bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accurate simulations of helium pick-up experiments using a rejection-free Monte Carlo method
Authors: Dutra Matthew , Hinde Robert
Published: April 2018

In this paper, we present Monte Carlo simulations of helium droplet pick-up experiments with the intention of developing a robust and accurate theoretical approach for interpreting experimental helium droplet calorimetry data. Our approach is capable of capturing the evaporative behavior of helium droplets following dopant acquisition, allowing for a more realistic description of the pick-up process. Furthermore, we circumvent the traditional assumption of bulk helium behavior by utilizing density functional calculations of the size-dependent helium droplet chemical potential. The results of this new Monte Carlo technique are compared to commonly used Poisson pick-up statistics for simulations that reflect a broad range of experimental parameters. We conclude by offering an assessment of both of these theoretical approaches in the context of our observed results.
Dynamics of a magnetic skyrmionium driven by spin waves
Authors: Li Sai , Xia Jing , Zhang Xichao , Ezawa Motohiko , Kang Wang , Liu Xiaoxi , Zhou Yan , Zhao Weisheng
Published: April 2018

A magnetic skyrmionium is a skyrmion-like structure, but carries a zero net skyrmion number which can be used as a building block for non-volatile information processing devices. Here, we study the dynamics of a magnetic skyrmionium driven by propagating spin waves. It is found that the skyrmionium can be effectively driven into motion by spin waves showing a tiny skyrmion Hall effect, whose mobility is much better than that of the skyrmion at the same condition. We also show that the skyrmionium mobility depends on the nanotrack width and the damping coefficient and can be controlled by an external out-of-plane magnetic field. In addition, we demonstrate that the skyrmionium motion driven by spin waves is inertial. Our results indicate that the skyrmionium is a promising building block for building spin-wave spintronic devices.
Nesting habitat of the broad-shelled turtle (Chelodina expansa)
Authors: Petrov Kristen , Stricker Heidi , Van Dyke James U. , Stockfeld Graham , West Peter , Spencer Ricky-John
Published: April 2018

Turtles have persisted for over 220 million years, despite facing threats at every life-history stage. In Australia, nest predation by introduced foxes has driven severe declines in some populations. Our project quantified the nesting habitat of the endangered broad-shelled turtle (Chelodina expansa) to facilitate protection of critical nesting grounds. We determined the nesting preferences of C. expansa at five distinct wetlands on the Murray River from 2011 to 2014. We identified environmental variables associated with nest sites in different habitats and compared those at nests and non-nest sites to determine nesting preferences. Kernel density estimates were used to identify important nesting grounds. Our study has important implications for conservation of C. expansa. Habitat preferences for nest sites of C. expansa are predictable both within and across sites, with females preferring to nest ~50 m from shore (~4 m elevation), in open habitat with little vegetation. Based on these habitat preferences, kernel density estimates showed that C. expansa may select the same nesting beaches in subsequent years. Fox depredation of nests (and nesting adults) drives turtle declines in Australia, so identifying nesting areas for protection is a first step in turtle conservation.
Word embeddings quantify 100 years of gender and ethnic stereotypes
Authors: Garg Nikhil , Schiebinger Londa , Jurafsky Dan , Zou James
Published: April 2018

Significance

Word embeddings are a popular machine-learning method that represents each English word by a vector, such that the geometry between these vectors captures semantic relations between the corresponding words. We demonstrate that word embeddings can be used as a powerful tool to quantify historical trends and social change. As specific applications, we develop metrics based on word embeddings to characterize how gender stereotypes and attitudes toward ethnic minorities in the United States evolved during the 20th and 21st centuries starting from 1910. Our framework opens up a fruitful intersection between machine learning and quantitative social science.
De novo haplotype reconstruction in viral quasispecies using paired-end read guided path finding
Authors: Chen Jiao , Zhao Yingchao , Sun Yanni
Published: April 2018

Motivation

RNA virus populations contain different but genetically related strains, all infecting an individual host. Reconstruction of the viral haplotypes is a fundamental step to characterize the virus population, predict their viral phenotypes and finally provide important information for clinical treatment and prevention. Advances of the next-generation sequencing technologies open up new opportunities to assemble full-length haplotypes. However, error-prone short reads, high similarities between related strains, an unknown number of haplotypes pose computational challenges for reference-free haplotype reconstruction. There is still much room to improve the performance of existing haplotype assembly tools.

Results

In this work, we developed a de novo haplotype reconstruction tool named PEHaplo, which employs paired-end reads to distinguish highly similar strains for viral quasispecies data. It was applied on both simulated and real quasispecies data, and the results were benchmarked against several recently published de novo haplotype reconstruction tools. The comparison shows that PEHaplo outperforms the benchmarked tools in a comprehensive set of metrics.

Availability and implementation

The source code and the documentation of PEHaplo are available at https://github.com/chjiao/PEHaplo.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Pleiotropic mapping and annotation selection in genome-wide association studies with penalized Gaussian mixture models
Authors: Zeng Ping , Hao Xingjie , Zhou Xiang
Published: April 2018

Motivation

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified many genetic loci associated with complex traits. A substantial fraction of these identified loci is associated with multiple traits—a phenomena known as pleiotropy. Identification of pleiotropic associations can help characterize the genetic relationship among complex traits and can facilitate our understanding of disease etiology. Effective pleiotropic association mapping requires the development of statistical methods that can jointly model multiple traits with genome-wide single nucleic polymorphisms (SNPs) together.

