bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sequence effects in time trade‐off valuation of hypothetical health states
Authors: Pinto‐Prades José Luis , McHugh Neil , Donaldson Cam , Manoukian Sarkis 
Published: September 2019

AbstractChoice‐based stated preference methods, such as time trade‐offs (TTOs), are used to establish health state utilities informing healthcare allocation. However, little is known about the presence of (position‐dependent and precedent‐dependent) sequence effects in the valuation of health states, despite techniques requiring respondents to evaluate several health states in a sequence. This paper is the first to explicitly test for the presence of sequence effects in the health domain using a new explanation based on contrast effects and preference imprecision; the implication being that randomisation cannot avoid sequence effects.Six TTO questions were designed using the EQ‐5D‐3L descriptive system. These were grouped into two blocks of three and within each block four sequences were used. In an online survey, 1,197 Spanish respondents answered one grouping of three TTO questions. Results indicate that sequence effects can affect preferences as utilities of health states are biased downwards if preceded by a better health state and biased upwards if preceded by a worse health state.This study informs our understanding of how context effects interact with preference elicitation methods, which is essential for interpreting survey results used to inform policy.
MicroRNA‐96 is a potential tumor repressor by inhibiting NPTX2 in renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Xiang Wei , Han Lintao , Mo Guoyan , Lin Li , Yu Xiaoming , Chen Shaowen , Gao Tiexiang , Huang Chunhua 
Published: September 2019

AbstractMicroRNA‐96 (miR‐96) is a vertebrate conserved microRNA which plays important roles in various cancers including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, its function and mechanism in RCC are still unclear. In this study, miR‐96 was found to be downregulated in RCC based on The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets analyses, and its target genes, which predicted by TargetScan, were investigated. Among these target genes, neuronal pentraxin 2 (NPTX2) was upregulated more than 15‐fold in RCC, and moreover, closely related to patient survival. To validate its targeting of NPTX2 experimentally, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and dual‐luciferase assays were performed, and results of these assays demonstrated that miR‐96 inhibited expression of NPTX2 through a single 3′‐untranslated region targeting site. Furthermore, transfection assays in RenCa and 786‐O cells showed miR‐96 and small interfering RNA of NPTX2 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and overexpression of NPTX2 recovered the inhibition of miR‐96. In conclusion, the present study reveals a novel regulatory mechanism of miR‐96 on NPTX2 expression in RCC, and the potential of miR‐96 as a RCC tumor repressor deserves further investigation.
CLDN1 induces autophagy to promote proliferation and metastasis of esophageal squamous carcinoma through AMPK/STAT1/ULK1 signaling
Authors: Wu Jian , Gao FengXia , Xu Tao , Li Jun , Hu Zhi , Wang Chao , Long Yang , He XueMei , Deng Xin , Ren DeLian , Zhou Biao , Dai TianYang 
Published: September 2019

AbstractTight junction is a structural constitution in cell–cell adhesion and play an important role in the maintenance of permeability and integrity of normal epithelial cell barrier. The protein encoded by Claudin 1 (CLDN1), a member of the claudin family, is an integral membrane protein and a component of tight junction strands. CLDN1 has been proved to regulate the proliferation and metastasis of multiple tumors, but little is known about its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here, we found that CLDN1 was aberrantly increased in ESCC tissues and cell lines, and mainly distributed in the nucleus of tumor cells. Furthermore, we confirmed that CLDN1 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of ESCC by triggering autophagy both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, we validated that CLDN1‐induced autophagy via increasing Unc‐51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1) expression through AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) signaling pathway in ESCC cells. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that aberrant expression and distribution of CLDN1 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of esophageal squamous carcinoma by triggering autophagy through AMPK/STAT1/ULK1 signaling pathway.
Transcriptome analysis reveals GPNMB as a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer
Authors: Ren Feifei , Zhao Qitai , Liu Bin , Sun Xiangdong , Tang Youcai , Huang Huang , Mei Lu , Yu Yong , Mo Hui , Dong Haibin , Zheng Pengyuan , Mi Yang 
Published: September 2019

