bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laplacian Embedded Infinite Kernel Model for Semi-Supervised Classification
Authors: Yang Tao , Fu Dongmei , Wu Chunhong
Published: March 2016

Promoted by its convexity and low time complexity, Laplacian embedded support vector regression (LapESVR) model based on manifold regularization (MR) has assumed an important role in semi-supervised classification. Conventionally, the LapESVR model is based on a single kernel function that is intrinsically capable of describing one feature mapping relation only. However, when the data to be processed is from a complex dataset where multiple features of the data are required to be treated, the classification performance using the LapESVR based on a single kernel substantially degrade, indicating that the classification requirement in this case is beyond the capability of the LapESVR. In addition, the processing data is often subject to the impact of abnormal data samples; therefore, in practice assigning a fixed value that is related to the average distance of the processing data as the parameter value of kernel function of the LapESVR is by no means optimal. To solve the problems as mentioned regarding the LapESVR, this paper proposes a Laplacian embedded infinite kernel regression (LapEIKR) model. The proposed model combines the multiple kernels linearly to improve its ability of characterization of the processing data, typical in semi-supervised classification of complex datasets, with multiple features. Further, the parameter setting of the multiple kernels of the LapEIKR model is turned into an optimization problem by formulating a corresponding minimum objective function and an iterative algorithm, and then the values of the settings are facilitated to be obtained by a formulated calculation, assuming the optimal values with respect to the designed objective function. Comparative experiments on the UCI datasets, benchmark datasets and Caltech256 datasets show that the proposed LapEIKR model is improving in terms of adaptivity and efficiency.
Combining Sentiment Analysis with Socialization Bias in Social Networks for Stock Market Trend Prediction
Authors: Li Jiajia , Meesad Phayung
Published: March 2016

According to the indirect relationship between information and stock trend, information such as comments and tweets can be used for stock trend prediction. When conducting classification on text data, feature sparse issues occur during conversion between tweets and word vectors. Another problem is that the unreliability of average sentiment scores to indicate one day’s sentiment. This is especially caused by the unbalanced number between positive and negative within one day, thus a large bias between sentiment and stock trend arises. In addion, information has social attributes when created and diffused in social networks, bias containing people’s belief in social networks also have become socialization bias. In order to solve those problems, this work proposes a sentiment analysis based prediction model and an inverse bias algorithm. Instead of applying sentiment analysis to add sentiment related features, this work uses SentiWordNet to give an additional weight to the selected features, and applies two kinds of sentiment analysis to inverse the socialization bias. Aiming at labeling the tweets to sentiment related groups to help find socialization bias, this work also proposes an extended wordlist based on a semi-supervised Naïve Bayes classification algorithm. After finishing the inverse socialization bias, stock trends were used to label example sets. Different classification algorithms were compared in this work. The proposed model with SVM linear algorithm proves to yield accuracy of 90.33% at its best performance.
Crystallization mechanism and kinetics of mayenite glass prepared by aerodynamic levitation method
Authors: Duan Jiao , Liu Yan , Gu Yanjing , Pan Xiuhong , Zheng Xiaojie , Wang Wei , Yu Huimei , Yu Jianding
Published: March 2016

The mayenite glass with a wide high-temperature stability ([Formula: see text]C) was innovatively synthesized by the aerodynamic levitation (ADL) containerless technique without conventional glass-forming addictives. The crystallization mechanism and kinetics of mayenite glass were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scaning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectra and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The crystallization mechanism study revealed that structure and morphology mainly evolved near the crystallization peak temperature by the networking process of isolated AlO4 tetrahedra units, resulting in the growth mechanism changing from “two-dimensional” to “three-dimensional”. Crystallization kinetics calculations based on the non-isothermal Matusita model indicated that the activation energy for the crystallization of mayenite glass was 844[Formula: see text]kJ[Formula: see text]mol[Formula: see text]. The calculated growth morphology parameters (m and n) also confirmed the surface crystallization along with bulk crystallization mechanism for the mayenite glass. This present study supplied a thermal–physical understanding about the crystallization of mayenite glass, which could be further applied in the exploitation of glass/glass–ceramics in the CaO–Al2O3 binary system.
A GENERAL OPTIMAL INVESTMENT MODEL IN THE PRESENCE OF BACKGROUND RISK
Authors: ALGHALITH MOAWIA , GUO XU , WONG WING-KEUNG , ZHU LIXING
Published: March 2016

In this paper we present two dynamic models of background risk. We first present a stochastic factor model with an additive background risk. Then, we present a dynamic model of simultaneous (correlated) multiplicative background risk and additive background risk. In so doing, we use a general utility function.
Does the lava lake of Erta ‘Ale volcano respond to regional magmatic and tectonic events? An investigation using Earth Observation data
Authors: Barnie T. D. , Oppenheimer C. , Pagli C.
Published: March 2016

