bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does self‐efficacy mediate the effect of oral health literacy on self‐rated oral health in an Indigenous population?
Authors: Jones Kelly , Brennan David S. , Parker Eleanor Jane , Mills Helen , Jamieson Lisa
Published: May 2016

Objectives

Mediation analyses are critical to understanding why behavioral interventions work. Health literacy is a known mediator between socio‐economic factors, health behavior and oral health outcomes in various populations, explaining gradients in oral health status and outcomes. We explore whether self‐efficacy (SE) mediates the association between oral health literacy (OHL) and self‐rated oral health (SROH) in an Indigenous population.

Methods

Cross‐sectional data collected from 278 rural‐dwelling Indigenous Australians evaluated OHL, SE, SROH, socio‐demographic and behavioral characteristics. OHL was measured using a validated OHL scale (HeLD‐14), SE was measured using a validated SE scale and SROH was measured using a global, one‐item statement. Theoretically‐driven multivariable models, adjusted for age, sex, income, education, and dental service use estimated the prevalence ratios (PR) and 95 percent confidence intervals for poor SROH.

Results

The overall prevalence of poor SROH was 78.8 percent. The prevalence of low OHL was 46.0 percent, while the prevalence of low SE was 56.8 percent. Analysis showed a significant main effect of SE (PR = 2.5, 95 percent CI 1.3–4.6). SE attenuated the effects of OHL on poor SROH (from PR = 2.4 to PR = 2.0), supporting its associated role in the Indigenous population under study. Sobel and bootstrap testing confirmed the significance of the mediating effect (z = 2.2, SE 0.30, P < 0.05) and 95 percent CI (0.11–0.07) (P < 0.05) respectively.

Conclusions

Given that SE is a construct amenable to change, our results suggest that interventions that aim to improve SE may have positive impacts on SROH among this vulnerable population.
Tarnishing Opponents, Polarizing Congress: The House Minority Party and the Construction of the Roll‐Call Record
Authors: Egar William T.
Published: May 2016

Existing research on congressional parties tends to focus almost exclusively on the majority party. I argue that the inattention to the House minority party hampers our understanding of the construction of the roll‐call record and, consequently, our understanding of the sources of polarization in congressional voting. Employing an original data set of House members' requests for recorded votes between 1995 and 2010, I demonstrate that votes demanded by the minority party are disproportionately divisive and partisan and make Congress appear considerably more polarized based on commonly used measures. Moreover, minority‐requested votes make vulnerable members of the majority appear more partisan and ideologically extreme.
Targeted transfer of trait for Verticillium wilt resistance from Gossypium barbadense into G. hirsutum using SSR markers
Authors: Yan Zhang , Liqiang Wu , Zhikun Li , Guiyin Zhang , Xingfen Wang , Zhiying Ma
Published: May 2016

Verticillium wilt (VW) is a soil‐borne disease of cotton that is destructive worldwide. Transferring desired traits from Gossypium barbadense is challenging through traditional interspecific introgression. We previously demonstrated that a molecular marker, BNL3255‐208, is associated with VW resistance in G. barbadense. This breakthrough opens the way for marker‐assisted selection (MAS) breeding. Here, the highly resistant G. barbadense cv. ‘Pima90‐53’ and the severe diseased Gossypium hirsutum cv. ‘CCRI8’ were used as donor parent and recipient parent, respectively. Our goal was to transfer the disease resistance from donor to recipient via MAS. Among 71 MAS obtained lines, as many as 19 lines had enhanced resistance. Among those lines, 11 lines showed high resistance and four lines displayed resistance to VW. Moreover, seven lines displayed improved fibre quality. After combining the markedly improved resistance and fibre properties, we identified two elite innovated introgression lines – ZY2 and ZY31 – that did not seem to differ in other agronomic traits from the recipient parent. This study first successfully transferred of G. barbadense resistance into G. hirsutum by MAS.
Introgression of clubroot resistance into an elite pak choi inbred line through marker‐assisted introgression breeding
Authors: Chen Longzheng , Zhang Xiaoqing , Xu Hai , Song Bo , Fan Xiaoxue
Published: May 2016

Clubroot is a soilborne disease that severely infects cruciferous species. Pak choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) is an economically important cruciferous crop cultivated throughout the world. However, no clubroot‐resistant germplasms have been identified in pak choi to date. To improve disease resistance, we used marker‐assisted selection (MAS) to introgress the clubroot resistance (CR) trait from the ‘CCR13685’ Chinese cabbage (B. rapa subsp. pekinensis) inbred line into an elite pak choi inbred line, ‘GHQ11021’. Genetic analysis of F2 and BC1 progeny showed that CR of ‘CCR13685’ was controlled by a single dominant gene. We designed nine candidate sequence‐characterized amplified region markers, K‐1 to K‐9, based on two molecular markers linked to the CR gene. We found that K‐3 co‐segregated with CR and an inoculation test confirmed that K‐3 could be used for MAS. Two introgression lines, BC3‐1‐4 and BC3‐2‐18, were developed using K‐3 for foreground selection. These lines displayed the same phenotypic properties as ‘GHQ11021’, but were highly resistant to clubroot, indicating that the CR gene of ‘CCR13685’ had been successfully introduced into pak choi.
Glutathione maintenance is crucial for survival of melanocytes after exposure to rhododendrol
Authors: Kondo Masatoshi , Kawabata Keigo , Sato Kohji , Yamaguchi Sayuri , Hachiya Akira , Takahashi Yoshito , Inoue Shintaro
Published: May 2016