AbstractGastric cancer has the fifth highest incidence of disease and is the third leading cause of cancer‐associated mortality in the world. The etiology of gastric cancer is complex and needs to be fully elucidated. Thus, it is necessary to explore potential pathogenic genes and pathways that contribute to gastric cancer. Gene expression profiles of the GSE33335 and GSE54129 datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were compared and identified using R software. The DEGs were then subjected to gene set enrichment analysis and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses. Survival analyses based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database were used to further screen the essential DEGs. A knockdown assay was performed to determine the function of the candidate gene in gastric cancer. Finally, the association between the candidate gene and immune‐related genes was investigated. We found that GPNMB serves as an essential gene, with a high expression level, and predicts a worse outcome of gastric cancer. Knockdown of GPNMB inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration. In addition, GPNMB may augment the immunosuppressive ability of gastric cancer by recruiting immunosuppressive cells and promoting immune cell exhaustion through PI3K/AKT/CCL4 signaling axis. Collectively, these data suggest that GPNMB acts as an important positive mediator of tumor progression in gastric cancer, and GPNMB could exert multimodality modulation of gastric cancer‐mediated immune suppression.
Biodrying of dewatered secondary sludge: behavior of dynamic respiration index (DRI) and energy release under different operating conditions
Authors: Huiliñir César , Leiva Estefanía , Stegmaier Francisco , Castillo Antonio , Cottet Luis , Montalvo Silvio 
Published: September 2019

AbstractBACKGROUNDBiological activity monitored through the dynamic respiration index (DRI) and the calculation of biological heat generation (Qbio) through O2 consumption has been reported only scarcely in the case of biodrying. Therefore, the present work studies the DRI and Qbio for a dewatered secondary sewage sludge biodrying process under different operating conditions: airflow rate (AFR) and initial moisture content (IMC).RESULTSIt was found that AFR has an important effect on oxygen consumption, with higher DRI (≤6 gO2 kgVS–1 h–1) at higher AFR for different studied IMCs. IMC also affects the DRI, with higher values of DRI at higher IMC. Determination of the Qbio indicated that its calculation through O2 consumption provided better explanations of the water removal of the process. AFR also affects water removal and volatile solids (VS) degradation, with greater water removal (c. 30%) and lower VS degradation (c. 3.6%) at lower AFR.CONCLUSIONSAFR strongly affects the DRI, with higher DRI at low AFR. The calculation of Qbio through O2 consumption is recommended. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Corticostriatal synaptic plasticity alterations in the R6/1 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease
Authors: Ghiglieri Veronica , Campanelli Federica , Marino Gioia , Natale Giuseppina , Picconi Barbara , Calabresi Paolo 
Published: September 2019

AbstractHuntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative condition characterized by abnormal dopamine (DA)–glutamate interactions, severe alterations in motor control, and reduced behavioral flexibility. Experimental models of disease show that during symptomatic phases, HD shares with other hyperkinetic disorders the loss of synaptic depotentiation in the striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs). Here we test the hypothesis that corticostriatal long‐term depression (LTD), a well‐conserved synaptic scaling down response to environmental stimuli, is also altered in symptomatic male R6/1 mice, a HD model with gradual development of symptoms. In vitro patch‐clamp and intracellular recordings of corticostriatal slices from R6/1 mice confirm that, similar to other models characterized by hyperkinesia and striatal DA D1 receptor pathway dysregulation, once long‐term potentiation (LTP) is induced, synaptic depotentiation is lost. Our new observations show that activity‐dependent LTD was abolished in SPNs of mutant mice. In an experimental condition in which N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors are normally not recruited, in vitro bath application of DA revealed an abnormal response of D1 receptors that caused a shift in synaptic plasticity direction resulting in an NMDA‐dependent LTP. Our results demonstrate that corticostriatal LTD is lost in R6/1 mouse model and confirm the role of aberrant DA–glutamate interactions in the alterations of synaptic scaling down associated with HD symptoms.
The new insights into human brain imaging after stroke
Authors: Sagnier Sharmila , Sibon Igor 
Published: September 2019

