bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acquired hypoprothrombinemia due to non-neutralizing antibodies to prothrombin: mechanism and management
Authors: Bajaj SP , Rapaport SI , Barclay S , Herbst KD 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
A patient developed bleeding due to an acute acquired specific prothrombin deficiency. Unlike previously described patients, this patient had no evidence of an associated lupus anticoagulant. Prothrombin activity and antigen were decreased concordantly and the patient's plasma did not neutralize the activity of added prothrombin or interfere with its measurement by electroimmunoassay. Nevertheless, immunoelectrophoresis and experiments using 125I-prothrombin revealed a prothrombin-binding antibody. The residual prothrombin in the patient's plasma was in the form of a prothrombin-antibody complex. Administration of adrenal corticosteroids was associated with a rise in prothrombin activity and cessation of bleeding, but circulating prothrombin was still bound to the antibody. This suggests that non- neutralizing antibodies to prothrombin cause plasma prothrombin deficiency because of a rapid clearance of prothrombin-antibody complexes, which is slowed by adrenal corticosteroids. The antibody had a relatively low affinity for prothrombin (Kd 5 to 8 X 10(-7)) and was transient. It is possible, therefore, that the antibody arose not to prothrombin itself, but to an antigen sharing an epitope with prothrombin.
Somatic Fas Mutations in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Association With Extranodal Disease and Autoimmunity
Authors: Grønbæk Kirsten , Straten Per thor , Ralfkiaer Elisabeth , Ahrenkiel Vibeke , Andersen Mette Klarskov , Hansen Niels Ebbe , Zeuthen Jesper , Hou-Jensen Klaus , Guldberg Per 
Published: October 2019

Fas (APO-1/CD95) is a cell-surface receptor involved in cell death signaling. Germline mutations in the Fas gene have been associated with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, and somaticFas mutations have been found in multiple myeloma. We have examined the entire coding region and all splice sites of theFas gene in 150 cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Overall, mutations were identified in 16 of the tumors (11%). Missense mutations within the death domain of the receptor were associated with retention of the wild-type allele, indicating a dominant-negative mechanism, whereas missense mutations outside the death domain were associated with allelic loss. Fas mutations were identified in 3 (60%) MALT-type lymphomas, 9 (21%) diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, 2 (6%) follicle center cell lymphomas, 1 (50%) anaplastic large cell lymphoma, and 1 unusual case of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia with a marked tropism for skin. Among the 16 patients with somaticFas mutations, 15 showed extranodal disease at presentation, and 6 relapsed in extranodal areas. Ten of 13 evaluable patients showed features suggestive of autoreactive disease. Our data indicate that somatic disruption of Fas may play a role in the pathogenesis of some lymphomas, and suggest a link between Fas mutation, cancer and autoimmunity.© 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
Abnormal Microsomal Detoxification Implicated in Fanconi Anemia Group C by Interaction of the FAC Protein With NADPH Cytochrome P450 Reductase
Authors: Kruyt Frank A.E. , Hoshino Taizo , Liu Johnson M. , Joseph Pius , Jaiswal Anil K. , Youssoufian Hagop 
Published: October 2019

The FAC protein encoded by the Fanconi anemia (FA) complementation group C gene is thought to function in the cytoplasm at a step before DNA repair. Because FA cells are susceptible to mitomycin C, we considered the possibility that FAC might interact with enzymes involved in the bioreductive activation of this drug. Here we report that FAC binds to NADPH cytochrome-P450 reductase (RED), a microsomal membrane protein involved in electron transfer, in both transfected COS-1 and normal murine liver cells. FAC-RED interaction requires the amino-terminal region of FAC and the cytosolic, membrane-proximal domain of the reductase. The latter contains a known binding site for flavin mononucleotide (FMN). Addition of FMN to cytosolic lysates disrupts FAC-reductase complexes, while flavin dinucleotide, which binds to a distinct carboxy-terminal domain, fails to alter FAC-RED complexes at concentrations similar to FMN. FAC is also functionally coupled to this enzyme as its expression in COS-1 cells suppresses the ability of RED to reduce cytochrome c in the presence of NADPH. We propose that FAC plays a fundamental role in vivo by attenuating the activity of RED, thereby regulating a major detoxification pathway in mammalian cells.© 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
Activation of Clotting Factor XI Without Detectable Contact Activation in Experimental Human Endotoxemia
Authors: Minnema M.C. , Pajkrt D. , Wuillemin W.A. , Roem D. , Bleeker W.K. , Levi M. , van Deventer S.J.H. , Hack C.E. , ten Cate H. 
Published: October 2019

