bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Management of Pregnancy in Women with Antithrombin III Congenital Defect: Report of Four Cases
Authors: De Stefano V , Leone G , De Carolis S , Ferrelli R , Di Donfrancesco A , Moneta E , Bizzi B 
Published: May 2018

SummaryFour pregnant women with antithrombin III congenital deficiency underwent thrombosis prophylaxis including oral antico–agulants administered from the 16–18th week to the 36–37th week of pregnancy, subcutaneous heparin before the 16–18th week and after the 36–37th week, and a single infusion of AT III concentrate in the peripartum period in order to obtain a minimal level of 0.8 U/ml of AT III functional activity. The level of circulating AT III after the concentrate infusion needs to be evaluated by functional methods, because of a consistent amount in the concentrates of inactive AT III immunoreactive material. No thrombotic or haemorrhagic complication occurred after starting prophylaxis in any woman either in any newborn.
Organic Nitrates: Direct Antiplatelet Effects and Synergism with Prostacyclin
Authors: De Caterina Raffaele , Giannessi Daniela , Bernini Walter , Mazzone Annamaria 
Published: May 2018

SummaryIsosorbide dinitrate inhibits platelet function in vivo at concentrations about 10 times lower than in vitro (10-7 -10-6 vs. 10-6 -10-5 M). We investigated two possible reasons for this difference. Isosorbide dinitrate and its in vivo longer-lived metabolites, isosorbide-2- and isosorbide-5-mononitrate were incubated for 5 min with human platelet-rich plasma or washed platelets; irreversible aggregation was induced with threshold doses of ADP, adrenaline, collagen, arachidonic acid and thrombin, and thromboxane (TX) B2 production was measured by radioimmunoassay. Moreover, the concentration of exogenous prostacyclin required to inhibit platelet aggregation by 50% (IC50) after preincubation with isosorbide dinitrate or vehicle was determined. At 10-7 M, only isosorbide-2-mononitrate inhibited aggregation (-12%, p >0.05) and TX production (-36%, p >0.01) by ADP. At 10-6 M isosorbide-2-mononitrate inhibited aggregation by adrenaline more than the dinitrate (-41% vs. -25%, p >0.05). In addition, at supra-threshold doses of all the aggregating agents, isosorbide dinitrate decreased IC50 of prostacyclin from 2.7 ± 1.2 to 0.36 ± 0.2 nM. Generation of a platelet-active metabolite and synergism with prostacyclin are new properties of isosorbide dinitrate that may account for antiplatelet effects in vivo.
Phospholipase C from Clostridium Perfringens Induces Human Platelet Aggregation in Plasma
Authors: Barzaghi Giovanna , Cerletti Chiara , Gaetano Giovanni de 
Published: May 2018

SummaryWe studied the aggregating effect of different concentrations of phospholipase C (PLC) (extracted from Clostridium perfringens) on human platelet-rich plasma (PRP). PRP was preincubated with PLC for 3 min at 37° C and the platelet aggregation was followed for 10 min. The threshold aggregating concentration (TAG) of PLC was 3-4 U/ml.We also studied the potentiation of PLC with other stimuli on platelet aggregation. Potentiating stimuli, such as arachidonic acid (AA), ADP. Platelet Activating Factor (PAF) and U-46619 (a stable analogue of cyclic endoperoxides) were all used at subthreshold concentrations. We also studied the possible inhibitory effect of aspirin, apyrase, TMQ, a prostaglandin endoper- oxide/thromboxane receptor antagonist and BN-52021, a PAF receptor antagonist. Only aspirin and apyrase were able to reduce aggregation induced by PLC alone and PLC + AA and PLC + ADP respectively. TMQ and BN-52021 were inactive. In ex vivo experiments oral aspirin (500 mg) partially inhibited platelet aggregation induced by PLC alone, PLC + AA and PLC + ADP 2 and 24 h after administration. Aspirin 20 mg for 7 days also reduced aggregation induced by PLC + AA.
Epidermal Growth Factor Stimulates Prostacyclin Production by Cultured Human Vascular Endothelial Cells
Authors: Ristimäki Ari , Ylikorkala Olavi , Perheentupa Jaakko , Viinikka Lasse 
Published: May 2018

SummaryEpidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated prostacyclin (PGI2) production by cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells, as measured by radioimmunoassay of its stable metabolite 6-keto- prostaglandin Flα. This effect of EGF was dose-dependent, the lowest stimulatory concentration of EGF was 1.0 ng/ml and 100 ng/ml caused a 2.7 ± 0.3 (mean ± SEM) fold increase in the PGI2 synthesis. The stimulation appeared at 3-6 h of incubation and lasted at least 24 h. It was suppressed by EGF antibodies and blocked by protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. Cells preincubated 12 h with EGF released also higher amounts of PGI2when incubated with thrombin for 5 min. It is concluded that EGF liberated from platelets during aggregation may prevent local thrombogenesis and atherogenesis by stimulating the release of the antiaggregatory, vasodilatory PGI2 from vascular endothelial cells.
Desmopressin Stimulates Parallel Norepinephrine and Tissue Plasminogen Activator Release in Normal Subjects and Patients with Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Grant M B , Guay C , Lottenberg R 
Published: May 2018

SummaryDesmopressin acetate administration markedly stimulates release of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) from vascular endothelial cells. The mechanism for this effect is unknown. Because infusion of epinephrine has been shown to increase t-PA levels, we examined the role of endogenous catecholamine mediation of t-PA release by desmopressin. Intravenous desmopressin acetate (0.3 μg/kg) was infused over 30 min in 9 controls and 11 subjects with diabetes mellitus, a condition associated with abnormalities of the fibrinolytic system. Plasma was collected in the supine, overnight fasted state at 15 min intervals (0-60 min) for measurement of t-PA activity, t-PA antigen and fractionated catecholamines. t-PA activity peaked at 30-45 min and subsequently decreased. The norepinephrine levels paralleled the t-PA activity. t-PA activity increased 10-fold from 0.14 ± .12 to 1.49 ± 0.79 IU/ml (Mean ± SD) and plasma norepinephrine increased 2- fold from 426 ± 90 to 780 ± 292 pg/ml. However, epinephrine and dopamine levels did not change significantly. The response to desmopressin of control and diabetic subjects was not shown to differ and their data were combined. We conclude that desmopressin increases plasma norepinephrine in addition to t-PA and that the parallel time course of change suggests a possible role for norepinephrine in mediating endothelial cell t-PA release.
Expression of Fibrinogen on the Surface of ADP-Stimulated Platelets: Comparison of Human and Rabbit Platelets
Authors: Harfenist Elizabeth J , Packham Marian A , Mustard Fraser J 
Published: May 2018

SummaryFibrinogen is a cofactor in the aggregation of human platelets and must be added to suspensions of washed human platelets forextensive aggregation to occur in response to ADR Although thepatterns of fibrinogen binding and dissociation during plateletaggregation and deaggregation are similar for human and rabbitplatelets, washed rabbit platelets aggregate extensively whenstimulated with ADP even in the absence of added fibrinogen. Todetermine whether secreted fibrinogen was present on the surfaceof ADP-stimulated platelets and available to support aggregation, the binding of 125I-F(ab’)2 fragments of anti-fibrinogen antibodiesto formaldehyde-fixed platelets was measured. Although nofibrinogen was detected on human platelets either before or aftertreatment with ADP, fibrinogen was expressed on the surface ofrabbit platelets after stimulation with ADP. However, thissecreted fibrinogen did not dissociate during deaggregation of theplatelets. Thus, the aggregation of rabbit platelets in the absenceof exogeneous fibrinogen may be supported by secreted fibrino-gen, but a fibrinogen-independent component has not beencompletely ruled out.
Radiologic Percutaneous Gastrostomy and Other Enteral Feeding Tubes: A Practical Review
Authors: DeYoung Elliot 
Published: May 2018

AbstractGastrostomy tubes and other iterations of direct enteral feeding, such as gastrojejunostomy and jejunostomy tubes, offer a safe and effective means for continued nutrition for patients who cannot meet their minimum caloric requirement through oral intake alone. There are numerous methods for placement as well as options for types of tubes to be used. This review will briefly discuss the various options of tubes and techniques, as well as practical information regarding placement and common management issues.
Adding Paracetamol to Ibuprofen for the Treatment of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Infants: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study
Authors: Mainzer Gur , Borenstein-Levin Liron , Jubran Huda , Dinur Gil , Zucker Meirav , Mor Malka , Khoury Asaad , Kugelman Amir , Hochwald Ori 
Published: May 2018

