bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Pulsatile Control Algorithms for Diagonal Pump on Hemodynamic Performance and Hemolysis
Authors: Wang Shigang , Force Madison , Moroi Morgan K. , Patel Sunil , Kunselman Allen R. , Ündar Akif 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe objective of this study is to compare hemodynamic performances under different pulsatile control algorithms between Medos DeltaStream DP3 and i‐cor diagonal pumps in simulated pediatric and adult ECLS systems. An additional pilot study was designed to test hemolysis using two pumps during 12h‐ECLS. The experimental circuit consisted of parallel combined pediatric and adult ECLS circuits using an i‐cor pump head and either an i‐cor console or Medos DeltaStream MDC console, a Medos Hilite 2400 LT oxygenator for the pediatric ECLS circuit, and a Medos Hilite 7000 LT oxygenator for the adult ECLS circuit. The circuit was primed with lactated Ringer's solution and human packed red blood cells (hematocrit 40%). Trials were conducted at various flow rates (pediatric circuit: 0.5 and 1L/min; adult circuit: 2 and 4L/min) under nonpulsatile and pulsatile modes (pulsatile amplitude: 1000–5000rpm [1000 rpm increments] for i‐cor pump, 500–2500rpm [500 rpm increments] for Medos pump) at 36°C. In an additional protocol, fresh whole blood was used to test hemolysis under nonpulsatile and pulsatile modes using the two pump systems in adult ECLS circuits. Under pulsatile mode, energy equivalent pressures (EEP) were always greater than mean pressures for the two systems. Total hemodynamic energy (THE) and surplus hemodynamic energy (SHE) levels delivered to the patient increased with increasing pulsatile amplitude and decreased with increasing flow rate. The i‐cor pump outperformed at low flow rates, but the Medos pump performed superiorly at high flow rates. There was no significant difference between two pumps in percentage of THE loss. The plasma free hemoglobin level was always higher in the Medos DP3 pulsatile group at 4 L/min compared to others. Pulsatile control algorithms of Medos and i‐cor consoles had great effects on pulsatility. Although high pulsatile amplitudes delivered higher levels of hemodynamic energy to the patient, the high rotational speeds increased the risk of hemolysis. Use of proper pulsatile amplitude settings and intermittent pulsatile mode are suggested to achieve better pulsatility and decrease the risk of hemolysis. Further optimized pulsatile control algorithms are needed.
Sizable Scaffold‐Free Tissue‐Engineered Articular Cartilage Construct for Cartilage Defect Repair
Authors: Park In‐Su , Jin Ri Long , Oh Hyun Ju , Truong Minh‐Dung , Choi Byung Hyune , Park Sang‐Hyug , Park Do Young , Min Byoung‐Hyun 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThis study introduces an implantable scaffold‐free cartilage tissue construct (SF) that is composed of chondrocytes and their self‐produced extracellular matrix (ECM). Chondrocytes were grown in vitro for up to 5 weeks and subjected to various assays at different time points (1, 7, 21, and 35 days). For in vivo implantation, full‐thickness defects (n = 5) were manually created on the trochlear groove of the both knees of rabbits (16‐week old) and 3 week‐cultured SF construct was implanted as an allograft for a month. The left knee defects were implanted with 1, 7, and 21 days in vitro cultured scaffold‐free engineered cartilages. (group 2, 3, and 4, respectively). The maturity of the engineered cartilages was evaluated by histological, chemical and mechanical assays. The repair of damaged cartilages was also evaluated by gross images and histological observations at 4, 8, and 12 weeks postsurgery. Although defect of groups 1, 2, and 3 were repaired with fibrocartilage tissues, group 4 (21 days) showed hyaline cartilage in the histological observation. In particular, mature matrix and columnar organization of chondrocytes and highly expressed type II collagen were observed only in 21 days in vitro cultured SF cartilage (group 4) at 12 weeks. As a conclusion, cartilage repair with maturation was recapitulated when implanted the 21 day in vitro cultured scaffold‐free engineered cartilage. When implanting tissue‐engineered cartilage, the maturity of the cartilage tissue along with the cultivation period can affect the cartilage repair.
