bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Generation of Tissue Factor by Patient Monocytes: Correlation to Thromboembolic Complications
Authors: Miller Carol L , Graziano Charles , Lim Robert C , Chin Milly 
Published: July 2018

SummaryThromboembolic complications are often a common pathological consequence of severe soft tissue trauma. Recent demonstration that monocytes (MØ) produce tissue factor (TF) has led to the suggestion that these TF producing MØ might play a role in coagulopathy. We have previously demonstrated that trauma patients with splenectomy develop aberrant monocyte function and this patient group is also known to be at high risk of hypercoagulability episodes. This paper is an intial report on the use of MØ TF as an indicator of and/or a correlate to clotting episodes. Monocytes isolated from the Ficoll-Hypaque purified mononuclear cells of 46 normal individuals, 17 trauma patients and 6 surgical controls were assayed at 3 day post-injury intervals for their levels of TF activity. Changes in monocyte TF activity were correlated to increases in the fractional catabolic rate (FCR) of 125I-fibrinogen. Trauma patients were retrospectively divided into those whose FCR was elevated to a level indicative of coagulopathy and those whose FCR levels were not associated with coagulation abnormalites. All trauma patients who exhibited significantly increased FCR experienced thromboembolic episodes and had monocytes whose TF activity was increased an average of 300% (X = 47 units vs X = 12 units) over surgical controls. These increases in monocyte TF activity occrured at 6-13 days post injury and preceded clinical manifestation of coagulopathy by 4-6 days. The increased monocyte TF activity demonstrated in this study was significantly correlated to detection of pathologically increased FCR (Rs = 0.850) and compared to other indices of hypercoagulability.
Long-Term Tolerance and Recovery of β-Propiolactone/Ultraviolet (βPL/UV) Treated PPSB in Chimpanzees
Authors: Stephan W , Kotitschke R , Prince A M , Brotman B 
Published: July 2018

SummaryRecent experiments have shown that a preparation of PPSB (factor IX concentrate) derived from βPL/UV treated plasma was not infectious in chimpanzees with respect to hepatitis B and non-A, non-B. To answer the question whether the βPL/UV treatment influences the tolerance and efficacy of the PPSB concentrate, long-term application of PPSB-Biotest was carried out in chimpanzees. After 10 applications of 25 U factor IX/kg at weekly intervals, no signs of intolerance were observed by measurement of blood pressure during i. v. application and by means of skin-testing. Determination of coagulation factor activity during the application period revealed the same factor IX recovery at the beginning and at the end of the study.
Platelet Hypersensitivity in Acute Malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) Infection in Man
Authors: Essien E M , Ebhota M I 
Published: July 2018

SummaryDuring acute malaria infection, platelets in human platelet-rich plasma are hypersensitive to the addition of ADP between 1.0 uM and 5.0 uM, or adrenaline 0.11 uM as aggregating agents. The mean maximum aggregation amplitude (as % of light transmission) obtained from 8 subjects in response to added ADP (1.0 uM), 39.8 ± 27 (1SD), was significantly greater than the value in 6 controls (5.2±6.7 (1SD); t = 3, 51 P <0.005). A similar pattern of response was obtained with higher ADP concentrations (2.4,4.5 or 5.0 uM) in 22 patients and 20 control subjects (89.9±14.9% vs 77.8±16.5% (1SD) t = 2.45, P <0.02). Addition of 4.5 uM ADP to patient PRP usually evoked only a single aggregation wave (fused primary and secondary waves) while the typical primary and secondary wave pattern was usually obtained from controls.Mean plasma B-thromboglobulin (BTG) concentration in 7 patients (208.3 ± 15.6 ng/ml) was significantly higher than the value in 6 control subjects (59.2±15.7 ng/ml; t = 13.44, P <0.002).
Purification and Characterization of the Plasminogen Activator Secreted by a Rat Brain Tumor Cell Line in Culture
Authors: Bykowska K , Rijken D C , Collen D 
Published: July 2018

