bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Simple Method to Measure Dermatan Sulfate at Sub-Microgram Concentrations in Plasma
Authors: Dupouy D , Sié P , Dol F , Boneu B 
Published: June 2018

SummaryA simple method for biological assay of dermatan sulfate (DS) in plasma is described. DS accelerates thrombin inhibition by heparin cofactor II (HC II). The principle of the assay is to measure the residual amidolytic thrombin activity after a short period of incubation with HC II in defibrinated plasma at low ionic strength. For this method we take advantage of two observations. Firstly, at fixed concentrations of DS and of HC II, the rate of thrombin inhibition increases when the ionic strength of the medium decreases. Secondly, defibrination by bentonite absorption also removes antithrombin III, HC II and for a large part alpha-2 macroglobulin from the plasma, so that no other thrombin inhibitor competes with HC II added as a reagent in a second step.In the conditions described, there is a linear relationship between DS concentrations in plasma from 0 to 2 μg/ml and the log of residual thrombin activity. The limit of sensitivity is 0.1 μg/ ml. The assay displays an acceptable reproducibility in intraassay, inter-assay and inter-individual experiments. It can be used to measure DS in human, rabbit and rat plasmas. The assay is also sensitive to other HC II activators such as heparin and pentosan polysulfate.DS is effective in experimental thrombosis without any detectable anticoagulant effect ex vivo. Pharmacological concentrations of DS in plasma fall into the range of sensitivity of this assay, which would be helpful in experimental or clinical studies of DS and related glycosaminoglycans.
Monitoring Heparin Therapy by the Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time - The Effect of Pre-Analytical Conditions
Authors: van den Besselaar A M H P , Meeuwisse-Braun J , Jansen-Grüter R , Bertina R M 
Published: June 2018

SummaryBlood and plasma specimens from patients receiving heparin were collected and stored under various conditions. The effect of these conditions on the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was assessed. Four APTT reagents were used. Blood samples centrifuged at 600 × g gave slightly shorter APTTs than samples centrifuged at 940 × g and 2200 × g. Storage of uncentrifuged citrated-blood at room temperature resulted in 15-29% shortening of the APTT, depending on the reagent used. Storage of the same blood samples at 4° C resulted in 6-19% lengthening of the APTT. The presence of HEPES-buffer in citrated-blood shortened the APTT of heparinized patient specimens, but not of normal specimens. When blood was collected in a mixture of citric acid, theophylline, adenosine and dipyridamole (CTAD-mix-ture), storage at room temperature induced 0-11% decrease of the APTT, depending on the reagent used. Storage of CTAD-blood at 4° C resulted in 7-19% lengthening of the APTT. Shortening of the APTT could be explained by release of platelet factor 4 (PF4). Release of PF4 could be inhibited by CTAD-mixture. These data suggest that storage of CTAD-blood at room temperature is the best pre-analytical condition for reliable monitoring of heparin therapy by the APTT.
Effect of Congo Red on Blood Platelets and Leucocytes of Rabbits and Cats
Authors: Tschopp Th B. , Baumgartner H.-R , Studer A 
Published: June 2018

SummaryIn rabbits and cats Congo red administered intravenously causes severe thrombocytopenia and ultrastructural alterations of platelets and leucocytes, similar to those produced by some fatty acids and endotoxin. Transient leucopenia is followed by leucocytosis. In contrast, incubation of Congo red in citrated blood or platelet rich plasma has no effect. Therefore, an indirect mechanism is postulated to explain the in vivo effect of Congo red.
Platelet Aggregation by a Specific Human Immunoglobulin Preparation
Authors: de Gaetano G , Vermylen J , Verstraete M 
Published: June 2018

SummaryA patient with severe chronic thrombocytopenic purpura is described, whose serum, after repeated transfusions of platelet-rich plasma, of her ABO blood group, was found to contain immunoglobulin G, which produced clumping in platelet-rich plasma from 15 volunteers out of 20. Direct and indirect evidence was obtained that clumping was due to release of endogenous platelet-ADP. In addition, a direct effect of the immunoglobulin preparation on the platelet membrane could be demonstrated.
Separation and Characterization of Two Fibrinolytic Inhibitors from Human Placenta
Authors: Uszynski M , Abildgaard U 
Published: June 2018

