bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Treatment of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head using porous Se@SiO2 nanocomposites to suppress reactive oxygen species
Authors: Deng Guoying , Niu Kerun , Zhou Feng , Li Buxiao , Kang Yingjie , Liu Xijian , Hu Junqing , Li Bo , Wang Qiugen , Yi Chengqing , Wang Qian 
Published: March 2017

AbstractReducing oxidative stress (ROS) have been demonstrated effective for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (steroid-induced ONFH). Selenium (Se) plays an important role in suppressing oxidative stress and has huge potential in ONFH treatments. However the Se has a narrow margin between beneficial and toxic effects which make it hard for therapy use in vivo. In order to make the deficiency up, a control release of Se (Se@SiO2) were realized by nanotechnology modification. Porous Se@SiO2 nanocomposites have favorable biocompatibility and can reduced the ROS damage effectively. In vitro, the cck-8 analysis, terminal dexynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) stain and flow cytometry analysis showed rare negative influence by porous Se@SiO2 nanocomposites but significantly protective effect against H2O2 by reducing ROS level (detected by DCFH-DA). In vivo, the biosafety of porous Se@SiO2 nanocomposites were confirmed by the serum biochemistry, the ROS level in serum were significantly reduced and the curative effect were confirmed by Micro CT scan, serum Elisa assay (inflammatory factors), Western blotting (quantitative measurement of ONFH) and HE staining. It is expected that the porous Se@SiO2 nanocomposites may prevent steroid-induced ONFH by reducing oxidative stress.
Optical and electrical characterizations of multifunctional silver phosphate glass and polymer-based optical fibers
Authors: Rioux Maxime , Ledemi Yannick , Morency Steeve , de Lima Filho Elton Soares , Messaddeq Younès 
Published: March 2017

AbstractIn recent years, the fabrication of multifunctional fibers has expanded for multiple applications that require the transmission of both light and electricity. Fibers featuring these two properties are usually composed either of a single material that supports the different characteristics or of a combination of different materials. In this work, we fabricated (i) novel single-core step-index optical fibers made of electrically conductive AgI-AgPO3-WO3 glass and (ii) novel multimaterial fibers with different designs made of AgI-AgPO3-WO3 glass and optically transparent polycarbonate and poly (methyl methacrylate) polymers. The multifunctional fibers produced show light transmission over a wide range of wavelengths from 500 to 1000 nm for the single-core fibers and from 400 to 1000 nm for the multimaterial fibers. Furthermore, these fibers showed excellent electrical conductivity with values ranging between 10−3 and 10−1 S·cm−1 at room temperature within the range of AC frequencies from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. Multimodal taper-tipped fibre microprobes were then fabricated and were characterized. This advanced design could provide promising tools for in vivo electrophysiological experiments that require light delivery through an optical core in addition to neuronal activity recording.
Microfluidics: innovative approaches for rapid diagnosis of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Authors: Aroonnual Amornrat , Janvilisri Tavan , Ounjai Puey , Chankhamhaengdecha Surang 
Published: March 2017

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a major global health concern. Rapid and accurate diagnostic strategies to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile prior to antibiotic prescription and treatment are critical to control drug resistance. The standard diagnostic procedures for the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which rely mostly on phenotypic characterization, are time consuming, insensitive and often require skilled personnel, making them unsuitable for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis. Various molecular techniques have therefore been implemented to help speed up the process and increase sensitivity. Over the past decade, microfluidic technology has gained great momentum in medical diagnosis as a series of fluid handling steps in a laboratory can be simplified and miniaturized on to a small platform, allowing marked reduction of sample amount, high portability and tremendous possibility for integration with other detection technologies. These advantages render the microfluidic system a great candidate to be developed into an easy-to-use sample-to-answer POC diagnosis suitable for application in remote clinical settings. This review provides an overview of the current development of microfluidic technologies for the nucleic acid based and phenotypic-based detections of antibiotic resistance.
Semantic Processing of Sentences in Preschoolers With Specific Language Impairment: Evidence From the N400 Effect
Authors: Pijnacker Judith , Davids Nina , van Weerdenburg Marjolijn , Verhoeven Ludo , Knoors Harry , van Alphen Petra 
Published: March 2017