Results

We develop a joint modeling method, which we refer to as the integrative MApping of Pleiotropic association (iMAP). iMAP models summary statistics from GWASs, uses a multivariate Gaussian distribution to account for phenotypic correlation, simultaneously infers genome-wide SNP association pattern using mixture modeling and has the potential to reveal causal relationship between traits. Importantly, iMAP integrates a large number of SNP functional annotations to substantially improve association mapping power, and, with a sparsity-inducing penalty, is capable of selecting informative annotations from a large, potentially non-informative set. To enable scalable inference of iMAP to association studies with hundreds of thousands of individuals and millions of SNPs, we develop an efficient expectation maximization algorithm based on an approximate penalized regression algorithm. With simulations and comparisons to existing methods, we illustrate the benefits of iMAP in terms of both high association mapping power and accurate estimation of genome-wide SNP association patterns. Finally, we apply iMAP to perform a joint analysis of 48 traits from 31 GWAS consortia together with 40 tissue-specific SNP annotations generated from the Roadmap Project.

Availability and implementation

iMAP is freely available at http://www.xzlab.org/software.html.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Applications of the CRISPR/Cas system beyond gene editing
Authors: Anton Tobias , Karg Elisabeth , Bultmann Sebastian
Published: April 2018

Since the discovery of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated system (Cas) as a tool for gene editing a plethora of locus-specific as well as genome-wide approaches have been developed that allow efficient and reproducible manipulation of genomic sequences. However, the seemingly unbound potential of CRISPR/Cas does not stop with its utilization as a site-directed nuclease. Mutations in its catalytic centers render Cas9 (dCas9) a universal recruitment platform that can be utilized to control transcription, visualize DNA sequences, investigate in situ proteome compositions and manipulate epigenetic modifications at user-defined genomic loci. In this review, we give a comprehensive introduction and overview of the development, improvement and application of recent dCas9-based approaches.
The role of ethics in data governance of large neuro-ICT projects
Authors: Stahl Bernd Carsten , Rainey Stephen , Harris Emma , Fothergill B Tyr
Published: April 2018

Objective

We describe current practices of ethics-related data governance in large neuro-ICT projects, identify gaps in current practice, and put forward recommendations on how to collaborate ethically in complex regulatory and normative contexts.

Methods

We undertake a survey of published principles of data governance of large neuro-ICT projects. This grounds an approach to a normative analysis of current data governance approaches.

Results

Several ethical issues are well covered in the data governance policies of neuro-ICT projects, notably data protection and attribution of work. Projects use a set of similar policies to ensure users behave appropriately. However, many ethical issues are not covered at all. Implementation and enforcement of policies remain vague.

Conclusions

The data governance policies we investigated indicate that the neuro-ICT research community is currently close-knit and that shared assumptions are reflected in infrastructural aspects. This explains why many ethical issues are not explicitly included in data governance policies at present. With neuro-ICT research growing in scale, scope, and international involvement, these shared assumptions should be made explicit and reflected in data governance.
Deterrence of Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
Authors: Quayle Ethel , Koukopoulos Nikolaos
Published: April 2018

‘Cyberspace’ has added a dimension to the ecology of the child and should be a starting point for practitioners (including police) to think about digital media in the context of child sexual abuse. While there is no evidence to suggest that online abuse and exploitation is a more serious offence than crimes occurring offline, the behaviours enabled by social media may present a significant risk factor for some children. This article gives a brief overview of the phenomena and prevalence of online child sexual abuse and exploitation and the role that the Internet may play. This is considered in relation to deterrence, prevention and management of these crimes, and further develops a public health approach to online child abuse and exploitation. Finally, the article critically considers emerging evidence to support this interaction between the individual and the online environment.
Safety of Blood Flow Restricted Exercise in Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review With Potential Applications in Orthopedic Care
Authors: Wong Marlon L. , Formiga Magno F. , Owens Johnny , Asken Tristen , Cahalin Lawrence P.
Published: April 2018

Blood flow restricted (BFR) exercise has recently been promoted in the United States as a novel method to restore skeletal muscle strength and hypertrophy in primarily athletic and healthy populations. A specialized tourniquet restricts blood flow after which brief and intermittent exercise is performed with low to moderate loads of resistance. A hypertensive blood pressure (BP) response during BFR exercise has been identified as a potential adverse effect, which may be particularly concerning for patients who are hypertensive. Because of the possibility that a substantial proportion of older adults undergoing orthopedic surgery may have hypertension as well as the possibility of a hypertensive BP response from BFR exercise, we performed a comprehensive search for studies examining the acute and chronic BP response to BFR exercise in hypertensive subjects resulting in 6 studies with which a meta-analysis and systematic review were performed. The meta-analysis results found nonsignificant, slight increases in systolic BP and diastolic BP. The results of the systematic review found that BFR exercise seems to be safe in patients with hypertension with no adverse events reported in the 86 patients who participated in the 6 reviewed studies. The cardiovascular response to BFR exercise seems to vary depending on the muscle group being exercised as well as the method of BFR, but, in general, these measures are greater during BFR exercise compared with non-BFR exercise.
Trends in Use of Midodrine in the ICU: A Single-Center Retrospective Case Series
Authors: Rizvi Mahrukh S. , Trivedi Vrinda , Nasim Faria , Lin Erica , Kashyap Rahul , Andrijasevic Nicole , Gajic Ognjen
Published: April 2018

Objectives:

Midodrine is an oral alpha-agonist approved for orthostatic hypotension. The use of midodrine as a vasopressor sparing agent has steadily increased in the ICU despite limited evidence for its safety in that setting. We describe the trends in use and reported side effects and complications of midodrine in multidisciplinary ICUs of a tertiary care institution.

