provide patients with educational resources and thus help them make smart and informed decisions.
Tips and Tricks in Mallet Fracture Fixation
Authors: Chin Yuin Cheng , Foo Tun-Lin
Published: September 2016

We describe three steps to aid fracture assessment and fixation in the extensor block pin technique for mallet fractures. The first step is the use of fluoroscopy in the initial assessment to determine indication for fixation. Next is the use of supplementary extension block pin to control larger dorsal fragments. The third technique described details the steps of open reduction of nascently malunited fractures.
Osteoid Osteoma of Distal Phalanx of Middle Finger—A Diagnostic Dilemma
Authors: Durgia Bharat , Jain Anuj , Agarwal Shekhar
Published: September 2016

Osteoid Osteoma is benign bone forming tumor which commonly occurs in long bones of lower limb. Presence of these rare tumors in the distal phalanx of the digits of the hand is considered a rare phenomenon. In hand, they usually present as chronic pain, swelling, nail enlargement and increase in size of digit. Diagnosis is challenging with clinical examination and usual imaging modalities and often confused with glomus tumor, enchondroma, infection, trauma and rheumatic disease. Surgical excision of the tumor, if present in hand, is the treatment of choice that aids in coming to the exact diagnosis too. The aim of the paper is to report yet another uncommon case of osteoid osteoma of distal phalanx of middle finger mimicking glomus tumor.
Closed Rupture of the Flexor Tendon Secondary to Sclerosis of the Hook of the Hamate: A Report of Two Cases
Authors: Yamazaki Hiroshi , Uchiyama Shigeharu , Hosaka Masato , Kato Hiroyuki
Published: September 2016

Closed flexor tendon ruptures in the little finger can be caused by fracture or nonunion of the hook of the hamate, but no case of the disorder secondary to the sclerosis and thinning of the hamate hook has been reported. We report two rare cases with this complication due to rough surface of the hamate hook. Carpal tunnel view radiographs and computed tomography showed the sclerosis and thinning of the hook.
Recurrent Hypothenar Hammer Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Adams Nicholas S. , Ford Ronald D.
Published: September 2016

Hypothenar hammer syndrome (HHS) is a rare cause of digital ischemia and pain caused from repetitive trauma to the palm. Often related to occupational practices, thrombosis and embolization can occur. Treatment is often surgical and involves excision with or without reconstruction. We describe a 55 year-old, male pipe fitter previously diagnosed and treated for HHS with excision and repair using a reversed interpositional vein graft in the mid-1980’s. He continued to work in the profession, which he regularly used his palm as a hammer and returned approximately 30 years later with recurrent symptoms of cold intolerance and pain. Angiography confirmed occlusion of the ulnar artery with emboli present distally. The patient was again treated with excision and reconstruction. HHS is an uncommon cause of digital ischemia. Its recurrence is even more rare. To our knowledge, this is the first described case of diagnosed and treated recurrent HHS.
Multiscale Processes of Hurricane Sandy (2012) as Revealed by the Parallel Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition and Advanced Visualization Technology
Authors: Shen Bo-Wen , Chueng Samson , Li Jui-Lin F. , Wu Yu-Ling , Shen Samuel S. P.
Published: September 2016

Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 is currently the second costliest tropical cyclone (TC) in the U.S. history, surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina (2005). This paper uses advanced data analysis methods and visualization technology to examine the role of multiscale processes in the initial formation and movement of Hurricane Sandy. To efficiently analyze high-resolution, global, and multiple-dimensional datasets, a parallel ensemble empirical mode decomposition (PEEMD) method is developed by implementing a multi-level parallelism into an ensemble EMD (EEMD). The augmentation resulted in a parallel speedup of 720 using 200 eight-core processors. Here, we discuss performance for the PEEMD in decomposing multiscale signals from data sets that represent: (i) idealized tropical waves and (ii) large-scale environmental flows associated with Hurricane Sandy (2012). Our results indicate that the PEEMD can efficiently reveal major wave characteristics such as wavelengths and periods within the data by sifting out the dominant (wave) components. Visualization tools have been developed to make four-dimensional (4D) visualizations of Sandy. The 4D visualizations help elucidate the following factors which led to the sinuous track of Sandy: (i) the initial steering impact of an upper-level trough (appearing over the Northwestern Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico); (ii) the blocking impact of systems to the Northeast of Sandy; and (iii) interaction with a mid-latitude, upper-level trough that appeared at 130 degrees West longitude on October 23, moved to the east coast, and intensified from October 29–30 prior to Sandy’s landfall. Both the PEEMD method and advanced visualization technology have been integrated with other modules in order to examine the statistical relationship between tropical waves and TC formation in a hurricane climate study.
Hardware Accelerated Alignment Algorithm for Optical Labeled Genomes
Authors: Meng Pingfan , Jacobsen Matthew , Kimura Motoki , Dergachev Vladimir , Anantharaman Thomas , Requa Michael , Kastner Ryan
Published: September 2016

