bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Analysis of a Whole Cardiac Mass Using Dual-Energy Computed Tomography: Comparison with Conventional Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Hong Yoo Jin , Hur Jin , Han Kyunghwa , Im Dong Jin , Suh Young Joo , Lee Hye-Jeong , Kim Young Jin , Choi Byoung Wook 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIt is critical to distinguish between cardiac tumors and thrombi because they require different treatment strategies. Although accurate differentiation of these cardiac masses can be challenging, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are promising tools to improve their diagnosis. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of a volume-based quantification strategy using dual-energy CT to differentiate between cardiac tumors and thrombi. We prospectively enrolled 41 patients who had a cardiac mass. All patients underwent electrocardiography gated dual-energy CT. Among them, 28 patients underwent late gadolinium enhancement cardiac MRI. For quantitative analysis, the following parameters of the entire cardiac masses were measured: CT attenuation values in Hounsfield units (HU), iodine concentration (mg/ml), and signal intensity (SI) ratio. A mixed effects model was used to evaluate the significance of differences in mean CT attenuation, mean iodine concentration, and SI ratios between the cardiac tumor and thrombus groups. Diagnostic performance of each parameter was evaluated by constructing a receiver operating characteristics curve. A total of 24 cardiac tumors and 19 cardiac thrombi were analyzed. The mean iodine concentration was significantly higher in tumors than in thrombi (tumors: 2.98 ± 0.23; thrombi: 1.79 ± 0.26, p = 0.002). The diagnostic performance of iodine concentration was better than that of post-contrast HU (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.77 vs. 0.51; p < 0.001), and worse than that of SI ratio (AUC: 0.89; p = 0.04) for differentiation of cardiac tumors and thrombi. Dual-energy CT using volume-based iodine measurements can differentiate between cardiac tumors and thrombi.
1-Oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinium bromide converts α-H N,N-dialkylhydroxylamines to nitrones via a two-electron oxidation mechanism
Authors: Stoyanovsky Anastas D. , Stoyanovsky Detcho A. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractHerein we provide experimental proof that 1-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinium bromide converts α-H N,N-dialkylhydroxylamines to nitrones via a two-electron oxidation mechanism. The reactions reported are rapid, proceed under mild conditions, and afford nitrones in excellent yields.
Drug Screening of Human GBM Spheroids in Brain Cancer Chip
Authors: Akay Metin , Hite John , Avci Naze Gul , Fan Yantao , Akay Yasemin , Lu Guangrong , Zhu Jay-Jiguang 
Published: October 2018

AbstractGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an extremely invasive and high-grade (grade IV) glioma, is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. It has a poor prognosis, with a median overall survival of only 11 months in the general GBM population and 14.6 to 21 months in clinical trial participants with standard GBM therapies, including maximum safe craniotomy, adjuvant radiation, and chemotherapies. Therefore, new approaches for developing effective treatments, such as a tool for assessing tumor cell drug response before drug treatments are administered, are urgently needed to improve patient survival. To address this issue, we developed an improved brain cancer chip with a diffusion prevention mechanism that blocks drugs crossing from one channel to another. In the current study, we demonstrate that the chip has the ability to culture 3D spheroids from patient tumor specimen-derived GBM cells obtained from three GBM patients. Two clinical drugs used to treat GBM, temozolomide (TMZ) and bevacizumab (Avastin, BEV), were applied and a range of relative concentrations was generated by the microfluidic channels in the brain cancer chip. The results showed that TMZ works more effectively when used in combination with BEV compared to TMZ alone. We believe that this low-cost brain cancer chip could be further developed to generate optimal combination of chemotherapy drugs tailored to individual GBM patients.
