bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Imagining future events in patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Lechowicz Meryn , Miller Laurie , Irish Muireann , Addis Donna Rose , Mohamed Armin , Lah Suncica
Published: February 2016

Objectives

Imagining future events, which contain episodic and non‐episodic details, has been found to (1) engage the temporal lobes bilaterally and (2) be impaired in patients with bilateral temporal lobe pathology. Here, we examined whether unilateral temporal lobe dysfunction also impairs the ability to generate future events.

Design

Prospective cross‐sectional.

Methods

Twenty patients with a history of unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy [TLE; 10 left (LTLE) and 10 right (RTLE)] and 20 normal control (NC) subjects comparable on age, sex and education completed the Adapted Autobiographical Interview, which required recall of past and generation of future events and distinguished episodic (internal) from non‐episodic (external) details. Participants also completed a battery of neuropsychological tests.

Results

Patients with unilateral TLE were significantly impaired in provision of internal details for past and future events, but not in the generation of external details. Examination of detail subcategories revealed that patients with LTLE did exhibit a significant deficit relative to patients with RTLE (and NC) with respect to the generation of perceptual details for both past and future events. Moreover, patients with LTLE generated significantly fewer place details for future events (relative to NC only). The overall number of internal details recalled by patients with LTLE was related to semantic fluency.

Conclusions

Our study provides the first evidence that unilateral temporal lobe dysfunction is associated with not only impaired recall of past, but also the generation of future episodic details. Clinically, deficits in future thinking may reduce motivation and decision‐making, and as such adversely impact behavioural regulation and socialization.

Practitioner points

Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy generate less details when asked to describe past and potential future events, particularly with regard to details involving specific events, places and perceptions.

These same patients are aware of their difficulties in this realm, but judge their past memories as similar in vividness and even more personally significant than the memories generated by control participants.

The deficits in generation of future episodic details were particularly pronounced in patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy.

Verbal semantic fluency was correlated with the ability to generate future scenarios.
The brain renin‐angiotensin system plays a crucial role in regulating body weight in diet‐induced obesity in rats
Authors: Winkler Martina , Schuchard Johanna , Stölting Ines , Vogt Florian M , Barkhausen Jörg , Thorns Christoph , Bader Michael , Raasch Walter
Published: February 2016

Background and Purpose

Reduced weight gain after treatment with AT1 receptor antagonists may involve a brain‐related mechanism. Here, we investigated the role of the brain renin‐angiotensin system on weight regulation and food behaviour, with or without additional treatment with telmisartan.

Methods

Transgenic rats with a brain‐specific deficiency in angiotensinogen (TGR(ASrAOGEN)) and the corresponding wild‐type, Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were fed (3 months) with a high‐calorie cafeteria diet (CD) or standard chow. SD and TGR(ASrAOGEN) rats on the CD diet were also treated with telmisartan (8 mg·kg−1·d−1, 3 months).

Results

Compared with SD rats, TGR(ASrAOGEN) rats (i) had lower weights during chow feeding, (ii) did not become obese during CD feeding, (iii) had normal baseline leptin plasma concentrations independent of the feeding regimen, whereas plasma leptin of SD rats was increased due to CD, (iv) showed a reduced energy intake, (v) had a higher, strain‐dependent energy expenditure, which is additionally enhanced during CD feeding, (vi) had enhanced mRNA levels of pro‐opiomelanocortin and (vii) showed improved glucose control. Weight gain and energy intake in rats fed the CD diet were markedly reduced by telmisartan in SD rats but only to a minor extent in TGR(ASrAOGEN) rats.

Conclusions

The brain renin‐angiotensin system affects body weight regulation, feeding behaviour and metabolic disorders. When angiotensin II levels are low in brain, rats are protected from developing diet‐induced obesity and obesity‐related metabolic impairments. We further suggest that telmisartan at least partly lowers body weight via a CNS‐driven mechanism.
Intranasal exposure to monoclonal antibody Fab fragments to Japanese cedar pollen Cry j1 suppresses Japanese cedar pollen‐induced allergic rhinitis
Authors: Yoshino S , Mizutani N
Published: February 2016

Background and Purpose

Fab fragments (Fabs) of antibodies have the ability to bind to specific allergens but lack the Fc portion that exerts effector functions via binding to receptors including FcεR1 on mast cells. In the present study, we investigated whether intranasal administration of the effector function‐lacking Fabs of a monoclonal antibody IgG1 (mAb, P1‐8) to the major allergen Cry j1 of Japanese cedar pollen (JCP) suppressed JCP‐induced allergic rhinitis in mice.

Experimental Approach

Balb/c mice sensitized with JCP on days 0 and 14 were challenged intranasally with the pollen on days 28, 29, 30 and 35. Fabs prepared by the digestion of P1‐8 with papain were also administered intranasally 15 min before each JCP challenge.

Key Results

Intranasal administration of P1‐8 Fabs was followed by marked suppression of sneezing and nasal rubbing in mice with JCP‐induced allergic rhinitis. The suppression of these allergic symptoms by P1‐8 Fabs was associated with decreases in mast cells and eosinophils and decreased hyperplasia of goblet cells in the nasal mucosa.

