bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Probiotics: Evidence of Oral Health Implications
Authors: Meurman Jukka H. , Stamatova Iva V. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe prevalence of common oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontal diseases and oral candidiasis remains high in the general population. Various preventive strategies have been proposed and included in national health programs promoting oral health. Interest in probiotics in light of oral health has gradually evolved as attractive means in prevention of oral infectious diseases. The aim of the present review is to outline the current evidence on the role of probiotic species on oral health parameters and their beneficial role in contributing to healthier oral environment.
Changes to trimethylamine-N-oxide and its precursors in nascent metabolic syndrome
Authors: Lent-Schochet Daniella , Silva Ryan , McLaughlin Matthew , Huet Beverley , Jialal Ishwarlal 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Background
Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cardio-metabolic cluster afflicting 35% of American adults, increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type-2 diabetes (T2DM) risk. Increased levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolite derived from choline and L-carnitine, correlates with CVD and T2DM. However, the precise role of TMAO and its precursors in MetS remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that choline, L-carnitine and TMAO in MetS patients without CVD or T2DM would be altered and correlate with inflammatory markers.

Materials and methods
This was an exploratory study of 30 patients with nascent MetS (without CVD or T2DM) and 20 matched controls. MetS was defined by the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. TMAO and its precursors were evaluated from each patient’s frozen early morning urine samples and quantified using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS). These amines were correlated with a detailed repertoire of biomarkers of inflammation and adipokines.

Results
L-carnitine was significantly increased (p = 0.0002) compared to controls. There was a trend for a significant increase in TMAO levels (p = 0.08). Choline was not significantly altered in MetS. L-carnitine correlated significantly with soluble tumor necrosis factor 1 (sTNFR1) and leptin, and inversely to adiponectin. TMAO correlated with IL-6, endotoxin and chemerin. Neither choline, nor L-carnitine significantly correlated with TMAO.

Conclusion
L-carnitine is directly correlated with markers of inflammation in nascent MetS. Cellular L-carnitine could be a biomediator or marker of inflammation in the pathogenesis of MetS, and the sequelae of CVD and T2DM.
The function of HBx in HBV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Lu Zhaoliang 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second cause cancer death in the world. HCC is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages with intrahepatic metstasis or vascular invasion and has a poor prognosis with a high mortality rate. In the world, hepatitis B virus (HBV) caused over 50% HCC, making it the most common carcinogen after tobacco. Notably, accumulating evidence suggests HBV X gene (HBx) play an important role in tumorigenesis of HBV-related HCC. In this review, we will summarize the functions of HBx proteins in tumorigenesis and discuss their potential implications in cancer therapy.
International capital flows, stock markets, and uneven development: the case of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSEI)
Authors: Klagge Britta , Zademach Hans-Martin 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
While for a long time only regarded as subordinate factors, it is meanwhile accepted that financial systems and capital flows play a key role for economic development and growth. Against this background many countries of the Global South founded new, or liberalised existing, stock exchanges, albeit with different results. Whereas in various Asian countries these markets have attracted sizable amounts of investment capital for domestic companies, this is not the case for most stock exchanges in Africa and especially Sub-Saharan Africa. Although there is an increasing number of Sub-Saharan African stock exchanges, the majority is institutionally weak, small, illiquid and thus unattractive to most international investors, resulting in low portfolio investment inflows to Sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, Africa is becoming increasingly portrayed as continent of opportunities with immense growth prospects which led to a new and growing appetite for investment in Africa in general and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular. In this situation the new UN-supported Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSEI) comes into play which aims at transforming stock markets into instruments for supporting sustainable development and green growth. Based on conceptual considerations surrounding the development-through-stock-exchanges argument, this exploratory research addresses the actors involved in this initiative and takes their rationales under closer scrutiny. We argue that the initiative not only serves as a tool for sustainable development, but also as a promoter and facilitator of new international investment opportunities, specifically for international and institutional investors in their drive to enlarge and diversify their portfolios – resulting in various challenges for Sub-Saharan stock exchanges and their local stakeholders.
Learning-Dependent and -Independent Enhancement of Mitral/Tufted Cell Glomerular Odor Responses Following Olfactory Fear Conditioning in Awake Mice
Authors: Ross Jordan M. , Fletcher Max L. 
Published: April 2018

