bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and characterization of self‐curing hydrophilic bone cements for protein delivery
Authors: Franco‐Marquès E. , Parra J. , Pèlach M. A. , Méndez J. A.
Published: September 2014

New formulations of acrylic bone cements for bone defect reparation, based on self‐hardening methyl methacrylate (MMA)/methacrylic acid (MAA), with a high capacity for protein delivery, have been developed. The self‐curing formulations were prepared by partial substitution of solid phase PMMA microparticles by newly obtained PMAA microspheres. The PMAA microspheres were prepared by inverse suspension polymerization of their monomer and were cross‐linked with N,N'‐methylene‐bis‐acrylamide (MBA) (10–15 wt %) to produce stable systems in contact with aqueous media. PMAA microspheres were loaded with hydrolyzed collagen (HC) as a model protein to simulate bone morphogenetic protein delivery useful for hard tissue reconstruction. Solid phase PMMA microparticles in the formulation were partially substituted by new PMAA‐HC microspheres and were characterized to determine viability as an acrylic bone cement in minimally invasive surgery. The incorporation of PMAA‐HC microspheres decreased peak temperature by 20°C, which minimized thermal necrotic risk after implantation. Mechanical compression tests revealed a behavior, under dry conditions, close to ISO 5833 standard requirements. However, a drastic drop in mechanical strength, ∼64%, was obtained after 15 days of immersion in simulated physiological conditions (37°C and pH 7.4) and was attributed to water absorption and a subsequent plasticizing effect. The increase in water uptake and retention enhanced the capability for controlled protein delivery. Finally, the biocompatibility of the cements was determined; some toxicity of the material during the first hours of culture incubation was observed. Later, toxicity was observed to decrease due to nonreacted monomer leaching, which ensured the low toxicity of the already polymerized phase. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 103B: 992–1001, 2015.
Rates of and Risk Factors for Trabecular and Cortical BMD Loss in Middle-Aged and Elderly African-Ancestry Men
Authors: Sheu Yahtyng , Bunker Clareann H , Jonnalagadda Pallavi , Cvejkus Ryan K , Patrick Alan L , Wheeler Victor W , Gordon Christopher L , Zmuda Joseph M
Published: September 2014

Low trabecular (Tb) and cortical (Ct) volumetric BMD (vBMD) are related to increased fracture risk, but little is known about the patterns and correlates of Tb and Ct vBMD loss with aging. We examined the rates of change in total, Tb.vBMD, and Ct.vBMD at the radius and tibia, and identified factors associated with vBMD loss among 1569 men of African descent aged 40 years and older. Quantitative computed tomography was used to measure vBMD 6 years apart. The annualized rate of loss in Tb.vBMD was significant at the radius (–0.047%/yr, p = 0.016) but not at the tibia. At the radius, a significant loss of Tb.vBMD was observed in men aged 40 to 49 years that appeared to be attenuated and not statistically significant among older age men. In contrast, the decline in Ct.vBMD was similar at both skeletal sites (–0.254 to –0.264%/yr, p < 0.0001) and was consistent across all age groups. Positive associations were found for vBMD changes with body weight (all but radius Ct.vBMD) and diabetes (Ct.vBMD only), whereas negative associations were found with hypertension (all but radius Tb.vBMD), smoking (Ct.vBMD only), and androgen deprivation therapy (cortical vBMD only). Trabecular and cortical vBMD loss appears to follow different patterns among middle- and older-aged men of African ancestry. Factors associated with the decline in vBMD also varied by compartment and anatomical site. Additional studies are needed to better understand the physiological mechanisms underlying early BMD loss among African-ancestry men. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
CERS2 Suppresses Tumor Cell Invasion and is Associated with Decreased V‐ATPase and MMP‐2/MMP‐9 Activities in Breast Cancer
Authors: Fan Shao‐hua , Wang Yan‐yan , Lu Jun , Zheng Yuan‐lin , Wu Dong‐mei , Zhang Zi‐feng , Shan Qun , Hu Bin , Li Meng‐qiu , Cheng Wei
Published: September 2014

Ceramide synthase 2 (CERS2) is the gene identified from a human liver cDNA library in 2001. Our previous studies have shown higher expression of CERS2 in the breast cancer patients was associated with fewer lymph node metastases. However, the molecular mechanism of CERS2 involved is unknown. Here, we found CERS2 was heterogeneously expressed in various breast cancer cells. The mRNA and protein expression levels of CERS2 in MCF7 cells, which are poorly invasive breast cancer cells, were obviously higher than that in the highly invasive cells MDA‐MB‐231. Results showed overexpression of CERS2 in MDA‐MB‐231 cells could significantly inhibit the migration and invasion ability, whereas CERS2 knockdown in MCF7 cells could significantly increase the migration and invasion ability. Overexpression of CERS2 in MDA‐MB‐231 cells significantly reduced the V‐ATPase activity, increased the extracellular pH and decreased the pH‐dependent activity of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). CERS2 knockdown in MCF7 cells significantly increased the V‐ATPase activity, decreased the extracellular pH and increased the activity of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9. Taken together, CERS2 can significantly inhibit breast cancer cell invasion and is associated with the decrease of the V‐ATPase activity and extracellular hydrogen ion concentration, and in turn the activation of secreted MMP‐2/MMP‐9 and degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM), which ultimately suppressed tumor's invasion. Thus, CERS2 may represent a novel target for selectively disrupting V‐ATPase activity and the invasive potential of cancer cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 502–513, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Resolutions of the Coulomb operator: VIII. Parallel implementation using the modern programming language X10
Authors: Limpanuparb Taweetham , Milthorpe Josh , Rendell Alistair P.
Published: September 2014