Erta ‘Ale volcano lies at the centre of the Erta ‘Ale rift segment in northern Afar, Ethiopia and hosts one of the few persistent lava lakes found on Earth in its summit caldera. Previous studies have reported anecdotal evidence of a correlation between lake activity and magmatic and tectonic events in the broader region. We investigated this hypothesis for the period 2000–15 by comparing a catalogue of regional events with changes in lake activity reconstructed from Earth Observation data. The lava lake underwent dramatic changes during the study period, exhibiting an overall rise in height with concomitant changes in geometry consistent with a change in heat energy balance. Numerous paroxysms occurred in the lake and in the north pit; a significant dyke intrusion with subsequent re-intrusions indicated a role for dykes in maintaining the lake. However, despite some coincidences between the paroxysms and regional events, we did not find any statistically significant relationship between the two on a timescale of days to weeks. Nevertheless, changes in lake activity have preceded the broad increase in regional activity since 2005 and we cannot rule out a relationship on a decadal scale.
Brachiopod faunas, facies and biostratigraphy of the Pridolian to lower Eifelian succession in the Rhenish Massif (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge, Germany)
Authors: Jansen Ulrich
Published: March 2016

The succession of Pridolian to lower Eifelian (uppermost Silurian to lowermost Middle Devonian) rhynchonelliformean brachiopod faunas from the Rhenish Massif (Germany) is described and interpreted against the background of sedimentary sequences and facies development. The predominant rhenotypic (‘Rhenish’) facies is redefined as a neritic-siliciclastic facies type of the Devonian. It is subdivided into eurhenotypic, pararhenotypic and allorhenotypic subfacies, based on sedimentary features and specific brachiopod assemblages reflecting different shallow-marine palaeoenvironments under more or less terrigenous influence. The studied sedimentary successions are subdivided biostratigraphically on the basis of brachiopods, correlated on a supraregional scale, and calibrated in terms of the global chronostratigraphy. Stratigraphic intervals with characteristic brachiopod faunas are distinguished. Faunal turnovers between these are attributed to regional events in the context of short or more extended phases of palaeoenvironmental change presumably caused mainly by sea-level fluctuations in combination with varying crustal subsidence and sedimentation rates. These changes resulted in shelf-wide or more regional extinction or emigration of substantial parts of a brachiopod fauna and subsequent replacement by a largely new one. Finally, new taxa of brachiopods are introduced:
Sartenaerirhynchus
gen. nov.,
Paraspirifer
(
Mosellospirifer
) subgen. nov.,
Paraspirifer
(
Laurentispirifer
) subgen. nov.,
Iridistrophia
(
Flabellistrophia
) subgen. nov. and
Iridistrophia
(
Flabellistrophia
)
musculosa
sp. nov.
Myths about normal faulting
Authors: Ferrill D. A. , Morris A. P. , McGinnis R. N. , Smart K. J.
Published: March 2016

Analyses of normal faults in mechanically layered strata reveal that material properties of rock layers strongly influence fault nucleation points, fault extent (trace length), failure mode (shear v. hybrid), fault geometry (e.g. refraction through mechanical layers), displacement gradient (and potential for fault tip folding), displacement partitioning (e.g. synthetic dip, synthetic faulting, fault core displacement), fault core and damage zone width, and fault zone deformation processes. These detailed investigations are progressively dispelling some common myths about normal faulting held by industry geologists, for example: (i) that faults tend to be linear in dip profile; (ii) that imbricate normal faults initiate due to sliding on low-angle detachments; (iii) that friction causes fault-related folds (so-called normal drag); (iv) that self-similar fault zone widening is a direct function of fault displacement; and (v) that faults are not dilational features and/or important sources of permeability.
Things of Interest Recommendation by Leveraging Heterogeneous Relations in the Internet of Things
Authors: Yao Lina , Sheng Quan Z. , Ngu Anne H. H. , Li Xue
Published: March 2016

The emerging Internet of Things (IoT) bridges the gap between the physical and the digital worlds, which enables a deeper understanding of user preferences and behaviors. The rich interactions and relations between users and things call for effective and efficient recommendation approaches to better meet users’ interests and needs. In this article, we focus on the problem of things recommendation in IoT, which is important for many applications such as e-Commerce and health care. We discuss the new properties of recommending things of interest in IoT, and propose a unified probabilistic factor based framework by fusing relations across heterogeneous entities of IoT, for example, user-thing relations, user-user relations, and thing-thing relations, to make more accurate recommendations. Specifically, we develop a hypergraph to model things’ spatiotemporal correlations, on top of which implicit things correlations can be generated. We have built an IoT testbed to validate our approach and the experimental results demonstrate its feasibility and effectiveness.
Multitask Low-Rank Affinity Graph for Image Segmentation and Image Annotation
Authors: Li Teng , Cheng Bin , Ni Bingbing , Liu Guangchan , Yan Shuicheng
Published: March 2016