SummaryProcedures for the separation of two inhibitors of the activation of plasminogen to plasmin by urokinase are described. Tissue thromboplastin was removed by adsorption to Al(0H)3 gel followed by ultracentrifugation. Plasminogen, plasminogen activator, a coagulation inhibitor and hemoglobin were removed by ion exchange chromatography (CM- or DEAE-Sephadex with NaCl gradients). The minor UK inhibitor is a relative basic protein with a pI of about 5.8. The major inhibitor was purified further by isoelectric focusing, preparative electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, and gel filtration. This inhibitor has α1-motility, the pI is about 5.2, and the molecular weight about 100,000. It inactivates urokinase progressively, but does not inhibit streptokinase, plasmin or thrombin.
Using the Hand-Sewn Purse-String Stapled Anastomotic Technique for Minimally Invasive Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy
Authors: Zhan Bicheng , Chen Jian , Du Shaoming , Xiong Yanzheng , Liu Jian 
Published: June 2018

Background Minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (MIILE) is increasingly being used in the treatment of middle or lower esophageal cancer. Hand-sewn purse-string stapled anastomosis is a classic approach in open esophagectomy. However, this procedure is technically difficult under thoracoscopy. The hardest part is delivering the anvil into the esophageal stump. Herein, we report an approach to performing this step under thoracoscopy.
Methods A total of 257 consecutive patients who underwent MIILE between April 2013 and July 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. The operator hand sewed the purse string using silk thread under thoracoscopy, and the 25-mm circular stapler was passed through the anterior axillary line at the fourth intercostal space to finish the side-to-end gastroesophageal anastomosis. Patient demographics, intraoperative data, postoperative complications were evaluated.
Results The mean operative time, thoracoscopy time, and anvil fixation time was 307.0 ± 34.3, 155.4 ± 21.5, and 7.1 ± 1.6 minute, respectively. The anastomotic leak and anastomotic stricture occurred in 6.6% (17 of 257) and 3.9% (10 of 257) of patients, respectively. There was no intraoperative death; one case was death of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) for conduit gastric leakage on the 21st postoperative day.
Conclusion Using the hand-sewn purse-string stapled anastomotic technique for MIILE is feasible and relatively safe in patients with middle or lower esophageal cancer.
Right-wing populism and the dynamics of style: a discourse-analytic perspective on mediated political performances
Authors: Ekström Mats , Patrona Marianna , Thornborrow Joanna 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis article offers new ways of conceptualising style in right wing populist communicative performances, by foregrounding a structured and conceptually informed use of “style” that moves beyond the descriptive sense routinely employed in political communication. Specifically, it explores how a discourse-analytic approach to mediated populist discourse can inform and advance the current understanding of populist ‘style’ by analysing some contextually produced linguistic and discursive choices in populist rhetorical repertoires—i.e., the communicative strategies that are deployed in mediated contexts for right-wing populist political communication. Taking three illustrative examples of right wing populist party performances on TV news and current affairs broadcasts in Greece (GD), France (FN) and the UK (UKIP), the speakers’ use of a range of rhetorical devices is examined using models from socio-linguistics and discourse analysis: aspects of register shifts by GD in blame attribution speeches, interactional ‘bad manners’ in a French political debate, and Nigel Farage speaking ‘candidly’ in three different contexts of news reporting from the UK. In taking such a qualitative approach, it is argued that populist style cannot be defined in terms of one single feature, or set of features, common to all right wing populists and transferrable from one socio-cultural context to another, but more usefully as a set of motivated choices among alternative semiotic resources (linguistic/discursive, interactional and visual), which have social and cultural resonance. This focus on micro-level features of mediated interaction thus offers a more fine-grained understanding of style than is currently the case, as it shows how right-wing populist politicians’ performative styles are situated within specific (here European) socio-cultural and political communicative contexts; in this study, this is to say, the various television broadcasts in which they occur.
Amyloid seeding of transthyretin by ex vivo cardiac fibrils and its inhibition
Authors: Saelices Lorena , Chung Kevin , Lee Ji H. , Cohn Whitaker , Whitelegge Julian P. , Benson Merrill D. , Eisenberg David S. 
Published: June 2018

