bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical Properties of the 1.5 mm Locking Compression Plate: Comparison with the 1.5 and 2.0 mm Straight Plates in Compression and Torsion
Authors: Moens Noel , Runciman John , Gibson Tom , Watrous Gwyneth 
Published: October 2018

Objectives The purpose was to compare the biomechanical properties of a 1.5 mm locking compression plate (1.5 LCP) to the 1.5 mm straight plate (1.5 P), 1.5 mm straight plate stacked (1.5 PSt) and 2.0 mm straight plate (2.0 P) in compression and torsion. We hypothesized that biomechanical properties of the 1.5 LCP would be equivalent to properties of the 1.5 P and would represent an alternative for the treatment of radial fractures in miniature breed dogs in which those plates would be used.
Materials and Methods A 1 mm fracture gap model was created with a bone surrogate stabilized with a six-hole plate. Sixteen constructs were built for each of the four plate configurations. Eight constructs from each group were tested in compression to failure and eight constructs were tested in torsion to failure.
Results In compression testing, the 1.5 LCP was stiffer than the 1.5 P, and had similar stiffness than the 1.5 PSt and the 2.0 P. The load at yield of the 1.5 LCP was slightly lower than the 1.5 P. In torsion, the 1.5 LCP and 1.5 P had similar stiffness, but 1.5 LCP was slightly stronger than 1.5 P. The 1.5 PSt and 2.0 P were overall superior to the 1.5 LCP but only marginally so for the 1.5 PSt.
Clinical Relevance The 1.5 LCP can be considered biomechanically equivalent to the 1.5 P under the present experimental conditions. The use of the 1.5 LCP can be considered as an option for radial fracture repair in dogs in which a 1.5 P would have otherwise been used. The use of a locking plate to improve overall success rate, in these fractures, remains to be confirmed clinically.
Mucocele: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in 46 Operated Patients
Authors: Plantier Diogo , Neto Deusdedit , Pinna Fabio , Voegels Richard 
Published: October 2018

Introduction Paranasal sinus mucocele is a benign, expansive lesion associated with paranasal sinus obstruction. It affects mostly adults, and is most common in the frontal and ethmoidal sinuses.
Objective To evaluate outcomes in patients undergoing surgical treatment for paranasal sinus mucocele.
Methods Retrospective review of medical records of patients treated for paranasal sinus mucocele at the ENT department of a tertiary care hospital between 2005 and 2016.
Results Forty-six patients underwent surgical treatment of paranasal sinus mucocele. The mean age was 50.1 years, and 56.5% were male. The most prevalent symptom was pain, and the frontal sinus was most commonly affected. The vast majority of patients (89.1%) underwent endoscopic sinus marsupialization; 10.9% required combined open and endoscopic access. Seven recurrences occurred.
Conclusion Sinus mucocele is an expansive disease that primarily affects the frontal sinus of adult patients. In most cases, endoscopic surgery is an effective treatment modality.
Can Endocan Predict Late-Onset Neonatal Sepsis?
Authors: Tayman Cuneyt , Okur Nilufer , Serkant Utku , Cakir Ufuk , Halil Halit , Oncel Mehmet , Oguz Serife , Buyuktiryaki Mehmet 
Published: October 2018