PurposeGiven the complexity of sentence processing and the specific problems that children with specific language impairment (SLI) experience, we investigated the time course and characteristics of semantic processing at the sentence level in Dutch preschoolers with SLI.MethodWe measured N400 responses to semantically congruent and incongruent spoken sentences (e.g., “My father is eating an apple/*blanket”) in a group of 37 Dutch preschoolers with SLI and in a group of 25 typically developing (TD) peers. We compared the time course and amplitude of the N400 effect between the two groups.ResultsThe TD group showed a strong posterior N400 effect in time windows 300–500 ms and 500–800 ms. In contrast, the SLI group demonstrated only a reliable N400 effect in the later time window, 500–800 ms, and did not show a stronger presence at posterior electrodes.ConclusionThe findings suggest that the neuronal processing of semantic information at sentence level is atypical in preschoolers with SLI compared with TD children.
Gastroprotective Effect of Thymoquinone on Water Immersion Restraint Stress Induced Ulceration in Rats
Authors: Ahmad Syed , Najmi Abul , Kaundal Madhu , Akhtar Mohd 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
To evaluated the role of thymoquinone (TQ) on stress induced ulceration progress in rats subjected to water immersion restraint as a stress (WRS) condition model.
Wistar albino rats were divided into different groups; the animals were subjected to WRS. TQ (10 mg/kg) alone and TQ with ranitidine (20 mg/kg) were administered per orally as pre treatment for 7 days. On 8th day the animals were sacrificed, gastric juice, pH, acid secretion, acid output, ulcer index and markers of oxidative stress and histopathology were determined.
Volume of gastric juice, acid secretion was increased, while pH decreased in WRS animals. TQ pre-treated group showed reduction in the above parameters. The combination group showed more significant results than TQ and ranitidine alone on the above parameters. TQ decreased the ulcer index (UI), again combination group showed more significant decreased in UI. Oxidative stress markers were reduced and antioxidant enzymes were augmented. Gastric mucosa was protected as demonstrated by histological slides.
The present study is one of its kinds to demonstrate anti ulcer effect of TQ against the water immersion restraint method of stress ulceration. Thus, TQ has the potential to be the promising drug for stress induced gastric ulcers.
ProtVista: visualization of protein sequence annotations
Authors: Watkins Xavier , Garcia Leyla J , Pundir Sangya , Martin Maria J ,   UniProt Consortium
Published: March 2017

Abstract

Summary
ProtVista is a comprehensive visualization tool for the graphical representation of protein sequence features in the UniProt Knowledgebase, experimental proteomics and variation public datasets. The complexity and relationships in this wealth of data pose a challenge in interpretation. Integrative visualization approaches such as provided by ProtVista are thus essential for researchers to understand the data and, for instance, discover patterns affecting function and disease associations.

Availability and Implementation
ProtVista is a JavaScript component released as an open source project under the Apache 2 License. Documentation and source code are available at http://ebi-uniprot.github.io/ProtVista/.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The Role of Hypoxia in Angiogenesis and Extracellular Matrix Regulation of Intervertebral Disc Cells During Inflammatory Reactions
Authors: Kwon Woo-Keun , Moon Hong Joo , Kwon Taek-Hyun , Park Youn-Kwan , Kim Joo Han 
Published: March 2017

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The intervertebral disc (IVD) is an avascular structure, and is therefore stable under hypoxic conditions. Previous studies have demonstrated that hypoxia might be related to symptomatic degenerative disc diseases (DDDs); however, the pathomechanism is still poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE
To identify the effect of hypoxia on the production of inflammatory mediators, angiogenic factors, and extracellular matrix-regulating enzymes of IVD cells during inflammatory reactions.

METHODS
Human nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulus fibrosus (AF) cells harvested during surgery for DDDs were cultured in macrophage conditioned media or interleukin (IL)-1β-stimulated media under hypoxic (2%) and normoxic (21%) conditions. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α transcription factor activation was analyzed by western blotting. IL-6, IL-8, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-3, tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease (TIMP)-1, and TIMP-2 in conditioned media were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS
NP cells expressed higher hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in the IL-1β-stimulated group under hypoxic condition. MMP-1 was significantly increased in the AF cells under hypoxic condition; TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were significantly decreased in both naïve NP and AF cells during hypoxia. Both cells in macrophage conditioned media significantly diminished the production of IL-6 and VCAM, while VEGF significantly increased during hypoxia. After 1 ng/mL IL-1β stimulation, IL-8, VEGF, MMP-1, and MMP-3 were significantly increased in both cell types during hypoxia, while VCAM, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 were decreased.

