bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hyperglycaemia suppresses microRNA expression in platelets to increase P2RY12 and SELP levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Fejes Zsolt , Póliska Szilárd , Czimmerer Zsolt , Káplár Miklós , Penyige András , Gál Szabó Gabriella , Debreceni Ildikó Beke , Kunapuli Satya P. , Kappelmayer János , Nagy Béla 
Published: December 2016

SummaryMegakaryocyte (MK)-derived miRNAs have been detected in platelets. Here, we analysed the expression of platelet and circulating miR-223, miR-26b, miR-126 and miR-140 that might be altered with their target mRNAs in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). MiRNAs were isolated from leukocyte-depleted platelets and plasma samples obtained from 28 obese DM2, 19 non-DM obese and 23 healthy individuals. The effect of hyperglycaemia on miRNAs was also evaluated in MKs using MEG-01 and K562 cells under hyperglycaemic conditions after 8 hours up to four weeks. Quantitation of mature miRNA, pre-miRNAs and target mRNA levels (P2RY12 and SELP) were measured by RT-qPCR. To prove the association of miR-26b and miR-140 with SELP (P-selectin) mRNA level, overexpression or inhibition of these miRNAs in MEG-01 MKs was performed using mimics or anti-miRNAs, respectively. The contribution of calpain substrate Dicer to modulation of miRNAs was studied by calpain inhibition. Platelet activation was evaluated via surface P-selectin by flow cytometry. Mature and pre-forms of investigated miRNAs were significantly reduced in DM2, and platelet P2RY12 and SELP mRNA levels were elevated by two-fold at increased platelet activation compared to controls. Significantly blunted miRNA expressions were observed by hyperglycaemia in MEG-01 and K562-MK cells versus baseline values, while the manipulation of miR-26b and miR-140 expression affected SELP mRNA level. Calpeptin pretreatment restored miRNA levels in hyperglycaemic MKs. Overall, miR-223, miR-26b, miR-126 and miR-140 are expressed at a lower level in platelets and MKs in DM2 causing upregulation of P2RY12 and SELP mRNAs that may contribute to adverse platelet function.Supplementary Material to this article is available online at www.thrombosis-online.com.
Genetic Obesity and the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Chatterjee Neal A. , Giulianini Franco , Geelhoed Bastiaan , Lunetta Kathryn L. , Misialek Jeffrey R. , Niemeijer Maartje N. , Rienstra Michiel , Rose Lynda M. , Smith Albert V. , Arking Dan E. , Ellinor Patrick T. , Heeringa Jan , Lin Honghuang , Lubitz Steven A. , Soliman Elsayed Z. , Verweij Niek , Alonso Alvaro , Benjamin Emelia J. , Gudnason Vilmundur , Stricker Bruno H. C. , Van Der Harst Pim , Chasman Daniel I. , Albert Christine M. 
Published: December 2016

Background:
Observational studies have identified an association between body mass index (BMI) and incident atrial fibrillation (AF). Inferring causality from observational studies, however, is subject to residual confounding, reverse causation, and bias. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the causal association between BMI and AF by using genetic predictors of BMI.

Methods:

We identified 51 646 individuals of European ancestry without AF at baseline from 7 prospective population-based cohorts initiated between 1987 and 2002 in the United States, Iceland, and the Netherlands with incident AF ascertained between 1987 and 2012. Cohort-specific mean follow-up ranged from 7.4 to 19.2 years, over which period there was a total of 4178 cases of incident AF. We performed a Mendelian randomization with instrumental variable analysis to estimate a cohort-specific causal hazard ratio for the association between BMI and AF. Two genetic instruments for BMI were used:
FTO
genotype (rs1558902) and a BMI gene score comprising 39 single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified by genome-wide association studies to be associated with BMI. Cohort-specific estimates were combined by random-effects, inverse variance–weighted meta-analysis.