This article investigates a low-rank representation--based graph, which can used in graph-based vision tasks including image segmentation and image annotation. It naturally fuses multiple types of image features in a framework named multitask low-rank affinity pursuit. Given the image patches described with multiple types of features, we aim at inferring a unified affinity matrix that implicitly encodes the relations among these patches. This is achieved by seeking the sparsity-consistent low-rank affinities from the joint decompositions of multiple feature matrices into pairs of sparse and low-rank matrices, the latter of which is expressed as the production of the image feature matrix and its corresponding image affinity matrix. The inference process is formulated as a minimization problem and solved efficiently with the augmented Lagrange multiplier method. Considering image patches as vertices, a graph can be built based on the resulted affinity matrix. Compared to previous methods, which are usually based on a single type of feature, the proposed method seamlessly integrates multiple types of features to jointly produce the affinity matrix in a single inference step. The proposed method is applied to graph-based image segmentation and graph-based image annotation. Experiments on benchmark datasets well validate the superiority of using multiple features over single feature and also the superiority of our method over conventional methods for feature fusion.
Melanie Mitchell
Authors: Mitchell Melanie
Published: March 2016

In 1984 I came to graduate school at Michigan to work with Doug Hofstadter. I didn't know anything about the CS department. It was my great luck that I ended up taking John Holland's class "Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems". The class completely changed my perspective on what computer science was (and should) be about. As fellow grad student Chris Langton put it, John's view was that "The proper role of computer science is the study of computation writ large across all of nature." This idea, and John's development of it during the class, was a great epiphany for me that shaped my future career and all of my thinking about science in general. John became my co-advisor at Michigan, and did so much to support and encourage me in my work. He let me know when I had done enough for my Ph.D. (and told me it was time to get my "union card," as he called it). He recommended me for the Michigan Society of Fellows, and then invited me to join the famous BACH group during my fellowship. He also invited me to visit SFI, first for a summer, and then asked me to direct SFI's Adaptive Computation program. This led to my faculty appointment at (and hopefully life-long engagement with) the Institute. I was fortunate to became one of John's close-knit group of former Ph.D. students, all of us, including John, meeting every now and then to talk about everyone's research projects and to speculate on big questions. Our last meeting was in Fall, 2014. John, in spite of his illness, was in great spirits, and regaled us with his new ideas and enthusiasms. In addition to his great intellect, John was perhaps the most enthusiastic, cheerful, and *lively* person I've ever known. I'll miss him greatly.
Kenneth De Jong
Authors: De Jong Kenneth A.
Published: March 2016

The sense of which individuals have had a major impact on one's life sharpens as one gets older. In my case there is no doubt that John Holland has had the strongest influence on my academic and professional life. As a graduate student in Computer Science at the University of Michigan in the late 1960s, I enrolled in Holland's Adaptive Systems course and was immediately infected by his innovative ideas, his boundless enthusiasm, and his interdisciplinary perspective.
3 Lessons I Learned from John H. Holland
Authors: Goldberg David E.
Published: March 2016

Complexity science pioneer John H. Holland passed away on Sunday, 9 August 2015 (here). Those of us who got to work with him were blessed, and, like so many of his other students, my life was irrevocably altered by working with him. To remember John, I'd simply like to tell the story of how I met him, and three things I learned from him that had roots in that first encounter.
From daguerreotypes to algorithms
Authors: Christin Angèle
Published: March 2016

What claims are made about the objectivity of machines versus that of human experts? Whereas most current debates focus on the growing impact of algorithms in the age of Big Data, I argue here in favor of taking a longer historical perspective on these developments. Drawing on Daston and Galison's analysis of scientific production since the eighteenth century, I show that their distinction among three forms of objectivity ("truth-to-nature," "mechanical objectivity," and "trained judgment") sheds light on existing discussions about algorithmic objectivity and accountability in expert fields.
MAG-EPA reduces severity of DSS-induced colitis in rats
Authors: Morin Caroline , Blier Pierre U. , Fortin Samuel
Published: March 2016

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease characterized by diffuse inflammation of the intestinal mucosa of the large bowel. Omega-3 (ω3) fatty acid supplementation has been associated with a decreased production of inflammatory cytokines involved in UC pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the preventive and therapeutic potential of eicosapentaenoic acid monoglyceride (MAG-EPA) in an in vivo rats model of UC induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). DSS rats were untreated or treated per os with MAG-EPA. Morphological, histological, and biochemical analyses were performed following MAG-EPA administrations. Morphological and histological analyses revealed that MAG-EPA pretreatment (12 days pre-DSS) and treatment (6 days post-DSS) exhibited strong activity in reducing severity of disease in DSS rats. Following MAG-EPA administrations, tissue levels of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were markedly lower compared with rats treated only with DSS. MAG-EPA per os administration decrease neutrophil infiltration in colon tissues, as depicted by myelohyperoxidase activity. Results also revealed a reduced activation of NF-κB pathways correlated with a decreased expression of COX-2 in colon homogenates derived from MAG-EPA-pretreated and treated rats. Tension measurements performed on colon tissues revealed that contractile responses to methacholine and relaxing effect induced by sodium nitroprusside were largely increased following MAG-EPA treatment. The combined treatment of MAG-EPA and vitamin E displayed an antagonistic effect on anti-inflammatory properties of MAG-EPA in DSS rats.
Insulin sensitizers prevent fine particulate matter-induced vascular insulin resistance and changes in endothelial progenitor cell homeostasis
Authors: Haberzettl Petra , McCracken James P. , Bhatnagar Aruni , Conklin Daniel J.
Published: March 2016