De novo assembly is a widely used methodology in bioinformatics. However, the conventional short-read-based de novo assembly is incapable of reliably reconstructing the large-scale structures of human genomes. Recently, a novel optical label-based technology has enabled reliable large-scale de novo assembly. Despite its advantage in large-scale genome analysis, this new technology requires a more computationally intensive alignment algorithm than its conventional counterpart. For example, the runtime of reconstructing a human genome is on the order of 10,000 hours on a sequential CPU. Therefore, in order to practically apply this new technology in genome research, accelerated approaches are desirable. In this article, we present three different accelerated approaches, multicore CPU, GPU, and FPGA. Against the sequential software baseline, our multicore CPU design achieved an 8.4× speedup, while the GPU and FPGA designs achieved 13.6× and 115× speedups, respectively. We also discuss the details of the design space exploration of this new assembly algorithm on these three different devices. Finally, we compare these devices in performance, optimization techniques, prices, and design efforts.
Accounting for Language Changes Over Time in Document Similarity Search
Authors: Morsy Sara , Karypis George
Published: September 2016

Given a query document, ranking the documents in a collection based on how similar they are to the query is an essential task with extensive applications. For collections that contain documents whose creation dates span several decades, this task is further complicated by the fact that the language changes over time. For example, many terms add or lose one or more senses to meet people’s evolving needs. To address this problem, we present methods that take advantage of two types of information to account for the language change. The first is the citation network that often exists within the collection, which can be used to link related documents with significantly different creation dates (and hence different language use). The second is the changes in the usage frequency of terms that occur over time, which can indicate changes in their senses and uses. These methods utilize the preceding information while estimating the representation of both documents and terms within the context of nonprobabilistic static and dynamic topic models. Our experiments on two real-world datasets that span more than 40 years show that our proposed methods improve the retrieval performance of existing models and that these improvements are statistically significant.
Social Question Answering
Authors: Molino Piero , Aiello Luca Maria , Lops Pasquale
Published: September 2016

Community question answering (CQA) sites use a collaborative paradigm to satisfy complex information needs. Although the task of matching questions to their best answers has been tackled for more than a decade, the social question-answering practice is a complex process. The factors influencing the accuracy of question-answer matching are many and hard to disentangle. We approach the task from an application-oriented perspective, probing the space of several dimensions relevant to this problem: features, algorithms, and topics. We gather under a learning to rank framework the most extensive feature set used in literature to date, including 225 features from five different families. We test the power of such features in predicting the best answer to a question on the largest dataset from Yahoo Answers used for this task so far (40M answers) and provide a faceted analysis of the results along different topical areas and question types. We propose a novel family of distributional semantics measures that most of the time can seamlessly replace widely used linguistic similarity features, being more than one order of magnitude faster to compute and providing greater predictive power. The best feature set reaches an improvement between 11% and 26% in P@1 compared to recent well-established state-of-the-art methods.
Dynamic pricing in ridesharing platforms
Authors: Banerjee Siddhartha , Johari Ramesh , Riquelme Carlos
Published: September 2016

We study dynamic pricing policies for ridesharing platforms such as Lyft and Uber. On one hand these platforms are two-sided: this requires economic models that capture the incentives of both drivers and passengers. On the other hand, these platforms support high temporal-resolution for data collection and pricing: this requires stochastic models that capture the dynamics of drivers and passengers in the system.

We summarize our main results from [Banerjee et al. 2015], in which we study the role of dynamic pricing in ridesharing platforms using a queueing-theoretic economic model. We build a model of two-sided ridesharing platforms that captures both the stochastic dynamics of the marketplace and the strategic decisions of drivers, passengers and the platform. We show how our model can help explain the success of dynamic pricing in practice: in particular, we argue that the benefit of dynamic pricing over static pricing is not in the optimal performance, but rather, in the robustness of its performance to uncertainty in system parameters.
Green security games
Authors: Fang Fei , Nguyen Thanh H.
Published: September 2016

In the past decade, game-theoretic applications have been successfully deployed in the real world to address security resource allocation challenges. Inspired by the success, researchers have begun focusing on applying game theory to green security domains such as protection of forests, fish, and wildlife, forming a stream of research on Green Security Games (GSGs). We provide an overview of recent advances in GSGs and list the challenges that remained open for future study.
25-Hydroxycholesterol impairs endothelial function and vasodilation by uncoupling and inhibiting endothelial nitric oxide synthase
Authors: Ou Zhi-Jun , Chen Jing , Dai Wei-Ping , Liu Xiang , Yang Yin-Ke , Li Yan , Lin Ze-Bang , Wang Tian-Tian , Wu Ying-Ying , Su Dan-Hong , Cheng Tian-Pu , Wang Zhi-Ping , Tao Jun , Ou Jing-Song
Published: September 2016