Fingolimod reduces circulating tight-junction protein levels and in vitro peripheral blood mononuclear cells migration in multiple sclerosis patients
Authors: Annunziata Pasquale , Cioni Chiara , Masi Gianni , Tassi Maristella , Marotta Giuseppe , Severi Sauro 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThere are no data on the effects of fingolimod, an immunomodulatory drug used in treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), on circulating tight-junction (TJ) protein levels as well as on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) migration. Serum TJ protein [occludin (OCLN), claudin-5 (CLN-5) and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1)] levels, sphingosine-1 phosphate 1 (S1P1) receptor expression on circulating leukocyte populations as well as in vitro PBMC migration were longitudinally assessed in 20 MS patients under 12-months fingolimod treatment and correlated with clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters. After 12 months of treatment, a significant reduction of mean relapse rate as well as number of active lesions at MRI was found. TJ protein levels significantly decreased and were associated with reduction of S1P1 expression as well as of PBMC in vitro migratory activity. A significant correlation of CLN-5/OCLN ratio with new T2 MRI lesions and a significant inverse correlation of CLN-5/ZO-1 ratio with disability scores were found. These findings support possible in vivo effects of fingolimod on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) functional activity as well as on peripheral cell trafficking that could result in avoiding passage of circulating autoreactive cells into brain parenchyma. Circulating TJ protein levels and respective ratios could be further studied as a novel candidate biomarker of BBB functional status to be monitored in course of fingolimod as well as of other immunomodulatory treatments in MS.
Interactions of momentary thought content and subjective stress predict cortisol fluctuations in a daily life experience sampling study
Authors: Linz R. , Singer T. , Engert V. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractDaily life stress is an omnipresent phenomenon in modern society. Research has linked prolonged activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to psychiatric and somatic diseases. Everyday stressors substantially contribute to these health risks. Despite the notion that the physiological stress response is highly dependent on concurrent psychological processes, investigations associating diurnal cortisol levels with subjective experience have primarily focused on affective states. The impact of everyday cognitive processes including thought content has been largely neglected. To investigate this link, moment-to-moment associations of psychological experience including subjective stress, thought content and affect, and cortisol levels were assessed throughout the daily routines of 289 healthy adult participants. We found that subjective stress interacted with current thought content and affect in predicting cortisol release: more negative and future-directed thoughts were associated with higher cortisol levels after experiencing subjective stress, suggesting an increase in negative future anticipation. Concurrent cortisol rises might reflect proactive coping to adequately prepare for upcoming demands. In the absence of subjective stress, more past-directed thoughts and negative affect were associated with higher cortisol levels. These findings provide evidence for a fundamental link between thought content and daily cortisol activation, and highlight the significant contribution of thought patterns to physiological stress levels.
Novel Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithms for Spatial Prediction of Floods
Authors: Bui Dieu Tien , Panahi Mahdi , Shahabi Himan , Singh Vijay P. , Shirzadi Ataollah , Chapi Kamran , Khosravi Khabat , Chen Wei , Panahi Somayeh , Li Shaojun , Ahmad Baharin Bin 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAdaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) includes two novel GIS-based ensemble artificial intelligence approaches called imperialistic competitive algorithm (ICA) and firefly algorithm (FA). This combination could result in ANFIS-ICA and ANFIS-FA models, which were applied to flood spatial modelling and its mapping in the Haraz watershed in Northern Province of Mazandaran, Iran. Ten influential factors including slope angle, elevation, stream power index (SPI), curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI), lithology, rainfall, land use, stream density, and the distance to river were selected for flood modelling. The validity of the models was assessed using statistical error-indices (RMSE and MSE), statistical tests (Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests), and the area under the curve (AUC) of success. The prediction accuracy of the models was compared to some new state-of-the-art sophisticated machine learning techniques that had previously been successfully tested in the study area. The results confirmed the goodness of fit and appropriate prediction accuracy of the two ensemble models. However, the ANFIS-ICA model (AUC = 0.947) had a better performance in comparison to the Bagging-LMT (AUC = 0.940), BLR (AUC = 0.936), LMT (AUC = 0.934), ANFIS-FA (AUC = 0.917), LR (AUC = 0.885) and RF (AUC = 0.806) models. Therefore, the ANFIS-ICA model can be introduced as a promising method for the sustainable management of flood-prone areas.