Conclusions and Implications

These results demonstrated that intranasal exposure to P1‐8 Fabs was effective in suppressing JCP‐induced allergic rhinitis in mice, suggesting that allergen‐specific mAb Fabs might be used as a tool to regulate allergic pollinosis.
A review of approaches for dental practice teams for promoting oral health
Authors: Kay Elizabeth , Vascott Donna , Hocking Allice , Nield Helen , Dorr Charles , Barrett Helen
Published: February 2016

To determine the circumstances in which oral health promotion (OHP) in General Dental Practice is at its most effective, a systematic review was conducted to identify, critically appraise and synthesize the available evidence. The research question was: Is oral health promotion within dental practice effective and how can its effects be optimized? Systematic searches of 20 online resources (including Ovid Medline and Embase) were conducted. A call for evidence was also issued, and citation lists of other relevant systematic reviews were included. All studies published since 1994 which were set in the context of general dental practice and investigated promoting good oral health in adult or child patients were considered. 44 studies reported in 52 papers were included in the review. The evidence was heterogeneous and the quality of reporting was variable. Results showed that oral health promotion based on behavioural and psychological models was effective for improving oral health. Verbal advice affected knowledge and reported behaviour, written advice promoted oral health knowledge. There was moderate evidence that the attributes of the ‘sender’ of an oral health promotion message influenced its effectiveness. Many barriers and facilitators were shown to influence the effectiveness of OHP in dental practice. The results of this review suggest that the psychology of behaviour change is the key to oral health promotion and greater emphasis on teaching oral health professionals about health psychology would make oral health promotion in the dental surgery more effective.
Nutritional follow‐up of patients after obesity surgery: best practice
Authors: O'Kane Mary , Barth Julian H.
Published: February 2016

Obesity surgery is an appropriate treatment option for patients with severe and complex obesity and helps in the improvement of comorbidities. In the first 2 years following surgery, follow‐up is provided by the obesity surgery centre. Ongoing care is then usually returned to the general practitioner. Patients need access to ongoing support and monitoring otherwise may be at risk of developing nutritional deficiencies such as anaemia or protein malnutrition. The British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society have developed guidelines on nutritional monitoring and nutritional supplements to support both bariatric centres and general practitioners. The Royal College of General Practitioners and BOMSS have worked collaboratively to develop Ten Top Tips for the management of obesity surgery patients to aid with the long‐term management in primary care. Women, planning to get pregnant, need access to preconception advice and additional monitoring during pregnancy. It is essential that long‐term data are collected and inputted into the National Bariatric Surgery Register. Obesity surgery improves comorbidities; however, patients must have access to long‐term nutritional monitoring.
Determinants of macroscopic anal cancer and precancerous lesions in 1206 HIV‐infected screened patients
Authors: Abramowitz L. , Benabderrahmane D. , Walker F. , Yazdapanah Y. , Yéni P. , Rioux C. , Bouscarat F. , Lafferre E. , Mentré F. , Duval X.
Published: February 2016

Aim

Anal screening is recommended in HIV‐positive patients, especially men who have sex with men (MSM), due to an increased incidence of anal cancer. The optimal screening methods are not generally agreed.

Method

Screening for anal lesions by anorectal examination, including anoscopy, was offered to HIV‐positive outpatients in a tertiary care university hospital regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Results

Among the 1206 screened patients (701 MSM, 247 heterosexual men, 258 women), 311 (26%) had histologically proven lesions related to human papilloma virus (HPV) (34% MSM, 14% heterosexual men, 14% women); 123 (10%) had low‐grade dysplasia and 70 (6%) high‐grade dysplasia. Seven anal cancers were also diagnosed. Determinants of any lesion were age < 45 years [OR = 1.56 (95% CI, 1.16–2.11)], a CD4 count of < 200/mm3 [OR = 2.54 (1.71–3.78)], receptive anal intercourse [OR =3.03 (2.06–4.47)], sub‐Saharan African origin [OR = 0.53 (0.33–0.85)], and history of HPV‐related lesion [OR = 1.84 (1.35–2.51)]. These determinants were similar for all different grades of dysplasia. In patient subgroup analysis, receptive anal intercourse, the CD4 cell count and a history of HPV lesions were determinants of HPV‐positivity in all patients, whereas age was only a determinant in men.

Conclusion

Anoscopy is an alternative method for anal screening in an HIV‐positive population. This screening has to be compared with other tools in populations at high risk of anal cancer.
Longitudinal analysis of the neurological features of ataxia‐telangiectasia
Authors: Jackson Thomas J , Chow Gabriel , Suri Mohnish , Byrd Philip , Taylor Malcolm R , Whitehouse William P
Published: February 2016

Aim

To assess the relationship between genotype and neurological progression in ataxia‐telangiectasia (A‐T).

