bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inducibility of Ventricular Arrhythmia 1 Year Following Treatment with Heavy Ion Irradiation in Dogs with Myocardial Infarction
Authors: AMINO MARI , YOSHIOKA KOICHIRO , FURUSAWA YOSHIYA , TANAKA SACHIE , KAWABE NOBORU , HASHIDA TADASHI , TSUKADA TERUYO , IZUMI MASAKO , INOKUCHI SADAKI , TANABE TERUHISA , IKARI YUJI 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundTargeted external heavy ion irradiation (THIR) of rabbit hearts 2 weeks after myocardial infarction (MI) reduced the vulnerability of fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT/VF) in association with the increased connexin43 (Cx43). Increased Cx43 was maintained for at least 1 year in normal rabbits, but the long‐term antiarrhythmic effects in the MI model are unknown. We investigated the propensity for late potentials and VT/VF inducibility.MethodsIntracoronary injection of microspheres was performed to induce nontransmural MI in anesthetized eight beagles. Four beagles were treated with THIR (12C6+, 15 Gy) 2 weeks later (MI + THIR group), and four without THIR served as controls (MI group). Signal‐averaged electrocardiography, programmed electrical stimulation, immunohistochemical analysis, and echocardiograms were performed at 1 year.ResultsFiltered QRS duration was exacerbated after MI and remained unchanged for 1 year in the MI group (118 ± 1.4 ms), but significantly returned toward baseline in the MI + THIR group (109 ± 6.9 ms). Similarly, root mean square voltage of the last 40 ms was exacerbated after MI, but recovered after THIR. VT/VF inducibility decreased to 25% in the MI + THIR group compared with 100% in the MI group. Immunostaining Cx43 expression in cardiac tissues significantly increased by 24–45% in the MI + THIR group. Left ventricular ejection fractions remained within the normal range in both groups.ConclusionA single exposure of the dog heart to 12C irradiation attenuated vulnerability to ventricular arrhythmia after the induction of MI for at least 1 year through the modulation of Cx43 expression.
Acute Effects of Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillator Shocks on Biomarkers of Myocardial Injury, Apoptosis, Heart Failure, and Systemic Inflammation
Authors: BREWSTER JORDAN , SEXTON TRAVIS , DHALIWAL GARY , CHARNIGO RICHARD , MORALES GUSTAVO , PARROTT KEVIN , DARRAT YOUSEF , GURLEY JOHN , SMYTH SUSAN , ELAYI CLAUDE S. 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundImplantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) shocks are potentially associated with myocardial injury, altered hemodynamics, apoptosis, and inflammatory signaling. Their precise cellular impact can be explored after defibrillation testing (DFT) via biomarkers. We evaluated changes in biomarkers after ICD shocks during DFT.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled outpatients presenting for first implantation of a cardiac device. Biomarkers indicative of myocardial injury, inflammation, and apoptosis were measured before and after implantation, and compared between patients receiving DFT (DFT+) to those not (DFT−).ResultsSixty‐three patients were enrolled, 40 in the DFT+ group and 23 in the DFT− group. Average levels of troponin I, hsCRP, Calprotectin, N‐terminal pro B‐type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP), and sFas increased by >50% after cardiac device implantation compared to baseline. Increase in troponin never exceeded the 50‐fold upper limit of normal (2 ng/mL). Troponin trended higher in the DFT+ group at 8 hours (median 0.18 ng/mL, interquartile range [IQR] 0.11–0.48) versus the DFT− group (0.10 ng/mL, IQR 0.06–0.28, P = 0.0501); NTproBNP had a similar trend (P = 0.0581). sFas significantly increased in the DFT+ group from baseline (median 4663 pg/mL, IQR 2908–5679) to 24 hours (5039 pg/mL, IQR 3274–6261; P = 0.0338) but not in the DFT− group (P = 0.4705).ConclusionDFT testing is associated with acutely increased plasma levels of troponin and sFas, a biomarker of apoptosis, along with a trend toward higher NTproBNP.
Irish Flex‐insecurity: The Post‐crisis Reality for Vulnerable Workers in Ireland
Authors: Murphy Mary P. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractInstitutional reconfigurations of Irish welfare architecture and specific policy regimes including social security, labour activation and employment regulation have reshaped the contemporary low‐paid labour market with more focus on flexibility than security. Irish workers, particularly women, young people and vulnerable migrant workers are more likely to experience a form of labour market precarity we term ‘flex‐insecurity’. This Irish form of flex‐insecurity occurs in a highly globalized, segmented and gendered production regime. A particular model of competitiveness supports light touch regulation, while government procurement policy and tendering practices promote a flexible and low‐paid labour force. Case studies demonstrate how the institutional reconfiguration of income support, labour law and work‐first activation policy impact on mothers, vulnerable migrants and young people, disempowering these workers. The social politics of change is difficult, despite growing awareness of the extent and impact of these forms of work and some solidarity for and with these vulnerable workers, there remains considerable resistance to implementing policies to address the growing problem of precarious work.
Feeling Bodies of Knowledge: Situating Knowledge Production Through Felt Embeddedness
Authors: Catungal John Paul 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis paper argues that emotionally cognisant geographies not only write emotion into research products, but also examine emotional encounters during research as embodied and felt instantiations of scholars' entanglements in broader political geographies of communities, norms and institutions. It makes this argument by describing and analysing some of the authors' emotional experiences in the process of becoming a geographer of sexuality during PhD research. Taking felt embeddedness seriously in our writings moves us away from simply describing how research made us feel, to examining how these feelings and our negotiations of them generate more complex understandings of the impact of positionalities, political commitments and institutional situatedness on the conduct and indeed the feel of research processes. In this way, emotion does not simply liven up how we report our research, but is itself treated as a key ingredient in the production of geographical knowledge.
Fine‐tuned regulation of the K+/H+ antiporter KEA3 is required to optimize photosynthesis during induction
Authors: Wang Caijuan , Yamamoto Hiroshi , Narumiya Fumika , Munekage Yuri Nakajima , Finazzi Giovanni , Szabo Ildiko , Shikanai Toshiharu 
Published: February 2017