Objective Endocan, a proteoglycan secreted by endothelial cells, plays a role in the pathogenesis of sepsis. Endocan is an effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of sepsis in adult patients. We evaluate the utility of endocan as a new biomarker in the recognition of late-onset neonatal sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants.
Methods This study included preterm infants at gestational age ≤ 32 weeks diagnosed with LOS. Sepsis was diagnosed in the presence of three or more clinical findings plus significant elevation of C-reactive protein (CRP) or interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels. Blood samples were obtained to determine leukocyte count, CRP, IL-6, and endocan levels immediately after the sepsis diagnosis and on the 3rd and 7th day after diagnosis.
Results A total of 102 preterm infants, 52 with LOS (21 proven, 31 suspected sepsis) and 50 controls, were included in the study. Mean leukocyte count, serum CRP, IL-6, and endocan levels were significantly higher in the LOS group compared with healthy controls (p < 0.001) at enrolment. Serial measurements showed no significant difference in CRP and IL-6 levels between the proven and suspected sepsis groups, while endocan levels were significantly higher at enrolment and on day 7 in the proven sepsis group (p = 0.003 and p = 0.01, respectively). The endocan levels of preterm infants who died were significantly higher at all time points (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively).
Conclusion Endocan is an effective, reliable, and promising new biomarker for detecting LOS in preterm infants.
Recent advances in target identification of bioactive natural products
Authors: Yoshida Minoru 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACT
Natural products are a tremendous source of tool discovery for basic science and drug discovery for clinical uses. In contrast to the large number of compounds isolated from nature, however, the number of compounds whose target molecules have been identified so far is fairly limited. Elucidation of the mechanism of how bioactive small molecules act in cells to induce biological activity (mode of action) is an attractive but challenging field of basic biology. At the same time, this is the major bottleneck for drug development of compounds identified in cell-based and phenotype-based screening. Although researchers’ experience and inspiration have been crucial for successful target identification, recent advancements in genomics, proteomics, and chemical genomics have made this challenging task possible in a systematic fashion.
A designed cell-penetrating human SOCS2 protein suppresses GH-dependent cancer cell proliferation
Authors: Miyamoto Azusa , Masuhiro Yoshikazu , Seki Taiichiro , Hanazawa Shigemasa , Shiba Hajime 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACT
Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) 2, a negative regulator of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is associated with acromegaly and cancers, is a promising candidate molecule for treating various diseases. To facilitate its use in protein therapy, we designed and constructed a human SOCS2 protein containing a membrane-permeable peptide sequence and expressed it in an Escherichia coli system. The partially purified recombinant protein was effectively delivered into several cancer cell lines and inhibited cell growth. Biochemical analysis showed that the recombinant SOCS2 protein interacted with growth hormone receptor (GHR) and downregulated GH-STAT5 signaling target genes. Our results suggest that the designed cell-penetrating SOCS2 protein will be useful in intercellular protein therapy to cure cancers.
Abbreviations: SOCS: suppressor of cytokine signaling; GH: growth hormone; GHR: growth hormone receptor; IGF-1: insulin-like growth factor 1; CP: cell-penetrating; STAT: signal transducer and activator of transcription; JAK: Janus kinase; HNF: hepatocyte nuclear factor; MTM: membrane-translocating motif; HIV: human immunodeficiency virus
Biosynthetic study of conidiation-inducing factor conidiogenone: heterologous production and cyclization mechanism of a key bifunctional diterpene synthase
Authors: Shiina Tetsuya , Nakagawa Kazuya , Fujisaki Yukiko , Ozaki Taro , Liu Chengwei , Toyomasu Tomonobu , Hashimoto Masaru , Koshino Hiroyuki , Minami Atsushi , Kawaide Hiroshi , Oikawa Hideaki 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACT
Conidiogenone, a diterpene with a unique structure, is known to induce the conidiation of Penicillium cyclopium. The biosynthetic pathway of (−)-conidiogenone has been fully elucidated by the heterologous expression of biosynthetic genes in Aspergillus oryzae and by in vitro enzyme assay with 13C-labeled substrates. After construction of deoxyconidiogenol by the action of bifunctional terpene synthase, one cytochrome P450 catalyzes two rounds of oxidation to furnish conidiogenone. Notably, similar biosynthetic genes are conserved among more than 10 Penicillium sp., suggesting that conidiogenone is a common conidiation inducer in this genus. The cyclization mechanism catalyzed by terpene synthase, which involves successive 1,2-alkyl shifts, was fully elucidated using 13C-labeled geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) as substrate. During the structural analysis of deoxyconidiogenol, we observed broadening of some of the 13C signals measured at room temperature, which has not been observed with other structurally related compounds. Careful examination using techniques including 13C NMR studies at −80 °C, conformational analysis and prediction of the 13C chemical shifts using density functional theory gave insights into this intriguing phenomenon.
