bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Composition and structure of porcine digital flexor tendon‐bone insertion tissues
Authors: Chandrasekaran Sandhya , Pankow Mark , Peters Kara , Huang Hsiao‐Ying Shadow 
Published: July 2017

AbstractTendon‐bone insertion is a functionally graded tissue, transitioning from 200 MPa tensile modulus at the tendon end to 20 GPa tensile modulus at the bone, across just a few hundred micrometers. In this study, we examine the porcine digital flexor tendon insertion tissue to provide a quantitative description of its collagen orientation and mineral concentration by using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) based image analysis and mass spectrometry, respectively. Histological results revealed uniformity in global collagen orientation at all depths, indicative of mechanical anisotropy, although at mid‐depth, the highest fiber density, least amount of dispersion, and least cellular circularity were evident. Collagen orientation distribution obtained through 2D FFT of histological imaging data from fluorescent microscopy agreed with past measurements based on polarized light microscopy. Results revealed global fiber orientation across the tendon‐bone insertion to be preserved along direction of physiologic tension. Gradation in the fiber distribution orientation index across the insertion was reflective of a decrease in anisotropy from the tendon to the bone. We provided elemental maps across the fibrocartilage for its organic and inorganic constituents through time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS). The apatite intensity distribution from the tendon to bone was shown to follow a linear trend, supporting past results based on Raman microprobe analysis. The merit of this study lies in the image‐based simplified approach to fiber distribution quantification and in the high spatial resolution of the compositional analysis. In conjunction with the mechanical properties of the insertion tissue, fiber, and mineral distribution results for the insertion from this may potentially be incorporated into the development of a structural constitutive approach toward computational modeling. Characterizing the properties of the native insertion tissue would provide the microstructural basis for developing biomimetic scaffolds to recreate the graded morphology of a fibrocartilaginous insertion. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 3050–3058, 2017.
Some metals inhibit the glutathione S‐transferase from Van Lake fish gills
Authors: Özaslan M. Serhat , Demir Yeliz , Küfrevioğlu O. Irfan , Çiftci Mehmet 
Published: July 2017

AbstractGlutathione S‐transferases (GSTs) are the superfamily of multifunctional detoxification isoenzymes and play important role cellular signaling. The present article focuses on the role of Cd2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ag+ in vitro inhibition of GST. For this purpose, GST was purified from Van Lake fish (Chalcalburnus tarichii Pallas) gills with 110.664 EU mg−1 specific activity and 79.6% yield using GSH‐agarose affinity chromatographic method. The metal ions were tested at various concentrations on in vitro GST activity. IC50 values were found for Cd+2, Cu+2, Zn+2, Ag+ as 450.32, 320.25, 1510.13, and 16.43 μM, respectively. Ki constants were calculated as 197.05 ± 105.23, 333.10 ± 152.76, 1670.21 ± 665.43, and 0.433 ± 0.251 μM, respectively. Ag+ showed better inhibitory effect compared with the other metal ions. The inhibition mechanisms of Cd2+ and Cu2+ were non‐competitive, whereas Zn2+ and Ag+ were competitive. Co2+, Cr2+, Pb2+, and Fe3+ had no inhibitory activity on GST.
Effects of early combinatorial treatment of autologous split‐thickness skin grafts in red duroc pig model using pulsed dye laser and fractional CO2 laser
Authors: Bailey J. Kevin , Blackstone Britani N. , DeBruler Danielle M. , Kim Jayne Y. , Baumann Molly E. , McFarland Kevin L. , Imeokparia Folasade O. , Supp Dorothy M. , Powell Heather M. 