AbstractOver the last two decades, developments of human brain stroke imaging have raised several questions about the place of new MRI biomarkers in the acute management of stroke and the prediction of poststroke outcome. Recent studies have demonstrated the main role of perfusion‐weighted imaging in the identification of the best cerebral perfusion profile for a better response after reperfusion therapies in acute ischemic stroke. A major issue remains the early prediction of stroke outcome. While voxel‐based lesion‐symptom mapping emphasized the influence of stroke location, the analysis of the brain parenchyma underpinning the stroke lesion showed the relevance of prestroke cerebral status, including cortical atrophy, white matter integrity, or presence of chronic cortical cerebral microinfarcts. Moreover, besides the evaluation of the visually abnormal brain tissue, the analysis of normal‐appearing brain parenchyma using diffusion tensor imaging and magnetization transfer imaging or spectroscopy offered new biomarkers to improve the prediction of the prognosis and new targets to follow in therapeutic trials. The aim of this review was to depict the main new radiological biomarkers reported in the last two decades that will provide a more thorough prediction of functional, motor, and neuropsychological outcome following the stroke. These new developments in neuroimaging might be a cornerstone in the emerging personalized medicine for stroke patients.
Safety and Efficacy of Teduglutide in Pediatric Patients With Intestinal Failure due to Short Bowel Syndrome: A 24‐Week, Phase III Study
Authors: Kocoshis Samuel A. , Merritt Russell J. , Hill Susan , Protheroe Susan , Carter Beth A. , Horslen Simon , Hu Simin , Kaufman Stuart S. , Mercer David F. , Pakarinen Mikko P. , Venick Robert S. , Wales Paul W. , Grimm Andrew A. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractBackgroundThis study evaluated the safety and efficacy of teduglutide in pediatric patients with short bowel syndrome–associated intestinal failure (SBS‐IF).MethodsA 24‐week, phase III trial with 2 randomized, double‐blind teduglutide dose groups and a nonblinded standard of care (SOC) arm was used; patients received 0.025 mg/kg or 0.05 mg/kg teduglutide once daily. Safety end points included treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and growth parameters. The primary efficacy/pharmacodynamic end point was the number of patients who achieved a ≥20% reduction in parenteral support (PS) from baseline at week 24.ResultsAll 59 enrolled patients completed the study (0.025 mg/kg, n = 24; 0.05 mg/kg, n = 26; SOC, n = 9). Baseline demographics and disease characteristics were comparable among groups. TEAEs were reported by 98% and 100% of patients in the teduglutide and SOC groups, respectively. The most common TEAEs in the teduglutide‐treated groups were pyrexia and vomiting. The primary end point was achieved by 13 (54.2%), 18 (69.2%), and 1 (11.1%) patients who received 0.025 mg/kg teduglutide, 0.05 mg/kg teduglutide, and SOC, respectively (P < 0.05 vs SOC). Both 0.025‐mg/kg and 0.05‐mg/kg teduglutide groups showed clinically significant reductions in PS volume (P < 0.05 vs SOC), PS calories, days per week and hours per day of PS infusions, and increases in enteral nutrition and plasma citrulline at week 24 compared with baseline. Two (8.3%, 0.025 mg/kg teduglutide) and 3 patients (11.5%, 0.05 mg/kg teduglutide) achieved enteral autonomy.ConclusionThe safety profile of teduglutide was similar to that reported previously in children and adults. Treatment with teduglutide was associated with significant reductions in PS for pediatric patients with SBS‐IF over 24 weeks.
Detection and classification of volatile fatty acids using surface‐enhanced Raman scattering and density functional theory calculations
Authors: Botta Raju , Chindaudon Pongpan , Eiamchai Pitak , Horprathum Mati , Limwichean Saksorn , Chananonnawathorn Chanunthorn , Patthanasettakul Viyapol , Jomphoak Apichai , Nuntawong Noppadon 
Published: September 2019

