bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is there a potential of misuse for Magnolia officinalis compounds/metabolites?
Authors: Schifano Fabrizio , Guarino Valentina , Papanti Duccio G. , Baccarin Jacopo , Orsolini Laura , Corkery John M.
Published: May 2017

Objective

Magnolia bark contains magnolol, metabolized to tetrahydromagnolol and honokiol, with both GABA‐ergic/cannabimimetic activities, hence of possible attraction to vulnerable individuals/recreational misusers.

Methods

A literature review, assessment of related anecdotal online Magnolia misuse's reports and an overview of Magnolia products' online acquisition possibilities has been here described.

Results

No peer‐reviewed papers about Magnolia abuse/misuse/dependence/addiction were identified. Conversely, from a range of websites emerged potentially 3 groups of Magnolia misusers: (a) subjects with a psychiatric history already treated with benzodiazepines, being attracted to Magnolia bark as a “natural sedative”; (b) polydrug misusers, ingesting Magnolia with a range of other herbs/plants, attracted by the GABA‐ergic/cannabimimetic activities; (c) subjects naive to the misusing drugs' scenario, perceiving Magnolia as a natural dietary supplement/weight‐control compound.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper commenting on the possible Magnolia derivatives' potential of misuse. Magnolia's recent increase in popularity, mainly as a sedative, may be arguably due to its peculiar pharmacological properties/acceptable affordability levels/virtually worldwide favorable legal status and customers' attraction to a product being perceived as “natural” and hence somehow “safe.” Future/potent/synthetic magnolol and honokiol structural analogues could however contribute to increasing the number of synthetic GABA‐ergic/cannabimimetic misusing compounds.
An Efficient DWT and Intuitionistic Fuzzy Based Multimodality Medical Image Fusion
Authors: Soundrapandiyan Rajkumar , Karuppiah Marimuthu , Kumari Saru , Kumar Tyagi Sanjay , Wu Fan , Jung Ki‐Hyun
Published: May 2017

Image fusion aims to integrate complementary information from multiple modalities into a single image with none distortion and loss of data. Image fusion is important in medical imaging, specifically for the purpose of detecting the tumor and identification of diseases. In this article, completely unique discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) based fusion method (DWT‐IFS) is proposed. For fusion, initially, all source images are fused using DWT with the average, maximum, and entropy fusion rules. Besides, on the fused image IFS is applied. In the IFS process images are converted into intuitionistic fuzzy images (IFIs) by selecting an optimum value for the parameter in membership, non‐membership, and hesitation degree function using entropy. Then, the resulting IFIs are decomposed into the blocks, and the corresponding blocks of the images are fused using the intersection and union operations of IFS. The efficiency of the proposed DWT‐IFS fusion method is recognized by examining it with other existing methods, such as Averaging (AVG), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Laplacian Pyramid Approach (LPA), Contrast Pyramid Approach (CPA), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), Morphological Pyramid Approach (MPA), Redundancy Discrete Wavelet Transform (RDWT), Contourlet Transform (CONTRA), and Intuitionistic Fuzzy Set (IFS) using subjective and objective performance evaluation measures. The experimental results reveal that the proposed DWT‐IFS fusion method provides higher quality of information in terms of physical properties and contrast as compared to the existing methods.
Near–infrared photodynamic inactivation of S. pneumoniae and its interaction with RAW 264.7 macrophages
Authors: Leite Ilaiáli S. , Geralde Mariana C. , Salina Ana C.G. , Medeiros Alexandra I. , Dovigo Lívia N. , Bagnato Vanderlei S. , Inada Natalia M.
Published: May 2017

Pneumonia is the main cause of children mortality worldwide, and its major treatment obstacle stems from the microorganisms increasing development of resistance to several antibiotics. Photodynamic therapy has been presenting, for the last decades, promising results for some subtypes of cancer and infections. In this work we aimed to develop a safe and efficient in vitro protocol for photodynamic inactivation of Streptococcus pneumoniae, one of the most commonly found bacteria in pneumonia cases, using two near‐infrared light sources and indocyanine green, a FDA approved dye. Photodynamic inactivation experiments with bacteria alone allowed to determine the best parameters for microbial inactivation. Cytotoxicity assays with RAW 264.7 macrophages evaluated the safety of the PDI. To determine if the photodynamic inactivation had a positive or negative effect on the natural killing action of macrophages, we selected and tested fewer indocyanine green concentrations and 10 J/cm2 on macrophage‐S. pneumoniae co‐cultures. We concluded that ICG has potential as a photosensitizer for near‐infrared photodynamic inactivation of S. pneumoniae, producing minimum negative impact on RAW 264.7 macrophages and having a positive interaction with the immune cell's microbicidal action.