Evidence of factor XI (FXI) activation in vivo is scarce. In addition, it remains uncertain whether thrombin, factor XIIa (FXIIa), or perhaps another protease is responsible for FXI conversion. We investigated the activation of FXI in eight healthy volunteers after infusion of a low dose of endotoxin (4 ng/kg of body weight). Activation of prekallikrein FXII, FXI, and prothrombin was measured with sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and FXI activation was measured with a novel enzyme capture assay that detects noncomplexed FXIa. Activation of FXI was apparent with a significant plasma peak level of noncomplexed FXIa of 10 to 11 pmol/L at 1 and 2 hours after endotoxin infusion, followed by a gradual increase in FXIa-FXIa inhibitor complexes, measured in the ELISAs, with a summit of 11 to 15 pmol/L at 6 and 24 hours, respectively. In accordance with previous studies, thrombin generation was detected 1 hour after endotoxin infusion to become maximal after 3 to 4 hours. In contrast, we did not find any evidence of contact activation, because markers of activation of prekallikrein and FXII remained undetectable. From the FXIa data a theoretical model was constructed which suggested that inhibition of FXIa does not take place in the plasma compartment, but is localized on a surface. These data provide the first evidence for FXI activation in low-grade endotoxemia and suggest that FXI is activated independently of FXII.© 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
Comparison of Expression of Human Globin Genes Transferred Into Mouse Erythroleukemia Cells and in Transgenic Mice
Authors: Skarpidi E. , Vassilopoulos G. , Stamatoyannopoulos G. , Li Q. 
Published: October 2019