Objective The objective of this study was to compare the closure rate of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) of intravenous ibuprofen + paracetamol (acetaminophen) versus ibuprofen + placebo, in preterm infants of 24 to 316/7 weeks postmenstrual age.
Study Design This is a single-center, double-blind, randomized controlled pilot study. Infants were assigned for treatment with either intravenous ibuprofen + paracetamol (n = 12) or ibuprofen + placebo (n = 12).
Results There was no statistical difference in baseline characteristics of the two groups. Echocardiography parameters were comparable before treatment in both groups. There was a trend toward higher hsPDA closure rate in the paracetamol group in comparison to the placebo group (83 vs. 42%, p = 0.08). No adverse effects, clinical or laboratory, were associated with adding paracetamol.
Conclusion Our pilot study was unable to detect a beneficial effect by adding intravenous paracetamol to ibuprofen for the treatment of hsPDA. Larger prospective studies are needed to explore the positive tendency suggested by our results and to assure safety.
Common Peroneal Nerve Grafting to Repair the Tibial Nerve as a Salvage Procedure in the Treatment of Sciatic Nerve Injury with Long-Segment Defects
Authors: Lin Haodong , Chen Desong , Hou Chunlin 
Published: May 2018

Background In sciatic nerve neuropathies, when direct nerve repair is impossible due to a large gap, nerve grafting can be performed. However, the diameters of traditional autologous nerve grafts are too small to cover the whole cross-sectional area of the sciatic nerve. The aim of this study is to present the outcome of common peroneal nerve grafting to repair the tibial nerve in eight patients with sciatic nerve injuries, showing long defects of more than 10 cm.
Methods Between 2007 and 2013, the common peroneal nerve was used as an autograft to repair the tibial nerve in eight patients with complete high sciatic nerve injury with long defects. There were 6 men and 2 women with an average age of 31 years (range: 17–44 years). Muscle strength was evaluated using the British Medical Research Council scale. The Semmes–Weinstein monofilament test was used for sensory evaluation.
Results The follow-up time for patients ranged from 36 to 60 months, with an average of 48.75 months. Tibial nerve motor function was “good” or “very good” (M3–M4) in five out of eight patients (55.6%). Plantar flexion was not adequate in the rest of the patients. Sensory recovery was “good” or “very good” (S2–S3) in six patients and “inadequate” (S4) in two patients.
Conclusion In cases where there were extensive gaps in the sciatic nerve, using the common peroneal nerve as an autograft to repair the tibial nerve provides an alternative to traditional nerve graft repair.
Early Seizure Freedom Is a Prognostic Factor for Survival in Patients with West Syndrome
Authors: Catsman-Berrevoets C. , Neuteboom R. , Krijgh E. 
Published: May 2018

Introduction West syndrome (WS) is a devastating epileptic encephalopathy with substantial mortality. After a study by Riikonen in 1996, further data on mortality and prognostic factors for survival has been scarce. We aimed to study mortality in patients with WS and identify prognostic factors for survival.
Methods We performed a single-center retrospective study in a tertiary referral clinic (Erasmus University Hospital/Sophia Children's Hospital). This study obtained data from deceased patients regarding the age of death and cause of death. Seizure outcome was assessed at 8 weeks after the start of treatment and at 1 year after the onset of WS. At 1 year of follow-up seizure frequency, number of antiepileptic drugs and seizure type were evaluated.
Results With a mean follow-up of 60 months (range 8–314 months), 162 patients met the inclusion criteria. At 8 weeks and 1 year of follow-up, 64 patients (40%) were seizure free. Overall, 37 patients (23%) died. The cumulative mortality percentage was 31%. Seizure freedom was an independent predictor of survival (p = 0.01).
Conclusion In this study, remission of seizures at 8 weeks of follow-up was significantly associated with reduced mortality in patients with WS.
Living in poverty, living with poverty: the community workers’ conceptions on child poverty in Greece
Authors: Tsironis Christos N. , Almpani Chrysa 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe recent debt crisis in Greece severely affected the Welfare State, as well as the overall social policy of the country. Families facing severe material deprivation and depending on the local soup kitchens have grown rapidly in number over the past decade. In drawing upon the given risks, this paper explores the church community workers’ and volunteers’ conceptions of poor children’s living conditions. It is worth noting that the volunteers reflect on the situation of the poor beneficiaries as they often are at risk of poverty themselves. The analysis is based on a mixed methods study (Quan–Qual) that was conducted in 2016–2017, and which covered the area of Thessaloniki (northern Greece) with a special focus on the neighborhoods suffering the most from the impacts of recession. The results show how the children living in “new poor” households experience the degradation of their well-being, as perceived by the volunteers, and what the main social services are they are receiving through the church family support. According to our findings, the pressure of the economic crisis broke the traditional welfare networks and left children vulnerable to risks in terms of their cultural, social, biological and psychological development. Furthermore, the results reveal how traditional family support is reaching its limits as the economic crisis gets more complex and prolonged.
Chronic sleep curtailment, even without extended (>16-h) wakefulness, degrades human vigilance performance
Authors: McHill Andrew W. , Hull Joseph T. , Wang Wei , Czeisler Charles A. , Klerman Elizabeth B. 
Published: May 2018

