bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cost for treatment and follow‐up of thyroid cancer increases according to the severity of disease
Authors: Kim Soo Young , Kim Seok‐Mo , Chang Hojin , Kim Bup‐Woo , Lee Yong Sang , Kwon Soon‐Sun , Shin Hyunjung , Chang Hang‐Seok , Park Cheong Soo 
Published: February 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to provide an analysis of thyroid cancer‐related health care costs over a 5‐year period, according to the extent of thyroid surgery.MethodsThe study included 33 patients from our institutional database who underwent thyroid cancer surgery in 2010. Patients were divided into four groups based on surgical extent: (1) hemithyroidectomy, (2) total thyroidectomy, (3) total thyroidectomy with ipsilateral radical neck dissection, and (4) total thyroidectomy with bilateral radical neck dissection and mediastinal dissection. Costs for admission and outpatient follow‐up for 5 years were analyzed.ResultsCosts for outpatient follow‐up and admission, and overall cost increased with increasing stage of disease and increasing extent of thyroid surgery. Patients who underwent only hemithyroidectomy had the lowest costs for outpatient follow‐up and admission, as well as the lowest overall cost.ConclusionOver the 5‐year follow‐up period, surgery performed at an early disease stage was the most cost‐effective.
Impact and cost of preoperative computed tomography imaging on the management of patients diagnosed with high‐grade endometrial cancer
Authors: Dai Serina , Nahas Samar , Murphy Joan K. , Lawrence Janet , May Taymaa , Feigenberg Tomer 
Published: February 2019

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the cost and impact of routine preoperative computed tomography (CT) in patients with high‐grade endometrial cancer, and its role in identifying extrauterine disease.MethodsWe retrospectively identified patients with high‐grade endometrial cancer who underwent routine CT scan prior to surgical procedure between September 1, 2005, and January 31, 2015. Cases in which CT findings led to alterations in the treatment plan were documented. Incidental findings unrelated to endometrial cancer diagnosis were captured. Cost of imaging and diagnostic procedures was based on Ontario's Physician Services–Schedule of Benefits.ResultsOf 179 patients included, 57 (31.9%) were diagnosed with stage 3–4 disease. CT showed evidence of metastatic disease in 30 (16.8%) patients; however, planned surgical procedure was altered in only nine (5.0%) cases. CT results showed incidental findings requiring follow‐up in 78 (43.6%) cases, three of which were second malignancies. We estimate an expenditure of CAD$14 185.85 on routine imaging for every case in which surgical management was changed.ConclusionsPreoperative CT imaging is efficacious in identifying extrauterine disease in patients with high‐grade endometrial cancer, although it seldom alters surgical management. Many of these CT scans will identify incidental findings requiring further interventions, resulting in substantial costs.
Hierarchical microchannel architecture in chitosan/bioactive glass scaffolds via electrophoretic deposition positive‐replica
Authors: Ghalayani Esfahani Arash , Soleimanzade Mehdi , Campiglio Chiara Emma , Federici Angelica , Altomare Lina , Draghi Lorenza , Boccaccini Aldo R. , De Nardo Luigi 
Published: February 2019

AbstractOne of the main challenges in the design of scaffolds for cortical bone regeneration is mimicking the highly oriented, hierarchical structure of the native tissue in an efficient, simple, and consistent way. As a possible solution to this challenge, positive replica based on electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was here evaluated as a technique to produce organic/inorganic scaffolds with oriented micro‐porosities mimicking Haversian canals diameter and spacing. Two different sizes of 45S5 bioactive glass (BG) powders were chosen as inclusions and loaded in a chitosan matrix via EPD on micro‐patterned cathodes. Self‐standing chitosan scaffolds, with a homogeneous dispersion of BG particles and regularly‐oriented micro‐channels (ϕ = 380 ± 50 μm, inter‐channel spacing = 600 ± 40 μm), were obtained. In vitro analysis in simulated body fluid (SBF) revealed the ability to induce a deposition of a homogenous layer of hydroxyapatite (HA), with Ca/P nucleation reactions appearing kinetically favored by smaller BG particles. Cell interaction with hybrid scaffolds was evaluated in vitro with bone osteosarcoma cells (SAOS‐2). The osteoconductive potential of EPD structures was assessed by evaluating cells proliferation, viability and scaffold colonization. Results indicate that EPD is a simple yet extremely effective technique to prepare composite micro‐patterned structures and can represent a platform for the development of a new generation of bone scaffolds. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2019.
Effects of hydrogen peroxide on biological characteristics and osteoinductivity of decellularized and demineralized bone matrices
Authors: Qing Quan , Zhang Yan‐Jing , Yang Jie‐Liang , Ning Liang‐Ju , Zhang Ya‐Jing , Jiang Yan‐Lin , Zhang Yi , Luo Jing‐Cong , Qin Ting‐Wu 
Published: February 2019