Endothelial dysfunction is a key early step in atherosclerosis. 25-Hydroxycholesterol (25-OHC) is found in atherosclerotic lesions. However, whether 25-OHC promotes atherosclerosis is unclear. Here, we hypothesized that 25-OHC, a proinflammatory lipid, can impair endothelial function, which may play an important role in atherosclerosis. Bovine aortic endothelial cells were incubated with 25-OHC. Endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation were measured. Nitric oxide (NO) production and superoxide anion generation were determined. The expression and phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and Akt as well as the association of eNOS and heat shock protein (HSP)90 were detected by immunoblot analysis and immunoprecipitation. Endothelial cell apoptosis was monitored by TUNEL staining and caspase-3 activity, and expression of Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved caspase-3 were detected by immunoblot analysis. Finally, aortic rings from Sprague-Dawley rats were isolated and treated with 25-OHC, and endothelium-dependent vasodilation was evaluated. 25-OHC significantly inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. 25-OHC markedly decreased NO production and increased superoxide anion generation. 25-OHC reduced the phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS and the association of eNOS and HSP90. 25-OHC also enhanced endothelial cell apoptosis by decreasing Bcl-2 expression and increasing cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3 expressions as well as caspase-3 activity. 25-OHC impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation. These data demonstrated that 25-OHC could impair endothelial function by uncoupling and inhibiting eNOS activity as well as by inducing endothelial cell apoptosis. Our findings indicate that 25-OHC may play an important role in regulating atherosclerosis.
Two-Step Extraction of the Lower First Molar for Class III Treatment in Adult Patient
Authors: Almeida Kélei Cristina de Mathias , Paulin Ricardo Fabris , Raveli Taísa Barnabé , Raveli Dirceu Barnabé , Santos-Pinto Ary
Published: September 2016

The aim of this article is to describe a case report of Class III malocclusion treatment with lower first molar extraction. The 27-year-old Caucasian male patient presented a symmetric face with a straight profile, hyperdivergent growth pattern, molar and cuspid Class III relation, and an anterior crossbite as well as a mild crowding on cuspids area, in both upper and lower arches and a tendency to posterior crossbite. The treatment was performed by the use of Haas expansion appliance followed by an initial alignment and leveling of the upper and lower arches with a fixed edgewise appliance, extraction of lower teeth aiming the correction of the incisors proclination and end the treatment with a Class I molar relationship. It resulted in a significant change in the patient’s profile, dentoalveolar Class III correction, upper arch expansion, leveling and alignment of the upper and lower arches, and improvement of tipping of the upper and lowers incisors. In cases of a dentoalveolar compensation in well positioned bone bases the treatment with fixed appliances is an alternative and extraction of lower teeth is considered.
Successful Treatment of Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation due to Uterine Trauma
Authors: Karadag Burak , Erol Onur , Ozdemir Ozgur , Uysal Aysel , Alparslan Ahmet Sukru , Gurses Cemil , Koroglu Mert
Published: September 2016

Uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is defined as abnormal and nonfunctional connections between the uterine arteries and veins. Although the patients typically present with vaginal bleeding, some patients may experience life-threatening massive bleeding in some circumstances. The treatment of choice depends on the symptoms, age, desire for future fertility, and localization and size of the lesion; however, embolization of the uterine artery is the first choice in symptomatic AVM in patients at reproductive age with expectations of future fertility. We report a case of acquired AVM (after D/C) with an extensive lesion, which was successfully treated with bilateral uterine artery embolization (UAE).
Effects of a Patient-Provider, Collaborative, Medication-Planning Tool: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
Authors: Graumlich James F. , Wang Huaping , Madison Anna , Wolf Michael S. , Kaiser Darren , Dahal Kumud , Morrow Daniel G.
Published: September 2016