Design:

Single-center retrospective case series.

Setting:

Medical and surgical ICU patients from January 2011 to October 2016 at Mayo Clinic, Rochester.

Patients:

Adult patients admitted to any ICU who received midodrine for hypotension were eligible.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

We reviewed the mean arterial pressures and cumulative vasopressor dose before and after midodrine administration and assessed for reported complications. During the study period, a total of 1,119 patients were initiated on midodrine, 56% in surgical ICUs, 42% in medical ICUs, and 2% in a mixed medical and surgical neurology ICU. There was a significant decrease in the number of patients on vasopressors 24 hours after initiation of midodrine (663 to 344; p < 0.001); among the patients that remained on vasopressors, there was a significant decrease in the median cumulative vasopressor dose (p = 0.002). There was a significant increase in median mean arterial pressure 24 hours after initiation of midodrine among patients who were not on vasopressors (65–68; p < 0.01). Asymptomatic bradycardia (heart rate < 50 beats/min) was the most common side effect (n = 172 patients, median 39 beats/min). Two patients developed bowel ischemia after initiation of midodrine that prompted discontinuation of midodrine in one case. Evaluating trends of utilization, the off-label use of midodrine has increased steadily over the years across ICUs.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that midodrine is being increasingly used as an adjunct to increase mean arterial pressure and facilitate weaning of vasopressors in the ICU. Prospective trials are required to further establish the appropriate timing, efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of midodrine use in ICU patients.
Anterior Chamber Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) Injection for the Management of Postsurgery Hypotony in Glaucoma Patients
Authors: Gotzaridis Stratos V. , Portaliou Dimitra M. , Mela Vasiliki A. , Xanthopoulou Paraskevi , Kymionis George D.
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

The purpose of this article was to describe a new technique involving the injection of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas in the anterior chamber (A/C) for the management of hypotony in patients with previous glaucoma surgery.

Materials and Methods:

Seven patients were included in this prospective case series. All patients had advanced glaucoma that was managed surgically either by trabeculectomy (6 patients) or Ahmed valve (1 patient). All patients presented with intraocular pressure (IOP) <7 mm Ηg, shallow A/C, and ultrasound images of choroidal detachment and ciliary body detachment. Patients’ hypotony was treated by 0.4 to 0.6 mL of 100% pure SF6 injection in the A/C followed by supine posture. The purpose of this injection was dual: to displace the ciliary body to its normal position and restore aqueous humor normal production, and to block aqueous humor outflow through bubble formation, causing an increase in IOP.

Results:

Surgical technique was successful in all 7 patients with IOP normalization (>10 mm Hg) and A/C depth increase within the first week after surgery.

Conclusion:

A new surgical technique of SF6 injection in the A/C for patients with choroidal detachment and hypotony shows promising results.
Similar Performance of Trabectome and Ahmed Glaucoma Devices in a Propensity Score-matched Comparison
Authors: Esfandiari Hamed , Shazly Tarek A. , Waxman Susannah A. , Kola Sushma , Kaplowitz Kevin B. , Brown Eric N. , Loewen Nils A.
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

To apply propensity score matching to Ahmed glaucoma drainage implants (AGI) to trabectome-mediated ab interno trabeculectomy (AIT). Recent data suggest that AIT can produce results similar to AGI traditionally reserved for more severe glaucoma.

Methods:

AGI and AIT patients with at least 1 year of follow-up were included. The primary outcome measures were intraocular pressure (IOP), glaucoma medications, and a Glaucoma Index (GI) score. GI reflected glaucoma severity based on visual field, the number of preoperative medications, and preoperative IOP. Score matching used a genetic algorithm consisting of age, sex, type of glaucoma, concurrent phacoemulsification, baseline number of medications, and baseline IOP. Patients without a close match were excluded.

Results:

Of 152 patients, 34 AIT patients were matched to 32 AGI patients. Baseline characteristics including ethnicity, IOP, the number of medications, glaucoma type, the degree of visual field loss and GI were not significantly different between AIT and AGI. AIT had a preoperative IOP of 23.6±8.1 mm Hg compared with 26.5+10.6 mm Hg for AGI. At 12 months, the mean IOP was 15.0±9 mm Hg for AIT versus 15.0±4 mm Hg for AGI (P=0.8), whereas the number of drops was 2.3±2.2 for AIT versus 3.6±1.3 for AGI (P=0.016). Only 6 AIT patients (17.6%) required further surgery within the first 12 months versus 9 (28%) for AGI. Success, defined as IOP<21 mm Hg, <20% reduction and no reoperation, was achieved in 76% of AIT versus 69% of AGI (P=0.48). Complications occurred in 13% of AGI and 0.8% of AIT.