SummaryKEA3 is a thylakoid membrane localized K+/H+ antiporter that regulates photosynthesis by modulating two components of proton motive force (pmf), the proton gradient (∆pH) and the electric potential (∆ψ). We identified a mutant allele of KEA3, disturbed proton gradient regulation (dpgr) based on its reduced non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ) in artificial (CO2‐free with low O2) air. This phenotype was enhanced in the mutant backgrounds of PSI cyclic electron transport (pgr5 and crr2‐1). In ambient air, reduced NPQ was observed during induction of photosynthesis in dpgr, the phenotype that was enhanced after overnight dark adaptation. In contrast, the knockout allele of kea3‐1 exhibited a high‐NPQ phenotype during steady state in ambient air. Consistent with this kea3‐1 phenotype in ambient air, the membrane topology of KEA3 indicated a proton efflux from the thylakoid lumen to the stroma. The dpgr heterozygotes showed a semidominant and dominant phenotype in artificial and ambient air, respectively. In dpgr, the protein level of KEA3 was unaffected but the downregulation of its activity was probably disturbed. Our findings suggest that fine regulation of KEA3 activity is necessary for optimizing photosynthesis.
A nuclear‐localized rice glyoxalase I enzyme, OsGLYI‐8, functions in the detoxification of methylglyoxal in the nucleus
Authors: Kaur Charanpreet , Tripathi Amit K. , Nutan Kamlesh K. , Sharma Shweta , Ghosh Ajit , Tripathi Jayant K. , Pareek Ashwani , Singla‐Pareek Sneh L. , Sopory Sudhir K. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryThe cellular levels of methylglyoxal (MG), a toxic byproduct of glycolysis, rise under various abiotic stresses in plants. Detoxification of MG is primarily through the glyoxalase pathway. The first enzyme of the pathway, glyoxalase I (GLYI), is a cytosolic metalloenzyme requiring either Ni2+ or Zn2+ for its activity. Plants possess multiple GLYI genes, of which only some have been partially characterized; hence, the precise molecular mechanism, subcellular localization and physiological relevance of these diverse isoforms remain enigmatic. Here, we report the biochemical properties and physiological role of a putative chloroplast‐localized GLYI enzyme, OsGLYI‐8, from rice, which is strikingly different from all hitherto studied GLYI enzymes in terms of its intracellular localization, metal dependency and kinetics. In contrast to its predicted localization, OsGLYI‐8 was found to localize in the nucleus along with its substrate, MG. Further, OsGLYI‐8 does not show a strict requirement for metal ions for its activity, is functional as a dimer and exhibits unusual biphasic steady‐state kinetics with a low‐affinity and a high‐affinity substrate‐binding component. Loss of AtGLYI‐2, the closest Arabidopsis ortholog of OsGLYI‐8, results in severe germination defects in the presence of MG and growth retardation under salinity stress conditions. These defects were rescued upon complementation with AtGLYI‐2 or OsGLYI‐8. Our findings thus provide evidence for the presence of a GLYI enzyme and MG detoxification in the nucleus.
NBP35 interacts with DRE2 in the maturation of cytosolic iron‐sulphur proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Bastow Emma L. , Bych Katrine , Crack Jason C. , Le Brun Nick E. , Balk Janneke 
Published: February 2017