Published: July 2017

Background and ObjectiveThe use of pulsed dye laser (PDL) and fractional CO2 (FX CO2) laser therapy to treat and/or prevent scarring following burn injury is becoming more widespread with a number of studies reporting reduction in scar erythema and pruritus following treatment with lasers. While the majority of studies report positive outcomes following PDL or FX CO2 therapy, a number of studies have reported no benefit or worsening of the scar following treatment. The objective of this study was to directly compare the efficacy of PDL, FX CO2, and PDL + FX CO2 laser therapy in reducing scarring post burn injury and autografting in a standardized animal model.Materials and MethodsEight female red Duroc pigs (FRDP) received 4 standardized, 1 in. x 1 in. third degree burns that were excised and autografted. Wound sites were treated with PDL, FX CO2, or both at 4, 8, and 12 weeks post grafting. Grafts receiving no laser therapy served as controls. Scar appearance, morphology, size, and erythema were assessed and punch biopsies collected at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16. At week 16, additional tissue was collected for biomechanical analyses and markers for inflammatory cytokines, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, re‐epithelialization, pigmentation, and angiogenesis were quantified at all time points using qRT‐PCR.ResultsTreatment with PDL, FX CO2, or PDL + FX CO2 resulted in significantly less contraction versus skin graft only controls with no statistically significant difference among laser therapy groups. Scars treated with both PDL and FX CO2 were visually more erythematous than other groups with a significant increase in redness between two and three standard deviations above normal skin redness. Scars treated with FX CO2 were visually smoother and contained significantly fewer wrinkles. In addition, hyperpigmentation was significantly reduced in scars treated with FX CO2.ConclusionsThe use of fractional carbon dioxide or pulsed dye laser therapy within 1 month of autografting significantly reduced scar contraction versus control, though no statistically significant difference was detected between laser modalities or use of both modalities. Overall, FX CO2 therapy appears to be modestly more effective at reducing erythema, and improving scar texture and biomechanics. The current data adds to prior studies supporting the role of laser therapy in the treatment of burn scars and indicates more study is needed to optimize delivery protocols for maximum efficacy. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:78–87, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Intersection Poincaré Polynomial for Nagaraj–Seshadri moduli space
Authors: Barik Pabitra , Dey Arijit , Suhas B. N. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractWe compute Betti numbers of both the components of the moduli space of rank 2 semi‐stable torsion‐free sheaves with fixed determinant over a reducible nodal curve with two smooth components intersecting at a node. We also compute the intersection Betti numbers of the moduli space.
Serine alleviates oxidative stress via supporting glutathione synthesis and methionine cycle in mice
Authors: Zhou Xihong , He Liuqin , Wu Canrong , Zhang Yumei , Wu Xin , Yin Yulong 
Published: July 2017

ScopeSerine lies at the central node linking biosynthetic flux from glycolysis to glutathione synthesis and one‐carbon metabolic cycle which are closely related to antioxidant capacity. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of serine supplementation on oxidative stress and its relative mechanisms.Methods and resultsDiquat treatment was performed to induce oxidative stress in mice and primary hepatocytes. The results showed that hepatic glutathione anti‐oxidant systems were impaired and reactive oxygen species and homocysteine were increased in diquat‐induced mice and hepatocytes, while such disadvantageous changes were diminished by serine supplementation both in vivo and in vitro. However, when cystathionine β‐synthase expression was inhibited by interference RNA in hepatocytes, the effects of serine supplementation on the improvement of glutathione synthesis and the alleviation of oxidative stress were diminished. Moreover, when hepatocytes were treated with cycloleucine, an inhibitor of methionine adenosyltransferase, the effects of serine supplementation on the improvement of methionine cycle and the alleviation of DNA hypomethylation and oxidative stress were also diminished.ConclusionOur results indicated that serine supplementation alleviated oxidative stress via supporting glutathione synthesis and methionine cycle, mostly by condensing with homocysteine to synthesize cysteine and providing one‐carbon units for homocysteine remethylation.
Pheochromocytoma with Synchronous Ipsilateral Adrenal Cortical Adenoma
Authors: Hasassri M. Earth , Pandian T. K. , Bobr Aleh A. , Bancos Irina , Young William F. , Richards Melanie L. , Farley David R. , Thompson Geoffrey B. , McKenzie Travis J. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBackgroundPheochromocytoma with synchronous ipsilateral adrenal cortical adenoma (PSCA) may present with mixed clinical, biochemical, and radiological features characteristic to each neoplasm subtype.
MethodsAll patients with a pathological diagnosis of pheochromocytoma were evaluated for an ipsilateral cortical adenoma from 1994 through 2015. Retrospectively extracted data included indications for adrenalectomy, diagnostic workup (biochemical and radiographic), operative characteristics, pathological findings, and postoperative complications.