AbstractDue to the similar collagen composition and closely physiological relationship with soft connective tissues, demineralized bone matrices (DBMs) were used to repair the injured tendon or ligament. However, the osteoinductivity of DBMs would be a huge barrier of these applications. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been proved to reduce the osteoinductivity of DBMs. Nevertheless, the biological properties of H2O2‐treated DBMs have not been evaluated completely, while the potential mechanism of H2O2 compromising osteoinductivity is also unclear. Hence, the purpose of this study was to characterize the biological properties of H2O2‐treated DBMs and search for the proof that H2O2 could compromise osteoinductivity of DBMs. Decellularized and demineralized bone matrices (DCDBMs) were washed by 3% H2O2 for 12 h to fabricate the H2O2‐treated DCDBMs (HPTBMs). Similar biological properties including collagen, biomechanics, and biocompatibility were observed between DCDBMs and HPTBMs. The immunohistochemistry staining of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP‐2) was negative in HPTBMs. Furthermore, HPTBMs exhibited significantly reduced osteoinductivity both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, these findings suggest that the BMP‐2 in DCDBMs could be the target of H2O2. HPTBMs could be expected to be used as a promising scaffold for tissue engineering. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2019.
High expression of MUC20 drives tumorigenesis and predicts poor survival in endometrial cancer
Authors: Zheng Fei , Yu Huimin , Lu Jingjing 
Published: February 2019

AbstractMucins (MUCs) have been reported to play a critical role in the tumorigenesis of different cancers. This study was performed to explore the effect of MUC20 in endometrial cancer (EC). A total of 541 patients with EC were examined from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The relationship between MUC20 expression and clinical characteristics was analyzed with the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test and logistic regression. The Kaplan‐Meier method and the Cox regression model was performed to evaluate the prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted. MUC20 high expression was associated with age, histology, positive peritoneal cytology, advanced stage, and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Kaplan‐Meier survival showed that patients with MUC20 high expression had a poorer prognosis than those with MUC20 low expression. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that MUC20 high expression was an independent prognostic factor for worse overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.93, 95% confidence interval = 1.00‐3.74). Moreover, interferon α/γ response, cell‐cell adhesion, O‐glycan processing, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathway were associated with MUC20 high expression. MUC20 high expression may be a potential prognostic molecular factor of poor survival. The interferon α/γ response, cell‐cell adhesion, O‐glycan processing, and ROS pathway may be the key processes regulated by MUC20 in EC.
Nuclear localization and Overexpression of Smoothened in Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancers
Authors: Niyaz Madiha , Khan Mosin S. , Wani Rauf A. , Shah Omar J. , Besina Syed , Mudassar Syed 
Published: February 2019

AbstractSmoothened (SMO) is a significant signalling protein which functions as a key transducer for the hedgehog signalling pathway, an important signalling mechanism with key roles in development and oncogenesis. The correlation of expression dynamics of SMO with pancreatic and colorectal cancer genesis has been known but with ambiguity. Therefore, in this study, we investigated messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of SMO in pancreatic and colorectal cancers in our population and assessed relationship with various clinicopathological parameters. Surgically resected tumour and adjacent histologically normal tissues from 33 and 61 pancreatic and colorectal cancer patients were investigated in the present study. Expression of SMO was analysed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. At mRNA level, SMO was overexpressed in 72.72% (24 of 33) and 50.81% (31 of 61) of the pancreatic and colorectal cancer cases as compared with their adjacent normal tissues. SMO immunohistochemical analysis revealed nuclear localization and overexpression was observed in 51.51% (17 of 33) and 40.98% (25 of 61) of pancreatic and colorectal cancer tissues. SMO overexpression was significantly associated with smoking, late‐stage disease and lymph node metastasis in patients with Colorectal cancer. Our results showed that SMO is dysregulated in pancreatic and colorectal cancers and may be considered as a target in cancer therapeutics.
Retracted: LncRNA MT1JP functions as a tumor suppressor via regulating miR‐214‐3p expression in bladder cancer
Authors: Yu Haifeng , Wang Shuaibin , Zhu Haibo , Rao Dapang 
Published: February 2019

