bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pattern of mortality after menopausal hormone therapy: long‐term follow up in a population‐based cohort
Authors: Holm M , Olsen A , Au Yeung SL , Overvad K , Lidegaard Ø , Kroman N , Tjønneland A 
Published: August 2018

ObjectiveTo investigate long‐term pattern of mortality in menopausal women according to different modalities of hormone therapy.DesignPopulation‐based prospective cohort study.SettingDenmark 1993–2013.PopulationA total of 29 243 women aged 50–64 years at entry into the Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort, enrolled 1993–97 and followed through 31 December 2013.MethodsCox’ proportional hazards models for increasingly longer periods of follow‐up time were used to estimate mortality pattern according to baseline hormone use adjusted for relevant potential confounders.Main outcome(s)All‐cause and cause‐specific mortality. Outcome information was obtained from the Danish Register of Causes of Death (linkage 99.6%).ResultsA total of 4098 women died during a median follow up of 17.6 years. After adjustment for relevant lifestyle risk factors, hormone use had no impact on all‐cause mortality, regardless of modality. Among baseline users, lower cardiovascluar disease mortality was only evident after 5 years [hazard ratio (HR) 0.54; 95% CI 0.32–0.92], but dissipated with additional follow up. Conversely, lower colorectal cancer mortality (HR 0.64; 95% CI 0.46–0.89) and higher breast cancer mortality (HR 1.34; 95% CI 1.05–1.72) only became evident after 15 years of follow up. There were no significant associations for mortality from other types of cancer or from stroke.ConclusionsIn this long‐term follow‐up study, taking hormones during menopause was not associated with overall mortality among middle‐aged women. Investigating cause‐specific mortality revealed significant, albeit weak, differential associations according to both causes of death and over time, underlining the importance of carefully considering individual risks and duration of treatment when making decisions on hormone therapy.Tweetable abstractLong‐term follow‐up study confirms no association between menopausal hormone therapy and overall mortality.
A Preliminary Study of the Reliability of Anatomical Facial Landmarks Used in Facial Comparison
Authors: Lee Won‐Joon , Kim Dong‐Min , Lee U‐Young , Cho Jin‐Hyoung , Kim Min‐Su , Hong Jong‐Ha , Hwang Young‐Il 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAnatomical landmarks are considered the most objective indicators for use in forensic facial comparisons. Therefore, accurately identifying and locating these landmarks is the beginning of reliable facial comparison. This study evaluated the accuracy with which facial landmarks are located and examined their reliability according to type of landmark, head posture, and image quality. Nine operators located a series of landmarks on prepared facial images used to produce comparison images. Then, the average distances between the reciprocal landmarks (ADRL) on the reference and the comparison images were measured as indicators of landmark reliability. We found that a set of landmarks had higher or lower reliability as a function of the head angle and image quality. More reliable landmarks were associated with certain head postures and degrees of image quality. These should be used for facial comparison analysis depending on various head and image conditions.
MiR‐520b restrains cell growth by targeting HDAC4 in lung cancer
Authors: Jin Ke , Zhao Weixin , Xie Xuan , Pan Yuejiang , Wang Kexi , Zhang Huizhong 
Published: August 2018

BackgroundMicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as tumor promoting or tumor suppressing factors in many cancers. MiR‐520b contributes to progression in head‐neck and liver cancers, spinal osteosarcoma, and glioma; however, the association of miR‐520b with lung cancer progression remains unknown. In this investigation, we explore the effect of miR‐520b targeting HDAC4 on lung cancer growth.MethodsThe regulation of miR‐520b or its inhibitor on HDAC4 expression was analyzed using Western blot analysis. After treatment of miR‐520b or its inhibitor, miR‐520b and HDAC4 levels were examined using quantitative real time‐PCR. The modulation of miR‐520b on HDAC4 was investigated by luciferase reporter gene assay. Cell proliferation evaluation was performed using colony formation and methyl‐thiazolyl‐tetrazolium assays. The correlation between miR‐520b and HDAC4 in human clinical samples was verified using Pearson's correlation coefficient.ResultsAn obvious decrease in HDAC4 expression was observed in lung cancer A549 cells treated with different doses of miR‐520b. The miR‐520b inhibitor enhanced HDAC4 expression in lung cancer cells. Bioinformatics predicted the targeting of miR‐520b on HDAC4. MiR‐520b directly targeted the 3′ untranslated region of HDAC4. The introduction of miR‐520b obviously inhibited cell proliferation in vitro. Anti‐miR‐520b was capable of accelerating lung cancer cell proliferation; however, HDAC4 knockdown destroyed anti‐miR‐520b‐induced cell proliferation. Finally, a negative correlation between miR‐520b and HDAC4 was observed in clinical human lung cancer samples.ConclusionMiR‐520b decreases HDAC4 expression to control cell proliferation in lung cancer.