Exposure to fine particular matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. Because blood vessels are sensitive targets of air pollutant exposure, we examined the effects of concentrated ambient PM2.5 (CAP) on vascular insulin sensitivity and circulating levels of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which reflect cardiovascular health. We found that CAP exposure for 9 days decreased insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation in the aorta of mice maintained on control diet. This change was accompanied by the induction of IL-1β and increases in the abundance of cleaved IL-18 and p10 subunit of Casp-1, consistent with the activation of the inflammasome pathway. CAP exposure also suppressed circulating levels of EPCs (Flk-1+/Sca-1+ cells), while enhancing the bone marrow abundance of these cells. Although similar changes in vascular insulin signaling and EPC levels were observed in mice fed high-fat diet, CAP exposure did not exacerbate diet-induced changes in vascular insulin resistance or EPC homeostasis. Treatment with an insulin sensitizer, metformin or rosiglitazone, prevented CAP-induced vascular insulin resistance and NF-κB and inflammasome activation and restored peripheral blood and bone marrow EPC levels. These findings suggest that PM2.5 exposure induces diet-independent vascular insulin resistance and inflammation and prevents EPC mobilization, and that this EPC mobilization defect could be mediated by vascular insulin resistance. Impaired vascular insulin sensitivity may be an important mechanism underlying PM2.5-induced vascular injury, and pharmacological sensitization to insulin action could potentially prevent deficits in vascular repair and mitigate vascular inflammation due to exposure to elevated levels of ambient air pollution.

Listen to this article's corresponding podcast at http://ajpheart.podbean.com/e/particulate-matter-induced-vascular-insulin-resistance/ .
Role ofO-linkedN-acetylglucosamine modification in diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Gellai Renata , Hodrea Judit , Lenart Lilla , Hosszu Adam , Koszegi Sandor , Balogh Dora , Ver Agota , Banki Nora F , Fulop Norbert , Molnar Agnes , Wagner Laszlo , Vannay Adam , Szabo Attila J. , Fekete Andrea
Published: March 2016

Increased O-linked β- N-acetylglucosamine glycosylation ( O-GlcNAcylation) is a known contributor to diabetes; however, its relevance in diabetic nephropathy (DN) is poorly elucidated. Here, we studied the process and enzymes of O-GlcNAcylation with a special emphasis on Akt-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and heat shock protein (HSP)72 signaling. Since tubular injury is the prominent site of DN, the effect of hyperglycemia was first measured in proximal tubular (HK2) cells cultured in high glucose. In vivo O-GlcNAcylation and protein levels of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), O-GlcNAcase (OGA), phosphorylated (p)Akt/Akt, peNOS/eNOS, and HSP72 were assessed in the kidney cortex of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The effects of various renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors were also evaluated. In proximal tubular cells, hyperglycemia-induced OGT expression led to increased O-GlcNAcylation, which was followed by a compensatory increase of OGA. In parallel, peNOS and pAkt levels decreased, whereas HSP72 increased. In diabetic rats, elevated O-GlcNAcylation was accompanied by decreased OGT and OGA. RAAS inhibitors ameliorated diabetes-induced kidney damage and prevented the elevation of O-GlcNAcylation and the decrement of pAkt, peNOS, and HSP72. In conclusion, hyperglycemia-induced elevation of O-GlcNAcylation contributes to the progression of DN via inhibition of Akt/eNOS phosphorylation and HSP72 induction. RAAS blockers successfully inhibit this process, suggesting a novel pathomechanism of their renoprotective action in the treatment of DN.
Motor unit number and transmission stability in octogenarian world class athletes: Can age-related deficits be outrun?
Authors: Power Geoffrey A. , Allen Matti D. , Gilmore Kevin J. , Stashuk Daniel W. , Doherty Timothy J. , Hepple Russell T. , Taivassalo Tanja , Rice Charles L.
Published: March 2016

Our group has shown a greater number of functioning motor units (MU) in a cohort of highly active older (∼65 yr) masters runners relative to age-matched controls. Because of the precipitous loss in the number of functioning MUs in the eighth and ninth decades of life it is unknown whether older world class octogenarian masters athletes (MA) would also have greater numbers of functioning MUs compared with age-matched controls. We measured MU numbers and neuromuscular transmission stability in the tibialis anterior of world champion MAs (∼80 yr) and compared the values with healthy age-matched controls (∼80 yr). Decomposition-enhanced spike-triggered averaging was used to collect surface and intramuscular electromyography signals during dorsiflexion at ∼25% of maximum voluntary isometric contraction. Near fiber (NF) MU potential analysis was used to assess neuromuscular transmission stability. For the MAs compared with age-matched controls, the amount of excitable muscle mass (compound muscle action potential) was 14% greater ( P < 0.05), there was a trend ( P = 0.07) toward a 27% smaller surface-detected MU potential representative of less collateral reinnervation, and 28% more functioning MUs ( P < 0.05). Additionally, the MAs had greater MU neuromuscular stability than the controls, as indicated by lower NF jitter and jiggle values ( P < 0.05). These results demonstrate that high-performing octogenarians better maintain neuromuscular stability of the MU and mitigate the loss of MUs associated with aging well into the later decades of life during which time the loss of muscle mass and strength becomes functionally relevant. Future studies may identify the concomitant roles genetics and exercise play in neuroprotection.
Effect of acute hypercapnia during 10-day hypoxic bed rest on posterior eye structures
Authors: Jaki Mekjavic Polona , Lenassi Eva , Eiken Ola , Mekjavic Igor B.
Published: March 2016

