bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ossification of the Vascular Pedicle After Microsurgical Soft Tissue Transfer of the Lateral Upper Arm Free Flap
Authors: Jehn Philipp , Zimmerer Rüdiger , Dittmann Jan , Fedchenko Mykola , Gellrich Nils-Claudius , Spalthoff Simon 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Reconstruction of intraoral defects is one of the main aspects of head and neck cancer treatment. Since the advent of microvascular surgery in this field, free flap tissue transfer has become a common procedure, and various flaps have been described for soft tissue reconstruction. The lateral upper arm free flap is one of the most frequently used flaps for intraoral defect coverage. This article describes ossification of the corresponding vascular pedicle after soft tissue transfer with the lateral upper arm free flap and microsurgical anastomosis in oral cancer treatment. Similar findings in the context of the lateral upper arm free flap have never been reported in the literature; however, it is important for surgeons to know that pedicle ossification can occur. This knowledge may be helpful to avoid erroneous diagnosis of the ossification as a sign of tumor relapse/recurrence as well as to anticipate potential difficulties in the surgical approach in cases requiring reentry of the reconstructed region, for example, in relapse/recurrence of head and neck cancer.
Correlation of Electronic (Web-Based and Smartphone) Administration of Measures of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Grimes Cara L. , Antosh Danielle D. , Oliphant Sallie , Yurteri-Kaplan Ladin , Kim-Fine Shunaha , Melamud Gabriel , Heisler Christine , Chung Doreen E. 
Published: March 2019

Objective
We hypothesized that instruments of pelvic floor dysfunction would yield similar responses on web-based and smartphone administration compared with paper.

Methods
Subjects presenting with pelvic floor disorders were prospectively enrolled at 5 sites and invited to complete 4 validated pelvic floor disorder questionnaires (Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory 20, Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire 7, Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire 12, Bristol Stool Scale) on both paper and electronic formats, 2 weeks apart, with the order of administration being randomized. Participants completed the questionnaires electronically on the internet via REDCap or using the PelvicTrack App on a smartphone or tablet.

Results
Two hundred thirty-four subjects were enrolled, and 132 subjects (56%) completed both sets of questionnaires with no intervening treatment. This group was 58 (±15) years old with body mass index 28 (±6) kg/m2 and parity 2 (1, 3) and was 77% white, 6% African American, 7% Asian, and 10% other. Presenting complaints were classified as 58% urinary, 37% prolapse, and 5% defecatory. There was no difference in overall demographic information between those who completed the second round of questionnaires and those who did not. There was no difference in age between those who chose to complete the questionnaires via REDcap and those who chose to complete the questionnaires via smartphone. Correlation coefficients between questionnaire administration range from 0.5 to 0.8. There was no significant difference in the responses for each total scale and individual scale between the first or second administration.

Conclusions
We demonstrated moderate to strong reliability between scales of pelvic floor dysfunction administered electronically compared with paper version. Our results strongly suggest that it is feasible and reliable to administer pelvic floor questionnaires in an electronic format on REDCap and on smartphones.
Small Split Pediatric Kidneys to Expand the Donor Pool: An Analysis of Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) Data
Authors: Suneja Manish , Kuppachi Sarat , Katz Daniel , Hunsicker Lawrence 
Published: March 2019

Background.
Increased use of pediatric deceased donor kidneys could enlarge the deceased donor kidney pool. Kidney transplant outcomes from small pediatric donors were compared with those from ideal kidney (IK) and expanded criteria kidney (ECK) donors to understand the optimal use of pediatric donor kidneys.

Methods.
Kaplan-Meier analyses compared long-term patient and death-censored graft survival of en bloc kidney (EBK) and split kidney (SpK) transplants from small pediatric donors (aged ≤8 y and weight <30 kg) with those from IK and ECK. Posttransplant serum creatinine) was compared among these cohorts. Deceased donor kidney disposition was determined from small pediatric donors with ≥1 organ transplanted.

Results.
Patient and death-censored graft survival were similar among recipients of IK, EBK, and SpK transplants, and were superior to those of recipients of ECK. EBK and SpK transplants from donors 5–30 kg had first-year graft loss similar to ECK. Long-term graft survival and serum creatinine with kidneys from SpK donors >10 kg were better than that with ECK donors. About 3901 transplants were performed from 3660 pediatric donors (53% yield).

Conclusions.
Pediatric kidneys can augment the kidney donor pool and should not be considered ECK. If 90% of kidneys from donors (aged ≤8 y and weight <30 kg) with ≥1 organ transplanted been used (as SpK when >10 kg) an additional 159 kidney transplants per year could have been performed. Expanding the use of pediatric kidneys should be further explored by the transplant community.
The Intersection of Physical Function, Cognitive Performance, Aging, and Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-sectional Comparative Study
Authors: Bollaert Rachel E. , Sandroff Brian M. , Stine-Morrow Elizabeth A.L. , Sutton Bradley P. , Motl Robert W. 
Published: March 2019

Objective:
To examine the associations between physical function (walking speed and endurance and functional mobility) and cognitive function (information processing speed and verbal memory) in older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls.

