bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predicting persistent impaired glucose tolerance in patients with gestational diabetes: The role of high sensitivity CRP and adiponectin
Authors: Durnwald Celeste P. , Downes Katheryne , Leite Rita , Elovitz Michal , Parry Samuel 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackgroundTo evaluate whether maternal serum adiponectin and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) levels at the time of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) diagnosis are associated with persistent glucose intolerance in GDM women at 6 to 12 weeks postpartum.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of prospective randomized trial of GDM women enrolled in a behaviour education programme. Women with a GDM diagnosis ≥20 weeks were included. At the time of randomization, serum adiponectin and hsCRP levels were drawn. After delivery, women underwent a 2‐hour 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test at 6 to 12 weeks postpartum. Persistent impaired glucose tolerance (P‐IGT) was defined as impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Regression models and receiver operator curves were used to evaluate the association between midpregnancy adiponectin and hsCRP and persistent impaired glucose tolerance.ResultsOf 100 women in the trial, 63 completed postpartum glucose testing. Twenty (31.7%) of the women had P‐IGT. Median hsCRP levels were higher at randomization (22‐34 wk) in women with persistent impaired glucose tolerance compared with women with normal glucose tolerance (5.1 vs 3.8, P = .01). After adjustment for the original study intervention, the association between hsCRP and P‐IGT persisted (odds ratio, 3.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.34‐8.92; P = .01) and had good diagnostic performance with an area under the curve of 0.73. There was no difference in median adiponectin levels between groups (44.8 vs 52.0, P = .57) or in odds of P‐IGT (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.33‐1.99; P = .65), and area under the curve = 0.54.ConclusionsMidpregnancy high sensitivity CRP is a potential predictor of persistent impaired glucose tolerance diagnosed on the postpartum 2‐hour 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test in GDM women in the immediate postpartum period. Further investigation is needed in a larger population of women prior to using specific cut‐offs for diagnostic purposes. High‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein levels in the immediate postpartum period should be seen as an adjunct, not a replacement, for the standard long‐term screening of women with a history of a GDM pregnancy.
The Magnetocaloric Effect in the Thin Film of a Prussian Blue Analogue
Authors: Fitta Magdalena , Szuwarzyński Michał , Czaja Paweł , Lewińska Gabriela , Bałanda Maria 
Published: October 2017

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue is research led by Magdalena Fitta at the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kraków, Poland, in collaboration with scientists at the Jagiellonian University, Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science, and Kraków University of Technology. The cover image shows the temperature dependence of the change in magnetic entropy for a thin film of a Prussian blue analogue at various external magnetic fields.
Highly Reliable Real‐time Self‐powered Vibration Sensor Based on a Piezoelectric Nanogenerator
Authors: Zhu Jie , Niu Xushi , Hou Xiaojuan , He Jian , Chou Xiujian , Xue Chenyang , Zhang Wendong 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWith the diverse development in electronic devices, high cost, low reliability, and the need for battery power have been severe obstacles to restrict the wide application of sensors. In this work, we present a highly reliable, real‐time, self‐powered vibration sensor based on an enhanced piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG), which is heat resistant, waterproof, relatively low cost, and with a long lifetime. The enhanced piezoelectric NG is constructed into a double‐arched structure: the upper arched layer is the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film with designed optimum size, which can utilize the excellent piezoelectric potential of the d31 mode; the lower arched layer is the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film covered by uniform trapezoidal microstructures and thereby increases the charge density of the piezoelectric NG. The piezoelectric NG output voltage with the double‐arched structure increased by 35.1 % upon applying a mechanical force of 5 N. Relating to improved steady voltage output performance, the enhanced piezoelectric NG was used as the sensitive element of a sensor with sensitivity of 2.21 V g−1 and linearity error of 5.91 % under a vibration amplitude of 6 mm. Moreover, the sensor not only exhibited stable repeatability and stability over long times, but it also steadily produced output performances after soaking in water temperatures up to 70 °C. Therefore, the highly reliable self‐powered vibration sensor presents prominent prospect for future application.
Selenium toxicity to survival and reproduction of Collembola and Enchytraeids in a sandy loam soil
Authors: Kuperman Roman G. , Checkai Ronald T. , Simini Michael , Phillips Carlton T. , Higashi Richard M. , Fan Teresa W.-M. , Sappington Keith 
Published: October 2017

Abstract

We investigated the toxicity of selenium (Se) to the soil invertebrates Folsomia candida (Collembola) and Enchytraeus crypticus (potworm). Studies were designed to generate ecotoxicological benchmarks for developing ecological soil screening levels (Eco-SSLs) for risk assessments of contaminated soils. For the present studies, we selected Sassafras sandy loam, an aerobic upland soil with soil characteristics (low levels of clay and organic matter, soil pH adjusted from 5.2 to 7.1) that support high relative bioavailability of the anionic Se species that is typically found in aerobic soil. The Se was amended into soil as sodium selenate, subjected to weathering and aging using 21 d of alternating cycles of air-drying/rehydration to 60% of the water-holding capacity of the Sassafras sandy loam soil, under ambient greenhouse conditions. Effective concentrations at 20 and 50% (EC20 and EC50) levels for production of juveniles (reproduction) were 4.7 and 10.9 mg of Se/kg of soil (dry mass basis), respectively, for Collembola, and 4.4 and 6.2 mg/kg, respectively, for the potworms. The data enabled the derivation of toxicity benchmarks, contributing to the development of a soil invertebrate-based Eco-SSL of 4.1 mg/kg for Se. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:846–853. Published 2017 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Avoidance threshold to oil water-soluble fraction by a juvenile marine teleost fish
Authors: Claireaux Guy , Quéau Pierre , Marras Stefano , Le Floch Stéphane , Farrell Anthony P. , Nicolas-Kopec Annabelle , Lemaire Philippe , Domenici Paolo 
Published: October 2017

Abstract

When oil spills occur, behavior is the first line of defense for a fish to avoid being contaminated. We determined the avoidance threshold of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) to the water-soluble fraction (WSF) of oil using a dual-flow choice box. The results showed that a plume of 20%-diluted WSF (total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon [PAH] concentration: 8.54 μg L−1) triggered a significant avoidance response that was detected within 7.5 min of introducing WSF-contaminated water into the experimental setup. However, the ecological relevance of seabass capacity to detect and avoid WSF remains to be established. In the short term, such a response is indeed liable to reduce seabass contact time with oil-contaminated water and thus preserve their functional integrity. In the long term, however, avoidance may contribute to the displacement of a population into a possibly less auspicious environment, with consequences very similar to those of contaminant exposure, that is, disturbed population dynamics and demography. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:854–859. © 2017 SETAC
The Impact of Traditional Food and Lifestyle Behavior on Epigenetic Burden of Chronic Disease
Authors: Imam Mustapha U. , Ismail Maznah 
Published: October 2017

AbstractNoncommunicable chronic diseases (NCCDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. The mismatch between present day diets and ancestral genome is suggested to contribute to the NCCDs burden, which is promoted by traditional risk factors like unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, alcohol and tobacco. However, epigenetic evidence now suggests that cumulatively inherited epigenetic modifications may have made humans more prone to the effects of present day lifestyle factors. Perinatal starvation was widespread in the 19th century. This together with more recent events like increasing consumption of western and low fiber diets, smoking, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity, and environmental pollutants may have programed the human epigenome for higher NCCDs risk. In this review, on the basis of available epigenetic data it is hypothesized that transgenerational effects of lifestyle factors may be contributing to the current global burden of NCCDs. Thus, there is a need to reconsider prevention strategies so that the subsequent generations will not have to pay for our sins and those of our ancestors.
Impairment of protein degradation and proteasome function in hereditary neuropathies
Authors: VerPlank Jordan J. S. , Lokireddy Sudarsanareddy , Feltri M. Laura , Goldberg Alfred L. , Wrabetz Lawrence 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIn several neurodegenerative diseases in which misfolded proteins accumulate there is impairment of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). We tested if a similar disruption of proteostasis occurs in hereditary peripheral neuropathies. In sciatic nerves from mouse models of two human neuropathies, Myelin Protein Zero mutation (S63del) and increased copy number (P0 overexpression), polyubiquitinated proteins accumulated, and the overall rates of protein degradation were decreased. 26S proteasomes affinity‐purified from sciatic nerves of S63del mice were defective in degradation of peptides and a ubiquitinated protein, unlike proteasomes from P0 overexpression, which appeared normal. Nevertheless, cellular levels of 26S proteasomes were increased in both, through the proteolytic‐activation of the transcription factor Nrf1, as occurs in response to proteasome inhibitors. In S63del, increased amounts of the deubiquitinating enzymes USP14, UCH37, and USP5 were associated with proteasomes, the first time this has been reported in a human disease model. Inhibitors of USP14 increased the rate of protein degradation in S63del sciatic nerves and unexpectedly increased the phosphorylation of eIF2α by Perk. Thus, proteasome content, composition and activity are altered in these diseases and USP14 inhibitors have therapeutic potential in S63del neuropathy.
The Morality of Health Care Reform: Liberal and Conservative Views and the Space between Them
Authors: Stoltzfus Jost Timothy 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe have just completed an exhausting nine‐month debate on the future of the Affordable Care Act. I see this debate as having ended—as of this writing—in a draw. After months of repeal efforts, Republicans in the House barely passed in early May, with a 217‐to‐213 margin, the American Health Care Act, which would have significantly amended the ACA. Republicans in the Senate spent the summer trying to arrive at amendments to the AHCA that could attract fifty of their fifty‐two votes, but in the end, the clock ran out on their opportunity to enact an amendment without Democratic input. With this legislative failure, we appear to be in a stalemate. The Affordable Care Act remains in place as the law of the land, but the Trump administration seems committed to at best condemning the ACA to malign neglect and at worst actively undermining it at every opportunity. Given the political stalemate, the time is right to reassess the deeper issues at stake and ponder the prospects for a considered compromise on health reform.
A systematic review of empirical studies on methodology and burden of informal patient payments in health systems
Authors: Khodamoradi Abdolvahed , Ghaffari Mohammad Payam , Daryabeygi‐Khotbehsara Reza , Sajadi Haniye Sadat , Majdzadeh Reza 
Published: October 2017

SummaryIntroductionInformal patients' payments (IPPs) is a sensitive subject. The aim of current study was to assess the trends in informal payment studies and explore methods of IPPs measurement, prevalence, and features (payment type, volume, and receiver) in various contexts.MethodsA search strategy was developed to identify peer‐reviewed articles addressing informal payments on PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL. A total of 1252 studies were identified initially. After screening process, 38 studies were included in the systematic review. The selected studies were appraised, and findings were synthesized.ResultAmong selected studies, quantitative approaches were mostly used for measuring IPPs from general public and patients' perspective, and qualitative methods mainly targeted health care providers. Reported IPP prevalence in selected articles ranges between 2% and 80%, more prevalent in the inpatient sector than in outpatient.ConclusionThere are a number of strategies for the measurement of IPPs with different strengths and weaknesses. Most applied strategies for general public were quantitative surveys recruiting more than 1000 participants using a face‐to‐face structured interview, and then qualitative studies on less than 150 health care providers, with focus group discussion. This review provides a comprehensive picture of current informal patients' payments measurement tools, which helps researchers in future investigations.
Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Care Transitions Measure
Authors: Yoshimura Mai , Sato Miho , Sumi Naomi 
Published: October 2017

SummaryObjectiveTo evaluate the validity and reliability of the Japanese Version of the Care Transitions Measure (J‐CTM‐15).DesignQuestionnaire items were translated, and a longitudinal study was conducted.SettingThree urban hospitals: a special functioning hospital, a regional‐designated cancer care hospital, and a private hospital in the northern part of Japan.ParticipantsPatients, aged 20 years and older, who were discharged from hospitals.Main outcome measureReliability was measured using Cronbach α and item‐total correlations. Convergent validity was measured using a Pearson correlation with the Self‐Care Agency Questionnaire. Construct validity was examined by an exploratory factor analysis. Predictive validity was examined by the ability to discriminate negative post hospital experiences, including anxiety, problems at home, readmission, emergency visit, consultation via telephone, poor health condition without consultation, and by the correlation with the 12‐item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐12v2).ResultsA total of 223 and 158 participants were selected for data analyses. The Cronbach α was 0.90. The J‐CTM‐15 differed from the original factor model, but significantly correlated with Self‐Care Agency Questionnaire and SF‐12v2 scores. The J‐CTM‐15 also significantly discriminated between patients who did and did not display anxiety, problems at home, and poor health condition, but did not discriminate for readmission, emergency visits, and consultation via telephone.ConclusionThe J‐CTM‐15 is a valid and reliable measure of the quality of care transitions. However, insufficient levels of predictive validity and a lack of generalizability are limitations of the current study.
Surface reactivity of octacalcium phosphate‐derived fluoride‐containing apatite in the presence of polyols and fluoride
Authors: Tsutsui Sei , Anada Takahisa , Shiwaku Yukari , Tsuchiya Kaori , Yamazaki Hajime , Suzuki Osamu 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe present study was designed to characterize co‐precipitated fluoridated apatitic materials from octacalcium phosphate (OCP) precursor and to investigate their surface reactions with polyols including glycerol in the presence of fluoride ions. Laboratory‐synthesized fluoridated apatite crystals (LS‐FA) were obtained in a solution containing fluoride (F) from 25 to 500 ppm. LS‐FAs and commercially available fluoroapatite (FA) and hydroxyapatite (HA) were characterized by physical techniques, such as X‐ray diffraction. LS‐FA obtained in the presence of 100 ppmF (100 ppm‐LS‐FA) had an apatitic structure, but its solubility was close to HA in a culture medium (α‐MEM) despite the fact it contains over 3 wt % of F. 100 ppm‐LS‐FA, FA, and HA were then subjected to the human serum albumin (HSA) adsorption test at pH 7.4 (in a 150 mM Tris–HCl buffer) and the dissolution and re‐mineralization experiments in the presence of xylitol, D‐sorbitol, or glycerol, and F under acidic and neutral conditions. Adsorption affinity of HSA was estimated as highest for FA and lowest for LS‐FA. LS‐FA, FA, and HA were immersed in a lactic acid solution with the polyols and/or F ion‐containing solution up to 200 ppm to analyze the dissolution behavior. LS‐FA had the highest dissolution tendency in the conditions examined. Glycerol enhanced the dissolution of phosphate from apatite crystals in particular from LS‐FA. The results suggest that the apatite crystals, obtained through the hydrolysis of OCP in the presence of F, provide a more reactive surface than FA or HA under physiological environments. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2235–2244, 2018.
The susceptibility to autoxidation of erythrocytes in diabetic mice: Effects of melatonin and pentoxifylline
Authors: Şekeroğlu Mehmet Ramazan , Huyut Zübeyir , Çokluk Erdem , Özbek Hanefi , Alp Hamit Hakan 
Published: October 2017

AbstractOxidative stress had a great importance in development of complications in diabetes. We investigated effects of melatonin and pentoxifylline in diabetic mice. Swiss albino mice (n = 40) were divided into four groups: alloxan‐induced diabetes mellitus (DM), alloxan‐induced diabetes with melatonin supplementation (DM + MLT), alloxan‐induced diabetes with pentoxifylline supplementation (DM + PTX), and control. Glutathione‐peroxidase (GSH‐Px) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, and susceptibility to oxidation of erythrocytes were measured. MDA levels were higher than control in the DM and DM + MLT. The DM had more MDA level than the DM + MLT and DM + PTX (P < 0.001). After in vitro oxidation, MDA levels of all groups were found higher than the control. However, they were significantly lower than the DM in DM + PTX and DM + MLT (P < 0.001). Although GSH levels of the DM and DM + PTX were less than the control, GSH‐Px activity of the DM was lower than the control and DM + PTX (P < 0.05). We suggest that there is increased oxidative stress and compromised antioxidant status of erythrocytes in diabetes; however, it can be effectively prevented by melatonin or pentoxifylline supplementation.
Death effects of reveromycin A in normal and disease‐associated cells of the joint
Authors: Svrcina Haley , Greer Austin , Baker Seth , Smith Morgan , Martinez Patricia , Granger Nathan , Thomas Natassja , Miller Jaylin , Steinke Ellen , Davitt Kelsey , Sloane Emily , Nugent Lauren , Sabo Ryan , Williams Calli , Lipton Mark A. , Jones Daniel 
Published: October 2017

AbstractEarlier work in our laboratory demonstrated that naturally occurring reveromycin A (Rev A) causes apoptosis in osteoclasts without accompanying necrosis. Rev A death effects in both normal and diseased joint cells were investigated in this study. A dose of 10 μM Rev A did not cause apoptosis nor necrosis in monolayer chondrocytes, even at pH 6.8, a pH mimicking that of an inflamed joint. In contrast, at the acidic pH Rev A did induce significant apoptosis (fourfold increase at 48 h of treatment, P < 0.005) in normal synoviocytes without accompanying necrosis. Western blot of the normal synoviocyte proteins revealed that cytochrome c levels were not significantly changed over the time course of treatment nor did caspase 8 activity increase; therefore, Rev A appears to exert this apoptotic effect through a mechanism independent of the classical intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Fibroblast‐like synoviocytes isolated from rheumatoid arthritis patients (RAFLS) as well as normal human fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (NHFLS), cells known to play key roles in arthritic joint pathology, were also subjected to Rev A treatment at both physiologic and acidic pH's. Neither apoptosis nor necrosis was induced in either RAFLS or NHFLS. Parallel mitomycin C treatment of NHFLS induced both apoptosis and necrosis. Comparative structure‐activity analyses of Rev A and mitomycin C revealed that Rev A is less likely to cross the cell membrane at near neutral pH. Collectively the data reveal that a physiological dose of Rev A under acidic conditions induces normal synoviocytes to undergo apoptosis while pathologic fibroblast‐like synoviocytes are resistant to apoptosis and necrosis.
Beliefs about causes of major depression: Clinical and treatment correlates among African Americans in an urban community
Authors: Murphy Eleanor , Hankerson Sidney 
Published: October 2017

AbstractObjectivesMajor depression is increasingly viewed in the United States public as a medical disorder with biological and psychosocial causes. Yet little is known about how causal attributions about depression vary among low‐income racial minorities. This study examined beliefs about causes of depression and their demographic, clinical and treatment correlates in a lower income African American sample.MethodVolunteers (N = 110) aged 24–79 years, who participated in a family study of depression, completed a 45‐item questionnaire on their beliefs about the causes of depression. We used multidimensional scaling (MDS) to cluster items into causal domains and multivariate regression analyses to test associations of causal domains with demographic and clinical characteristics and treatments received.ResultsThree causal domains, conceptualized as Eastern culture/supernatural (ECS), Western culture/natural/psychosocial (WCN‐P), and /neurobiological (WCN‐N) attributions, were derived from MDS clusters. WCN‐P was most commonly endorsed (50%–91%) and ECS least endorsed as causes of depression (10‐44%). This pattern held across gender, age, educational levels, and diagnostic category. WCN‐N items were moderately endorsed, with some distinction between genetic causes and other biological causes. WCN‐N was positively associated with medication as opposed to other forms of treatment (B = 1.17; p = .049).ConclusionAmong low‐income African Americans, beliefs about causes of depression are varied but broadly consistent explanatory models that include a combination of psychosocial causes with genetic/biological contributions. For certain individuals, supernatural and natural causal attributions may coexist without dissonance. Causal attributions may be associated with types of treatment accepted and have implications for treatment compliance and adherence.