Use of the modern parallel programming language X10 for computing long‐range Coulomb and exchange interactions is presented. By using X10, a partitioned global address space language with support for task parallelism and the explicit representation of data locality, the resolution of the Ewald operator can be parallelized in a straightforward manner including use of both intranode and internode parallelism. We evaluate four different schemes for dynamic load balancing of integral calculation using X10's work stealing runtime, and report performance results for long‐range HF energy calculation of large molecule/high quality basis running on up to 1024 cores of a high performance cluster machine. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Reverse H‐free Process for Strictly 2‐Balanced Graphs
Authors: Makai Tamás
Published: September 2014

Consider the random graph process that starts from the complete graph on n vertices. In every step, the process selects an edge uniformly at random from the set of edges that are in a copy of a fixed graph H and removes it from the graph. The process stops when no more copies of H exist. When H is a strictly 2‐balanced graph we give the exact asymptotics on the number of edges remaining in the graph when the process terminates and investigate some basic properties namely the size of the maximal independent set and the presence of subgraphs.
Synthesis of concentric ring antenna array for a wide isoflux pattern
Authors: Reyna Maldonado Alberto , Panduro Marco A.
Published: September 2014

This research presents the synthesis of the concentric ring antenna arrays for a wide coverage pattern. The synthesis process is formulated as an optimization of the antenna excitations. Harmony search algorithm and particle swarm optimization are implemented for this optimization problem. The antenna array considers disk patches at the L‐band. First, the synthesis regards the behavior of the antenna array modeled by the cavity model. Second, the mutual coupling is included by using the full wave simulation. This synthesis could be very useful in satellites with terrestrial global coverage. The obtained antenna array provides a wide uniform power density and reduces considerably the hardware complexity for a satellite antenna system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular diversity of fungal and bacterial communities in the marine sponge Dragmacidon reticulatum
Authors: Passarini Michel R. Z. , Miqueletto Paula B. , de Oliveira Valéria M. , Sette Lara D.
Published: September 2014

The present work aimed to investigate the diversity of bacteria and filamentous fungi of southern Atlantic Ocean marine sponge Dragmacidon reticulatum using cultivation‐independent approaches. Fungal ITS rDNA and 18S gene analyses (DGGE and direct sequencing approaches) showed the presence of representatives of three order (Polyporales, Malasseziales, and Agaricales) from the phylum Basidiomycota and seven orders belonging to the phylum Ascomycota (Arthoniales, Capnodiales, Dothideales, Eurotiales, Hypocreales, Pleosporales, and Saccharomycetales). On the other hand, bacterial 16S rDNA gene analyses by direct sequencing approach revealed the presence of representatives of seven bacterial phyla (Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Lentisphaerae, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes). Results from statistical analyses (rarefaction curves) suggested that the sampled clones covered the fungal diversity in the sponge samples studied, while for the bacterial community additional sampling would be necessary for saturation. This is the first report related to the molecular analyses of fungal and bacterial communities by cultivation‐independent approaches in the marine sponges D. reticulatum. Additionally, the present work broadening the knowledge of microbial diversity associated to marine sponges and reports innovative data on the presence of some fungal genera in marine samples.
Numerical study on the effect of the thermo‐mechanical properties of alloys on the behaviour of super plastic forming tools
Authors: Wood P. , Qarni M. J. , Chippendale J. , Rosochowski A.
Published: September 2014

The paper describes a numerical study to investigate the effect of the thermo‐mechanical properties of heat resisting nickel and chromium alloys, used for super plastic forming (SPF) tools, on the tool service behaviour. The purpose of the paper is to rank the relative importance of each property studied for the heat resisting class of cast nickel and chromium alloys, subjected to repeated thermal cycles under typical industrial super plastic forming conditions. A finite element model of a tool block within an industrial press furnace was developed to simulate the typical thermal cycles of an super plastic forming tool, and predict the resulting mechanical performance. Important thermal and mechanical properties were identified for the cast nickel and chromium class of alloys studied in this paper and suitable ranges for the properties were determined for numerical simulations. The results include a quantitative analysis of the effect of the properties studied.
Investigation of the mechanical behaviour of Ti–6Al–4V alloy under hot forming conditions: Experiment and modelling
Authors: Velay V. , Matsumoto H. , Sasaki L. , Vidal V.
Published: September 2014