Conclusions:

A propensity score-matched comparison of AIT and AGI showed an equivalent IOP reduction through 1 year. Surprisingly, the AGI group required more glaucoma medications than the AIT group at 6 and 12 months.
Association Between the Deep-layer Microvasculature Dropout and the Visual Field Damage in Glaucoma
Authors: Suh Min Hee , Park Jun Woo , Kim Hae Rang
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

To compare the visual field (VF) sensitivity according to the presence of parapapillary deep-layer microvasculature dropout (MvD_P) and focal lamina cribrosa (LC) defect.

Materials and Methods:

Among 158 open-angle glaucoma patients, 4 groups were formed according to the presence of MvD_P and focal LC defect determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography and by enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain OCT, respectively: (1) eyes without either focal LC defect or MvD_P (group 1); (2) eyes with focal LC defect but no MvD_P (group 2); (3) eyes without focal LC defect but with MvD_P (group 3); (4) eyes with both focal LC defect and MvD_P (group 4). VF sensitivity and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were compared among the 4 groups for global area and 6 sectors.

Results:

Both RNFL thickness and VF sensitivity differed among the 4 groups in all areas other than the nasal and superonasal sectors for RNFL thickness. On post hoc analysis, eyes with MvD_P (groups 3 and 4) had significantly worse VF sensitivity than group 2 [P<0.05, 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)] in all areas except the superotemporal and temporal sectors, whereas the RNFL thicknesses did not differ (P>0.05, 1-way ANOVA) in any areas except the superotemporal sector.

Conclusions:

Eyes with MvD_P had worse VF sensitivity than those without MvD_P, and VF difference was more distinguished than differences of axonal loss and focal LC change. Further studies on the temporal relationship between the MvD_P and glaucomatous VF progression are warranted.
Antibiotic Overuse in Premature Low Birth Weight Infants in a Developing Country
Authors: Rueda Maria S. , Calderon-Anyosa Renzo , Gonzales Jorge , Turin Christie G. , Zea-Vera Alonso , Zegarra Jaime , Bellomo Sicilia , Cam Luis , Castaneda Anne , Ochoa Theresa J.
Published: April 2018

Background:

Neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of child morbidity and mortality, especially in premature and low birth weight infants. Prompt antibiotic therapy is warranted, but its inappropriate use leads to bacterial resistance and adverse outcomes. Our objective is to describe the antibiotic use for late-onset sepsis in Peruvian premature infants.

Methods:

This study is a prospective study as a secondary analysis of a clinical trial in 3 neonatal care units in Peru. We included infants in the first 72 hours of life, with birth weight (BW) <2000 g. We described the antibiotic use as length of therapy (LOT) per 1000 patient days (PD) and antibiotic courses.

Results:

We included 408 neonates, with 12,204 PD of follow-up; 253 infants (62%) had a BW ≤1500 g. Total antibiotic use for late-onset sepsis was 2395 LOT (196 LOT/1000 PD). Two-hundred and seventy-one patients (66.4%) did not receive antibiotics for late-onset sepsis during their hospitalization. In total, 204 antibiotic courses were administered; 92 infants (22.5%) received 1 course, and 45 (11.0%) received 2–5 antibiotic courses. Mean duration of antibiotic course was 10.8 days (standard deviation: ±7.3). We found a significant association between a lower BW and increased antibiotic use per day (P < 0.001). The most commonly used antibiotics were vancomycin (143 LOT/1000 PD), carbapenems (115 LOT/1000 PD), aminoglycosides (72 LOT/1000 PD) and ampicillin (41 LOT/1000 PD).

Conclusions:

Premature infants receive antibiotics for longer than recommended periods of time. Antibiotic overuse is greater in neonates with lower BW. Vancomycin is the most used antibiotic. There is an urgent need to develop antimicrobial stewardship programs in our setting.
Genetic Relatedness of Staphylococcus haemolyticus in Gut and Skin of Preterm Neonates and Breast Milk of Their Mothers
Authors: Soeorg Hiie , Metsvaht Hanna Kadri , Keränen Evamaria Elisabet , Eelmäe Imbi , Merila Mirjam , Ilmoja Mari-Liis , Metsvaht Tuuli , Lutsar Irja
Published: April 2018

Background:

Staphylococcus haemolyticus is a common colonizer and cause of late-onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm neonates. By describing genetic relatedness, we aimed to determine whether mother’s breast milk (BM) is a source of S. haemolyticus colonizing neonatal gut and skin and/or causing LOS.

Methods:

S. haemolyticus was isolated from stool and skin swabs of 49 BM-fed preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit, 20 healthy BM-fed term neonates and BM of mothers once a week and typed by multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis and multilocus sequence typing. Virulence-related genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction.

Results:

Compared with term neonates, S. haemolyticus colonized more commonly gut (35% vs. 89.9%; P < 0.001) and skin (50% vs. 91.8%; P < 0.001) of preterm neonates and mothers’ BM (15% vs. 38.8%). Isolates from preterm compared with term neonates and their mothers carried more commonly the mecA gene (83.5% vs. 5.4%; P < 0.001) and IS256 (52.4% vs. 2.7%; P < 0.001) and belonged to clonal complex 29 (89.1% vs. 63%; P = 0.014). Only 7 (14.3%) preterm and 3 (15%) term neonates were colonized in gut or on skin with multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis types indistinguishable from those in BM. Most frequent multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis types belonged to sequence type 3 or 42, comprised 71.1%–78.4% of isolates from preterm neonates/mothers and caused all 7 LOS episodes. LOS-causing strain colonized the gut of 4/7 and the skin of 5/7 neonates, but not BM, before onset of LOS.