AbstractGrowing evidence suggested that the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate several pathophysiological processes in tumorigenesis and may be new biomarkers for tumor therapy. In this study, we studied the expression and role of lncRNA MT1JP in the development of bladder cancer. We demonstrated that the expression of MT1JP was downregulated in bladder tumor samples and cell lines. Ectopic expression of MT1JP suppressed cell proliferation, cycle, and invasion in bladder cancer. In addition, our result suggested that miR‐214‐3p overexpression decreased the luciferase activity of wild‐type MT1JP but not mutated‐type MT1JP and elevated expression of MT1JP decreased miR‐214‐3p expression in the bladder cancer cell. Furthermore, we indicated that the expression of miR‐214‐3p was upregulated in bladder tumor samples and cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR‐214‐3p promoted cell proliferation, cycle, and invasion in bladder cancer. MT1JP suppressed cell proliferation, cycle, and invasion via negative modulation of miR‐214‐3p in bladder cancer. These data suggested that lncRNA MT1JP acts a tumor suppressor gene in bladder cancer progression, considering MT1JP as a new therapeutic target in bladder cancer.
RETRACTED: Lavandula angustifolia biological characteristics: An in vitro study
Authors: Soheili Masoud , Salami Mahmoud 
Published: February 2019

AbstractObjectiveLavender is an aromatic shrub belonging to the Lamiaceae family. The flowers and leaves in different forms of extracts are used as herbal medicine. The accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, reduction of acetylcholine due to hyperactivity of acetylcholinesterase, and glutamate neurotoxicity are known to be involved in decreased level of cognitive function. In our previous study, we proved that the aqueous extract of lavender improves learning and memory. This in vitro study was designed to evaluate antiaggregative, antioxidant, and antiacetylcholinesterase activities of the herbal medicine.MethodsThin layer chromatography, high‐performance liquid chromatography, thioflavin, atomic force microscope (AFM), Elleman,and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picryl hydrazyl techniques were used for qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis, antiaggregative characteristics, anti‐acetylcholinestrase activity and antioxidant activity of the lavender extract, respectively.ResultsWe found chromatographic peaks of caffeic acid and luteolin‐7‐glycosid in the lavender extract. Our results indicated that aqueous extract of lavender dose‐dependently inhibits the formation of Aβ aggregate. The AFM technique showed that lavender largely diminished the Aβ fibril formation. We also observed a considerable radical scavenging activity of the extract.ConclusionsPrevention of Aβ plaque formation and antioxidant activity along with nontoxic features of the lavender extract promise possible effectiveness of this plant on improving some neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease.
Induction of protective immune response to intranasal administration of influenza virus‐like particles in a mouse model
Authors: Keshavarz Mohsen , Namdari Haideh , Arjeini Yaser , Mirzaei Hamed , Salimi Vahid , Sadeghi Ahmadreza , Mokhtari‐Azad Talat , Rezaei Farhad 
Published: February 2019