The present investigation aims at evaluating and understanding the formability of Ti–6Al–4V alloy under hot forming conditions (650 °C ≤ T ≤ 750 °C). To fulfil these objectives, it was necessary to establish accurate material models and predict microscopic material evolution depending on temperature and strain rate. Two kinds of microstructure were investigated, the first one considers a conventional grain size of the α‐phase (3 µm) whereas a combined forging‐rolling process is used to elaborate the second one and allows to obtain a very fine grain of the α‐phase (0.5 µm). In this research work, we propose to investigate the capabilities of the titanium alloy under forming conditions quite different from those usually considered in superplastic forming process (lower temperatures and higher strain rates).
Epigenetic pathogenesis of human papillomavirus in upper aerodigestive tract cancers
Authors: Talukdar Fazlur Rahman , Ghosh Sankar Kumar , Laskar Ruhina Shirin , Kannan Ravi , Choudhury Biswadeep , Bhowmik Arup
Published: September 2014

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been recently associated with squamous cell carcinoma of upper aerodigestive tract (SCC of UADT), but its possible role in promoting aberrant methylation in these tumors has largely remained unexplored. Herein, we investigated the association of HPV with aberrant methylation in tumor‐related genes/loci consisting of the classical CpG Island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP) panel markers (p16, MLH1, MINT1, MINT2, and MINT31) and other frequently methylated cancer‐related genes (DAPK1, GSTP1, BRCA1, ECAD, and RASSF1) and survival of UDAT cancers. The study includes 219 SCC of UADT patients from different hospitals of Northeast India. Detection of HPV and aberrant promoter methylation was performed by PCR and Methylation Specific PCR respectively. Association study was conducted by Logistic regression analysis and overall survival analysis was done by Kaplan–Meier plot. HPV was detected in 37% of cases, with HPV‐18 as the major high‐risk sub‐type. Although HPV presence did not seem to affect survival in overall UADT cancers, but was associated with a favourable prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Hierarchical clustering revealed three distinct clusters with different methylation profile and HPV presence. Among these, the CIMP‐high subgroup exhibited the highest HPV positive cases (66%). Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed a strong synergistic association of HPV and tobacco towards modulating promoter hypermethylation in UADT cancer (OR = 27.50 [95% CI = 11.51–88.03] for CIMP‐high vs. CIMP‐low). The present study proposes a potential role of HPV in impelling aberrant methylation in specific tumor related loci, which might contribute in the initiation and progression of SCC of UADT. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Vertical Integration, Organizational Governance, and Firm Performance: Evidence from Italian Business Groups
Authors: Cainelli Giulio , Iacobucci Donato
Published: September 2014

Assuming transaction cost economics as a normative tool, we investigate the relationship between firms' ‘observed’ vertical integration choices and their economic performance. We use a two‐stage methodology: in the first, a measure of governance misalignment is computed as a difference between the governance form (i.e., ownership or outsourcing) predicted by transaction cost economics and the form actually observed; the second stage consists of estimating a performance equation where the misalignment variable is introduced together with a set of independent variables. Compared with previous studies, we introduce two novelties: we use the business group as the unit of analysis to detect the ownership of vertically related productions; we assess the moderating role of geographic agglomeration in reducing the need of vertical integration. Our results confirm the importance of technology and price uncertainty in influencing vertical integration; moreover, the misalignment variable is significant in the case of profitability, but not in the case of growth. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid in vivo apparent diffusion coefficient mapping of hyperpolarized 13C metabolites
Authors: Koelsch Bertram L. , Reed Galen D. , Keshari Kayvan R. , Chaumeil Myriam M. , Bok Robert , Ronen Sabrina M. , Vigneron Daniel B. , Kurhanewicz John , Larson Peder E. Z.
Published: September 2014

Purpose

Hyperpolarized 13C magnetic resonance allows for the study of real‐time metabolism in vivo, including significant hyperpolarized 13C lactate production in many tumors. Other studies have shown that aggressive and highly metastatic tumors rapidly transport lactate out of cells. Thus, the ability to not only measure the production of hyperpolarized 13C lactate but also understand its compartmentalization using diffusion‐weighted MR will provide unique information for improved tumor characterization.

Methods

We used a bipolar, pulsed‐gradient, double spin echo imaging sequence to rapidly generate diffusion‐weighted images of hyperpolarized 13C metabolites. Our methodology included a simultaneously acquired B1 map to improve apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) accuracy and a diffusion‐compensated variable flip angle scheme to improve ADC precision.

Results

We validated this sequence and methodology in hyperpolarized 13C phantoms. Next, we generated ADC maps of several hyperpolarized 13C metabolites in a normal rat, rat brain tumor, and prostate cancer mouse model using both preclinical and clinical trial‐ready hardware.