Conclusions:

S. haemolyticus colonizing gut and skin or causing LOS in preterm neonates rarely originate from BM but are mecA-positive strains adapted to hospital environment.
Chronic Neutropenia in Children With Abscess Forming Cervical Lymphadenitis Caused by Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Asakura Mari , Tanaka Toshiyuki , Shoji Kensuke , Karakawa Shuhei , Ishiguro Akira , Miyairi Isao
Published: April 2018

Background:

Suppurative cervical lymphadenitis is rare in children with limited information about the frequency of neutropenia in any series.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective review of pediatric patients in whom suppurative cervical lymphadenitis was diagnosed between April 2011 and March 2016 at a tertiary children’s hospital in Tokyo, Japan. Microbiologically confirmed cases of cervical lymphadenitis with abscess formation were included in the analysis.

Results:

Twenty-five patients (median age, 1 yr old; 64% female) with abscess formation caused by Staphylococcus aureus were identified. Among these 25 patients, 5 (20%) met the criteria for chronic neutropenia and 4 (80%) received the final diagnosis of autoimmune neutropenia based on the identification of the serum anti-CD16 antibodies.

Conclusions:

Chronic neutropenia and autoimmune neutropenia were relatively common among infants with suppurative cervical lymphadenitis caused by S. aureus.
Itraconazole-Related Hypertension
Authors: Kline David A. , Lindholm David A. , Glenn Keith , Conger Nicholas G.
Published: April 2018

Background

Itraconazole is the oral antifungal agent of choice for the treatment of histoplasmosis. Rarely, it can cause cardiovascular adverse effects, including hypokalemia, congestive heart failure, edema, and hypertension.

Methods

We reviewed the medical records of 12 patients who had been on courses of itraconazole between April 20, 2016, and April 19, 2017. By reviewing blood pressure measurements, medications, and symptoms on clinic visits, we were able to ascertain temporal changes related to the initiation of itraconazole.

Results

We report a case series of 5 patients who developed new or worsening hypertension while treated with itraconazole.

Conclusions

Our rate of hypertension was higher than anticipated compared with the package insert rate of 2% to 3%. Given the frequent necessity of prolonged itraconazole treatment and its suspected pathophysiology, prescribers should be aware of itraconazole's cardiovascular effects and should consider investigation into antimineralocorticoid therapies (eg, spironolactone) to limit its adverse effects.
Pantoea Infections in Cancer Patients
Authors: Pandya Shuchi , Aslam Sadaf , Shenoy Rahul , Denham James Dustin , Nanjappa Sowmya , Greene John N.
Published: April 2018

Pantoea agglomerans (formerly Enterobacter agglomerans) is a ubiquitous Gram-negative rod found in the soil. Historically, it was considered a contaminant in intravenous fluids, Propofol, and total parenteral nutrition. Recently, it has been described as a cause of suppurative arthritis after penetrating injuries with thorns. We describe a unique series of Pantoae spp infections occurring in cancer patients at an academic cancer hospital. We conducted a retrospective review of all cases of Pantoea species infection at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. Ten patients with positive culture of P. agglomerans were identified from blood, sputum, and wound culture specimens. Our case series indicates that infections due to P. agglomerans are rare but notable in patients with both hematologic and solid-tumor malignancies. Generally, the clinical course of Pantoea infection is mild and proper antibiotic treatment leads to full recovery.
Clinical Outcomes and Reduced Pulmonary Artery Pressure With Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump During Central Extracorporeal Life Support
Authors: Tepper Sarah , Garcia Moises Baltazar , Fischer Irene , Ahmed Amena , Khan Anam , Balsara Keki R. , Masood Muhammad Faraz , Itoh Akinobu
Published: April 2018

Abstract: Patients supported with extracorporeal life support (ECLS) can experience severe complications from increased left ventricular afterload. The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is thought to unload the left ventricle (LV) and is routinely used with ECLS despite conflicting evidence of its clinical benefit. This retrospective, single-center study examined the effect of the simultaneous use of IABP and centrally cannulated ECLS on patient outcomes and provides new insights into IABP-mediated LV unloading. Thirty patients supported with central ECLS and IABP (extracorporeal life support-IABP group, ECLS-I) were compared with 30 patients with central ECLS alone (ECLS) for cardiogenic shock. Rates of survival to 30 days (p = 0.06) and intensive care unit (ICU) discharge (p = 0.17), and clinical outcomes were not significantly different between the two groups. In patients with pulmonary artery pressure monitoring, mean pulmonary artery (PA) pressure was significantly reduced after 24 (p = 0.007) and 48 hours (p = 0.002) in the ECLS-I group. No significant difference in PA pressure was observed in the ECLS group after 24 or 48 hours. The IABP has the ability to reduce pulmonary artery pressure in patients supported by central ECLS. However, this did not translate into improved survival or clinical outcomes in our population.
11C-Methionine Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Versus 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Evaluation of Residual or Recurrent World Health Organization Grades II and III Meningioma After Treatment
Authors: Tomura Noriaki , Saginoya Toshiyuki , Goto Hiromi
Published: April 2018

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the assessment of positron emission tomography–computed tomography using 11C-methionine (MET PET/CT) for World Health Organization (WHO) grades II and III meningiomas; MET PET/CT was compared with PET/CT using 18F-fluorodeoxy glucose (FDG PET/CT).