To examine whether transfer of γ globin genes into mouse erythroleukemia cells can be used for the analysis of regulatory elements of γ globin gene promoter, Aγ gene constructs carrying promoter truncations that have been previously analyzed in transgenic mice were used for production of stably transfected mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cell clones and pools. We found that constructs, which contain a microlocus control region (μLCR) that efficiently protects globin gene expression from the effects of the position of integration in transgenic mice, display position-dependent globin gene expression in MEL cell clones. Aγ globin gene expression among MEL cell clones carrying the μLCR(−201)Aγ and μLCR(−382)Aγ gene constructs ranged 15.5-fold and 17.6-fold, respectively, and there was no correlation between theAγ mRNA levels and the copies of the transgene (r= .28, P = .18). There was significant variation in per copy Aγ globin gene expression among MEL cell pools composed of 10 clones, but not among pools composed of 50 clones, indicating that position effects are averaged in pools composed by large numbers of clones. The overall pattern of Aγ globin gene expression in MEL cell pools resembled that observed in transgenic mice indicating that MEL cell transfections can be used in the study ofcis elements controlling γ globin gene expression. MEL cell transfections, however, are not appropriate for investigation of cis elements, which either sensitize or protect the globin transgenes from position effects.
© 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
Concept and development of a steel–bamboo SI (skeleton–infill) system: experimental and theoretical analysis
Authors: Lv Qingfang , Ding Yi , Liu Ye 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
A steel–bamboo SI (skeleton–infill) system with steel frame as the skeleton and bamboo box as the filler is proposed, which realizes the requirements of building assembly and sustainable development. As a first step in studying the seismic behavior of the steel–bamboo SI (skeleton–infill) system, a simplified plane steel frame–bamboo infilled wall structure is tested under low-cycle reversed loading in this paper. The deformation mode, failure mode, hysteretic behavior and energy dissipation performance of the system are discussed. The test showed that the steel frame and the bamboo infilled wall were well connected and could work together. Then, the formulas for calculating the lateral stiffness of the system and the axial stiffness of the equivalent diagonal brace which replaced the infilled wall are obtained by theoretical analysis. The error between theoretical calculation and test results was about 1.3%, which proved the correctness of the proposed formula.
Impact of low sperm competition on male reproductive trait allometries in a bush-cricket
Authors: Winkler Lennart , Kirch Leon M. , Reinhold Klaus , Ramm Steven A. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundStudying reproductive trait allometries can help to understand optimal male investment strategies under sexual selection. In promiscuous mating systems, studies across several taxa suggest that testes allometry is usually positive, presumably due to strong selection on sperm numbers through intense sperm competition. Here, we investigated testes allometry in a bush-cricket species,Metaplastes ornatus, in which females mate promiscuously, but where sperm removal behaviour by males likely drastically reduces realised sperm competition level.ResultsAs hypothesised, we found evidence for negative testes allometry and hence a fundamentally different male investment strategy compared to species under intense sperm competition. In addition, the mean relative testes size ofM. ornatuswas small compared to other species of bush-crickets. Surprisingly, the spermatophore gland, a potential alternative trait that males could invest in instead of testes, also did not show positive allometry, but was approximately isometric. We further observed the expected pattern of negative allometry for the male morphological structure responsible for sperm removal in this species, the subgenital plate, supporting the one-size-fits-all hypothesis for intromittent genitalia.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the evolution of sperm removal behaviour inM. ornatuswas a key adaptation for avoiding sperm competition, with important consequences for reproductive trait allometries. Nevertheless, they also imply that it does not pay for larger males to invest disproportionately in nuptial gift production in this species.
A fern WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX gene functions in both gametophyte and sporophyte generations
Authors: Youngstrom Christopher E. , Geadelmann Lander F. , Irish Erin E. , Cheng Chi-Lien 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundPost-embryonic growth of land plants originates from meristems. Genetic networks in meristems maintain the stem cells and direct acquisition of cell fates. WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX (WOX) transcription factors involved in meristem networks have only been functionally characterized in two evolutionarily distant taxa, mosses and seed plants. This report characterizes aWOXgene in a fern, which is located phylogenetically between the two taxa.ResultsCrWOXBtranscripts were detected in proliferating tissues, including gametophyte and sporophyte meristems ofCeratopteris richardii. In addition,CrWOXBis expressed in archegonia but not the antheridia of gametophytes. Suppression ofCrWOXBexpression in wild-type RN3 plants by RNAi produced abnormal morphologies of gametophytes and sporophytes. The gametophytes of RNAi lines produced fewer cells, and fewer female gametes compared to wild-type. In the sporophyte generation, RNAi lines produced fewer leaves, pinnae, roots and lateral roots compared to wild-type sporophytes.ConclusionsOur results suggest thatCrWOXBfunctions to promote cell divisions and organ development in the gametophyte and sporophyte generations, respectively. CrWOXBis the first intermediate-clade WOX gene shown to function in both generations in land plants.
Tubal ligation and endometrial Cancer risk: a global systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Loghmani Laleh , Saedi Nafise , Omani-Samani Reza , Safiri Saeid , Sepidarkish Mahdi , Maroufizadeh Saman , Esmailzadeh Arezoo , Shokrpour Maryam , Khedmati Morasae Esmaeil , Almasi-Hashiani Amir 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Background
Studies on relationship between tubal ligation and endometrial cancer have led to contradictory findings. In several studies, however, a reduced endometrial cancer risk was suggested following tubal ligation. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between tubal ligation and endometrial cancer risk.

Methods
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant studies published up to May 30th, 2018. We compared endometrial cancer risk in women with and without tubal ligation in retrieved studies.