Rhododendrol is a phenolic compound that shows a tyrosinase‐dependent toxicity for melanocytes and occasionally induces a vitiligo‐like skin depigmentation. The post‐tyrosinase mechanisms determining melanocyte death or survival, however, are far from clear. Here, we find that rhododendrol treatment leads to a reduction in the levels of cellular glutathione but also induces a cellular antioxidant response that eventually increases glutathione levels. We further find that rhododendrol toxicity is enhanced when glutathione levels are experimentally reduced and alleviated when glutathione levels are increased. Hence, it appears that the size of the preexisting glutathione pool along with the capacity to supply glutathione via the antioxidant response determines whether melanocytes survive or die after rhododendrol exposure. It is conceivable, therefore, that rhododendrol‐induced leukoderma depends on the capacity to maintain appropriate glutathione levels and that enhancement of glutathione levels may preserve a patient's melanocytes and potentially help in repigmentation.
It's my partner, deal with it: Rejection sensitivity, normative beliefs, and commitment
Authors: BESIKCI EZGI , AGNEW CHRISTOPHER R. , YILDIRIM ASIYE
Published: May 2016

Past research has shown that normative beliefs, or perceptions of (dis)approval from social network members regarding one's romance, significantly predict relationship commitment. We investigated sensitivity to rejection as a moderator of the normative beliefs–commitment association. We tested and found support for the moderating effect of rejection sensitivity (RS; Study 1) and sensitivity specific to rejection of one's current romantic partner (Study 2) on the normative beliefs–commitment link. The link was significantly stronger for people with lower levels of RS: People who were less sensitive to rejection indicated lower levels of commitment when they perceived less network approval for their relationship. In contrast, people with higher levels of RS indicated higher levels of commitment in the face of less perceived network approval.
Albumin–Folate Conjugates for Drug‐targeting in Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Butzbach Kathrin , Rasse‐Suriani Federico A.O. , Gonzalez M. Micaela , Cabrerizo Franco M. , Epe Bernd
Published: May 2016

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is based on the cytotoxicity of photosensitizers in the presence of light. Increased selectivity and effectivity of the treatment is expected if a specific uptake of the photosensitizers into the target cells, often tumor cells, can be achieved. An attractive transporter for that purpose is the folic acid receptor α (FRα), which is overexpressed on the surface of many tumor cells and mediates an endocytotic uptake. Here, we describe the synthesis and photobiological characterization of polar β‐carboline derivatives as photosensitizers covalently linked to folate‐tagged albumin as the carrier system. The particles were taken up by KB (human carcinoma) cells within <90 min and then co‐localized with a lysosomal marker. FRα antibodies prevented the uptake and also the corresponding conjugate without folate was not taken up. Accordingly, a folate‐albumin‐β‐carbolinium conjugate proved to be phototoxic, while the corresponding albumin–β‐carbolinium conjugates without FA were nontoxic, both with and without irradiation. An excess of free folate as competitor for the FRα‐mediated uptake completely inhibited the photocytotoxicity. Interestingly, the albumin conjugates are devoid of photodynamic activity under cell‐free conditions, as shown for DNA as a target. Thus, phototoxicity requires cellular uptake and lysosomal degradation of the conjugates. In conclusion, albumin–folate conjugates appear to be promising vehicles for a tumor cell targeted PDT.
Comparative population structure and trichothecene mycotoxin profiling of Fusarium graminearum from corn and wheat in Ontario, central Canada
Authors: Burlakoti R. R. , Tamburic‐Ilincic L. , Limay‐Rios V. , Burlakoti P.
Published: May 2016

Fusarium graminearum causes fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat and gibberella ear rot (GER) of corn in Canada and also contaminates grains with trichothecene mycotoxins. Very little is known about trichothecene diversity and population structure of the fungus from corn in Ontario, central Canada. Trichothecene genotypes of F. graminearum isolated from corn (n = 452) and wheat (n = 110) from 2010 to 2012 were identified. All the isolates were deoxynivalenol (DON) type. About 96% of corn isolates and 98% of wheat isolates were 15‐acetyl deoxynivalenol (15ADON) type. The fungal population structures from corn (n = 313) and wheat (n = 73) were compared using 10 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) markers. The fungal populations and subpopulations categorized based on host, cultivar groups, years and geography showed high gene (H = 0.818–0.928) and genotypic (GD = 0.999–1.00) diversity. Gene flow was also high between corn and wheat population pairs (Nm = 8.212), and subpopulation pairs within corn (Nm = 7.13–23.614) or wheat (Nm = 19.483) populations. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that isolates from both hosts were F. graminearum clade 7. These findings provide baseline data on 3‐acetyl deoxynivalenol (3ADON) and 15ADON profiles of F. graminearum isolates from corn in Canada and are useful in evaluating mycotoxin contamination risks in corn and wheat grains. Understanding the fungal genetic structure will assist evaluation and development of resistant cultivars/germplasm for FHB on wheat and GER on corn.
Rays of Hope from the Ecological Restoration Alliance of Botanic Gardens, following its recent meeting in Amman, Jordan
Authors: Abu Taleb Tariq , Aronson James , Shaw Kirsty ,   On Behalf of The Ecological Restoration Alliance of Botanic Gardens
Published: May 2016