AbstractVolatile fatty acids of acetic, butyric, lactic, and propionic acids play an important role in the methane fermentation process. Particularly significant amount of propionic acid presence in the process will influence the methane fermentation efficiency. Herein, zigzag‐aligned silver nanorods were designed as surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)‐active substrates to establish the classification of volatile fatty acids against the traditional poor sensitive and time‐consuming titration and gas chromatography methods. SERS and chemometric method of principal component analysis is used for the detection and classification of volatile fatty acids. Density functional theory calculations were performed to understand the Raman vibrations and compare with experimental observations and to aid in the assignments of spectral lines. For the first time, the authors have used SERS technique to classify the acids. The findings suggest that this method is of great potential in the field of methane fermentation from industrial waste.
Perioperative outcomes after tracheoplasty: A NSQIP analysis 2014–2016
Authors: Johnson Romaine F. , Eaviz Nathan , Truelson John M. , Day Andrew T. 
Published: September 2019

ObjectivesTracheoplasty or tracheal resection and are essential components of the care of patients with severe tracheal stenosis. We aimed to study the perioperative outcomes of patients after tracheoplasty or resection using a national surgical registry.MethodsWe analyzed the 2014 to 2016 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) participant use file for patients who underwent tracheal resection or tracheoplasty (CPT codes 31750, 31760, 31780, and 31781). We analyzed the perioperative outcomes including length of stay (LOS), dehiscence, unplanned reintubations, unplanned surgeries, and 30‐day readmission rates. A random 4:1 sample of non‐tracheoplasty patients served as the control group.ResultsFrom 2014 to 2016, 126 patients underwent tracheoplasty. The median age was 56 years (IQR = 45–63). There were 93 (74%) females, 88 (70%) white, and 3.2% (4/126) Hispanic. The median LOS was 7 days (IQR = 5–10 days). Of these, 4.8% (6/126) developed wound infections and 3/126 (2.4%) developed wound dehiscence. Five out of 126 required unplanned reintubation (4.0%) and 16/126 (13%) had an unplanned reoperation. The 30‐day unplanned readmission rate was 16% (20/126). The wound infection, unplanned intubations, and readmission rates were significantly higher (P < .005) than the control group.ConclusionsThe 30‐day perioperative outcomes of adult patients undergoing tracheoplasty showed that adverse events are common, but severe adverse events such as death are rare. Continued research into risk mitigation among these patients is warranted.Level of EvidenceNA Laryngoscope, 130:1514–1519, 2020
Pathophysiology of iatrogenic and idiopathic vocal fold paralysis may be distinct
Authors: Mau Ted , Husain Solomon , Sulica Lucian 
Published: September 2019

ObjectiveSpontaneous vocal recovery from idiopathic vocal fold paralysis (VFP) appears to differ in time course from recovery in iatrogenic VFP. This study aimed to determine if this difference could be explained by differing mechanisms causing recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) dysfunction, specifically whether idiopathic VFP is consistent with a focal RLN axonal lesion.Study DesignCase series with mathematical modeling.MethodsA review of 1267 cases of unilateral VFP over a 10‐year period yielded 114 subjects (35 idiopathic, 79 iatrogenic) with a discrete onset of spontaneous vocal recovery. The time‐to‐recovery data were fit to a previously described two‐phase model that incorporates the Seddon classification of neuropraxia and higher grades of axonal injury. Alternatively, the data were fit to a single phase model that does not assume a focal axonal lesion.ResultsTime to vocal recovery in iatrogenic VFP can be reliably modeled by the assumption of a focal axonal lesion, with an early recovery group corresponding to neuropraxia and a late recovery group with more severe nerve damage. Time to recovery in idiopathic VFP can be more simply modeled in a single phase, with a time course that mirrors those in diverse biological processes such as transcription and microtubule growth.ConclusionIdiopathic VFP may not be caused by a focal axonal lesion. Neuritis may be a compatible mechanism. The iatrogenic VFP data lend further support to the concept that the severity of RLN injury, not the length of axon to regenerate, is the chief determinant of recovery time after iatrogenic injury.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 130:1520–1524, 2020
Laryngeal afferent modulation of swallowing interneurons in the dorsal medulla in perfused rats
Authors: Fuse Shinya , Sugiyama Yoichiro , Hashimoto Keiko , Umezaki Toshiro , Oku Yoshitaka , Dutschmann Mathias , Hirano Shigeru 
Published: September 2019