Genomic analysis of Acinetobacter baumannii prophages reveals remarkable diversity and suggests profound impact on bacterial virulence and fitness
Authors: Costa Ana Rita , Monteiro Rodrigo , Azeredo Joana 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe recent nomination by the World Health Organization of Acinetobacter baumannii as the number one priority pathogen for the development of new antibiotics is a direct consequence of its fast evolution of pathogenicity, and in particular of multidrug resistance. While the development of new antibiotics is critical, understanding the mechanisms behind the crescent bacterial antibiotic resistance is equally relevant. Often, resistance and other bacterial virulence elements are contained on highly mobile pieces of DNA that can easily spread to other bacteria. Prophages are one of the mediators of this form of gene transfer, and have been frequently found in bacterial genomes, often offering advantageous features to the host. Here we assess the contribution of prophages for the evolution of A. baumannii pathogenicity. We found prophages to be notably diverse and widely disseminated in A. baumannii genomes. Also remarkably, A. baumannii prophages encode for multiple putative virulence factors that may be implicated in the bacterium’s capacity to colonize host niches, evade the host immune system, subsist in unfavorable environments, and tolerate antibiotics. Overall our results point towards a significant contribution of prophages for the dissemination and evolution of pathogenicity in A. baumannii, and highlight their clinical relevance.
Ionizing radiation induces transgenerational effects of DNA methylation in zebrafish
Authors: Kamstra Jorke H. , Hurem Selma , Martin Leonardo Martin , Lindeman Leif C. , Legler Juliette , Oughton Deborah , Salbu Brit , Brede Dag Anders , Lyche Jan Ludvig , Aleström Peter 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIonizing radiation is known to cause DNA damage, yet the mechanisms underlying potential transgenerational effects of exposure have been scarcely studied. Previously, we observed effects in offspring of zebrafish exposed to gamma radiation during gametogenesis. Here, we hypothesize that these effects are accompanied by changes of DNA methylation possibly inherited by subsequent generations. We assessed DNA methylation in F1 embryos (5.5 hours post fertilization) with whole genome bisulfite sequencing following parental exposure to 8.7 mGy/h for 27 days and found 5658 differentially methylated regions (DMRs). DMRs were predominantly located at known regulatory regions, such as gene promoters and enhancers. Pathway analysis indicated the involvement of DMRs related to similar pathways found with gene expression analysis, such as development, apoptosis and cancers, which could be linked to previous observed developmental defects and genomic instability in the offspring. Follow up of 19 F1 DMRs in F2 and F3 embryos revealed persistent effects up to the F3 generation at 5 regions. These results indicate that ionizing radiation related effects in offspring can be linked to DNA methylation changes that partly can persist over generations. Monitoring DNA methylation could serve as a biomarker to provide an indication of ancestral exposures to ionizing radiation.
Fabrication of chitosan/magnetite-graphene oxide composites as a novel bioadsorbent for adsorption and detoxification of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution
Authors: Zhang Bei , Hu Runtao , Sun Dejun , Wu Tao , Li Yujiang 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBy utilizing the synergistic effect of chitosan (CS), magnetite (Fe3O4) particles, and graphene oxide (GO), a series of efficient and eco-friendly chitosan/magnetite-graphene oxide (CS/MGO) composites were fabricated through a facile chemical route. First, Fe3O4 particles were chemically deposited on the surface of GO to fabricate MGO hybrid. Then, chitosan was attached on MGO sheets, assembling to CS/MGO composites. According to the results of characterization, the covalent Fe-O-C bonds, electrostatic attraction, and hydrogen bonding between GO, Fe3O4, and chitosan ensure excellent structural stability and physico-chemical properties. The adsorption of Cr(VI) onto CS/MGO composites was also carried out under various conditions (content of CS, pH, initial concentration, contact time, and temperature). The CS/MGO composites possess high removal capacity for Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. Moreover, results also suggested that the CS/MGO composites had a strong reducing action for Cr(VI). When adsorption occurred, Cr(VI) and Cr(III) were simultaneously removed by CS/MGO composites. In addition, CS/MGO composites could retain good Cr(VI) removal efficiency after reuse over five cycles. CS/MGO composites are expected to have potential applications as easily regenerative bioadsorbents for Cr(VI) polluted water cleanup.