Associative fear learning produces fear toward the conditioned stimulus (CS) and often generalization, the expansion of fear from the CS to similar, unlearned stimuli. However, how fear learning affects early sensory processing of learned and unlearned stimuli in relation to behavioral fear responses to these stimuli remains unclear. We subjected male and female mice expressing the fluorescent calcium indicator GCaMP3 in olfactory bulb mitral and tufted cells to a classical olfactory fear conditioning paradigm. We then used awake,in vivocalcium imaging to quantify learning-induced changes in glomerular odor responses, which constitute the first site of olfactory processing in the brain. The results demonstrate that odor-shock pairing nonspecifically enhances glomerular odor representations in a learning-dependent manner and increases representational similarity between the CS and nonconditioned odors, potentially priming the system toward generalization of learned fear. Additionally, CS-specific glomerular enhancements remain even when associative learning is blocked, suggesting two separate mechanisms lead to enhanced glomerular responses following odor-shock pairings.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIn the olfactory bulb (OB), odors are uniquely coded in a spatial map that represents odor identity, making the OB a unique model system for investigating how learned fear alters sensory processing. Classical fear conditioning causes fear of the conditioned stimulus (CS) and of neutral stimuli, known as generalization. Combining fear conditioning with fluorescent calcium imaging of OB glomeruli, we found enhanced glomerular responses of the CS as well as neutral stimuli in awake mice, which mirrors fear generalization. We report that CS and neutral stimuli enhancements are, respectively, learning-independent and learning-dependent. Together, these results reveal distinct mechanisms leading to enhanced OB processing of fear-inducing stimuli and provide important implications for altered sensory processing in fear generalization.
Hip Synovial Fluid Cell Counts in Children From a Lyme Disease Endemic Area
Authors: Dart Arianna H. , Michelson Kenneth A. , Aronson Paul L. , Garro Aris C. , Lee Thomas J. , Glerum Kimberly M. , Nigrovic Peter A. , Kocher Mininder S. , Bachur Richard G. , Nigrovic Lise E. 
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND:
Patients with septic hip arthritis require surgical drainage, but they can be difficult to distinguish from patients with Lyme arthritis. The ability of synovial fluid white blood cell (WBC) counts to help discriminate between septic and Lyme arthritis of the hip has not been investigated.

METHODS:
We assembled a retrospective cohort of patients ≤21 years of age with hip monoarticular arthritis and a synovial fluid culture obtained who presented to 1 of 3 emergency departments located in Lyme disease endemic areas. Septic arthritis was defined as a positive synovial fluid culture result or synovial fluid pleocytosis (WBC count ≥50 000 cells per µL) with a positive blood culture result. Lyme arthritis was defined as positive 2-tiered Lyme disease serology results and negative synovial fluid bacterial culture results. All other patients were classified as having other arthritis. We compared median synovial fluid WBC counts by arthritis type.

RESULTS:
Of the 238 eligible patients, 26 (11%) had septic arthritis, 32 (13%) had Lyme arthritis, and 180 (76%) had other arthritis. Patients with septic arthritis had a higher median synovial fluid WBC count (126 130 cells per µL; interquartile range 83 303–209 332 cells per µL) than patients with Lyme arthritis (53 955 cells per µL; interquartile range 33 789–73 375 cells per µL). Eighteen patients (56%) with Lyme arthritis had synovial fluid WBC counts ≥50 000 cells per µL. Of the 94 patients who underwent surgical drainage, 13 were later diagnosed with Lyme arthritis.

CONCLUSIONS:
In Lyme disease endemic areas, synovial fluid WBC counts cannot always help differentiate septic from Lyme arthritis. Rapid Lyme diagnostics could help avoid unnecessary operative procedures in patients with Lyme arthritis.
El Trabajo Social en contextos de alta complejidad. Tomo II. Apuntes sobre la dimensión socio-política
Authors: Murcia Albañil Diana Marcela 
Published: April 2018