Methods

Clinical and laboratory data were extracted retrospectively from the records of patients attending the UK National Ataxia‐Telangiectasia Clinic. Neurological assessments were performed using the A‐T Index (Crawford Score) and the A‐T Neurological Examination Scale Toolkit (A‐T NEST). Variables influencing phenotype were identified by using an information‐theoretic approach starting from a maximal model to generate estimates of coefficients for each variable. Per‐individual progression was assessed for patients with three or more clinic attendances.

Results

The genotype could be determined for 125/135 patients. Crawford and A‐T NEST scores were well correlated. For both scoring systems the estimated coefficients were significantly positive for Age x kinase activity but not Age x protein expression. Unlike the per–genotype analysis, the individual progression of neurological scores in the 34 patients that attended on three or more occasions was not smooth and linear (and in some cases improved over time).

Interpretation

Residual kinase activity confers a milder phenotype but there is no difference between kinase‐dead and protein‐null genotypes. The non‐linear progression of individual patients’ neurological scores may reflect biological complexity, day‐to‐day variability, limitations of the assessment methods or a combination of all three.
Somatosensory cortex excitability: a child is not a small adult
Authors: Valeriani Massimiliano
Published: February 2016

This commentary is on the original article by Zanini et al. on pages 855–860 of this issue.
Prevalence and Factors Associated with Subclinical Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction Evaluated by Mid‐Wall Mechanics in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Cioffi Giovanni , Viapiana Ombretta , Ognibeni Federica , Fracassi Elena , Giollo Alessandro , Adami Silvano , Gatti Davide , Mazzone Carmine , Faganello Giorgio , Lenarda Andrea Di , Rossini Maurizio
Published: February 2016

Objective

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased cardiovascular event rate, mainly due to the arterial stiffness which leads to coronary atherosclerosis and concentric left ventricular (LV) geometry. These conditions predispose to LV systolic dysfunction (LVSD), which can be detected by stress‐corrected mid‐wall shortening (sc‐MS), an early prognosticator of cardiovascular events in asymptomatic patients with arterial hypertension and/or diabetes. In these subjects, sc‐MS is frequently impaired even though LV ejection fraction (LVEF) is preserved. In this study, we analyzed the prevalence and the factors associated with asymptomatic LVSD measured by sc‐MS among patients with RA and verified whether RA per se was independently related to LVSD.

Methods

We prospectively recruited 198 outpatients with RA without overt cardiac disease between January and June 2014 and compared them to 198 controls matched for age, gender, body mass index, and prevalence of hypertension and diabetes. sc‐MS was taken as index of LVSD and considered impaired if <86.5%.

Results

Impaired sc‐MS was detected in 110 (56%) RA patients and in 30 (15%) controls (P < 0.001), whereas LVEF was impaired (value <50%) in six (3%) RA patients and in two (1%) controls (P = ns). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that RA was independently associated with impaired sc‐MS (Exp β 2.01 [CI 1.12–3.80], P = 0.02) together with increased LV mass and concentric geometry.

Conclusions

More than half RA patients without overt cardiac disease have LVSD detectable by sc‐MS. RA emerges as a condition closely related to LVSD. These findings might explain the high risk for adverse cardiovascular events in RA patients.
Intramyocardial Dissecting Hematoma after Acute Myocardial Infarction—Echocardiographic Features and Clinical Outcome
Authors: Zhao Ying , He Yi hua , Liu Wen xu , Sun Lin , Han Jian cheng , Man Ting ting , Gu Xiao yan , Chen Zhuo , Wen Zhao ying , Henein Michael Y
Published: February 2016

Objectives

Intramyocardial dissecting hematoma (IDH) after acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a rare form of subacute cardiac rupture and hence management uncertainties. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical course of a small series of IDH patients and to review the available evidence for managing similar cases.

Methods

Eight IDH patients from our center had echocardiographic, coronary angiographic and clinical outcome data reviewed. PubMed was also searched for IDH following MI. Cases were divided into three groups and compared according to the dissection location.

Results

In our 8 patients, 3 had septal, 1 right ventricular (RV), and 4 left ventricular (LV) dissection. Five were medically treated and 3 surgically repaired. Reviewing the literature revealed 68 IDH patients, of mean age 66 ± 10 years, 43 males. The percentage of IDH involving the LV free wall, septal, and RV free wall were 47%, 26.5%, and 26.5%, respectively. In the cohort as a whole, mortality was not different between surgically and medically treated patients (33.3% vs. 54.3%, P = 0.08), neither based on the IDH location (P = 0.49). While surgical and medical treatment of the LV free wall (20.0% vs. 40.9%, P = 0.25) and septal (46.2% vs. 60.0%, P = 0.60) were not different, surgical repair of RV free wall had significantly better survival (30.0% vs. 87.5%, P = 0.015). The LVEF (P = 0.82), mitral regurgitation (P = 0.49) failed to predict mortality.