Significance
Millions of individuals obtain insufficient sleep on a daily basis, which leads to impaired performance. Whether these decrements are caused by short sleep duration or extended wakefulness is unknown. In this study, healthy volunteers were randomized into either a chronically sleep-restricted or control protocol while living on a 20-h “day,” thus enabling short sleep without extended wakefulness. We demonstrate that chronic insufficient sleep, even without extended wakefulness, leads to neurobehavioral performance decrements at all times of the day, even when the circadian system is promoting arousal. These findings have implications for the understanding of basic physiology, the substantial population who chronically obtains insufficient sleep, and all of us who depend on sleep-restricted individuals working in safety-sensitive occupations.
The biomass distribution on Earth
Authors: Bar-On Yinon M. , Phillips Rob , Milo Ron 
Published: May 2018

SignificanceThe composition of the biosphere is a fundamental question in biology, yet a global quantitative account of the biomass of each taxon is still lacking. We assemble a census of the biomass of all kingdoms of life. This analysis provides a holistic view of the composition of the biosphere and allows us to observe broad patterns over taxonomic categories, geographic locations, and trophic modes.
Stabilized single-injection inactivated polio vaccine elicits a strong neutralizing immune response
Authors: Tzeng Stephany Y. , McHugh Kevin J. , Behrens Adam M. , Rose Sviatlana , Sugarman James L. , Ferber Shiran , Langer Robert , Jaklenec Ana 
Published: May 2018

Significance
Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) must be administered two to three times, with a 1–2 month gap between administrations, for patients to be protected. However, in the developing world healthcare workers often have difficulty reaching their patients multiple times to administer booster shots. We formulated IPV into microspheres that need to be injected only once and will be released in pulses with the desired timing without needing additional visits by a healthcare worker. To achieve this, we stabilized IPV using biocompatible excipients that allow it to remain in its active conformation inside the particles for months, and showed that they elicited a strong neutralizing immune response in rats, similar to that elicited by two separate injections of the traditional vaccine.
CK1δ/ε protein kinase primes the PER2 circadian phosphoswitch
Authors: Narasimamurthy Rajesh , Hunt Sabrina R. , Lu Yining , Fustin Jean-Michel , Okamura Hitoshi , Partch Carrie L. , Forger Daniel B. , Kim Jae Kyoung , Virshup David M. 
Published: May 2018

Significance
Our innate circadian clocks control myriad aspects of behavior and physiology. Disruption of our clocks by shift work, jet lag, or inherited mutation leads to metabolic dysregulation and contributes to diseases, including diabetes and cancer. A central step in clock control is phosphorylation of the PERIOD 2 (PER2) protein. Here we conclusively identify the elusive PER2 priming kinase and find it to be the well-known circadian kinase, casein kinase 1 (CK1). Surprisingly, different forms of CK1 have differing abilities to phosphorylate the PER2 priming site, adding to the complexity of circadian regulation. These insights into the phosphoregulation of PER2 will be of broad interest to circadian biologists, computational modelers, and those seeking to pharmacologically manipulate the circadian clock.
Topography of epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity
Authors: Font-Clos Francesc , Zapperi Stefano , La Porta Caterina A. M. 
Published: May 2018

Significance
Cells can change their phenotype from epithelial to mesenchymal during development and in cancer progression, where this transition is often associated with metastasis and poor disease prognosis. Here we show this process involves the transit through a multitude of metastable hybrid phenotypes in a way that is similar to the driven dynamics of disordered materials. Our method shows that highly aggressive hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal cell phenotypes are located in metastable regions that can easily switch under external and internal perturbations. We propose a general mapping strategy that can be used for other pathways, providing a useful tool to visualize the ever increasing number of gene expression data obtained from single cells and tissues.
Oocyte stage-specific effects of MTOR determine granulosa cell fate and oocyte quality in mice
Authors: Guo Jing , Zhang Teng , Guo Yueshuai , Sun Tao , Li Hui , Zhang Xiaoyun , Yin Hong , Cao Guangyi , Yin Yaoxue , Wang Hao , Shi Lanying , Guo Xuejiang , Sha Jiahao , Eppig John J. , Su You-Qiang 
Published: May 2018