Results:

In age- and sex-adjusted meta-analysis, both genetic instruments were significantly associated with BMI (
FTO
: 0.43 [95% confidence interval, 0.32–0.54] kg/m
2
per A-allele,
P
<0.001; BMI gene score: 1.05 [95% confidence interval, 0.90–1.20] kg/m
2
per 1-U increase,
P
<0.001) and incident AF (
FTO
, hazard ratio, 1.07 [1.02–1.11] per A-allele,
P
=0.004; BMI gene score, hazard ratio, 1.11 [1.05–1.18] per 1-U increase,
P
<0.001). Age- and sex-adjusted instrumental variable estimates for the causal association between BMI and incident AF were hazard ratio, 1.15 (1.04–1.26) per kg/m
2
,
P
=0.005 (
FTO
) and 1.11 (1.05–1.17) per kg/m
2
,
P
<0.001 (BMI gene score). Both of these estimates were consistent with the meta-analyzed estimate between observed BMI and AF (age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio 1.05 [1.04–1.06] per kg/m
2
,
P
<0.001). Multivariable adjustment did not significantly change findings.

Conclusions:
Our data are consistent with a causal relationship between BMI and incident AF. These data support the possibility that public health initiatives targeting primordial prevention of obesity may reduce the incidence of AF.
Increased iron export by ferroportin induces restriction of HIV-1 infection in sickle cell disease
Authors: Kumari Namita , Ammosova Tatiana , Diaz Sharmin , Lin Xionghao , Niu Xiaomei , Ivanov Andrey , Jerebtsova Marina , Dhawan Subhash , Oneal Patricia , Nekhai Sergei 
Published: December 2016

Key PointsFerroportin reduces intracellular iron, inhibits CDK2 and suppresses SAMHD1 phosphorylation thus inhibiting HIV-1 RT. Ferroportin expression leads to overexpression of IKBα and inhibition of HIV-1 transcription.
Acceptance and commitment therapy for psychosis: Randomised controlled trial
Authors: Shawyer Frances , Farhall John , Thomas Neil , Hayes Steven C. , Gallop Robert , Copolov David , Castle David J. 
Published: December 2016

BackgroundThe efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in psychosis has been reported but not for medication-resistant psychosis.AimsTo test the efficacy of ACT in a sample of community-residing patients with persisting psychotic symptoms. (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12608000210370.)MethodThe primary outcome was overall mental state at post-therapy (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale –total); secondary outcomes were psychotic symptom dimensions and functioning. In total, 96 patients were randomised to ACT (n = 49) or befriending (n = 47). Symptom, functioning and process measures were administered at baseline, post-therapy and 6 months later.ResultsThere was no group difference on overall mental state. In secondary analyses the ACT group showed greater improvement in positive symptoms and hallucination distress at follow-up: Cohen's d = 0.52 (95% CI 0.07–0.98) and 0.65 (95% CI 0.24–1.06), respectively.ConclusionsImprovements reflected the treatment focus on positive symptoms; however, absence of process-measure changes suggests that the ACT intervention used did not manipulate targeted processes beyond befriending. Symptom-specific therapy refinements, improved investigation of process and attention to cognitive functioning and dose are warranted in future research.
Predicting Fluid Responsiveness in Acute Liver Failure: A Prospective Study
Authors: Audimoolam Vinod Kumar , McPhail Mark J. W. , Willars Chris , Bernal William , Wendon Julia A. , Cecconi Maurizio , Auzinger Georg 
Published: December 2016

BACKGROUND:
The profound hemodynamic changes seen in acute liver failure (ALF) resemble the hyperdynamic state found in the later stages of septic shock. Vasopressor support frequently is required after initial volume therapy. Markers of preload dependency have not been studied in this patient group. Dynamic maneuvers such as passive leg raising or end-expiratory hold, which have shown good predictive accuracy in a general intensive care unit population, cannot be considered safe in this cohort because of the concerns of intracranial hypertension.

METHODS:
Mechanically ventilated patients with ALF admitted to a tertiary specialist intensive care unit in shock and multiorgan failure were enrolled. Markers of fluid responsiveness derived from transpulmonary thermodilution, pulse contour analysis, and echocardiography were compared between responders (cardiac index ≥15%) and nonresponders to a colloid fluid challenge (5 mL/kg predicted body weight). The ability to predict fluid responsiveness of stroke volume variation, pulse pressure variation (PPV), and respiratory change in peak (delta V peak) left ventricular outflow tract velocity for preload dependency were analyzed.