Conclusion

While survival following medical and surgical treatment of LV IDH is not different, patients with RV free wall dissection benefit significantly from surgical repair.
Entrepreneurial Skills and Education‐Job Matching of Higher Education Graduates
Authors: Kucel Aleksander , Róbert Péter , Buil Màrian , Masferrer Núria
Published: February 2016

This article studies entrepreneurial education and its impact on job‐skills matches for higher education graduates. Those who possess entrepreneurial skills are assumed to be more market aware and creative in their job search. They are also expected to foresee which job offers would and would not, match their skills. Using a large comparative survey (REFLEX‐HEGESCO) to test this hypothesis, we show that higher levels of entrepreneurial skills (defined as scanning and search, association and connection, and evaluation and judgement) reduce the probability of over‐education for university graduates in 18 OECD countries five years after graduation. Entrepreneurial education helps individuals to obtain better jobs, even if they search for wage employment and not for self‐employment. Resorting to a multilevel regression, our results indicate a stronger need for training in entrepreneurial skills at higher education institutions on the one hand, and the introduction of policies that promote innovation at the micro and macro levels in countries’ economy, on the other.
Building Technology Transfer Capacity in Turkish Universities: a critical analysis
Authors: Ranga Marina , Temel Serdal , Ar Ilker Murat , Yesilay Rustem Baris , Sukan Fazilet Vardar
Published: February 2016

University technology transfer has been receiving significant government funding since 2012. Results of this major investment are now expected by the Turkish government and society, not only in terms of better teaching and research performance, but also of new jobs, new products and services, enhanced regional development and contribution to economic growth. This article examines the technology transfer capacity of Turkish universities and provides several policy recommendations for further improvement. The analysis uses the dataset of a recent project funded by the European Patent Office and managed by Ege University Science and Technology Centre (EU.EBILTEM‐TTO) and the Turkish Patent Institute. This was the first large‐scale national assessment of IPR activities in Turkish universities. The findings reveal an early‐stage university technology transfer capacity, facing many challenges caused by low technology‐ and market‐oriented research capacity, institutional obstacles to patenting, licensing and spin‐offs, low IPR awareness and spread of IPR policies, and the current IPR regime. University‐industry cooperation activities, such as contract research, joint projects and publications, consultancy, etc. that have been present for three decades in Turkey continue to be the major paradigm and tend to be considered as a separate strand from technology transfer activities, such as patenting, licensing and spin‐off formation that are less developed. Systemic policy intervention expanded to the broader national innovation ecosystem to improve technology absorption capacity and interest in technology‐driven innovation, together with a combined top‐down/bottom‐up transformative action that can accelerate the change of deeply‐rooted old perceptions and practice.
The Relevance of Problem‐based Learning for Policy Development in University‐Business Cooperation
Authors: Rossano Sue , Meerman Arno , Kesting Tobias , Baaken Thomas
Published: February 2016

Most prior research on academic entrepreneurship focuses on the interplay between university research and technology transfer activities in the form of joint research, spinoffs, licencing and patenting. Yet questions still remain with respect to the role of academic entrepreneurship in education and learning. Lifelong learning has been developing to one of the top priorities for many higher education institutions, with a greater emphasis on developing transversal skills in students, including entrepreneurship. An increasingly adopted approach to developing transversal skills through education is through problem‐based learning (PBL) which shifts the focus from teacher‐driven education to student‐centred learning involving active participation of learners. By taking the students’ perspective, this article presents the effects of PBL in the context of university‐business cooperation (UBC) on the development of student's transversal skills. According to our findings, UBC‐based PBL has an effect on the interpersonal skills of students, such as teamwork and communication, and is a promising approach with regard to entrepreneurship education and paving the way for long‐term and more intense UBC activities.
What Determines Enterprises’ Perceptions of Future Development in Higher Education – Strange Bedfellows?
Authors: Deželan Tomaž , Laker Jason , Pavlin Samo
Published: February 2016

In the last few decades, global changes such as an ever more integrated world economy, new technologies or the emergence of an international knowledge network have increasingly determined developments in European higher education. Policymakers have addressed these challenges using processes that support the practical orientation of higher education, including university‐business cooperation. Because employers are becoming important stakeholders and partners in the creation of higher education policy, the future developers of higher education need to know what employers expect of future development and whether they will meet or resist those expectations when it comes to their input. In this article, we identify the areas that need to be improved upon and examine the ways in which employers’ experiences with higher education determine their perceptions of it. Building on the EMCOSU (Emerging Modes of Cooperation between Private Sector Organisations and Universities) survey, we analysed the responses of professionals of 397 companies based in five European countries. The analysis indicated that the level at which companies participated in university‐business cooperation strongly influenced their perception of the way higher education institutions should develop. To be precise, those with greater experience in university‐business cooperation pressed for more strategic cooperation between universities and business, more support for the international orientation of academic institutions, and less attention to the immediate valorisation of applied research, practical orientation and short‐term skill development.
Anti‐angiogenic therapy (bevacizumab) in the management of oral lichen planus
Authors: Mahmoud Maha M. , Afifi Marwa M.
Published: February 2016