In the spring of 2015, the Ecological Restoration Alliance (ERA) of Botanic Gardens held its fourth international meeting in Amman, Jordan, hosted by the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan. Three regional working groups were launched, for the Middle East, East Africa, and Latin America, and new partnerships were forged to support ecological restoration initiatives led by botanic gardens in Jordan, Oman, and elsewhere. A one‐day public symposium, attended by over 100 people, was also held—the most significant public meeting on ecological restoration held to date in the Middle East. A communications strategy for regional outreach was agreed upon starting with the translation of several Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) foundation documents into Arabic. A peer‐reviewed translation of the SER International Primer on Ecological Restoration has already been produced by staff of the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan and posted on the SER website. Further efforts will be made to promote public awareness in Jordan and regionally, in support of existing conservation and restoration programs, and to promote greater integration of ecological restoration programs in national and regional development schemes and government policies. Key action points were agreed upon to promote the practice of ecological restoration and the role of botanic gardens globally vis‐à‐vis policy makers and funders.
Foreign Direct Investment and Domestic Child Labor
Authors: Chaudhuri Sarbajit , Dwibedi Jayanta Kumar
Published: May 2016

Empirical evidence suggests that use of child labor as domestic help has increased significantly in recent years although the overall incidence of child labor across the globe has declined satisfactorily. This should draw the attention of economists and policymakers because domestic child labor is considered as exploitative and in many cases hazardous. This paper purports to explain this apparently perplexing finding theoretically in terms of a three‐sector general equilibrium model with a nontraded sector where only child labor is used to render services to the richer section of the society. The analysis shows how FDI‐led economic growth increases the size of the services sector although it lowers the overall incidence of child labor in the economy and improves the welfare of the poor families that supply child labor. Finally, a composite policy has been recommended that can deal with all three aspects favorably.
Examining the Export Wage Premium in Developing Countries
Authors: Brambilla Irene , Depetris Chauvin Nicolas , Porto Guido
Published: May 2016

There are arguably potential wage gains from exports in developing countries. Export markets bring about opportunities for firms and successful exporting firms translate some of the benefits of exports to workers via employment and wage premia. Using comparable data for 61 developing and low‐income countries, we document the prevalence of the export wage premia worldwide. With an extensive literature review, we identify four major drivers of the wage premia: exporting firms hire more skilled workers, utilize more sophisticated machines, buy higher quality material inputs and are more productive than non‐exporting firms. Our empirical analysis confirms the worldwide prevalence of these mechanisms and, furthermore, establishes a strong link to the estimated wage premia.
Fluvial to tidal transition in proximal, mixed tide‐influenced and wave‐influenced deltaic deposits: Cretaceous lower Sego Sandstone, Utah, USA
Authors: van Cappelle Marijn , Stukins Stephen , Hampson Gary J. , Johnson Howard D.
Published: May 2016

Facies models for regressive, tide‐influenced deltaic systems are under‐represented in the literature compared with their fluvial‐dominated and wave‐dominated counterparts. Here, a facies model is presented of the mixed, tide‐influenced and wave‐influenced deltaic strata of the Sego Sandstone, which was deposited in the Western Interior Seaway of North America during the Late Cretaceous. Previous work on the Sego Sandstone has focused on the medial to distal parts of the outcrop belt where tides and waves interact. This study focuses on the proximal outcrop belt, in which fluvial and tidal processes interact. Five facies associations are recognized. Bioturbated mudstones (Facies Association 1) were deposited in an offshore environment and are gradationally overlain by hummocky cross‐stratified sandstones (Facies Association 2) deposited in a wave‐dominated lower shoreface environment. These facies associations are erosionally overlain by tide‐dominated cross‐bedded sandstones (Facies Association 4) interbedded with ripple cross‐laminated heterolithic sandstones (Facies Association 3) and channelized mudstones (Facies Association 5). Palaeocurrent directions derived from cross‐bedding indicate bidirectional currents which are flood‐dominated in the lower part of the studied interval and become increasingly ebb‐directed/fluvial‐directed upward. At the top of the succession, ebb‐dominated/fluvial‐dominated, high relief, narrow channel forms are present, which are interpreted as distributary channels. When distributary channels are abandoned they effectively become estuaries with landward sediment transport and fining trends. These estuaries have sandstones of Facies Association 4 at their mouth and fine landward through heterolithic sandstones of Facies Association 3 to channelized mudstones of Facies Association 5. Therefore, the complex distribution of relatively mud‐rich and sand‐rich deposits in the tide‐dominated part of the lower Sego Sandstone is attributed to the avulsion history of active fluvial distributaries, in response to a subtly expressed allogenic change in sediment supply and relative sea‐level controls and autocyclic delta lobe abandonment.
Risk of tuberculosis after lung transplantation: the value of pretransplant chest computed tomography and the impact of mTOR inhibitors and azathioprine use
Authors: Guirao‐Arrabal E. , Santos F. , Redel‐Montero J. , Vaquero J.M. , Cantisán S. , Vidal E. , Torre‐Giménez Á. , Rivero A. , Torre‐Cisneros J.
Published: May 2016

Background

It is necessary to determine the incidence and risk factors for tuberculosis (TB), as well as strategies to assess and treat latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in lung transplant recipients.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of 398 lung transplant recipients was performed. Episodes of TB were studied and the incidence rate was calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze specific variables as potential risk factors for TB.