Significance
Transthyretin (TTR) cardiac amyloidosis is characterized by the deposition of TTR amyloid fibrils in the heart. No therapy is currently available for wild-type cardiac amyloidosis. Hereditary cases are treated by liver transplantation, a crude form of gene therapy which replaces amyloidogenic mutant TTR by the more stable wild-type form, with the goal of halting further deposition and disease progression. However, wild-type TTR continues to deposit in the heart of many patients after the procedure. Until now, seeding of TTR fibril formation has not been demonstrated in vitro. We show that patient-extracted cardiac fibrils can seed both wild-type and mutant TTR fibril formation in vitro. This process can be inhibited by structure-based peptide inhibitors, thereby providing an alternative approach to therapy.
Does the source matter?
Authors: Kotwica Dorota 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis article provides an insight into the expression of reportative evidentiality in Spanish scientific articles published between 1799 and 1920. Central to the discussion is the presence and specificity of sources in reportative constructions. While contemporary scientific discourse prioritizes the use of specific, reportative-quotative evidentials, this is not a constant feature of articles analyzed in this study. In order to trace this historical variation, we established a classification of reportative constructions according to the specificity of the evidence they convey and we conducted both qualitative and quantitative analyses. According to our results, different specificity patterns were prominent in different temporal stages of the period under review. We argue that this can be interpreted in light of the growth and changing practices of the scientific community.
Evidential language in Internet forums
Authors: Torrent i Alamany-Lenzen Aina 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis article analyses the function of the multiword lexemeya me dirás túas used in Internet forums. We defend the notion thatya me dirás túis a highly polyphonic discourse marker. Its function is evidential as of the moment in which the speaker uses this unit to present a subjective appraisal as a logical truth within the framework of an assertion. We therefore focus on evidentiality from not only a lexical but also a textual-discursive standpoint. Internet forums are the ideal type of text for studying a unit likeya me dirás tú, which is typically used in colloquial language.
Evidentiality in illness narratives
Authors: Figueras Bates Carolina 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
Narratives of severe mental illness can be regarded as the discursive efforts of a healthy self to restore a sense of selfhood disrupted by the illness. Focusing on a sample of 87 unsolicited online illness narratives of eating disorders in Spanish, this article explores how narrators deployed evidential constructions introduced by the perception verb “ver” (to see) to manage identity in the autobiographical telling. The analysis revealed that “ver” indexed information as coming from different sources (perception, mental states, inference). This evidential material was discursively evaluated (via the adoption of a specific epistemic stance) and applied to construe conflicting versions of self in the eating disorder narratives. Resorting to the evidential marking, narrators could rhetorically negotiate the transition from their perceptual self, created during the illness, to their cognitive self, elaborated in the recovery.
Prediction of human-Bacillus anthracis protein–protein interactions using multi-layer neural network
Authors: Ahmed Ibrahim , Witbooi Peter , Christoffels Alan 
Published: June 2018

Abstract

Motivation
Triplet amino acids have successfully been included in feature selection to predict human-HPV protein-protein interactions (PPI). The utility of supervised learning methods is curtailed due to experimental data not being available in sufficient quantities. Improvements in machine learning techniques and features selection will enhance the study of PPI between host and pathogen.

Results
We present a comparison of a neural network model versus SVM for prediction of host-pathogen PPI based on a combination of features including: amino acid quadruplets, pairwise sequence similarity, and human interactome properties. The neural network and SVM were implemented using Python Sklearn library. The neural network model using quadruplet features and other network features outperformance the SVM model. The models are tested against published predictors and then applied to the human-B.anthracis case. Gene ontology term enrichment analysis identifies immunology response and regulation as functions of interacting proteins. For prediction of Human-viral PPI, our model (neural network) is a significant improvement in overall performance compared to a predictor using the triplets feature and achieves a good accuracy in predicting human-B.anthracis PPI.