AbstractHuman influenza A viruses (IAVs) cause global pandemics and epidemics, which remains a nonignorable serious concern for public health worldwide. To combat the surge of viral outbreaks, new treatments are urgently needed. Here, we design a new vaccine based on virus‐like particles (VLPs) and show how intranasal administration of this vaccine triggers protective immunity, which can be exploited for the development of new therapies. H1N1 VLPs were produced in baculovirus vectors and were injected into BALB/c mice by the intramuscular (IM) or intranasal (IN) route. We found that there were significantly higher inflammatory cell and lymphocyte concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage samples and the lungs of IN immunized mice; however, the IM group had little signs of inflammatory responses. On the basis of our results, immunization with H1N1 influenza VLP elicited a strong T cell immunity in BALB/c mice. Despite T cell immunity amplification after both IN and IM vaccination methods in mice, IN‐induced T cell responses were significantly more intense than IM‐induced responses, and this was likely related to an increased number of both CD11bhigh and CD103+ dendritic cells in mice lungs after IN administration of VLP. Furthermore, evaluation of interleukin‐4 and interferon gamma cytokines along with several chemokine receptors showed that VLP vaccination via IN and IM routes leads to a greater CD4+ Th1 and Th2 response, respectively. Our findings indicated that VLPs represent a potential strategy for the development of an effective influenza vaccine; however, employing relevant routes for vaccination can be another important part of the universal influenza vaccine puzzle.
The determination of frequency domain soil parameters of horizontally layered structure by using dipole‐dipole array
Authors: Li Zhong‐Xin , Rao Shao‐Wei 
Published: February 2019

AbstractA method to determine frequency domain soil parameters of horizontally layered structure is developed, including resistivity and permittivity. The theoretical formula of apparent resistivity of dipole‐dipole array is derived from Green's function under quasi‐static field condition. Complex image method is introduced to avoid time‐consuming numerical integration in apparent resistivity calculation, which improves the computational efficiency significantly. The frequency domain soil parameters are optimized using simulated annealing algorithm at each frequency. This method is applied to invert synthetic data with noise and the inversion results validate the accuracy of this method.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Micellization Behavior of Cationic Surfactants: n‐Alkyl‐3‐Methylpyridinium Bromides and Their Drug Interaction Study by UV–Visible Spectroscopy and Conductometry
Authors: Fayyaz Summaira , Talat Rabia , Ali Saqib , Khalid Nasir , Shah Afzal , Ullah Faizan 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe synthesis of new cationic surfactants i.e., n‐hexyl‐3‐methylpyridium bromide (a) and n‐octyl‐3‐methylpyridium bromide (b), and their characterization using multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) (1H, 13C) and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) spectroscopic techniques were reported. The micellization behavior of the synthesized surfactants was studied using conductometry and ultraviolet–Visible spectroscopy. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of compounds a and b was found to be 0.41 and 0.35 m mol L−1, respectively. The effect of temperature on the CMC of these compounds was examined in the range of 298–318 K and thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS) of the micellization process were calculated. The antibacterial study of the synthesized surfactants revealed their strong activity against different bacterial strains. Moreover, the interaction of drugs i.e., flurbiprofen and ketoprofen, with the synthesized surfactants was investigated for gaining insights into the role of micelles as drug‐delivery devices. Drug–surfactant interactions were also confirmed via a conductometric method.
Time‐for‐space substitution in N‐mixture modeling and population monitoring
Authors: Costa Andrea , Oneto Fabrizio , Salvidio Sebastiano 
Published: February 2019

ABSTRACTPopulation size is a fundamental state variable in ecology, and the analysis of temporal variation in abundance (i.e., detection of trends) is a prime objective in wildlife monitoring. However, population abundance cannot be directly observed because part of the population remains undetected and methods that account for imperfect detection are often not used. Capture‐mark‐recapture approaches give reliable estimates of abundance but are time‐ and effort‐consuming. In the last decade, the application of hierarchical, or N‐mixture, models that use repeated counts of unmarked animals seem to give great advantages in the estimation of population size. Hierarchical models require repeated surveys at multiple sites, but sometimes only data obtained for a single site in successive years are available. We applied the time‐for‐space substitution implemented within the N‐mixture modeling framework to estimate population size and evaluate the dynamics of the endangered European leaf‐toed gecko (Euleptes europaea) surveyed >20 years. We compared these results with capture‐mark‐recapture estimates obtained from the same population and over the same time period. Estimates and trends were comparable and both methods indicated similar population declines; moreover, N‐mixture modeling indicated temperature affected detection. Therefore, the application of the time‐for‐space substitution in hierarchical modeling seems valuable and may be useful in species monitoring and conservation. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.
Land cover transitions and changing climate conditions in the Polish Carpathians: Assessment and management implications
Authors: Kędra Mariola , Szczepanek Robert 
Published: February 2019