CONCLUSION
We found that hypoxia can enhance the angiogenic ability of IVD during inflammatory reactions, and cause progress in development of DDD via extracellular matrix regulation in this in vitro study.
Implementation of a Postoperative Outpatient Care Pathway for Delayed Hyponatremia Following Transsphenoidal Surgery
Authors: Bohl Michael A , Ahmad Shahjehan , White William L , Little Andrew S 
Published: March 2017

Abstract

BACKGROUND
After transsphenoidal surgery, delayed hyponatremia (DH) is the leading cause of 30-d unplanned hospital readmissions.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the impact of a DH care pathway on 30-d readmissions after transsphenoidal surgery.

METHODS
Data from before and after DH care pathway implementation were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics were compared. Readmission causes, clinical pathway failures, sodium trends, and symptoms were evaluated.

RESULTS
Before the DH care pathway implementation, 229 (55%) patients were treated (group 1); afterward, 188 (45%) were treated (group 2). Baseline characteristics were equivalent between groups, except for glucocorticoid supplementation, which was higher in group 2. The incidence of detected DH was significantly lower in group 1 (16/229, 7%) than group 2 (29/188, 15%) (P = .006) likely due to the impact of routine screening in group 2. Ten group 1 patients (4%) were readmitted for hyponatremia and 6 (3%) were managed as outpatients. Eleven group 2 patients (6%) were readmitted and 17 (9%) were managed as outpatients. Readmission rates between groups were similar (P = .49). Patients readmitted with severe hyponatremia experienced symptoms ≥24 h before presentation. The protocol failed to prevent readmission because outpatient management for mild or moderate DH (n = 4) failed, sodium levels precipitously declined after normal screening (n = 3), and severe hyponatremia developed after scheduled screenings were missed (n = 3).

CONCLUSION
Although more DH patients were identified after care pathway implementation, readmission rates were not reduced and clinical outcomes were not changed. Because DH onset timing varies, some patients have highly acute presentation, and most readmitted patients develop symptoms before reaching their sodium nadir, close symptom monitoring may be a reasonable alternative to routine screening.
An Unbalanced Inflammatory Cytokine Response Is Not Associated With Mortality Following Sepsis: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Frencken Jos F. , van Vught Lonneke A. , Peelen Linda M. , Ong David S. Y. , Klein Klouwenberg Peter M. C. , Horn Janneke , Bonten Marc J. M. , van der Poll Tom , Cremer Olaf L. 
Published: March 2017

Objective:
The prevailing theory of host response during sepsis states that an excessive production of pro-inflammatory mediators causes early deaths, whereas a predominantly anti-inflammatory response may lead to immunosuppression, secondary infection, and late deaths. We assessed inflammatory (im)balance by measuring pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 and anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 during three distinct time periods after sepsis, and assessed its association with mortality.

Design:
Prospective observational cohort.

Setting:
Two tertiary mixed ICUs in The Netherlands.

Patients:
Consecutive patients presenting with severe sepsis or septic shock from 2011 to 2013.

Interventions:
None.

Measurements and Main Results:
We repeatedly measured plasma interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 concentrations using cytometric bead array. Poisson regression was used to analyze the relation between inflammatory markers measured on 1) ICU admission and day 4 mortality, 2) day 4 and day 28 mortality, and 3) ICU discharge and 1-year mortality. Secondary outcome was development of ICU-acquired infections. Among 708 patients, 86 (12%) died within 4 days, 140 (20%) died between days 4 and 28, and an additional 155 (22%) died before 1 year. Interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 levels were both independently associated with mortality, but the balance of this response as modelled by an interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 interaction term was not (relative risk, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.95–1.04 on admission; relative risk, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.98–1.06 on day 4; and relative risk, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.98–1.29 at ICU discharge). However, inflammatory imbalance on day 4 was associated with development of ICU-acquired infections (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.77–0.98).