To gain insights into microgravity-induced ophthalmic changes (microgravity ocular syndrome), and as part of a project investigating effects of future planetary habitats, we investigated the effect of acute hypercapnia following 10-day bed rest and hypoxia on posterior eye structures. Female subjects ( N = 7) completed three 10-day experimental interventions: 1) normoxic bed rest [NBR; partial pressure of inspired O2 (PiO2) = 132.9 ± 0.3 Torr]; 2) hypoxic ambulatory confinement (HAMB; PiO2 = 90.4 ± 0.3 Torr); and 3) hypoxic bed rest (HBR; n = 12; PiO2 = 90.4 ± 0.3 Torr). Before and on the last day of each intervention, optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the optic disk was performed, and the thicknesses of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), retina, and choroid were measured. OCT examinations were conducted with the subjects breathing the prevailing normocapnic breathing mixture (either normoxic or hypoxic) and then following a 10-min period of breathing the same gas mixture, but with the addition of 1% CO2. Choroidal thickness was greater during both bed-rest conditions (NBR and HBR) compared with the ambulatory (HAMB) condition (ANOVA, P < 0.001). Increases in RNFL thickness compared with baseline were observed in the hypoxic trials (HBR, P < 0.001; and HAMB, P = 0.021), but not the normoxic trial (NBR). A further increase in RNFL thickness ( P = 0.019) was observed after the 10-min hypercapnic trial in the NBR condition only. The fact that choroidal thickness was not affected by Po2 or Pco2, but increased by bed rest, suggests a hydrostatic rather than a vasoactive effect. The increments in RNFL thickness were most likely associated with local hypoxia and hypercapnia-induced dilatation of the retinal blood vessels.
Tumour Markers in Gastrointestinal Malignancy: What Use to the Clinician
Authors: Yacyshyn Bruce R , MacLean Grant D
Published: March 2016

A number of tumour ma rkers have been identified in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. Although these markers have limited clinical application, a knowledge of their use and shortcomings will help prepare for newer applications in gastrointestinal oncology. Tumour markers recently have been used as a serological means of monitoring gastrointestinal malignancy for recurrence and have been studied experimentally by radionuclcotidc imaging using radiolabelled markers. More recently, the use of tumour antigens as specific cancer vaccines has attracted the attention of gastrointestinal oncologists as therapeutic agents.
Controversies Regarding the Role of Dairy Products in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Mishkin Seymour
Published: March 2016

Dairy products may affect inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients who are either lactose intolerant or who are allergic to the proteins in these foods. The actual incidence of these conditions in IBD patients is not entirely clear. Whether either of these conditions results in benign symptomatic discomfort or can actually contribute to the relapse and/or clinical activity of IBD is also unclear. Physicians differ widely in the advice they give their patients; some dogmatically advise avoidance of dairy products when the diagnosis is made while others discount their possible role in the management of IBD. On the basis of the author’s and his group’s experience and review of the literature, a balanced and exploratory approach by patients, physicians and dieticians is advised.
Novel Targets for Anti-Inflammatory Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Wallace John L
Published: March 2016

Until the cause(s) of inflammatory bowel disease are identified, improvements in therapy will likely come from improved anti-inflammatory therapy or improved drug delivery systems. There are many potential targets for anti-inflammatory therapy, including the synthesis of specific inflammatory mediators. This review focuses on the potential for developing therapy aimed at three targets: nerves and neuropeptides; coagulation and thrombosis; and adhesion molecules. In each case, evidence is presented from clinical and/or experimental studies that supports the hypothesis that these are rational targets for anti-inflammatory drug development.
Health‐Related Concerns of People who Receive Psychological Support for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Maunder Robert G , de Rooy Elizabeth C , Toner Brenda B , Greenberg Gordon R , Steinhart A Hilary , McLeod Robin S , Cohen Zane
Published: March 2016

BACKGROUND: People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cope with a number of disease‐specific concerns, which may result in referrals for supportive counselling.

OBJECTIVE: To determine differences between the health‐related concerns of people with IBD who seek counselling or are referred for psychiatric assessment and those who have no recent contact with counselling or psychiatry.

METHODS: Forty‐five consecutive patients with IBD referred for psychiatric consultation and 31 IBD out‐patients who had recent counselling were compared with 190 IBD out‐patients at the same hospital with no recent history of counselling. Disease‐related concerns, demographic data and perceived symptom severity were assessed with self‐report instruments.

RESULTS: Counselling patients had greater overall intensity of concern. Counselling patients differed from noncounselling patients on several measures related to illness severity and were more likely to be female. Correcting statistically for illness severity and sex, the counselled patients had significantly higher levels of concern about being a burden, pain and suffering, feeling out of control, financial difficulties, feeling alone, sexual performance, feeling dirty or smelly and being treated as different.