Availability and implementation
All code can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.sanbi.ac.za/machine_learning/.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
ncdDetect2: improved models of the site-specific mutation rate in cancer and driver detection with robust significance evaluation
Authors: Juul Malene , Madsen Tobias , Guo Qianyun , Bertl Johanna , Hobolth Asger , Kellis Manolis , Pedersen Jakob Skou 
Published: June 2018

AbstractMotivationUnderstanding the mutational processes that act during cancer development is a key topic of cancer biology. Nevertheless, much remains to be learned, as a complex interplay of processes with dependencies on a range of genomic features creates highly heterogeneous cancer genomes. Accurate driver detection relies on unbiased models of the mutation rate that also capture rate variation from uncharacterized sources.ResultsHere, we analyse patterns of observed-to-expected mutation counts across 505 whole cancer genomes, and find that genomic features missing from our mutation-rate model likely operate on a megabase length scale. We extend our site-specific model of the mutation rate to include the additional variance from these sources, which leads to robust significance evaluation of candidate cancer drivers. We thus present ncdDetect v.2, with greatly improved cancer driver detection specificity. Finally, we show that ranking candidates by their posterior mean value of their effect sizes offers an equivalent and more computationally efficient alternative to ranking by their P-values.Availability and implementationncdDetect v.2 is implemented as an R-package and is freely available at http://github.com/TobiasMadsen/ncdDetect2Supplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Prefrontal Control Over Occipital Responses to Crossmodal Overlap Varies Across the Congruency Spectrum
Authors: Lundström Johan N , Regenbogen Christina , Ohla Kathrin , Seubert Janina 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
While matched crossmodal information is known to facilitate object recognition, it is unclear how our perceptual systems encode the more gradual congruency variations that occur in our natural environment. Combining visual objects with odor mixtures to create a gradual increase in semantic object overlap, we demonstrate high behavioral acuity to linear variations of olfactory–visual overlap in a healthy adult population. This effect was paralleled by a linear increase in cortical activation at the intersection of occipital fusiform and lingual gyri, indicating linear encoding of crossmodal semantic overlap in visual object recognition networks. Effective connectivity analyses revealed that this integration of olfactory and visual information was achieved by direct information exchange between olfactory and visual areas. In addition, a parallel pathway through the superior frontal gyrus was increasingly recruited towards the most ambiguous stimuli. These findings demonstrate that cortical structures involved in object formation are inherently crossmodal and encode sensory overlap in a linear manner. The results further demonstrate that prefrontal control of these processes is likely required for ambiguous stimulus combinations, a fact of high ecological relevance that may be inappropriately captured by common task designs juxtaposing congruency and incongruency.
The L2 Weak Sequential Convergence of Radial Focusing Mass Critical NLS Solutions with Mass Above the Ground State
Authors: Fan Chenjie 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
We study the non-scattering $L^{2}$ solution $u$ to the radial focusing mass-critical nonlinear Schrödinger equation with mass just above the ground state, and show that there exists a time sequence $\{t_{n}\}_{n}$, such that $u(t_{n})$ weakly converges to the ground state $Q$ up to scaling and phase transformation. We also give some partial results on the mass concentration phenomena of the minimal mass blow-up solution.
Local Models of Isolated Singularities for Affine Special Kähler Structures in Dimension Two
Authors: Callies Martin , Haydys Andriy 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
We construct local models of isolated singularities for special Kähler structures in real dimension two assuming that the associated holomorphic cubic form does not have essential singularities. As an application we compute the holonomy of the flat symplectic connection, which is a part of the special Kähler structure.
Who Leaves Early? Factors Associated With Against Medical Advice Discharge During Alcohol Withdrawal Treatment
Authors: Pytell Jarratt D. , Rastegar Darius A. 
Published: June 2018

Objective:
To determine if certain patient, clinical, and disease factors are associated with against medical advice (AMA) discharge among patients admitted for treatment of alcohol withdrawal.

Methods:
Data from admissions to a dedicated unit for treatment of substance withdrawal were collected over a 6-month period. Patients with AMA and planned discharge were compared with regard to demographics, clinical data, and substance use disorder disease characteristics. A stepwise logistic regression was used to find the best model.