Background:
Older adults with MS have worse physical and cognitive function than older adults without MS and young and middle-aged adults with MS. To date, little is known about the associations between, or coupling of, physical and cognitive function outcomes in older adults with MS.

Methods:
We administered physical and cognitive function measures to 40 older adults with MS and 40 demographically matched healthy controls. Pearson product moment correlations were used to examine bivariate linear relationships in the overall sample and in the subsamples of (a) older adults with MS and (b) healthy controls. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the independent associations between demographic characteristics and physical and cognitive function variables in the two subsamples.

Results:
In the overall sample, all physical function variables were significantly correlated with cognitive function, as measured by information processing speed, and these correlations were mainly due to the subsample of older adults with MS. The linear regression analyses further indicated that information processing speed and years of education consistently explained variance in all physical function variables, beyond the influence of demographic variables, in older adults with MS.

Conclusions:
Physical function and information processing speed are strongly correlated in older adults with MS. Future research should examine underlying neurobehavioral mechanisms associated with physical and cognitive function as well as behavioral strategies for jointly improving these functions in older adults with MS.
Chronological Effects of Emotional Valence on the Self-selected Retrieval of Autobiographical Memories
Authors: Williamson John B. , Drago Valeria , Harciarek Michal , Falchook Adam Dov , Wargovich Bliss Anne , Heilman Kenneth M. 
Published: March 2019

Background and Objective:
Salience of emotional autobiographical memories may have temporal patterns associated with valence. Recall of negative emotional memories is often important in survival and well-being. Based on the possible survival value of negative memories, we posited that when given an open-ended request to recall either a sad or a happy memory, people are more likely to recall an older sad memory than a happy one.

Methods:
We asked 20 healthy participants, aged 18–63 years, to freely recall happy and sad emotional memories and estimate the length of time that had passed since the recalled event had occurred. We analyzed the age of each memory based on valence.

Results:
Sixteen of 20 participants volunteered a more remote sad than happy memory (P<0.05). Older participants’ sad memories were more remote (P<0.05), but the ratio of happy to sad memories was not affected by age.