Conclusion

ADC maps of hyperpolarized 13C metabolites provide information about the localization of these molecules in the tissue microenvironment. The methodology presented here allows for further studies to investigate ADC changes due to disease state that may provide unique information about cancer aggressiveness and metastatic potential. Magn Reson Med 74:622–633, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Autonomic system and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Piccione Ezequiel A. , Sletten David M. , Staff Nathan P. , Low Phillip A.
Published: September 2014

Introduction: The aim of this study is to characterize autonomic impairment in motor neuron disease. Methods: Neurological evaluations and autonomic testing were analyzed retrospectively in 132 patients: 86 classic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), 36 lower motor neuron (LMN), and 10 upper motor neuron (UMN) predominant disease. Results: One‐third of patients were symptomatic; urinary urgency and constipation were the most frequent symptoms. Increased Composite Autonomic Severity Score (CASS) was present in 75% with mild impairment (CASS 1–3) in 85% and moderate (CASS 4–7) in 15%. The frequencies of testing abnormalities were: sudomotor 46%, cardiovagal 50%, and adrenergic 14%. The UMN group had significantly higher median CASS scores than the classic ALS (P = 0.021) and LMN group (P = 0.018). Conclusions: We found predominantly mild autonomic impairment in ALS patients, with mostly cardiovagal and sudomotor involvement. Moderate autonomic failure occurred in 1 of 7 patients, especially those with an UMN presentation. Patients with selective corticospinal tract involvement may have more impairment of autonomic pathways. Muscle Nerve 51:676–679, 2015
ICS teaching module: Analysis of voiding, pressure flow analysis (basic module)
Authors: Rosier Peter F.W.M. , Kirschner‐Hermanns Ruth , Svihra Jan , Homma Yukio , Wein Alan J.
Published: September 2014

Aims

To present the evidence background for an ICS teaching module for the urodynamic analysis of voiding.

Methods

Literature analysis and expert opinion are combined to collate an outline and explanation of a preferred and good urodynamic practice.

Result

Patient's preparation, pathophysiology, technique and principles of pressure flow analysis are summarized in this manuscript.

Conclusions

This manuscript serves as scientific background for a slides set, made available on the ICS website to teach the basic and practical elements of pressure flow analysis. Neurourol. Urodynam. 35:36–38, 2016. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Age determination of soft tissue hematomas
Authors: Neumayer Bernhard , Hassler Eva , Petrovic Andreas , Widek Thomas , Ogris Kathrin , Scheurer Eva
Published: September 2014

In clinical forensic medicine, the estimation of the age of injuries such as externally visible subcutaneous hematomas is important for the reconstruction of violent events, particularly to include or exclude potential suspects. Since the estimation of the time of origin based on external inspection is unreliable, the aim of this study was to use contrast in MRI to develop an easy‐to‐use model for hematoma age estimation.

In a longitudinal study, artificially created subcutaneous hematomas were repetitively imaged using MRI over a period of two weeks. The hemorrhages were created by injecting autologous blood into the subcutaneous tissue of the thigh in 20 healthy volunteers. For MRI, standard commercially available sequences, namely proton‐density‐weighted, T2‐weighted and inversion recovery sequences, were used. The hematomas' MRI data were analyzed regarding their contrast behavior using the most suitable sequences to derive a model allowing an objective estimation of the age of soft tissue hematomas.

The Michelson contrast between hematoma and muscle in the proton‐density‐weighted sequence showed an exponentially decreasing behavior with a dynamic range of 0.6 and a maximum standard deviation of 0.1. The contrast of the inversion recovery sequences showed increasing characteristics and was hypointense for TI = 200ms and hyperintense for TI =1000ms. These sequences were used to create a contrast model. The cross‐validation of the model finally yielded limits of agreement for hematoma age determination (corresponding to ±1.96 SD) of ±38.7h during the first three days and ±54 h for the entire investigation period.

The developed model provides lookup tables which allow for the estimation of a hematoma's age given a single contrast measurement applicable by a radiologist or a forensic physician. This is a first step towards an accurate and objective dating method for subcutaneous hematomas, which will be particularly useful in child abuse. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tissue tropism, pathology and pathogenesis of enterovirus infection
Authors: Muehlenbachs Atis , Bhatnagar Julu , Zaki Sherif R
Published: September 2014

Enteroviruses are very common and cause infections with a diverse array of clinical features. Enteroviruses are most frequently considered by practising pathologists in cases of aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, myocarditis and disseminated infections in neonates and infants. Congenital infections have been reported and transplacental transmission is thought to occur. Although skin biopsies during hand, foot and mouth disease are infrequently obtained, characteristic dermatopathological findings can be seen. Enteroviruses have been implicated in lower respiratory tract infections. This review highlights histopathological features of enterovirus infection and discusses diagnostic modalities for formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissues and their associated pitfalls. Immunohistochemistry can detect enterovirus antigen within cells of affected tissues; however, assays can be non‐specific and detect other viruses. Molecular methods are increasingly relied upon but, due to the high frequency of asymptomatic enteroviral infections, clinical–pathological correlation is needed to determine significance. Of note, diagnostic assays on central nervous system or cardiac tissues from immunocompetent patients with prolonged disease courses are most often negative. Histopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular studies performed on clinical specimens also provide insight into enteroviral tissue tropism and pathogenesis. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Importance of blood cultures from peripheral veins in pediatric patients with cancer and a central venous line
Authors: Handrup Mette Møller , Møller Jens Kjølseth , Rutkjær Cecilie , Schrøder Henrik
Published: September 2014

Background

When an infection is suspected in a child with cancer and a central venous line (CVL), cultures are often only obtained from the CVL and not from a peripheral vein (PV). This study was undertaken to evaluate the importance of concomitant blood cultures from the CVL and a PV.