Methods

This study was performed in 17 cases with residual and/or recurrent WHO grades II and III meningiomas. Two neuroradiologists reviewed both PET/CT scans. For agreement, the κ coefficient was measured. Difference in tumor-to-normal brain uptake ratios (T/N ratios) between 2 PET/CT scans was analyzed. Correlation between the maximum tumor size and T/N ratio in PET/CT was studied.

Results

For agreement by both reviewers, the κ coefficient was 0.51 (P < 0.05). The T/N ratio was significantly higher for MET PET/CT (3.24 ± 1.36) than for FDG PET/CT (0.93 ± 0.44) (P < 0.01). 11C-methionine ratio significantly correlated with tumor size (y = 8.1x + 16.3, n = 22, P < 0.05), but FDG ratio did not

Conclusions

11C-methionine PET/CT has superior potential for imaging of WHO grades II and III meningiomas with residual or recurrent tumors compared with FDG PET/CT.
Imaging Findings in Papillary Breast Lesions: An Analysis of Ductal Findings on Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Ultrasound
Authors: Sarica Ozgur , Dokdok Murat
Published: April 2018

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the imaging features of dilated ducts or ductal extension/relation of masses detected by ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to correlate the results obtained through these 2 different imaging methods. Furthermore, the ability of the ductal relation pattern in differentiating benign and malignant lesions was explored.

Methods and Materials

Magnetic resonance imaging and US findings of 56 patients who had a pathologic diagnosis of papillary lesion were examined. Ductal findings were classified into four types for both imaging methods: intraductal form, extraductal form, mixed form, and no ductal relation. The correlation between MRI and US was then analyzed with respect to ductal findings. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the value of ductal patterns determined by these 2 imaging methods in the differentiation of benign and malignant papillary lesions.

Results

A total of 56 cases with papillomatosis (n = 11), papillomas (n = 29), and papillary breast carcinomas (n = 16) were included. There was a statistically significant correlation between all ductal patterns on US and the corresponding ductal signs on MRI. Palpable masses were statistically more common in patients with papillary breast carcinoma compared with other groups (P < 0.01). Segmental contrast enhancement occurred at a significantly higher rate in papillary breast carcinoma and papillomatosis patients, as compared with papilloma patients (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Actual resolution of MRI is close to that of US in terms of the ability to demonstrate the ductal relation of masses. Segmental contrast enhancement on MRI and nonmass-like heterogeneous hypoechoic area or mass with multiple ductal extensions on US can be used in discriminating benign versus malignant papillary lesions. The absence of ductal sign in MRI indicates benignity.
Solid Papillary Carcinoma of the Breast: Magnetic Resonance Mammography, Digital Mammography, and Ultrasound Findings
Authors: You Chao , Peng Weijun , Shen Xuxia , Zhi Wenxiang , Yang Wentao , Gu Yajia
Published: April 2018

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the MR mammography (MRM), digital mammography (DM), and ultrasound (US) findings of solid papillary carcinoma (SPC) of breast and to raise awareness of this rare breast tumor.

Material and Methods

Thirty patients diagnosed with breast SPC (age range, 21–72; mean age, 60.27 years) from January 2013 to August 2015 were enrolled. Their clinical presentation and MRM, DM, and US findings were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent both MRM and US, and 20 of them underwent DM. The research primarily investigated MRM features correlated with clinicopathological characteristics.

Results

Of all the patients, 13 were pure SPC in suit, whereas 17 were microinvasive SPC. The detection rates of US, DM, and magnetic resonance imaging for SPC were 30%, 50%, and 100%, respectively, and there were no specific imaging features on DM and US. The most common MRM appearances were located in the retroareolar area (16/30, 53.34%) with T2WI hyperintensity (24/30, 80%) and ductal ectasia (18/30, 60%). Non–mass enhancement of a linear or segmental distribution (17/18, 94.44%) together with clumped enhancement (12/18, 66.66%) and mass with a rim (6/12, 50%) or heterogeneous (6/12, 50%) enhancement were 2 of the typical enhancement features of SPC. Compared with pure SPC, SPC with microinvasive showed larger size of the lesion (t = 1.083, P = 0.026).

Conclusion

Although SPC was difficult to detect in both DM and US, MRM gave better detection of this rare tumor. The MRM characteristics of SPC were distinct and highly similar to its clinicopathological features.
Wandering Behaviors and Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Bowen Mary Elizabeth , Rowe Meredeth
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The aim of the study was to examine the characteristics of wandering associated with preserved versus worsened activities of daily living (ADL) function.

Design

Longitudinal prospective design. Twenty-two cognitively impaired residents of an assisted living facility with over 450 observations were followed up to 8 months.

Methods

Hierarchical linear modeling techniques examine how wandering activity (episodes, distance traveled, gait speed), measured by a real-time locating system, may affect ADL (the Barthel index, the Functional Independence Measure [FIM]).