Results

Median follow‐up was 558 days (range 1–6636). Six cases (1.5%) of TB were documented in 398 transplant patients. The incidence density of TB was 406.3 cases/105 patient‐years (95% confidence interval [CI] 164.7–845), which is higher than in the general population (13.10 cases/105 person‐years). All cases occurred in the period 1993–2006, when the tuberculin skin test (TST) and treatment of LTBI in positive TST patients were not part of the protocol. Pretransplant computed tomography (CT) showed residual lesions in 50% of patients who developed TB, although the TST was negative and the chest radiograph was inconclusive. Multivariate analysis identified the presence of residual lesions in the pretransplant chest CT (odds ratio [OR] 11.5, 95% CI 1.9–69.1, P = 0.008), use of azathioprine (OR 10.6, 95% CI 1.1–99.1, P = 0.038), and use of everolimus (OR 6.7, 95% CI 1.1–39.8, P = 0.036) as independent risk factors for TB.

Conclusions

Residual lesions in the pretransplant chest CTs and the use of azathioprine and mTOR inhibitors are associated with the risk of TB.
A unique presentation of acute liver failure from herpes simplex virus hepatitis
Authors: Gutierrez C. , Kebriaei P. , Turner K.A. , Yemelyanova A. , Ariza‐Heredia E.J. , Foo W.C.
Published: May 2016

We present the case of a patient, with history of myelodysplastic syndrome and recent bone marrow transplant, who developed fulminant liver failure secondary to herpes simplex virus (HSV) hepatitis. His presentation was unique, as findings of liver microabscesses on computed tomography scan have not been described previously in this patient population. Despite initial treatment with acyclovir, he continued to deteriorate, and later sensitivities found the HSV strain to be resistant to acyclovir. HSV hepatitis with secondary liver failure is rare and, without appropriate treatment, its mortality is >80%. Early suspicion and immediate therapy are the keys to improve patient survival.
Serologic screening of United States blood donors for Babesia microti using an investigational enzyme immunoassay
Authors: Levin Andrew E. , Williamson Phillip C. , Bloch Evan M. , Clifford Joan , Cyrus Sherri , Shaz Beth H. , Kessler Debra , Gorlin Jed , Erwin James L. , Krueger Neil X. , Williams Greg V. , Penezina Oksana , Telford Sam R. , Branda John A. , Krause Peter J. , Wormser Gary P. , Schotthoefer Anna M. , Fritsche Thomas R. , Busch Michael P.
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND

The tick‐borne pathogen Babesia microti has become recognized as the leading infectious risk associated with blood transfusion in the United States, yet no Food and Drug Administration–licensed screening tests are currently available to mitigate this risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of an investigational enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for B. microti as a screening test applied to endemic and nonendemic blood donor populations.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The study aimed to test 20,000 blood donors from areas of the United States considered endemic for B. microti and 10,000 donors from a nonendemic area with the investigational B. microti EIA. Repeat‐reactive samples were retested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), blood smear, immunofluorescent assay (IFA), and immunoblot assay. In parallel, serum samples from symptomatic patients with confirmed babesiosis were tested by EIA, IFA, and immunoblot assays.

RESULTS

A total of 38 of 13,757 (0.28%) of the donors from New York, 7 of 4583 (0.15%) from Minnesota, and 11 of 8363 (0.13%) from New Mexico were found repeat reactive by EIA. Nine of the 56 EIA repeat‐reactive donors (eight from New York and one from Minnesota) were positive by PCR. The specificity of the assay in a nonendemic population was 99.93%. Among IFA‐positive clinical babesiosis patients, the sensitivity of the assay was 91.1%.

CONCLUSION

The B. microti EIA detected PCR‐positive, potentially infectious blood donors in an endemic population and exhibited high specificity among uninfected and unexposed individuals. The EIA promises to provide an effective tool for blood donor screening for B. microti in a format amenable to high‐throughput and cost‐effective screening.
Evaluation of the in vitro efficacy of hemodialysis, hemoperfusion, and the combined approach on the removal of metaldehyde from canine plasma
Authors: Mauser Elisabeth L. , Puschner Birgit , Reese Sven , Hartmann Katrin , Doerfelt René
Published: May 2016

Objective

To evaluate the effect of hemodialysis, hemoperfusion, and a combined approach on the removal of metaldehyde from canine plasma.

Design

In vitro study.

Setting

University veterinary teaching hospital laboratory.

Animals

None.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

Metaldehyde‐fortified canine plasma was prepared. Hemodialysis (HD), charcoal hemoperfusion (HP), and in‐series hemodialysis and charcoal hemoperfusion (HD/HP) were applied in triplicate to eliminate metaldehyde from plasma. Plasma samples were obtained before starting the procedure and subsequently after every processed total plasma volume until plasma had been processed 10 times. Plasma metaldehyde concentration was quantitatively assayed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis was performed using one‐way ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc test, and by calculating the coefficient of variation from duplicate measurements, binomial distribution, and by Bland–Altman analysis. Statistically significant reduction in metaldehyde concentration was reached by all 3 techniques. Reduction of metaldehyde concentration of more than 95% was achieved after processing the plasma volume 4 times applying HD, 8 times applying HP, and 2 times applying HD/HP. Efficacy in reduction of metaldehyde concentration differed significantly between the 3 procedures (P< 0.001). In‐series hemodialysis and charcoal hemoperfusion was more effective in metaldehyde removal than HD (P= 0.003) and HP (P< 0.001), and HD was more effective than HP (P= 0.002).