Beat‐to‐beat detection of aortic valve opening in HeartWare left ventricular assist device patients
Authors: Clifford Rachel , Robson Desiree , Gross Christoph , Moscato Francesco , Schima Heinrich , Jansz Paul , Macdonald Peter S. , Hayward Christopher S. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractContinuous flow left ventricular assist devices (cfLVADS) result in a significant reduction in aortic valve (AV) opening, which has been associated with several complications. Reliable monitoring of AV opening is needed to determine whether pump speed adjustment may be able to minimize adverse outcomes. We assessed AV status continuously by echocardiography for 4 minutes in 3 states in 18 HeartWare HVAD patients: 2 minutes at rest, and 1 minute each following Valsalva maneuver and supine leg‐raising. Using a previously described algorithm, beat‐to‐beat AV status was compared with the area under the curve of the normalized power spectral density analysis (PSD‐AUC) for the corresponding beats of the pump speed waveform. Five thousand five hundred twenty‐seven beats were analyzed. AV opening varied between 0% and 100% for the cohort with the median AV opening frequency 21.5%, and median duration of opening of 124 msec (range 0–279). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area for AV opening by the PSD‐AUC algorithm was 0.95 (P < 0.0001). A PSD‐AUC cut‐off of 0.82 distinguished between an open and closed AV with 86% sensitivity and 93% specificity. Accuracy was similar in regular cardiac rhythm, atrial fibrillation or with frequent ventricular ectopic beats. Valsalva maneuver and leg‐raising had no impact on accuracy. The PSD‐AUC was strongly predictive of AV opening duration (P < 0.0001). We found that AV status and opening duration can be determined with high accuracy on a beat‐to‐beat basis irrespective of cardiac rhythm and with low level exercise and changes in filling.
A randomised controlled trial of protocolised music therapy demonstrates developmental milestone acquisition in hospitalised infants
Authors: Emery Lelia , Hamm Ellyn L. , Hague Kaleigh , Chorna Olena D. , Moore‐Clingenpeel Melissa , Maitre Nathalie L. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAimTo compare the effectiveness of an intensive‐intermittent vs. standard spaced protocolised music therapy intervention on supporting developmental milestone acquisition of infants >44 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) hospitalised in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).MethodThis was a comparative effectiveness study of infants 44–66 weeks PMA with a projected NICU stay of at least one month from recruitment. Infants were randomised to one of two treatment groups: traditional therapy (2x/week) and intermittent‐intensive (4x/week, off, 4x/week, off). Both groups received the same number of sessions over a 4‐week period. Sessions at the start and end of the treatment period were video recorded. Two masked researchers reviewed and coded videos. Milestones used for video recording were adapted from the Developmental Assessment of Young Children.ResultsTwenty‐four infants participated, with groups matched for birth age, PMA at start of study, race, IVH severity, and respiratory support. Total and motor composite scores were higher post‐intervention (Cohen's d = 0.71 and 0.97, both p < 0.01), with the same degree of skill acquisition found for both intervention groups.ConclusionA developmental music therapy protocol supports developmental skills acquisition of post‐term infants in a NICU. Similar outcomes for both groups provide therapists with varying treatment dosing options to best support their patients.
Mitochondrial complex IV mutation increases reactive oxygen species production and reduces lifespan in aged mice
Authors: Reichart Gesine , Mayer Johannes , Zehm Cindy , Kirschstein Timo , Tokay Tursonjan , Lange Falko , Baltrusch Simone , Tiedge Markus , Fuellen Georg , Ibrahim Saleh , Köhling Rüdiger 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAimMitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations can negatively influence lifespan and organ function. More than 250 pathogenic mtDNA mutations are known, often involving neurological symptoms. Major neurodegenerative diseases share key etiopathogenetic components ie mtDNA mutations, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.MethodsHere, we characterized a conplastic mouse strain (C57BL/6 J‐mtNOD) carrying an electron transport chain complex IV mutation that leads to an altered cytochrome c oxidase subunit III. Since this mouse also harbours adenine insertions in the mitochondrial tRNA for arginine, we chose the C57BL/6 J‐mtMRL as control strain which also carries a heteroplasmic stretch of adenine repetitions in this tRNA isoform.ResultsUsing MitoSOX fluorescence, we observed an elevated mitochondrial superoxide production and a reduced gene expression of superoxide dismutase 2 in the 24‐month‐old mtNOD mouse as compared to control. Together with the decreased expression of the fission‐relevant gene Fis1, these data confirmed that the ageing mtNOD mouse had a mitochondrial dysfunctional phenotype. On the functional level, we could not detect significant differences in synaptic long‐term potentiation, but found a markedly poor physical constitution to perform the Morris water maze task at the age of 24 months. Moreover, the median lifespan of mtNOD mice was significantly shorter than of control animals.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that a complex IV mutation leads to mitochondrial dysfunction that translates into survival.