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of laryngeal afferent inputs on brainstem circuits that mediate and transmit swallowing activity to the orofacial musculature.MethodsExperiments were performed on 19 arterially perfused juvenile rats. The activities of swallowing interneurons in relation to their respective motor outputs in the hypoglossal and vagus nerves were assessed during fictive swallowing with or without concurrent laryngeal sensory stimulation at intensities of 20, 40, and 60 μA.ResultsThe hypoglossal nerve activity was gradually enhanced with increasing intensity of the sensory stimulation, while the vagus nerve activity was not altered. The activities of various interneurons were modulated by the laryngeal stimulation, but more than 50% of the recorded neurons were inhibited by the stimulation. Some interneurons demonstrated no obvious change in their discharge rates with laryngeal sensory stimulation during fictive swallowing.ConclusionLaryngeal afferent inputs partially modulated the swallowing motor activity via enhanced or suppressed activities of the swallowing interneurons, while the essential motor pattern underlying the pharyngeal stage of swallowing remained basically unchanged. Thus, the output patterns of the complex sequential movements of swallowing could be basically predetermined and further adjusted according to sensory information related to the properties of the ingested food by a swallowing central pattern generator.Level of EvidenceNA Laryngoscope, 130: 1885–1893, 2020
New insights into the variation of dissolved organic matter components in different latitudinal lakes of northeast China
Authors: Zhu Longji , Zhao Yue , Bai Sicong , Zhou Haixuan , Chen Xiaomeng , Wei Zimin 
Published: September 2019

AbstractDissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a key role in the carbon cycle of freshwater ecosystems. We explored DOM composition from six lakes encompassing a typical latitudinal gradient of lakes in northeast of China (41.9°N–48.6°N). Generally, the relative contents of protein‐like components decreased while humic‐like components increased with increasing latitude. Additionally, the results from modified two‐dimensional correlation spectroscopy indicated that humic‐like components with relatively simple structure were formed earlier than those with relatively complex structure. Furthermore, structural equation models suggested that at higher latitude, lake DOM tended to stabilize as protein‐like component was transformed into humic‐like component. We also found that nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) were key factors affecting DOM composition in low‐latitudinal lakes, whereas temperature was the key factor affecting DOM composition in high‐latitudinal lakes. In conclusion, this study identified the factors which explained the observed latitudinal pattern of DOM in northeast lakes of China. This study provided a theoretical basis for DOM management of lakes at different latitudes.
Eukaryotic influence on the oceanic biological carbon pump in the Scotia Sea as revealed by 18S rRNA gene sequencing of suspended and sinking particles
Authors: Duret Manon T. , Lampitt Richard S. , Lam Phyllis 
Published: September 2019

AbstractSuspended marine particles constitute most of the particulate organic matter pool in the oceans, thereby providing substantial substrates for heterotrophs, especially in the mesopelagic. Conversely, sinking particles are major contributors to carbon fluxes defining the strength of the biological carbon pump (BCP). This study is the first to investigate the differential influence of eukaryotic communities to suspended and sinking particles, using 18S rRNA gene sequencing on particles collected with a marine snow catcher in the mixed layer and upper mesopelagic of the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean. In the upper mesopelagic, most eukaryotic phytoplankton sequences belonged to chain‐forming diatoms in sinking particles and to prymnesiophytes in suspended particles. This suggests that diatom‐enriched particles are more efficient in carbon transfer to the upper mesopelagic than those enriched in prymnesiophytes in the Scotia Sea, the latter more easily disintegrating into suspended particles. In the upper mesopelagic, copepods appeared most influential on sinking particles whereas soft‐tissue metazoan sequences contributed more to suspended particles. Heterotrophic protists and fungi communities were distinct between mixed layer and upper mesopelagic, implying that few protists ride along sinking particles. Furthermore, differences between predatory flagellates and radiolarians between suspended and sinking particles implied different ecological conditions between the two particles pools, and roles in the BCP. Molecular analyses of sinking and suspended particles constitute powerful diagnostic tools to study the eukaryotic influence on the BCP in a more holistic manner compared to classic carbon export studies focusing on sinking particles.