Conclusions

Metaldehyde was effectively removed by all applied extracorporeal blood purification techniques in vitro. However, the combination of both techniques was more effective than HD or HP alone. Further clinical studies are warranted to confirm therapeutic benefits in patients.
Performance Prediction for Ultrasonically Welded Dissimilar Materials Joints
Authors: Xi Liang , Banu Mihaela , Jack Hu S. , Cai Wayne , Abell Jeffrey
Published: May 2016

Ultrasonic metal welding has been used to join multiple layers of battery tabs with the bus bar in lithium-ion battery assembly operations. This paper describes joint performance models for ultrasonic metal welds of multiple layers of dissimilar battery tab materials, i.e., aluminum and copper. Finite element (FE) models are developed to predict the mechanical performance of the ultrasonically welded joints. The models predict peak shear load, energy absorption capability, and failure modes, which are necessary for modeling product performance and defining process requirements for the welds. The models can be adjusted to represent different quality of welds created in conditions of underweld (UW), normal-weld (NW), or overweld (OW) using physical attributes observed through microscopic analysis. The models are validated through lap shear tests, which demonstrate excellent agreement for the maximum force in the NW condition and good agreement for the UW and OW conditions. The models provide in-depth understanding of the relationship among welding process parameters, physical weld attributes, and the weld performance. The models also provide significant insight for further development of ultrasonic welding process for battery tabs and help optimize welding process for more than four-layered joints.
Dephosphorylation of the adaptor LAT and phospholipase C–γ by SHP-1 inhibits natural killer cell cytotoxicity
Authors: Matalon Omri , Fried Sophia , Ben-Shmuel Aviad , Pauker Maor H. , Joseph Noah , Keizer Danielle , Piterburg Marina , Barda-Saad Mira
Published: May 2016

Researchers identify targets of a phosphatase that inhibits the activity of natural killer cells.
Platelets contribute to amyloid-β aggregation in cerebral vessels through integrin α
IIb
β
3
–induced outside-in signaling and clusterin release
Authors: Donner Lili , Fälker Knut , Gremer Lothar , Klinker Stefan , Pagani Giulia , Ljungberg Liza U. , Lothmann Kimberley , Rizzi Federica , Schaller Martin , Gohlke Holger , Willbold Dieter , Grenegard Magnus , Elvers Margitta
Published: May 2016

Alzheimer’s disease patients may benefit from antiplatelet therapy.
Science Signaling
podcast for 24 May 2016: Designer estrogens
Authors: Katzenellenbogen Benita S. , Katzenellenbogen John A. , Madak-Erdogan Zeynep , VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: May 2016

Designer estrogens can deliver the therapeutic benefits of natural estrogens with less cancer risk.
Should Pneumococcal Vaccines Eliminate Nasopharyngeal Colonization?
Authors: McDaniel Larry S. , Swiatlo Edwin
Published: May 2016

Streptococcus pneumoniae
remains an important human pathogen. For more than 100 years, there have been vaccine efforts to prevent pneumococcal infection. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have significantly reduced invasive disease. However, these vaccines have changed pneumococcal ecology within the human nasopharynx. We suggest that elimination of the pneumococcus from the human nasopharynx can have consequences that should be considered as the next generation of pneumococcal vaccines is developed.
Evaluation of the association between Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) measures and catheter-associated infections: results of two national collaboratives
Authors: Meddings Jennifer , Reichert Heidi , Greene M Todd , Safdar Nasia , Krein Sarah L , Olmsted Russell N , Watson Sam R , Edson Barbara , Albert Lesher Mariana , Saint Sanjay
Published: May 2016

Background

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has funded national collaboratives using the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program to reduce rates of two catheter-associated infections—central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), using evidence-based intervention bundles to improve technical aspects of care and socioadaptive approaches to foster a culture of safety.

Objective

Examine the association between hospital units' results for the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) and catheter-associated infection rates.

Methods

We analysed data from two prospective cohort studies from acute-care intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs participating in the AHRQ CLABSI and CAUTI collaboratives. National Healthcare Safety Network catheter-associated infections per 1000 catheter-days were collected at baseline and quarterly postimplementation. The HSOPS was collected at baseline and again 1 year later. Infection rates were modelled using multilevel negative binomial models as a function of HSOPS components over time, adjusted for hospital-level characteristics.

Results

1821 units from 1079 hospitals (CLABSI) and 1576 units from 949 hospitals (CAUTI) were included. Among responding units, infection rates declined over the project periods (by 47% for CLABSI, by 23% for CAUTI, unadjusted). No significant associations were found between CLABSI or CAUTI rates and HSOPS measures at baseline or over time.