Oral lichen planus (OLP), a mucocutaneous chronic inflammatory disease, is conventionally managed using topical corticosteroid therapy. Given the fact that OLP is strongly linked to angiogenesis, anti‐angiogenic drugs, such as bevacizumab, might be introduced as an alternative treatment for contraindicated, non‐responsive patients. The aim of the present study was to report the short‐term effectiveness and safety of intralesional bevacizumab injection in the management of atrophic/erosive OLP. A case series study was conducted in patients with atrophic/erosive OLP in the buccal mucosa, assigned to receive either 2.5 mg of bevacizumab, by intralesional injection (n = 20, test), or topical 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide ointment (n = 20, control). The size, score, and pain intensity of the lesions were assessed pre‐ and post‐treatment. Tissue biopsies were collected for histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural examination. After 1 wk, the test group had significant reductions both in lesion seize and in pain scores compared with controls. A marked decrease in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin‐8 immunoexpression was noted in tissue biopsies from bevacizumab‐treated lesions compared with control lesions. Furthermore, ultrastructural examination of OLP tissue specimens revealed significant healing signs associated with bevacizumab treatment. Short‐term data suggest that intralesional bevacizumab injection effectively and safely achieved resolution of atrophic/erosive OLP lesions without disease exacerbations during a 3‐month follow‐up period.
Making land to make life: island‐building in the South China Sea and the biopolitics of geophysical transformation
Authors: Rice Stian , Tyner James A , Munro‐Stasiuk Mandy , Kimroy Sokvisak , Sirik Savina
Published: February 2016

Recent work in environmental politics has sought to expand the domain of ‘the geopolitical’ to include geologic transformation, bringing the human alteration of terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric forms into the political sphere. In line with this ‘geologic turn’, this paper examines China's recent land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea as a starting point for a broader conversation on the politics of geophysical change. With recent discussion of geoengineering to avert the consequences of climate change, we reaffirm calls to address questions of participation, equity and accountability in geoengineering, but also to challenge assumptions of what is being modified, by whom, and for whom. To that end, we argue that human modification of the geophysical environment is an expression not only of a geologic politics (of territory and resources), but of a biopolitics that seeks to reclaim and perfect populations: a politics of making life and letting die.
Proximity to Natural Amenities: A Seemingly Unrelated Hedonic Regression Model with Spatial Durbin and Spatial Error Processes
Authors: Izón Germán M. , Hand Michael S. , Mccollum Daniel W. , Thacher Jennifer A. , Berrens Robert P.
Published: February 2016

The existing literature suggests that the presence of natural amenities, such as open spaces, can be highly valued and affect economic decisions about where people live and work. This article contributes to previous research by testing this hypothesis using a unique micro‐level data set and by examining spatial variations in income levels and housing prices in the presence of natural amenities in a case study of Arizona. Proximity effects are estimated based on a geographic information system road network in which each variable represents the road mile distance from house i to its closest natural amenity within each category. Using a seemingly unrelated regression approach, spatial hedonic regressions of housing prices and income levels indicate that the total effect of various natural amenities calculated for the sample average income household and average home value, ranges from $2,382 (National Forests) to $1,560 (Wilderness areas). The presence of compensating differentials has policy relevance in considering the regional value of natural amenities. It also implies that valuation approaches such as the travel cost method may not reflect the full price of recreation site access, and may lead to underestimates of such values.
Headache as an Aura of Epilepsy: Video‐EEG Monitoring Study
Authors: Kim Dong Wook , Sunwoo Jun‐Sang , Lee Sang Kun
Published: February 2016

Background

Headache can be associated with epilepsy as a pre‐ictal, ictal, or post‐ictal phenomenon; however, studies of patients with headache as an epileptic aura are scarce. We performed the present study to investigate the incidence and characteristics of headache as an epileptic aura, via confirmation of electroencephalography (EEG) changes by video‐EEG monitoring.

Methods

Data of aura and clinical seizure episodes of 831 consecutive patients who undertook video‐EEG monitoring were analyzed retrospectively. For patients who had headache as an aura, information on the detailed features of headache was acquired, including location, nature, duration, and the presence of accompanying symptoms. Video‐recorded clinical seizures, EEG findings, and neuroimaging data were used to determine the ictal onset areas in the patients.

Results

Six out of 831 (0.7%) patients experienced headache as aura (age range, 25–52 years), all of whom had partial seizures. The incidence of pre‐ictal headache was 6.3% (25/831), and post‐ictal headache was 30.9% (257/831). In patients with headache as aura, five patients described headache as the most frequent aura, and headache was the second most frequent aura in one patient. The characteristics of headache were hemicrania epileptica in two patients, tension‐type headache in another two patients, and migraine‐like headache in the remaining two patients. No patient met the diagnostic criteria of ictal epileptic headache or migraine aura‐triggered seizure.

Conclusion

Our study showed that headache as an aura is uncommon in adult patients with epilepsy, and that headache can present as diverse features, including hemicrania epileptica, tension‐type headache, and migraine‐like headache. Further studies are necessary to characterize the features of headache as an epileptic aura in adult patients with epilepsy.
Modified radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Nouso Kazuhiro , Oonishi Ayano , Wakuta Akiko , Kariyama Kazuya
Published: February 2016

Aim

Radiofrequency ablation is commonly used for the treatment of early hepatocellular carcinoma. However, it requires time to ablate sufficient areas, resulting in increased burden for the patients and operators. We introduce a novel and simple method to overcome this problem.