Clinical relevance of serum non‐organ‐specific antibodies in patients with HCV infection receiving direct‐acting antiviral therapy
Authors: Shahini Endrit , Iannone Andrea , Romagno Domenico , Armandi Angelo , Carparelli Sonia , Principi Mariabeatrice , Viggiani Maria Teresa , Ierardi Enzo , Di Leo Alfredo , Barone Michele 
Published: October 2018

SummaryBackgroundHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with production of different serum non‐organ‐specific antibodies (NOSA) and risk for developing autoimmune disorders. The clinical significance of these phenomena is not fully understood.AimTo assess non‐organ‐specific antibodies before and 24 weeks after the end of therapy with direct‐acting antivirals in patients with HCV‐related infection, to better clarify the clinical relevance of these antibodies in terms of treatment response and prognostic value.MethodsPatients enrolled (191) were considered non‐organ‐specific antibody‐positive for titres ≥1:40 on at least two determinations before treatment.ResultsAt baseline, 46 patients were positive and 145 were negative for autoantibodies. The prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis was significantly higher in non‐organ‐specific antibody‐positive group than non‐organ‐specific antibody‐negative group (P = 0.02). HCV‐RNA 24 weeks after the end of antiviral therapy was 100% negative in patients with antibodies positivity and 98.6% in antibody‐negative patients (P = 1.0). In the former group, autoantibodies disappeared in 30 of 46 patients (65.2%). On multivariate analysis, non‐organ‐specific antibody‐negativity was significantly reduced in patients with hepatic hilar lymphadenopathy (OR = 0.17; 95% CI 0.02‐0.94, P = 0.04). None of the adverse events occurring during antiviral therapy was related to autoimmune disorders.ConclusionsHepatitis C virus clearance frequently reduces non‐organ‐specific antibody positivity suggesting that they represent an epiphenomenon of the viral infection. However, in patients who did not become negative, long‐term monitoring would establish whether they could hide an underlying process that may progress into a clear autoimmune or rheumatologic disease. (Trial registration number: NCT03566966).
Adults with eosinophilic oesophagitis identify symptoms and quality of life as the most important outcomes
Authors: Safroneeva Ekaterina , Balsiger Lukas , Hafner David , Kuehni Claudia E. , Zwahlen Marcel , Trelle Sven , Godat Sébastien , Biedermann Luc , Greuter Thomas , Vavricka Stephan , Straumann Alex , Schoepfer Alain M. 
Published: October 2018

SummaryBackgroundWell informed patients who are in cohesive partnership with physicians and who have realistic expectations towards therapy are more likely to be adherent, which results in better disease control.AimTo assess which therapy goals adults with eosinophilic oesophagitis consider relevant.MethodsFollowing refinement during three focus groups, a study brochure and questionnaire were sent to 148 patients. Patients ranked the importance (five levels) of short‐term (in the next 3 months) and long‐term (≥1 year) treatment effect on symptoms, quality of life (QoL), histologically‐detected inflammation and fibrosis, endoscopically‐detected inflammation, and stricture formation as well as achieving histological remission while asymptomatic. Patients’ characteristics associated with treatment goals were identified using logistic regression.ResultsOf 109 respondents (mean age 43 years), 85 were men. Over 90% chose symptoms and QoL improvement as important short‐ and long‐term therapy goals. A greater proportion attributed more importance to long‐term reduction in endoscopic (90% vs 73%, P < 0.001) and histological (81% vs 62%, P = 0.002) inflammation, and histologically‐detected fibrosis (79% vs 64%, P = 0.018) when compared to short‐term reduction in these features. Patients (88%) ranked achieving histological remission while being asymptomatic as important. Gender, therapy use, education level, QoL, symptom severity, and history of dilation were associated with patients’ choice of treatment goals.ConclusionsPatients attributed most importance to improvement in symptoms and QoL. Reduction in biological activity was judged less important, but more relevant in the long‐ compared to the short‐term.