Synthesis, Growth and Physicochemical Properties of Seminorganic NLO Crystal Bis(Thiourea) Ammonium Nitrate
Authors: Ravi Kumar S.M. , Anbarasi A. , Selvakumar S. , Shanmuga Sundar G.J. 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
Nowadays, NLO materials are of current research interest due to their variety of applications such as second harmonic generation, optical bi-stability, laser remote sensing, optical disk data storage, laser driver fusion, medical and spectroscopic laser, photonic integrated circuitry, optical parametric oscillations and THz wave generation. This work concentrated on (bis)thiourea ammonium nitrate (BTAN) crystal was grown from aqueous solution by slow evaporation technique. The grown crystal has been subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction to determine the unit cell dimensions. The grown crystal was also characterized by recording the powder X-ray diffraction patterns and by identifying the diffracting planes. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectra have been recorded in the range 400–4500 cm-1. Second harmonic generation (SHG) for the materials of this work was confirmed using Nd:YAG laser. The UV–visible spectra show that the grown crystals have wide optical transparency in the entire visible region. The Thermo gravimetric/Differential Thermal Analyses reveal that the materials have good thermal stability.
Artificial lipid membrane: surface modification and effect in taste sensing
Authors: Kumar Saurav , Bhondekar Amol P , Jain Prateek , Bagchi Sudeshna , Sharma Anupma , Kumar Ritesh , Mishra Sunita 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
In this work, an artificial lipid membrane was synthesized using tetra-dodecyl ammonium bromide (TDAB) and doped with gold nanoparticles (AuNP). The taste sensor designed using artificial lipid membrane is composed of tetradodecylammonium bromide (TDAB) as a lipid, dioctylphenyl phosphonate (DOPP) as a plasticizer, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as a supporting polymer in the ratio of 1:3:2. The lipid/polymer membrane acts as the recognition element which transforms the taste information generated by the chemical substances into an electric potential change. The fundamental taste analytes (like fructose for sweetness, HCl for sourness, NaCl for saltiness, MgCl2 for bitterness and MSG for umami) were used to study the effect of doping on taste sensing at different concentrations (10μM to 10mM). The study was based on the open circuit potential (OCP) change of the membrane with the analytes. The observations implicate that the doping increases the specificity of the artificially synthesized lipid membrane taste sensor for the sweet analytes, particularly for fructose.
Can luteolin be a therapeutic molecule for both colon cancer and diabetes?
Authors: Ambasta Rashmi K , Gupta Rohan , Kumar Dhiraj , Bhattacharya Saurabh , Sarkar Aditi , Kumar Pravir 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
Diabetes and colon cancer are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. According to World Health Organization, the number of patients with diabetes and cancer is going to be elevated by 50% in 2020. However, several flavonoids have been known to be useful in reducing the chance of cancer/diabetes but the hunt of a single biomolecule that can act as therapeutic and preventive molecules for future epidemic continues. In this review, we aim to perform an illustration of all researches done that target molecular signaling using luteolin in cancer/diabetes and predicted target protein using PharmMapper. The search confirms that luteolin can be a remedial molecule for both cancer and diabetes via acting on variety of signaling pathway. Furthermore, we also intend to illustrate/compare the predicted and verified molecular modes of action of luteolin. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis confirms the expression of CCND1 in colon cancer while immunofluorescence analysis confirms the CDK4 in diabetes. Finally, an effort has been made to map docking of marker protein-luteolin at a particular site using docking software. This review gives a holistic overview about luteolin as a therapeutic molecule for cancer/diabetes via acting on multiple signaling cascade such as p53, Wnt, eNOS, iNOS, SOD and MMP9, with especial emphasis on the cyclin-CDK pathway. Altogether, the review concludes that luteolin can be a molecule for the therapy of both cancer and diabetes by acting on broad signaling pathway.
Non-parametric frailty Cox models for hierarchical time-to-event data
Authors: Gasperoni Francesca , Ieva Francesca , Paganoni Anna Maria , Jackson Christopher H , Sharples Linda 
Published: October 2018