SummaryThe plasminogen activator secreted by a cultured rat brain tumor cell line (RT4-71-1) (Imada M. and Sueoka N., Develop.Biol. 69, 97-107, 1978) was purified by chromatography on zinc chelate-agarose, concanavalin A-agarose and Sephadex G-150 in the presence of 0.01% (vol/vol) Tween 80. Aprotinin was added to the culture medium to a concentration of 20 KIU per ml and to the buffers in the first two chromatographic steps to a concentration of 10 KIU per ml. Approximately 90 μg purified material was obtained from 1 1 of culture medium with a yield of 39% and a purification factor of 200. Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacryl amide gel electrophoresis in the presence of reducing agents showed one main band with M
r of about 60,000, and a minor band with M
r about 30,000. Fibrinolytic activity was associated with the main band. The rat brain tumor plasminogen activator bound to a fibrin clot to a similar extent as human tissue plasminogen activator, whereas urokinase did not bind. In quenching experiments of the fibrinolytic activities the purified rat brain tumor plasminogen activator appeared to be immunologically related to the human tissue plasminogen activator but unrelated to urokinase.
Effects of Methylprednisolone and Hydrocortisone on Aggregation of Rabbit Platelets Induced by Arachidonic Acid and Other Aggregating Substances
Authors: Glass Frank , Lippton Howard , Kadowitz Philip J 
Published: July 2018

SummaryThe effects of methylprednisolone and hydrocortisone on platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid (AA), collagen, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), prostaglandin (PG) H2, and a stable PGH2 analog, were studied in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from the rabbit. Incubation of either steroid in PRP inhibited AA-, collagen- and ADP-induced platelet aggregation in a concentration-related manner. The dose of methylprednisolone required to inhibit 0.02 mM AA-induced aggregation was lower than that required to inhibit either 0.08 μg/ml collagen or 0.2 μM ADP-induced aggregation. Methylprednisolone produced a dose dependent inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by PGH2 and the stable PGH2 analog. In washed platelets methylprednisolone was more effective in inhibiting AA-induced aggregation than ADP- or collagen-induced aggregation; however, the difference in effect was less than in PRP. Platelet responses to AA in PRP from rabbits treated with hydrocortisone or methylprednisolone, 100 mg/kg i.v., were inhibited in a transient manner, whereas aggregation induced by ADP under similar conditions was unchanged. Since inhibition of aggregation elicited by AA occurred at concentrations which do not influence PGH2-, PGH2 analog-, collagen- or ADP-induced aggregation, the present data suggest that the steroids may inhibit the incorporation, the release, or the metabolism of arachidonic acid in platelets. The actual mechanism of this relatively specific inhibition of AA-induced aggregation by anti-inflammatory steroids is uncertain but may be related to the membrane “stabilizing” properties of methylprednisolone and hydrocortisone.
Collagen-Induced Platelet Aggregation as Studied by Electronic Particle Size Analysis
Authors: McLean Margaret R , Hause Lawrence L 
Published: July 2018

SummaryThe collagen-induced response of free platelets during aggregation was measured with an electronic particle size analyzer. Aggregation was induced in platelet-rich plasma by 0.05 mg/mL collagen. The reaction was followed turbidimetrically and samples for electronic particle size analysis were obtained during aggregation.Free platelet number decreased rapidly after the addition of collagen. This decrease preceded detectable changes in transmittance and a significant reduction in free platelet number was measured during the classical lag phase. In addition, the size distribution of free platelets at variotrs times after the addition of collagen was not significantly altered indicating that large platelets are not preferentially involved in collagen-induced aggregation.
New lower bounds on the number of intersections of monotone Lagrangian submanifolds
Authors: Keddari Nassima 
Published: July 2018

Considering a closed monotone Lagrangian submanifold

L
,

L,

we give, under some hypotheses, a lower bound on the intersection number of

L
L

with its image by a generic Hamiltonian isotopy. First for monotone Lagrangian submanifolds

L
L

which are

K

(
π
,
1
)

\mathbf {K}(\pi ,1)

and, in particular, for monotone Lagrangian submanifolds with negative sectional curvature this bound is 1+

β

1

(
L
)
.

\beta _{1}(L).