Findings

Wandering episodes were associated with increased ADL (B= 0.11,p≤ .05, FIM); wandering distance (B= −4.52,p≤ .05, the Barthel index;B= −2.14,p≤ .05, FIM) was associated with decreased ADL.

Conclusion

Walking an average of 0.81 miles per week with 18 or fewer wandering episodes is associated with decreased ability to perform ADL.

Clinical Relevance

Tailored protocols that allow productive wandering with ongoing assessment for fatigue/other physiological needs to appropriately limit distance walked within wandering episodes are needed for this population.
The impact of age on the innate immune response and outcomes after severe sepsis/septic shock in trauma and surgical intensive care unit patients
Authors: Brakenridge Scott C. , Efron Philip A. , Stortz Julie A. , Ozrazgat-Baslanti Teczan , Ghita Gabriela , Wang Zhongkai , Bihorac Azra , Mohr Alicia M. , Brumback Babette A. , Moldawer Lyle L. , Moore Frederick A.
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Advancing age is a strong risk factor for adverse outcomes across multiple disease processes. However, septic surgical and trauma patients are unique in that they incur two or more inflammatory insults. The effects of advanced age on sepsis pathophysiology and outcomes remain unclear.

METHODS

We performed a single-center, prospective observational cohort study of surgical intensive care unit patients with severe sepsis/septic shock. Peripheral blood was collected for genomic, cytokine, and biomarker analysis at 0.5 day, 1 day, 4 days, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, and 28 days after sepsis onset. Based on sensitivity analysis, cohorts were defined as “young” (<55 years) and “aged” (≥55 years). We compared age-defined cohorts to determine differences in patient characteristics, biomarker profiles, and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

The cohort included 173 patients with severe sepsis (n = 93; 53.8%) or septic shock (n = 80; 46.2%), with a mean age of 60.9 (±14.5) years. Intra-abdominal sepsis was the leading source (n = 81; 46.8%), followed by necrotizing soft tissue infection (n = 33, 19.1%) and pneumonia (n = 30; 17.3%). Aged patients had a higher comorbidity burden, but were otherwise similar to the young cohort. The aged cohort had a higher severity of early physiologic derangement (median APACHE II, 23 vs. 18;p= 0.002), greater incidence of multiple organ failure (64.3% vs. 40.4%,p= 0.006), and hospital mortality (15.9% vs. 2.1%;p= 0.016). Six-month mortality was significantly higher in the aged cohort as compared with young cohort (31% vs. 9%;p= 0.003). Aged septic patients biomarker trajectories suggestive of persistent immunosuppression (absolute lymphocyte count, soluble programed death ligand-1) and catabolism (Urine 3MH-Cr ratio, insulin growth factor, IGF1BP3, albumin) out to 28 days after sepsis.

CONCLUSION

Aged, critically ill surgical patients have greater organ dysfunction and incidence of adverse clinical outcomes after sepsis. Biomarker profiles suggest an immunophenotype of persistent immunosuppression and catabolism. Advanced age may necessitate novel therapeutic strategies to promote multisystem organ recovery and improve survival after sepsis.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic, level II.
Clinical Predictors of Response to Magnetic Seizure Therapy in Depression
Authors: Kayser Sarah , Bewernick Bettina H. , Wagner Stefanie , Schlaepfer Thomas E.
Published: April 2018

Objectives

Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is a novel convulsive brain stimulation method in clinical testing, which is used as an alternative for electroconvulsive therapy in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Preliminary studies have suggested that MST leads to fewer cognitive adverse effects than electroconvulsive therapy but has similar efficacy. However, the clinical predictors of response to MST have not been evaluated yet. This study aimed to investigate whether these predictors can be identified in patients with TRD.

Methods

Thirty-eight patients with TRD were included. As clinical predictors for treatment response, we used the diagnosis, sex, age, family history, and severity of depression, as well as the melancholic, psychotic, anxiety, and atypical depression symptoms. A response was defined as an improvement higher than 50% on the 28-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. The binary logistic regression, stepwise linear regression, and effect sizes were calculated.

Results

We found that 68.4% of the patients responded to MST. The responders had significantly fewer previous depressive episodes, less severe depression, and fewer melancholic (anhedonia) and anxiety symptoms than the nonresponders. In addition, responders were more likely to have a positive family history of depression than nonresponders. In particular, the number of previous episodes and a family history of depression were significant predictors of the response to MST.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that the chronicity, severity, and family history of depression, as well as the presence of melancholic and anxiety symptoms, can serve as clinical predictors of the response to MST. Further research with a larger sample size will be required to verify these preliminary findings.
Stability of local secondary structure determines selectivity of viral RNA chaperones
Authors: Bravo Jack P.K. , Borodavka Alexander , Barth Anders , Calabrese Antonio N. , Mojzes Peter , Cockburn Joseph J.B. , Lamb Don C. , Tuma Roman
Published: April 2018