Among patients with various levels of health literacy, the effects of collaborative, patient-provider, medication-planning tools on outcomes relevant to self-management are uncertain.Objective. Among adult patients with type II diabetes mellitus, we tested the effectiveness of a medication-planning tool (Medtable™) implemented via an electronic medical record to improve patients’ medication knowledge, adherence, and glycemic control compared to usual care.Design. A multicenter, randomized controlled trial in outpatient primary care clinics. 674 patients received either the Medtable tool or usual care and were followed up for up to 12 months.Results. Patients who received Medtable had greater knowledge about indications for medications in their regimens and were more satisfied with the information about their medications. Patients’ knowledge of drug indication improved with Medtable regardless of their literacy status. However, Medtable did not improve patients’ demonstrated medication use, regimen adherence, or glycemic control (HbA1c).Conclusion. The Medtable tool supported provider/patient collaboration related to medication use, as reflected in patient satisfaction with communication, but had limited impact on patient medication knowledge, adherence, and HbA1c outcomes. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.govNCT01296633.
Exact SER Analysis of DFrFT-Based QPSK OFDM System over Frequency Selective Rayleigh Fading Channel with CFO
Authors: Kumar Atul , Magarini Maurizio , Joshi Hem Dutt , Saxena Rajiv
Published: September 2016

We present the exact symbol error rate (SER) expression for quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation in frequency selective Rayleigh fading channel for discrete fractional Fourier transform- (DFrFT-) based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system in the presence of carrier frequency offset (CFO). The theoretical result is confirmed by means of Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that the performance of the proposed system, at different values of the DFrFT angle parameter “α,” is better than that of OFDM based on discrete Fourier transform.
Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate Attenuates Renal Damage by Suppressing Oxidative Stress in Diabetic db/db Mice
Authors: Yang Xiu Hong , Pan Yu , Zhan Xiao Li , Zhang Bao Long , Guo Li Li , Jin Hui Min
Published: September 2016

Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG), extracted from green tea, has been shown to have antioxidative activity. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of EGCG on the kidney function in db/db mice and also tried to investigate the underlying mechanism of the renoprotective effects of EGCG in both animals and cells. EGCG treatment could decrease the level of urinary protein, 8‐iso‐PGF2a, and Ang II. Moreover, EGCG could also change the level of several parameters associated with oxidative stress. In addition, the protein expression levels of AT‐1R, p22‐phox, p47‐phox, p‐ERK1/2, p‐p38 MAPK, TGF‐β1, and α‐SMA in diabetic db/db mice were upregulated, and all of these symptoms were downregulated with the treatment of EGCG at 50 and 100 mg/kg/d. Furthermore, the pathological changes were ameliorated in db/db mice after EGCG treatment. HK‐2 cell‐based experiments indicated that EGCG could inhibit the expression of MAPK pathways, which is the downstream effector of Ang II mediated oxidative stress. All these results indicated that EGCG treatment could ameliorate changes of renal pathology and delay the progression of DKD by suppressing hyperglycemia‐induced oxidative stress in diabetic db/db mice.
Multivariate Multiple Regression Models for a Big Data-Empowered SON Framework in Mobile Wireless Networks
Authors: Shin Yoonsu , Chae Chan-Byoung , Kim Songkuk
Published: September 2016

In the 5G era, the operational cost of mobile wireless networks will significantly increase. Further, massive network capacity and zero latency will be needed because everything will be connected to mobile networks. Thus, self-organizing networks (SON) are needed, which expedite automatic operation of mobile wireless networks, but have challenges to satisfy the 5G requirements. Therefore, researchers have proposed a framework to empower SON using big data. The recent framework of a big data-empowered SON analyzes the relationship between key performance indicators (KPIs) and related network parameters (NPs) using machine-learning tools, and it develops regression models using a Gaussian process with those parameters. The problem, however, is that the methods of finding the NPs related to the KPIs differ individually. Moreover, the Gaussian process regression model cannot determine the relationship between a KPI and its various related NPs. In this paper, to solve these problems, we proposed multivariate multiple regression models to determine the relationship between various KPIs and NPs. If we assume one KPI and multiple NPs as one set, the proposed models help us process multiple sets at one time. Also, we can find out whether some KPIs are conflicting or not. We implement the proposed models using MapReduce.
The Endothelial Glycocalyx: New Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Sepsis
Authors: Martin Lukas , Koczera Patrick , Zechendorf Elisabeth , Schuerholz Tobias
Published: September 2016

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. The endothelial glycocalyx is one of the earliest sites involved during sepsis. This fragile layer is a complex network of cell-bound proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycan side chains, and sialoproteins lining the luminal side of endothelial cells with a thickness of about 1 to 3 μm. Sepsis-associated alterations of its structure affect endothelial permeability and result in the liberation of endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Once liberated in the circulatory system, DAMPs trigger the devastating consequences of the proinflammatory cascades in sepsis and septic shock. In this way, the injury to the glycocalyx with the consecutive release of DAMPs contributes to a number of specific clinical effects of sepsis, including acute kidney injury, respiratory failure, and septic cardiomyopathy. Moreover, the extent of glycocalyx degradation serves as a marker of endothelial dysfunction and sepsis severity. In this review, we highlight the crucial role of the glycocalyx in sepsis as a diagnostic tool and discuss the potential of members of the endothelial glycocalyx serving as hopeful therapeutic targets in sepsis-associated multiple organ failures.
Emerging Photovoltaics: Organic, Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide, and Perovskite-Based Solar Cells
Authors: Rao Shraavya , Morankar Ankita , Verma Himani , Goswami Prerna
Published: September 2016

As the photovoltaics industry continues to grow rapidly, materials other than silicon are being explored. The aim is to develop technologies that use environmentally friendly, abundant materials, low-cost manufacturing processes without compromising on efficiencies and lifetimes. This paper discusses three of the emerging technologies, organic, copper zinc tin sulphide (CZTS), and perovskite-based solar cells, their advantages, and the possible challenges in making these technologies commercially available.
Suboptimal Clinical Documentation in Young Children with Severe Obesity at Tertiary Care Centers
Authors: Brady Cassandra C. , Thaker Vidhu V. , Lingren Todd , Woo Jessica G. , Kennebeck Stephanie S. , Namjou-Khales Bahram , Roach Ashton , Bickel Jonathan P. , Patibandla Nandan , Savova Guergana K. , Solti Imre , Holm Ingrid A. , Harley John B. , Kohane Isaac S. , Crimmins Nancy A.
Published: September 2016

Background and Objectives.The prevalence of severe obesity in children has doubled in the past decade. The objective of this study is to identify the clinical documentation of obesity in young children with a BMI ≥ 99th percentile at two large tertiary care pediatric hospitals.Methods.We used a standardized algorithm utilizing data from electronic health records to identify children with severe early onset obesity (BMI ≥ 99th percentile at age <6 years). We extracted descriptive terms and ICD-9 codes to evaluate documentation of obesity at Boston Children’s Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center between 2007 and 2014.Results.A total of 9887 visit records of 2588 children with severe early onset obesity were identified. Based on predefined criteria for documentation of obesity, 21.5% of children (13.5% of visits) had positive documentation, which varied by institution. Documentation in children first seen under 2 years of age was lower than in older children (15% versus 26%). Documentation was significantly higher in girls (29% versus 17%,p<0.001), African American children (27% versus 19% in whites,p<0.001), and the obesity focused specialty clinics (70% versus 15% in primary care and 9% in other subspecialty clinics,p<0.001).Conclusions.There is significant opportunity for improvement in documentation of obesity in young children, even years after the 2007 AAP guidelines for management of obesity.
Control of Pedicle Screw Placement with an Electrical Conductivity Measurement Device: Initial Evaluation in the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine
Authors: Suess Olaf , Schomacher Markus
Published: September 2016

Aim. Transpedicular screw fixation is widely used in spinal surgery. But the insertion of pedicle screws can sometimes be challenging because of the variability in pedicle size and the proximity of nerve roots.Methods. We detected intraoperatively the sensitivity for iatrogenic pedicel perforation with a hand-held electronic conductivity measurement device (ECD) that measures electrical conductivity of tissue-medium surrounding the instrument tip. ECD was used to guide the placement of 84 pedicle screws in 15 patients undergoing surgery for tumor or degenerative spinal disease at various spinal levels from T8 to L5. Additionally a CT-scan controlled screw positioning postoperatively.Results. The placement was “correct” (no mediocaudal pedicle wall penetration) for 78 of 84 (92,8%) screws, “suboptimal but acceptable” (0–2 mm penetration) for 4 of 84 (4,8%) screws, and “misplaced” (penetration > 2 mm) for 2 of 84 (2,4%) screws.Conclusion. Although this study was not designed to compare electronic conductivity technique to other guidance methods, such as fluoroscopy or navigation, a convincing “proof of concept” for ECD use in spinal instrumentation could be demonstrated. Advantages include easy handling without time-consuming setup and reduced X-ray exposure. However, further investigations are necessary to evaluate i.a. the economic aspects for this single-use developed instrument.
Appetite Suppression and Antiobesity Effect of a Botanical Composition Composed ofMorus alba,Yerba mate, andMagnolia officinalis
Authors: Yimam Mesfin , Jiao Ping , Hong Mei , Brownell Lidia , Lee Young-Chul , Hyun Eu-Jin , Kim Hyun-Jin , Kim Tae-Woo , Nam Jeong-Bum , Kim Mi-Ran , Jia Qi
Published: September 2016

Background. Obesity and its comorbidities continue to challenge the world at an alarming rate. Although the long term solution lies on lifestyle changes in the form of dieting and exercising, drug, medical food, or dietary supplement interventions are required for those who are already obese. Here we describe a standardized blend composed of extracts from three medicinal plants:Morus alba,Yerba mate, andMagnolia officinalisfor appetite suppression and metabolic disorders management.Method. Extracts were standardized to yield a composition designated as UP601. Appetite suppression activity was tested in acute feed intake rat model. Efficacy was evaluated in C57BL/6J mouse models treated with oral doses of 1.3 g/kg/day for 7 weeks. Orlistat at 40 mg/kg/day was used as a positive control. Body compositions of mice were assessed using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). ELISA was done for insulin, leptin, and ghrelin level quantitation. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) scoring was conducted.Results. Marked acute hypophagia with 81.8, 75.3, 43.9, and 30.9% reductions in food intake at 2, 4, 6, and 24 hours were observed for UP601. Decreases in body weight gain (21.5% compared to the HFD at weeks 7 and 8.2% compared to baseline) and calorie intake (40.5% for the first week) were observed. 75.9% and 46.8% reductions in insulin and leptin, respectively, 4.2-fold increase in ghrelin level, and reductions of 18.6% in cholesterol and 59% in low-density lipoprotein were documented. A percentage body fat of 18.9%, 47.8%, 46.1%, and 30.4% was found for mice treated with normal control, HFD, Orlistat, and UP601, respectively. 59.3% less mesenteric fat pad and improved NASH scores were observed for UP601.Conclusion. UP601, a standardized botanical composition fromMorus alba,Yerba mate, andMagnolia officinaliscould be used as a natural alternative for appetite suppression, maintaining healthy body weight and metabolism management.
Toeplitz Matrices Whose Elements Are the Coefficients of Functions with Bounded Boundary Rotation
Authors: Radhika V. , Sivasubramanian S. , Murugusundaramoorthy G. , Jahangiri Jay M.
Published: September 2016

Let R denote the family of functions f(z)=z+∑n=2∞anzn of bounded boundary rotation so that Ref′(z)>0 in the open unit disk U={z:z<1}. We obtain sharp bounds for Toeplitz determinants whose elements are the coefficients of functions f∈R.
Validation Protocol of Vitamin D Supplementation in Patients with HIV-Infection
Authors: Lerma-Chippirraz Elisabet , Güerri-Fernández Roberto , Villar García Judit , González Mena Alicia , Guelar Grinberg Ana , Montero María Milagro , Sorli Luisa , Calzado Sonia , Horcajada Juan Pablo , Díez-Pérez Adolfo , Knobel Freud Hernando
Published: September 2016

Hypovitaminosis D and secondary hyperparathyroidism are frequent among HIV-infected patients. As there are no data about the best supplementation therapy both in treatment and in maintenance, we conducted an observational study of 300 HIV-infected patients for whom vitamin D and parathormone (PTH) had been measured in order to validate a protocol of vitamin D supplementation in patients with HIV-infection. Patients with vitamin D deficiency (defined as 25(OH)D < 10 ng/mL), insufficiency (defined as 25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL), or hyperparathyroidism (PTH > 65 pg/mL) were supplemented with cholecalciferol 16.000IU (0.266 mg) weekly (if deficiency) or fortnightly (if insufficiency or high PTH levels). Rates of normalization of 25(OH)D (levels above 20 ng/mL) and PTH levels (<65 pg/mL) were analyzed. Multivariate analysis of factors related to normalization was carried out. With a median follow-up of 2 years, 82.1% of patients with deficiency and 83.9% of cases with insufficiency reached levels above 20 ng/mL. However, only 67.2% of individuals with hyperparathyroidism at baseline reached target levels (<65 pg/mL). Independent factors for not achieving PTH objective were tenofovir (TDF) and protease inhibitors use. In HIV-infected patients with hypovitaminosis, the protocol of cholecalciferol supplementation normalized vitamin D levels regardless of antiretroviral regimen in a high proportion of patients but it was less effective to correct hyperparathyroidism.
Ostrowski Inequalities for Functions Whose First Derivatives Are Logarithmically Preinvex
Authors: Meftah Badreddine
Published: September 2016

Some Ostrowski type inequalities for functions whose first derivatives are logarithmically preinvex are established.
Design of Large Thinned Arrays Using Different Biogeography-Based Optimization Migration Models
Authors: Goudos Sotirios K. , Sahalos John N.
Published: September 2016

Array thinning is a common discrete-valued combinatorial optimization problem. Evolutionary algorithms are suitable techniques for above-mentioned problem. Biogeography-Based Optimization (BBO), which is inspired by the science of biogeography, is a stochastic population-based evolutionary algorithm (EA). The original BBO uses a linear migration model to describe how species migrate from one island to another. Other nonlinear migration models have been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we apply BBO with four different migration models to five different large array design cases. Additionally we compare results with five other popular algorithms. The problems dimensions range from 150 to 300. The results show that BBO with sinusoidal migration model generally performs better than the other algorithms. However, these results are considered to be indicative and do not generally apply to all optimization problems in antenna design.
Coinfection withTritrichomonas foetusandGiardia duodenalisin Two Cats with Chronic Diarrhea
Authors: Zanzani Sergio A. , Gazzonis Alessia L. , Scarpa Paola , Olivieri Emanuela , Balzer Hans-Jörg , Manfredi Maria Teresa
Published: September 2016

A Tritrichomonas foetusandGiardia duodenalismixed infection was diagnosed in two Maine Coon cats aged six months. One of them presented a history of chronic liquid diarrhea and of several unsuccessful treatments. In both cats,G. duodenalisand trichomonads were detected in fecal smears from freshly voided feces; the presence ofT. foetuswas confirmed by a real-time PCR assay. The cats completely recovered after treatment with ronidazole. In a refrigerated fecal sample collected from the cat with chronic diarrhea, drop-shaped trichomonad pseudocysts smaller thanG. duodenaliscysts were detected. They appeared brownish or light-bluish when stained with Lugol’s solution or with Giemsa stain, respectively, and their morphological features were similar to those expressed by bovineT. foetuspseudocystsin vitro. Existence of pseudocysts even in feline trichomonads is noteworthy as they could represent a form of protozoan resistance due to unfavorable conditions whose detection in refrigerated feces can be a useful clue for clinicians.
Adipose‐Derived Cells (Stromal Vascular Fraction) Transplanted for Orthopedical or Neurological Purposes: Are They Safe Enough?
Authors: Siennicka Katarzyna , Zolocinska Aleksandra , Stepien Karolina , Lubina-Dabrowska Natalia , Maciagowska Marzena , Zolocinska Ewa , Slysz Anna , Piusinska-Macoch Renata , Mazur Slawomir , Zdanowicz Urszula , Smigielski Robert , Stepien Adam , Pojda Zygmunt
Published: September 2016

Although mesenchymal stem cells are used in numerous clinical trials, the safety of their application is still a matter of concern. We have analysed the clinical results of the autologous adipose‐derived stem cell treatment (stromal vascular fraction (SVF) containing adipose‐derived stem cells, endothelial progenitors, and blood mononuclear cells) for orthopedic (cartilage, bone, tendon, or combined joint injuries) and neurologic (multiple sclerosis) diseases. Methods of adipose tissue collection, cell isolation and purification, and resulting cell numbers, viability, and morphology were considered, and patient’s age, sex, disease type, and method of cell administration (cell numbers per single application, treatment numbers and frequency, and methods of cell implantation) were analysed and searched for the unwanted clinical effects. Results of cellular therapy were compared retrospectively to those obtained with conventional medication without SVF application. SVF transplantation was always the accessory treatment of patients receiving “standard routine” therapies of their diseases. Clinical experiments were approved by the Bioethical Medical Committees supervising the centers where patients were hospitalised. The conclusion of the study is that none of the treated patients developed any serious adverse event, and autologous mesenchymal stem (stromal) cell clinical application is a safe procedure resulting in some beneficial clinical effects (not analysed in this study).
Rolling Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on STFT-Deep Learning and Sound Signals
Authors: Liu Hongmei , Li Lianfeng , Ma Jian
Published: September 2016

The main challenge of fault diagnosis lies in finding good fault features. A deep learning network has the ability to automatically learn good characteristics from input data in an unsupervised fashion, and its unique layer-wise pretraining and fine-tuning using the backpropagation strategy can solve the difficulties of training deep multilayer networks. Stacked sparse autoencoders or other deep architectures have shown excellent performance in speech recognition, face recognition, text classification, image recognition, and other application domains. Thus far, however, there have been very few research studies on deep learning in fault diagnosis. In this paper, a new rolling bearing fault diagnosis method that is based on short-time Fourier transform and stacked sparse autoencoder is first proposed; this method analyzes sound signals. After spectrograms are obtained by short-time Fourier transform, stacked sparse autoencoder is employed to automatically extract the fault features, and softmax regression is adopted as the method for classifying the fault modes. The proposed method, when applied to sound signals that are obtained from a rolling bearing test rig, is compared with empirical mode decomposition, Teager energy operator, and stacked sparse autoencoder when using vibration signals to verify the performance and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Heparin-Related Thrombocytopenia Triggered by Severe Status of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Bacterial Infection
Authors: Suzuki Satoshi , Nakajima Shihoko , Ando Taiki , Oda Keisuke , Sugita Manabu , Maeda Kunimi , Nakiri Yutaka , Takasaki Yoshinari
Published: September 2016

A patient with severe lupus nephritis developed thrombocytopenia during treatment with high-dose steroids. In addition to viral- or disease-induced cytopenia, the pathology was believed to arise from diverse contributing factors, such as thrombotic microangiopathy and heparin-related thrombocytopenia (HIT). By combining plasma exchange therapy and intravenous cyclophosphamide, we successfully controlled the SLE activity and improved the thrombocytopenia. An antecedent bacterial infection or SLE activity is believed to have contributed to the concurrent HIT.
Experimental Models of Oral Biofilms Developed on Inert Substrates: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Darrene Lopez-Nguyen , Cecile Badet
Published: September 2016

The oral ecosystem is a very complex environment where more than 700 different bacterial species can be found. Most of them are organized in biofilm on dental and mucosal surfaces. Studying this community is important because a rupture in stability can lead to the preeminence of pathogenic microorganisms, causing dental decay, gingivitis, or periodontitis. The multitude of species complicates biofilm analysis so its reproduction, collection, and counting are very delicate. The development of experimental models of dental biofilms was therefore essential and multiplein vitrodesigns have emerged, each of them especially adapted to observing biofilm formation of specific bacteria within specific environments. The aim of this review is to analyze oral biofilm models.
Oxygen Saturation in Closed-Globe Blunt Ocular Trauma
Authors: Long Chongde , Wen Xin , Zhong Liu-xue-ying , Zheng Yongxin , Gao Qianying
Published: September 2016

Purpose. To evaluate the oxygen saturation in retinal blood vessels in patients after closed-globe blunt ocular trauma.Design. Retrospective observational case series.Methods. Retinal oximetry was performed in both eyes of 29 patients with unilateral closed-globe blunt ocular trauma. Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), venous oxygen saturation (SvO2), arteriovenous difference in oxygen saturation (SO2), arteriolar diameter, venular diameter, and arteriovenous difference in diameter were measured. Association parameters including age, finger pulse oximetry, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and heart rate were analyzed.Results. The mean SaO2in traumatic eyes (98.1%±6.8%) was not significantly different from SaO2in unaffected ones (95.3%±7.2%) (p=0.136). Mean SvO2in traumatic eyes (57.1%±10.6%) was significantly lower than in unaffected ones (62.3%±8.4%) (p=0.044). The arteriovenous difference in SO2in traumatic eyes (41.0%±11.2%) was significantly larger than in unaffected ones (33.0%±6.9%) (p=0.002). No significant difference was observed between traumatic eyes and unaffected ones in arteriolar (p=0.249) and venular diameter (p=0.972) as well as arteriovenous difference in diameter (p=0.275).Conclusions. Oxygen consumption is increased in eyes after cgBOT, associated with lower SvO2and enlarged arteriovenous difference in SO2but not with changes in diameter of retinal vessels.
Regulation of Hepatic Stellate Cells and Fibrogenesis by Fibroblast Growth Factors
Authors: Schumacher Justin D. , Guo Grace L.
Published: September 2016

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are a family of growth factors critically involved in developmental, physiological, and pathological processes, including embryogenesis, angiogenesis, wound healing, and endocrine functions. In the liver, several FGFs are produced basally by hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Upon insult to the liver, expression of FGFs in HSCs is greatly upregulated, stimulating hepatocyte regeneration and growth. Various FGF isoforms have also been shown to directly induce HSC proliferation and activation thereby enabling autocrine and paracrine regulation of HSC function. Regulation of HSCs by the endocrine FGFs, namely, FGF15/19 and FGF21, has also recently been identified. With the ability to modulate HSC proliferation and transdifferentiation, targeting FGF signaling pathways constitutes a promising new therapeutic strategy to treat hepatic fibrosis.
Finding the Efficiency Status and Efficient Projection in Multiobjective Linear Fractional Programming: A Linear Programming Technique
Authors: Mirdehghan S. Morteza , Rostamzadeh Hassan
Published: September 2016

Multiobjective linear fractional programming (MOLFP) problems are the important problems with special structures in multiobjective optimization. In the MOLFP problems, the objective functions are linear fractional functions and the constraints are linear; that is, the feasible set is a polyhedron. In this paper, we suggest a method to identify the efficiency status of the feasible solutions of an MOLFP problem. By the proposed method, an efficient projection on the efficient space for an inefficient solution is obtained. The proposed problems are constructed in linear programming structures.
Colon Capsule Endoscopy: Review and Perspectives
Authors: Friedel David , Modayil Rani , Stavropoulos Stavros
Published: September 2016

Colon capsule endoscopy utilizing PillCam COLON 2 capsule allows for visualization potentially of the entire colon and is currently approved for patients who cannot withstand the rigors of traditional optical colonoscopy (OC) and associated sedation as well as those that had an OC that was incomplete for technical reasons other than a poor preparation. We will then describe the prior experience and current status of colon capsule endoscopy.