Household empowerment as the key to eradicate poverty incidence
Authors: Abrar ul haq Muhammad , Jali Mohd Razani Mohd , Islam Gazi Md Nural 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe current study aimed to investigate how the household empowerment can potentially reduce the rural poverty incidence. The data were collected through multistage random sampling from the rural households of 24 villages in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 600 households were selected as sample pool. Face‐to‐face interviews with the household heads were conducted. The household empowerment was measured through an index that was adopted from Abrar‐ul‐haq (“An assessment of the role of household empowerment in alleviating poverty in Southern Punjab, Pakistan” (Ph.D. Dissertation), School of Economics, Finance and Banking, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 2017). The binary logit model was used to analyze the impact of household empowerment with other control variables on poverty incidence. The results of the current study confirm the negative nexus between household empowerment and poverty incidence of rural households as the study reported that the probabilities (odds ratio: 0.877) of being poor are reduced by increasing the empowerment (in every aspect, economically, politically, and socially) of the households, and the results are statistically significant at the 1% level of significance. Based on empirical results, this study suggests that household empowerment has significant potential to reduce poverty incidence in the rural areas of Southern Punjab, Pakistan.
The Influence of Institutional Mission on Students’ Values: A Comparison Among Three Universities
Authors: Weber James , McManus Warnell Jessica 
Published: October 2018

AbstractMany business schools profess a commitment to ethics in their mission statements and focus a spotlight on the intersection between the university’s mission and attention to business ethics. To explore this trend, we analyze a sample of students’ values from two universities with an explicit religious foundation and recognized commitment to ethics against students from another university where this attention is not as explicit. This study identifies the personal values orientations (PVOs) for these students, born between 1980 and 2000, thus millennials, and considers if differences can be attributed to the university’s culture and mission or business school curriculum. We utilize Social Identity Theory as a promising framework for illuminating these considerations. Our results confirm that a religious‐orientation characterizing a university’s mission may influence the business students’ (or millennials’) PVOs. Students at the two religious institutions manifested a stronger social, rather than personal, and moral, rather than competence, value orientation. Only marginal differences were discovered when assessing within group differences in the value orientations among our sample of business students.
Cultural Analysis of Corporate Social Action
Authors: Mattingly James E. , Hall Harry T. , VanSandt Craig 
Published: October 2018

AbstractPrevious studies of corporate environmental and social action identify exactly three similar patterns of activity. They provide divergent structural explanations for these patterns, as networks of institutional constraint, and networks of local inter‐dependence, respectively. A theory of sociocultural viability, known in anthropology and policy science as Cultural Theory, explains that social systems consist of four patterns of social interaction, shaped by two distinct structural factors. Our own analysis of 45 items of environmental, social, and governance factors reconcile extant studies’ findings with Cultural Theory’s expectations. Although earlier studies of corporate social action observed only three patterns of activity, our analysis uncovered the fourth, and that diverging structural explanations of earlier studies are partial and complementary, clarified by Cultural Theory. Our call for further study leverages the normative dimension of Cultural Theory, which specifies policy processes that privilege human decency over parochial preference functions.
