bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regional Blood Acidification Enhances Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal
Authors: Zanella Alberto , Mangili Paolo , Redaelli Sara , Scaravilli Vittorio , Giani Marco , Ferlicca Daniela , Scaccabarozzi Diletta , Pirrone Federica , Albertini Mariangela , Patroniti Nicolò , Pesenti Antonio
Published: December 2013

Background:

Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal has been proposed to achieve protective ventilation in patients at risk for ventilator-induced lung injury. In an acute study, the authors previously described an extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal technique enhanced by regional extracorporeal blood acidification. The current study evaluates efficacy and feasibility of such technology applied for 48 h.

Methods:

Ten pigs were connected to a low-flow veno-venous extracorporeal circuit (blood flow rate, 0.25 l/min) including a membrane lung. Blood acidification was achieved in eight pigs by continuous infusion of 2.5 mEq/min of lactic acid at the membrane lung inlet. The acid infusion was interrupted for 1 h at the 24 and 48 h. Two control pigs did not receive acidification. At baseline and every 8 h thereafter, the authors measured blood lactate, gases, chemistry, and the amount of carbon dioxide removed by the membrane lung (VCO2ML). The authors also measured erythrocyte metabolites and selected cytokines. Histological and metalloproteinases analyses were performed on selected organs.

Results:

Blood acidification consistently increased VCO2ML by 62 to 78%, from 79 ± 13 to 128 ± 22 ml/min at baseline, from 60 ± 8 to 101 ± 16 ml/min at 24 h, and from 54 ± 6 to 96 ± 16 ml/min at 48 h. During regional acidification, arterial pH decreased slightly (average reduction, 0.04), whereas arterial lactate remained lower than 4 mEq/l. No sign of organ and erythrocyte damage was recorded.

Conclusion:

Infusion of lactic acid at the membrane lung inlet consistently increased VCO2ML providing a safe removal of carbon dioxide from only 250 ml/min extracorporeal blood flow in amounts equivalent to 50% production of an adult man.
Controlling X-ray beam trajectory with a flexible hollow glass fibre
Authors: Tanaka Yoshihito , Nakatani Takashi , Onitsuka Rena , Sawada Kei , Takahashi Isao
Published: December 2013

A metre-length flexible hollow glass fibre with 20 µm-bore and 1.5 mm-cladding diameters for transporting a synchrotron X-ray beam and controlling the trajectory has been examined. The large cladding diameter maintains a moderate curvature to satisfy the shallow glancing angle of total reflection. The observed transmission efficiency was more than 20% at 12.4 keV. As a demonstration, a wide-area scan of a synchrotron radiation beam was performed to identify the elements for a fixed metal film through its absorption spectra.
Azobenzene-based difunctional halogen-bond donor: towards the engineering of photoresponsive co-crystals
Authors: Saccone Marco , Terraneo Giancarlo , Pilati Tullio , Cavallo Gabriella , Priimagi Arri , Metrangolo Pierangelo , Resnati Giuseppe
Published: December 2013

Halogen bonding is emerging as a powerful non-covalent interaction in the context of supramolecular photoresponsive materials design, particularly due to its high directionality. In order to obtain further insight into the solid-state features of halogen-bonded photoactive molecules, three halogen-bonded co-crystals containing an azobenzene-based difunctional halogen-bond donor molecule, (E)-bis(4-iodo-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl)diazene, C12F8I2N2, have been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure of the non-iodinated homologue (E)-bis(2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl)diazene, C12H2F8N2, is also reported. It is demonstrated that the studied halogen-bond donor molecule is a reliable tecton for assembling halogen-bonded co-crystals with potential photoresponsive behaviour. The azo group is not involved in any specific intermolecular interactions in any of the co-crystals studied, which is an interesting feature in the context of enhanced photoisomerization behaviour and photoactive properties of the material systems.
Spin-coupling in dimers of 2,3-dicyano-5,6-dichlorosemiquinone radical anions in the crystalline state
Authors: Molčanov Krešimir , Babić Darko , Kojić-Prodić Biserka , Stare Jernej , Maltar-Strmečki Nadica , Androš Lidija
Published: December 2013

A crystal engineering approach is used to stabilize a radical anion in the crystalline state and to modulate the separation distance within π-stacks of anion radicals. Alkali metal salts of 2,3-dicyano-5,6-dichlorosemiquinone (C8Cl2N2O2, DDQ^{\bullet -}) radical anions were prepared and their crystal structures determined: LiDDQ·2H2O·(CH3)2CO, RbDDQ·2H2O and CsDDQ·2H2O. In these structures, stacked dimers of radical anions are formed within π-stacked columns. Within the stacked dimers, interplanar separation distances are significantly shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii for two C atoms; the shortest is 2.812 Å for the Li salt and the longest is 2.925 Å for the Cs salt. Diamagnetic character, observed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, indicates spin-coupling of the unpaired electrons within the radical anion dimer. The electron-rich cyano substituents on DDQ^{\bullet -} influence the electron redistribution within the ring skeleton. The crystalline compounds are also characterized by IR spectroscopy, complemented by quantum-chemical calculations based on both isolated and periodic models.
Crystalline metal-organic frameworks (MOFs): synthesis, structure and function
Authors: Dey Chandan , Kundu Tanay , Biswal Bishnu P. , Mallick Arijit , Banerjee Rahul
Published: December 2013