RESULTS:
Thirty-five patients (mean ± SD age, 38 [14] years, 13 male, 22 female]) were assessed after a single fluid challenge. Ten patients (29%) were fluid responders. Changes in cardiac index and stroke volume index in the cohort of 35 patients were correlated (R = 0.726 [99% confidence interval, 0.401–0.910]; P < .001). PPV predicted fluid responsiveness (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC], 0.752 [95% confidence interval, 0.565–0.889]; P = .005; cutoff >9%). The AUROC for stroke volume variation was 0.678 ([95% confidence interval, 0.499–0.825]; P = .084; cutoff >11%). The AUROC for [delta] V peak before fluid bolus was 0.637 (95% confidence interval, 0.413–0.825; P = .322).

CONCLUSIONS:
PPV based on pulse contour analysis predicted fluid responsiveness in ALF.
Hawthorne’s Distillery: Time and Temperance in “The Birth-Mark” And Other Tales
Authors: Marsh Clayton 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
Drawing on a wide range of temperance reform literature, this essay examines the temporal dimensions of America’s antebellum crusade against alcohol and their remarkably complex treatment in the tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The inebriates in Hawthorne’s tales are not necessarily drinkers (the writer’s fondness for drink is well known), but rather those reformers and idealists who, in their zeal for perfection, seek to obliterate the past. In his richest portrait of this temporal intemperance, “The Birth-Mark” (1843), Hawthorne portrays the perilous nature and effects of the cultural amnesia that flows from America’s intoxicating confidence in the transformative power of industrial technology. To counter the temporal imbalance of an industrializing nation drunk with the spirit of innovation, Hawthorne’s “temperance” tales ultimately offer a distillation of time that transports the reader into a fluid realm of temporal ambiguity where past, present, and future converge. Reaching far beyond its reformist connotations, “temperance” ultimately proves to be a seminal metaphor for the imaginative state of temporal equilibrium that Hawthorne would achieve as a writer of historical romances.
Making Sense of (Ultra) Low-Cost Flights Vertical Differentiation in Two-Sided Markets
Authors: Serio Luigi , Tedeschi Piero , Ursino Giovanni 
Published: December 2016

The business model of low-cost carriers is now well established and accounts for a large share of Western civil aviation, particularly in Europe. To understand why it has proven so successful, we develop a theoretical model that exploits the two-sided nature of flights as connectors of supply and demand for goods and services other than traveling itself across physical space. Carriers offer flights of different quality and may sign agreements with suppliers of goods and services at the destination so as to subsidize and foster demand from the carriers’ travelers as in standard two-sided markets. Customers/travelers care about home and destination consumption and about the flight’s quality. Hence, beyond the thickness of the connected sides of the market, the quality of the airline platform has an intrinsic value to travelers. We show that only low-income travelers fly with low-cost airlines, while no-frills carriers are more likely to act as a platform than legacy airlines. We study how the degree of substitution between home and destination consumption affects the equilibrium market structure of the airline industry. This paper was accepted by Bruno Cassiman, business strategy.
Cigaratte use frequency of Healthcare Services Vocational School of Higher Education students<p>Sağlık Hizmetleri Meslek Yüksekokulu öğrencilerinde sigara kullanım sıklığı
Authors: Saka Günay , Şen Mehmet Ali , Yakıt Eda 
Published: December 2016