El trabajador social e investigador Víctor Yáñez Pereira presenta el segundo tomo del libro El trabajo social en contextos de alta complejidad en el cual se propone una reflexión desde los debates contemporáneos en la dimensión sociopolítica de la investigación/intervención del Trabajo Social. El profesor Yáñez ha estado vinculado con la enseñanza, teniendo a su cargo las cátedras de Introducción a las ciencias sociales, Desarrollo social, Trabajo social e intervención social, Método de Intervención del Trabajo Social Familiar, Políticas sociales y Estrategias de Bienestar Social. Actualmente es profesor asociado y director de la carrera de Trabajo Social en la Universidad Autónoma de Chile, sede Talca. Igualmente, tiene a su cargo la dirección del programa de Magíster en Trabajo Social en la misma escuela. Como investigador, se ha interesado por los temas relacionados con la epistemología, identidad y autonomía de la disciplina del Trabajo Social, así como su construcción histórica y el estudio de los "fundamentos teórico-metodológicos, socio-políticos, crítico-ideológicos del proceso de investigación-intervención" (7).
A Numerical Approach for Modeling of Turbulent Newtonian Fluid Flow in Eccentric Annulus
Authors: ÜLKER Erman , KORKUT UYSAL Sıla Övgü , SORGUN Mehmet 
Published: April 2018

Turbulent flow is a
complicated process that frequently appears not only in nature but also in
engineering applications. Numerical methods frequently are used to solve
turbulent flow problems due to the trouble in solving Navier-Stokes
equations. Navier-Stokes equations including inner pipe rotation
effect are solved via two different numerical techniques. The efficiency of the
proposed numerical technique is compared with the obtained solutions of
Newton-Raphson method. The proposed method is computationally expensive,
however, it may allow tackling the non-linearity of challenging problems in
hydraulics. A mechanistic model including proposed numerical method is also
developed in order to predict pressure gradient for fully developed turbulent
flow through fully eccentric horizontal annulus including pipe rotation. The
computational frameworks are developed in MATLAB. Mathematical model is
confirmed by the experimental study, which is conducted in Izmir Katip Celebi
University. Results show that
computational fluid model is a capable of estimating frictional pressure
gradient with an error of less than 14 %.
Güzel Sanatlar Eğitimi Bölümü Öğrencilerinin Mekân Kavramına İlişkin Metaforik Algıları
Authors: BEYOĞLU Aylin , ERGİN Demirali Y. 
Published: April 2018

Bu araştırmanın amacı, Üniversite Eğitim Fakültesi Güzel Sanatlar Eğitimi Bölümü öğrencilerinin mekân kavramına yönelik metaforik algılarını karşılaştırmaktır. Bu amaçla, Trakya Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Güzel Sanatlar Eğitimi Bölümü Resim-İş Eğitimi Anabilim Dalı ve Müzik Eğitimi Anabilim Dalı öğrencileri tarafından mekân kavramının hangi metaforlar aracılığıyla algılanmakta olduğu, öğrencilerin metaforik algıları arasında ve bu metaforlar bakımından cinsiyet, yaş gibi bazı demografik özelliklerine göre benzerlik ve farklılık olup olmadığı karşılaştırılarak değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak yarı-yapılandırılmış anket formu kullanılmıştır. Form, demografik değişkenler ve katılımcıların "Mekân …gibidir, çünkü…" cümlesini tamamlamaları istenen iki ayrı bölümden oluşmaktadır. Araştırmada elde edilen veriler, öğrencilerin mekân kavramı ile ilgili yazılı açıklamalarından elde edilmiştir. Araştırmada nitel araştırma desenlerinden “olgu bilim” kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada veriler öncelikle frekans ve yüzde tabloları halinde özetlenmiştir. Mekân kavramına yönelik algıları arasındaki ilişkiler ile bu algıların demografik özelliklere göre benzerlik veya farklılıkları olup olmadığı analiz edilmiştir. Toplanan verilerin analiz edilmesi ve yorumlanmasında metaforik içerik analizi yapılmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini; 2016-2017 akademik yılının ikinci yarısında Trakya Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Güzel Sanatlar Eğitimi Bölümü Resim-İş Eğitimi Anabilim Dalı ve Müzik Eğitimi Anabilim Dalı’nın tüm öğrencileri oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada, Güzel Sanatlar Eğitimi Bölümü öğrencilerinin mekân kavramına ilişkin geliştirdikleri kategoriler karşılaştırılmıştır ve sonuç bölümü oluşturulmuştur. Bu araştırmada elde edilen bulgular sonucunda, Güzel Sanatlar Eğitimi Bölümü Resim-İş Öğretmenliği öğrencilerinin mekân kavramını nesne olarak görürken, Müzik Öğretmenliği öğrencilerinin ise fiziki yapı olarak gördükleri tespit edilmiştir.
Bir Anti-Masal Örneği Olarak Cam Ayakkabıları Reddeden Vejetaryen Külkedisi
Authors: Asutay Hikmet , AGVAN Özlem 
Published: April 2018