Results:
The study population included 655 patient encounters. A total of 93 (14%) discharges were AMA. Bivariate analysis showed patients with AMA discharge were younger (mean age 43 vs 46 years; P < 0.05), more likely to leave on a Tuesday to Thursday, and to have an initial withdrawal score at or above the median (AMA 69% vs planned 56%; P = 0.02). Emergency department (ED) admissions had an AMA discharge rate of 21% compared with 10% of community admissions (P < 0.05). Regression analysis found AMA discharge was significantly associated with admission from the ED (odds ratio [OR] 2.03, confidence interval [CI] 1.27–3.25) and younger age (OR 0.97, CI 0.95–0.99). There was no significant difference in discharge disposition among patients with concurrent opioid use disorder who were on opioid agonist therapy.

Conclusions:
AMA discharges occurred in 1 of every 7 admissions. Being admitted from the ED and younger age was associated with AMA discharge. No other patient or clinical factors were found to be associated with AMA discharge.
Predictors of Leaving an Inpatient Medical Withdrawal Service Against Medical Advice: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Ling Sara , Cleverley Kristin , Brennenstuhl Sarah , Bindseil Kirstin 
Published: June 2018

Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and predictors of patients leaving an inpatient medical withdrawal unit against medical advice (AMA).

Methods:
This study used a case-control design to compare patients who were discharged AMA (n = 164) with those who completed treatment (n = 678). Logistic regression analysis was used to determine which variables were independent predictors of patients leaving AMA.

Results:
We found that being admitted through the emergency department (odds ratio [OR] 3.17, confidence interval [CI] 1.66–6.08), having gamma-hydroxybutyrate (OR 7.61, CI 1.81–32.09) as a primary substance of concern compared to alcohol, and having multiple axis I psychiatric diagnoses (OR 2.20, CI 1.16–4.18) or depression (OR 2.86, CI 1.32–6.17) compared with no psychiatric diagnosis increased the odds of leaving inpatient medical withdrawal AMA. By contrast, not being dependent on nicotine (OR 0.45, CI 0.23–0.88) and increasing time since admission (OR 0.42, CI 0.36–0.48) reduced the odds of leaving AMA.

Conclusions:
The findings of this study reveal novel information about patients who leave inpatient medical withdrawal AMA and can inform targeted interventions to prevent vulnerable patients from terminating treatment early and improve healthcare service utilization.
Do Personality Factors Assessed Before Cochlear Implantation Predict Hearing-Related Quality Of Life After Cochlear Implantation in Postlingually Deafened Adults?
Authors: Muigg Franz , Bliem Harald R. , Holzner Bernhard , Kühn Heike , Zorowka Patrick G. , Weichbold Viktor W. 
Published: June 2018

Background:
Studies have shown that cochlear implants improve deaf patients’ hearing-related quality of life (hrQoL), but the degree of improvement varies considerably between patients. This study investigated whether personality factors contribute to hrQoL outcome after cochlear implantation.

Method:
Fifty adult patients with postlingual hearing loss who received a unilateral cochlear implant were administered the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; a personality inventory) and the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ; a hrQoL questionnaire). The NEO-FFI was administered only before implantation; the NCIQ was administered before implantation and 12 months after implant activation. A linear regression analysis was computed to detect whether NCIQ scores at 12 months were predicted by the NEO-FFI personality factors (i.e., Extraversion, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) assessed before implantation.

Results:
HrQoL scores had significantly improved 12 months after cochlear implantation in all subdomains of the NCIQ. Of the five personality factors, solely Neuroticism was negatively associated to the NCIQ subdomain self-esteem (β = −0.34; p = 0.013) at 12 months after cochlear implantation.

Conclusions:
While significant improvement of hrQoL was seen 12 months after implant activation, this improvement was barely predicted by the Big-Five personality traits measured before implantation. Only Neuroticism was found to moderately influence postimplantation hrQoL in our patients, in the way that higher degrees of Neuroticism tend to go along with lower degrees of self-esteem (as conceptualized by the NCIQ). The failure to detect personality effects on hrQoL could partly be due to the low levels of Extraversion and Openness to Experience observed in our sample of patients with hearing loss.