Procedure

Clinical data and the results of all cultures taken concomitantly from the CVL and a PV were registered prospectively in children admitted with fever from April 2008 to December 2012 at the Department of Pediatrics at Aarhus University Hospital Skejby.

Results

During the study period 654 paired cultures obtained from the CVL and from a PV within two hour of each other were included. A true bloodstream infection (BSI) was registered in 112 episodes. In 20 (17%) out of 112, true BSI growth of a microorganism was detected only in the culture from a PV including seven cases of Escherichia coli and three cases of Staphylococcus aureus. In 52 episodes the same microorganism was cultured from both the CVL and a PV. Twenty‐four of these episodes were classified as catheter‐related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) using differential time to positivity. In total, 64 (57%) of all true BSI were defined as CRBSI.

Conclusions

Blood cultures should be obtained from a PV in addition to cultures from CVL at the onset of fever in pediatric patients with cancer in order to maximize the findings of true BSIs. The frequency of CRBSI may be over‐estimated if blood cultures are drawn from CVL only. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:99–102. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pseudoprogression of low‐grade gliomas after radiotherapy
Authors: Naftel Robert P. , Pollack Ian F. , Zuccoli Giulio , Deutsch Melvin , Jakacki Regina I.
Published: September 2014

Background

Increasing mass effect following radiation therapy (RT) in patients with low‐grade gliomas (LGGs) can be mistaken for tumor progression and/or malignant degeneration. Distinguishing pseudoprogression (PP) from true progression is crucial, with vastly different treatment approaches and prognoses.

Procedure

Patients treated with RT for LGGs through the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Neuro–Oncology Program are considered to have PP and managed conservatively if they develop increased mass effect within 3 years of RT. Pre‐RT tumor area was compared to the maximum tumor size following RT and the size on the last follow‐up scan by a central reviewer.

Results

Twenty‐four children, median age 13 years, received external beam RT for LGG between March 2000 and August 2011. Thirteen patients (54.2%) developed an increase in tumor size compared to baseline beginning at a median of 6 months after RT and lasting for a median of 2.1 years (range 6.5 months to 5.1 years). Maximum tumor enlargement occurred at a median of 8 months after RT, with a range (5 months to 4.2 years). In all 13 cases, the tumor eventually decreased in size without additional anti‐tumor therapy. Two patients (8.3%) developed true tumor progression. With a median follow‐up of 4.9 years (range 1.0–12.4 years), all patients are alive.

Conclusions

Pseudoprogression occurred in more than half of the children with LGG following RT, typically beginning within 8 months and often running a very protracted course. Late presentations can also occur. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:35–39. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Clinical and experimental study of castleman disease in children
Authors: Zhang Jun , Li ChangChun , Lv LinYa , Yang Chao , Kong Xiang Ru , Zhu Jin , Zhang Yun , Wang Shan
Published: September 2014

Background

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disease that is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, especially in children. For this reason, we describe the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of CD in 11 children.

Procedure

A retrospective study was performed to analyze the clinical features of 11 children with CD in a single institution from January 2001 to December 2012. All had computed tomography (CT) and lymph node resection for pathology diagnosis.

Results

The average age of patients was 9.67 ± 4.26 years (range 1.3–15.5 years) including eight males (72.73%) and three females (27.27%). All but two (18.18%) had multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) infected cells were not detected in all patients. All patients were misdiagnosed in outside hospitals without tissue examination. Only in one case, the preoperative CT scan suggested CD. After treatment, 10 out of 11 children with CD in our study were disease free in the follow‐up period ranging from 12 to 136 months (average 65.1 ± 10.21 months).

Conclusion

CD in children is rare, and is frequently misdiagnosed clinically. Our study shows that surgical resection is very effective in the treatment of unicentric Castleman disease (UCD). The rare UCD patient and all MCD patients treated with the modified NHLBFM‐90 protocol had good prognosis. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:109–114. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) and Casein Kinase II (CK2) regulate Ikaros‐mediated repression of TdT in thymocytes and T‐cell leukemia
Authors: Wang Haijun , Song Chunhua , Gurel Zafer , Song Na , Ma Jisheng , Ouyang Hongsheng , Lai Liangxue , Payne Kimberly J. , Dovat Sinisa
Published: September 2014

Background

Ikaros is a DNA‐binding protein that acts as master‐regulator of hematopoiesis and a tumor suppressor. In thymocytes and T‐cell leukemia, Ikaros negatively regulates transcription of terminal deoxynucleotide transferase (TdT), a key protein in lymphocyte differentiation. The signaling pathways that regulate Ikaros‐mediated repression of TdT are unknown. Our previous work identified Casein Kinase II (CK2) and Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) as regulators of Ikaros DNA binding activity. Here, we investigated the role of PP1 and CK2 in regulating Ikaros‐mediated control of TdT expression.

Procedures

Ikaros phosphomimetic and phosphoresistant mutants and specific CK2 and PP1 inhibitors were used in combination with quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (qChIP) and quantitative reverse transcriptase‐PCR (q RT‐PCR) assays to evaluate the role of CK2 and PP1 in regulating the ability of Ikaros to bind the TdT promoter and to regulate TdT expression.