Attentional set to safety recruits the ventral medial prefrontal cortex
Authors: Yao Shuxia , Qi Song , Kendrick Keith M. , Mobbs Dean 
Published: October 2018

AbstractEarly detection of danger is highly adaptive, yet fast orientation towards safety is also key to survival. This study aimed to explore how human brain searches for safety by manipulating subjects’ attentional set. Subjects were asked to judge random dots motion (RDM) direction and could be shocked for incorrect responses (RDM trials) while keeping alert in detecting shock probability cues (cue detection trials). Relative to safe condition, where attention was set to search cues associated with no shock, incorrect responses to ‘dangerous+’ cues would increase and correct responses to ‘dangerous−’ cues would decrease shock probability. In RDM trials, relative to the ‘dangerous+’, the safe and ‘dangerous−’ attentional set induced stronger activation in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a core region involved in flexible threat assessment and safety signalling. In cue detection trials, shorter response times and greater accuracy were observed for ‘dangerous+’ than ‘dangerous−’ and safe cues. At neural level ‘dangerous+’ cues induced stronger activity in the frontoparietal attention network than safe cues. Overall, our findings demonstrate that attentional set for searching safety recruits the vmPFC, while detection of threat-related cues elicits activity in the frontoparietal attention network, suggesting new roles for these regions in human defensive survival circuitry.
Chronic kidney failure mineral bone disorder leads to a permanent loss of hematopoietic stem cells through dysfunction of the stem cell niche
Authors: Aleksinskaya Marina A. , Monge Matthieu , Siebelt Michiel , Slot Edith M. , Koekkoek Karin M. , de Bruin Ruben G. , Massy Ziad A. , Weinans Harrie , Rabelink Ton J. , Fibbe Willem E. , van Zonneveld Anton Jan , van Pel Melissa 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIn chronic kidney disease (CKD), endothelial injury, is associated with disease progression and an increased risk for cardiovascular complications. Circulating cells with vascular reparative functions are hematopoietic and also reduced in CKD. To explore the mechanistic basis behind these observations, we have investigated hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homeostasis in a mouse model for non-progressive CKD-mineral and bone disorder with experimentally induced chronic renal failure (CRF). In mice subjected to 12 weeks of CRF, bone marrow HSC frequencies were decreased and transplantation of bone marrow cells from CRF donors showed a decrease in long-term HSC repopulation compared to controls. This loss was directly associated with a CRF-induced defect in the HSC niche affecting the cell cycle status of HSC and could not be restored by the PTH-reducing agent cinacalcet. In CRF, frequencies of quiescent (G0) HSC were decreased coinciding with an increase in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) in the S-and G2-phases of cell cycle. Moreover, in CRF mice, HSC-niche supporting macrophages were decreased compared to controls concomitant to impaired B lymphopoiesis. Our data point to a permanent loss of HSC and may provide insight into the root cause of the loss of homeostatic potential in CKD.
Electrical spectrum synthesis technique using digital pre‐processing and ultra‐broadband electrical bandwidth doubler for high‐speed optical transmitter
Authors: Hamaoka F. , Nakamura M. , Nagatani M. , Wakita H. , Yamazaki H. , Kobayashi T. , Nosaka H. , Miyamoto Y. 
Published: October 2018

Proposed is an electrical spectrum synthesis technique that converts low‐speed signals to a high‐speed signal using transmitter‐side digital signal processing (DSP) and an ultra‐broadband electrical bandwidth doubler. The transmitter‐side DSP converts a high‐speed signal to low‐speed upper and lower sideband signals, down‐ and up‐converts the low‐speed signals into baseband signals, and adds and subtracts the in‐phase and the quadrature components of the baseband signals. The digital pre‐processed low‐speed signals output from digital‐to‐analogue converters are multiplexed to the high‐speed signal by the bandwidth doubler, which consists of analogue multiplexers designed and fabricated using in‐house indium phosphide heterojunction bipolar transistor technologies. A 120 GBaud quadrature phase shift keying signal has been successfully generated by using the proposed technique as a demonstration of a high‐speed optical transmitter.
Characterisation of silicon fibre Bragg grating in near‐infrared band for strain and temperature sensing
Authors: Theodosiou A. , Fokine M. , Hawkins T. , Ballato J. , Gibson U.J. , Kalli K. 