Significance
MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin), an integrator of pathways important for cellular metabolism, proliferation, and differentiation, is expressed at all stages of oocyte development. Primordial oocytes constitute a nonproliferating, nongrowing reserve of potential eggs maintained for the entire reproductive lifespan of mammalian females. Using conditional knockouts, we determined the role of MTOR in both primordial and growing oocytes. MTOR-dependent pathways in primordial oocytes are not needed to sustain the viability of the primordial oocyte pool or their recruitment into the cohort of growing oocytes but are essential later for maintenance of oocyte genomic integrity, sustaining ovarian follicular development, and fertility. In growing oocytes, MTOR-dependent pathways are required for processes that promote completion of meiosis and enable embryonic development.
Amorphous boron oxide at megabar pressures via inelastic X-ray scattering
Authors: Lee Sung Keun , Kim Yong-Hyun , Chow Paul , Xiao Yunming , Ji Cheng , Shen Guoyin 
Published: May 2018

SignificanceWhen compressed above megabar pressures (100 GPa), glasses may undergo structural transitions into more densely packed networks that differ from those at ambient pressure. While inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) provides a rare opportunity to probe the pressure-induced bonding transitions, a decade of efforts to collect an IXS signal from any matters beyond 100 GPa have not been successful. Here, IXS spectra for B2O3glasses up to ∼120 GPa revealed its unique densification paths characterized with the unexpected stability of four-coordinated boron ([4]B). This is in contrast to other prototypical glasses where highly coordinated cations ([4,5,6]Si and[4,5,6]Ge) form at much lower pressure, confirming that the cation with a smaller atomic radius undergoes coordination transformation at higher pressure.
Distinct encoding of decision confidence in human medial prefrontal cortex
Authors: Bang Dan , Fleming Stephen M. 
Published: May 2018

Significance
Recent computational models propose that our sense of confidence in a choice reflects an estimate of the probability that the choice is correct. However, it has proven difficult to experimentally separate decision confidence from its component parts, such as our certainty about perceptual evidence or choice requirements. We have devised a task to dissociate these quantities and isolate a distinct encoding of decision confidence in the medial prefrontal cortex of the human brain. We show that activity in this area not only tracks expected performance on a task, but also is related to both within-subject and between-subject variation in a subjective sense of confidence. Our study illuminates why dysfunctional confidence often emerges following damage to the prefrontal cortex.
Efficient collective swimming by harnessing vortices through deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Verma Siddhartha , Novati Guido , Koumoutsakos Petros 
Published: May 2018

Significance
Can fish reduce their energy expenditure by schooling? We answer affirmatively this longstanding question by combining state-of-the-art direct numerical simulations of the 3D Navier–Stokes equations with reinforcement learning, using recurrent neural networks with long short-term memory cells to account for the unsteadiness of the flow field. Surprisingly, we find that swimming behind a leader is not always associated with energetic benefits for the follower. In turn, we demonstrate that fish can improve their sustained propulsive efficiency by placing themselves at appropriate locations in the wake of other swimmers and intercepting their wake vortices judiciously. The results show that autonomous, “smart” swimmers may exploit unsteady flow fields to reap substantial energetic benefits and have promising implications for robotic swarms.
Imaging nanobubble nucleation and hydrogen spillover during electrocatalytic water splitting
Authors: Hao Rui , Fan Yunshan , Howard Marco D. , Vaughan Joshua C. , Zhang Bo 
Published: May 2018

Significance
Due to the highly dynamic nature and intrinsic heterogeneity of the electrochemical interface, it is critical to develop new tools so that electrochemical activities can be imaged with high sensitivity and high spatial and temporal resolution. We demonstrate the unique ability to image nucleation and growth of individual hydrogen nanobubbles during electrocatalytic water splitting using superresolution fluorescence microscopy. This method allows us to compare electrocatalytic activity of different electrode materials toward hydrogen evolution reaction and observe in real time the effect of hydrogen spillover from electrode-supported gold nanocatalysts.