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of hybrid network supramolecular solid materials comprised of organized organic linkers and metal cations. They can display enormously high surface areas with tunable pore size and functionality, and can be used as hosts for a range of guest molecules. Since their discovery, MOFs have experienced widespread exploration for their applications in gas storage, drug delivery and sensing. This article covers general and modern synthetic strategies to prepare MOFs, and discusses their structural diversity and properties with respect to application perspectives.
Species richness of limestone grasslands increases with trait overlap: evidence from within‐ and between‐species functional diversity partitioning
Authors: Le Bagousse‐Pinguet Yoann , de Bello Francesco , Vandewalle Marie , Leps Jan , Sykes Martin T.
Published: December 2013

Considering both within‐ and between‐species functional diversities in plant communities has been recently suggested as a way to understand potential assembly mechanisms that control species coexistence. In particular, relating variations in species richness to within‐ and between‐species functional diversities can provide a useful framework for evaluating the importance of alternative community assembly theories. In addition, little is known about whether the relationship between species richness and functional diversity components arises from direct or indirect effects of the abiotic environment.

We tested the relationship between functional diversity and species richness by disentangling functional diversity components into within‐species, between‐species and total functional diversities and by considering potential direct and indirect effects of the abiotic conditions. Multi‐ and single‐trait approaches were applied using three key plant functional traits (height, specific leaf area (SLA), LDMC). Traits were measured on species coexisting across sixteen species‐rich limestone grasslands. Direct and indirect effects of the abiotic conditions were evaluated using multiple soil properties including heterogeneity in soil depths.

The within‐species functional diversity ranged between 13.5% and 33.6% of the total functional diversity. Within‐species diversity was the main functional component linked to variations in species richness, despite the within‐species functional diversity being lower than between‐species functional diversity. Environmental soil properties had a direct effect on species richness but did not affect functional diversity components.

Synthesis: Our results provide evidence that increasing the trait overlap between species, due to an increase in within‐species diversity, may relate to greater species coexistence. Disentangling multiple functional diversity components indicated that there may be equalizing mechanisms that act as potential drivers of species coexistence. In addition, it suggests the possibility that this approach may provide a better understanding of the processes involved in the structure of plant communities.
Functional diversity supports the physiological tolerance hypothesis for plant species richness along climatic gradients
Authors: Spasojevic Marko J. , Grace James B. , Harrison Susan , Damschen Ellen I.
Published: December 2013

The physiological tolerance hypothesis proposes that plant species richness is highest in warm and/or wet climates because a wider range of functional strategies can persist under such conditions. Functional diversity metrics, combined with statistical modelling, offer new ways to test whether diversity–environment relationships are consistent with this hypothesis.

In a classic study by R.H. Whittaker (Ecological Monographs, 1960), herb species richness declined from mesic (cool, moist, northerly) slopes to xeric (hot, dry, southerly) slopes. Building on this data set, we measured four plant functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area, leaf water content and foliar C:N) and used them to calculate three functional diversity metrics (functional richness, evenness and dispersion). We then used a structural equation model to ask whether ‘functional diversity’ (modelled as the joint responses of richness, evenness and dispersion) could explain the observed relationship of topographic climate gradients to species richness. We then repeated our model examining the functional diversity of each of the four traits individually.

Consistent with the physiological tolerance hypothesis, we found that functional diversity was higher in more favourable climatic conditions (mesic slopes) and that multivariate functional diversity mediated the relationship of the topographic climate gradient to plant species richness. We found similar patterns for models focusing on individual trait functional diversity of leaf water content and foliar C:N.

Synthesis. Our results provide trait‐based support for the physiological tolerance hypothesis, suggesting that benign climates support more species because they allow for a wider range of functional strategies.
Beating Social Democracy on Its Own Turf: Issue Convergence as Winning Formula for the Centre‐Right in Universal Welfare States
Authors: Arndt Christoph
Published: December 2013

Recent elections yielded sweeping majorities for the centre‐right in Scandinavia with a decade of pure centre‐right majorities in Denmark and the longest sitting centre‐right coalition in Sweden for decades. This is a blind spot in the issue voting literature, which would not expect centre‐right parties to flourish in contexts where welfare issues have a natural salience as in the case of universal welfare states. In contrast, Scandinavian universal welfare states ought to benefit social democracy when it comes to issue voting on welfare issues. It is argued in this article that centre‐right parties can beat social democrats by credibly converging to its social democratic opponent on issues of universal welfare. Issue ownership voting to the benefit of centre‐right parties will then be strongest among voters perceiving the centre‐right to have converged to social democracy and perceiving the centre‐right as issue‐owner. Using Danish National Election Studies, 1998–2007, the article shows that the Danish Liberal Party outperformed the Social Democrats on traditional welfare issues among those voters perceiving the Liberals to be ideologically close to the social democrats. The findings help us to understand why centre‐right parties have recently turned into serious competitors on social democracy's turf: the universal welfare state.
The Many Faces of Accountability: Comparing Reforms in Welfare, Hospitals and Migration
Authors: Byrkjeflot Haldor , Christensen Tom , Lægreid Per
Published: December 2013