Results
Two hundred nine studies were initially retrieved from the data bases. After exclusion of duplicates and studies which did not meet inclusion criteria, ten cohort and case-control studies, including 6,773,066 cases, were entered into the quantitative meta-analysis. There was 0.90% agreement between two researchers who searched and retrieved the studies. The summary OR (SOR) was reported using a random effect model. Begg’s test suggested that there was no publication bias, but a considerable heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 95.4%, P = 0.001). We pooled the raw number of tables cells (i.e. a, b, c, and d) of eight studies. The SOR suggested that tubal ligation was significantly associated with a lower risk of endometrial cancer (SOR = 0.577, 95% CI = 0.420–0.792). Also, given the rare nature of endometrial cancer (< 5%), different effect sizes were considered as comparable measures of risk. Therefore we pooled ten studies and SOR of these studies revealed that tubal ligation was significantly associated with a lower risk of endometrial cancer (SOR = 0.696, 95% CI = 0.425–0.966). Besides that, we pooled eight studies in which adjusted effect sizes were reported and a subsequent analysis revealed that the summary estimate of adjusted odds ratio (SAOR) was significant (SAOR = 0.862, 95% CI = 0.698–1.026).

Conclusions
This study revealed a protective effect of tubal ligation on endometrial cancer risk (approximately 42% lower risk of cancer). It is recommended that studies should be designed to reveal mechanisms of this relationship.
Denture stomatitis associated with small-colony variants of Staphylococcus aureus: a case report
Authors: Garbacz Katarzyna , Kwapisz Ewa , Wierzbowska Maria 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe small-colony variants (SCVs) ofStaphylococcus aureuswere isolated from persistent and recurrent infections, especially after placement of medical devices having direct contact with human tissues. The emergence of SCVs is a survival strategy ofS. aureuswhich enables them to hide inside host’s cells and induces a less severe immune response than to wild-typeS. aureus. However, contrary to other medical devices, dental prosthesis as a surface potentially colonized by SCVs ofS. aureushas not been examined thus far. We reported the first case of SCVs -S. aureusinfection in denture wearer.Case presentationA 62-year-old woman with a complete removable acrylic denture presented extensive elevated erythematous lesions on the palate, compatible with denture stomatitis. The patient had a history of arterial hypertension, cigarette smoking and wearing denture at night. The fungal colonies, identified asCandida albicans, were cultured on Sabouraud agar. From three swabs (from hard palate mucosa, denture surface and angular cheilitis lesions) were cultured of pinpoint, clear, non-pigmented, and non-haemolytic colonies on Columbia agar. The small colonies turned out to be Gram-positive cocci, catalase-, Pastorex Staph Plus -, and clumping factor-positive, and oxidase-negative. Suspected phenotypically SCVs forms were definitively identified asS. aureusbased on PCR amplification of species specificnucandcoagenes. Methicillin-resistance was verified bymecAgene detection. The isolates turned out to be susceptible to methicillin (MSSA) and resistant to gentamicin. The isolate was identified as menadione-auxotrophic variant.ConclusionsThis case demonstrated that oral cavity in denture wearers may be a reservoir of small-colony variants ofS. aureus,besidesC. albicans. The prevalence of these bacteria and their role in the pathogenesis of oral diseases are not understood. Due to problems with their detection and identification, the true prevalence of oral SCVs may be underestimated.
Factors associated with access to health services and quality of life in knee osteoarthritis patients: a multilevel cross-sectional study
Authors: Choojaturo Siriwan , Sindhu Siriorn , Utriyaprasit Ketsarin , Viwatwongkasem Chukiat 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Background
The main purpose of health service systems is to improve patients’ quality of life (QoL) and to ensure equitable access to health services. However, in reality, nearly half of knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients present to the health system do not have access to health services, and their QoL remains poor. These circumstances raise important questions about what (if any) factors can improve health care accessibility and QoL for knee OA patients.

Methods
A multicenter, cross-sectional survey was performed with 618 knee OA patients who received care at 16 hospitals in Thailand. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to investigate the association of health service factors and patient factors with access to health services and QoL.

Results
The QoL of knee OA patients was very poor (mean score = 33.8). Only 2.1% of the knee OA patients found it easy to obtain medical care when needed. Approximately 39.4% of them were able to access appropriate interventions before being referred for knee replacement. More than 85% of orthopedic health services had implemented chronic disease management (CDM) policy into practice. However, the implementation was basic, with an average score of 5.9. SEM showed that QoL was determined by both health system factors (β = .10, p = .01) and patient factors (β = .29, p = .00 for self-management and β = −.49, p = .00 for disease factors). Access to health services was determined by self-management (β = .10, p = .01), but it was not significantly associated with QoL (β = .00, p = 1.0).