Ele aldığı gerçek dışı olayları olağanüstü
özelliklere sahip kahramanlar aracılığı ile yer ve zaman belirsizliğinde
aktaran bir sözlü gelenek türü olarak ortaya çıkan masallar, bir kültürün özünü gösteren önemli edebi tür
olarak karşımıza çıkar. Masalların kültür temsilcisi rolünün yanında, kahraman betimlemeleri ve oluşturdukları
söylem bütünlüğü ile ideoloji aktarıcısı olarak çocukların erken yaşta
toplumsal yapıya uyumlu bireyler olarak şekillenmesinde önemli rol üstlenir. Geleneksel masalların; dominant ideolojinin ve
toplumun temel dinamiklerinin gelecek kuşaklara aktarılması amacıyla
kurgulandığı ve mitsel ögelerle barındırdıkları alt metinleri nesiller boyu bir
baskı aracına dönüştürdüğü iddiası ile masalların bu alt metinlerden
arındırılması gerektiğini savunan, çocuklara birey olarak yaklaşan ve de
onların zihinsel gelişimini destekleme amacı edinmiş Anti Masal veya Karşı
Masal olarak adlandırılan yeni bir masal anlayışı ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu
çalışmada, toplum cinsiyet algısının eril bir düzlemde yeniden şekillenmesinde
ve aktarılmasında önemli bir yere sahip popüler masal örneklerinden biri olan
Grimm Kardeşler’in “Külkedisi” ile erkek iktidarını reddetmiş, kadının
özgürlüğünü öne çıkaran Anti-Külkedisi masallarından Nunila Lopez’in yazın
hayatına kattığı “Vejetaryen Külkedisi” feminist masal eleştirisi bakış
açısıyla incelenecektir. Çalışmada hemen hemen herkes tarafından bilinen Grimm Kardeşler’in
“Külkedisi” masalının seçilmesindeki başlıca nedeni; masalda kadının öteki
cinsiyet olarak tanımlanması ve bu ideolojinin yıllardır bu ve buna benzer
masallar aracılığı ile yeniden üretilmesidir. Özellikle 20. yüzyılın ikinci
yarısından sonra gelişen feminist masal eleştirinin ilk harekete geçtiği alan;
masallarda hangi kadın modelleri üretildiğini araştırmaktır, bu bakış açısından
yola çıkan Lopez evliliğin kadının tek yazgısı olmadığını göstermek, bir
kurtarıcı erkek olmadan kendi hayatın sorumluluğunu üstlenen kadın modeli
yaratmak için; artık Külkedisi’ni uyandırmak için kalemini oynatmıştır.
Über die Historisierung in Anna Seghers’ "Das siebte Kreuz"
Authors: ÖZTÜRK Burcu 
Published: April 2018

In Anna Seghers’ Roman Das siebte Kreuz (1942) wird die Gesellschaft des ,Dritten Reiches’ dargestellt. Anna Seghers, deren Bedeutung für die Exilliteratur unbestreitbar ist, kombiniert in ihrem Roman Das siebte Kreuz Fakten und Fiktionen mit Symbolen, um den Nationalsozialismus zu beschreiben. Im Grunde erzählt Anna Seghers im Siebten Kreuz den kulturellen und historischen Prozess der Menschheit. Auf diese Weise kommt im Text etwas zustande, das als Historisierung bezeichnet werden kann. Im Roman erscheint Geschichte als ein endloser Prozess von Gewalt, in dem es immer Sieger und Besiegte gibt, oder anders ausgedrückt: in dem Sieger immer irgendwann zu Besiegten werden. Durch die Variante der Historisierung aber gewinnt das Problem, das Seghers darstellt, eine universale Dimension; durch die Zahlensymbolik und die Symbolik des Kreuzes wird dies nurmehr unterstrichen. Deshalb kommt dem Phänomen Historisierung eine so wichtige Bedeutung zu. Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrags ist es, dieses Phänomen näher zu beleuchten. Daher soll zunächst das Verhältnis von Fiktionalität und Faktualität in Das siebte Kreuz geklärt und dann die Symbolik des Romans erläutert werden. Im dritten Schritt ist die im Text zur Anschauung gelangende Historisierung zu analysieren. Die Untersuchung wird einen im weitesten Sinne hermeneutischen Ansatz verfolgen, um so die vielfältigen zeitgeschichtlichen Bezüge von Das siebte Kreuz angemessen einzuordnen. Am Ende dieser Untersuchung lässt sich zeigen, dass die Historisierung in diesem Roman vor allem ein Mittel ist, um die Universalität bestimmter Themen sichtbar zu machen.
Lower Extremity Motor Function Following Complex Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery
Authors: Lenke Lawrence G. , Shaffrey Christopher I. , Carreon Leah Y. , Cheung Kenneth M.C. , Dahl Benny T. , Fehlings Michael G. 
Published: April 2018