Welfare reforms involve trade‐off between different accountability types, such as political, administrative, legal and social accountability. This variety of accountability types is used to investigate consequences of reforms in three different welfare services in Norway; social services, hospitals and immigration. The study finds that more complex, dynamic and layered accountability forms are emerging, but that there are some differences across reform areas. The reforms in immigration seem to change accountability relations the most in hospitals, administrative and political accountability is up against professional accountability, and we see that politicians lack overall capacity and have to rely on administrative accountability in social services. In order to analyze how reforms affect accountability relations one has to study both the formal and informal changes, as well as the relationship between politics and professionalism.
Party politics and the survival of central bank governors
Authors: Ennser‐Jedenastik Laurenz
Published: December 2013

Legally independent central banks leave elected politicians with little direct control over monetary policy. The most important indirect channel of influence for governments thus consists in appointing ‘responsive’ central bank officials and removing ‘hostile’ ones. This premise is tested by examining the effect of partisan ties between central bank governors and governments or presidents in 30 European democracies between 1945 and 2012. Drawing on an original dataset containing information on the party affiliations of 195 governors, event history models are employed to show that affiliation with a party represented in the executive (the government or the presidency) has a large and significant positive effect on governor survival. However, affiliation with an opposition party only increases governors' hazards during the first four years of their term, suggesting that the impact of the party label may be overridden as more reliable information about a governor becomes available.
Evaluation of fall armyworm resistance in maize germplasm lines using visual leaf injury rating and predator survey
Authors: Ni Xinzhi , Xu Wenwei , Blanco Michael H. , Williams W. Paul
Published: December 2013

After examining ear‐colonizing pest resistance, 20 maize lines from the USDA‐ARS Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) Program were evaluated for whorl‐feeding fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) resistance using 4 maize inbred lines as the resistant and susceptible controls. Both FAW injury ratings at 7‐ and 14‐d after infestation, and predator abundance and diversity at whorl stage (V6–V8) were recorded in 2009 and 2010. The survey of the diversity and abundance of predators in each experimental plot were conducted 7 d after the FAW infestation. Of the 20 germplasm lines examined, 3 of them (i.e., entries 9, 15, and 19 that were derived from tropical maize germplasm lines were originated from Uruguay, Cuba, and Thailand, respectively) were identified as the best FAW‐resistant germplasm lines using the leaf injury ratings and predator survey data. In addition, the abundance and diversity of the predators were greater in 2010 than in 2009, which might have caused the low level of the FAW injury ratings on all lines examined in 2010. The 2‐year data showed that the FAW injury ratings were negatively correlated to the predator abundance and diversity, which is also influence by genotype × environment interactions. The findings suggested that tropical germplasm is an important source of native resistance to the FAW and the corn earworm. At the same time, the maize genotype × environment interaction (e.g., predator attractiveness, and varying weather conditions) should be included in the multiple‐year evaluations of insect and disease resistance of maize germplasm lines under field conditions.
Gas in the rectum tends to reduce during radical external beam radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer
Authors: Nakamura Naoki , Hatanaka Shogo , Takahashi Osamu , Mizuno Norifumi , Endo Haruna , Tamaki Seiichi , Shikama Naoto , Ogita Mami , Kawamori Jiro , Sekiguchi Kenji
Published: December 2013

Purpose

This study aims to clarify the time‐course of gas accumulation in the rectum during treatment as guidance for the management of rectal volumes.

Materials and Methods

We reviewed 2042 sets (35.2 sets per patient) of anteroposterior and right–left mega voltage (MV) images obtained for daily set‐up from 58 patients who underwent radical external beam radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer. The patients were instructed to take magnesium oxide tablets during radiotherapy. They were also encouraged to avoid foods that might cause intestinal gas during radiotherapy. Gas accumulation in the rectum was graded into three classes by the same radiation oncologist. If no gas was seen in the rectum, it was classified as grade 0. A small amount of gas was classified as grade 1, whereas a marked amount of gas that required removal was classified as grade 2.

Results

Of the 2042 sets of MV images, grades 1 and 2 gas accumulation were seen in 332 (16%) and 156 (8%), respectively. By the trend test, gas accumulation significantly decreased towards the end of treatment (P = 0.02 for grade 1 or 2 and P = 0.02 for grade 2). On multivariate analysis, we did not identify any significant independent predictors for either baseline gas accumulation or gas reduction.

Conclusion

Gas accumulation tended to decrease until the end of treatment. This tendency should be reconfirmed by other institutions.
Distribution of Norway spruce bark and wood‐boring beetles along Alpine elevational gradients
Authors: Chinellato Fabio , Faccoli Massimo , Marini Lorenzo , Battisti Andrea
Published: December 2013

Temperature is probably the most important driver of insect response to climate change and has many implications at both individual and population levels. The present study explored how elevation, as a proxy for temperature, affects the abundance and diversity of bark and wood‐boring beetles associated with Norway spruce (Picea abies) along its southern range.