Conclusions:
Although both interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 productions are associated with death, the balance of these inflammatory mediators does not seem to impact either early, intermediate, or late mortality in patients presenting to the ICU with sepsis.
Serial Procalcitonin Predicts Mortality in Severe Sepsis Patients: Results From the Multicenter Procalcitonin MOnitoring SEpsis (MOSES) Study
Authors: Schuetz Philipp , Birkhahn Robert , Sherwin Robert , Jones Alan E. , Singer Adam , Kline Jeffrey A. , Runyon Michael S. , Self Wesley H. , Courtney D. Mark , Nowak Richard M. , Gaieski David F. , Ebmeyer Stefan , Johannes Sascha , Wiemer Jan C. , Schwabe Andrej , Shapiro Nathan I. 
Published: March 2017

Objectives:
To prospectively validate that the inability to decrease procalcitonin levels by more than 80% between baseline and day 4 is associated with increased 28-day all-cause mortality in a large sepsis patient population recruited across the United States.

Design:
Blinded, prospective multicenter observational clinical trial following an Food and Drug Administration-approved protocol.

Setting:
Thirteen U.S.-based emergency departments and ICUs.

Patients:
Consecutive patients meeting criteria for severe sepsis or septic shock who were admitted to the ICU from the emergency department, other wards, or directly from out of hospital were included.

Interventions:
Procalcitonin was measured daily over the first 5 days.

Measurements and Main Results:
The primary analysis of interest was the relationship between a procalcitonin decrease of more than 80% from baseline to day 4 and 28-day mortality using Cox proportional hazards regression. Among 858 enrolled patients, 646 patients were alive and in the hospital on day 4 and included in the main intention-to-diagnose analysis. The 28-day all-cause mortality was two-fold higher when procalcitonin did not show a decrease of more than 80% from baseline to day 4 (20% vs 10%; p = 0.001). This was confirmed as an independent predictor in Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio, 1.97 [95% CI, 1.18–3.30; p < 0.009]) after adjusting for demographics, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, ICU residence on day 4, sepsis syndrome severity, antibiotic administration time, and other relevant confounders.

Conclusions:
Results of this large, prospective multicenter U.S. study indicate that inability to decrease procalcitonin by more than 80% is a significant independent predictor of mortality and may aid in sepsis care.
Building Effective Medical Missions with Servant Leadership Skills
Authors: Johanson Linda 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT:
Nurses are naturally drawn to service opportunities, such as short-term medical missions (STMM), which hold great potential to benefit health. But STMMs have been criticized as potentially being culturally insensitive, leading to dependency, inadvertently causing harm, or being unsustainable. Utilizing servant leadership skills, nurses can effectively build community, vision, and sustainability into STMM projects.
Aligning Career with Faith
Authors: McKnight Heather 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT:
Christian nurses are challenged by the process of incorporating faith and Christianity into their career. Nurse educators are particularly challenged to embed Christian principles into the tenure and promotion journey. Developing a God-inspired plan takes time and patience. Prayer, reflective practice, evaluation, decisions, and follow-through are areas that can be incorporated to infuse faith throughout the tenure and promotion process.
Corneal Transplantation in Auckland, New Zealand, 1999–2009: Indications, Patient Characteristics, Ethnicity, Social Deprivation, and Access to Services
Authors: Crawford Alexandra Z. , McKelvie James , Craig Jennifer P. , McGhee Charles N. J. , Patel Dipika V. 
Published: March 2017

Purpose:
To analyze characteristics and indications for corneal transplantation in patients undergoing penetrating, lamellar, and endothelial keratoplasty in Auckland, New Zealand (NZ).

Methods:
Corneal transplantation data from the NZ National Eye Bank and hospital records of corneal transplant recipients in the Auckland region from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2009, were collated. Patient demographics, preoperative diagnosis, indication, ocular and medical history, visual acuity, deprivation index, and access to transplantation surgery were analyzed.