SummaryWe propose a novel model for hierarchical time-to-event data, for example, healthcare data in which patients are grouped by their healthcare provider. The most common model for this kind of data is the Cox proportional hazard model, with frailties that are common to patients in the same group and given a parametric distribution. We relax the parametric frailty assumption in this class of models by using a non-parametric discrete distribution. This improves the flexibility of the model by allowing very general frailty distributions and enables the data to be clustered into groups of healthcare providers with a similar frailty. A tailored Expectation–Maximization algorithm is proposed for estimating the model parameters, methods of model selection are compared, and the code is assessed in simulation studies. This model is particularly useful for administrative data in which there are a limited number of covariates available to explain the heterogeneity associated with the risk of the event. We apply the model to a clinical administrative database recording times to hospital readmission, and related covariates, for patients previously admitted once to hospital for heart failure, and we explore latent clustering structures among healthcare providers.
Inference on treatment effect modification by biomarker response in a three-phase sampling design
Authors: Juraska Michal , Huang Ying , Gilbert Peter B 
Published: October 2018

Summary
An objective in randomized clinical trials is the evaluation of “principal surrogates,” which consists of analyzing how the treatment effect on a clinical endpoint varies over principal strata subgroups defined by an intermediate response outcome under both or one of the treatment assignments. The latter effect modification estimand has been termed the marginal causal effect predictiveness (mCEP) curve. This objective was addressed in two randomized placebo-controlled Phase 3 dengue vaccine trials for an antibody response biomarker whose sampling design rendered previously developed inferential methods highly inefficient due to a three-phase sampling design. In this design, the biomarker was measured in a case-cohort sample and a key baseline auxiliary strongly associated with the biomarker (the “baseline surrogate measure”) was only measured in a further sub-sample. We propose a novel approach to estimation of the mCEP curve in such three-phase sampling designs that avoids the restrictive “placebo structural risk” modeling assumption common to past methods and that further improves robustness by the use of non-parametric kernel smoothing for biomarker density estimation. Additionally, we develop bootstrap-based procedures for pointwise and simultaneous confidence intervals and testing of four relevant hypotheses about the mCEP curve. We investigate the finite-sample properties of the proposed methods and compare them to those of an alternative method making the placebo structural risk assumption. Finally, we apply the novel and alternative procedures to the two dengue vaccine trial data sets.
Direct Electrophysiological Correlates of Body Ownership in Human Cerebral Cortex
Authors: Guterstam Arvid , Collins Kelly L , Cronin Jeneva A , Zeberg Hugo , Darvas Felix , Weaver Kurt E , Ojemann Jeffrey G , Ehrsson H Henrik 
Published: October 2018

AbstractOver the past decade, numerous neuroimaging studies based on hemodynamic markers of brain activity have examined the feeling of body ownership using perceptual body-illusions in humans. However, the direct electrophysiological correlates of body ownership at the cortical level remain unexplored. To address this, we studied the rubber hand illusion in 5 patients (3 males and 2 females) implanted with intracranial electrodes measuring cortical surface potentials. Increased high-γ (70–200 Hz) activity, an index of neuronal firing rate, in premotor and intraparietal cortices reflected the feeling of ownership. In both areas, high-γ increases were intimately coupled with the subjective illusion onset and sustained both during and in-between touches. However, intraparietal activity was modulated by tactile stimulation to a higher degree than the premotor cortex through effective connectivity with the hand-somatosensory cortex, which suggests different functional roles. These findings constitute the first intracranial electrophysiological characterization of the rubber hand illusion and extend our understanding of the dynamic mechanisms of body ownership.
Management of incidentally diagnosed pulmonary artery dissection in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Nuche Jorge , Montero Cabezas Jose Manuel , Alonso Charterina Sergio , Escribano Subías Pilar 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
Pulmonary artery dissection is a rare entity, usually discovered post-mortem. In recent years, reported cases of living patients with a pulmonary artery dissection are growing and represent a challenging situation for clinicians.
Dissecting the main sequence: AGN activity and bulge growth in the local Universe
Authors: McPartland C , Sanders D B , Kewley L J , Leslie S K 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACT
Local galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are used to provide additional support for an evolutionary pathway in which active galactic nucleus activity is associated with star formation quenching. Composite, Seyfert 2, and LINER galaxies account for ∼60 per cent of all star formation in massive galaxies (M⋆ &gt; 1010.5 M⊙). Inclusion of these galaxies results in a ‘turnover’ in the star formation rate and stellar mass (SFR−M⋆) relation for massive galaxies. Our analysis shows that bulge growth has already occurred in the most massive galaxies (M⋆ &gt; 1010.5 M⊙), and bulges continue to grow as galaxies quench and redden, (g − r) = 0.5 → 0.75. Significant bulge growth is also occurring in low mass starburst galaxies (M⋆ &lt; 1010.5 M⊙) at 0.5 dex above the ‘main sequence’ (MS), where we find an increase in B/T from 0.1 → 0.3 and bluer colours, (g − r) &lt; 0.25 compared to low-mass galaxies on the MS.
A Large Database Analysis of Rates of Aneurysm Screening, Elective Treatment, and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Patients With Polycystic Kidney Disease
Authors: Wilkinson D Andrew , Burke James F , Nadel Jeffrey L , Maher Cormac O , Chaudhary Neeraj , Gemmete Joseph J , Heung Michael , Thompson B Gregory , Pandey Aditya S 
Published: October 2018

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Professional societies provide conflicting guidelines on aneurysm screening in patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), and the rate of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate screening, elective treatment, and the rate of SAH in patients with known PKD.