CONCLUSIONS: Beyond the intensity of their physical suffering, patients who seek counselling report a pattern of concern in which interpersonal and emotional concerns are prominent compared with those of out‐patients who do not seek counselling. Clinicians should be aware of interpersonal concerns, which may increase the need for empathic support. Psychosocial interventions in IBD may be indicated without respect to psychiatric comorbidity.
Use of Axathioprine for Nongranulomatous Ulcerative Jejunoileitis
Authors: Enns Robert , Lay Thomas , Bridges Ronald
Published: March 2016

Nongranulomatous ulcerative jejunoileitis (NGUJI) is a rare, often fatal disorder that produces multiple nonmalignant small bowel ulcerations. A 55-year-old woman with presumed celiac disease presented with steroid-refractory diarrhea, weight loss and abdominal pain. A laparotomy was performed to exclude the possibility of a lymphomatous disorder, and multiple nonmalignant small bowel ulcerations were discovered. Despite a combination of treatment with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and prednisone 30 mg/day she continued to deteriorate. The addition of azathioprine to her treatment regimen resulted in marked clinical and biochemical improvement. Her enteroscopy normalized, and she was able to discontinue TPN and reduce her steroid requirements. Although azathioprine has been used occasionally to treat refractory sprue, there have been no reports of its use in NGUJI. In this case, azathioprine played a key role in the management of NGUJI and should be considered a treatment option for patients with this disorder.
Unusual Presentation of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
Authors: Pineau BC , Pattee LP , McGuire S , Sekar A , Scully LJ
Published: March 2016

A 23-year-old man presenting with acute pancreatitis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) without evidence of ulcerative colitis. This constellation of rare associations constitutes a unique mode of presentation of PSC. Within two years he also developed ankylosing spondylitis with sacroiliitis. Disordered immune regulation as a major factor in the mechanism of injury in PSC is supported by its increased association with other immunologically mediated disorders, most notably ulcerative colitis. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, however, has been reported to be associated with PSC on only two occasions, and ankylosing spondylitis in the absence of ulcerative colitis is also unusual. In addition, the presentation of PSC with acute pancreatitis has rarely been described. This patient presented with several unusual features of PSC.
Cholestatic Hepatocellular Injury with Azathioprine: A Case Report and Review of the Mechanisms of Hepatotoxicity
Authors: Romagnuolo Joseph , Sadowski DC , Lalor E , Jewell L , Thomson ABR
Published: March 2016

Azathioprine is a drug commonly used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, organ transplantation and various autoimmune diseases. Hepatotoxicity is a rare, but important complication of this drug. The cases reported to date can be grouped into three syndromes: hypersensitivity; idiosyncratic cholestatic reaction; and presumed endothelial cell injury with resultant raised portal pressures, veno‐occlusive disease or peliosis hepatis. The components of azathioprine, 6‐mercaptopurine and the imidazole group, may play different roles in the pathogenesis of hepatotoxicity. The strong association with male sex, and perhaps with human leukocyte antigen type, suggests a genetic predisposition of unknown type. Many of the symptoms of hepatotoxicity, such as nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, can be nonspecific and can be confused with a flare‐up of inflammatory bowel disease. As well, the subtype resulting in portal hypertension can occur without biochemical abnormalities. A 63‐year‐old man with Crohn′s disease who is presented developed the rare idiosyncratic form of azathioprine hepatotoxicity, but also had a severe disabling steroid myopathy, peripheral neuropathy, resultant deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism related to immobility, and a nosocomial pneumonia. His jaundice and liver enzyme levels improved markedly on withdrawal of the drug, returning to almost normal in five weeks. Treating inflammatory bowel disease effectively while trying to limit iatrogenic disease is a continuous struggle. Understanding the risks of treatment is the first important step. There must be a low threshold for obtaining liver function tests, especially in men, and alertness to the need to discontinue the drug or perform a liver biopsy should patients on azathioprine develop liver biochemical abnormalities, unexplained hepatomegaly or signs of portal hypertension.
Eligibility and Exclusion of Hemochromatosis Patients as Voluntary Blood Donors
Authors: Levstik M , Adams PC
Published: March 2016

BACKGROUND: Hereditary hemochromatosis patients are excluded in many countries as voluntary blood donors. In 1991, changes in the Canadian Red Cross policy allowed healthy hemochromatosis patients to become voluntary donors.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The medical histories of 208 hemochromatosis patients were evaluated for eligibility for blood donation from a large prospective database of hemochromatosis patients. A survey that determined the success or exclusion of 81 patients for blood donation and the reasons for their exclusion based on Canadian Red Cross donor exclusion criteria was analyzed.

RESULTS: Of 208 hemochromatosis patients, 140 (67%) were eligible for blood donation. Criteria for exclusion were other illnesses excluded by Canadian Red Cross criteria and the use of contraindicated medications. Fifty-one per cent of patients had attempted to donate blood, with only 7% being successful.