Results:
A total of 941 corneal transplants involving 770 patients were included for analysis. Mean age was 46 years. Age and ethnicity varied according to the transplant indication. A male preponderance and disproportionally high rates of Māori and Pacific ethnicity with a mean age of 30 years were observed in transplants for keratoconus. A total of 67.2% of corneal transplants were completed in the public health system and were associated with higher levels of deprivation than those completed in private facilities. Preoperative visual acuity varied according to the transplant type and indication. The most common clinical indication for corneal transplantation was keratoconus (41.3%), followed by repeat transplantation (21.0%). There was no significant change in the relative proportion of transplant indications in any year over the duration of this study (P = 0.41). A contralateral corneal transplant was present in 24.4% and glaucoma in 12.8% of penetrating keratoplasty recipients.

Conclusions:
Keratoconus is the leading indication for corneal transplantation in Auckland, NZ, and involves a disproportionately high rate of Māori and Pacific transplant recipients with a male preponderance and comparatively low mean age at the time of surgery.
Human Papillomavirus Co-Testing Results Effectively Triage Normal Cervical Cytology in HIV-Positive Women Aged 30 Years and Older
Authors: Alade Rachel O. , Vragovic Olivera , Duffy Conor , Cabral Howard J. , Stier Elizabeth A. 
Published: March 2017

Objective
The aim of the study was to assess whether HIV-positive (HIV+) women aged 30 years and older with concurrent normal cervical cytology and undetectable cervical HPV have a low 3-year risk of developing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or higher (CIN 2+) in a clinical setting.

Materials and Methods
We conducted a retrospective chart review of HIV+ women aged 30 years and older at a single institution with normal cervical cytology and concurrent human papillomavirus (HPV) testing between November 2008 and December 2010. The participants were stratified by initial HPV testing results and followed to either the study end point (CIN 2+) or until the last cervical cytology or colposcopy before January 2015. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze CIN 2+ diagnosis for follow-up with log-rank testing of the null hypothesis. Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to calculate crude and adjusted hazard ratios controlling for ethnicity and CD4 levels.

Results
We identified 325 HIV+ women with normal cytology and follow-up; 66 (20%) of these women had detectable HPV. The cumulative diagnosis of CIN 2+ at 4 years was significantly lower in the HPV-negative cohort compared with the HPV-positive cohort (1.4%, 95% CI = 0.3%–4.6% vs 14.5%, 95% CI = 5.8%–27.1%), respectively; the median duration to CIN 2+ diagnosis was longer in the HPV-negative cohort compared with the HPV-positive cohort (4.2 years vs 1.5 years, respectively, p < .02).

Conclusions
HIV+ women aged 30 years and older with concurrent normal cervical cytology and undetectable cervical HPV have a low 3-year risk of subsequent diagnosis of CIN 2+. The study validates the recently updated US recommendations for the use of co-testing in screening HIV+ women.
Factors Predicting Asthma in Children With Acute Bronchiolitis
Authors: Waseem Muhammad , Akobo Seleipiri Iboroma , Shaikh Faizan , DelaCruz Anyelina , Henriquez Wendy , Leber Mark 
Published: March 2017

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine if there is an association between bronchiolitis and future development of asthma in children younger than 2 years.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records of 1991 patients younger than 2 years presenting to the emergency department from January 2000 to December 2010 who received a clinical diagnosis of acute bronchiolitis. Their demographic information, the number of bronchiolitis episodes, and family history of asthma were recorded. The primary care clinic records of these children were reviewed for a period of 1 year following their presentation to the emergency department to determine if they had received a diagnosis of asthma. A stepwise logistic regression was performed to determine what factors were associated with future asthma development.ResultsWe reviewed the medical record of 1991 children with the diagnosis of bronchiolitis for subsequent development of asthma. The following variables were identified as predictors of subsequent asthma: male sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05–1.55), family history of asthma (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.33–1.95), atopy (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.12–1.83), age older than 5 months (OR, 1.4 95% CI, 1.13–1.66), more than 2 episodes of bronchiolitis (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.79–3.07), and allergies (OR1.6; 95% CI, 1.14–2.14).ConclusionsIn this limited sample, the predictor variables for asthma were male sex, age older than 5 months, more than 2 episodes of bronchiolitis, a history of atopy, and allergies.