In more general cases the lower bound is weaker. We generalise some results previously obtained by L. Buhovsky in [J. Topol. Anal. 2 (2010), pp. 57–75] and P. Biran and O. Cornea in [Geom. Topol. 13 (2009), pp. 2881–2989].
Genetic mapping in Diversity Outbred mice identifies aTrpa1variant influencing late phase formalin response
Authors: Recla Jill M. , Bubier Jason A. , Gatti Daniel M. , Ryan Jennifer L. , Long Katie H. , Robledo Raymond F. , Glidden Nicole , Hou Guoqiang , Churchill Gary A. , Maser Richard S. , Zhang Zhong-wei , Young Erin E. , Chesler Elissa J. , Bult Carol J. 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTIdentification of genetic variants that influence susceptibility to chronic pain is key to identifying molecular mechanisms and targets for effective and safe therapeutic alternatives to opioids. To identify genes and variants associated with chronic pain, we measured late phase response to formalin injection in 275 male and female Diversity Outbred (DO) mice genotyped for over 70 thousand SNPs. One quantitative trait locus (QTL) reached genome-wide significance on chromosome 1 with a support interval of 3.1 Mb. This locus,Nociq4(nociceptive sensitivity inflammatory QTL 4; MGI:5661503), harbors the well-known pain geneTrpa1(transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily A, member 1).Trpa1is a cation channel known to play an important role in acute and chronic pain in both humans and mice. Analysis of DO founder strain allele effects revealed a significant effect of the CAST/EiJ allele atTrpa1, with CAST/EiJ carrier mice showing an early, but not late, response to formalin relative to carriers of the seven other inbred founder alleles (A/J, C57BL/6J, 129S1/SvImJ, NOD/ShiLtJ, NZO/HlLtJ, PWK/PhJ, and WSB/EiJ). We characterized possible functional consequences of sequence variants inTrpa1by assessing channel conductance,Trpa1/Trpv1interactions, and isoform expression. The phenotypic differences observed in CAST/EiJ relative to C57BL/6J carriers were best explained byTrpa1isoform expression differences, implicating a splice junction variant as the causal functional variant. This study demonstrates the utility of advanced, high-precision genetic mapping populations in resolving specific molecular mechanisms of variation in pain sensitivity.
Budgetary solvency of Italian local governments: an assessment
Authors: Bisogno Marco , Cuadrado-Ballesteros Beatriz , Santis Serena , Citro Francesca 
Published: July 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate budgetary solvency (BS) as a part of the financial condition of local governments (LGs), considering that the growing demand for public services is primarily affecting this variable.Design/methodology/approachThe study investigates a sample of 132 Italian LGs with more than 50,000 inhabitants for the period 2005–2014. The authors obtain a set of indicators as proxies of BS, which serve as the dependent variable of a regression model aimed at testing several independent variables which the authors are interested in, namely, financial autonomy, current equilibrium, level of indebtedness and investments.FindingsBS, as well as its three indicators—sustainability, flexibility and vulnerability—are positively related to financial autonomy and current equilibrium and negatively related to the level of indebtedness and investments.Practical implicationsTo cover citizens’ demands for public services guaranteeing sound financial management, policymakers are advised to control both the balance between current revenue and expenses and the level of indebtedness while preserving financial autonomy from external sources.Originality/valueThis study adds fresh insight to the literature on financial health, emphasising the relevance of public financial management.
Effect of build orientation on the strength and cost of PolyJet 3D printed parts
Authors: Das Sai Charan , Ranganathan Rajesh , N. Murugan 
Published: July 2018