Cryopreservation media differentially affect sperm motility, morphology and DNA integrity
Authors: Raad G. , Lteif L. , Lahoud R. , Azoury J. , Azoury J. , Tanios J. , Hazzouri M. , Azoury J. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIntroductionHuman sperm freezing is very widely used for male fertility preservation. This procedure consists in adding cryoprotectants to the spermatozoa followed by cooling and storing the spermatozoa at a subzero temperature. Many standardized cryopreservation media are available on the market. However, these media differ in their chemical composition and there are no sufficient data to optimize their classification. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare five commercially available sperm cryopreservation media, which have not been compared together, in terms of motility, morphology and DNA integrity.Materials and methodsOne‐hundred semen samples were obtained from 10 fertile participants and 90 infertile men. Each sample was evaluated before freezing for motility, morphology and DNA fragmentation index (DFI). Then, it was equally divided into five aliquots. Each aliquot was cryopreserved using one of the five media (A, B, C, D, and E). The same parameters were re‐evaluated after the addition of the cryopreservation media in the fertile group, and after sperm thawing in fertile and infertile groups.ResultsThe results showed that the five selected cryopreservation media had negative effects on sperm motility and morphology per se. In the infertile group, the cryosurvival factor was significantly lower in cryomedium A when compared to the four other media (p < 0.001). In addition, a significantly higher percentage of sperm with coiled tail was detected in cryomedium E compared to cryomedium A (p < 0.05) and to cryomedium B (p < 0.001) after thawing, in the infertile group. Furthermore, the sperm DFI was significantly higher in cryomedia A (p < 0.001), B (p < 0.001), C (p < 0.01), D (p < 0.01) and E (p < 0.05) compared to that of the fresh semen derived from infertile participants.ConclusionThis study indicates that the recovery rate of competent spermatozoa, after cryopreservation, is still critical in infertile men. Therefore, frozen semen sample should be used only when necessary.
Electro‐vectorcardiographic and electrophysiological aspects of Ebstein's anomaly
Authors: Pérez‐Riera Andrés Ricardo , Barbosa‐Barros Raimundo , Daminello‐Raimundo Rodrigo , de Abreu Luiz Carlos , Nikus Kjell 
Published: August 2018

AbstractEbstein's anomaly is a congenital heart disease where the most important anatomic feature is the inferior displacement of the tricuspid valve leaflets. Vectorcardiographic features are mainly forgotten and electrocardiographic features may be unrecognized by cardiologists handling adult patients.
Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus are distinct diseases with potential overlapping metabolic dysfunction upstream of observed cognitive decline
Authors: Chornenkyy Yevgen , Wang Wang‐Xia , Wei Angela , Nelson Peter T. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are highly prevalent aging‐related diseases associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Some findings in human and animal models have linked T2DM to AD‐type dementia. Despite epidemiological associations between the T2DM and cognitive impairment, the interrelational mechanisms are unclear. The preponderance of evidence in longitudinal studies with autopsy confirmation have indicated that vascular mechanisms, rather than classic AD‐type pathologies, underlie the cognitive decline often seen in self‐reported T2DM. T2DM is associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and is associated with increased risk of infarcts and small vessel disease in the brain and other organs. Neuropathological examinations of post‐mortem brains demonstrated evidence of cerebrovascular disease and little to no correlation between T2DM and β‐amyloid deposits or neurofibrillary tangles. Nevertheless, the mechanisms upstream of early AD‐specific pathology remain obscure. In this regard, there may indeed be overlap between the pathologic mechanisms of T2DM/“metabolic syndrome,” and AD. More specifically, cerebral insulin processing, glucose metabolism, mitochondrial function, and/or lipid metabolism could be altered in patients in early AD and directly influence symptomatology and/or neuropathology.