Conclusions:
Self-selected free retrieval of autobiographical happy and sad emotional memories reveals a time bias. Although the reason for this temporal dichotomy is unknown, it may be that engaging systems involved in defense and survival alters the encoding and/or retrieval characteristics of the memory that modify salience.
Phenotypical microRNA screen reveals a noncanonical role of CDK2 in regulating neutrophil migration
Authors: Hsu A.Y. , Wang D. , Liu S. , Lu J. , Syahirah R. , Bennin D.A. , Huttenlocher A. , Umulis D.M. , Wan J. , Deng Q. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractNeutrophil migration is essential for inflammatory responses to kill pathogens, however it also causes tissue injury. To discover novel therapeutic targets that modulate neutrophil migration, we performed a neutrophil-specific microRNA overexpression screen in zebrafish, and identified eight microRNAs as potent suppressors of neutrophil migration. Among those,miR-199decreases neutrophil chemotaxis in zebrafish and human neutrophil-like cells. Intriguingly, in terminally differentiated neutrophils,miR-199alters the cell cycle-related pathways and directly suppressescyclin-dependent kinase 2(cdk2), whose known activity is restricted to cell cycle progression and cell differentiation. Inhibiting CDK2, but not DNA replication, disrupts cell polarity and chemotaxis of zebrafish neutrophils. Chemotaxis of primary human neutrophils are also reduced by CDK2 inhibition. Furthermore,miR-199overexpression or CDK2 inhibition significantly improves the outcome of lethal systemic inflammation challenges in zebrafish. Together, our results reveal previously unknown functions ofmiR-199and CDK2 in regulating neutrophil migration and provide new directions in alleviating systemic inflammation.One Sentence SummarymiR-199directly suppressescdk2expression, neutrophil chemotaxis and systemic inflammation.
High-throughput RNA sequencing from paired lesional- and non-lesional skin reveals major alterations in the psoriasis circRNAome
Authors: Moldovan Liviu-Ionut , Hansen Thomas Birkballe , Venø Morten Trillingsgaard , Hauge Okholm Trine Line , Andersen Thomas Levin , Hager Henrik , Iversen Lars , Kjems Jørgen , Johansen Claus , Kristensen Lasse Sommer 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackgroundPsoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes. It is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory skin condition in adults worldwide, with a considerable negative impact on quality of life. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a recently identified type of non-coding RNA with diverse cellular functions related to their exceptional stability. In particular, some circRNAs can bind and regulate microRNAs (miRNAs), a group of RNAs that play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The aim of this study was to characterize the circRNAome in psoriasis and to assess potential correlations to miRNA expression patterns.ResultsUsing high-throughput RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and NanoString nCounter technology, we found a substantial down-regulation of circRNA expression in lesional skin compared to non-lesional skin from psoriasis patients. We saw that this mainly applies to the epidermis by analyzing laser capture microdissected tissues and by RNA chromogenicin situhybridization (CISH). We also found that the majority of the circRNAs were downregulated independent of their corresponding linear host genes. The observed downregulation of circRNAs in psoriasis was not due to altered expression levels of factors known to affect circRNA biogenesis, nor because lesional skin contained an increased number of inflammatory cells such as lymphocytes. Finally, we saw that the overall differences in available miRNA binding sites on the circRNAs between lesional and non-lesional skin did not correlate with differences in miRNA expression patterns.ConclusionsWe have performed the first genome-wide circRNA profiling of paired lesional and non-lesional skin from psoriasis patients and revealed that circRNAs are much less abundant in the lesional samples. Whether this is a cause or a consequence of the disease remains to be revealed, however, we found no evidence that the loss of miRNA binding sites on the circRNAs could explain differences in miRNA expression reported between lesional and non-lesional skin.
Evidence that viruses, particularly SIV, drove genetic adaptation in natural populations of eastern chimpanzees
Authors: Schmidt Joshua M. , de Manuel Marc , Marques-Bonet Tomas , Castellano Sergi , Andrés Aida M. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractAll four subspecies of chimpanzees are endangered. Differing in their demographic histories and geographical ranges within sub-Saharan Africa, they have likely adapted to different environmental factors. We show that highly differentiated SNPs in eastern chimpanzees are uniquely enriched in genic sites in a way that is expected under recent adaptation. These sites are enriched for genes that differentiate the immune response to infection by simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in natural vs. non-natural host species. Conversely, central chimpanzees exhibit selective sweeps at the cytokine receptorsCCR3,CCR9andCXCR6– paralogs ofCCR5andCXCR4,the two major receptors utilized by HIV to enter human cells. Thus, we infer that SIV may be eliciting distinctive adaptive responses in different chimpanzee subspecies. Since central chimpanzee SIV is the source of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, understanding the mechanisms that limit pathogenicity of SIV in chimpanzees can broaden our understanding of HIV infection in humans.
Time-to-target simplifies optimal control of visuomotor feedback responses
Authors: Česonis Justinas , Franklin David W. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractVisuomotor feedback responses vary in intensity throughout a reach, commonly explained by optimal control. Here we show that the optimal control for a range of movements with the same goal can be simplified to a time-to-target dependent control scheme. We measure participants’ visuomotor responses in five reaching conditions, each with different hand or cursor kinematics. Participants only produced different feedback responses when these kinematic changes resulted in different times-to-target. We complement our experimental data with a range of finite and non-finite horizon optimal feedback control models, finding that only the model with time-to-target as one of the input parameters can successfully replicate the experimental data. Overall, this suggests that time-to-target is a critical control parameter in online feedback control. Moreover, we propose that for a specific task and known dynamics, humans can instantly produce a control signal without any computation allowing rapid response onset and close to optimal control.
Universal surface-to-volume scaling and aspect ratio homeostasis in rod-shaped bacteria
Authors: Ojkic Nikola , Serbanescu Diana , Banerjee Shiladitya 
Published: March 2019