SummaryProteins of the cytosolic pathway for iron‐sulphur (FeS) cluster assembly are conserved, except that plants lack a gene for CFD1 (Cytosolic FeS cluster Deficient 1). This poses the question of how NBP35 (Nucleotide‐Binding Protein 35 kDa), the heteromeric partner of CFD1 in metazoa, functions on its own in plants. Firstly, we created viable mutant alleles of NBP35 in Arabidopsis to overcome embryo lethality of previously reported knockout mutations. RNAi knockdown lines with less than 30% NBP35 protein surprisingly showed no developmental or biochemical differences to wild‐type. Substitution of Cys14 to Ala, which destabilized the N‐terminal Fe4S4 cluster in vitro, caused mild growth defects and a significant decrease in the activity of cytosolic FeS enzymes such as aconitase and aldehyde oxidases. The DNA glycosylase ROS1 was only partially decreased in activity and xanthine dehydrogenase not at all. Plants with strongly depleted NBP35 protein in combination with Cys14 to Ala substitution had distorted leaf development and decreased FeS enzyme activities. To find protein interaction partners of NBP35, a yeast‐two‐hybrid screen was carried out that identified NBP35 and DRE2 (Derepressed for Ribosomal protein S14 Expression). NBP35 is known to form a dimer, and DRE2 acts upstream in the cytosolic FeS protein assembly pathway. The NBP35–DRE2 interaction was not disrupted by Cys14 to Ala substitution. Our results show that NBP35 has a function in the maturation of FeS proteins that is conserved in plants, and is closely allied to the function of DRE2.
Assessment of flow‐mediated dilatation in the superficial femoral artery using a sustained shear stress stimulus via calf plantar‐flexion exercise
Authors: King T. J. , Schmitter S. M. , Pyke K. E. 
Published: February 2017

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
The aim was to establish the ability of a newly designed leg exercise technique to produce sustained elevations in shear rate that stimulate flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) in the superficial femoral artery and to determine the repeat trial stability of the FMD response.

What is the main finding and its importance?
Calf plantar‐flexion exercise can be used to increase shear stress and stimulate FMD in the superficial femoral artery. However, the magnitude of FMD varied systematically when multiple trials were repeated in short succession.