We selected three elevational gradients (approximately 900–1500 m) in spruce stands in the south‐eastern Alps, each consisting of four locations. From April to September 2011, four traps of different types were installed at each location: three baited with generic lures (α‐pinene and ethanol) and one baited with a pheromone specific for Ips typographus. In addition, three fresh spruce logs were exposed on the same locations.

Species richness did not vary significantly with elevation, whereas the abundance of most individual species did. Generally, aggressive species responded positively to higher temperature, whereas most non‐aggressive species responded negatively.

In a warming scenario, it is likely that spruce forests will face increasing damage from aggressive species. This will threaten the growth and survival of Norway spruce at low elevation, especially at southern latitudes.
Moxifloxacin dosing in post‐bariatric surgery patients
Authors: Colin Pieter , Eleveld Douglas J. , Struys Michel M. R. F. , T'Jollyn Huybrecht , Bortel Luc M. Van , Ruige Johannes , De Waele Jan , Van Bocxlaer Jan , Boussery Koen
Published: December 2013

Introduction

Given the ever increasing number of obese patients and obesity related bypass surgery, dosing recommendations in the post‐bypass population are needed. Using a population pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis and PK–pharmacodynamic (PD) simulations, we investigated whether adequate moxifloxacin concentrations are achieved in this population.

Methods

In this modelling and simulation study we used data from a trial on moxifloxacin PK. In this trial, volunteers who had previously undergone bariatric surgery (at least 6 months prior to inclusion), received two doses (intravenous and oral) of 400 mg moxifloxacin administered on two occasions.

Results

In contrast to other papers, we found that moxifloxacin PK were best described by a three compartmental model using lean body mass (LBM) as a predictor for moxifloxacin clearance. Furthermore, we showed that the probability of target attainment for bacterial eradication against a hypothetical Streptococcus pneumoniae infection is compromised in patients with higher LBM, especially when targeting microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.5 mg l−1 or higher (probability of target attainment (PTA) approaching zero). When considering the targets for suppression of bacterial resistance formation, even at MIC values as low as 0.25 mg l−1, standard moxifloxacin dosing does not attain adequate levels in this population. Furthermore, for patients with a LBM of 78 kg or higher, the probability of hitting this target approaches zero.

Conclusions

Throughout our PK–PD simulation study, it became apparent that, whenever optimal bacterial resistance suppression is deemed necessary, the standard moxifloxacin dosing will not be sufficient. Furthermore, our study emphasizes the need for a LBM based individualized dosing of moxifloxacin in this patient population.
A Bayesian extension of the hypergeometric test for functional enrichment analysis
Authors: Cao Jing , Zhang Song
Published: December 2013

Functional enrichment analysis is conducted on high‐throughput data to provide functional interpretation for a list of genes or proteins that share a common property, such as being differentially expressed (DE). The hypergeometricP‐value has been widely used to investigate whether genes from pre‐defined functional terms, for example, Gene Ontology (GO), are enriched in the DE genes. The hypergeometricP‐value has three limitations: (1) computed independently for each term, thus neglecting biological dependence; (2) subject to a size constraint that leads to the tendency of selecting less‐specific terms; (3) repeated use of information due to overlapping annotations by the true‐path rule. We propose a Bayesian approach based on the non‐central hypergeometric model. The GO dependence structure is incorporated through a prior on non‐centrality parameters. The likelihood function does not include overlapping information. The inference about enrichment is based on posterior probabilities that do not have a size constraint. This method can detect moderate but consistent enrichment signals and identify sets of closely related and biologically meaningful functional terms rather than isolated terms. We also describe the basic ideas of assumption and implementation of different methods to provide some theoretical insights, which are demonstrated via a simulation study. A real application is presented.
Preoperative predictors of renal function decline after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Kaag Matthew , Trost Landon , Thompson R. Houston , Favaretto Ricardo , Elliott Vanessa , Shariat Shahrokh F. , Maschino Alexandra , Vertosick Emily , Raman Jay D. , Dalbagni Guido
Published: December 2013

Objectives

To model renal function after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). To identify predictors of renal function decline after surgery, thereby allowing the identification of patients likely to be ineligible for cisplatin‐based chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively identified 374 patients treated with RNU for UTUC at three centres between 1995 and 2010. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation before RNU and at early (1–5 months after RNU) and late (>5 months) time points after RNU. Only patients deemed eligible for cisplatin‐based chemotherapy before RNU (preoperative glomerular filtration rate [GFR] ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2) were included. Multivariable analysis identified the preoperative predictors of eGFR after RNU at early postoperative and late postoperative time points.

Results

A total of 163 patients had an eligible early post‐RNU eGFR measurement and 172 had an eligible late eGFR measurement. The median eGFR declined by 32% and did not show a significant trend toward recovery over time (P = 0.4). On multivariable analysis preoperative eGFR and patient age were significantly associated with early and late postoperative eGFR, while Charlson comorbidity index score was significantly associated with late postoperative eGFR alone.