Potentiation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator by VX‐770 involves stabilization of the pre‐hydrolytic, O1 state
Authors: Langron Emily , Prins Stella , Vergani Paola 
Published: August 2018

Background and PurposeCystic fibrosis (CF) is a debilitating hereditary disease caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which encodes an anion channel. Wild type‐CFTR gating is a non‐equilibrium process. After ATP binding, CFTR enters a stable open state (O1). ATP hydrolysis leads it to a short‐lived post‐hydrolytic open state (O2), from which channels close. Here, we use mutations to probe the mechanism of VX‐770, the first compound directly targeting the CFTR protein approved for treatment of CF. D1370N and K1250R mutations reduce or abolish catalytic activity, simplifying the gating scheme to an equilibrium (C↔O1); K464A‐CFTR has a destabilized O1 state and rarely closes via hydrolysis.Experimental ApproachPotentiation by VX‐770 was measured using microscopic imaging of HEK293 cells expressing an anion‐sensitive YFP‐CFTR. A simple mathematical model was used to predict fluorescence quenching following extracellular iodide addition and estimate CFTR conductance. Membrane density of CFTR channels was measured in a parallel assay, using CFTR‐pHTomato.Key ResultsVX‐770 strongly potentiated WT‐CFTR, D1370N‐CFTR and K1250R‐CFTR. K464A‐CFTR was also strongly potentiated, regardless of whether it retained catalytic activity or not.Conclusions and ImplicationsSimilar potentiation of hydrolytic and non‐hydrolytic mutants suggests that VX‐770 increases CFTR open probability mainly by stabilizing pre‐hydrolytic O1 states with respect to closed states. Potentiation of K464A‐CFTR channels suggests action of VX‐770 did not strongly alter conformational dynamics at site 1. Understanding potentiator mechanism could help develop improved treatment for CF patients. The fluorescence assay presented here is a robust tool for such investigations.
Column selection approach for related substances determination of progesterone by high‐performance liquid chromatography
Authors: Huang Ying , Xiao Hui , Liu Yaxiong , Gan Jiaming , Yan Quanhong 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn this study, HPLC‐MS/MS with triple‐quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer was used to analyze the base‐catalyzed thermal degradation derivative of progesterone in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The full‐scan spectrometry revealed that the degradation product was an isomer of progesterone, it was proposed as impurity M ((17α)‐pregn‐4‐ene‐3,20‐dione) in European Pharmacopoeia, and both the derivative and progesterone were neutral molecules. Four kinds of chromatographic column characterization databases including PQRI database using Snyder/Dolan method, the USP chromatographic column database using the SRM 870 tests, the Tanaka/Euerby approach within the ACD program, and the Hoogmartens approach were compared. Combing the principles of column characterization databases with the system requirement of progesterone‐related substances testing, a suitable PQRI‐based method was finally set up for progesterone‐related substances detecting. Our results indicated that PQRI system of Snyder/Dolan method was the most suitable system for related substances detection of progesterone.
Phylogenetic systematics of Mylabris blister beetles (Coleoptera, Meloidae): a molecular assessment using species trees and total evidence
Authors: Salvi Daniele , Maura Michela , Pan Zhao , Bologna Marco A. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractMylabris is a diverse genus of Meloidae and includes over 170 species throughout the Palaearctic region, classified into 14 subgenera. The current classification is largely built on taxonomic works pre‐dating the application of cladistic methods and based on a few morphological characters. In the present study, we use molecular data from mitochondrial and nuclear loci sampled across Mylabrini to assess the monophyly of Mylabris and its subgenera, and to identify which diagnostic morphological characters used for taxa delimitation represent synapomorphic features. We obtain a robust phylogeny which is consistent across datasets (3‐, 4‐ and 5‐gene datasets), methods (Bayesian vs. Maximum Parsimony), and approaches (species tree vs. total evidence). The genus Mylabris is monophyletic provided that Pseudabris is included and Ammabris is excluded. Most of the morphology‐based subgenera are recovered as well‐supported phylogenetic clades. Although previous classifications based on number and shape of antennomeres were confounded by convergent evolution of these traits, mesosternal and male genitalia features provided unambiguous apomorphies of Mylabrini genera and subgenera. We integrate these insights into an updated phylogenetic systematics of Mylabris and Mylabrini blister beetles, and we provide the description of two new subgenera, Dvorabris and Pardabris.