To maintain genome integrity, segmented double-stranded RNA viruses of theReoviridaefamily must accurately select and package a complete set of up to a dozen distinct genomic RNAs. It is thought that the high fidelity segmented genome assembly involves multiple sequence-specific RNA-RNA interactions between single-stranded RNA segment precursors. These are mediated by virus-encoded non-structural proteins with RNA chaperone-like activities, such as rotavirus NSP2 and avian reovirus σNS. Here, we compared the abilities of NSP2 and σNS to mediate sequence-specific interactions between rotavirus genomic segment precursors. Despite their similar activities, NSP2 successfully promotes inter-segment association, while σNS fails to do so. To understand the mechanisms underlying such selectivity in promoting inter-molecular duplex formation, we compared RNA-binding and helix-unwinding activities of both proteins. We demonstrate that octameric NSP2 binds structured RNAs with high affinity, resulting in efficient intramolecular RNA helix disruption. Hexameric σNS oligomerises into an octamer that binds two RNAs, yet it exhibits only limited RNA-unwinding activity compared to NSP2. Thus, the formation of intersegment RNA-RNA interactions is governed by both helix-unwinding capacity of the chaperones and stability of RNA structure. We propose that this protein-mediated RNA selection mechanism may underpin the high fidelity assembly of multi-segmented RNA genomes inReoviridae.
Reactivation of latent HIV-1in vitrousing an alcoholic extract fromEuphorbia umbellata(Euphorbiaceae) latex
Authors: Valadão Ana Luiza Chaves , Pezzuto Paula , Silva Viviane A. Oliveira , Gonçalves Barbara Simonson , Rossi Átila Duque , Cunha Rodrigo Delvecchio da , Siani Antonio Carlos , Tostes João Batista de Freitas , Trovó Marcelo , Damasco Paulo , Gonçalves Gabriel , Reis Rui Manuel , Santana de Aguiar Renato , Bento Alves de Melo Cleonice , Tanuri Amilcar
Published: April 2018

Euphorbia umbellata (E. umbellata)belongs toEuphorbiaceaefamily, popularly known as Janauba, and contains in its latex a combination of phorbol esters with biological activities described to different cellular protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms. Here, we identified deoxi-phorbol esters present inE. umbellatalatex alcoholic extract able to increase HIV transcription and reactivate HIV from latency models. This activity was mediated by NF-kB activation followed by nuclear translocation and binding to HIV LTR promoter. In addition,E. umbellatelatex extract induced the production of pro inflammatory cytokines together with IL21 inin vitrohuman PBMC cultures. Our latex extract activates latent HIV in human PBMCs isolated from HIV positive patients as well as latent SIV in non-human primate primary CD4+T lymphocytes. These results strongly indicate that the phorbol esters present inE. umbellatalatex are promising candidate compounds for future clinical trials forshock and killtherapy to promote HIV cure and eradication.
Thought Control Failure: Sensory Determinants and Functional Effects
Authors: Kwok Eugene Lee , Leys Gaelle , Koenig-Robert Roger , Pearson Joel
Published: April 2018

The ability to control one’s thoughts is important for mental wellbeing, attention, focus, future planning and ideation. While there is a long history of research into thought control, the inherent subjectivity of thoughts has made objective investigation, and thus mechanistic understanding difficult. Here, we report a novel method to empirically investigate thought control success and failure by objectively measuring the sensory strength of visual thoughts. We use the perceptual illusion binocular rivalry to assess emergent images in mind during two common thought control strategies: thought suppression and thought substitution. Thought suppression was ineffective, suppressed thoughts primed subsequent rivalry dominance at the same level as intentionally imagined thoughts. This priming effect was disrupted by concurrent uniform luminance and changes in retinotopic location, suggesting early visual representations/traces. While individuals showed some metacognition of thought suppression, strikingly, the perceptual effects remained even when thoughts were reported as successfully suppressed, indicating these thoughts may exist outside of reportable awareness. In contrast, thought substitution was more effective in controlling the perceptual effects and showed good metacognition. A thought control index predicted greater levels of trait mindfulness, while high levels of anxiety and schizotypy were related to poor thought control. Overall, our findings offer a novel method to track thoughts before and after they emerge into awareness and suggest that non-reportable and involuntary thoughts form visual representations pivotal to thought control failure.
HIV-1 specifically traps CD9 and CD81 tetraspanins within viral buds and induces their membrane depletion
Authors: Dahmane Selma , Doucet Christine , Gall Antoine Le , Chamontin Célia , Dosset Patrice , Murcy Florent , Fernandez Laurent , Pastene Desirée Salas , Rubinstein Eric , Mougel Marylène , Nollmann Marcelo , Milhiet Pierre-Emmanuel
Published: April 2018

HIV-1 assembly specifically alters both partitioning and dynamics of the tetraspanins CD9 and CD81 forming enriched areas where the virus buds. Importantly the presence of these proteins at exit sites and in viral particles inhibits virus-induced membrane fusion. To get molecular insights into tetraspanins partitioning in this viral context, we correlated nanoscale CD9 mapping obtained by super resolution microscopy to membrane topography probed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). We demonstrated that CD9 is specifically trapped within the nascent viral particles, especially at buds tips, and that Gag mediate CD9 and CD81 depletion from cellular surfaces, even in the absence of Vpu and Nef, resulting from tetraspanins escaping from the plasma membrane during HIV-1 release. In addition, we showed that CD9 is organized as small membrane assemblies of few tens of nanometers that can coalesce upon Gag expression. Our results support a functional redundancy among tetraspanins during HIV release.