Results

We demonstrate that phosphorylation of Ikaros by pro‐oncogenic CK2 decreases Ikaros binding to the promoter of the TdT gene and reduces the ability of Ikaros to repress TdT expression during thymocyte differentiation. CK2 inhibition and PP1 activity restore Ikaros DNA‐binding affinity toward the TdT promoter, as well as Ikaros‐mediated transcriptional repression of TdT in primary thymocytes and in leukemia.

Conclusion

These data establish that PP1 and CK2 signal transduction pathways regulate Ikaros‐mediated repression of TdT in thymocytes and leukemia. These findings reveal that PP1 and CK2 have opposing effects on Ikaros‐mediated repression of TdT and establish novel roles for PP1 and CK2 signaling in thymocyte differentiation and leukemia. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:2230–2235. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dental pulp therapy for primary teeth in children undergoing cancer therapy
Authors: Halperson Elinor , Moss Dinna , Tickotsky Nili , Weintraub Michael , Moskovitz Moti
Published: September 2014

Background

Childhood cancer treatment negatively affects the immune system, increasing the risk for bacteremia and septicemia. As the oral cavity is a major entry portal for pathogens into the bloodstream dental care in such children tends to be radical, favouring tooth extraction over less drastic treatments such as pulpotomy, the amputation of infected dental pulp. The present study aimed to compare pulpotomy treatment success rate in children with cancer receiving immunosuppressive therapy with that of healthy children, and investigate if unsuccessful pulpotomy treatment in oncologic patients may lead to systemic complications.

Procedure

Twenty‐six medical records of children from a paediatric oncology referral centre who had dental pulpotomy treatment (in 41 teeth) while receiving active cancer care during the years 2006–2012 were compared with records of 41 randomly selected healthy children who had undergone pulpotomy treatment (41 teeth) in the same institute during these years. Clinical and radiographic data were collected during treatments and at the end of the follow‐up period (six months post dental treatment).

Results

No statisticaly significant difference was found between pulpotomy success rate amongst the two groups. Treatments success rates in the study and control groups were 82.9% (± 5.9) and 90.2% (± 4.7), respectively. No patient in the study group suffered from sepsis from a dental origin during follow‐up period.

Conclusions

Pulpotomy in paediatric cancer patients did not increase the risk for bacteremia or systemic complications from oral origin. We therefore recommend the re‐evaluation of the current protocol for treating paediatric oncology patients. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:2297–2301. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Grief reactions and impact of patient death on pediatric oncologists
Authors: Granek Leeat , Bartels Ute , Scheinemann Katrin , Labrecque Manon , Barrera Maru
Published: September 2014

Background

To examine pediatric oncologists' grief reactions to patient death, and the impact patient death has on their personal and professional lives.

Procedure

The grounded theory method was used. Data was collected between March 2012 and July 2012 at two academic centres in Canada. Twenty‐one out of 34 eligible pediatric oncologists at different stages of their career were recruited and interviewed about their experiences with patient death. Inclusion criteria were: being able to speak English and having had a patient die in their care. The participants formed three groups of oncologists at different stages of career including: fellows, junior oncologists, and senior oncologists who varied in sub‐specialties, gender, and ethnicities.

Results

Pediatric oncologists reported a range of reactions to patient death including sadness, crying, sleep loss, exhaustion, feeling physically ill, and a sense of personal loss. They also reported self‐questioning, guilt, feelings of failure and helplessness. The impact of these deaths had personal consequences that ranged from irritability at home, feeling disconnected from family members and friends, and becoming more desensitized towards death, to gaining a greater and more appreciative perspective on life. Professional impacts included concern about turnover or burnout at work and improving holistic care as a result of patient deaths.

Conclusions

Grief over patient death and the emotional labour involved in these losses are a robust part of the pediatric oncology workplace and have major impacts on pediatric oncologist's personal and professional lives. Interventions that focus on how to help pediatric oncologists deal with these reactions are needed. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:134–142. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PURSUING PERFECTION: DISTRESS AND INTERPERSONAL FUNCTIONING AMONG ADOLESCENT BOYS IN SINGLE‐SEX AND CO‐EDUCATIONAL INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
Authors: Coren Sidney A. , Luthar Suniya S.
Published: September 2014

This study extends past findings of heightened problems among affluent youth by examining adjustment patterns among boys in two academically elite, independent high schools: one for boys only and the other co‐educational. Both samples manifested disproportionately high rates of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, but only the co‐educational boys showed elevations in substance use. Boys in both schools showed elevations in a new outcome domain examined: exhibitionistic narcissism. Multivariate analyses of predictors showed that parent criticism—a defining feature of youths’ maladaptive perfectionism—and perceived maternal depression emerged as major vulnerability factors for both samples in relation to symptom levels. On other parenting dimensions, boys in the single‐sex school seemed to be particularly sensitive to feelings of alienation from their fathers and perceived paternal depression. Envy of peers’ attractiveness was associated with adolescent distress in both samples, but appeared to be especially critical for co‐educational boys. Results are discussed, focusing on the costs and benefits of boys’ attendance at a single‐sex versus co‐educational school, along with implications for practice and future research.
Proteomics and glycoproteomics of pluripotent stem‐cell surface proteins
Authors: Sun Bingyun
Published: September 2014