The superficial femoral artery (SFA) is susceptible to vascular disease, and a technique to assess flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) in this vessel in response to a sustained shear stress stimulus could provide important information about endothelial function. The aim of this study was to establish the ability of a newly designed SFA leg exercise–FMD (LEX‐FMD) technique to produce sustained elevations in shear rate, which stimulate FMD, and to determine the repeat trial stability of the FMD response. The SFA FMD stimulated by reactive hyperaemia (RH) and calf plantar‐flexion exercise (LEX) was assessed via ultrasound in 19 healthy men (n = 10) and women (n = 9). The two experimental visits included either four trials of LEX‐FMD or four trials of RH‐FMD. The shear stress stimulus was estimated as the shear rate (blood velocity/SFA diameter). Results are expressed as the means ± SD. The LEX steady‐state shear rate was consistent between trials (P = 0.176), whereas the RH shear rate area under the curve was higher in trial 1 versus trials 2–4 (P < 0.05). The %RH‐FMD (four‐trial mean 4.9 ± 2.5%) and absolute RH‐FMD were not significantly different between trials (P = 0.465 and P = 0.359, respectively). Both %LEX‐FMD and absolute LEX‐FMD were higher during trial 3 (4.8 ± 3.4%) than trial 1 (3.6 ± 2.7%; P = 0.026 and P = 0.026, respectively). The magnitude of RH‐FMD and LEX‐FMD did not differ (P = 0.241). These results indicate that calf plantar‐flexion exercise can be used to increase shear stress and stimulate FMD in the SFA. However, although SFA RH‐FMD was stable across four trials, LEX‐FMD varied systematically when multiple trials were repeated in rapid succession.
Reducing falls after hospital discharge: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating an individualised multimodal falls education programme for older adults
Authors: Hill Anne-Marie , Etherton-Beer Christopher , McPhail Steven M , Morris Meg E , Flicker Leon , Shorr Ronald , Bulsara Max , Lee Den-Ching , Francis-Coad Jacqueline , Waldron Nicholas , Boudville Amanda , Haines Terry 
Published: February 2017

IntroductionOlder adults frequently fall after discharge from hospital. Older people may have low self-perceived risk of falls and poor knowledge about falls prevention. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of providing tailored falls prevention education in addition to usual care on falls rates in older people after discharge from hospital compared to providing a social intervention in addition to usual care.Methods and analysesThe ‘Back to My Best’ study is a multisite, single blind, parallel-group randomised controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment and intention-to-treat analysis, adhering to CONSORT guidelines. Patients (n=390) (aged 60 years or older; score more than 7/10 on the Abbreviated Mental Test Score; discharged to community settings) from aged care rehabilitation wards in three hospitals will be recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. Participants allocated to the control group shall receive usual care plus a social visit. Participants allocated to the experimental group shall receive usual care and a falls prevention programme incorporating a video, workbook and individualised follow-up from an expert health professional to foster capability and motivation to engage in falls prevention strategies. The primary outcome is falls rates in the first 6 months after discharge, analysed using negative binomial regression with adjustment for participant's length of observation in the study. Secondary outcomes are injurious falls rates, the proportion of people who become fallers, functional status and health-related quality of life. Healthcare resource use will be captured from four sources for 6 months after discharge. The study is powered to detect a 30% relative reduction in the rate of falls (negative binomial incidence ratio 0.70) for a control rate of 0.80 falls per person over 6 months.Ethics and disseminationResults will be presented in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences worldwide. This study is approved by hospital and university Human Research Ethics Committees.Trial registration numberACTRN12615000784516.
Death of outrage over talking about dying
Authors: Bhavsar Nrupen A , Constand Sara , Harker Matthew , Taylor Donald H 
Published: February 2017

ObjectivesWe examined public reaction to the proposed Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule reimbursing physicians for advanced care planning (ACP) discussions with patients.MethodsPublic comments made on regulations.gov were reviewed for relevance to ACP policy and their perceived position on ACP (ie, positive, negative and neutral). Descriptive statistics were used to quantify the results.ResultsA total of 2225 comments were submitted to regulations.gov. On review, 69.0% were categorised as irrelevant; among relevant comments (n=689), 81.1% were positive, 18.6% were negative and 0.002% were neutral. Individuals submitted a greater percentage of the total comments as compared to organisations (63.5% and 36.5%, respectively).ConclusionsThe US Medicare programme is a tax financed social insurance programme that covers all patients 65 years of age and older, including 8 in 10 decedents annually, and it is the part of the US healthcare system most similar to the rest of world. There has been a trend globally towards recognising the importance of aligning patient preferences with care options, including palliative care to deal with advanced life limiting illness. However, ACP is not widely used in the USA, potentially reducing the use of palliative care. Reimbursing ACP discussions between physicians, patients and their family has the potential to have a large impact on the quality of life of persons near death, which can greatly impact public health and the comfort in dealing with our ultimate demise.
‘A charm to impose on the vulgar’: the medicinal and magical applications of the snakestone bead within the British Isles
Authors: Pymm Rachael 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
The medicinal uses of the snakestone bead within the British Isles are surveyed and considered for the first time. The snakestone beads of the British Isles – often annular beads formed of glass or paste, but also other items similar in form – were employed against a variety of ailments, including several of the most deadly childhood diseases of the nineteenth century: teething, whooping cough and ague. In addition, they were used in the treatment of livestock and as a remedy for eye diseases. The eighteenth century saw the snakestone beads conflated with the hag-stone and employed as an amulet against witches and evil spirits.
Archaeological medicinal earths as antibacterial agents: the case of the Basel Lemnian
sphragides
Authors: Photos-Jones E. , Edwards C. , Häner F. , Lawton L. , Keane C. , Leanord A. , Perdikatsis V. 
Published: February 2017