“The body I call ‘mine’ ”: A sense of bodily ownership in Descartes
Authors: Chamberlain Colin 
Published: August 2018

AbstractHow does Descartes characterize the peculiar way in which each of us is aware of our bodies? I argue that Descartes recognizes a sense of bodily ownership, such that the body sensorily appears to be one's own in bodily awareness. This sensory appearance of ownership is ubiquitous, for Descartes, in that bodily awareness always confers a sense of ownership. This appearance is confused, in so far as bodily awareness simultaneously represents the subject as identical to, partially composed by, and united to her body, without distinguishing these relations. Finally, the appearance of ownership is grounded in multiple other ways in which the body sensorily appears: namely, in the fact that the body appears to be inescapable, modified by bodily sensations, and an object of special concern.
Communication and Comovement: Evidence from Online Stock Forums
Authors: Jiang Lei , Liu Jinyu , Yang Baozhong 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWe study investor communication and stock comovement using a novel data set from an active online stock forum in China. We find substantial comovement among the returns of a stock and its “related stocks,” which are frequently discussed in the subforum dedicated to the given stock. Comovement is greater when the discussion of related stocks is more intensive. Further, the effect of communication on comovement is stronger for stocks associated with higher information uncertainty. Codiscussed stocks are more actively traded and experience more correlated trading. A trading strategy that exploits communication‐driven comovement generates abnormal returns. Our findings highlight the impact of investor communication on asset comovement.
The Benefits of Overvaluation: Evidence from Mergers and Acquisitions
Authors: Vagenas‐Nanos Evangelos 
Published: August 2018

AbstractTheoretical and empirical evidence debates whether acquirers can exploit their overvalued equity and create value by purchasing less overvalued or undervalued target firms. Shleifer and Vishny (2003) and Savor and Lu (2009) argue in favor of this, while Fu, Lin, and Officer (2013) and Akbulut (2013) provide evidence against. I revisit this issue and develop a quasi‐experimental design. The misvaluation effect for stock acquirers that are more overvalued than their targets is isolated and measured. My findings offer direct evidence in favor of the Shleifer and Vishny (2003) market‐timing hypothesis.
British abolitionism and global empire in the late 18th century: A historiographic overview
Authors: Wyman‐McCarthy Matthew 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWhy did widespread opposition to the African slave trade first emerge in Britain in the late 1780s? This question has been one of the most contested in British imperial historiography for generations. The first half of this article examines various answers that scholars have posited, highlighting in particular their broadening frames of reference. The second half looks at recent works on other aspects of Britain's late 18th‐century empire that are breaking down traditional historiographic divisions, especially between the British Atlantic and British India. This research is demonstrating just how interconnected the British world was during the age of revolutions, and is simultaneously offering new ideas and methodologies for studying British antislavery from a global perspective.
Effect of sub‐layer temperature during HFCVD process on morphology and corrosion behavior of tungsten carbide coating
Authors: Mousavi Anijdan Seyyed Hashem , Sabzi Masoud , Asadian Mohsen , Jafarian Hamid Reza 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWC coating was deposited on the polished and cleaned 316L stainless steel by Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition (HFCVD) technique at 400°C and 500°C. Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG‐SEM) was used to study the corrosion morphology of the WC coatings. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to analyze the chemical composition of the coatings. Coating porosity was measured by immersion in water. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques were used to study the corrosion behavior of the coating in the solution of 1 mol/L H2SO4. Results showed that the WC coatings have a honeycomb microstructure where its porosity was increased at higher temperature of the sub‐layer. Also, the WC coating significantly increases the corrosion resistance of 316L stainless steel. And increasing the sub‐layer temperature in the HFCVD method reduces the corrosion resistance of the WC coating. Corrosion morphology was indicative of pitting corrosion of the WC coating.