Methods

We placed the grounding pad on the back (Back group) instead of the thigh of the patient (Thigh group). To assess the effect of this method, we randomly assigned the patients into two groups, based on the location of the grounding pad, and compared the outcomes.

Results

The ablation time until two roll‐offs was shorter in the Back group than in the Thigh group (median, 2.5 min vs 3.4 min; P = 0.01). The ablated area was larger in the Back group than that in the Thigh group (P = 0.01) and pain was less in the Back group (P = 0.02). No severe side‐effects were observed in either group.

Conclusion

This new method is useful in that it achieved shorter ablation times, expansion of the ablated areas, and reduction of pain during the ablation.
Prevalence and characteristics of naturally occurring sofosbuvir resistance‐associated variants in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b infection
Authors: Ito Jun , Suda Goki , Yamamoto Yoshiya , Nagasaka Atsushi , Furuya Ken , Kumagai Kenichi , Kikuchi Hideaki , Miyagishima Takuto , Kobayashi Tomoe , Kimura Megumi , Yamasaki Kazushi , Umemura Machiko , Izumi Takaaki , Tsunematsu Seiji , Sato Fumiyuki , Tsukuda Yoko , Terashita Katsumi , Nakai Masato , Sho Takuya , Natsuizaka Mitsuteru , Morikawa Kenichi , Ogawa Koji , Sakamoto Naoya ,   for the NORTE Study Group
Published: February 2016

Aim

Sofosbuvir (SOF), a nucleotide analog pro‐drug, targets hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase and shows potential for treating HCV infection, given its high efficacy and good barrier to resistance. However, in addition to the rare resistant‐associated variant (RAV) of non‐structural protein NS5B S282T, several new potential RAVs of SOF have been reported, especially related to HCV genotype 1b. However, the prevalence and characteristics of these RAVs have not been clarified.

Methods

We analyzed the prevalence of variants in the NS3/NS5A/NS5B regions in 96 patients treated with simeprevir (SMV) combination therapy, and the prevalence of RAVs in patients showing treatment failure was determined by direct‐ or deep‐sequencing methods. Associations between these potential RAVs and clinical factors were also analyzed.

Results

Prevalence of NS5B RAV C316N was high (46.9%, 45/96), whereas that of NS5B L159F was relatively low (1.04%, 1/96); however, deep sequencing showed that 30.0% of patients with C316N also had NS5B RAV L159F. Additionally, there was no significant relationship between the existence of potential NS5B and NS5A or NS3 RAVs. However, the presence of NS5B C316N was significantly associated with an HCV core amino acid 91 substitution. No significant difference was detected between each RAV and sustained virological response in simeprevir combination therapy.

Conclusion

We provide clear evidence of the high prevalence of two potential naturally occurring NS5B RAVs (C316N and L159F) in Japan. It may be important to pay particular attention to these new potential RAVs, especially when using SOF‐based therapy in patients with RAVs due to previous direct‐acting antiviral therapy failure.
Effect of emulsifier type on physicochemical properties of water‐in‐oil emulsions for confectionery applications
Authors: Mazo Rivas Juan Camilo , Schneider Yvonne , Rohm Harald
Published: February 2016

In a first step of designing tailored confectionery masses using water‐in‐oil emulsions, a parameter screening on emulsion rheology and stability was carried out. The experimental set‐up included cocoa butter as continuous phase and the variation of the disperse phase (water, or 50% sucrose in water), two volume fraction levels and the type of emulsifier (lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), ammonium phosphatide (YN) and blends of lecithin or YN with PGPR). Emulsions were characterised by microscopy, laser diffraction, analytical centrifugation and shear rheology. Results show multimodal droplet size distributions in lecithin‐ or YN‐stabilised emulsions, and droplets which tend to form aggregates and an internal network responsible for shear thinning. PGPR emulsions are characterised by monomodal droplet size distributions and smaller droplets without networking tendency. They exhibit Newtonian flow behaviour and a much higher stability against phase separation. In emulsifier blends, PGPR is mainly responsible for the modulation of physical properties of the emulsions.
The role of polysaccharides on the stability of colloidal particles of beer
Authors: Martinez Amezaga Nancy Maria J. , Benítez Elisa I. , Sosa Gladis L. , Peruchena Nélida M. , Lozano Jorge E.
Published: February 2016

This study aimed at understanding the influence of beer colloidal composition and size on physical stability of the colloidal suspensions in beer before filtration. The percentages of retention during filtration indicate that colloidal particles consist principally of polysaccharides (97.04%) and smaller amounts of proteins (2.87%) and polyphenols (0.22). The viscosity of a colloidal dispersion can be modelled as the sum of a hard‐sphere contribution and a colloidal force contribution. The colloidal force contribution is determined from the volume fraction of particles, the viscosity colloidal dispersion and the beer viscosity without particles. The volume fraction of particles could be estimated from the particle density and the total solid present in the beer. The fitting parameters of the correlation between the particles volume fraction and the colloidal force viscosity could explain the low stability of the colloidal particles of beer. This last determination is more specific than the simple viscosity of beer and could help to improve the prediction of the filtration flow.
Highlighting Tensions in Recruitment and Selection Research and Practice
Authors: Marie Ryan Ann , Derous Eva
Published: February 2016