Background:The reported neurologic complication rate following surgery for complex adult spinal deformity (ASD) is variable due to several factors. Most series have been retrospective with heterogeneous patient populations and use of nonuniform neurologic assessments. The aim of this study was to prospectively document lower extremity motor function by means of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) lower extremity motor score (LEMS) before and through 2 years after surgical correction of complex ASD.Methods:The Scoli-RISK-1 study enrolled 272 patients with ASD, from 15 centers, who had undergone primary or revision surgery for a major Cobb angle of ≥80°, corrective osteotomy for congenital spinal deformity or as a revision procedure for any type of deformity, and/or a complex 3-column osteotomy.Results:One of 272 patients lacked preoperative data and was excluded from the analysis, and 62 (22.9%) of the remaining 271 patients, who were included, lacked a 2-year postoperative assessment. Patients with no preoperative motor impairment (normal LEMS group; n = 203) had a small but significant decline from the mean preoperative LEMS value (50) to that at 2 years postoperatively (49.66 [95% confidence interval = 49.46 to 49.85]; p = 0.002). Patients who did have a motor deficit preoperatively (n = 68; mean LEMS, 43.79) had significant LEMS improvement at 6 months (47.21, p < 0.001) and 2 years (46.12, p = 0.003) postoperatively. The overall percentage of patients (in both groups combined) who had a postoperative LEMS decline, compared with the preoperative value, was 23.0% at discharge, 17.1% at 6 weeks, 9.9% at 6 months, and 10.0% at 2 years.Conclusions:The percentage of patients who had a LEMS decline (compared with the preoperative score) after undergoing complex spinal reconstructive surgery for ASD was 23.0% at discharge, which improved to 10.0% at 2 years postoperatively. These rates are higher than previously reported, which we concluded was due to the prospective, strict nature of the LEMS testing of patients with these challenging deformities.Level of Evidence:TherapeuticLevel IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Restoration of the Patient-Specific Anatomy of the Proximal and Distal Parts of the Humerus
Authors: Vlachopoulos Lazaros , Lüthi Marcel , Carrillo Fabio , Gerber Christian , Székely Gábor , Fürnstahl Philipp 
Published: April 2018

Background:
In computer-assisted reconstructive surgeries, the contralateral anatomy is established as the best available reconstruction template. However, existing intra-individual bilateral differences or a pathological, contralateral humerus may limit the applicability of the method. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a statistical shape model (SSM) has the potential to predict accurately the pretraumatic anatomy of the humerus from the posttraumatic condition.

Methods:
Three-dimensional (3D) triangular surface models were extracted from the computed tomographic data of 100 paired cadaveric humeri without a pathological condition. An SSM was constructed, encoding the characteristic shape variations among the individuals. To predict the patient-specific anatomy of the proximal (or distal) part of the humerus with the SSM, we generated segments of the humerus of predefined length excluding the part to predict. The proximal and distal humeral prediction (p-HP and d-HP) errors, defined as the deviation of the predicted (bone) model from the original (bone) model, were evaluated. For comparison with the state-of-the-art technique, i.e., the contralateral registration method, we used the same segments of the humerus to evaluate whether the SSM or the contralateral anatomy yields a more accurate reconstruction template.

Results:
The p-HP error (mean and standard deviation, 3.8° ± 1.9°) using 85% of the distal end of the humerus to predict the proximal humeral anatomy was significantly smaller (p = 0.001) compared with the contralateral registration method. The difference between the d-HP error (mean, 5.5° ± 2.9°), using 85% of the proximal part of the humerus to predict the distal humeral anatomy, and the contralateral registration method was not significant (p = 0.61). The restoration of the humeral length was not significantly different between the SSM and the contralateral registration method.

Conclusions:
SSMs accurately predict the patient-specific anatomy of the proximal and distal aspects of the humerus. The prediction errors of the SSM depend on the size of the healthy part of the humerus.

Clinical Relevance:
The prediction of the patient-specific anatomy of the humerus is of fundamental importance for computer-assisted reconstructive surgeries.