Conclusions

In patients with normal preoperative eGFR (≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2), renal function decreases by one‐third after RNU and does not show evidence of recovery over time. Elderly patients and those with pre‐RNU eGFR closer to 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (lower eGFR in the present cohort) are more likely to be ineligible for adjuvant cisplatin‐based chemotherapy regimens because of renal function loss after RNU.
Spine metastases in prostate cancer: comparison of technetium‐99m‐MDP whole‐body bone scintigraphy, [18F]choline positron emission tomography(PET)/computed tomography (CT) and [18F]NaF PET/CT
Authors: Poulsen Mads H. , Petersen Henrik , Høilund‐Carlsen Poul F. , Jakobsen Jørn S. , Gerke Oke , Karstoft Jens , Steffansen Signe I. , Walter Steen
Published: December 2013

Objective

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of the following imaging techniques in the detection of spine metastases, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a reference: whole‐body bone scintigraphy (WBS) with technetium‐99m‐MDP, [18F]‐sodium fluoride (NaF) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and [18F]‐fluoromethylcholine (FCH) PET/CT.

Patients and Methods

The study entry criteria were biopsy‐proven prostate cancer, a positive WBS consistent with bone metastases, and no history of androgen deprivation. Within 30 days of informed consent, trial scans were performed in random order. Scans were interpreted blindly for the purpose of a lesion‐based analysis. The primary target variable was bone lesion (malignant/benign) and the ‘gold standard’ was MRI.

Results

A total of 50 men were recruited between May 2009 and March 2012. Their mean age was 73 years, their median PSA level was 84 ng/mL, and the mean Gleason score of the tumours was 7.7. A total of 46 patients underwent all four scans, while four missed one PET/CT scan. A total of 526 bone lesions were found in the 50 men: 363 malignant and 163 non‐malignant according to MRI. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy were: WBS: 51, 82, 86, 43 and 61%; NaF‐PET/CT: 93, 54, 82, 78 and 81%; and FCH‐PET/CT: 85, 91, 95, 75 and 87%, respectively.

Conclusions

We found that FCH‐PET/CT and NaF‐PET/CT were superior to WBS with regard to detection of prostate cancer bone metastases within the spine. The present results call into question the use of WBS as the method of choice in patients with hormone‐naïve prostate cancer.
Dab1 and reelin participate in a common signal pathway that controls intestinal crypt/villus unit dynamics
Authors: Vázquez‐Carretero María D. , García‐Miranda Pablo , Calonge María L. , Peral María J. , Ilundain Anunciación A.
Published: December 2013

Background information

The myofibroblasts placed underneath the epithelium of the rodent small intestine express reelin, and the reelin absence modifies both the morphology and the cell renewal processes of the crypt–villus unit. In the developing central nervous system, the reelin effects are mediated by the disabled‐1 (Dab1) protein. The present work explores whether Dab1 mediates the reelin control of the crypt–villus unit dynamics by examining in the mouse small intestine the consequences of the absence of (i) Dab1 (scrambler mutation) on crypt–villus unit cell renewal processes and morphology and (ii) reelin (reeler mutation) on the intestinal expression of Dab1.

Results

The effects of the scrambler mutation on the crypt–villus unit renewal processes are remarkably similar to those caused by the lack of reelin. Thus, both mutations significantly reduce epithelial cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis, and the number of Paneth cells; affect the morphology of the villus, and expand the intercellular space of the adherens junctions and desmosomes. The Western blot assays reveal that the Dab1 isoform present in the enterocytes has a molecular weight of ∼63 kDa and that in the brain of ∼82 kDa. They also reveal that the absence of reelin increases Dab1 abundance in both brain and enterocytes.

Conclusions

All together, the current findings link reelin with Dab1 and suggest that Dab1 functions downstream of reelin action on the homeostasis of the crypt–villus unit.
Oxygen plasma immersion ion implantation treatment enhances the human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells responses to titanium surface for dental implant application
Authors: Yang Chih‐Hsiung , Li Yu‐Chen , Tsai Wen‐Fa , Ai Chi‐Fong , Huang Her‐Hsiung
Published: December 2013

Objectives

The present investigation utilized a novel oxygen plasma immersion ion implantation (O‐PIII) treatment to create a dense and thin oxide layer on a titanium (Ti) surface for dental implant application.

Materials and methods

This study evaluated the behavior of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on O‐PIII‐treated Ti. The O‐PIII treatments were performed using different oxygen ion doses (TL: 1 × 1016; TM: 4 × 1016; TH: 1 × 1017 ions/cm2).