ResultsSixteen of 413 patients (4%) undergoing adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma had a PSCA. Median patient age was 57.7 years (IQR 50.1, 63.1); 50% were male. On imaging, 75% of the adrenal neoplasms were found incidentally and only 50% were reported to have a synchronous ipsilateral neoplasm based on imaging findings. Clinically important cortical hormone secretion was diagnosed in 38% of these patients; 25% had glucocorticoid secretory autonomy; and 13% had primary aldosteronism.
ConclusionPhysicians should be aware that adrenal neoplasms with mixed diagnostic findings may represent PSCA. Evaluation should be performed on this co‐occurrence to prevent perioperative complications from resection of an unexpected secretory cortical neoplasm.
The Role of Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
Authors: Martinez Myriam , Peponis Thomas , Hage Aglaia , Yeh Daniel D. , Kaafarani Haytham M. A. , Fagenholz Peter J. , King David R. , de Moya Marc A. , Velmahos George C. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBackgroundThe exact role of IV contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) has not yet been established. We aimed to explore the role of CT in patients with clinical suspicion of NSTI and assess its sensitivity and specificity for NSTI.MethodsThe medical records of patients admitted between 2009 and 2016, who received IV contrast‐enhanced CT to rule out NSTI, were reviewed. CT was considered positive in case of: (a) gas in soft tissues, (b) multiple fluid collections, (c) absence or heterogeneity of tissue enhancement by the IV contrast, and (d) significant inflammatory changes under the fascia. NSTI was confirmed only by the presence of necrotic tissue during surgical exploration. NSTI was considered absent if surgical exploration failed to identify necrosis, or if the patient was successfully treated non‐operatively.ResultsOf the 184 patients, 17 had a positive CT and hence underwent surgical exploration with NSTI being confirmed in 13 of them (76%). Of the 167 patients that had a negative CT, 38 (23%) underwent surgical exploration due to the high clinical suspicion for NSTI and were all found to have non‐necrotizing infections; the remaining 129 (77%) were managed non‐operatively with successful resolution of symptoms. The sensitivity of CT in identifying NSTI was 100%, the specificity 98%, the positive predictive value 76%, and the negative predictive value 100%.ConclusionsA negative IV contrast‐enhanced CT scan can reliably rule out the need for surgical intervention in patients with initial suspicion of NSTI.
The Incidence of Perioperative Cardiac Events after Orthopedic Surgery: A Single Institutional Experience of Cases Performed over One Year
Authors: Urban Michael K. , Wolfe Steffan W. , Sanghavi Neil M. , Fields Kara , Magid Steven K. 
Published: July 2017

Background Orthopedic patients with ischemic heart disease are at risk for postoperative cardiac complications. Questions/Purposes Using information from two medical information retrieval systems which insured the capture of all events for the period of study, our goals were to determine the incidence of myocardial injury in at-risk patients after orthopedic surgery and to delineate the type and incidence of cardiac complications in this population. Methods For one year, at an orthopedic hospital, we identified all postoperative patients with a measured cTnI level using an electronic ordering system. Preoperative cardiac risk factors and postoperative cardiac complications were identified in patients undergoing a total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and posterior spinal fusion (PSF). A postoperative myocardial infarction was defined by a cTnI > 0.1 ng/mL, ECG changes, new echocardiographic regional wall motion abnormalities, and evaluation by a cardiologist. Categorical variables were compared among groups with a Fisher's exact or Chi-square test. Continuous variables were compared among groups with ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test. The associations of cardiac risk factors with myocardial injury are expressed as odds ratios from logistic regression models. Results During a one-year period, from 10, 627 inpatient orthopedic procedures, 805 patients were identified as at risk for postoperative myocardial ischemia. A total of 20.6% (166/805) of these patients had elevated serum cTnI levels (cTnI > 0.02 ng/mL), and there were ten documented postoperative MIs (10/805; 1.2%). For the at-risk TKA, THA, or PSF patients, 19% (102/532) had elevated cTnI levels and 31% (32/102) had postoperative cardiac complications, including arrhythmias (56%), congestive heart failure (2%), and MI (1%). Adjusting for sex, age, BMI, cardiac risk factors, and medications (statins and β-blockers), PSF patients had 3.9 times the risk of myocardial injury ( p = 0.003) compared to TKA patients and 4.2 times that of THA patients. Conclusions The incidence of postoperative myocardial ischemia after major orthopedic surgery in patients with cardiac risk factors is high (8.7%), but the incidence of documented myocardial infarctions and serious cardiac complications remains low (1.2–2%). Patients with higher postoperative cTnI releases were more likely to have cardiac complications, and some procedures (spinal fusions) placed the patients at a higher risk.
Synthesis and Surface Activity of Cationic Amino Acid‐Based Surfactants in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Greber Katarzyna E. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractI studied the possibility of using amino acid‐based surfactants as emulsifiers at the same time as preservatives. Fourteen lipopeptides were synthesized employing a solid phase peptide synthesis procedure. All compounds were designed to be positively charged from +1 to +4 and acylated with fatty acid chain—palmitic and miristic. The surface activity of the obtained lipopeptides was tested using a semi‐automatic tensiometer to calculate parameters describing the behavior of lipopeptides in the air/water interface. Such parameters as CMC, surface tension at the CMC point (σCMC), effectiveness (πCMC), and efficiency (pC20) were measured. Emulsifying properties of all lipopeptides were also examined. The studies reveal that the surface active properties of synthesized compounds strongly depend on the length of alkyl chains as well as on the composition of amino acid polar heads. The critical micelle concentration decreases with increasing alkyl chain length of lipopeptides with the same polar head. The effectiveness and efficiency decrease when the number of amino acids in the polar head increases. All lipopeptides established a very weak emulsification power and created unstable water/Miglyol 812 and water/paraffin oil emulsions. Results suggest that lipopeptides cannot be used as emulsifiers; nonetheless, it is possible to use them as auxiliary surfactants with disinfectant properties in combination with more potent emulsifiers.
The Astonishing Population Averted by China’s Birth Restrictions: Estimates, Nightmares, and Reprogrammed Ambitions
Authors: Goodkind Daniel 
Published: July 2017

AbstractChina launched an unprecedented program to control its population in 1971. Experts have dismissed the official estimate of 400 million births averted by this program as greatly exaggerated yet neglect to provide their own estimates. Counterfactual projections based on fertility declines in other countries suggest that China’s program-averted population numbered 360–520 million as of 2015. The low end of this range is based on Vietnam—China’s best national comparator, with a two-child program of its own—and the high end is based on a 16-country comparator selected, ironically, by critics of the official estimate. The latter comparator further implies that China’s one-child program itself averted a population of 400 million by 2015, three-quarters of the total averted population. All such estimates are projected to double by 2060, due mostly to counterfactual population momentum. These and other findings presented herein affirm the astonishing impact of China’s draconian policy choices and challenge the current consensus that rapid socioeconomic progress drove China’s fertility well below two children per family. International comparisons of fertility and income suggest instead that China’s very low fertility arrived two or three decades too soon. If China had not harshly enforced a norm of 1.5-children during the last quarter century, most mothers would have had two children, one-half birth higher than observed.
Quality improvement primer part 1: Preparing for a quality improvement project in the emergency department
Authors: Chartier Lucas B. , Cheng Amy H.Y. , Stang Antonia S. , Vaillancourt Samuel 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTEmergency medicine (EM) providers work in a fast-paced and often hectic environment that has a high risk for patient safety incidents and gaps in the quality of care. These challenges have resulted in opportunities for frontline EM providers to play a role in quality improvement (QI) projects. QI has developed into a mature field with methodologies that can dramatically improve the odds of having a successful project with a sustainable impact. However, this expertise is not yet commonly taught during professional training. In this first of three articles meant as a QI primer for EM clinicians, we will introduce QI methodology and strategic planning using a fictional case study as an example. We will review how to identify a QI problem, define components of an effective problem statement, and identify stakeholders and core change team members. We will also describe three techniques used to perform root cause analyses—Ishikawa diagrams, Pareto charts and process mapping—and how they relate to preparing for a QI project. The next two papers in this series will focus on the execution of the QI project itself using rapid-cycle testing and on the evaluation and sustainability of QI projects.
We’re All Cultural Historians Now: Revolutions In Understanding Archaeological Theory And Scientific Dating
Authors: Griffiths Seren 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTRadiocarbon dating has had profound implications for archaeological understanding. These have been identified as various “revolutions,” with the latest—Bayesian chronological statistical analyses of large datasets—hailed as a “revolution in understanding.” This paper argues that the full implications of radiocarbon (14C) data and interpretation on archaeological theory have yet to be recognized, and it suggests that responses in Britain to earlier revolutions in archaeological understanding offer salutary lessons for contemporary archaeological practice. This paper draws on the work of David Clarke and Colin Renfrew to emphasize the importance of critical considerations of the relationships between archaeological theory and scientific method, and to emphasize that seemingly neutral aspects of archaeological thought are highly laden interpretatively, and have significant implications for the kinds of archaeology that we write.
MECHANISED MINIMUM SOIL DISTURBANCE ESTABLISHMENT AND YIELD OF DIVERSE CROPS IN PADDY FIELDS USING A TWO-WHEEL TRACTOR-MOUNTED PLANTER SUITABLE FOR SMALLHOLDER CROPPING
Authors: BELL R. W. , HAQUE M. E. , JOHANSEN C. , VANCE W. , KABIR M. E. , MUSA M. A. , MIA M. N. N. , NEOGI M. G. , ISLAM M. A. 
Published: July 2017

SUMMARYShortages of hired labour are leading to greater interest in mechanisation for crop establishment in smallholder agriculture. Due to small field sizes, mechanised planters mounted on four-wheel tractors are not a suitable technology. The Versatile Multi-crop Planter (VMP) was developed for zero tillage (ZT), strip planting (SP) or single pass shallow tillage (SPST) on flat land and for forming and planting on tops of beds, each in a single pass operation, when mounted on a two-wheel tractor (2WT). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the field performance of the VMP in comparison to conventional broadcast seeding and full rotary tillage (2 to 4 passes; called CT) for establishing chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), jute (Corchorus olitorius L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus), maize (Zea mays L.), mung bean (Vigna radiata L. R. Wilczek), rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in 15 locations of Bangladesh. Plant populations emerging from all single pass operations viz. SP, ZT, and bed planting (BP) were generally satisfactory and in 12 out of 15 experiments plant populations after SP were similar to or greater than after CT. In addition, SP gave comparable or greater plant populations than SPST and BP planting methods. Overall, the SP planting achieved comparable yields and lower costs of establishment than CT. We conclude that effective and reliable planters are now available for sowing a range of crop species on small fields with minimum soil disturbance. This opens up realistic options for the development of mechanised conservation agriculture suited to small field sizes.
The Political Economy of Ending Headhunting in Central Borneo: Inter-colonial and Kenyah perspectives on the 1924 Kapit Peacemaking Agreement and its aftermath
Authors: LUMENTA DAVE 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis article, largely based on archival research, highlights two contradictory outcomes of colonial state formation in central Borneo. The first is characterized by territorial consolidation and efforts to neatly sedentarize peoples within each colonial territory, while the second is characterized by pacification that unwittingly liberalized the flows and movements of people and commodities transgressing colonial state boundaries. The 1924 Kapit Peacemaking Agreement in colonial Sarawak is often noted for its significance in bringing a final end to the practice of inter-ethnic headhunting, principally between the Iban of Sarawak and the Kenyah from Dutch Borneo. While it marked the successful outcome of a long phase of colonial pacification and territorial consolidation for both colonial states in Borneo, the agreement's outcome simultaneously highlights the contradictory inter-colonial motives and expectations regarding the resulting increase of cross-border flows of people and commodities. The presented case highlights challenges facing Dutch colonial state formation when attempts to subjugate and sedentarize riverine peoples, who were geographically tied to fluid commodity chains and flows, directly undermined the former's own efforts to establish authority in its borderland frontier.