AbstractRod-shaped bacterial cells can readily adapt their lengths and widths in response to environmental changes. While many recent studies have focused on the mechanisms underlying bacterial cell size control, it remains largely unknown how the coupling between cell length and width results in robust control of rod-like bacterial shapes. In this study we uncover a universal surface-to-volume scaling relation in Escherichia coli and other rod-shaped bacteria, resulting from the preservation of cell aspect ratio. To explain the mechanistic origin of aspect-ratio control, we propose a quantitative model for the coupling between bacterial cell elongation and the accumulation of an essential division protein, FtsZ. This model reveals a mechanism for why bacterial aspect ratio is independent of cell size and growth conditions, and predicts cell morphological changes in response to nutrient perturbations, antibiotics, MreB or FtsZ depletion, in quantitative agreement with experimental data.
Intraventricular CXCL12 is neuroprotective and increases neurogenesis in a murine model of stroke
Authors: Zamproni Laura N. , Porcionatto Marimelia A. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractStroke is the leading cause of physical disability and the second leading cause of death in adults. Chemokines that regulate ischemic microenvironment can influence neurorestorative therapies in stroke patients. CXCL12 was shown to be neuroprotective, but there are some contradictory results in the literature. The objective of this work is to verify whether CXCL12 delivery to the brain could be beneficial or harmful. We decided to evaluate the intraventricular delivery to facilitate its application in clinical practice. Intraventricular CXCL12 was able to produce increased mRNA expression of the receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7 in the cerebral cortex. After the stroke, intraventricular CXCL12 decreased mice ischemic area and improved behavioral response. We found CXCL12 was neuroprotective, increase reactive astrogliosis and improve neurogenesis in the perilesional area.
Development and characterization of phytosterol nanoemulsions and self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems
Authors: Chuanxun Yuan , Xueru Zhang , Risheng Jin 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe aim of this study is to develop a self microemulsion drug delivery system for phytosterols to improve the solubility and bioavailability. The results showed that the formulation of phytosterol self-microemulsion is: lemon essential oil in oil phase, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil 40 and Tween 60 in emulsifier, polyethylene glycol 400 in co-emulsifier, Km = 7:3, Kp = 3:1, Ke = 50%. The drug loading of phytosterol self-microemulsion prepared by this method was 87.22 mg/g, encapsulation efficiency was 89.65%, particle size was 48.85nm, potential was −12.863mV. In vitro release experiment showed that the release of phytosterols in microemulsion was more than 90%, and the release curve was in accordance with the first-order kinetics equation. The pharmacokinetic analysis of PSSM synthesized by this method shows that PSSM can increase the bioavailability of PS more than three times, so it is necessary to do more in-depth research on the self-microemulsion delivery system of phytosterols.
Gastrocnemius muscle remodeling explains functional deficits three months following Achilles tendon rupture
Authors: Hullfish Todd J. , O’Connor Kathryn M. , Baxter Josh R. 
Published: March 2019

ABSTRACTPlantarflexor functional deficits are associated with poor outcomes in patients following Achilles tendon rupture. In this longitudinal study, we analyzed the fascicle length and pennation angle of the medial gastrocnemius muscle and the length of the Achilles tendon using ultrasound imaging. To determine the relationship between muscle remodeling and functional deficits measured at 3 months after injury, we correlated the reduction in fascicle length and increase in pennation angle with peak torque measured during isometric plantarflexor contractions and peak power measured during isokinetic plantarflexor contractions. We found that the medial gastrocnemius underwent an immediate change in structure, characterized by decreased length and increased pennation of the muscle fascicles. This decrease in fascicle length was coupled with an increase in tendon length. These changes in muscle-tendon structure persisted throughout the first three months following rupture. Deficits in peak plantarflexor power were moderately correlated with decreased fascicle length at 120 degrees per second (R2= 0.424,P= 0.057) and strongly correlated with decreased fascicle length at 210 degrees per second (R2= 0.737,P= 0.003). However, increases in pennation angle did not explain functional deficits. These findings suggest that muscle-tendon structure is detrimentally affected following Achilles tendon rupture. Plantarflexor power deficits are positively correlated with the magnitude of reductions in fascicle length. Preserving muscle structure following Achilles tendon rupture should be a clinical priority to maintain patient function.
Students’ decision making in class selection and enrolment
Authors: Othman Muhammad Hanif , Mohamad Noorihsan , Barom Mohd Nizam 
Published: March 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model that integrates various dimensional factors which influence decision-making process of class selection and enrolment, analysing different angles of this process and explaining those factors which determine students’ decision.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses quantitative design to determine and explore students’ decision making in class selection and enrolment. There were 396 students who participated in this study. The data were analysed using principle component analysis to determine the dominant factor for class selection and enrolment.FindingsThe study has analysed different factors that can influence students’ decision for class selection and enrolment. Five important underlying factors have been identified which includes the class and lecturer factor, time-space factor, ease and comfort factor, course mate factor and commitment factor. Moreover, the Kruskal–Wallis test shows that there is a significant mean difference in choice and selection behaviour between genders and students’ personal attitudes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is an early attempt to explore the wide fields of decision making in class selection and enrolment. It is hoped that follow-up studies would provide more coverage relative to the findings of this research.Practical implicationsOne particular dimension of micro decision making faced by students is class (course) selection in the beginning of every academic semester/term. Class selection is very critical decision for students as it would reflect students expected outcome for their future career directions. More importantly, the decision made by the students may also affect their academic performance throughout their study.Social implicationsFrom the perspective of the university’s administrators, this issue is very critical for planning purposes. Understanding the students’ behaviour in class selection could improve the cost effectiveness as well as the scheduling of course offering to enhance students’ and instructors’ teaching and learning experience.Originality/valueWhile many studies try to explore the questions of what makes a student choose a specific college/university or a specific field, limited number have investigated the behaviour of students in class selection and enrolment. This paper contributes to bridging that gap.