Abstract

This paper presents the scientific investigation of three Lemnian
sphragides
(
terra sigillata
, stamped earth), a famed medicinal clay in antiquity, dated to the sixteenth–seventeenth centuries, and presently in the Museum for the History of Pharmacy, University of Basel. The three specimens are compared with clays from the purported locality of its extraction, at Kotsinas, NE Lemnos, Greece. The study suggests a local origin for the Basel samples; it also demonstrates, for the first time, that the three Lemnian
sphragides
have a significant antibacterial effect against
Staphylococcus aureus
, a common Gram-positive pathogen, but have no such effect against
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, a Gram-negative microorganism. Clay samples from the purported locality of extraction showed no antibacterial effect against
S. aureus
. Subsequent analysis with ultra-performance liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) revealed the presence of organic constituents in one
sphragis
which were absent from a sample of modern clay. A fungal secondary metabolite is proposed here as the active ingredient but other factors may also play a role. The ongoing investigation into the bioactivity of some medicinal clays might aid in the re-evaluation of Belon's statement included at the start of this paper, namely, that the Lemnian earth worked only because people in the past wished it to work.
Optogenetic identification of hypothalamic orexin neuron projections to paraventricular spinally projecting neurons
Authors: Dergacheva Olga , Yamanaka Akihiro , Schwartz Alan R. , Polotsky Vsevolod Y. , Mendelowitz David 
Published: February 2017

Orexin neurons, and activation of orexin receptors, are generally thought to be sympathoexcitatory; however, the functional connectivity between orexin neurons and a likely sympathetic target, the hypothalamic spinally projecting neurons (SPNs) in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) has not been established. To test the hypothesis that orexin neurons project directly to SPNs in the PVN, channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) was selectively expressed in orexin neurons to enable photoactivation of ChR2-expressing fibers while examining evoked postsynaptic currents in SPNs in rat hypothalamic slices. Selective photoactivation of orexin fibers elicited short-latency postsynaptic currents in all SPNs tested ( n = 34). These light-triggered responses were heterogeneous, with a majority being excitatory glutamatergic responses (59%) and a minority of inhibitory GABAergic (35%) and mixed glutamatergic and GABAergic currents (6%). Both glutamatergic and GABAergic responses were present in the presence of tetrodotoxin and 4-aminopyridine, suggesting a monosynaptic connection between orexin neurons and SPNs. In addition to generating postsynaptic responses, photostimulation facilitated action potential firing in SPNs (current clamp configuration). Glutamatergic, but not GABAergic, postsynaptic currents were diminished by application of the orexin receptor antagonist almorexant, indicating orexin release facilitates glutamatergic neurotransmission in this pathway. This work identifies a neuronal circuit by which orexin neurons likely exert sympathoexcitatory control of cardiovascular function. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to establish, using innovative optogenetic approaches in a transgenic rat model, that there are robust heterogeneous projections from orexin neurons to paraventricular spinally projecting neurons, including excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory GABAergic neurotransmission. Endogenous orexin release modulates glutamatergic, but not GABAergic, neurotransmission in these pathways.