Results

Analysis using an X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and high resolution X‐ray diffractometer (HR‐XRD) indicated that the O‐PIII‐treated specimen TM had the highest proportion of rutile phase TiO2 component. The O‐PIII‐treated specimen TM had the greatest protein adsorption capability of the test Ti surfaces using XPS analysis and bicinchoninic acid (BCA) protein assay. Immunofluorescent staining revealed that hMSCs had the best cell adhesion on the O‐PIII‐treated specimen TM, whereas green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐labeled hMSCs experienced the fastest cell migration based on a wound healing assay. Other assays, including MTT assay, Alizarin red S staining and Western blot analysis, demonstrated that the adhered hMSCs exhibited the greatest cell proliferation, mineralization, and differentiation capabilities on the TM specimen.

Conclusions

Oxidated Ti (primarily rutile TiO2) was produced using a facile and rapid O‐PIII treatment procedure, which enhances the biocompatibility of the Ti surface with potential implications for further dental implant application.
‘For the cases we've had… I don't think anybody has had enormous confidence’ – Exploring ‘Uncertainty’ in adolescent bariatric teams: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Doyle J. , Colville S. , Brown P. , Christie D.
Published: December 2013

What is already known about this subject?

Bariatric surgery is more effective for weight loss in severe obesity than lifestyle interventions.

The number of bariatric surgery procedures carried out in England in adults has almost doubled between 2008 and 2011.

Bariatric surgery is increasingly being offered to adolescents with severe obesity.

What this study adds

A predominant theme of ‘uncertainty’ around adolescent bariatric surgery emerged from the interviews.

In the absence of empirical data, professionals bracket away this uncertainty by a variety of means, including the acceptance of surgery as inevitable.

This study has implications for the effective counselling of adolescents and their families around bariatric surgery.

Evidence suggests that bariatric surgery is increasingly being offered to adolescents with severe obesity despite the lack of long‐term outcome data or research to guide patient selection. This is a qualitative study in which nine clinicians were interviewed to investigate the process of decision‐making around adolescent bariatric surgery. The interviews revealed a pervasive ‘uncertainty’, with sources of uncertainty relating to (i) the lack of research in this area, (ii) the perception of bariatric surgery as a treatment option unlike others, (iii) the view that adolescence is a complex developmental period and (iv) the perception that bariatric in adolescents is controversial to the public. Professionals manage this uncertainty in a variety of ways, which are described. It is argued here that shedding light on this process of professional decision‐making has implications for policy and practice and for the counselling of patients considering these sorts of treatments.
Synergistic effect of 5‐HT2A receptor gene and MAOA gene on the negative emotion of patients with depression
Authors: Guo Huirong , Ren Yuming , Zhao Ning , Wang Yali , Li Shuying , Cui He , Zhang Sijia , Zhang Jianhua
Published: December 2013

Objective

To analyse the synergistic effect of polymorphism of the tandem repeat sequence u‐VNTR of 5‐hydroxytryptamine 2A (5‐HT2A) receptor gene and monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene on the negative emotion in frontal lobe of patients with depression through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique.

Methods

Functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning was performed for 72 patients with depression and 70 gender, age‐matched healthy people with physical examination under negative emotion recognition task. Polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) method was adopted to analyse genotype. The superior, middle and inferior gyrus of bilateral frontal lobe was regarded as the brain region of interest, and then the difference of activation intensity in frontal lobe subregion between control groups and patient groups with different genotypes, and the interaction between the two kinds of polymorphism were compared.

Results

The activation intensity in right frontal middle gyrus of patients with CC genotype increased obviously compared with TT and TC genotype patient groups and TT genotype control group (P<0·01); the activation intensity in right frontal inferior gyrus of patients with CC genotype increased obviously compared with TT and TC genotype patient groups and control groups (P<0·01); the activation intensity in right frontal middle gyrus and left frontal inferior gyrus of patients with MAOA high‐activity genotype increased obviously compared with patient and control groups with MAOA low‐activity genotype (P<0·01). In sum, there existed synergistic effect of the two genotypes on the activation abnormality of negative emotion recognition in right frontal middle gyrus (F = 6·18, P = 0·029). The negative activation in right frontal middle gyrus of patients with CC+H genotypes increased most obviously (P<0·05).

Conclusion

The frontal abnormality of patients with depression had certain 5‐HT genetic basis, and 5‐HT2A receptor CC allele and MAOA‐H genotype had synergistic effect on the activity abnormality when recognizing negative emotion in right frontal middle gyrus of patients with depression.
Re‐evaluation of connexins associated with motoneurons in rodent spinal cord, sexually dimorphic motor nuclei and trigeminal motor nucleus
Authors: Bautista W. , Rash J. E. , Vanderpool K. G. , Yasumura T. , Nagy J. I.
Published: December 2013