Conclusions

We found no association between results of the HSOPS and catheter-associated infection rates when measured at baseline and postintervention in two successful large national collaboratives focused on prevention of CLABSI and CAUTI. These results suggest that it may be possible to improve CLABSI and CAUTI rates without making significant changes in safety culture, particularly as measured by instruments like HSOPS.
Endovascular treatment for ruptured and unruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms: a meta-analysis
Authors: Guan Jian , Li Guilin , Kong Xiangyi , He Chuan , Long Jianwu , Qin Hao , Zhang Hongqi , Wang Renzhi
Published: May 2016

Background

Different endovascular modalities have been applied to the treatment of vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms, the most commonly used being internal trapping and stent-assisted coiling, although the ideal treatment remains controversial.

Objective

To perform a meta-analysis to study clinical outcomes of patients with vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms who were treated with internal trapping or stent-assisted coiling.

Materials and methods

We conducted a meta-analysis of eight retrospective studies that compared internal trapping with stent-assisted coiling for the treatment of vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms. The primary outcomes of this study were immediate occlusion, long-term occlusion, good outcome ratio, perioperative mortality, and angiographic recurrence. Subgroup analyses were conducted of patients with ruptured versus unruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms.

Results

Eight studies comprising a total of 188 patients were included in the analysis. For ruptured cases, in comparison with stent-assisted coiling groups, the patients treated with trapping techniques had a higher rate of immediate postoperative occlusion (OR=0.165; 95% CI 0.067 to 0.405; p<0.01), although there was no significant difference in long-term occlusion (OR=1.059; 95% CI 0.033 to 34.121; p=0.974), good clinical outcome rates, recurrence rates, and perioperative mortality. For unruptured cases, patients in the trapping groups also had higher immediate occlusion rates than those who underwent stent-assisted coiling (OR=0.175; 95% CI 0.043 to 0.709; p=0.015), while rates of both recurrence and good clinical outcome were similar between the two groups.

Conclusions

Both internal trapping and stent-assisted coiling are technically feasible for ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms, with high rates of good long-term neurologic outcomes and low recurrence and mortality rates. For unruptured aneurysms, conservative treatment is recommended. When a posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) origin is involved, bypass surgery or vertebral artery-to-PICA stent placement plus coil embolization should be considered.
Endothelial vasodilator function in normal-weight adults with metabolic syndrome
Authors: Dow Caitlin A. , Lincenberg Grace M. , Greiner Jared J. , Stauffer Brian L. , DeSouza Christopher A.
Published: May 2016

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) typically presents with obesity; however, obesity is not a requisite characteristic for MetS classification and related vascular risk. We tested the hypothesis that MetS, independent of excess adiposity, is associated with impaired endothelial vasodilator dysfunction. Thirty-two sedentary, middle-aged adults were studied: 11 normal weight (9 male and 2 female; body mass index (BMI), 24.0 ± 0.3 kg/m2); 11 normal weight with MetS (9 male and 2 female; BMI, 24.7 ± 0.3 kg/m2); and 10 obese without MetS (8 male and 2 female; BMI, 31.4 ± 0.5 kg/m2). MetS was established according to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Forearm blood flow (FBF) responses to intra-arterial infusions of acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside were measured via strain-gauge plethysmography. FBF responses to acetylcholine were ∼20% lower (P < 0.05) in the normal-weight subjects with MetS (from 4.0 ± 0.3 to 13.0 ± 1.0 mL/(100 mL tissue·min)) and obese subjects (from 4.8 ± 0.2 to 12.2 ± 1.1 mL/(100 mL tissue·min)) compared with the normal-weight subjects (from 4.6 ± 0.4 to 15.8 ± 0.7 mL/(100 mL tissue·min)). Of note, FBF responses to acetylcholine were similar between the normal-weight adults with MetS and the obese adults. There were no differences among groups in FBF response to sodium nitroprusside. These data indicate that the presence of MetS, independent of obesity, is associated with diminished endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Endothelial vasodilator dysfunction may underlie the increased cardiovascular risk in normal-weight adults with MetS.
Redox conditions of the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway recorded by rare earth elements of Bearpaw molluscan fossils
Authors: He Shaoneng , Kyser T.K. , Caldwell W.G.E.
Published: May 2016

Understanding the causes of the low-biodiversity faunas in the Western Interior Seaway (WIS), overwhelmingly dominated by ammonite and bivalve molluscs, will help us to understand paleoenvironmental conditions in the WIS. In this study, we examined rare earth elements (REEs) in well-preserved molluscs from the Bearpaw Formation to reconstruct WIS redox conditions. Both nektonic and benthic molluscs share similar REE patterns with enrichment in light REEs. There is only a slight Ce depletion in both types of molluscs, indicating no significant fractionation of Ce from the other REEs. A lack of significant Ce anomalies in molluscs points to oxygen-deficient (probably dysoxic) conditions in the middle to bottom part of the water column where the molluscs lived. Given the general lack of significant Ce anomalies also in molluscs from older formations, oxygen deficiency was likely prevalent in the Late Cretaceous in the WIS. A warmer climate in the Cretaceous is probably a driver of such conditions, as predicted by ocean models. Long-term oxygen deficiency and stratification, inferred from the heterogeneity in δ18O and δ13C values of molluscs, may also imply weak circulation, reducing the exchange of surface water and subsurface water, and the transport of oxygen into the WIS. The oxygen deficiency and weak circulation of the seaway is also expressed in the general characteristics of faunas and possibly Bearpaw sedimentary rocks. Oxygen deficiency rather than the brackish water conditions may have been largely responsible, therefore, for the low diversity of the WIS fauna.
The role of dietary fiber content on energy metabolism, thermogenesis, and leptin in Chevrier’s field mouse (Apodemuschevrieri)
Authors: Gao W.-R. , Zhu W.-L. , Wang Z.-K.
Published: May 2016