Conclusions
This study provides compelling information about self-management, access to health services and QoL from the individual and health service system perspectives. Furthermore, it identifies a need to develop health services that are better attuned to the patient’s background, such as socioeconomic status, disease severity, and self-management skills.
The prognostic value of long noncoding RNA SNHG16 on clinical outcomes in human cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Chenghao , Ren Xiaolei , He Jieyu , Wang Wanchun , Tu Chao , Li Zhihong 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Background
Cancer has been a worldwide health problem with a high risk of morbidity and mortality, however ideal biomarkers for effective screening and diagnosis of cancer patients are still lacking. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) is newly identified lncRNA with abnormal expression in several human malignancies. However, its prognostic value remains controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to synthesize available data to clarify the association between SNHG16 expression levels and clinical prognosis value in multiple cancers.

Methods
Extensive literature retrieval was conducted to identify eligible studies, and data regarding SNHG16 expression levels on survival outcomes and clinicopathological features were extracted and pooled for calculation of the hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Forest plots were applied to show the association between SNHG16 expression and survival prognosis. Additionally, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was screened and extracted for validation of the results in this meta-analysis.

Results
A total of eight studies comprising 568 patients were included in the final meta-analysis according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the pooled analysis, high SNHG16 expression significantly predicted worse overall survival (OS) in various cancers (HR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.54–2.26, P < 0.001), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in bladder cancer (HR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.01–2.79, P = 0.045). Meanwhile, stratified analyses revealed that the survival analysis method, tumor type, sample size, and cut-off value did not alter the predictive value of SNHG16 for OS in cancer patients. In addition, compared to the low SNHG16 expression group, patients with high SNHG16 expression were more prone to worse clinicopathological features, such as larger tumor size, advanced clinical stage, lymph node metastasis (LNM) and distant metastasis (DM). Exploration of TCGA dataset further validated that the upregulated SNHG16 expression predicted unfavorable OS and disease-free survival (DFS) in cancer patients.

Conclusions
The present study implicated that aberrant expression of lncRNA SNHG16 was strongly associated with clinical survival outcomes in various cancers, and therefore might serve as a promising biomarker for predicting prognosis of human cancers.
Survey of the effects of internet usage on the happiness of Japanese university students
Authors: Kitazawa Momoko , Yoshimura Michitaka , Hitokoto Hidefumi , Sato-Fujimoto Yuka , Murata Mayu , Negishi Kazuno , Mimura Masaru , Tsubota Kazuo , Kishimoto Taishiro 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundBesides research on psychiatric diseases related to problematic Internet use (PIU), a growing number of studies focus on the impact of Internet on subjective well-being (SWB). However, in previous studies on the relationship between PIU and SWB, there is little data for Japanese people specifically, and there is a lack of consideration for differences in perception of happiness due to cultural differences. Therefore, we aimed to clarify how happiness is interdependent on PIU measures, with a focus on how the concept of happiness is interpreted among Japanese people, and specifically among Japanese university students.MethodsA paper-based survey was conducted with 1258 Japanese university students. Respondents were asked to fill out self-report scales regarding their happiness using the Interdependent Happiness Scale (IHS). The relationship between IHS and Internet use (Japanese version of the Internet addiction test, JIAT), use of social networking services, as well as social function and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) were sought using multiple regression analyses.ResultsBased on multiple regression analyses, the following factors related positively to IHS: female gender and the number of Twitter followers. Conversely, the following factors related negatively to IHS: poor sleep, high- PIU, and the number of times the subject skipped a whole day of school.ConclusionsIt was shown that there was a significant negative correlation between Japanese youths’ happiness and PIU. Since epidemiological research on happiness that reflects the cultural background is still scarce, we believe future studies shall accumulate similar evidence in this regard.