Pluripotent stem cells are a unique cell type with promising potential in regenerative and personalized medicine. Yet the difficulty to understand and coax their seemingly stochastic differentiation and spontaneous self‐renewal have largely limited their clinical applications. A call has been made by numerous researchers for a better characterization of surface proteins on these cells, in search of biomarkers that can dictate developmental stages and lineage specifications, and can help formulate mechanistic insight of stem‐cell fate choices. In the past two decades, proteomics has gained significant recognition in profiling surface proteins at high throughput. This review will summarize the impact of these studies on stem‐cell biology, and discuss the used proteomic techniques. A systematic comparison of all the techniques and their results is also attempted here to help reveal pros, cons, and the complementarity of the existing methods. This awareness should assist in selecting suitable strategies for stem‐cell related research, and shed light on technical improvements that can be explored in the future.
A Simple and Rapid Evaluation of Explosive Performance – The Disc Acceleration Experiment
Authors: Lorenz Karl Thomas , Lee Edward L. , Chambers Ronald
Published: September 2014

It is crucial in the development of a new explosive to obtain an evaluation of performance early in the process when the availability of material is limited. Evaluation requires dynamic measurements of detonation velocity, pressure, and expansion energy – typically in separate experiments that require large amounts of material, time, and expense. There is also a need for evaluation of the total available thermodynamic energy. The dynamic evaluations, in particular, have been a major hindrance to development of new explosives. The new experimental testing method to be described here requires small charges and obtains accurate measurement of all three of the detonation performance characteristics in a single test. The design, a Disc Acceleration eXperiment (DAX), provides an initial condition of steady detonation and a charge‐geometry amenable to 2D hydrodynamic simulations. The velocity history of a metal disk attached to the end of the explosive charge is measured with Photonic Doppler Velocimetry (PDV). This disc velocity data is analyzed to give both CJ pressure and expansion energy. The detonation velocity is obtained with probes along the charge length. The experiments and subsequent analyses are concentrated on LX‐16, a known PETN based explosive, for the purpose of establishing the accuracy of the method and to provide a standard for comparison with other explosives. We present details of the experimental design and also detonation velocity and PDV results from a number of experiments. The total available internal energy for the explosive was obtained from published detonation calorimetry measurements by Ornellas [1], and from thermodynamic equilibrium calculations. An equation‐of‐state (EOS) for LX‐16 was derived from hydrodynamic simulations of thin plate‐push velocity‐time data. We will show a successful comparison with a previously published Jones‐Wilkins‐Lee (JWL) EOS for PETN by Green and Lee [2–4].
Structures of a pan‐specific antagonist antibody complexed to different isoforms of TGFβ reveal structural plasticity of antibody–antigen interactions
Authors: Moulin Aaron , Mathieu Magali , Lawrence Catherine , Bigelow Russell , Levine Mark , Hamel Christine , Marquette Jean‐Piere , Le Parc Josiane , Loux Christophe , Ferrari Paul , Capdevila Cecile , Dumas Jacques , Dumas Bruno , Rak Alexey , Bird Julie , Qiu Huawei , Pan Clark Q. , Edmunds Tim , Wei Ronnie R.
Published: September 2014

Various important biological pathways are modulated by TGFβ isoforms; as such they are potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Fresolimumab, also known as GC1008, is a pan‐TGFβ neutralizing antibody that has been tested clinically for several indications including an ongoing trial for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The structure of the antigen‐binding fragment of fresolimumab (GC1008 Fab) in complex with TGFβ3 has been reported previously, but the structural capacity of fresolimumab to accommodate tight interactions with TGFβ1 and TGFβ2 was insufficiently understood. We report the crystal structure of the single‐chain variable fragment of fresolimumab (GC1008 scFv) in complex with target TGFβ1 to a resolution of 3.00 Å and the crystal structure of GC1008 Fab in complex with TGFβ2 to 2.83 Å. The structures provide further insight into the details of TGFβ recognition by fresolimumab, give a clear indication of the determinants of fresolimumab pan‐specificity and provide potential starting points for the development of isoform‐specific antibodies using a fresolimumab scaffold.
Phase/current information descriptors and equilibrium states in molecules
Authors: Nalewajski Roman F.
Published: September 2014

Quantum‐generalized entropic descriptors of the complex electronic states and their information distances are reexamined and applied to the phase‐equilibria in molecules. The relation between densities of the ordinary Fisher and Shannon measures of information content is used in determining their supplements due to phases/currents. These nonclassical terms complement the familiar classical (probability) functionals of information theory in the resultant information descriptors. The nonclassical Shannon entropy measures the average magnitude of the system phase distribution, while the current term in the related Fisher measure accounts for the gradient content of the state phase. The density constrained (vertical) and unconstrained (horizontal) equilibria in molecules are distinguished. The consistency requirement that the extreme entropic principles in terms of both these resultant measures have common solutions calls for the modified, negative sign of the nonclassical Fisher indeterminicity term. The equilibrium criteria are shown to give rise to the unitary phase‐transformation of molecular states in a “thermodynamic” representation of quantum‐mechanical description. Possible applications of this generalized description are discussed and thermodynamical analogies are commented upon. A separation of the density (modulus) and current (phase) factors of general many‐electron states is effected using the Harriman–Zumbach–Maschke construction of antisymmetric states yielding the specified electron density. A phenomenological description of molecular subsystems is outlined, which accounts for both the density and phase degrees‐of‐freedom of electronic states, and the current promotion of molecular fragments is explored. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Potential energy surface and bound states of the (X4Σ)KRb‐K complex
Authors: López‐Durán David , Aguirre Néstor , Delgado‐Barrio Gerardo , Villarreal Pablo , Gianturco Franco , de Lara‐Castells María
Published: September 2014