CONCLUSIONS: A large number of potential blood donors are excluded from blood donation inappropriately despite changes in eligibility criteria to the contrary. Further public and health education is needed to increase awareness and, thus, increase blood donation by potential donors.
The Second Canadian Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Consensus: Moving Forward to New Concepts
Authors: Thomson ABR , Chiba N , Armstrong D , Tougas G , Hunt RH
Published: March 2016

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a disease with serious consequences that may result in significant impairment in quality of life and disease morbidity. Across all grades of severity of symptoms and severity of underlying esophageal disease, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) provide therapeutic gains over prokinetics (PKs) or H2receptor antagonists (H2RAs). The potential cost effectiveness of using medications with higher acquisition costs that may lower health care costs overall is often disregarded when conducting cost comparisons with medications having lower 'up-front' costs. Limiting therapy to less effective agents condemns many patients to protracted suffering, repeated physician visits and needless reinvestigation of symptoms that could have been resolved by appropriate initial therapy. Based on current data, use of any classification of symptom severity as a basis for selecting one class of therapeutic agents over another for first line therapy (ie PKs, H2RAs for 'mild' GERD, versus a PPI for 'severe' disease) is unwarranted.
Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women Heterozygous for the C282Y HFE Mutation
Authors: Gunton Jenny E. , Gates Frances , Fulcher Greg R. , Clifton-Bligh Phillip B.
Published: March 2016

Mutations in the HFE gene may be associated with increased tissue iron stores reflected in an elevated serum ferritin. With homozygous mutation C282Y, the increase in serum ferritin may be associated with tissue damage in the liver, pancreas, and pituitary and with a reduced bone mineral density. With heterozygous mutation C282Y, the degree of iron retention is less but information relating to how a heterozygous C282Y mutation might impact bone mineral density is uncertain. The present study was undertaken to study the relationships between bone mineral density measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and the serum ferritin and serum iron in postmenopausal women heterozygous for the C282Y mutation. The spinal bone mineral density, L2–4, was significantly less than age matched community controls (P=0.016). There was no significant change in the femoral neck bone mineral density compared to age matched community controls. The correlation between the spinal bone mineral density, L2–4, the femoral neck bone mineral density, and the serum ferritin was not significant. The serum iron correlated significantly inversely with the femoral neck bone mineral density (P=0.048). The heterozygous C282Y mutation may be associated with impairment of bone cell function in postmenopausal women when only small increases in the serum iron or serum ferritin have occurred.
Enhanced Proliferation of Porcine Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induced by Extracellular Calcium is Associated with the Activation of the Calcium‐Sensing Receptor and ERK Signaling Pathway
Authors: Ye Jingjing , Ai Wei , Zhang Fenglin , Zhu Xiaotong , Shu Gang , Wang Lina , Gao Ping , Xi Qianyun , Zhang YongLiang , Jiang Qingyan , Wang Songbo
Published: March 2016

Porcine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (pBMSCs) have the potential for application in regenerative medicine. This study aims to investigate the effects of extracellular calcium () on pBMSCs proliferation and to explore the possible underlying mechanisms. The results demonstrated that 4 mM significantly promoted pBMSCs proliferation by reducing the G0/G1 phase cell percentage and by increasing the S phase cell proportion and the proliferation index of pBMSCs. Accordingly, stimulated the expression levels of proliferative genes such as cyclin A2, cyclin D1/3, cyclin E2, and PCNA and inhibited the expression of p21. In addition, resulted in a significant elevation of intracellular calcium and an increased ratio of p‐ERK/ERK. However, inhibition of calcium‐sensing receptor (CaSR) by its antagonist NPS2143 abolished the aforementioned effects of . Moreover, ‐induced promotion of pBMSCs proliferation, the changes of proliferative genes expression levels, and the activation of ERK1/2 signaling pathway were effectively blocked by U0126, a selective ERK kinase inhibitor. In conclusion, our findings provided evidence that the enhanced pBMSCs proliferation in response to was associated with the activation of CaSR and ERK1/2 signaling pathway, which may be useful for the application of pBMSCs in future clinical studies aimed at tissue regeneration and repair.
An Interoperability Platform Enabling Reuse of Electronic Health Records for Signal Verification Studies
Authors: Yuksel Mustafa , Gonul Suat , Laleci Erturkmen Gokce Banu , Sinaci Ali Anil , Invernizzi Paolo , Facchinetti Sara , Migliavacca Andrea , Bergvall Tomas , Depraetere Kristof , De Roo Jos
Published: March 2016

Depending mostly on voluntarily sent spontaneous reports, pharmacovigilance studies are hampered by low quantity and quality of patient data. Our objective is to improve postmarket safety studies by enabling safety analysts to seamlessly access a wide range of EHR sources for collecting deidentified medical data sets of selected patient populations and tracing the reported incidents back to original EHRs. We have developed an ontological framework where EHR sources and target clinical research systems can continue using their own local data models, interfaces, and terminology systems, while structural interoperability and Semantic Interoperability are handled through rule-based reasoning on formal representations of different models and terminology systems maintained in the SALUS Semantic Resource Set. SALUS Common Information Model at the core of this set acts as the common mediator. We demonstrate the capabilities of our framework through one of the SALUS safety analysis tools, namely, the Case Series Characterization Tool, which have been deployed on top of regional EHR Data Warehouse of the Lombardy Region containing about 1 billion records from 16 million patients and validated by several pharmacovigilance researchers with real-life cases. The results confirm significant improvements in signal detection and evaluation compared to traditional methods with the missing background information.
Effect of the Crystallization Process on the Marginal and Internal Gaps of Lithium Disilicate CAD/CAM Crowns
Authors: Kim Jae-Hong , Oh Seunghan , Uhm Soo-Hyuk
Published: March 2016