In this article we highlight five tensions that exist in recruitment and selection (R&S) research and practice today and that are centered around the ‘efficiency press’ and so called ‘research–practice’ gap. Identified tensions are desires for (1) innovation and efficiency, (2) customization and consistency, (3) transparency and effectiveness, (4) wide‐reach and coherence, and (5) diversity and standardization. Each tension is illustrated with findings from the five studies of this Special Issue that were presented at the third meeting of the European Network of Selection Researchers (August 2014), and supplemented with empirical data on the research–practice gap in R&S (period 2009–2013). We consider how we might move forward in addressing the ‘efficiency press’ in research as well as managing these tensions in practice.
Training Affects Variability in Training Performance Both Within and Across Jobs
Authors: Carretta Thomas R. , James Ree Malcolm , Teachout Mark S.
Published: February 2016

A partial test of a model of training performance variability was conducted. The current study examined variability in cognitive ability and training performance in job‐specific training. Several studies have found mean score differences in cognitive ability across jobs. Further, the variability in training outcomes among individuals within a job has been shown to vary across jobs. Reduced variability in training outcomes is a measure of training effectiveness. For this study data were grouped by job over several years. Participants were 116,310 enlistees enrolled in 108 US Air Force training specialties. Aptitude was measured by a verbal/math composite derived from the US military enlistment test, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Training performance was assessed by written tests of job‐related knowledge content. Predictive validity of the verbal/math composite ranged from .124 to .836 across jobs with a mean weighted value of 0.691. Substantial differences were observed for mean and variability of aptitude across jobs. Trainees in jobs with high aptitude requirements had higher mean aptitude and were less variable on aptitude than those in jobs with lower aptitude requirements. Further, trainees in high aptitude jobs had higher mean training performance scores and were less variable on performance than those in jobs with lower aptitude requirements. Finally, training performance was much less variable than aptitude. Training had the effect of reducing variability among trainees within jobs. This has the effect of producing a more homogenous set of trainees on trained content, which is beneficial to on‐the‐job training. Support was found for a part of the model.
Aggression on inpatient units: Clinical characteristics and consequences
Authors: Renwick Laoise , Stewart Duncan , Richardson Michelle , Lavelle Mary , James Karen , Hardy Claire , Price Owen , Bowers Len
Published: February 2016

Aggression and violence are widespread in UK Mental Health Trusts, and are accompanied by negative psychological and physiological consequences for both staff and other patients. Patients who are younger, male, and have a history of substance use and psychosis diagnoses are more likely to display aggression; however, patient factors are not solely responsible for violence, and there are complex circumstances that lead to aggression. Indeed, patient–staff interactions lead to a sizeable portion of aggression and violence on inpatient units, thus they cannot be viewed without considering other forms of conflict and containment that occur before, during, and after the aggressive incident. For this reason, we examined sequences of aggressive incidents in conjunction with other conflict and containment methods used to explore whether there were particular profiles to aggressive incidents. In the present study, 522 adult psychiatric inpatients from 84 acute wards were recruited, and there were 1422 incidents of aggression (verbal, physical against objects, and physical). Cluster analysis revealed that aggressive incident sequences could be classified into four separate groups: solo aggression, aggression–rule breaking, aggression–medication, and aggression–containment. Contrary to our expectations, we did not find physical aggression dominant in the aggression–containment cluster, and while verbal aggression occurred primarily in solo aggression, physical aggression also occurred here. This indicates that the management of aggression is variable, and although some patient factors are linked with different clusters, these do not entirely explain the variation.
Activity‐Related Postlesional Vestibular Reorganization
Authors: DIERINGER NORBERT
Published: February 2016

The synaptic convergence patterns of semicircular canal and macular afferent nerve inputs onto second‐order vestibular neurons reorganize in adult frogs after a change in the activity of vestibular nerve afferent fibers. Axotomized afferent nerve fibers become silent after a vestibular nerve lesion, and second‐order vestibular target neurons become disfacilitated. These changes initiate an activity‐related process that was studied in detail in vitro two months after a section of the ramus anterior (RA) of N. VIII. The postlesional reaction results in an expansion of signals, preferentially from intact, remaining afferent nerve fibers, but also from excitatory commissural and spinal ascending fibers. This process of expansion takes weeks, is graded in its extent, and reversible in case of a nerve regeneration, but is not competitive, i.e., the synaptic contacts from axotomized afferent nerve fibers are maintained without a change in their efficacy.