AbstractWidespread, human‐induced land cover (LC) transitions in areas surrounding national parks and nature reserves, accompanied by changing climate conditions, can trigger serious consequences for these natural environments and their ecosystems. The aim of the study was to assess the direction and magnitude of transitions in LC in the Polish Carpathians since 1990 for determining the current status of land degradation neutrality and future degradation risk as well as to analyze concomitant changes in climate conditions to enable sustainable land management. The study area encompasses six national parks with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization biosphere reserves, several dozen nature reserves, and landscape parks and is a key source of drinking water in Poland. We studied detailed changes in LC (13 classes). The Wilcoxon signed rank test indicated significant increases in built‐up areas (urban fabric and industrial/transport infrastructure), waters, dense forest cover, and herbaceous vegetation but a decrease in heterogeneous agricultural areas. On the basis of two new methods, we assessed the LC transitions for 20 mountain catchments and for the entire Polish Carpathians. Although we found a slight positive transition in LC for the entire Polish Carpathians, clearly negative transitions occurred in the five analyzed catchments, including those covering two national parks. These LC transitions are accompanied by changing climate conditions with significant increases in air temperature and precipitation. The ongoing intensive urbanization in the studied mountain region, which is accompanied by significant regional warming, implies the need to apply sustainable management practices that will avoid or reduce degradation in the catchments involved.
Natural Polymers from Biomass Resources as Feedstocks for Thermoplastic Materials
Authors: Müller Kerstin , Zollfrank Cordt , Schmid Markus 
Published: February 2019

AbstractWith the objective of a more sustainable circular economy, one long‐term goal is the utilization of renewable resources as feedstock for the production of polymer‐based materials. In order to successfully process such materials using existing industrial‐scale technologies or even recycling processes, the natural polymers must have thermoplastic properties. With only a few exceptions, natural polymers are not thermoplastic. However, chemical and physical modification techniques are able to induce thermoplasticity in natural polymers from biomass resources such as cellulose, lignin, and chitin. Modification techniques focus on masking the hydroxyl groups to disrupt dense hydrogen bonding and so enable polymer chain mobility upon heating. The introduction of long alkyl chains into the polymer backbone effectively improves the thermoplastic processing of natural polymers. With regard to polymer blending, chemical grafting and graft copolymerization are powerful tools for enhancing compatibility. For both chemical and physical modification, solvents such as ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents are currently being explored for biomass and fiber processing and show promise for the future development of thermoplastic biopolymers. This review describes possible modifications, potential processing difficulties, and gives a summary of relevant studies described in the scientific literature.
Animal use in a Shang Village: The Guandimiao zooarchaeological assemblage
Authors: Hou Yanfeng , Campbell Roderick , Zhang Yan , Li Suting 
Published: February 2019

AbstractChinese Bronze Age zooarchaeological data sets have almost exclusively been derived from large, urban centres and often from elite contexts. The Anyang period (ca. 1250–1050 BCE) village site of Guandimiao fills an important lacuna as a small, non‐elite, rural site. The large urban sites of the Chinese Bronze Age are thought to have been more centres of animal consumption than of stock rearing, and so, Guandimiao presents the first glimpse of a possible production site. In addition, the near total excavation of the original village affords a rarely fine‐grained understanding of context allowing us to distinguish broadly between domestic, ritual‐related, and mortuary assemblages. These assemblages show differences in relative quantities of taxa, in body part distribution, bone modification, and taphonomy, giving additional insight into animal‐related human behaviour at the site. In addition, a variety of lines of evidence demonstrates a large dog‐related taphonomic bias, a subject that is generally ignored in Chinese zooarchaeology. Finally, the survivorship curves for pig and cattle generally show gradual attrition with a significant proportion of older animals, in contrast with contemporaneous Shang urban sites. This fact, plus the fact that the sex analysis performed on the pig mandibles demonstrated that they were nearly all female, supports the hypothesis that Guandimiao was a site of livestock raising and origin point for urban provisioning.