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Evaluation of Prediction of Polymorphisms of DNA Repair Genes on the Efficacy of Platinum‐Based Chemotherapy in Patients With Non‐Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Network Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Yu Shao‐Nan , Liu Gui‐Feng , Li Xue‐Feng , Fu Bao‐Hong , Dong Li‐Xin , Zhang Shu‐Hua
Published: May 2017

This network meta‐analysis (NMA) was conducted to compare the predictive value of 14 SNPs in eight DNA repair genes on the efficacy of platinum‐based chemotherapy in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These included ERCC1 (rs11615, rs3212986, rs3212948), XRCC1 (rs25487, rs25489, rs1799782), XPD (rs13181, rs1799793), XPG (rs1047768, rs17655), XPA (rs1800975), XRCC3 (rs861539), APE1 (rs3136820), and RRM1 (rs1042858). The PubMed and Cochrane library databases were reviewed from their inception to February 2017 and studies which met our inclusion criteria were included in our investigation. This network meta‐analysis combines direct and indirect evidence to assess the predictive value of 14 SNPs in eight DNA repair genes on the efficacy of platinum‐based chemotherapy in NSCLC. We evaluated the predictive value through the use of the odd ratios (OR) and drawing surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA). A total of 26 eligible cohort studies were enrolled in this NMA. The pairwise meta‐analysis indicated that in terms of overall response ratio (ORR), ERCC1 (rs11615), XRCC1 (rs25487, rs1799782), and XPD (rs13181) polymorphisms are associated with the efficacy of platinum‐based chemotherapy in NSCLC. The result of this NMA suggests that there is no significant difference in predictive value of 8 DNA repair genes on the efficacy of platinum‐based chemotherapy in NSCLC patients. The rank of SUCRA values of the 14 SNPs in the eight DNA repair genes were: XPD (rs1799793)→ERCC1 (rs3212986)→XPA(rs1800975)→ERCC1(rs3212948)→XRCC1(rs25487)→XRCC3(rs861539)→APE1(rs3136820)→ERCC1(rs11615)→XRCC1(rs1799782)→RRM1(rs1042858)→XPD(rs13181)→XPG (rs1047768)→XPG(rs17655)→XRCC1(rs25489). ERCC1(rs11615), XRCC1(rs25487, rs1799782) and XPD(rs13181) polymorphisms were better predictors in evaluating the efficacy of platinum‐based chemotherapy in NSCLC patients. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4782–4791, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Catalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Biomass‐based Furfural into Maleic Acid in Aqueous Phase with Metalloporphyrin Catalysts
Authors: Huang Yi , Wu Chunyan , Yuan Wenwen , Xia Yongmei , Liu Xiang , Yang Huamei , Wang Haijun
Published: May 2017

Catalytic oxidation of renewable furfural into valuable maleic acid in aqueous solutions using metalloporphyrin catalysts was investigated for the first time. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by FT‐IR, UV–vis,
1H NMR, elemental analysis, and TGA. The catalysts varied in metal active sites and functional groups, which had different effects on their catalytic activity. Furthermore, the effects of temperatures, reaction time, catalyst loading, and oxygen pressure were studied in detail. Maleic acid could be achieved in 44% yield by using FeT(p‐Cl)PPCl as catalyst under optimal conditions. Finally, FeT(p‐Cl)PPCl could be reused in five consecutive runs without a significant loss of activity.
Cu(I)‐catalyzed Green Synthesis of Propargyl Amines Decorated with Carbazole Moiety by A3‐Coupling
Authors: Shehzadi Syeda Aaliya , Saeed Aamer
Published: May 2017

A series of novel N‐alkylcarbazol–propargylamine hybrids were designed and synthesized by CuIBr‐catalyzed A3‐coupling of N‐octylcarbazol‐3‐carbaldehyde, amines, and alkynes. The tri‐substituted propargyl amines decorated with carbazole moiety were obtained under solvent‐free conditions in good to moderate yields. Furthermore, the scope of the method was studied, which was found to be applicable to primary aliphatic and aromatic amines. Also, a large variety of substituents both on alkynes and anilines are well tolerated.
NAD+: A big player in cardiac and skeletal muscle remodeling and aging
Authors: Chaturvedi Pankaj , Tyagi Suresh C.
Published: May 2017

In the past decade, NAD+ has gained importance for its beneficial effects as antioxidant and anti‐aging molecule. A paper in science by Zhang et al. () has described that NAD+ when replenished, ameliorates muscle dystrophy in mice by improving mitochondrial function. NAD+ was also demonstrated by the authors to improve the life span of mice. Cox et al. () demonstrated the cardiac effects of NAD+ which mitigated chronic heart failure via mitochondrial redox state mechanism. Cox et al. () also demonstrated that NAD+ is provided in the drinking water, it improves cardiac relaxation in volume overload model of heart failure. Although NAD+ has a profound anti‐aging and anti‐oxidant effects, its effect on humans and use as a dietary supplement needs more exploration.
Selection by consequences, behavioral evolution, and the price equation
Authors: Baum William M.
Published: May 2017

Price’s equation describes evolution across time in simple mathematical terms. Although it is not a theory, but a derived identity, it is useful as an analytical tool. It affords lucid descriptions of genetic evolution, cultural evolution, and behavioral evolution (often called “selection by consequences”) at different levels (e.g., individual vs. group) and at different time scales (local and extended). The importance of the Price equation for behavior analysis lies in its ability to precisely restate selection by consequences, thereby restating, or even replacing, the law of effect. Beyond this, the equation may be useful whenever one regards ontogenetic behavioral change as evolutionary change, because it describes evolutionary change in abstract, general terms. As an analytical tool, the behavioral Price equation is an excellent aid in understanding how behavior changes within organisms’ lifetimes. For example, it illuminates evolution of response rate, analyses of choice in concurrent schedules, negative contingencies, and dilemmas of self‐control.
Rainbow spanning trees in complete graphs colored by one‐factorizations
Authors: Horn Paul
Published: May 2017