Electrical synapses formed by neuronal gap junctions composed of connexin36 (Cx36) are a common feature in mammalian brain circuitry, but less is known about their deployment in spinal cord. It has been reported based on connexin mRNA and/or protein detection that developing and/or mature motoneurons express a variety of connexins, including Cx26, Cx32, Cx36 and Cx43 in trigeminal motoneurons, Cx36, Cx37, Cx40, Cx43 and Cx45 in spinal motoneurons, and Cx32 in sexually dimorphic motoneurons. We re‐examined the localization of these connexins during postnatal development and in adult rat and mouse using immunofluorescence labeling for each connexin. We found Cx26 in association only with leptomeninges in the trigeminal motor nucleus (Mo5), Cx32 only with oligodendrocytes and myelinated fibers among motoneurons in this nucleus and in the spinal cord, and Cx37, Cx40 and Cx45 only with blood vessels in the ventral horn of spinal cord, including those among motoneurons. By freeze‐fracture replica immunolabeling, > 100 astrocyte gap junctions but no neuronal gap junctions were found based on immunogold labeling for Cx43, whereas 16 neuronal gap junctions at postnatal day (P)4, P7 and P18 were detected based on Cx36 labeling. Punctate labeling for Cx36 was localized to the somatic and dendritic surfaces of peripherin‐positive motoneurons in the Mo5, motoneurons throughout the spinal cord, and sexually dimorphic motoneurons at lower lumbar levels. In studies of electrical synapses and electrical transmission between developing and between adult motoneurons, our results serve to focus attention on mediation of this transmission by gap junctions composed of Cx36.
Early onset absence epilepsy with onset in the first year of life: A multicenter cohort study
Authors: Giordano Lucio , Vignoli Aglaia , Cusmai Raffaella , Parisi Pasquale , Mastrangelo Massimo , Coppola Giangennaro , Cordelli Duccio Maria , Accorsi Patrizia , Milito Giuseppe , Darra Francesca , Pruna Dario , Belcastro Vincenzo , Verrotti Alberto , Striano Pasquale
Published: December 2013

Purpose

Absence epilepsy with onset before age 4 years, or early onset absence epilepsy (EOAE), has been rarely reported, and children with onset in the first year of life are considered almost exceptional. We aimed to report the clinical and electrophysiologic features of a cohort of children with absence epilepsy starting within the first year of life.

Methods

This was a multicenter study including patients with absence epilepsy starting within the first year of life and identified over a 20‐year period (1991–2011).

Key Findings

We identified 16 patients with absence epilepsy starting within the first year of life with a mean follow‐up of 6.4 years. Mean age at seizure onset was 10.3 ± (standard deviation)1.4 months (range 8–12). Two patients experienced rare tonic–clonic seizures that started later than the absences. None of the subjects had episodes of absence status epilepticus. Eleven subjects were seizure‐free with the first antiepileptic drug. In eight children, therapy was withdrawn after a mean 3.2 years of treatment. None evolved into a different form of idiopathic generalized epilepsy.SLC2A1gene analysis in 12 children (75%) failed to reveal glucose transporter 1 deficiency.

Significance

EOAE, including patients with onset within the first year of life, should be no more considered a distinct idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) syndrome, as it shows electroclinical features, response to therapy, and prognosis similar to childhood absence epilepsy. Moreover, early age of onset is not predictive ofGLUT‐1 deficiency and genetic analysis may be therefore avoided in patients meeting strict inclusion criteria.
Epilepsy surgery in children: Evaluation of seizure outcome and predictive elements
Authors: Teutonico Federica , Mai Roberto , Veggiotti Pierangelo , Francione Stefano , Tassi Laura , Borrelli Paola , Balottin Umberto , LoRusso Giorgio
Published: December 2013

Purpose

To analyze the clinical outcome of epilepsy surgery in children, and to identify the factors related with a favorable seizure control among several presurgical, surgical and postsurgical variables.

Methods

One‐hundred twenty children, younger than 16 years (69 male and 51 female), operated on for medically refractory focal epilepsy at the “C.Munari” Epilepsy Surgery Center of the Niguarda Hospital in Milan from 1998 to 2009, were identified. Seizure outcome was assessed according to the Engel's classification.

Statistical analysis was performed to identify predictive elements of seizure outcome among several presurgical, surgical, and postsurgical variables.

Key findings

There were 84 (70%) seizure‐free patients (Engel's classes Ia and Ic), 93 (77.5%) in class I, 8 (6.7%) in class II, 9 in class III (7.5%), and 10 (8.3%) in class IV.

Significance

Our study confirms that epilepsy surgery is an established and effective treatment for partial epilepsy in children and suggest criteria to help identify early potential surgical candidates.
Long‐term evolution of neuropsychological competences in encephalopathy with status epilepticus during sleep: A variable prognosis
Authors: Pera Maria C. , Brazzo Daniela , Altieri Nausicaa , Balottin Umberto , Veggiotti Pierangelo
Published: December 2013

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long‐term cognitive outcome in children with continuous spikes and waves during slow wave sleep (CSWSsyndrome).

Methods

We reviewed the neuropsychological tests of 25 children diagnosed withCSWSbetween 1987 and 2010 and with a mean follow‐up of 13.5 years.

Key Findings

Cognitive performances worsened duringCSWSin virtually all patients. Seven patients (28%) with nonlesional epilepsy had a positive outcome; three patients (12%) showed persistence of motor deficit without involvement of cognitive functions; and seven patients (28%) who presented a long duration ofCSWS(mean = 28.1 months) had a negative cognitive outcome. In 6 patients (24%) with structural or metabolic disorders beforeCSWSonset cognitive outcomes did not change; 2 patients (8%) had a negative outcome irrespective of the duration or presence of other neurologic disorders beforeCSWSonset. Forty‐four percent of children withCSWSdemonstrated permanent cognitive impairment.