Postlesional synaptic reorganization in the brainstem is restricted to the operated side, underlies the improved responsiveness of disfacilitated second‐order vestibular neurons, but also their altered spatial response tuning. The functional consequences of this reorganization were studied in vivo two months after RA nerve section by recording abducens nerve responses during linear or angular accelerations. The vector orientations of best responses of the abducens nerve of chronic RA frogs evoked by linear or angular acceleration differed from the vector orientations of controls. In chronic RA frogs, linear acceleration evoked contralesional abducens nerve responses that originated from the utricle on the intact side and from the lagena, a vertical macular organ in frogs. Such an inadequate lagenar response component was absent in controls and in the ipsilesional abducens nerve of chronic RA frogs. Similar differences were detected in the direction of abducens nerve responses of chronic RA frogs during angular acceleration. Thus, compensatory vestibulo‐ocular reflexes of chronic RA frogs became more symmetric in gain, but less precise in direction.
Synthesis of a Fine (Ta0.8,Hf0.2)C Powder from Carbide or Oxide Powder Mixtures
Authors: Feng Lun , Kim Jin‐Myung , Lee Sea‐Hoon , Park Se‐Jeong
Published: February 2016

Tantalum hafnium carbide ((Ta0.8,Hf0.2)C) powders were successfully synthesized using a modified spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus with TaC/HfC or Ta2O5/HfO2/C starting materials. The (Ta0.8,Hf0.2)C obtained from the carbides had a finer particle size of 220 nm, whereas those obtained from the oxides had less contamination during the milling process (0.35 wt%) than the other case. Particle coarsening of the solid‐solution phase was effectively suppressed by using a modified SPS apparatus because of the fast heating/cooling rate. High‐energy ball milling promoted a solid‐solution reaction for the formation of (Ta0.8,Hf0.2)C by refining the size and inducing the homogeneous mixing of the starting materials. By the combination of the fast heating and high‐energy ball milling, fine tantalum hafnium carbide powders with low contamination were successfully synthesized.
Commentary: Not just genes – reclaiming a role for environmental influences on aetiology and outcome in autism. A commentary on Mandy and Lai (2016)
Authors: Charman Tony , Chakrabarti Bhismadev
Published: February 2016

Mandy and Lai (2015) do the field a service in ‘reclaiming’ the role of pre‐ and postnatal environmental influences on the aetiology and course of autism spectrum conditions (ASC). This follows several decades where now discredited theories about putative psychogenic and biological disease models held sway, not least in the public mind. We discuss issues that arise from their review; including the need to identify how large the environmental influences on ASC are likely to be; the specificity of these environmental influences to ASC as opposed to a broader range of neurodevelopmental conditions and outcomes; how best to study complex interactions between genetic and environmental influences; and the promise of novel insights into their mechanisms of action. The review highlights current research that aims to better our understanding of the role of environmental factors in the aetiology and course of ASC and, in the near future, may offer the potential for personalised medicine approaches to intervention based on these discoveries.
Commentary: The devastating effects of ignoring child maltreatment in psychiatry – a commentary on Teicher and Samson 2016
Authors: van der Kolk Bessel
Published: February 2016

Despite the numerous studies over the past 30 years that have clarified the devastating effects of child maltreatment on mental and physical health, the role of trauma within the caregiving system remains unrecognized both in our diagnostic systems and in our dominant treatment paradigms. Research of people with histories of caregiver abuse and neglect consistently demonstrates problems with concentration, anger, panic, depression, food intake, drugs, and sleep, as well as decreased Heart RateVariability, higher levels of stress hormones, and reduced or impaired immune response. Their relationship between documented brain changes and psychopathology is complex.

Traumatic life experiences during childhood and adolescence are far more common than expected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that child maltreatment may be the most costly public health issue in the United States, Eradicating child abuse in America would reduce the overall rate of depression by more than half, alcoholism by two‐thirds, and suicide, serious drug abuse, and domestic violence by three quarters. It would also have a significantly positive effect on workplace performance, and vastly decrease the need for incarceration. The current practice of applying multiple distinct comorbid diagnoses to traumatized children prevents a comprehensive treatment approach. Approaching their problems from a framework of memories of discreet traumatic ignores the fact that the damage affects the brain's neural circuitry and goes well beyond dealing with discrete painful events. Our great challenge is to learn to utilize the brain's neuroplasticity to reorganize defective brain circuits.
Commentary: Thinking outside the box about children's sleep – a commentary on Gregory and Sadeh (2016)
Authors: Stores Gregory
Published: February 2016

This commentary is intended to supplement the accompanying review of sleep problems in childhood psychiatric disorders by Gregory and Sadeh. A number of considerations are outlined because of their relevance to both clinical practice and research concerning assessment and treatment of sleep disturbance in children in general and especially those with psychiatric and/or neurological conditions. These considerations (which illustrate the importance of combined medical and psychological involvement) are as follows: the importance of screening for sleep disturbance which otherwise may well be overlooked; the need to specify sleep disorders rather than simply nonspecific sleep problems as this will guide choice of appropriate advice and treatment; the risk of sleep disorders being misdiagnosed because of clinicians' unfamiliarity with the sleep disorders field; the possibility that a child's sleep disturbance is of multiple aetiology; a wide range of treatments for disturbed sleep is now described from which a choice is possible given an accurate diagnosis; sleep problems may be intensified if a child's condition is complicated by intellectual disability but the same principles of assessment and management apply as in other children in the expectation that treatment can be effective.