Published: October 2018

Fibre Bragg grating inscription in the crystalline silicon (Si)‐core fibre is described using visible light femtosecond laser pulses. The femtosecond pulses at 517 nm propagate through the transparent silica glass cladding and are fully absorbed by the Si core generating locally high temperatures and stress fields in forming the grating periods. The Si FBGs were characterised in reflection, calibrated for a first time as strain and temperature sensors and compared with that of FBGs inscribed in standard silica fibres.
Der Einfluss toxischer Metalle auf den Darm
Authors: Huesker Katrin , von Baehr Volker 
Published: October 2018

ZusammenfassungEine intakte Darmschleimhaut ist Voraussetzung für die effiziente Mineralstoffresorption. Toxische Metalle aus Luft, Nahrung, Wasser und Zahnersatz hemmen die Resorption ebenso wie eine exzessive Zufuhr essenzieller Mineralstoffe. Auch bei normwertigen Mineralstoffspiegeln kann ein funktioneller Mangel vorliegen, weil toxische Metalle die lebensnotwendigen Mineralien aus ihren Bindungsstellen verdrängen. Toxische Metalle können neben lokalen Entzündungen auch systemisch Effekte mit Symptomen wie Fatigue und Depression auslösen. Zudem schädigt metallinduzierter oxidativer Stress die Darmschleimhaut, deren Barrierefunktion in Folge abnimmt. Beim Leaky-gut-Syndrom wird die Schleimhaut durchlässig für Fremdstoffe und Toxine, gleichzeitig ist die Resorption von Mikronährstoffen beeinträchtigt. Eine gesunde intestinale Mikrobiota kann zur Entgiftung toxischer Metalle beitragen.
Dekompressive Kraniektomie: Ergebnisse einer frührehabilitativen Förderung sechs Monate nach schwerem Schädel-Hirn-Trauma
Authors: Lippert-Gruener Marcela , Wedekind Christoph 
Published: October 2018

Zusammenfassung
Fragestellung Die Frage, ob die dekompressive Kraniektomie nach fehlgeschlagener konservativer Behandlung zu einer wesentlichen Verbesserung der Prognose der schwer hirnverletzten Patienten beitragen kann konnte in der Literatur bisher nicht einheitlich beantwortet werden.
Material und Methoden Bei 15 schwer Schädel-Hirn-Verletzten mit therapie-resistenter Hirndrucksteigerung wurde nach fehlgeschlagener konservativer Behandlung eine dekompressive Kraniektomie durchgeführt. Alle Überlebenden erhielten eine multimodal orientierte, komplexe und wohnortnahe Frührehabilitation mit einer durchschnittlichen Therapiedauer von 3 Monaten. Im Rahmen einer Kohorten-Beobachtungsstudie wurde die Follow up Untersuchung 6 Monate nach Trauma durchgeführt.
Ergebnisse Das Behandlungsergebnis war mit einem GOS Median von 3 Punkten und einer Sterblichkeitsrate von 33%. insgesamt ungünstig. Der Barthel Index lag im Mittelwert bei 46,5 Punkten die FIM bei einem Mittelwert von 67,5 Punkten.
Diskussion Der Prozentsatz konservativ behandelter Patienten, die mit einem guten Outcome zu rechnen haben liegt in der Literatur meist noch schlechter als bei unserem Kollektiv, wo allerdings auch nur 3 von 15 Patienten eine vollständige Unabhängigkeit in den Verrichtungen des täglichen Lebens erreichen konnten. Keiner der Patienten erlangte die Berufsfähigkeit wieder.
Schlussfolgerung Trotz einer intensiven Frührehabilitation bleibt das Behandlungsergebnis von kraniektomierten Patienten nach einem schweren SHT ungünstig.
Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Infection Caused by Enterococcus gallinarum in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report
Authors: Clark Kacie , Maka Deborah 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
Enterococcus gallinarum is a common colonizer of the gastrointestinal tract that expresses intrinsic vancomycin resistance. This case report describes an E. gallinarum ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt infection in a pediatric patient. A 4-year-old female patient presented with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures from a VP shunt significant for E. gallinarum. The patient received ampicillin and synergistic gentamicin. She completed a total of 16 days of therapy following 2 weeks of negative CSF and blood cultures with full clinical cure of infection. The patient was successfully treated following a 2-week course of antibiotics. Awareness of Enterococcus species with intrinsic vancomycin resistance should be increased.