Serum uric acid as a predictor of bipolarity in individuals with a major depressive episode
Authors: dos Santos Oliveira Pedro Miguel , Santos Vítor , Coroa Manuel , Ribeiro Joana , Madeira Nuno 
Published: October 2018

ObjectivesThere are no well‐established biomarkers to predict the risk of conversion to bipolar disorder (BD) in patients with depression. Given the putative role of purinergic neurotransmission dysfunction in BD, the purpose of our study was to evaluate if higher serum uric acid (UA) levels could predict BD conversion in depressed inpatients.MethodsWe reviewed retrospectively the records of subjects hospitalized between June 2007 and June 2010 with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) who had undergone routine UA levels testing at admission. At an approximate 10‐year follow‐up we identified subjects with a subsequent diagnosis of BD. We compared UA levels between the BD‐converter and non‐BD converter groups, performed Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to evaluate the prognostic accuracy of serum UA levels and calculated the clinical utility index (CUI) as a risk biomarker for conversion to BD.ResultsThe study included 250 subjects (55 “BD‐converters” and 195 “No BD‐converters”). “BD‐converters” had significantly higher plasma UA levels compared to “No BD‐converters” in their index hospitalization irrespective of gender (males: 403.84 ± 91.76 vs 270.81 ± 53.58 µmol/L; U = 94.5, P < 0.001 and females 302.19 ± 52.64 vs 202.69 ± 48.93 µmol/L; t = 10.75, P < 0.001). Serum UA levels showed a very good to excellent accuracy for predicting conversion to BD in inpatients with MDD (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.86, 0.94) and had a good to excellent CUI− and a moderate to good CUI+ grading for discriminating BD‐converter cases from non‐BD converters.ConclusionsOur study suggests that depressed patients with higher levels of serum UA are at greater risk of a subsequent manic or hypomanic episode. The purinergic system could prove a promising path for the search of biomarkers in BD.
Voice and power: Feminist governance as transnational justice in the globalized value chain
Authors: Ahmed Fauzia Erfan 
Published: October 2018

AbstractWomen constitute the majority of workers in global value chains (GVCs), yet few GVC scholars focus on the governance of gender. Based on an investigation (2013–2017) started after the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, this article presents “voice to the subordinate strata” as the first principle of feminist governance in the GVC. Findings reveal the matrix of power, which includes the International Labour Organization and the state that underpins the political economy of the Southern factory. This study provides a transformative model of feminist governance as transnational justice. As the relational ethic that links justice in the workplace to the quality of a woman's life, feminist governance is also the moral economy of the GVC wherein the woman worker is valued as a citizen in the global economy.
Involvement of dual‐strand of the miR‐144 duplex and their targets in the pathogenesis of lung squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Uchida Akifumi , Seki Naohiko , Mizuno Keiko , Misono Shunsuke , Yamada Yasutaka , Kikkawa Naoko , Sanada Hiroki , Kumamoto Tomohiro , Suetsugu Takayuki , Inoue Hiromasa 
Published: October 2018

The prognosis of patients with advanced‐stage lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSQ) is poor, and effective treatment protocols are limited. Our continuous analyses of antitumor microRNAs (miRNAs) and their oncogenic targets have revealed novel oncogenic pathways in LUSQ. Analyses of our original miRNA expression signatures indicated that both strands of miR‐144 (miR‐144‐5p, the passenger strand; miR‐144‐3p, the guide strand) showed decreased expression in cancer tissues. Additionally, low expression of miR‐144‐5p significantly predicted a poor prognosis in patients with LUSQ by The Cancer Genome Atlas database analyses (overall survival, P = 0.026; disease‐free survival, P = 0.023). Functional assays revealed that ectopic expression of miR‐144‐5p and miR‐144‐3p significantly blocked the malignant abilities of LUSQ cells, eg, cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In LUSQ cells, 13 and 15 genes were identified as possible oncogenic targets that might be regulated by miR‐144‐5p and miR‐144‐3p, respectively. Among these targets, we identified 3 genes (SLC44A5, MARCKS, and NCS1) that might be regulated by both strands of miR‐144. Interestingly, high expression of NCS1 predicted a significantly poorer prognosis in patients with LUSQ (overall survival, P = 0.013; disease‐free survival, P = 0.048). By multivariate analysis, NCS1 expression was found to be an independent prognostic factor for patients with LUSQ patients. Overexpression of NCS1 was detected in LUSQ clinical specimens, and its aberrant expression enhanced malignant transformation of LUSQ cells. Our approach, involving identification of antitumor miRNAs and their targets, will contribute to improving our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of LUSQ.