The aim of this study is to quantify the effect of the crystallization process on lithium disilicate ceramic crowns fabricated using a computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system and to determine whether the effect of crystallization is clinically acceptable by comparing values of fit before and after the crystallization process. The mandibular right first molar was selected as the abutment for the experiments. Fifteen working models were prepared. Lithium disilicate crowns appropriate for each abutment were prepared using a commercial CAD/CAM system. Gaps in the marginal area and 4 internal areas of each crown were measured twice—before and after crystallization—using the silicone replica technique. The mean values of fit before and after crystallization were analyzed using a pairedt-test to examine whether the conversion that occurred during crystallization affected marginal and internal gaps (α=0.05). Gaps increased in the marginal area and decreased in the internal areas after crystallization. There were statistically significant differences in all of the investigated areas (P<0.05). None of the values for marginal and internal fit of lithium disilicate CAD/CAM crowns after crystallization exceeded 120μm, which is the clinically acceptable threshold.
In Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Type 2 Diabetes, SIRT1 Expression in Circulating Mononuclear Cells Is Associated with Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines but Not with Coronary Lesions
Authors: Li Yuanmin , Ni Jing , Guo Rong , Li Weiming
Published: March 2016

While SIRT1 is significantly associated with atherosclerosis and diabetic complications, its relevance to coronary lesions in patients with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes has not been specifically investigated. Thus, we assessed SIRT1 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in these patients. We found that SIRT1 expression did not significantly correlate with syntax scores from coronary angiography (p>0.05). Notably, plasma levels of the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were markedly higher in diabetic patients (p<0.05). In addition, SIRT1 expression was negatively correlated with levels of these cytokines, as well as that of interleukin-6 (p<0.05). In summary, the data indicate that SIRT1 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is significantly correlated with inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes but not with the severity of coronary lesions.
A Dynamic Health Assessment Approach for Shearer Based on Artificial Immune Algorithm
Authors: Wang Zhongbin , Xu Xihua , Si Lei , Ji Rui , Liu Xinhua , Tan Chao
Published: March 2016

In order to accurately identify the dynamic health of shearer, reducing operating trouble and production accident of shearer and improving coal production efficiency further, a dynamic health assessment approach for shearer based on artificial immune algorithm was proposed. The key technologies such as system framework, selecting the indicators for shearer dynamic health assessment, and health assessment model were provided, and the flowchart of the proposed approach was designed. A simulation example, with an accuracy of 96%, based on the collected data from industrial production scene was provided. Furthermore, the comparison demonstrated that the proposed method exhibited higher classification accuracy than the classifiers based on back propagation-neural network (BP-NN) and support vector machine (SVM) methods. Finally, the proposed approach was applied in an engineering problem of shearer dynamic health assessment. The industrial application results showed that the paper research achievements could be used combining with shearer automation control system in fully mechanized coal face. The simulation and the application results indicated that the proposed method was feasible and outperforming others.
Heparanase 2 Attenuates Head and Neck Tumor Vascularity and Growth
Authors: Gross-Cohen Miriam , Feld Sari , Doweck Ilana , Neufeld Gera , Hasson Peleg , Arvatz Gil , Barash Uri , Naroditsky Inna , Ilan Neta , Vlodavsky Israel
Published: March 2016

The endoglycosidase heparanase specifically cleaves the heparan sulfate (HS) side chains on proteoglycans, an activity that has been implicated strongly in tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. Heparanase-2 (Hpa2) is a close homolog of heparanase that lacks intrinsic HS-degrading activity but retains the capacity to bind HS with high affinity. In head and neck cancer patients, Hpa2 expression was markedly elevated, correlating with prolonged time to disease recurrence and inversely correlating with tumor cell dissemination to regional lymph nodes, suggesting that Hpa2 functions as a tumor suppressor. The molecular mechanism associated with favorable prognosis following Hpa2 induction is unclear. Here we provide evidence that Hpa2 overexpression in head and neck cancer cells markedly reduces tumor growth. Restrained tumor growth was associated with a prominent decrease in tumor vascularity (blood and lymph vessels), likely due to reduced Id1 expression, a transcription factor highly implicated in VEGF-A and VEGF-C gene regulation. We also noted that tumors produced by Hpa2-overexpressing cells are abundantly decorated with stromal cells and collagen deposition, correlating with a marked increase in lysyl oxidase expression. Notably, heparanase enzymatic activity was unimpaired in cells overexpressing Hpa2, suggesting that reduced tumor growth is not caused by heparanase regulation. Moreover, growth of tumor xenografts by Hpa2-overexpressing cells was unaffected by administration of a mAb that targets the heparin-binding domain of Hpa2, implying that Hpa2 function does not rely on heparanase or heparan sulfate. Cancer Res; 76(9); 2791–801. ©2016 AACR.