bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiac myosin-binding protein C is a novel marker of myocardial injury and fibrosis in aortic stenosis
Authors: Anand Atul , Chin Calvin , Shah Anoop S V , Kwiecinski Jacek , Vesey Alex , Cowell Joanna , Weber Ekkehard , Kaier Thomas , Newby David E , Dweck Marc , Marber Michael S , Mills Nicholas L 
Published: December 2017

ObjectiveCardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyC) is an abundant sarcomeric protein and novel highly specific marker of myocardial injury. Myocyte death characterises the transition from hypertrophy to replacement myocardial fibrosis in advanced aortic stenosis. We hypothesised that serum cMyC concentrations would be associated with cardiac structure and outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis.MethodscMyC was measured in two cohorts in which serum had previously been prospectively collected: a mechanism cohort of patients with aortic stenosis (n=161) and healthy controls (n=46) who underwent cardiac MRI, and an outcome cohort with aortic stenosis (n=104) followed for a median of 11.3 years.ResultsIn the mechanism cohort, cMyC concentration correlated with left ventricular mass (adjusted Î²=11.0 g/m2 per log unit increase in cMyC, P<0.001), fibrosis volume (adjusted Î²=8.0 g, P<0.001) and extracellular volume (adjusted Î²=1.3%, P=0.01) in patients with aortic stenosis but not in controls. In those with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) indicative of myocardial fibrosis, cMyC concentrations were higher (32 (21–56) ng/L vs 17 (12–24) ng/L without LGE, P<0.001). cMyC was unrelated to coronary calcium scores. Unadjusted Cox proportional hazards analysis in the outcome cohort showed greater all-cause mortality (HR 1.49 per unit increase in log cMyC, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.01, P=0.009).ConclusionsSerum cMyC concentration is associated with myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis and an increased risk of mortality in aortic stenosis. The quantification of serum sarcomeric protein concentrations provides objective measures of disease severity and their clinical utility to monitor the progression of aortic stenosis merits further study.Clinical trial registrationNCT1755936; Post-results.
Abstract A11: A deep learning approach for extracting clinically relevant information from pathology reports
Authors: Saib Waheeda Banu , Kumar Pavan , Siwo Geoffrey , Dlamini Gciniwe , Singh Elvira , Candy Sue , Klipin Michael 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
Data-Driven Healthcare, IBM Research Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
The National Cancer Registry (NCR) in South Africa plays a significant role in reporting nationwide cancer statistics and raising the global awareness of the massive impact of cancer. The government requires confirmed cancer cases to be reported to the NCR. Due to manual processes and the increasing magnitude of reports received annually, a considerable lag time exists in cancer statistics, which means the extent of the cancer cases is currently not understood. In addition, the unstructured free-text also needs to be processed in order to identify clinical information that could be important for public health planning. We present initial results from a deep learning approach to address this time lag. Deep learning is a powerful machine-learning algorithm that has made strides in the area of medical image recognition and speech processing. The deep learning system takes as input 2000 de-identified breast cancer pathology reports provided by the NCR in collaboration with the University of Witwatersrand Medical School. The pathology reports are first preprocessed using the Tf-idf (term frequency-inverse document frequency) method, which suggests how important a word is to a document in a corpus by assigning a numerical statistic to each word and hence obtain a term frequency document matrix. The high dimensional data matrix is, input into an unsupervised learning autoencoder, a data compression algorithm used to attain rich features that best represents the specific breast cancer topography and morphology. Unlike other approaches, our approach relies on non-dictionary sources such as clinical empirical knowledge extracted from the reports and dictionary sources such as the 12,000 medical diagnoses available in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). The output from the deep learning system can be used to automate the classification of reports into their corresponding topography and morphology. The system could also be used to create a visual analytics system to aid data exploration and trend analysis of the current state of cancer in South Africa.
Citation Format: Waheeda Banu Saib, Pavan Kumar, Geoffrey Siwo, Gciniwe Dlamini, Elvira Singh, Sue Candy, Michael Klipin. A deep learning approach for extracting clinically relevant information from pathology reports [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR International Conference: New Frontiers in Cancer Research; 2017 Jan 18-22; Cape Town, South Africa. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(22 Suppl):Abstract nr A11.
The structure and development of interxylary and external phloem in Aquilaria sinensis
Authors: Luo Bei , Ou Yeling , Pan Biao , Qiu Jian , Itoh Takao 
Published: December 2017

The structure and development of interxylary phloem (IP) and external phloem in Aquilaria sinensis were investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy. Complete IP strands were isolated, measuring 14 ± 4 mm in length and 417 ± 124 μm in width. The outer margin of IP was composed of two to three layers of fusiform parenchyma cells. The development of IP can be divided into five stages: 1) Locally IP starts its differentiation within a small segment of a broad cambial zone, at the cost of xylem differentiation. 2) Inward growth of IP advances, and fibres and sieve tubes differentiate. 3) IP is constricted by the encroachment of immature xylem cells between cambium and immature IP. 4) IP is isolated from the cambium and surrounded by immature, non-lignified xylem tissue. 5) IP is surrounded by lignified xylem tissue, and the fibres within IP become lignified.In all the phloem islands in a ten-year-old stem, sieve elements showed positive staining of callose with aniline blue. However, no staining of callose was observed in the external secondary phloem of agarwood trees collected from two different sites. No sieve tubes or sieve pores were detected by SEM observation of numerous serial cross and radial sections of the external phloem. We therefore conclude that sieve tubes are absent from the external phloem or extremely rare and that the transport of photosynthetic products in the stem of A. sinensis takes place in the interxylary phloem.
A Scheme to Assimilate “No Rain” Observations from Doppler Radar
Authors: Gao Shibo , Sun Juanzhen , Min Jinzhong , Zhang Ying , Ying Zhuming 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
Radar reflectivity observations contain valuable information on precipitation and have been assimilated into numerical weather prediction models for improved microphysics initialization. However, low-reflectivity (or so-called no rain) echoes have often been ignored or not effectively used in radar data assimilation schemes. In this paper, a scheme to assimilate no-rain radar observations is described within the framework of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model’s three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVar) system, and its impact on precipitation forecasts is demonstrated. The key feature of the scheme is a neighborhood-based approach to adjusting water vapor when a grid point is deemed as no rain. The performance of the scheme is first examined using a severe convective case in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and then verified by running the 3DVar system in the same region, with and without the no-rain assimilation scheme for 68 days and 3-hourly rapid update cycles. It is shown that the no-rain data assimilation method reduces the bias and false alarm ratio of precipitation over its counterpart without that assimilation. The no-rain assimilation also improved humidity, temperature, and wind fields, with the largest error reduction in the water vapor field, both near the surface and at upper levels. It is also shown that the advantage of the scheme is in its ability to conserve total water content in cycled radar data assimilation, which cannot be achieved by assimilating only precipitation echoes.
Impact of Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Malignant Salivary Gland Tumors
Authors: Safdieh Joseph , Givi Babak , Osborn Virginia , Lederman Ariel , Schwartz David , Schreiber David 
Published: December 2017

ObjectiveUsing the National Cancer Database (NCDB), we investigated the characteristics, outcomes, and benefits of adjuvant therapy for patients diagnosed with malignant salivary gland tumors between 2004 and 2012.Study DesignRetrospective analysis.SettingNCDB.Subject and MethodsThe cases of patients diagnosed with a nonmetastatic major salivary gland tumor who underwent resection between 2004 and 2012 were abstracted from the NCDB. Patients were further included if they had pT1‐4NX‐1M0 high‐grade disease or pT3‐4NX‐0M0 or pT1‐4N1M0 low‐grade disease. Patients were identified as having no postoperative radiation therapy or having received postoperative radiation therapy to a dose of 5000 and 7000 cGy to the head and neck region or the parotid region, and their characteristics and outcomes were compared.ResultsDuring the study period, 4068 patients met the inclusion criteria for this analysis, of which 2728 (67.1%) received postoperative radiation and 1340 (32.9%) did not. With a median follow‐up of 49.1 months, there was a significant improvement in overall survival associated with those receiving postoperative radiation (5 years, 56% vs 50.6%). On multivariable analysis, radiation utilization (hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.71‐0.86; P < 0.001) and female sex (hazard ratio, 0.88) were associated with improved survival. When the analysis was limited to patients ≤65 years old, the survival benefit was persistent on multivariable analysis.ConclusionIn conclusion, in this large NCDB study of 4068 patients with locally advanced malignant salivary gland carcinoma, administering adjuvant radiotherapy was associated with improved overall survival.
Investigation of curcumin-mediated signalling pathways in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Nanjappa Vishalakshi , Sathe Gajanan J. , Jain Ankit P. , Rajagopalan Pavithra , Raja Remya , Subbannayya Tejaswini , Patil Arun H. , Kumar Prashant , Prasad T. S. Keshava , Mathur Premendu Prakash , Sidransky David , Gowda Harsha , Chatterjee Aditi 
Published: December 2017

Objectives: Curcumin has been shown to exhibit anti-neoplastic effects. However, due to its poor bioavailability, the use of curcumin as an anti-cancer drug is limited. Thus, it is necessary to identify molecules as an alternative to curcumin that could serve as anti-cancer targets. In this study, we attempted to understand the underlying curcumin-mediated signalling pathways contributing to anti-neoplastic effects of curcumin. Methods: We carried out mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomic analysis of head and neck cancer cell line, CAL 27, treated with and without curcumin to identify curcumin-mediated signalling pathways. Serine/threonine kinases were enriched using titanium dioxide. Results: This resulted in the identification of 5921 phosphopeptides corresponding to 1878 proteins. Of these, 275 and 183 phosphopeptides corresponding to 335 and 242 proteins (≥2.0-fold) were found to be hyper- and hypo-phosphorylated, respectively, in response to curcumin treatment. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2), a serine/threonine kinase, and its downstream target protein kinase AMP-activated non-catalytic subunit beta 1 (PRKAB1) were found to be hypo-phosphorylated when treated with curcumin. Further, silencing or inhibiting CaMKK2 resulted in decreased invasion and colony forming ability of not only CAL 27 cells but also other head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines. Further, Western blot analysis showed that curcumin-mediated signalling is corroborated by CaMKK2. Conclusions: Taken together, our results suggest that CaMKK2 could be a novel therapeutic target in HNSCC and can serve as an alternative to curcumin.
A Radiographic Healing Classification for Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee Provides Good Interobserver Reliability
Authors: Ramski David E. , Ganley Theodore J. , Carey James L. 
Published: December 2017

Background: Recent studies have examined radiographic factors associated with healing of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions of the knee. However, there is still no gold standard in determining the healing status of an OCD lesion. Purpose: We examined temporally associated patterns of healing to (1) evaluate the practicality of a classification system and (2) elucidate any associations between healing pattern and patient age, sex, lesion location, treatment type, and physeal patency. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We retrospectively screened 489 patients from 2006 to 2010 for a total of 41 consecutive knee OCD lesions that met inclusion criteria, including at least 3 consecutive radiographic series (mean patient age, 12.8 years; range, 7.8-17.1 years; mean follow-up, 75.1 weeks). Radiographs were arranged in sequential order for ratings by 2 orthopaedic sports medicine specialists. Healing patterns were rated as boundary resolution, increasing radiodensity of progeny fragment, combined, or not applicable. Repeat ratings were conducted 3 weeks later. Results: Patients were most commonly adolescent males aged 13 to 17 years, with a medial femoral condyle lesion that was treated operatively. Interobserver reliability of the healing classification was good (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.55-0.79). Boundary and radiodensity healing was observed for all ages, sexes, lesion locations, treatment types, and physeal patency states. Conclusion: This study evaluated a valuable radiographic paradigm—boundary resolution, increasing radiodensity of progeny fragment, or combined—for assessment of OCD lesion healing. The proposed system of healing classification demonstrated good inter- and intraobserver reliability. Healing patterns were not significantly associated with any particular age, sex, lesion location, treatment type, or physeal patency status. The development of a classification system for knee OCD may eventually improve clinical assessment and management of OCD lesions.
Surfactant protein D is a causal risk factor for COPD: results of Mendelian randomisation
Authors: Obeidat Ma'en , Li Xuan , Burgess Stephen , Zhou Guohai , Fishbane Nick , Hansel Nadia N. , Bossé Yohan , Joubert Philippe , Hao Ke , Nickle David C. , van den Berge Maarten , Timens Wim , Cho Michael H. , Hobbs Brian D. , de Jong Kim , Boezen Marike , Hung Rayjean J. , Rafaels Nicholas , Mathias Rasika , Ruczinski Ingo , Beaty Terri H. , Barnes Kathleen C. , Paré Peter D. , Sin Don D. 
Published: December 2017

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is produced primarily in the lung and is involved in regulating pulmonary surfactants, lipid homeostasis and innate immunity. Circulating SP-D levels in blood are associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), although causality remains elusive.In 4061 subjects with COPD, we identified genetic variants associated with serum SP-D levels. We then determined whether these variants affected lung tissue gene expression in 1037 individuals. A Mendelian randomisation framework was then applied, whereby serum SP-D-associated variants were tested for association with COPD risk in 11 157 cases and 36 699 controls and with 11 years decline of lung function in the 4061 individuals.Three regions on chromosomes 6 (human leukocyte antigen region), 10 (SFTPDgene) and 16 (ATP2C2gene) were associated with serum SP-D levels at genome-wide significance. In Mendelian randomisation analyses, variants associated with increased serum SP-D levels decreased the risk of COPD (estimate −0.19, p=6.46×10−03) and slowed the lung function decline (estimate=0.0038, p=7.68×10−3).Leveraging genetic variation effect on protein, lung gene expression and disease phenotypes provided novel insights into SP-D biology and established a causal link between increased SP-D levels and protection against COPD risk and progression. SP-D represents a very promising biomarker and therapeutic target for COPD.
Decreased Parasympathetic Activity of Heart Rate Variability During Anticipation of Night Duty in Anesthesiology Residents
Authors: Wang Man-Ling , Lin Pei-Lin , Huang Chi-Hsiang , Huang Hui-Hsun 
Published: December 2017

BACKGROUND:
In residency programs, it is well known that autonomic regulation is influenced by night duty due to workload stress and sleep deprivation. A less investigated question is the impact on the autonomic nervous system of residents before or when anticipating a night duty shift. In this study, heart rate variability (HRV) was evaluated as a measure of autonomic nervous system regulation.

METHODS:
Eight residents in the Department of Anesthesiology were recruited, and 5 minutes of electrocardiography were recorded under 3 different conditions: (1) the morning of a regular work day (baseline); (2) the morning before a night duty shift (anticipating the night duty); and (3) the morning after a night duty shift. HRV parameters in the time and frequency domains were calculated. Repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to compare the HRV parameters among the 3 conditions.

RESULTS:
There was a significant decrease of parasympathetic-related HRV measurements (high-frequency power and root mean square of the standard deviation of R–R intervals) in the morning before night duty compared with the regular work day. The mean difference of high-frequency power between the 2 groups was 80.2 ms2 (95% confidence interval, 14.5–146) and that of root mean square of the standard deviation of R–R intervals was 26 milliseconds (95% confidence interval, 7.2–44.8), with P = .016 and .007, respectively. These results suggest that the decrease of parasympathetic activity is associated with stress related to the condition of anticipating the night duty work. On the other hand, the HRV parameters in the morning after duty were not different from the regular workday.

CONCLUSIONS:
The stress of anticipating the night duty work may affect regulation of the autonomic nervous system, mainly manifested as a decrease in parasympathetic activity. The effect of this change on the health of medical personnel deserves our concern.
Reduced Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain Predicts Prolonged Hospitalization: A Cohort Analysis of Patients Having Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery
Authors: Sonny Abraham , Alfirevic Andrej , Sale Shiva , Zimmerman Nicole M. , You Jing , Gillinov A. Marc , Sessler Daniel I. , Duncan Andra E. 
Published: December 2017

BACKGROUND:
Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is often preserved in patients with aortic stenosis and thus cannot distinguish between normal myocardial contractile function and subclinical dysfunction. Global longitudinal strain and strain rate (SR), which measure myocardial deformation, are robust indicators of myocardial function and can detect subtle myocardial dysfunction that is not apparent with conventional echocardiographic measures. Strain and SR may better predict postoperative outcomes than LVEF. The primary aim of our investigation was to assess the association between global longitudinal strain and serious postoperative outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis having aortic valve replacement. Secondarily, we also assessed the associations between global longitudinal SR and LVEF and the outcomes.

METHODS:
In this post hoc analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial (NCT01187329), we examined the association between measures of myocardial function and the following outcomes: (1) need for postoperative inotropic/vasopressor support; (2) prolonged hospitalization (>7 days); and (3) postoperative atrial fibrillation. Standardized transesophageal echocardiographic examinations were performed after anesthetic induction. Myocardial deformation was measured using speckle-tracking echocardiography. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between measures of myocardial function and outcomes, adjusted for potential confounding factors. The predictive ability of global longitudinal strain, SR, and LVEF was assessed as area under receiver operating characteristics curves (AUCs).

RESULTS:
Of 100 patients enrolled in the clinical trial, 86 patients with aortic stenosis had acceptable images for global longitudinal strain analysis. Primarily, worse intraoperative global longitudinal strain was associated with prolonged hospitalization (odds ratio [98.3% confidence interval], 1.22 [1.01–1.47] per 1% decrease [absolute value] in strain; P = .012), but not with other outcomes. Secondarily, worse global longitudinal SR was associated with prolonged hospitalization (odds ratio [99.7% confidence interval], 1.68 [1.01–2.79] per 0.1 second−
1 decrease [absolute value] in SR; P = .003), but not other outcomes. LVEF was not associated with any outcomes. Global longitudinal SR was the best predictor for prolonged hospitalization (AUC, 0.72), followed by global longitudinal strain (AUC, 0.67) and LVEF (AUC, 0.62).

CONCLUSIONS:
Global longitudinal strain and SR are useful predictors of prolonged hospitalization in patients with aortic stenosis having an aortic valve replacement.
NudE regulates dynein at kinetochores but is dispensable for other dynein functions in the C. elegans early embryo
Authors: Simões Patrícia A. , Celestino Ricardo , Carvalho Ana X. , Gassmann Reto 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT
In mitosis, the molecular motor dynein is recruited to kinetochores by the Rod–Zw10–Zwilch complex (RZZ) and Spindly to control spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) signaling and microtubule attachment. How the ubiquitous dynein co-factors Lis1 and NudE contribute to these functions remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the C. elegans NudE homolog NUD-2 is dispensable for dynein- and LIS-1-dependent mitotic spindle assembly in the zygote. This facilitates functional characterization of kinetochore-localized NUD-2, which is recruited by the CENP-F-like proteins HCP-1 and HCP-2 independently of RZZ–Spindly and dynein–LIS-1. Kinetochore dynein levels are reduced in Δnud-2 embryos, and, as occurs upon RZZ inhibition, loss of NUD-2 delays the formation of load-bearing kinetochore–microtubule attachments and causes chromatin bridges in anaphase. Survival of Δnud-2 embryos requires a functional SAC, and kinetochores without NUD-2 recruit an excess of SAC proteins. Consistent with this, SAC signaling in early Δnud-2 embryos extends mitotic duration and prevents high rates of chromosome mis-segregation. Our results reveal that both NUD-2 and RZZ–Spindly are essential for dynein function at kinetochores, and that the gain in SAC strength during early embryonic development is relevant under conditions that mildly perturb mitosis.
Linking Staff Burnout to Family Members' Satisfaction in Centers for People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Service Chain Approach
Authors: Moliner Carolina , Lorente Laura , Molina Agustín , Gracia Esther , Martínez-Tur Vicente 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
Research in centers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has somewhat neglected the relationship between workers' burnout and users' service evaluations. Two independent survey studies tested this connection. In the first study (100 centers, 714 workers, and 612 family members), results confirmed that burnout has a negative relationship with workers' perceptions of service quality. In turn, these perceptions are associated with the service quality perceptions of family members and their satisfaction with the service. In a replication sample (86 centers, 601 workers, and 819 family members), we reproduced these results and added situational constraints in the model. Both social and technical constraints correlated positively and significantly with burnout. These studies offer a view of the relationships between burnout and service quality.