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of build orientation on the tensile properties of PolyJet 3D printed parts. Effects on manufacturing time and total cost per part are the secondary objectives.Design/methodology/approachSolid tensile specimens were prepared as per the American Society for Testing and Materials D638 standards and were manufactured in six different orientations by using the Objet260 Connex 3D printer. VeroWhitePlus RGD835 was used as the build material, with FullCure 705 as the support material. The specimens were tested for their tensile strength and elongation. The side surface and the fracture surface were analyzed using the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope-SIGMA HV-Carl Zeiss with Bruker Quantax 200-Z10 EDS detector. Scanning electron microscope images of each surface were obtained at various magnifications.FindingsFrom the study, it can be concluded that build orientation has an influence on the tensile strength and the manufacturing cost of the parts. The microstructural analysis revealed that the orientation of surface cracks/voids may be the reason for the strength.Originality/valueFrom literature survey, it is inferred that this study is sure to be among the first few under this topic. These results will help engineers to decide upon the right build orientations with respect to print head so that parts with better mechanical properties can be manufactured.
Elevated Circulating Osteoprotegerin Levels in the Plasma of Hemodialyzed Patients With Severe Artery Calcification
Authors: Krzanowski Marcin , Krzanowska Katarzyna , Dumnicka Paulina , Gajda Mariusz , Woziwodzka Karolina , Fedak Danuta , Grodzicki Tomasz , Litwin Jan A , Sułowicz Władysław 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe studied the correlations between circulating osteoprotegerin (OPG) level and radial artery calcification (RAC) assessed histologically and carotid artery intima‐media thickness (CCA‐IMT). Moreover, we studied the relationship between OPG levels and all‐cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality during a 5‐year observation period. The study comprised 59 CKD patients (36 hemodialyzed (HD), 23 predialysis). The biochemical parameters included: creatinine, calcium, phosphate, intact parathormone, C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6, tumor necrosis factor receptor II (TNFRII), transforming growth factor‐β, hepatocyte growth factor, fibroblast growth factor 23, osteonectin (ON), osteopontin, osteoprotegerin, and osteocalcin. CCA‐IMT and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques was assessed by ultrasound. Fragments of radial artery obtained during creation of HD access were prepared for microscopy and stained for calcifications with alizarin red. RAC was detected in 34 patients (58%). In multiple regression adjusted for dialysis status, TNFRII, ON and Framingham risk score (FRS) were identified as the independent predictors of OPG. Serum OPG above the median value of 7.55 pmol/L significantly predicted the presence of RAC in simple logistic regression (OR 5.33; 95%CI 1.39–20.4; P = 0.012) and in multiple logistic regression adjusted for FRS, dialysis status and CCA‐IMT values (OR 6.56; 95%CI 1.06–40.6; P = 0.036). OPG levels above the median were associated with higher CCA‐IMT values (1.02 ± 0.10 vs. 0.86 ± 0.13; P < 0.001) and predicted the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in carotid artery (OR 14.4; 95%CI 2.84–72.9; P < 0.001), independently of FRS, dialysis status and RAC. In this study, elevated serum OPG levels correlated with higher CCA‐IMT, the presence of atherosclerotic plaques and the severity of the RAC independently of each other. During follow‐up, 25 patients (42%) died, including 21 due to CV causes. In multiple Cox regression, OPG above the median predicted overall survival independently of dialysis status, Framingham risk score, CCA‐IMT above the median value, and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in CCA, but not independently of RAC. We postulate that circulating OPG may play a dual role as a marker for both medial arterial calcification and atherosclerosis, hence it seems to be a valuable tool for assessing CV risk in patients with CKD. OPG might be an early indicator of all‐cause mortality in CKD patients with advanced medial arterial calcification.
Pressure measurement in the upper esophagus during cricoid pressure: A high‐resolution solid‐state manometry study
Authors: Pellrud Richard , Ahlstrand Rebecca 
Published: July 2018

BackgroundThe use of cricoid pressure is controversial, and its ability to occlude the esophagus has been questioned. In this study, high‐resolution solid‐state manometry was used to analyze pressure changes in the upper esophagus from cricoid pressure during modified rapid sequence induction. This is a secondary analysis of data from a previous study.MethodsSeventeen healthy volunteers participated in a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over study with primary aim to compare differences in the barrier pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter during rapid sequence induction with or without alfentanil. Standardized cricoid pressure of 30 N was applied 2 minutes after propolipid injection and held for 15 seconds and pressures in the esophagus were measured.ResultsCricoid pressure resulted in a pressure increase of 127 ± 98 mmHg (95% CI: 73‐182) (placebo) and 123 ± 74 mmHg (95% CI: 84‐162) (alfentanil) at the level of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES), compared to baseline.The pressure difference around the UES compared to the proximal esophagus during cricoid pressure application was 165 ± 100 mmHg (placebo) and 159 ± 87 mmHg (alfentanil) (mean ± 1 SD).ConclusionThis study using high‐resolution solid‐state manometry under clinically relevant conditions shows that 30 N cricoid pressure generates high pressure in the area of the UES, far exceeding the levels previously considered necessary to prevent regurgitation. Additional studies are needed to clarify the effectiveness of cricoid pressure in preventing passive regurgitation before it is rejected as a part of rapid sequence induction.
Applying the human factors analysis and classification system to critical incident reports in anaesthesiology
Authors: Neuhaus Christopher , Huck Matthias , Hofmann Götz , St. Pierre Michael , Weigand Markus A. , Lichtenstern Christoph 
Published: July 2018