Brualdi and Hollingsworth conjectured that, for even n, in a proper edge coloring of using precisely colors, the edge set can be partitioned into spanning trees which are rainbow (and hence, precisely one edge from each color class is in each spanning tree). They proved that there always are two edge disjoint rainbow spanning trees. Krussel, Marshall, and Verrall improved this to three edge disjoint rainbow spanning trees. Recently, Carraher, Hartke and the author proved a theorem improving this to rainbow spanning trees, even when more general edge colorings of are considered. In this article, we show that if is properly edge colored with colors, a positive fraction of the edges can be covered by edge disjoint rainbow spanning trees.
Determination of oral bioavailability of curcuminoid dispersions and nanoemulsions prepared from Curcuma longa Linnaeus
Authors: Lu Pei Shan , Inbaraj Baskaran Stephen , Chen Bing Huei
Published: May 2017

BACKGROUND

Curcuminoid from Curcuma longa Linnaeus has been demonstrated to be effective in anti‐cancer and anti‐inflammation. The objectives of the present study were to prepare curcuminoid dispersion and nanoemulsion from C. longa and determine their oral bioavailabilities in rats.

RESULTS

After curcuminoid extraction using 99.5% ethanol, bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC), demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and curcumin were separated within 10 min by high‐performance liquid chromatography using an Eclipse XDB‐C18 column (Agilent, Palo Alto, CA, USA) and a gradient mobile phase of 0.1% aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile, with a flow rate of 1 mL min−1, column temperature of 35 °C and detection wavelength of 425 nm. Curcuminoid nanoemulsion at a particle size of 12.1 nm and encapsulation efficiency 98.8% was prepared using lecithin, Tween 80 and water. A pharmacokinetic study in rats revealed that the parameters including Tmax, Cmax, t1/2 and the area under the curve were higher for curcuminoid nanoemulsions than for curcuminoid dispersion at the same dose employed for gavage administration, whereas, for intravenous injection, an opposite trend was shown. The oral bioavailabilities of BDMC, DMC, curcumin and total curcuminoids in nanoemulsion and dispersion were 34.39 and 4.65%, 39.93 and 5.49%, 47.82 and 9.38%, and 46 and 8.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study demonstrate a higher oral bioavailability after incorporation of curcuminoid into nanoemulsion, facilitating its application as a botanic drug. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprinting combined with chemometrics as an efficient strategy for evaluating the quality consistency and predicting the antioxidant activity of Lianqiao Baidu pills
Authors: Chen Shuai , Sun Guoxiang , Yang Lanping , Zhang Jing
Published: May 2017

An approach combining micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprinting with chemometrics was developed to evaluate the quality consistency of Lianqiao Baidu pills, which are traditional Chinese patent medicines composed of 19 herbs used mainly to treat skin ulcers, common cold, rheumatism, herpes, and constipation. The triangle optimization method was employed to choose a satisfactory background electrolyte, with the information index, I, as an objective function for assessing the capillary electrophoresis conditions. Then, under the optimal conditions, the micellar electrokinetic chromatography fingerprints of 28 batches of samples were established, and five marker compounds were quantitatively determined simultaneously. A limited‐ratio quantified fingerprint method was introduced to evaluate the chromatographic fingerprints both qualitatively and quantitatively. Principle component analysis revealed that the 28 batches of samples can be clustered according to different manufacturers. Moreover, the relationship between the fingerprint and the antioxidant activity was explored by orthogonal partial least‐squares regression, which provided critical medicinal efficacy information for quality control. The present study establishes a powerful and reliable method for monitoring the quality consistency of Lianqiao Baidu pill.
Selective analysis of aristolochic acid I in herbal medicines by dummy molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction and HPLC
Authors: Ge Yanhui , Guo Pengqi , Xu Xinya , Chen Guoning , Zhang Xuemei , Shu Hua , Zhang Bilin , Luo Zhimin , Chang Chun , Fu Qiang
Published: May 2017

In this study, surface molecularly imprinted polymers were prepared as the selective sorbents for separation of aristolochic acid I in herbal medicine extracts by a facile approach. A less toxic dummy template, ofloxacin, was used to create specific molecule recognition sites for aristolochic acid I in the synthesized polymers. The polymers were characterized by Fourier‐transfer infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption test. The adsorption capacity was calculated using adsorption kinetics, selectivity, and recycling experiments. The obtained polymers exhibited high thermostability, fast equilibrium time, and excellent binding ability. Subsequently, the polymers applied as the solid‐phase extraction absorbent was proposed and used for the enrichment and analysis of aristolochic acid I in herbal plants. The result showed that the aristolochic acid I was enriched up to 16 times after analysis by using high‐performance liquid chromatography. The good linearity for aristolochic acid I was obtained in the range of 0.1–200 μg/mL (R2 = 0.9987). The recovery and precision values were obtained (64.94–77.73%, RSDs% ≤ 0.8%, n = 3) at three spiked concentration levels. This work provided a promising method for selective enrichment, extraction, and purification of aristolochic acid I from complex herbal plants.
Analysis of amino acids using serially coupled columns
Authors: Alvarez‐Segura Tamara , Camacho‐Molinero Carolina , Torres‐Lapasió José Ramón , García‐Alvarez‐Coque M. Celia
Published: May 2017