METHODS
We examined longitudinally linked claims data from a large private insurer, identifying screening, elective treatment, aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and secured aneurysmal SAH (saSAH) in 2004 to 2014 amongst patients with known PKD.

RESULTS
We identified 20 704 patients diagnosed with PKD. Among patients with an initial PKD diagnosis, 51/446 (15.9%) underwent angiographic screening within 2 yr. Forty aneurysms were treated electively in 48 868 yr at risk in PKD patients (82/100K patient yr, 95% confidence interval [CI] 60-112) vs 24 elective treatments in 349 861 yr at risk in age- and sex-matched controls (7/100K patient yr, 95% CI 5-10, P < .0001). Eleven admissions for aSAH were identified in PKD patients (23/100K patient yr, 95% CI 13-41) and 22 admissions for aSAH in controls (6/100K patient yr, 95% CI 4-10), giving an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 3.6 (95% CI 1.7-7.4, P < .0001) and a comorbidity-adjusted IRR of 3.1 (95% CI 1.4-6.9). The incidence of saSAH was proportionally even higher in PKD patients than controls, 16 vs 2/100K patient years, IRR 9.5 (95% CI 3.3-27.5, P < .0001).

CONCLUSION
Screening in PKD is performed only selectively, though resulting rates of elective treatment were over 10× those of controls. Despite screening and treatment, the rate of SAH remains significantly elevated over that of controls.
Measurement of Electronic Cigarette Frequency of Use Among Smokers Participating in a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Yingst Jessica , Foulds Jonathan , Veldheer Susan , Cobb Caroline O , Yen Miao-Shan , Hrabovsky Shari , Allen Sophia I , Bullen Christopher , Eissenberg Thomas 
Published: October 2018

Abstract

Background
The United States Food and Drug Administration has prioritized understanding the dependence potential of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs). Dependence is often estimated in part by examining frequency of use; however measures of e-cig use are not well developed because of varying product types. This study used an e-cig automatic puff counter to evaluate the value of self-reported e-cig use measures in predicting actual use (puffs).

Methods
Data were collected from a two-site randomized placebo-controlled trial evaluating the effects of e-cigs on toxicant exposure in smokers attempting to reduce their cigarette consumption. Participants randomized to an e-cig condition self-reported their e-cig frequency of use (times per day—one “time” consists of around 15 puffs or lasts around 10 minutes) on the Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index (PSECDI) and kept daily diary records of the number of puffs per day from the e-cig automatic puff counter. A linear mixed-effects model was used to determine the predictive value of the times per day measure. Correlations were used to further investigate the relationship.

Results
A total of 259 participants with 1165 observations of e-cig use were analyzed. Self-reported e-cig use in times per day was a significant predictor of e-cig puffs per day (p &lt; .01). The Spearman correlation between measures was r equal to .58. Examination of individual participant responses revealed some potential difficulties reporting and interpreting times per day because of the difference in use patterns between cigarettes and e-cigs.

Conclusion
This study provides evidence that the self-reported PSECDI measure of times per day is a significant predictor of actual frequency of e-cig puffs taken.

Implications
Self-reported measures of e-cig frequency of use are predictive of actual use, but quantifying e-cig use in patterns similar to cigarettes is problematic.
Theorems A and B for dagger quasi-Stein spaces
Authors: Bambozzi Federico 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
In this article, we use the homological methods of the theory of quasi-abelian categories and results from functional analysis to prove Theorems A and B for (a broad sub-class of) dagger quasi-Stein spaces. In particular, we show how to deduce these theorems from the vanishing, under certain hypothesis, of the higher derived functors of the projective limit functor. Our strategy of the proof generalizes and puts in a more formal framework Kiehl’s proof for rigid quasi-Stein spaces.