BackgroundThe Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) was developed as a practical taxonomy to investigate and analyse the human contribution to accidents and incidents. Based on Reason's “Swiss Cheese Model”, it considers individual, environmental, leadership and organizational contributing factors in four hierarchical levels. The aim of this study was to assess the applicability of a modified HFACS taxonomy to incident reports from a large, anonymous critical incident database with the goal of gaining valuable insight into underlying, more systemic conditions and recurring schemes that might add important information for future incident avoidance.MethodsWe analysed 50 reports from an anonymous, anaesthesiologic, single‐centre Critical Incident Reporting System using a modified HFACS‐CIRS taxonomy. The 19 HFACS categories were further subdivided into a total of 117 nanocodes representing specific behaviours or preconditions for incident development.ResultsOn an individual level, the most frequent contributions were decision errors, attributed to inadequate risk assessment or critical‐thinking failure. Communication and Coordination, mostly due to inadequate or ineffective communication, was contributory in two‐thirds of reports. Half of the reports showed contributory complex interactions in a sociotechnical environment. Ratability scores were noticeably lower for categories evaluating leadership and organizational influences, necessitating careful interpretation.ConclusionsWe applied the HFACS taxonomy to the analysis of CIRS reports in anaesthesiology. This constitutes a structured approach that, especially when applied to a large data set, might help guide future mitigation and intervention strategies to reduce critical incidents and improve patient safety. Improved, more structured reporting templates could further optimize systematic analysis.
Emotion Recognition Biases in Alcohol Use Disorder
Authors: Freeman Clara R. , Wiers Corinde E. , Sloan Matthew E. , Zehra Amna , Ramirez Veronica , Wang Gene‐Jack , Volkow Nora D. 
Published: July 2018

BackgroundAlcohol use disorder (AUD) has been associated with impairments in cognitive and emotional function, including difficulty identifying emotional facial expressions. However, it is unclear whether these deficits are associated with alcohol consumption or related anxious and depressive symptoms.MethodsWe compared the recognition of emotional faces expressing happiness, surprise, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust in 19 AUD participants and 19 healthy volunteers using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Emotion Recognition Task. We analyzed group differences in response latency, accuracy, and misidentification patterns (as defined by the tendency to mislabel facial expressions as exhibiting specific emotions). To assess whether misidentification patterns were associated with drinking severity, we also examined associations with alcohol consumption over the past 90 days.ResultsThere were no differences in response latency or accuracy between groups. However, there were group differences in misidentification patterns. While controls tended to misidentify emotional expressions as happy, those with AUD tended to misidentify expressions as angry or disgusted. In AUD participants, the degree to which individuals were biased toward anger or disgust was positively correlated with the number of drinks they consumed in the past 90 days but was not associated with depression or anxiety scores.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that individuals with AUD have a bias toward misidentifying emotional facial expressions as hostile, which is not mediated by associated mood changes. This provides further evidence of disrupted social cognition in AUD.
Sleep spindles in bipolar disorder – a comparison to healthy control subjects
Authors: Ritter P. S. , Schwabedal J. , Brandt M. , Schrempf W. , Brezan F. , Krupka A. , Sauer C. , Pfennig A. , Bauer M. , Soltmann B. , Nikitin E. 
Published: July 2018

ObjectiveBipolar disorder is a severe mental disorder for which currently no reliable biomarkers exist. It has been shown that patients with schizophrenia but not with unipolar depression have a reduced density of fast sleep spindles during N2 sleep. The aim of this study was to assess fast sleep spindle density in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.MethodsPatients with bipolar disorder (n = 24) and healthy control subjects (n = 25) were assessed using all‐night polysomnography. Sleep spindles within stage N2 sleep were identified by visual inspection and subdivided into fast (>13 Hz) and slow (≤13 Hz) spindles. All spindles were subsequently characterised by density, frequency, amplitude, duration and coherence.ResultsEuthymic patients with bipolar disorder were found to have a reduced density and a lower mean frequency of fast spindles. Slow spindle density and frequency did not differ between groups. There were no differences regarding amplitude, duration or coherence.ConclusionsA reduction in fast spindle density during N2 sleep points towards thalamic dysfunction as a potential neurobiological mechanism of relevance in bipolar disorder. In addition, a reduced sleep spindle density could be interpreted as a common endophenotype shared with schizophrenia but not unipolar depression and may – if replicated – be of utility in early recognition and risk stratification.