Constitutive overexpression of TNF in BPSM1 mice causes iBALT and bone marrow nodular lymphocytic hyperplasia
Authors: Seillet Cyril , Arvell Elyas H , Lacey Derek , Stutz Michael D , Pellegrini Marc , Whitehead Lachlan , Rimes Joel , Hawkins Edwin D , Roediger Ben , Belz Gabrielle T , Bouillet Philippe 
Published: August 2018

AbstractBPSM1 (Bone phenotype spontaneous mutant 1) mice develop severe polyarthritis and heart valve disease as a result of a spontaneous mutation in the Tnf gene. In these mice, the insertion of a retrotransposon in the 3' untranslated region of Tnf causes a large increase in the expression of the cytokine. We have found that these mice also develop inducible bronchus‐associated lymphoid tissue (iBALT), as well as nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH) in the bone marrow. Loss of TNFR1 prevents the development of both types of follicles, but deficiency of TNFR1 in the hematopoietic compartment only prevents the iBALT and not the NLH phenotype. We show that the development of arthritis and heart valve disease does not depend on the presence of the tertiary lymphoid tissues. Interestingly, while loss of IL‐17 or IL‐23 limits iBALT and NLH development to some extent, it has no effect on polyarthritis or heart valve disease in BPSM1 mice.
Rethinking equality
Authors: Shulman George 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThis essay criticises the limitations of the idea of formal equality in the liberal (and French republican) traditions by drawing on Karl Marx, Alexis de Tocqueville, and contemporary feminist and critical‐race theories. These suggest that any credible theory of equality must begin in fact with inequality in its many dimensions, but it also must theorise how countervailing power is developed by political action, or what Tocqueville calls association, taken as a verb and not only as a noun. By an unconventional and radicalised reading of Tocqueville's Democracy in America, this essay offers an agonistic theory of the relationship between equality and democracy to escape the limitations imposed by the framework of individual and formal rights.
Pulmonary delivery of flecainide causes a rate‐dependent predominant effect on atrial compared with ventricular depolarization duration revealed by intracardiac recordings in an intact porcine model
Authors: de Antonio Victor Z. , Silva Anderson C. , Stocco Fernando G. , Silva Bruna A. , Marum Alexandre A. , Bortolotto Alexandre L. , Belardinelli Luiz , Verrier Richard L. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractBackgroundPulmonary delivery of flecainide results in the rapid conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) to normal sinus rhythm in large‐animal models and is safe and well‐tolerated by normal human volunteers.ObjectiveWe investigated the effects of pulmonary delivery of flecainide on atrial and ventricular depolarization and repolarization duration.MethodsIntratracheal instillation (1.5 mg/kg, rapid push) of flecainide or sterile water (placebo) was performed in 12 closed‐chest, anesthetized Yorkshire pigs with a catheter positioned at the bifurcation of the main bronchi. High‐resolution electrograms obtained from catheters fluoroscopically positioned in the right atrium and left ventricle circumvented measurement errors due to the fusion of P and T waves in surface leads when rapid heart rates shortened the TP interval. Pacing was achieved using electrical stimuli delivered via right atrial catheter electrodes.ResultsDuring sinus rhythm (98 ± 4.7 beats/min), intratracheal flecainide caused comparable (P = 0.56) increases in atrial depolarization (P
a) duration by 22% (39.8 ± 3.2 to 48.7 ± 3.3  milliseconds) and left ventricular (LV) QRS complex duration by 20% (47.9 ± 1.6 to 57.3 ± 1.8  milliseconds) at peak effect at 2 minutes post‐dosing. During right atrial pacing at 180 beats/min, Pa duration increased by 55% (37.0 ± 2.0 to 57.2 ± 1.6  milliseconds; P < 0.0001). The atrial response was greater (p = 0.001) than the 30% increase in LV QRS complex duration (46.6 ± 1.7 to 60.6 ± 2.5  milliseconds; P = 0.005). Pa duration and QRS complex duration were unchanged by placebo independent of pacing (P ≥ 0.4 for both). Atrial repolarization duration (PTa; P = 0.46) and QTc interval (P = 0.49) remained unchanged.ConclusionIntratracheal flecainide exerts a rate‐dependent, predominant effect on atrial compared with ventricular depolarization duration. Pulmonary delivery of flecainide could facilitate AF conversion to sinus rhythm with reduced ventricular proarrhythmia risk.