Significance

The long‐term outcome ofCSWSsyndrome is variable and seems to depend on treatment response, disease duration, and underlying etiology.
Performance and quality of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and mixtures of both species grown with or without white clover (Trifolium repens L.) under cutting management
Authors: Cougnon M. , Baert J. , Van Waes C. , Reheul D.
Published: December 2013

There is increasing interest in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) in Western Europe and elsewhere, mainly because of its better drought resistance and yield potential compared with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Important drawbacks of tall fescue, compared with perennial ryegrass, are its lower digestibility and voluntary intake. Mixtures of both species might combine the advantages of each, and species interactions may eventually lead to transgressive overyielding. We compared the agronomic performance of tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue–perennial ryegrass mixtures, as pure‐grass swards or in association with white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Tall fescue–perennial ryegrass mixtures differed in the proportion and ploidy of the perennial ryegrass component. Yield, feed quality and botanical composition were measured in the 3 years after the sowing year. We found significant effects of ploidy of the ryegrass variety and of the proportion of ryegrass in the initial seed mixture on the botanical composition of the swards. Nevertheless, all swards were dominated by tall fescue at the end of the experiment. No overyielding of the mixtures compared with that of single‐species swards was found, but feed quality was intermediate between that of the single‐species swards. Mixed swards had better drought resistance than L. perenne and higher feeding quality than F. arundinacea swards.
Knowing Nature Through History
Authors: Piper Liza
Published: December 2013

This essay surveys the past 20 years of Canadian environmental historiography in order to understand how scholars in this field have conceptualized and applied nature to the study of the past. The essay argues that Canadian environmental historians, even as they foreground nature as an historical actor, nevertheless continue to focus their attention and orient their investigations around questions of how human social, cultural, economic, and political power reshaped both nature and human experience in the past. This emphasis is not interpreted as fundamentally problematic. However, the author maintains that it is important for environmental historians to recognize that their practices diverge from their prescriptions in this regard and that practitioners should continue to push toward new ways of incorporating nature into Canadian historiography.
The Great Jugular Vein of Slavery: New Histories of the Domestic Slave Trade
Authors: Bell Richard
Published: December 2013

This article offers a critical analysis of the historiography of the domestic slave trade in the 19th‐century United States. Surveying a boom in scholarship on the subject over the past 25 years, it examines the political and intellectual currents that have shaped the study of the internal traffic in commodified human flesh and explains this sub‐field's debts to ethnography, cliometrics, and Civil‐Rights‐era social history. It reviews claims regarding the economic impact, social significance, and cultural resonance of the two million slave sales that took place in the United States between the American Revolution and the Civil War and arbitrates recent disputes as to the trade's relationship to slave breeding, the integrity of the Black family, paternalist ideology, and the coming of the Civil War. This brief essay concludes with an assessment of critical needs for future scholarship.

Video abstract (click to view)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsUNai4QXTs

Video abstract (click to view)
Gratian'sDecretumand the Changing Historiographical Landscape
Authors: Eichbauer Melodie H.
Published: December 2013

Gratian'sConcordia discordantium canonum(i.e.,Decretum) organized the canonical tradition into a comprehensive survey and laid a new foundation for canon law. Scholarship on theDecretumin the decades preceding the late 1990s focused on the later additions to theDecretum. The importance of which suggested that theDecretumwas not compiled in one fell swoop, but rather experienced some sort of development. Since the late 1990s, scholars have made tremendous advances in our understanding of theDecretum. This essay centers on the controversial debate regarding the number of recensions (i.e., versions) in which the work circulated. This debate has changed how scholars understand the dating of the work and Gratian's use of Roman law, all of which shape our understanding of theDecretum'spurpose.
Low concordance of biomarkers in histopathological and cytological material from breast cancer
Authors: Stålhammar Gustav , Rosin Gustaf , Fredriksson Irma , Bergh Jonas , Hartman Johan
Published: December 2013

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate in primary breast cancer the congruency of routine clinical predictive biomarker evaluations, including ER, PR and Ki67, obtained using immunocytochemistry (ICC) and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Methods and results

Clinicopathological data were collected on all women diagnosed with primary breast cancer at Karolinska University Hospital in 2011. A total of 346 patients were included in a retrospective paired comparison of predictive biomarker evaluations on direct smear ICC and IHC. This showed a low congruency between findings with the two methods, especially evident for Ki67 (κ = 0.35–0.42). By suggested adjustments to ICC cut‐offs, we managed to improve the inter‐rater agreement of Ki67 classification slightly to κ = 0.46.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that routine clinical ICC and IHC evaluations of predictive biomarkers produce discordant results. Consequently, basing therapeutic decisions on cytology with cut‐offs defined for IHC induces a risk that patients will receive suboptimal therapy. However, our analysis shows that local adjustments to biomarker cut‐off levels may improve congruency and increase the probability of correct classifications.