Single conventional columns in reversed‐phase liquid chromatography are insufficient for analysing the isoindoles of primary amino acids due to their limited functionality. An interesting possibility for increasing the separation power is the combination of several columns of different nature, where the length is modified by coupling small segments. This approach may require a considerable investment to have multiple lengths for each stationary phase. However, the combination of only two columns of fixed length can be enough to resolve satisfactorily relatively complex mixtures, provided that an optimised gradient program is applied. In this work, a mixture of 19 primary amino acid isoindoles found in proteins was analysed. Four stationary phases were assayed: C18, pentafluorophenyl‐C18, C4 and cyano. The mixture of isoindoles was successfully resolved in practical times using a pentafluorophenyl‐C18 column coupled to a C4 column, in spite of the extremely poor performance obtained when each column is used isolatedly, independently of the length. The extreme diversity in the polarities of the isoindoles and the need of extrapolating the retention behaviour in certain regions of the solvent content domain makes the modelling of the retention behaviour of the isoindoles particularly difficult. Nevertheless, the predicted optimal separations were very satisfactory.
Thermal Properties of Graphene Filled Polymer Composite Thermal Interface Materials
Authors: Zhang Ping , Zeng Jianhua , Zhai Siping , Xian Yaoqi , Yang Daoguo , Li Qiang
Published: May 2017

Recent years have witnessed a staggering escalation in the power density of modern electronic devices. Because increasingly high power density accumulates heat, efficient heat removal has become a critical limitation for the performance, reliability, and further development of modern electronic devices. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are widely employed between the two solid contact surfaces of heat sources and heat sinks to increase heat removal for electric devices. Composites of graphene and matrix materials are expected to be the most promising TIMs because of the remarkable thermal conductivity of graphene. Here, the recent research on the thermal properties of graphene filled polymer composite TIMs is reviewed. First, the composition of graphene filled polymer composite TIMs is introduced. Then, the synthetic methods for graphene filled polymer composite TIMs are primarily described. This study focuses on introducing the methods for improving and characterizing the thermal properties of graphene filled polymer composite TIMs. Furthermore, the challenges facing graphene filled poly­mer composite TIMs for thermal management applications in the modern electronic industry and the further progress required in this field are discussed.

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Effects of Alkyl Aluminum on SiO2‐Supported Silyl‐Chromate(Cr)/Imido‐Vanadium(V) Bimetallic Catalysts for Producing Bimodal Polyethylene
Authors: Liu Bangming , Zhao Ning , Jin Yulong , Cheng Ruihua , He Xuelian , Liu Zhen , Liu Boping
Published: May 2017

SiO2‐supported Cr–V bimetallic catalyst can be used for producing bimodal polyethylene which can be applied for high‐performance pipe material. Alkyl aluminum are used to prereduce the bimetallic catalysts, and the effects of alkyl aluminum for the bimetallic catalyst are fully studied by catalyst characterization, polymerization kinetics, and the properties of polymer product by the comparison with the catalyst without prereduction. The result shows that the optimum polymerization activity is almost double after the catalyst is prereduced by triisobutylaluminum (TIBA), and the needed dosage of alkyl aluminum also is decreased significantly. The alkyl aluminum of the prereduced catalyst can also act as a chain transfer agent, significantly reducing the molecular weight of the polymer. The diethylaluminum chloride (DEAC) is mostly deactivating the Cr species during the ethylene polymerization. The synthesized catalysts, prereduced by TIBA, triethylaluminum (TEA), and DEAC, all exhibited good hydrogen response and comonomer interposition ability, which will be favorable for the further application of the bimetallic catalyst in the industrial field.

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Simultaneous measurement of T2 and apparent diffusion coefficient (T2+ADC) in the heart with motion‐compensated spin echo diffusion‐weighted imaging
Authors: Aliotta Eric , Moulin Kévin , Zhang Zhaohuan , Ennis Daniel B.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

To evaluate a technique for simultaneous quantitative T2 and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping in the heart (T2+ADC) using spin echo (SE) diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI).

Theory and Methods

T2 maps from T2+ADC were compared with single‐echo SE in phantoms and with T2‐prepared (T2‐prep) balanced steady‐state free precession (bSSFP) in healthy volunteers. ADC maps from T2+ADC were compared with conventional DWI in phantoms and in vivo. T2+ADC was also demonstrated in a patient with acute myocardial infarction (MI).

Results

Phantom T2 values from T2+ADC were closer to a single‐echo SE reference than T2‐prep bSSFP (–2.3 ± 6.0% vs 22.2 ± 16.3%; P < 0.01), and ADC values were in excellent agreement with DWI (0.28 ± 0.4%). In volunteers, myocardial T2 values from T2+ADC were significantly shorter than T2‐prep bSSFP (35.8 ± 3.1 vs 46.8 ± 3.8 ms; P < 0.01); myocardial ADC was not significantly (N.S.) different between T2+ADC and conventional motion‐compensated DWI (1.39 ± 0.18 vs 1.38 ± 0.18 mm2/ms; P = N.S.). In the patient, T2 and ADC were both significantly elevated in the infarct compared with remote myocardium (T2: 40.4 ± 7.6 vs 56.8 ± 22.0; P < 0.01; ADC: 1.47 ± 0.59 vs 1.65 ± 0.65 mm2/ms; P < 0.01).

Conclusion

T2+ADC generated coregistered, free‐breathing T2 and ADC maps in healthy volunteers and a patient with acute MI with no cost in accuracy, precision, or scan time compared with DWI. Magn Reson Med 79:654–662, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Multiple boli arterial spin labeling for high signal‐to‐noise rodent brain perfusion imaging
Authors: Vallatos Antoine , Gilmour Lesley , Chalmers Anthony J. , Holmes William M.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

A systematic method is proposed for optimizing a promising preclinical arterial spin labeling (ASL) sequence based on the use of a train of adiabatic radiofrequency pulses labeling successive boli of blood water.

Methods

The sequence optimization is performed and evaluated using brain imaging experiments in mice and in rats. It involves the investigation of several parameters, ranging from the number of adiabatic pulses and labeling duration to the properties of the adiabatic hyperbolic secant pulses (ie, amplitude and frequency modulation).

Results

Species‐dependent parameters are identified, allowing for robust fast optimization protocols to be introduced. The resulting optimized multiple boli ASL (mbASL) sequence provides with significantly higher average signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNR) per voxel volume than currently encountered in ASL studies (278 mm−3 in mice and 172 mm−3 in rats). Comparing with the commonly used flow‐sensitive alternating inversion recovery technique (FAIR), mbASL‐to‐FAIR SNR ratios reach 203% for mice and 725% for rats.

Conclusion

When properly optimized, mbASL can offer a robust, high SNR ASL alternative for rodent brain perfusion studies Magn Reson Med 79:1020–1030, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Dynamic and steady‐state oxygen‐dependent lung relaxometry using inversion recovery ultra‐fast steady‐state free precession imaging at 1.5 T
Authors: Bauman Grzegorz , Pusterla Orso , Santini Francesco , Bieri Oliver
Published: May 2017

Purpose

To demonstrate the feasibility of oxygen‐dependent relaxometry in human lung using an inversion recovery ultra‐fast steady‐state free precession (IR‐ufSSFP) technique.

Methods

Electrocardiogram‐triggered pulmonary relaxometry with IR‐ufSSFP was performed in 7 healthy human subjects at 1.5 T. The data were acquired under both normoxic and hyperoxic conditions. In a single breath‐hold of less than 9 seconds, 30 transient state IR‐ufSSFP images were acquired, yielding longitudinal (T1) and transversal (T2) relaxometry parameter maps using voxel‐wise nonlinear fitting. Possible spatial misalignments between consecutive IR‐ufSSFP parameter maps were corrected using elastic image registration. Furthermore, dynamic relaxometry oxygen wash‐in and wash‐out scans were performed in one volunteer. From this, T1‐related wash‐in and wash‐out time constants (τwi, τwo) were calculated voxel‐wise on registered maps using an exponential fitting model.

Results

For healthy lung, observed T1 values were 1399 ± 77 and 1290 ± 76 ms under normoxic and hyperoxic conditions, respectively. Oxygen‐related reduction of T1 was statistically significant in every volunteer. No statistically significant change, however, was observed in T2, with normoxic and hyperoxic T2 values of 55 ± 16 and 56 ± 17 ms, respectively. The observed average τwi was 87.0 ± 28.7 seconds, whereas the average τwo was 73.5 ± 21.6 seconds.

Conclusion

IR‐ufSSFP allows fast, steady‐state, and dynamic oxygen‐dependent relaxometry of the human lung. Magn Reson Med 79:839–845, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Assessment of the Relationship between Body Mass Index and Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Overweight and Obese Patients
Authors: Samuel Sophie , Gomez Leigh , Savarraj Jude P , Bajgur Suhas , Choi Huimahn A.
Published: May 2017

Study Objective

To assess whether a positive linear association exists between body mass index (BMI) and incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in overweight and obese hospitalized patients.

Design

Single‐center retrospective observational cohort study.

Setting

Large academic tertiary care medical center.

Patients

A total of 1452 adults hospitalized between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2014, who weighed more than 100 kg and had a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or greater on admission, and received heparin subcutaneously for VTE prophylaxis. Patients were categorized into four subgroups based on World Health Organization BMI classification: overweight (141 patients), obese class I (305 patients), obese class II (324 patients), and obese class III (682 patients).

Measurements and Main Results

The primary outcome was occurrence of VTE in each subgroup; all‐cause mortality and length of hospital stay were secondary outcomes. A linear trend test did not show an association between occurrence of VTE and BMI of 25 kg/m2 or greater. VTE occurred in 7 (5%) of 141 patients in the overweight group, 5 (2%) of 305 in the obese class I group, 8 (3%) of 324 in the class II group, and 18 (3%) of 682 in the class III group (p=0.573). In addition, no linear association was noted between all‐cause mortality or length of hospital stay and BMI of 25 kg/m2 or greater. Overall mortality was 10% (146/1452 patients). Ten deaths (7%) occurred in the overweight group, 45 (15%) in the obese class I group, 38 (12%) in the obese class II group, and 53 (8%) in the obese class III group (p=0.067). The median length of hospital stay was 5 days (interquartile range 3–9, p=0.122) for all patients.

Conclusion

In overweight and obese hospitalized patients who weighed more than 100 kg and had a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or greater, the incidence of VTE did not increase incrementally with increasing severity of obesity.
CudaFilters: A SignalPlant library for GPU‐accelerated FFT and FIR filtering
Authors: Nejedly Petr , Plesinger Filip , Halamek Josef , Jurak Pavel
Published: May 2017

Signal filtering is one of the essential tasks in signal processing. It may become an extremely time‐consuming process, as in the case of intracranial electroencephalogram recordings (eg, 30‐min records) with a large number of channels (up to 256) and high sampling frequencies (up to 5 kHz in research related to ultra‐high‐frequency oscillations). The usual way of dealing with time consumption is process parallelization. Moreover, parallelization using graphic processing unit (GPU) allows further shortening of computing times thanks to the large number of GPU cores. This paper describes a library for GPU‐accelerated finite impulse response (FIR) and fast Fourier transform (FFT) filtering—“CudaFilters.” This library is designed for SignalPlant software—a free tool for signal analysis. The resultant acceleration in computing times was 5× to 40× depending on the task, data, and hardware configuration. The results were also compared to computing speeds in Matlab.
Physical and Numerical Simulation of the Fluid Flow and Temperature Distribution in Bloom Continuous Casting Mold
Authors: He Meile , Wang Nan , Chen Min , Xuan Mingtao
Published: May 2017

For the purpose of improving the quality of low‐alloy steel production, the influence of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) on fluid flow and temperature field in a bloom mold sized 250 × 350 mm is investigated by using a 1:0.8 ratio water model and a three‐dimensional mathematical model. The results show that the level fluctuation with the one‐port SEN is weak (below 0.55 mm) and supercooling at free surface is relatively high (around 10.0 K), which go against the flux melting. Compared with the one‐port SEN, the high temperature zones of the mold for the two‐port and four‐port SEN concentrate in the upper part with fully developed equiaxed area. However, the highest mean wave height (around 2.91 mm) and the uneven distribution of temperature will cause the two‐port SEN slag entrapment and non‐uniform solidified shell. With the four‐port SEN, a reasonable level fluctuation (about 1.60 mm) and uniform supercooling (around 2.8 K) near the free surface will favor to heat transfer and the equiaxed crystal formation. The practical production shows that the application of four‐port SEN significantly improves the center equiaxed crystal ratio, and the center segregation indexes of carbon and chrome are effectively decreased with the non‐metallic inclusions grades obviously decreases simultaneously.
2‐Methoxylated FA Display Unusual Antibacterial Activity Towards Clinical Isolates of Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CIMRSA) and Escherichia coli
Authors: Carballeira Néstor M. , Montano Nashbly , Morales Christian , Mooney Joseph , Torres Xiomara , Díaz Dakeishla , Sanabria‐Rios David J.
Published: May 2017

The naturally occurring (6Z)‐(±)‐2‐methoxy‐6‐hexadecenoic acid (1) and (6Z)‐(±)‐2‐methoxy‐6‐octadecenoic acid (2) were synthesized in 7–8 steps with 38 and 13% overall yields, respectively, by using an acetylide coupling approach, which made it possible to obtain a 100% cis‐stereochemistry for the double bonds. In a similar fashion, the acetylenic analogs (±)‐2‐methoxy‐6‐hexadecynoic acid (3) and (±)‐2‐methoxy‐6‐octadecynoic acid (4) were also synthesized in 6–7 steps with 48 and 16% overall yields, respectively. The antibacterial activity of acids 1–4 was determined against clinical isolates of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ClMRSA) and Escherichia coli. Among the series of compounds, acid 4 was the most active bactericide towards CIMRSA displaying IC50s (half maximal inhibitory concentrations) between 17 and 37 μg/mL, in sharp contrast to the 6‐octadecynoic acid, which was not bactericidal at all. On the other hand, acids 1 and 3 were the only acids that displayed antibacterial activity towards E. coli, but 1 stood out as the best candidate with an IC50 of 21 μg/mL. The critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of acids 1–4 were also determined. The C18 acids 2 and 4 displayed a five‐fold lower CMC (15–20 μg/mL) than the C16 analogs 1 and 3 (70–100 μg/mL), indicating that 4 exerts its antibacterial activity in a micellar state. None of the studied acids were inhibitory towards S. aureus DNA gyrase discounting this type of enzyme inhibition as a possible antibacterial mechanism. It was concluded that the combination of α‐methoxylation and C‐6 unsaturation increases the bactericidal activity of the C16 and C18 FA towards the studied bacterial strains. Acids 1 and 4 stand out as viable candidates to be used against E. coli and CIMRSA, respectively.
Salivary exosomal PSMA7: a promising biomarker of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Zheng Xiaowen , Chen Feng , Zhang Qian , Liu Yulan , You Peng , Sun Shan , Lin Jiuxiang , Chen Ning
Published: May 2017

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an intestinal immune-dysfunctional disease worldwide whose prevalence increasing in Asia including China. It is a chronic disease of the gastrointestinal tract with unknown cause. Exosomes are small vesicles in various body fluids. They have diameters of 40–120 nm, and one of their functions is long-distance transfer of various substances. In this study, we investigated the contents of salivary exosomes in patients with IBD and in healthy controls to explore a new biomarker in patients with IBD. In this study, whole saliva was obtained from patients with IBD (ulcerative colitis (UC), n = 37; Crohn’s disease (CD), n = 11) and apparently healthy individuals (HC, n = 10). Salivary exosomes were extracted from samples, and the proteins within the exosomes were identified by liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). The results showed that more than 2000 proteins were detected in salivary exosomes from patients with IBD. Through gene ontology analysis, we found that proteasome subunit alpha type 7 (PSMA7) showed especially marked differences between patients with IBD and the healthy controls, in that its expression level was much higher in the CD and UC groups. This exosomal protein is related to proteasome activity and inflammatory responses. So we conclude that in this research, salivary exosomal PSMA7 was present at high levels in salivary exosomes from subjects with IBD. It can be a very promising biomarker to release the patients from the pain of colonoscopy.
Optimizing the Lee-Carter Approach in the Presence of Structural Changes in Time and Age Patterns of Mortality Improvements
Authors: Li Hong , Li Johnny Siu-Hang
Published: May 2017

Researchers using the Lee-Carter approach have often assumed that the time-varying index evolves linearly and that the parameters describing the age pattern of mortality decline are time-invariant. However, as several empirical studies suggest, the two assumptions do not seem to hold when the calibration window begins too early. This problem gives rise to the question of identifying the longest calibration window for which the two assumptions hold true. To address this question, we contribute a likelihood ratio–based sequential test to jointly test whether the two assumptions are satisfied. Consistent with the mortality structural changes observed in previous studies, our testing procedure indicates that the starting points of the optimal calibration windows for most populations fall between 1960 and 1990. Using an out-of-sample analysis, we demonstrate that in most cases, models that are estimated to the optimized calibration windows result in more accurate forecasts than models that are fitted to all available data or data beyond 1950. We further apply the proposed testing procedure to data over different age ranges. We find that the optimal calibration windows for age group 0–49 are generally shorter than those for age group 50–89, indicating that mortality at younger ages might have undergone (another) structural change in recent years.
Myasthenia gravis after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Tsutsumi Yutaka , Kamiishi Takashi , Kikuchi Ryo , Ito Shinichi , Matsuoka Satomi , Teshima Takanori
Published: May 2017

A 52-year-old man with acute myeloid leukemia underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and developed extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease and myasthenia gravis (MG), which became involved with oculobulbar and proximal upper and lower limb weakness in 677 days. In the literature, we identified 24 cases where MG developed after allo-SCT. Graft-versus-host disease development and male recipients of female donors might be prone to the development of posttransplant MG (odds ratio, 3.75).
Clinical Decision Support and the Electronic Health Record—Applications for Physiatry
Authors: Shoolin Joel S.
Published: May 2017

Clinical decision support (CDS) is a process that provides information to assist the user in decision making for evaluation and treatment. Although many think only of rules and alerts, CDS is much more than that. Order sets, clinical documents, information fields, and medication sentences are just a few other CDS tools to be considered. CDS has been shown to improve care. Forming the third point of the triangle, CDS, along with process redesign and workflow considerations, improves care and helps create successful outcomes. Failure to address all 3 of these elements creates a less‐than‐perfect and potentially dangerous result. Examples of the application of CDS in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation remain limited. This field has a huge opportunity to use CDS to enhance patient care, and is an open area for CDS development and research.
Using Technology to Enhance Patient‐Physician Interactions
Authors: Voran David
Published: May 2017

The computer is an integral part of a clinical office examination room. How a physician simultaneously uses the computer and interacts with patients will either enhance or deter patient engagement in areas of health maintenance and rehabilitation. With the growing emphasis on patient‐centered care and management of chronic health conditions, patient engagement plays an ever‐increasing role in U.S. health care. This paper reviews and discusses the 4 broad factors that influence the traditional physician‐patient examination room interaction: physician computer/technology skills and dexterity, verbal and nonverbal communication, design and spatial arrangement, and hardware considerations. If used effectively, in‐room technology will both enhance patient care and engender a greater degree of patient trust in their provider.
Selection and Implementation of an Electronic Health Record
Authors: Fletcher Grant S. , Payne Thomas H.
Published: May 2017

Electronic health records (EHRs) are now the standard of practice in most communities, because of transition to reimbursement that increasingly focuses on risk sharing and quality measurement, and government EHR incentive programs. The selection and implementation of an EHR is one of the most important decisions a practice faces. Organizing the search for an EHR that fits a practice, negotiating a contract, planning and successfully implementing an EHR are best accomplished with a well‐informed, strong, multidisciplinary team using project management techniques. Focusing on the best match between your practice's needs and available commercial systems, and creating a strong relationship with your vendor will be key to leveraging the EHR to improve the experience of your patients and the quality of care they receive, and to the efficiency of your practice.
Social Media and Web Presence for Patients and Professionals: Evolving Trends and Implications for Practice
Authors: Barreto Jose E. , Whitehair Curtis L.
Published: May 2017

The use of social media has become very instinctive to many. It has become part of a daily routine. Enhanced communication, liberated expressions of self, becoming updated with all the trends and news, and marketing promotion are only some of the reasons why most people use social media. Health care providers including physicians should take advantage of these platforms for professional purposes. Social media extends far beyond the famous platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, used mostly for social connections. There are sites dedicated to serve professionals, for example, LinkedIn, or even physician‐specific forums such as Sermo. The physical medicine and rehabilitation community has a forum (Phyzforum) created by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to share questions, comments, and ideas. Moreover, there are broadcast media (Podcast) and blogging sites (WordPress) used by many physiatrists. Surveys show that physicians actively use an average of 2‐4 hours of professional‐leaning networking sites per week; for example, 44% of physicians use Sermo and 42% use LinkedIn. The participation also extends to more popular sites, with 40%, 25%, and 20% physician participation in YouTube, Blogging, and Twitter, respectively. There are numerous guidelines available for medical practitioners pertaining to professional use of social media. Strategies such as timing of postings and posting content as well as methods to maintain your online reputation are discussed. Various benefits and potential pitfalls with regards to social media use are also analyzed, including how to engage followers and addressing negative comments and reviews.
Phase II clinical trials of anti–amyloid β antibodies: When is enough, enough?
Authors: Gold Michael
Published: May 2017

Efforts to develop new therapies to combat Alzheimer's disease suffer from extraordinarily high failure rates that make it difficult to justify continued investment in the field. Although there are a number of plausible explanations for this extremely high attrition rate, one of the explanations that has received little attention is the lack of compelling data from Phase II studies for compounds that have been pushed into Phase III trials and then have failed. An analysis of publicly available data from the Phase II studies for bapineuzumab and solanezumab indicates that neither compound produced compelling evidence of drug‐like behavior that would justify their progression into pivotal trials. The published data suggest that sponsors took decisions to move these compounds into Phase III on the basis of vastly limited data that were rife with type I error and probably driven by commercial concerns. The continued push to move compounds that are not likely to succeed in later stage clinical trials threatens to erode trust in the clinical research enterprise making it much harder to properly test truly promising compounds.
Data, Detection, and the Redistribution of the Sensible in International Law
Authors: Johns Fleur
Published: May 2017

One dusty day in 2002, at Takhta Baig Voluntary Repatriation Centre near Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan, an Afghan woman—let us call her Amena—entered a nondescript room and sat down in front of a camera. A brief conversation took place with a woman sitting nearby at a computer terminal. Amena placed her chin where she was directed to do so, swept back a few strands of hair creeping out of her veil, and stared straight ahead for a few seconds while a series of photographs of one of her eyes was taken. Almost immediately, a small alarm sounded on the computer terminal of the woman seated alongside her. Amena was gently ushered toward the other side of the room for discussions with other officials. Some short time later, she was advised that her request to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for a modest cash grant and some supplies to aid her and her family's repatriation to Afghanistan had been denied. This was because, according to output of the UNHCR’s iris verification program, she had already received assistance earlier the same year. When asked, Amena admitted that she had indeed sought UNHCR repatriation assistance multiple times, under pressure from family members. She walked away. Soon, she could soon no longer be seen amid the press of trucks, cars, bicycles, and people that stretched to the suburbs in the distance.
Factors associated with failure of emergency wait-time targets for high acuity discharges and intensive care unit admissions
Authors: Cheng Ivy , Zwarenstein Merrick , Kiss Alex , Castren Maaret , Brommels Mats , Schull Michael
Published: May 2017

Objective

Ontario established emergency department length-of-stay (EDLOS) targets but has difficulty achieving them. We sought to determine predictors of target time failure for discharged high acuity patients and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions.

Methods

This was a retrospective, observational study of 2012 Sunnybrook Hospital emergency department data. The main outcome measure was failing to meet government EDLOS targets for high acuity discharges and ICU emergency admissions. The secondary outcome measures examined factors for low acuity discharges and all admissions, as well as a run chart for 2015 – 2016 ICU admissions. Multiple logistic regression models were created for admissions, ICU admissions, and low and high acuity discharges. Predictor variables were at the patient level from emergency department registries.

Results

For discharged high acuity patients, factors predicting EDLOS target failure were having physician initial assessment duration (PIAD)>2 hours (OR 5.63 [5.22-6.06]), consultation request (OR 10.23 [9.38-11.14]), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (OR 19.33 [12.94-28.87]), computed tomography (CT) (OR 4.24 [3.92-4.59]), and ultrasound (US) (OR 3.47 [3.13-3.83]). For ICU admissions, factors predicting EDLOS target failure were bed request duration (BRD)>6 hours (OR 364.27 [43.20-3071.30]) and access block (AB)>1 hour (OR 217.27 [30.62-1541.63]). For discharged low acuity patients, factors predicting failure for the 4-hour target were PIAD>2 hours (OR 15.80 [13.35-18.71]), consultation (OR 20.98 [14.10-31.22]), MRI (OR 31.68 [6.03-166.54]), CT (OR 16.48 [10.07-26.98]), and troponin I (OR 13.37 [6.30-28.37]).

Conclusion

Sunnybrook factors predicting failure of targets for high acuity discharges and ICU admissions were hospital-controlled. Hospitals should individualize their approach to shortening EDLOS by analysing its patient population and resource demands.