Our study is planned for determining cigaratte use frequency of Dicle University Healthcare Services Vocational School of Higher Education students and factors affecting this situation. Our study is a descriptive-sectional research and it was executed between October 2015 and March 2016. Sample of the study includes 209 underclassmen and sophomore students who are voluntary, still attend classes and registered to the Vocational School. Data is acquired by using a questionaire of 34 questions. Statistical evaluation is done by using SPSS 16.0 packaged software.Most of students who participated to our study were between 20-24 (48,8%) years old. 18,2% of the participants used cigarattes continiously and 6,2% of them used cigarattes few times a week or smoked only in social environments. It is detected that 52,2% of participants which are using cigarattes have medium level or higher levels of addiction. It is determined that 86,3% of users don’t want their children to smoke. It is detected that 73,7% of users tried to quit at least once throughout their lives. After all, it cannot be said that students who will be serving as counsellors and providers of healthcare to society in the future have low rates of smoking. It can be said that studies which lower smoking rates in students are needed. ÖzetAraştırmamız, Dicle Üniversitesi, Atatürk Sağlık Hizmetleri MYO öğrencilerinin sigara kullanma sıklığının ve bunu etkileyen faktörlerin saptanması amacıyla planlanmıştır.Araştırmamız, tanımlayıcı-kesitsel tipte bir çalışma olup, Ekim 2015 ile Mart 2016 tarihleri arasında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmanın örneklemi, Meslek Yüksekokuluna halen kayıtlı 320 öğrencilerden katılmaya gönüllü olarak kabul eden 209 öğrenci oluşturmuştur. Veriler 34 soruluk anket formu kullanılarak elde edilmiştir. İstatistiki değerlendirme SPSS 16,0 paket programı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmamıza katılan öğrencilerin büyük çoğunluğu 20-24 yaş (%48,8) arasındaydı. Katılımcıların %18,2‘si ise sürekli ve %6,2’si haftada birkaç kez veya sosyal ortamlarda sigara kullanmaktaydı. Sigara içen katılımcıların %52,6’sı orta ve daha üzeri bağımlılığa sahip olduğu saptandı. Sigara içenlerin %86,3’ü çocuklarının asla sigara içmesini istemediği belirlendi. Sigara kullananların %73,7’si hayatları boyunca en az bir kez sigara bırakmayı denediği saptandı. Sonuç olarak gelecekte topluma sağlık hizmeti ve danışmanlığı verecek olan öğrencilerin sigara içme oranlarının düşük olduğu söylenemez. Sigara kullanma oranlarını öğrencilerde azaltacak çalışmalara gerek duyulduğu söylenebilir.
Biodegradation of terpenes for emission-reduced oriented strand boards (OSB)
Authors: Widhalm Bernhard , Rieder-Gradinger Cornelia , Kuncinger Thomas , Srebotnik Ewald 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
A bacterial mixture of Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas fluorescens has recently shown the potential to completely reduce monoterpenes within pine wood particles on a laboratory scale. This bacterial combination was then applied onto pine wood strands to obtain emission-reduced oriented strand boards (OSB) produced on a technical scale. Laboratory tests with bacterial inoculated strands were carried out to optimise parameters such as aeration and incubation time. Residual terpene emissions were measured by solid-phase microextraction/ gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME/GC-MS) analysis. Daily aeration, specific pre-cultivation, and increased inoculum size eventually resulted in a reduction of the major softwood terpenes α-pinene, β-pinene, and Δ3-carene by 60, 70, and 40%, respectively, after only 2 days of incubation. Based on these results, OSB were manufactured from strands after bacterial pre-treatment for 2 or 4 days. As expected, terpene emissions from OSB decreased with increasing incubation time. However, even after only 2 days of incubation, α-pinene and β-pinene emissions were appreciably reduced by 40 and 70%, respectively. The method developed here thus appears to be feasible for industrial application although a further reduction of pre-treatment time would be advantageous. The inoculation step will also have to be adapted for technical implementation into the OSB production process.
Characteristics and thermal decomposition kinetics of wood-SiO2composites derived by the sol-gel process
Authors: Hung Ke-Chang , Wu Jyh-Horng 
Published: December 2016

