bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Involvement of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate in Palmitate-Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Al Fadel Frdoos , Fayyaz Susann , Japtok Lukasz , Kleuser Burkhard
Published: December 2016

Background/Aims: Ectopic lipid accumulation in hepatocytes has been identified as a risk factor for the progression of liver fibrosis and is strongly associated with obesity. In particular, the saturated fatty acid palmitate is involved in initiation of liver fibrosis via formation of secondary metabolites by hepatocytes that in turn activate hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in a paracrine manner. Methods: α-smooth muscle actin-expression (α-SMA) as a marker of liver fibrosis was investigated via western blot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy in HSCs (LX-2). Sphingolipid metabolism and the generation of the bioactive secondary metabolite sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) in response to palmitate were analyzed by LC-MS/MS in hepatocytes (HepG2). To identify the molecular mechanism involved in the progression of liver fibrosis real-time PCR analysis and pharmacological modulation of S1P receptors were performed. Results: Palmitate oversupply increased intra- and extracellular S1P-concentrations in hepatocytes. Conditioned medium from HepG2 cells initiated fibrosis by enhancing α-SMA-expression in LX-2 in a S1P-dependent manner. In accordance, fibrotic response in the presence of S1P was also observed in HSCs. Pharmacological inhibition of S1P receptors demonstrated that S1P3 is the crucial receptor subtype involved in this process. Conclusion: S1P is synthesized in hepatocytes in response to palmitate and released into the extracellular environment leading to an activation of HSCs via the S1P3 receptor.
FGF-2 Transcriptionally Down-Regulates the Expression of BNIP3L via PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a Signaling and Inhibits Necrosis and Mitochondrial Dysfunction Induced by High Concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide in H9c2 Cells
Authors: Chen Qian , Chen Xiaosong , Han Conghui , Wang Ying , Huang Tao , Du Yingdong , Dong Zhen
Published: December 2016

Background/Aims: Cardiovascular disease is a growing major global public health problem. Necrosis is one of the main forms of cardiomyocyte death in heart disease. Oxidative stress is regarded as one of the key regulators of cardiac necrosis, which eventually leads to cardiovascular disease. Many pharmacological and in vitro studies have suggested that FGF-2 can act directly on cardiomyocytes to maintain the integrity and function of the myocardium and prevent damage during oxidative stress. However, the mechanisms by which FGF-2 rescues the myocardium from oxidative stress damage in cardiovascular disease remain unclear. The present study explored the protective effects of FGF-2 in the H2O2-induced necrosis of H9C2 cardiomyocytes as well as the possible signaling pathways involved. Methods: Necrosis of H9c2 cardiomyocytes was induced by H2O2 and assessed using a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay and flow cytometry analysis. The cells were pretreated with the PI3K/Akt inhibitor Wortmannin to investigate the possible involvement of the PI3K/Akt pathway in the protection by FGF-2. The levels of Akt, p-Akt, FoxO3a, p-FoxO3a, and BNIP3L were detected by Western blot. Chromatin immuno-precipitation (ChIP) analysis was used to test whether FoxO3a binds directly to the BNIP3L promoter region. A luciferase assay was used to study the effects of FoxO3a on BNIP3L gene promoter activity. Mitochondrial ΔΨM was quantified using tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester perchlorate (TMRM). The mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate (OCR) was assessed with a Seahorse XF24 Analyzer. Results: Treatment with H2O2 decreased the phosphorylation of Akt and FoxO3a, and it induced the nuclear localization of FoxO3a and the necrosis of H9c2 cells. These effects of H2O2 were abrogated by pretreatment with FGF-2. Furthermore, the protective effects of FGF-2 were abolished by the PI3K/Akt inhibitor Wortmannin. ChIP analyses indicated that FoxO3a binds directly to the BNIP3L promoter region. Using a luciferase assay, we further observed that FoxO3a increased BNIP3L gene promoter activity. As expected, overexpression of BNIP3L in H9C2 cardiomyoblast cells reduced the cardioprotection of FGF-2 in H2O2-induced necrosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Conclusions: The present data suggest that FGF-2 protects against H2O2-induced necrosis of H9C2 cardiomyocytes via the activation of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway. Moreover, the present results demonstrate that FoxO3a is an important transcription factor that acts by binding to the promoter and promoting the transcription of BNIP3L, and it contributes to the necrosis and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by H2O2 in H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells.
Neuropsychological Outcome in Subthalamic Nucleus Stimulation Surgeries with Electrodes Passing through the Caudate Nucleus
Authors: Isler Cihan , Albi Angela , Schaper Frédéric L.W.V.J. , Temel Yasin , Duits Annelien
Published: December 2016

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in Parkinson disease (PD) is associated with postoperative cognitive decline. One of the proposed underlying mechanisms is the surgical procedure with the lead trajectory penetrating the caudate nucleus. Objective: To study whether penetration of the caudate nucleus affects neuropsychological outcome. Methods: Neuropsychological and imaging data of 30 PD patients who underwent bilateral STN DBS were analysed. Lead trajectories were evaluated leading to a group with (n = 10) and a group without penetration of the caudate nucleus (n = 20). The neuropsychological performance of each group was compared to baseline, both at 3 and 12 months postoperatively. Results: Only the Trail-Making Test part B (TMT-B) showed an interaction effect within the groups over time at 3 months postoperatively. At 12 months postoperatively, there was only a main effect of time with a decrease in performance in TMT-B for both groups. Also verbal fluency showed a significant decrease over time for both groups at 3 and 12 months postoperatively. Conclusion: Caudate nucleus penetration affects cognitive flexibility only in the short term after surgery.
Elevated Serum Uric Acid Levels Are Related to Cognitive Deterioration in an Elderly Japanese Population
Authors: Suzuki Kazushi , Koide Daisuke , Fujii Kurumi , Yamazaki Tsutomu , Tsuji Shoji , Iwata Atsushi
Published: December 2016

Aims: The association between serum uric acid (UA) levels and cognitive function is controversial since UA can be a risk factor for cerebral ischemia as well as acting as a neuroprotective antioxidant. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 228 elderly participants and examined neuropsychological test results, clinical data as well as brain magnetic resonance imaging data. Patients: Overall, 64 participants were diagnosed with cognitive deterioration. To control for the effect of sex differences, 2 independent sets of single-variable and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with quartiles divided into non-sex-specific and sex-specific cutoff values for UA. Results: In non-sex-specific quartiles, the participants in the highest quartiles of UA levels were found to be at a significantly higher risk of cognitive deterioration than those in the lowest quartiles. In sex-specific quartiles, the highest quartile showed an increased risk of cognitive deterioration, and a greater than fourfold increase in the risk in the highest quartiles was confirmed using multivariate regression models. However, no significant association was observed between serum UA levels and the presence of white matter lesions. Conclusions: Elevated serum UA levels were independently associated with cognitive deterioration. UA might have unknown adverse effects on cognitive function, other than causing vascular pathology.
Is Menstruation or the Serum Hormone Level a Useful Predictor for Live Birth after Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist during Chemotherapy in Young Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Lee Dong-Yun , Choi DooSeok
Published: December 2016

Aims: The study aimed to investigate whether changes in menstruation or hormone levels are useful parameters to assess the efficacy of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist co-treatment with chemotherapy. Methods: This study included women in their reproductive age diagnosed with breast cancer and who received GnRH agonist during chemotherapy for ovarian protection. Women with treatment failure (follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level >20 mIU/mL after at least 12 months and failure for becoming pregnant; n = 16) or with treatment success (becoming pregnant spontaneously and having a live birth; n = 20) were selected, and clinical characteristics, resumption of menstruation, and changes in hormone profiles were compared. Results: Resumption of menstruation was observed in 8 (50%) women and the time until resumption was significantly longer in the treatment failure group. Although levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and FSH at 3 and 6 months after chemotherapy did not differ between the groups, serum FSH levels were significantly higher in the treatment failure group at 12 months. However, levels of LH or estradiol were not different at each time point. Conclusion: Changes in menstruation and FSH levels at 12 months or longer may be useful parameters to predict successful spontaneous pregnancy and live birth after GnRH agonist co-treatment for ovarian protection in young breast cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy.
Long-Term Energy Deficit in Mice Causes Long-Lasting Hypothalamic Alterations after Recovery
Authors: Méquinion Mathieu , Le Thuc Ophélia , Zgheib Sara , Alexandre David , Chartrel Nicolas , Rovère Carole , Hardouin Pierre , Viltart Odile , Chauveau Christophe
Published: December 2016

Although the short-term effects of fasting or energy deficit on hypothalamic neuropeptide circuitries are now better understood, the effects of long-term energy deficit and refeeding remain to be elucidated. We showed that after a long-term energy deficit, mice exhibited persistent hypoleptinemia following the refeeding period despite restoration of fat mass, ovarian activity, and feeding behavior. We aimed to examine the hypothalamic adaptations after 10 weeks of energy deficit and after 10 further weeks of nutritional recovery. To do so, we assessed the mRNA levels of the leptin receptor and the main orexigenic and anorexigenic peptides, and their receptors regulated by leptin. Markers of hypothalamic inflammation were assessed as leptin can also participate in this phenomenon. Long-term time-restricted feeding and separation induced significant increase in mRNA levels of hypothalamic orexigenic peptides, while both Y1 and Y5 receptor mRNAs were downregulated. No changes occurred in the mRNA levels of orexin (OX), melanin-concentrating hormone, pro-opiomelanocortin, 26RFa (26-amino acid RF-amide peptide), and their receptors despite an increase in the expression of melanocortin receptors (MC3-R and MC4-R) and OXR1 (OX receptor 1). The refeeding period induced an overexpression of leptin receptor mRNA in the hypothalamus. The other assessed mRNA levels were normalized except for Y2, Y5, MC3-R, and MC4-R, which remained upregulated. No convincing changes were observed in neuroinflammatory markers, even if interleukin-1β mRNA levels were increased in parallel with those of Iba1 (ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1), a marker of microglial activation. Normalization of leptin-regulated functions and hypothalamic gene expressions in refed mice with low plasma leptin levels could be sustained by recalibration of hypothalamic sensitivity to leptin.
Impaired thrombolytic status predicts adverse cardiac events in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention
Authors: Sullivan Keith , Wellsted David , Christopoulos Christos , Farag Mohamed , Gorog Diana A.
Published: December 2016

Antithrombotic medications reduce thrombosis but increase bleeding. Identification of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients at risk of recurrent thrombosis could allow targeted treatment with potent antithrombotic medications, with less potent agents in others, to reduce bleeding. Conventional platelet function tests assess platelet reactivity only, yet there is increasing evidence that endogenous thrombolytic potential determines outcome following thrombus initiation. We investigated whether assessing both platelet reactivity and endogenous thrombolysis, could identify STEMI patients at high-risk of recurrent thrombotic events. Thrombotic status was assessed in STEMI patients, before and after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), at discharge and at 30 days; with 12 months’ followup. The time to form an occlusive thrombus under high shear (occlusion time, OT), and time to restore flow by endogenous thrombolysis (lysis time, LT) was measured using the point-of-care Global Thrombosis Test (GTT) in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory. Impaired endogenous thrombolysis (prolonged LT ≥ 3000 s), seen in 13 % patients pre-PPCI, was related to major adverse cardiac events, MACE (HR: 3.31, 95 %CI: 1.02–10.78, p = 0.045), driven by cardiovascular death (HR: 4.17, 95 %CI: 0.99–17.51, p = 0.05). Enhanced (rapid) endogenous thrombolysis (LT < 1000 s) was associated with spontaneous reperfusion, ST-segment resolution and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 3 flow pre-PPCI. Baseline OT was shorter in those with MACE (especially recurrent myocardial infarction and stroke) than those without (253 ± 150 s vs 354 ± 134 s, p=0.017). Endogenous thrombolysis, when impaired, is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, and when enhanced, with spontaneous reperfusion. Endogenous thrombolysis may be a novel target for pharmacological intervention, and allow targeting of potent antithrombotic medications to high-risk patients.
Research on bats (Chiroptera) from the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil: annotated species list and bibliographic review
Authors: Garbino Guilherme Siniciato Terra
Published: December 2016

The state of São Paulo has a high number of mammal species, a great part of those is represented by bats. In this study I conducted historical review about the research on bats from the state of São Paulo and provide the first annotated species list and bibliographic review for the state. A total of 79 extant species belonging to eight families of bats occur in São Paulo. At least seven species are represented by fossils, two of these are extinct. I also present new records of rarely sampled species in the state such as Diaemus youngii, Diphylla ecaudata, Saccopteryx leptura, Thyroptera tricolor and Micronycteris microtis. Three species, Micronycteris brosseti, Mimon crenulatum and Uroderma bilobatum were removed from the list. Also is confirmed the occurrence of Histiotus montanus and Molossus aztecus in the state.
Rolamentos e subjetivações: Ó isso aí
Authors: Carvalhaes Ana Goldenstein
Published: December 2016

Através de certo desprendimento da representação e certo abandono das individualidades dos performers, Ó é uma peça que opera a dessubjetivação, acessando sensações invisíveis do corpo. Por meio da repetição, apresenta-nos a duração em sua concretude. Ela não tem os signos como foco do trabalho. Livre da coerção da língua, volta-se para as forças que reverberam no público. Ainda não podemos significar o que acontece ali e já sentimos tanta coisa. Voltada para seus efeitos de ressonância, testemunhamos a própria transformação no fluxo de seu desenrolar. Pequenas diferenças operam nossa percepção da peça e de nós mesmos. O trabalho reverbera na esfera subjetiva: ao voltar, reconhecemo-nos diferentes. O retorno do sujeito não é o mesmo, mas deslocado e aumentado artisticamente.
A performatividade das figuras na dança coral de Lia Rodrigues em Piracema
Authors: Alcofra Gabriela Machado Freire Tournillon
Published: December 2016

A partir de um breve histórico das transformações no conceito e na prática da dramaturgia tanto no teatro quanto na dança desde a metade do século XX no ocidente, este artigo busca refletir sobre a representação e a apresentação, a performatividade e a representatividade na construção da cena contemporânea, relacionando sujeito e contexto tanto como autor quanto como espectador, tendo como objeto de estudo o espetáculo Piracema, da Lia Rodrigues Companhia de Danças.
Pendurado nas botas do Barão: reflexões sobre (meus) processos de subjetivação
Authors: Silva Carlos Eduardo
Published: December 2016

Este artigo reflete sobre a polissemia dos conceitos de identidade, sujeito e subjetivação, descobrindo-os a partir, especialmente, de Bauman, Moreno, Lacan, Maheirie, Deleuze, Foucault e Rolnik. Além disso, assumo minha pesquisa em ópera como a arte mediadora do meu processo de subjetivação atualmente, e critico a falta de porosidade em muitos processos operísticos enquanto instâncias públicas que poderiam ser atravessadas por diversas forças político-sociais, mas que resultam na desatualização do gênero e desvinculação da vida cotidiana da sociedade moderna.
Lançar
Authors: Ferrer Maria Clara
Published: December 2016

Texto de apresentaçao do dossiê sobre o autor e diretor Marcio Abreu
Os nomes do ato: PROJETO bRASIL e Nós
Authors: Lopes Angela Mousinho Leite
Published: December 2016

Este artigo procura apontar, a partir da maneira como Marcio Abreu conduz a criação de PROJETO bRASIL e Nós, os rumos que o teatro está tomando neste início do século XXI, acompanhando as transformações radicais das noções de saber, imaginação, tempo e espaço que vêm dar lugar às de performance, ato e presença, voltando a valorizar a dimensão política do fazer artístico.
Troca de e-mails entre Marcio Abreu e Eleonora Fabião
Authors: Fabião Eleonora , Abreu Marcio
Published: December 2016

Troca de emails entre Eleonora Fabião e Marcio Abreu do dia 1º ao dia 20 de setembro de 2016.
Por que os estudos da commedia dell’arte interessam ao teatro contemporâneo? Sobre o livro de Roberto Tessari La Commedia dell’Arte: genesi d’una società dello spettacolo
Authors: Rabetti Maria De Lourdes
Published: December 2016

Apresentação e análise do último livro de Roberto Tessari, historiador do teatro, sobre commedia dell’arte, expandindo-se para considerações sobre a experiência cênica singular do teatro ocidental em suas “relações” com a cena contemporânea.
Diversity of marsupial frogs (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca) in the northern Cordillera Central, Peru, with the descriptions of two new species
Authors: Duellman William E. , Venegas Pablo J.
Published: December 2016

Two new species of Gastrotheca are represented by adult females, genomic data of these are included in a phylogenetic analysis, whereby they are placed in the northern clade of the subgenus Gastrotheca. One new species, G. spectabilis, is unique within the genus in having a color pattern consisting of white labial, rostral, and canthal stripes. The second new species, G. oresbios, has a dorsal color pattern of dark paravertebral markings and canthal stripe, but no pale labial stripe; thus it resembles G. abdita, which differs by having an inner tarsal fold, a wider interorbital distance, and smooth skin on the dorsum lacking scattered tubercles as in G. oresbios. Of the nine species of Gastrotheca in the northern Cordillera Central, only G. spectabilis, G. ossilaginis, and G. oresbios lack an inner tarsal fold. The third species is represented by two juveniles; it is briefly described but not named. Of the nine species of Gastrotheca known from the high elevations in the northern part of the Cordillera Central in northern Peru, only two are members of the subgenus Duellmania that occurs principally north of the Huancabamba Depression. Only one of the nine species of species of Gastrotheca in the northern part of the Cordillera Central is shared with the Cordillera Occidental in Peru, and none of the species is shared with the Ecuadorian ranges of the Andes
Rediscovery of Dendropsophus tintinnabulum (Anura: Hylidae) in the upper Rio Negro Drainage (Amazonas, Brazil), with a description of its advertisement call and external morphology
Authors: Teixeira Bernardo Franco da Veiga , Giaretta Ariovaldo Antonio
Published: December 2016

Dendropsophus tintinnabulum is one of six species of the genus unassigned to any group. Voucher specimens and recordings of this taxon obtained during field work in the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira and elsewhere in the district of Cucuí in Amazonas state, Brazil, permit a description of the advertisement call and external morphological features. Based on overall similarities in size, dorsal color, body shape, advertisement call, and preliminary genomic results, D. tintinnabulum is tentatively assigned to the D. microcephalus Group
Reproductive biology and geographic variation of Zachaenus carvalhoi (Anura: Cycloramphidae), a Brazilian Atlantic Forest frog
Authors: Mollo Neto Antonio , Verdade Vanessa Kruth , Santana Diego José , Rios Celso Henrique Varela , Carvalho Rose Marie Hoffmann de , Rodrigues Miguel Trefaut
Published: December 2016

Information is presented on the reproductive biology, habitat, behavior, morphology, and variation in advertisement call in Zachaenus carvalhoi, a rare frog for which basic natural history data are lacking. The species inhabits forest leaf litter in the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo in southeastern Brazil. Reproductive individuals were found from October to December; females are slightly larger than males. The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently lists Zachaenus carvalhoi as Data Deficient. We suggest transferring the species to the Near Threatened category based on the IUCN criteria A2 because of the decline of the size and quality of its severely fragmented habitat
Quantifying predation pressure and the protective role of sheltered basking sites for small snakes in South Africa
Authors: Coombs Gareth
Published: December 2016

Small snakes are frequent prey of predatory birds, reptiles, and mammals. The resulting mortality rate is difficult to quantify given the low likelihood of observing such predation events. However, studies using plasticine snake models have shown that small snakes may experience relatively high rates of predation. Model snakes constructed from slow-drying clay (as a substitute to plasticine) were used to assess the predation rate on small snakes in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The model snakes were used to test whether snakes basking in semi-shaded positions, with at least half of the body covered by overhanging vegetation are detected by bird and mammal predators. There were relatively high rates of predation, with half of the unconcealed snake models experiencing attacks. The predation rate on partially concealed models is lower than on unconcealed models, but the difference is not statistically significant. Thus, basking in sheltered areas may offer snakes protection against predators; however, predation attempts on concealed models suggests that predators actively seek out areas where prey might hide. This is the first quantification of predation on small snakes in South Africa, and the results generate numerous questions relating to the behavioral ecology of the diverse snake fauna found in this country
Comparison of the biocompatibility of grey mineral trioxide aggregate and sealapex plus zinc oxide in rat subcutaneous tissue
Authors: Vita Waldécio , Reis Mitermayer Galvão , Santos Theo Araujo , Carvalho Ana Maria , Mota Cristina , Ramos Eduardo Antonio Gonçalves
Published: December 2016

ABSTRACT   Objectives:The aim of this study was to compare the subcutaneous tissue response to grey mineral trioxide aggregate white Sealapex plus zinc oxide.   Methods: Polyethylene tubes filled with tested material were implanted in the connective tissue of rats. Control animals received empty tubes. Tissue samples were collected after 7, 60, and 90 days and stained with hematoxylin-eosin, picrosirius-fast green, and von Kossa stain for morphological analysis. The connective tissue response to the implanted materials was evaluated descriptively and semi-quantitatively by scoring the degree of inflammation, granulation tissue formation, fibrosis, and calcification. Results: Examinations of the grey mineral trioxide aggregate group over time revealed more intense inflammation at 7 days than at 60 days (p <0.05). In the Sealapex plus zinc oxide group, granulation tissue was more abundant at 7 days than at 60 days (p <0.05). Regarding calcification, von Kossa-positive granules were observed in the grey mineral trioxide aggregate and Sealapex plus zinc oxide  groups at all time points studied. In the Sealapex/ZnO group, calcification was more apparent at 60 days than at 7 days (p <0.05). Relevance: This study demonstrates that all tested materials promote similar tissue reactions. Descriptors: Biocompatibility Testing, Endodontics, Dental Materials, Retrograde Obturation.
Influência das características das fibras na resistência flexural e modo de fratura dos pinos intrarradicualres
Authors: Franco Ana Paula Gebert de Oliveira , Hecke Mildred Ballin , Sydney Gilson Blitzkow , Mazur Rui Fernando , Gomes Osnara Maria Mongruel
Published: December 2016

Objetivo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a influência das características das fibras na resistência flexural e modo de fratura dos pinos. Material e Métodos: Foram selecionados pinos de fibra de vidro de diferentes marcas comerciais: Exacto, Reforpost RX, White Post DC e Superpost Glass. Os pinos foram submetidos ao teste de resistência flexural. Foi calculada a resistência flexural e o módulo de elasticidade. A microscopia eletrônica de varredura acessou o modo de fratura, fração de volume de fibras, diâmetro das fibras, presença de bolhas e falhas. A ANOVA comparou o efeito dos diâmetros das fibras na resistência flexural. O teste de Tukey determinou as diferenças dos valores de resistência flexural. O teste de múltiplas comparações de Games Howell analisou os diâmetros das fibras. O teste de Pearson estabeleceu correlações entre resistência flexural e diâmetros dos pinos. Resultados: A resistência flexural foi de 445,43 GPa para o White Post DC a 719,22 GPa para o Reforpost RX. O módulo de elasticidade variou de 6,39 GPa para o White Post DC a 23,33 GPa para o Exacto. Foram encontradas diferenças entre os diâmetros das fibras exceto entre White Post DC e Superpost Glass. Pinos lisos apresentaram fratura longitudinal e serrilhados transversal. Conclusão: Maiores diâmetros das fibras, elevaram a resistência flexural. Pinos de maiores diâmetros demonstraram maiores valores de módulo de elasticidade. O filamento metálico gerou elevação do módulo de elasticidade. Alterações abruptas no diâmetro dos pinos causam enfraquecimento e redução das propriedades mecânicas. Bolhas foram observadas em todos os pinos.
Effect of the photoactivation method on composite resin cure.
Authors: Abe Andrea Tami , Delfino Carina Sincler , Rode Kátia Martins , Turbino Miriam Lacalle
Published: December 2016

For composite resins to obtain good properties, they must present a high degree of conversion and minimal polymerization contraction. To minimize this contraction, alternative photoactivation techniques have been suggested. The objective of this study was to compare the hardness of a photoactivated composite resin using the pulse-delay, soft start and continuous conventional technique, in thicknesses of 1, 2 and 3mm. The resin was activated with halogen light and the photoactivation time and intensity varied according to the technique. The samples were stored in an oven at 37ºC for one week and submitted to the Vickers microhardness test, on both the irradiated surface and the opposite surface. The results were submitted to ANOVA and the Tukey’s test with a level of significance of 5%. It was concluded that the hardness was higher with photoactivation of 40 seconds and for the techniques that had the same photoactivation time (20 seconds) there was no difference in terms of hardness. Therefore the hardness is not influenced by the technique, but rather, by the polymerization time.
Dye-enhanced laser fluorescence detection on natural caries lesions in primary teeth
Authors: Mendes Fausto Medeiros , Leamari Victor Moreira , Wanderley Márcia Turolla , Braga Mariana Minatel , Mattos-Silveira Juliana , Nicolau José
Published: December 2016

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association of two fluorescent dyes and Laser Fluorescence (LF) device in detecting smooth and occlusal natural caries in primary teeth in vitro.Methods: Measurements were performed with the LF and with LF associated with tetrakis (N-methylpyridyl)porphyrin (LF TMPyP) and protoporphyrin IX (LF PPIX) in 72 smooth (63 primary molars) and 134 occlusal sites (81 primary molars). For validation, surfaces were sectioned and sections obtained were evaluated under stereomicroscope. Smooth surfaces were also evaluated using polarized light microscopy and Knoop microhardness. For both smooth and occlusal surfaces, ROC analyses were performed, and sensitivities, specificities and accuracies were assessed. In smooth surfaces, Pearson’s correlation coefficients between LF values and lesions hardness or lesions depth were calculated.Results: LF TMPyP presented higher correlation with hardness and lesion depth than other methods in smooth surfaces. No differences were observed in other parameters among the methods, in both smooth and occlusal surfaces.Relevance: The LF TMPyP might improve performance in quantifying smooth-surface caries lesions in primary teeth. However, the sensitivity is improved at D2 (caries extending into inner half of the enamel but not to amelodentinal junction) threshold when using PPIX in smooth caries lesions. The association of LF with fluorescent dyes does not improve the performance on occlusal caries.
Regional Longitudinal Deformation Improves Prediction of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction
Authors: Biering-Sørensen Tor , Knappe Dorit , Pouleur Anne-Catherine , Claggett Brian , Wang Paul J. , Moss Arthur J. , Solomon Scott D. , Kutyifa Valentina
Published: December 2016

Background—

Left ventricular dysfunction is a known predictor of ventricular arrhythmias. We hypothesized that measures of regional longitudinal deformation by speckle-tracking echocardiography predict ventricular tachyarrhythmias and provide incremental prognostic information over clinical and conventional echocardiographic characteristics.

Methods and Results—

We studied 1064 patients enrolled in the MADIT-CRT trial (Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy) with speckle-tracking data available. Peak longitudinal strain was obtained for the septal, lateral, anterior, and inferior myocardial walls at baseline. The end point was the first event of ventricular tachycardia (VT) or fibrillation (VF). During the median follow-up of 2.9 years, 254 (24%) patients developed VT/VF. Patients with VT/VF had significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction (28.3% versus 29.5%;
P
<0.001) and longitudinal strain in all myocardial walls compared with patients without VT/VF (anterior-strain, −7.7% versus −8.8%;
P
<0.001; lateral-strain, −7.3% versus −7.9%;
P
=0.022; inferior-strain, −8.3% versus −9.9%;
P
<0.001; septal-strain, −9.1% versus −10.0%;
P
<0.001). After multivariate adjustment, only anterior and inferior longitudinal strain remained independent predictors of VT/VF (anterior: hazard ratio, 1.08 [1.03–1.13];
P
=0.001; inferior: hazard ratio, 1.08 [1.04–1.12];
P
<0.001; per 1% absolute decrease for both). When including B-type natriuretic peptide in the model, only a decreasing myocardial function in the inferior myocardial wall predicted VT/VF (hazard ratio, 1.05 [1.00–1.11];
P
=0.039). Only strain obtained from the inferior myocardial wall provided incremental prognostic information for VT/VF over clinical and echocardiographic parameters (C statistic 0.71 versus 0.69;
P
=0.005).

Conclusions—

Assessment of regional longitudinal myocardial deformation in the inferior region provided incremental prognostic information over clinical and echocardiographic risk factors in predicting ventricular tachyarrhythmias.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00180271.
Direct Reprogramming of Human Dermal Fibroblasts Into Endothelial Cells Using ER71/ETV2
Authors: Lee Sangho , Park Changwon , Han Ji Woong , Kim Ju Young , Cho Kyuwon , Kim Eun Jae , Kim Sangsung , Lee Shin-Jeong , Oh Se Yeong , Tanaka Yoshiaki , Park In-Hyun , An Hyo Jae , Shin Claire Min , Sharma Shraya , Yoon Young-sup
Published: December 2016

Rationale:

Direct conversion or reprogramming of human postnatal cells into endothelial cells (ECs), bypassing stem or progenitor cell status, is crucial for regenerative medicine, cell therapy, and pathophysiological investigation but has remained largely unexplored.

Objective:

We sought to directly reprogram human postnatal dermal fibroblasts to ECs with vasculogenic and endothelial transcription factors and determine their vascularizing and therapeutic potential.

Methods and Results:

We utilized various combinations of 7 EC transcription factors to transduce human postnatal dermal fibroblasts and found that ER71/ETV2 (ETS variant 2) alone best induced endothelial features. KDR
+
(kinase insert domain receptor) cells sorted at day 7 from ER71/ETV2-transduced human postnatal dermal fibroblasts showed less mature but enriched endothelial characteristics and thus were referred to as early reprogrammed ECs (rECs), and did not undergo maturation by further culture. After a period of several weeks’ transgene-free culture followed by transient reinduction of ER71/ETV2, early rECs matured during 3 months of culture and showed reduced ETV2 expression, reaching a mature phenotype similar to postnatal human ECs. These were termed late rECs. While early rECs exhibited an immature phenotype, their implantation into ischemic hindlimbs induced enhanced recovery from ischemia. These 2 rECs showed clear capacity for contributing to new vessel formation through direct vascular incorporation in vivo. Paracrine or proangiogenic effects of implanted early rECs played a significant role in repairing hindlimb ischemia.

Conclusions:

This study for the first time demonstrates that ER71/ETV2 alone can directly reprogram human postnatal cells to functional, mature ECs after an intervening transgene-free period. These rECs could be valuable for cell therapy, personalized disease investigation, and exploration of the reprogramming process.
Pain Tolerance in Persons With Recognized and Unrecognized Myocardial Infarction: A Population‐Based, Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: Øhrn Andrea Milde , Nielsen Christopher Sivert , Schirmer Henrik , Stubhaug Audun , Wilsgaard Tom , Lindekleiv Haakon
Published: December 2016

Background

Unrecognized myocardial infarction (
MI
) is a prevalent condition associated with a similar risk of death as recognized
MI
. It is unknown why some persons experience
MI
with few or no symptoms; however, one possible explanation is attenuated pain sensitivity. To our knowledge, no previous study has examined the association between pain sensitivity and recognition of
MI
.

Methods and Results

We conducted a population‐based cross‐sectional study with 4849 included participants who underwent the cold pressor test (a common experimental pain assay) and ECG. Unrecognized
MI
was present in 387 (8%) and recognized
MI
in 227 (4.7%) participants. Participants with unrecognized
MI
endured the cold pressor test significantly longer than participants with recognized
MI
(hazard ratio for aborting the cold pressor test, 0.64;
CI
, 0.47–0.88), adjusted for age and sex. The association was attenuated and borderline significant after multivariable adjustment. The association between unrecognized
MI
and lower pain sensitivity was stronger in women than in men, and statistically significant in women only, but interaction testing was not statistically significant (
P
for interaction=0.14).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that persons who experience unrecognized
MI
have reduced pain sensitivity compared with persons who experience recognized
MI
. This may partially explain the lack of symptoms associated with unrecognized
MI
.
Impaired High‐Density Lipoprotein Anti‐Oxidative Function Is Associated With Outcome in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure
Authors: Schrutka Lore , Distelmaier Klaus , Hohensinner Philipp , Sulzgruber Patrick , Lang Irene M. , Maurer Gerald , Wojta Johann , Hülsmann Martin , Niessner Alexander , Koller Lorenz
Published: December 2016

Background

Oxidative stress is mechanistically linked to the pathogenesis of chronic heart failure (
CHF
). Antioxidative functions of high‐density lipoprotein (
HDL
) particles have been found impaired in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy; however, the impact of antioxidative
HDL
capacities on clinical outcome in
CHF
patients is unknown. We therefore investigated the predictive value of antioxidative
HDL
function on mortality in a representative cohort of patients with
CHF
.

Methods and Results

We prospectively enrolled 320 consecutive patients admitted to our outpatient department for heart failure and determined antioxidative
HDL
function using the
HDL
oxidative index (
HOI
). During a median follow‐up time of 2.8 (
IQR
: 1.8‐4.9) years, 88 (27.5%) patients reached the combined cardiovascular endpoint defined as the combination of death due to cardiovascular events and heart transplantation. An
HOI
≥1 was significantly associated with survival free of cardiovascular events in Cox regression analysis with a hazard ratio (
HR
) of 2.28 (95%
CI
1.48‐3.51,
P
<0.001). This association remained significant after comprehensive multivariable adjustment for potential confounders with an adjusted
HR
of 1.83 (95%
CI
1.1‐2.92,
P
=0.012). Determination of
HOI
significantly enhanced risk prediction beyond that achievable with N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide indicated by improvements in net reclassification index (32.4%,
P
=0.009) and integrated discrimination improvement (1.4%,
P
=0.04).

Conclusions

Impaired antioxidative
HDL
function represents a strong and independent predictor of mortality in patients with
CHF
. Implementation of
HOI
leads to a substantial improvement of risk prediction in patients with
CHF
.
Fighting for King Coal’s Crown: Business Actors in the US Coal and Utility Industries
Authors: Downie Christian
Published: December 2016

Over the last two decades, business actors have received growing attention in global environmental politics. In the context of climate change, scholars have demonstrated the capacity of business actors to directly shape outcomes at the national, international, and transnational levels. However, very little work has focused exclusively on business actors in the coal and utility industries. This is surprising, given that resistance from these industries could delay or even derail government attempts to address climate change. Accordingly, this article focuses directly on the preferences of business actors in the coal and utility industries. Drawing on interviews with executives across the US energy sector, it considers business preferences on two of the most important attempts by the Obama administration to limit emissions from coal: the Waxman-Markey bill and the Clean Power Plan. In doing so, it provides new insights about the preferences of these actors and the divisions within these industries that could be exploited by policy-makers and activists seeking to enact climate change regulations.
Stakeholder Engagement in the Making: IPBES Legitimization Politics
Authors: Esguerra Alejandro , Beck Silke , Lidskog Rolf
Published: December 2016

A growing number of expert organizations aim to provide knowledge for global environmental policy-making. Recently, there have also been explicit calls for stakeholder engagement at the global level to make scientific knowledge relevant and usable on the ground. The newly established Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is one of the first international expert organizations to have systematically developed a strategy for stakeholder engagement in its own right. In this article, we analyze the emergence of this strategy. Employing the concept “politics of legitimation,” we examine how and for what reasons stakeholder engagement was introduced, justified, and finally endorsed, as well as its effects. The article explores the process of institutionalizing stakeholder engagement, as well as reconstructing the contestation of the operative norms (membership, tasks, and accountability) regulating the rules for this engagement. We conclude by discussing the broader importance of the findings for IPBES, as well as for international expert organizations in general.
Missionaries’ Rivalry in Kenya and the Establishment of St. Mary’s School Yala
Authors: Okello Belindah Aluoch , Nyakwaka Dorothy
Published: December 2016

This article discusses the establishment of St. Mary School Yala, a school begun by the Mill Hill Missionaries as an incentive to attract potential African converts to Catholicism. The school was the outcome of fierce rivalry among missionary groups to spread their denominational faith. Provision of formal education became a popular method of enticing potential converts when colonialism took root as Africans then began flocking mission stations in search of this education to survive the colonial economy. Data for this study was collected from the Kenya National Archive, oral interviews, and from published works on missionary activity in their early years of settlement in Kenya. The study has applied Christian Apologetics theory in analysing the missionaries’ conflict which initiated the establishment of St. Mary’s School; and Dahrendorf’s Theory of Social Conflict in examining conflicts between missionaries, Africans and the colonial state which steered the later development of St. Mary’s School.
Reading Hobbes’s Sovereign into a Burmese Narrative of Police Torture
Authors: Cheesman Nick
Published: December 2016

Throughout February 2012, a court sitting at Myanmar’s central prison recorded a defendant’s narrative of torture by policemen to have him confess to a bombing two years prior. How was this record made possible? What does the narrative reveal about the relationship of police torturers to the political community giving them authority to act? Working from Agamben’s intuition that in the moment of violence the policeman occupies an area symmetrical to the sovereign, inasmuch as his use of violence is justified in the name of public order, I suggest the account of police torture in this case can be explained in terms of Hobbes’s theory of attributed action. Like Hobbes’s sovereign, the Burmese policemen had the prerogative to decide when and how to use violence against the detained subject on behalf of the state. That the defendant could later recount to a judge the torture done to him was only because he lacked standing to lay claims against sovereign police, who he himself, as a member of the political community, had authorised. Ironically, the record of his narrative was possible precisely because his claims were without efficacy.
Permission to Torture
Authors: Humphrey Michael
Published: December 2016

9/11 introduced a new phase in us foreign policy launching the war on terror. Integral to this new us global counterinsurgency was the use of torture as technique deployed to save us lives threatened by international terrorism. President George Bush’s declaration in 2001, ‘Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists’ expresses the logic of counterinsurgency strategy to divide the world into friends and enemies. The division of the world into friends and enemies is based on asymmetrical counterconcepts based on the negation of the ‘Other’. This article argues that the legitimation of torture in the Cold War and Post 9/11 eras arises from imperial/global politics based on a counterinsurgency, terror and torture nexus. Through an analysis of the role of torture in Cold War us counterinsurgency policy in Latin America it argues that torture was a technique of governance to produce victims and forge new political subjectivities. In the Latin American dictatorships abduction, detention and secrecy created legal voids that allowed torture. Post 9/11 global counterinsurgency practices are differentiated between geographical zones identified as the zone of integration and zone of intervention. It is in the zone of intervention that torture has been deployed as a technique in which the distinction between civilian and terrorist has become blurred. It argues that Obama’s failure to close Guantánamo Bay prison as promised reveals that global counterinsurgency continues and that the issue of the us military or intelligence resort to torture remains live despite legal and political attempts to stop it.
Transferring Responsibility?
Authors: Richmond Sean
Published: December 2016

This article examines the influence and interpretation of international law in Australia’s policy and conduct regarding captured individuals during the recent Afghanistan Conflict. By critically analysing declassified government documents, Parliamentary statements, and original interview data with former Foreign Minister and Defence Minister Stephen Smith, I advance a two-pronged argument. First, contrary to what other sombre studies of the anti-torture norm might predict, Australia’s understanding of fundamental international legal rules pertaining to captured individuals in armed conflict – including the humane treatment principle and the prohibition on torture – helped regulate its policies and actions during the Afghan war. By regulate, the article posits that Australia’s policies and behaviour were governed or controlled in part by a felt sense of legal obligation among some key policy-makers. Second, like its allies Britain and Canada, Australia claimed it did not formally detain individuals during the initial years of the Afghanistan Conflict, even though it appears to have factually captured and transferred some people to United States (us) and Afghan authorities. As the war dragged on, and Australia’s troop contributions increased and local hostilities worsened, Australia – again like its allies – relied on detainee agreements and changed its conduct to try to protect captured individuals and transferees from abuse. Despite such agreements and changes, critics contend that transferred captives faced a significant risk of torture in Afghan jails, particularly those run by the country’s intelligence agency. This suggests that state and non-state views of what the prohibition on transferring to possible torture requires in practice are less settled than related shared understandings of other fundamental prisoner protections in international law and armed conflict.
Syzygium sirindhorniae (Myrtaceae), a new species from Thailand
Authors: CHANTARANOTHAI PRANOM , SUKSATHAN PIYAKASET , WONGNAK METHEE
Published: December 2016

A new species, Syzygium sirindhorniae, from Thailand, is described, illustrated and compared with Syzygium bokoense. This species is known from a restricted locality in northern Thailand which is within a protected area. A conservation status of Near Threatened (NT) is merited.
New Freshwater Gomphonemoid Diatoms from Streams in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, USA
Authors: STANCHEVA ROSALINA , SHEATH ROBERT G. , KOCIOLEK J. PATRICK
Published: December 2016

Light and scanning electron microscopic observations of three new species of freshwater gomphonemoid diatoms are presented from mountain streams in California: Gomphonema californicum sp. nov., Gomphonema sierrianum sp. nov., and Gomphoneis oreophila sp. nov. Two of the species have morphological novelties related to the structure of the areolae, which are discussed in comparison with similar taxa. Gomphonema californicum shows a variety of areolar morphologies (i.e. lineola-like, c-shaped, and circular) within a single uniseriate stria. Unique to Gomphoneis oreophila, a member of the Herculeana subgroup, are the uniform areolae with circular openings without apparent occlusions. All of these species are distributed in remote streams of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, suggesting there are still new species to be found in this biodiversity-rich region.