We present in this work a potential energy surface of the (X4Σ)KRb‐K complex for which high level ab initio calculations have been carried out at the RCCSD(T) level of theory, using ECP10MDF/ECP28MDF effective core potentials and basis sets for K/Rb, respectively, with the dimer at its lowest triplet
state and fixed to the equilibrium distance. The interaction is shown to be very anisotropic, with one clear minimum at a T‐type geometry of the complex. The depth of the well is found to be 767.7 cm−1 located at
in Jacobi coordinates from the center of mass of the diatomic partner. A variational (VAR) procedure and the Diffusion Monte Carlo technique have been applied to explore the bound states of the aggregate. Both descriptions provide similar features for the vibrational, nonrotating, ground‐state, with an energy of
cm−1 and the maximum of the wavefunction peaked above the well of the surface. Excited states are also reported using the VAR treatment and angular and/or radial excitations are identified among the lower‐lying vibrational states. These results should already provide an initial step toward a more comprehensive study of the collisions at ultralow temperatures of K+KRb, important process in the field of ultracold molecular chemistry. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantum topology phase diagrams for the cis‐ and trans‐isomers of the cyclic contryphan‐Sm peptide
Authors: Figueredo Fernando A. , Maza Julio R. , Kirk Steven R. , Jenkins Samantha
Published: September 2014

Within the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) framework we present a quantum topology phase diagram (QTPD) using the Poincaré–Hopf relation of a total of 17 all new QTAIM topologies of the cis‐ and trans‐isomers of the cyclic contryphan‐Sm peptide. The resultant QTPD consists of separate regions for the cis‐ and trans‐isomers that only overlap for topologies associated with the lowest energy minima of the cis‐ and trans‐isomers. We determine the QTAIM topologies of 29 “missing” isomers. A new, contracted formulation of the QTPD is presented, this contracted formulation includes the interamino acid bond critical points (BCPs) that link together the amino acid units, the disulphide bridge “pivot” BCP and side chain bonding interactions. The seven interamino acid BCPs linking the amino acid units coincide with the so‐called peptide backbone, the conventional qualitative approach to reduce the complexity of the peptide. We expand the interpretation of ellipticity to include the associated eigenvectors and find that higher values of the ellipticity ɛ are associated with a greater preference to conserve folding states. We quantify previous qualitative findings that suggested the disulfide bond is central to the folding behavior of the cyclic contryphan‐Sm peptide and why the cis‐isomer is the major form of the cyclic contryphan‐Sm peptide. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
“Not Designed for Us”: How Science Museums and Science Centers Socially Exclude Low‐Income, Minority Ethnic Groups
Authors: DAWSON EMILY
Published: September 2014

This paper explores how people from low‐income, minority ethnic groups perceive and experience exclusion from informal science education (ISE) institutions, such as museums and science centers. Drawing on qualitative data from four focus groups, 32 interviews, four accompanied visits to ISE institutions, and field notes, this paper presents an analysis of exclusion from science learning opportunities during visits alongside participants’ attitudes, expectations, and conclusions about participation in ISE. Participants came from four community groups in central London: a Sierra Leonean group (n = 21), a Latin American group (n = 18), a Somali group (n = 6), and an Asian group (n = 13). Using a theoretical framework based on the work of Bourdieu, the analysis suggests ISE practices were grounded in expectations about visitors’ scientific knowledge, language skills, and finances in ways that were problematic for participants and excluded them from science learning opportunities. It is argued that ISE practices reinforced participants preexisting sense that museums and science centers were “not for us.” The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings in relation to previous research on participation in ISE and the potential for developing more inclusive informal science learning opportunities.
Small target detection using morphology and modified Gaussian distance function
Authors: Kim Jong‐Ho , Park Jun‐Jae , Ahn Sang‐Ho , Lee Deok Gyu , Moon Daesung , Kim Sang‐Kyoon
Published: September 2014

We propose a new small target detection system that detects small target candidates based on morphology operations and detects actual targets using a modified Gaussian distance function. To reduce clutter on the edges of clouds, a median filter is applied as preprocessing. Two kinds of images are calculated with closing and opening morphological operators, respectively. In the morphology operations, various sizes of structure elements that are used to consider the sizes of targets and candidate targets are extracted from different images between the two images in the closing and opening operations. With a modified Gaussian distance function, small targets are detected from the candidate targets. The proposed method is less sensitive to clutters than existing methods and has a detection rate of 98%. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.