Food quality and availability are important factors influencing the survival and reproduction of animals. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of dietary fiber content high-fiber (HF) diet treatment or low-fiber (LF) diet treatment) on energy metabolism, thermogenesis, and leptin concentrations in Chevrier’s field mouse (Apodemus chevrieri (Milne-Edwards, 1868)) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae). Mice on the HF treatment showed a lower body mass compared with LF treatment from day 27 to day 37, and a lower but insignificant body mass to day 71. Dry matter intake (DMI) and gross energy intake (GEI) were greater in HF compared with LF, whereas the digestible energy intake (DEI) was similar for both treatments. Nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) decreased in HF mice, whereas LF mice remained stable; no significant differences were detected in the basal metabolic rate (BMR), uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) content in brown adipose tissue (BAT), or the levels of serum tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) between HF and LF mice. Although there were no differences in body fat content and serum leptin concentrations between HF and LF mice, serum leptin levels were positively correlated with body fat mass. These results support the hypothesis that A. chevrieri can compensate the poor-quality diet physiologically by way of increasing food intake and decreasing thermogenesis.
Geniposide Inhibits Alpha-Naphthylisothiocyanate-Induced Intrahepatic Cholestasis: The Downregulation of STAT3 and NFκB Signaling Plays an Important Role
Authors: Tan Zhen , Liu Aiming , Luo Min , Yin Xuan , Song Danjun , Dai Manyun , Li Pengxu , Chu Zanbo , Zou Zuquan , Ma Ming , Guo Bin , Chen Bo
Published: May 2016

Traditional medicinal formulation of Yin-zhi-huang (YZH) is widely used in the clinic for the treatment of jaundice and chronic liver diseases in East Asian countries. However, the pharmacologically active components of YZH and the underlying mechanism are still unknown. Geniposide (GEN) was recently identified as one of the most abundant circulating components in YZH. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of GEN against liver injuries induced by alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT). 50[Formula: see text]mg/kg of GEN was administered to ICR mice once daily for 5 days, and challenge of ANIT 75[Formula: see text]mg/kg was performed on the 4th day. Blood and liver tissues were collected on day 6 and subjected to biochemical, histopathological and pathway analyses. The biochemical and pathological findings showed that GEN almost totally attenuated ANIT-induced cholestasis and liver injury compared with the vehicle/ANIT group. The altered gene transcription related to bile acid metabolism and transport was normalized by co-treatment with GEN. The expressions of tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] and the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 were significantly decreased in the GEN/ANIT group. Western blot revealed that GEN inhibited the activation and expression of STAT3 and NF[Formula: see text]B. These data suggest GEN inhibits ANIT-induced hepatotoxicity. The protective effect is associated with the downregulation of STAT3 and NF[Formula: see text]B signaling.
Tanshinone IIA Protects Against Folic Acid-Induced Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Jiang Chunming , Zhu Wei , Shao Qiuyuan , Yan Xiang , Jin Bo , Zhang Miao , Xu Biao
Published: May 2016

Tanshinone IIA is a diterpene extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza, a popular and safe herb medicine that has been widely used in China and other Asian countries. Previous studies have demonstrated the pleiotropic effects of Tanshinone IIA on many disease treatments via its antitoxicity, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidative stress, as well as antifibrosis activities. However, its effect on acute kidney injury (AKI) has not been fully investigated. Here, we show for the first time that systemic administration of Tanshinone IIA can lead to improved kidney function in folic acid-induced kidney injury mice. In the acute phase of AKI, Tanshinone IIA attenuated renal tubular epithelial injury, as determined by histologic changes and the detection of Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in the kidney and urine. Additionally, Tanshinone IIA treatment resulted in elevated proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression and decreased inflammatory cells infiltration as well as chemokine expression, suggesting that Tanshinone IIA promoted renal repair following AKI and inhibited local inflammatory response in the injured kidney. This led to decreased long-term fibrosis in the injured kidney, characterized by less accumulation of fibronectin and collagen I in tubulointerstitium. Taken together, these results suggest that Tanshinone IIA may represent a potential approach for AKI treatment.
Anti-Aging Effect of Siraitia grosuenorii by Enhancement of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Function
Authors: Bai Lin , Shi Guiying , Yang Yajun , Chen Wei , Zhang Lianfeng
Published: May 2016

Anti-aging has always been a popular topic, and there are many claims about the existence of factors that can slow, stop, or even reverse the aging process. Siraitia grosuenorii, a local fruit in china, has been used for the treatment of gastritis, sore throats, and whooping cough in traditional Chinese medicine. The individuals who took the juice of Siraitia grosuenorii regularly had increased longevity in the Guangxi Province, which is located in the Southern part of China. In this paper, we fed mice with Siraitia grosuenorii for 10 months to identify the role of Siraitia grosuenorii in anti-aging and to investigate its corresponding mechanism. The results showed that mice fed with Siraitia grosuenorii displayed a slower aging process. The extension of the aging process was due to the enhanced function of HSCs. FACS analysis showed that the number of LSKs, LT-HSCs, ST-HSCs and MPPs from Siraitia grosuenorii mice was decreased. In vitro, a clonigenic assay showed that LT-HSCs from Siraitia grosuenorii mice increased the ability of self-renewal. Moreover, Siraitia grosuenorii mice maintained the quiescence of LSKs, decreased the level of ROS and reduced the amount of senescence associated β-gal positive cells. Furthermore, Siraitia grosuenorii mice decreased the expression of senescence-associated proteins. Siraitia grosuenorii maintained quiescence, decreased senescence and enhanced the function of HSCs, slowing the aging process of mice.
A Source Transformation via Operator Overloading Method for the Automatic Differentiation of Mathematical Functions in MATLAB
Authors: Weinstein Matthew J. , Rao Anil V.
Published: May 2016

A source transformation via operator overloading method is presented for computing derivatives of mathematical functions defined by MATLAB computer programs. The transformed derivative code that results from the method of this article computes a sparse representation of the derivative of the function defined in the original code. As in all source transformation automatic differentiation techniques, an important feature of the method is that any flow control in the original function code is preserved in the derivative code. Furthermore, the resulting derivative code relies solely upon the native MATLAB library. The method is useful in applications where it is required to repeatedly evaluate the derivative of the original function. The approach is demonstrated on several examples and is found to be highly efficient when compared to well-known MATLAB automatic differentiation programs.
Featuring, Detecting, and Visualizing Human Sentiment in Chinese Micro-Blog
Authors: Yu Zhiwen , Wang Zhitao , Chen Liming , Guo Bin , Li Wenjie
Published: May 2016

Micro-blog has been increasingly used for the public to express their opinions, and for organizations to detect public sentiment about social events or public policies. In this article, we examine and identify the key problems of this field, focusing particularly on the characteristics of innovative words, multi-media elements, and hierarchical structure of Chinese “Weibo.” Based on the analysis, we propose a novel approach and develop associated theoretical and technological methods to address these problems. These include a new sentiment word mining method based on three wording metrics and point-wise information, a rule set model for analyzing sentiment features of different linguistic components, and the corresponding methodology for calculating sentiment on multi-granularity considering emoticon elements as auxiliary affective factors. We evaluate our new word discovery and sentiment detection methods on a real-life Chinese micro-blog dataset. Initial results show that our new diction can improve sentiment detection, and they demonstrate that our multi-level rule set method is more effective, with the average accuracy being 10.2% and 1.5% higher than two existing methods for Chinese micro-blog sentiment analysis. In addition, we exploit visualization techniques to study the relationships between online sentiment and real life. The visualization of detected sentiment can help depict temporal patterns and spatial discrepancy.
A Novel Evidence-Based Bayesian Similarity Measure for Recommender Systems
Authors: Guo Guibing , Zhang Jie , Yorke-Smith Neil
Published: May 2016

User-based collaborative filtering
, a widely used nearest neighbour-based recommendation technique, predicts an item’s rating by aggregating its ratings from similar users. User similarity is traditionally calculated by
cosine similarity
or the
Pearson correlation coefficient
. However, both of these measures consider only the direction of rating vectors, and suffer from a range of drawbacks. To overcome these issues, we propose a novel Bayesian similarity measure based on the Dirichlet distribution, taking into consideration both the direction and length of rating vectors. We posit that not all the rating pairs should be equally counted in order to accurately model user correlation. Three different evidence factors are designed to compute the weights of rating pairs. Further, our principled method reduces correlation due to chance and potential system bias. Experimental results on six real-world datasets show that our method achieves superior accuracy in comparison with counterparts.
CGC
Authors: Cheng Wei , Guo Zhishan , Zhang Xiang , Wang Wei
Published: May 2016

Multi-view graph clustering aims to enhance clustering performance by integrating heterogeneous information collected in different domains. Each domain provides a different view of the data instances. Leveraging cross-domain information has been demonstrated an effective way to achieve better clustering results. Despite the previous success, existing multi-view graph clustering methods usually assume that different views are available for the
same
set of instances. Thus, instances in different domains can be treated as having strict
one-to-one
relationship. In many real-life applications, however, data instances in one domain may correspond to multiple instances in another domain. Moreover, relationships between instances in different domains may be associated with weights based on prior (partial) knowledge. In this article, we propose a flexible and robust framework, Co-regularized Graph Clustering (CGC), based on non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), to tackle these challenges. CGC has several advantages over the existing methods. First, it supports
many-to-many
cross-domain instance relationship. Second, it incorporates weight on cross-domain relationship. Third, it allows partial cross-domain mapping so that graphs in different domains may have different sizes. Finally, it provides users with the extent to which the cross-domain instance relationship violates the in-domain clustering structure, and thus enables users to re-evaluate the consistency of the relationship. We develop an efficient optimization method that guarantees to find the global optimal solution with a given confidence requirement. The proposed method can automatically identify noisy domains and assign smaller weights to them. This helps to obtain optimal graph partition for the focused domain. Extensive experimental results on UCI benchmark datasets, newsgroup datasets, and biological interaction networks demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.