AbstractWood-SiO2composites (WSiO2Cs) were prepared by means of the sol-gel process with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS) as a reagent, and the physical properties, structure and thermal decomposition kinetics of the composites has been evaluated. The dimensional stability of the WSiO2Cs was better than that of unmodified wood, especially in terms of the weight percent gain (WPG), which achieved values up to 30%. The29Si-NMR spectra show two different siloxane peaks (T2and T3), which supports the theory about the formation of MTMOS network structures. Thermal decomposition experiments were also carried out in a TG analyzer under a nitrogen atmosphere. The apparent activation energy was determined according to the iso-conversional methods of Friedman, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa, modified Coats-Redfern, and Starink. The apparent activation energy between 10 and 70% conversion is 147–172, 170–291, 189–251, and 192–248 kJ mol−1for wood and WSiO2Cs with WPGs of 10, 20, and 30%, respectively. However, the reaction order between 10 and 70% conversion calculated by the Avrami theory was 0.50–0.56, 0.35–0.45, 0.33–0.44, and 0.28–0.48. These results indicate that the dimensional and thermal stability of the wood could be effectively enhanced by MTMOS treatment.
Clinical and molecular characterization of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome in a Chinese population
Authors: Luk Ho Ming 
Published: December 2016

AbstractBackground:The objective of this study was to examine the clinical and molecular features, genotype-phenotype correlation and the efficacy of different diagnostic criteria for predicting a positive molecular test in Chinese Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) patients.Methods:A retrospective tertiary-wide study was performed in Hong Kong with 27 molecularly confirmed BWS patients between January 2010 and September 2015.Results:It was observed that 48.1% of the BWS cases were caused by loss of methylation at differentially methylated region 2 (DMR2-LoM) of the 11p15.5 region, 11.1% by gain of methylation at differentially methylated region 1 (DMR1-GoM) of the 11p15.5 region, 33.3% by paternal uniparental disomy 11 [upd (11)pat] and 7.5% byConclusions:It is the largest study of molecularly confirmed BWS in the Chinese. Their clinical and epigenetic features are comparable with other ethnic populations.
Use of translabial three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound for cervical assessment before labor induction
Authors: Esin Sertac , Yirci Bulent , Yalvac Serdar , Kandemir Omer 
Published: December 2016

AbstractObjective:To compare translabial three-dimensional (3D) power Doppler ultrasound with Bishop score and transvaginal ultrasound measurements for cervical assessment before induction of labor with dinoprostone or cervical ripening balloon.Materials and methods:Translabial cervical volume and length, vascularization indices and transvaginal cervical length were measured. Results were compared among women who had vaginal delivery at 24 h or less and more than 24 h after the insertion of the dinoprostone vaginal insert or cervical ripening balloon and among women who had vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery for failure to go into labor or failure to progress.Results:There was no correlation between the time to delivery after a ripening agent was applied and translabial cervical volume, translabial cervical length, vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), vascularization flow index (VFI), transvaginal cervical length and Bishop scores. The ultrasonographic measurements were no different among women who had vaginal delivery at 24 h or less and more than 24 h and among women who had vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery for failure to go into labor or failure to progress.Conclusion:In this study, we failed to demonstrate the superiority of translabial 3D ultrasonography over Bishop score and transvaginal ultrasonography for predicting the success of induction of labor.
Application of cryo-electron microscopy for investigation of Bax-induced pores in apoptosis
Authors: Kuwana Tomomi 
Published: December 2016

AbstractMitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) is a critical step in apoptosis, the molecular mechanisms of which have been a subject of intensive study. This process is important for therapeutic intervention in various diseases, such as cancer. Pro-apoptotic Bax and Bak are functionally redundant and structurally homologous. When activated at the mitochondrial outer membrane, they cause the membrane to permeabilize and release apoptogenic proteins from the intermembrane space. To unravel the molecular mechanisms of this unique and important event, we systematically reduced the experimental system. Simple outer membrane vesicles and liposomes recapitulated many features of MOMP. Although conventional transmission electron microscopy could not detect any membrane changes during MOMP in these vesicles, cryo-electron microscopy successfully revealed Bax-induced delicate pores, owing to its ability to preserve native, hydrated membrane structure. The data are consistent with the idea that Bax is unfolded and embedded in the bilayer and deforms the membrane to form a large pore. Together with the biochemical and structure data in the literature, we now have more comprehensive models of the key function of Bax. We hope that new tools, such as lipid nanodiscs, will give us an atomic-level resolution and finally solve Bax structure in the membrane, where it functions.
The first record of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819) on Carcinus aestuarii Nardo, 1847 in the Çardak Lagoon, Turkey
Authors: Acar Seçil , Ateş A. