bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of free radical scavenging activity of vasoactive intestinal peptide in the attenuation of mitochondrial dysfunction to ameliorate dextran sulphate sodium‐induced colitis in mice: Implications in ulcerative colitis
Authors: Spoorthi Bengaluru Chandraiah , More Sunil S. , Gautham Santhekadur Annappa , Ghosh Shashwati , Saha Ishita , Maiti Arpan Kumar 
Published: August 2020

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in treating ulcerative colitis (UC), targeting colonic mitochondrial dysfunction by virtue of its free radical scavenging properties for maintenance of colon mucosal integrity.MethodsA murine model was administered with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to induce colitis in C57BL/6J mice at 3.5%/g bodyweight for 3 cycles of 5 days each, followed by an intraperitoneal dose of VIP at 0.5 nmol/L per mouse per day for 10 days. The post‐treatment mice were sacrificed and their colon samples were utilized for further analysis. To substantiate the in vivo findings and identify the reactive species involved in progression of UC, Caco‐2 cells were subjected to DSS (5%) for 24 hours at 37 °C with or without VIP (10 nmol/L) in the presence or absence of specific free radical scavengers and antioxidants.ResultsTreatment with VIP reduced histopathological severity of colitis and cell death markers in murine model, leading to partial recovery of inhibited mitochondrial respiratory complexes, altered mitochondrial membrane potential and lowered adenosine triphosphate generation. Interestingly, in vitro treatment with VIP restored mitochondrial functions and its efficacy was equal to super oxide dismutase and dimethyl sulfoxide, indicating involvement of superoxide free radical (O2•‐) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) in progression of UC. However, catalase, Nω‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester and mercaptoethylguanidine were ineffective, indicating non‐involvement of hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide and ONOO− in UC.ConclusionBy virtue of its free radical scavenging properties VIP can act as a potent anti‐colitogenic agent, reversing colonic mitochondrial dysfunction for treating UC.
Corporate In‐house Tax Departments*
Authors: Chen Xia , Cheng Qiang , Chow Travis , Liu Yanju 
Published: August 2020

ABSTRACTIn‐house human capital tax investment is a significant input to a firm's tax decisions. Yet, due to the lack of data on corporate in‐house tax departments, there is little empirical evidence on how tax departments are associated with tax planning and compliance outcomes. We expect the size of tax departments to be positively associated with the effectiveness of tax planning and compliance. Using hand‐collected data on the number of corporate tax employees in S&P 1500 firms over the 2009–2014 period, we find that firms with larger tax departments are associated with lower and less volatile cash effective tax rates. Furthermore, using tax employees' specialization, we identify tax departments' relative focus on planning or compliance and document a trade‐off between tax avoidance and tax risk. Specifically, tax departments with more of a tax planning focus have incrementally greater tax avoidance but higher tax risk, whereas tax departments with more of a tax compliance focus have incrementally lower tax risk but higher tax rates. Overall, this paper contributes to the literature by looking inside the “black box” of corporate tax departments and shedding light on the importance of human capital tax investment for tax outcomes.
Optimizing skeletal‐related events prevention in patients with advanced prostate cancer
Authors: Leung Angus Kwong‐Chuen 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn patients with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), bone is a dominant site of metastasis. Bone metastases often lead to skeletal‐related events (SREs), which include pain, spinal cord compression and fractures. The treatment of bone metastases in men with mCRPC aims to improve SRE‐free survival, quality of life and clinical outcomes. Effective treatment options include antiresorptive bone‐targeted agents such as zoledronic acid and denosumab, and radium‐223, a bone‐targeting radiopharmaceutical. Although overseas and local guidelines have widely recommended using either zoledronic acid or denosumab for the prevention of SREs in men with mCRPC and associated bone metastases, current evidence suggests that denosumab is superior to zoledronic acid in terms of longer SRE‐free time and fewer total SREs observed in patients.
Maternal history of recurrent pregnancy loss and future risk of ophthalmic morbidity in the offspring
Authors: Aharon Eran , Wainstock Tamar , Sheiner Eyal , Tsumi Erez , Pariente Gali 
Published: August 2020

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of the study was to investigate whether maternal history of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is associated with offspring childhood ophthalmic morbidity.MethodA hospital‐based cohort analysis comparing long‐term offspring ophthalmic morbidity in women with and without a history of RPL was performed. Ophthalmic morbidity included hospitalizations involving a pre‐defined set of ICD‐9 codes. Offspring with congenital anomalies, perinatal mortality cases, and multifetal pregnancies were excluded from the analysis. Cumulative morbidity incidence was compared using Kaplan‐Meier survival curves, and the risk of long‐term ophthalmic morbidity was assessed by Cox proportional hazards model after adjustment for confounders.ResultsDuring the study period, 242,187 newborns met the inclusion criteria; 5% (12,182) of them were offspring born to mothers with a history of RPL. Ophthalmic morbidity was significantly more common in the RPL group (1.3% vs 0.9%, p < .001, Kaplan‐Meier log‐rank p < .001). Adjustment for confounders, such as maternal age, gestational age, hypertensive disorders, and maternal diabetes, using Cox regression found that being born to a mother with RPL was independently associated with long‐term ophthalmic morbidity (adjusted HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.15‐1.59, p < .001).ConclusionBeing born to a mother with RPL is independently associated with an increased risk of ophthalmic morbidity.
Resveratrol improves sperm DNA quality and reproductive capacity in type 1 diabetes
Authors: Simas Joana N. , Mendes Talita B. , Fischer Leonardo W. , Vendramini Vanessa , Miraglia Sandra M. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundIn the coming decades, diabetes mellitus might affect 628 million individuals. Its final impact on male fertility and reproductive outcomes should be considered since the number of adolescents and young adults presenting diabetes is rising. Resveratrol (RES), a polyphenol, is a biological modulator with multitarget and multi‐action characteristics.Objectivesto evaluate if RES is effective against the male reproductive damage caused by type 1 diabetes (DM1), focusing on sperm DNA integrity and reproductive outcome.Materials and methodsAt 30 dpp (days postpartum), male rats were divided into 7 groups: Sham control (SC); RES vehicle (RV); RES (R); STZ‐diabetic (D; induced at 30dpp with 65 mg/kg of streptozotocin); STZ‐diabetic + insulin (DI); STZ‐diabetic + RES (DR); STZ‐diabetic + insulin +RES (DIR). DR, DIR, and R groups received 150mg RES/kg b.w./day by gavage (from 33 to 110dpp). DI and DIR received insulin (from day 5 after DM1 induction until 110dpp). Blood glucose was monitored in different time points. Animals were mated with healthy females. Euthanasia occurred at 110 dpp.ResultsDM1 increased lipid peroxidation (testis and epididymis) and sperm DNA fragmentation, alterations of chromatin structure, reduced mitochondrial mass and acrosome integrity, causing a decline in fertility and pregnancy rates. RES improved the parameters.DiscussionRES, as an adjuvant, activates specific reactions against hyperglycemia, the main trigger of most complications of diabetes, by controlling oxidative stress, probably as a result of SIRT1 activation. We present here more evidences showing its valuable role in diminishing diabetes seriousness to male reproduction, not only to spermatogenesis in the first instance, but also to sperm overall quality and fertility outcomes, regardless of insulin treatment.ConclusionRES attenuated lipid peroxidation and sperm DNA damage in DM1‐induced animals, which positively reflected on male fertility. Our results show RES potential against DM1 complications in male reproduction.
Non‐cardia gastric adenocarcinoma more than 5 years after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: A case report and literature review
Authors: Muamar Ahmed S. , Ammori Basil J. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractObesity is associated with an increased risk of several cancers including adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia but not with distal gastric cancer (GC). Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a popular bariatric procedure. We report the fifth case in the medical literature of non‐cardia gastric adenocarcinoma 63 months after LSG in a 26‐year‐old woman with no known recognizable risk factors. Among these five cases, the median (range) age at time of diagnosis of GC was 47 (26‐64) years, the body mass index (BMI) prior to LSG was 47 (35.3‐65.1) kg/m2, the BMI at time of cancer diagnosis was 32 (29.3‐47.0) kg/m2, and the interval between LSG and diagnosis was 54 (9‐63) months. Nonetheless, the link between LSG and the risk of GC remains skeptical and is discussed.
The hybrid procedure of thoracoscopic and hand‐assisted laparoscopic resection of an esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumor: A case report
Authors: Fujiwara Naoto , Sato Hiroshi , Miyawaki Yutaka , Ito Misato , Aoyama Junya , Ito Sunao , Oya Shuichiro , Watanabe Kenji , Sugita Hirofumi , Yasuda Masanori , Sakuramoto Shinichi 
Published: August 2020

AbstractEsophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (E‐GIST) are very rare tumors, and there is no consensus regarding the optimal surgical approach for E‐GISTs. Here, we report a case of a large E‐GIST that was resected via video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and hand‐assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS). When examining for comorbidities of myasthenia gravis using computed tomography, a 7‐cm‐sized tumor was detected in the lower esophagus of a 68‐year‐old woman. Further examination revealed the tumor to be an E‐GIST with high malignant potential, and thus, esophagectomy was performed. The hybrid procedure for VATS and HALS techniques was safe and minimally invasive for this E‐GIST that required esophagectomy. Thus, esophagectomy with VATS and HALS is thought to be a reasonable surgical option for resecting large E‐GISTs, for which enucleation is not recommended.
Exposing false advertising
Authors: Baumann Florian , Rasch Alexander 
Published: August 2020

AbstractCountries rely on different public and private agents to enforce consumer protection and fair competition regulations. To analyze the repercussions of different regimes on social welfare, we consider the possibility of false advertising by a firm in an environment with duopolistic competition and with consumers who can be rational or naïve regarding the trustworthiness of advertising claims. We compare the incentives for and outcomes of false advertisement verification and injunction requests made by one of three parties: a government agency with a broad focus maximizing (ex post) total welfare and two narrowly focused parties, the first a public or private party focused on consumer welfare net of its own enforcement costs and the second a competitor interested exclusively in its own profits. Considering ex ante welfare, we find that having a narrowly focused party as the plaintiff can be optimal due to government agency commitment problems. The optimal regime depends on both the share of the population's naïve consumers and the level of enforcement costs.Résumé.Dénonciation de la publicité mensongère. Pour veiller à l’application des réglementations en matières de protection des consommateurs et de concurrence loyale, les états s’appuient sur différents régimes de contrôle représentés par des agents publics et privés. Afin d’analyser les répercussions de ces différents régimes sur le bien‐être, nous évaluons la possibilité qu’une entreprise puisse diffuser de la publicité mensongère dans un environnement concurrentiel duopolistique avec des consommateurs potentiellement rationnels ou naïfs relativement à la véracité des allégations publicitaires. Nous comparons les mesures incitatives pour contrôler la publicité mensongère et leurs résultats, ainsi que les mises en demeure initiées par l’une de ces trois parties : une agence gouvernementale à visée large aux fins de maximisation totale du bien‐être ex post, et deux autres parties à visée plus ciblée: l’une publique ou privée tournée vers le bien‐être des consommateurs, déduction faite de ses propres co___ts de mise en œuvre, et l’autre représentée par un concurrent s’intéressant exclusivement à ses propres profits. En tenant compte du bien‐être ex ante, et en raison des problèmes d’engagement des agences gouvernementales, nous constatons qu’une procédure peut s’avérer optimale dès lors que le demandeur représente une partie à visée plus ciblée. Le régime optimal dépend à la fois de la proportion de consommateurs naïfs et du niveau des coûts de mise en œuvre.
Cool Little Kids translational trial to prevent internalising: two‐year outcomes and prediction of parent engagement
Authors: Bayer Jordana K. , Prendergast Luke A. , Brown Amy , Harris Lana , Bretherton Lesley , Hiscock Harriet , Beatson Ruth , Mihalopoulos Cathrine , Rapee Ronald M. 
Published: August 2020

BackgroundThe aim was to determine outcomes in the first year of school of a population‐delivered parenting program to prevent internalising problems in temperamentally inhibited preschool children and predictors of engagement in parenting groups.MethodDesign: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: 307 preschool services across eight socio‐economically diverse government areas in Melbourne, Australia. Participants: 545 parents of inhibited 4‐year‐old children; 469 (86%) retained at two‐year follow‐up. Intervention: Cool Little Kids program. Primary outcomes were child internalising symptoms and anxiety disorders. Secondary outcomes were parenting, parent well‐being and engagement. Trial registration ISRCTN30996662 http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN30996662.ResultsIn the first year of school (M (SD) age 6.7 (0.4) years), child anxiety symptoms were reduced in the intervention versus control arm (PAS‐R M (SD): total 36.2 (17.2) versus 39.4 (18.5); adjusted difference −3.26, 95% CI −6.46 to −0.05, p = .047; specific fears 9.1 (6.2) versus 10.7 (6.8), adjusted difference −1.53; 95% CI −2.69 to −0.38, p = .009). However, there was little difference in broader child internalising (CMFWQ M (SD): 2.2 (0.5) versus 2.3 (0.6); adjusted difference −0.03, 95% CI −0.13 to 0.06, p = .489) or anxiety disorders (37.6% vs. 42.6%; adjusted OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.18, p = .242). Lower income, younger mothers, less educated and more culturally diverse fathers engaged less with the intervention. Continued skills practice was less frequent for parents of girls and in advantaged neighbourhoods.ConclusionsThere were population effects of Cool Little Kids in the first year of school for anxiety symptoms but not disorders. Considering motivation techniques to engage subgroups of families would be helpful in translation research.
Light chain consensus reinforcement machine learning: An effective blockchain model for Internet of Things using for its advancement and challenges
Authors: Priyadharshini K. , Canessane R. Aroul 
Published: August 2020

AbstractRecently, blockchain intersected the Internet of Things (IoT) has come up with an integrated opportunity for different applications such as industries, medical diagnosis, and the education sector. Several conflicts have risen during the intersection, where the purpose of addressing the enormous resource utilization of blockchain, efficiency, and security issues of massive IoT has not been tackled in the present scenario. Presently, Ruff‐chain, blockchain consortium basis, mobile cloud blockchain (MCBC), probed IoT, and proof of work deployed to overcome the drawback of blockchain intersected IoT demands high resource utilization and power consumption. To address this issue, a light chain consensus reinforcement machine learning (LCC‐RML) method has been developed to optimize the blockchain effectively intersected IoT system and it assists in providing a learning methodology from the aspects of resource utilization, data security decentralization, scalability, and latency. In LCC‐RML, without affecting the decentralization system, security, and latency, scalability has been improved with the underlying blockchain approach. Here, a lighter model is designed especially for the blockchain intersected IoT platform, which contains optimized learning procedures, reduced block size, lightweight consensus data structure, and related effective block interval to streamline the data processing. The experimental analysis has been evaluated in the learning framework to improve the performance of the blockchain intersected IoT system with a computational speed of 84.89% and resource utilization reduction of 85.88%. Further in the power consumption has been reduced up to 57.55% with the computation cost of 29.55% with the scalability ratio of 86.88%.
The case for preregistering all region of interest (ROI) analyses in neuroimaging research
Authors: Gentili Claudio , Cecchetti Luca , Handjaras Giacomo , Lettieri Giada , Cristea Ioana A. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn neuroimaging studies, small sample sizes and the resultant reduced statistical power to detect effects that are not large, combined with inadequate analytic choices, concur to produce inflated or false‐positive findings. To mitigate these issues, researchers often restrict analyses to specific brain areas, using the region of interest (ROI) approach. Crucially, ROI analysis assumes the a priori justified definition of the target region. Nonetheless, reports often lack details about where in the timeline, ranging from study conception to the data analysis and interpretation of findings, were ROIs selected. Frequently, the rationale for ROI selection is vague or inadequately founded on the existing literature. These shortcomings have important implications for ROI‐based studies, augmenting the risk that observed effects are inflated or even false positives. Tools like preregistration and registered reports could address this problem, ensuring the validity of ROI‐based studies. The benefits could be enhanced by additional practices such as selection of ROIs using quantitative methods (i.e., meta‐analysis) and the sharing of whole‐brain unthresholded maps of effect size, as well as of binary ROIs, in publicly accessible repositories.
Does policy uncertainty increase relational risks? Evidence from strategic alliances
Authors: Baxamusa Mufaddal , Datta Sudip , Jha Anand 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPrior studies on capital investments, including mergers and acquisitions, point to investment irreversibility as the primary factor behind diminished investments during periods of increased policy uncertainty. We show that increased relational risk, due to the potential for counterparty misbehavior or shirking and higher contracting costs, appears to be the primary driver behind the diminished propensity to undertake strategic alliances during enhanced policy uncertainty regimes. Alliances are even less likely during such times when they (a) involve more than two firms, (b) are in industries with greater counterparty risk, and (c) involve partners that require intense contracts.
Innovation, voice, and hierarchy in the public sector: Evidence from Ghana's civil service
Authors: Williams Martin J. , Yecalo‐Tecle Liah 
Published: August 2020

AbstractResearch on innovation in government often focuses on ideas introduced by senior leaders or managers, but ideas from public servants themselves are an important and underexplored channel for improving performance in government bureaucracies. We provide new evidence on the potential for bottom‐up work process innovation, using data from 744 individual and team innovation plans and 51 qualitative interviews in Ghana's civil service. In contrast to common negative stereotypes of developing country bureaucrats, most officials do have meaningful ideas for improving performance. However, the overwhelming constraint to voicing these ideas is hostility by supervisors to new ideas from their subordinates. We argue that this anecdotally common yet understudied behavior is consistent with theories of psychological attachment to hierarchy rather than alternative theories rooted in material, structural, or cultural resistance to employee voice and innovation. We discuss implications for bottom‐up work process innovation in government and interventions to promote it.
Effect of high‐pressure treatment on the quality of prepared chicken breast
Authors: Dong Kai , Luo Xin , Liu Lan , An Fengping , Tang Daobang , Fu Lingyun , Teng Hui , Huang Qun 
Published: August 2020

SummaryIn this study, the effect of high‐pressure processing (HPP) on the physico‐chemical properties and microstructure of prepared chicken breast meat products was investigated. The result showed that the pH and TBARS values of the prepared chicken breast gradually increased, while the total volatile basic nitrogen value constantly decreased with the increase of pressure (0.1–500 MPa). In addition, the colour attributes (L* and a* values) and texture indexes (hardness and chewiness) significantly improved as the pressure increased. The results of low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance demonstrated that the peak area of immobilised water (T22) first enhanced and then declined with the increase of pressure, reaching the maximum value at 200 MPa. Moreover, the integrity of microstructure and protein secondary structure of prepared chicken breast were also disrupted. These findings could serve as a theoretical basis for a better application of HPP in prepared chicken breast meat products.
CYTOTOXICITY OF GALLIUM NITRATE IN VITRO USING BLADDER CANCER CELLS
Authors: Aoyagi Teiichiro , Bander Neil H. 
Published: August 2020

BackgroundGallium nitrate has been used systemically for some malignancies in clinical trials. Because bladder cancer has many transferrin (Tf) receptors and gallium has been reported to bind avidly with Tf receptors, gallium cytotoxicity and the possibility of intravesical instillation therapy with gallium nitrate were studied in vitro.MethodsThe bladder cancer cell lines J82, 639V, VMCuB1, SCaBER, and 5637 were used. The amount of Tf receptor was checked by a rosette assay. As a cytotoxicity assay, two experimental models were tested using two or 72 hours of exposure to gallium solution. A gallium release study using 67Ga was done to investigate the movement of incorporated gallium.ResultsJ82 had the most and SCaBER had the least Tf receptors. For 72 hours of exposure at gallium concentrations above 250 μmol/L, the inhibitory effect was a function of gallium concentration, and 100% cytotoxicity occurred at 2 mmol/L. At lower concentrations of gallium, the effect was related to the amount of Tf and the level of Tf receptor expression of the cells. With two hours of exposure, which was assumed to be a model of intravesical therapy, the inhibitory effect increased in proportion to gallium concentration and the frequency of treatment. Twenty mmol/L gallium effectively inhibited the growth in two hours of exposure.ConclusionsIntravesically administered gallium might be an effective therapy for bladder cancer, because its cytotoxicity is determined not by the amount of Tf receptor but by the gallium concentration and the duration of gallium exposure.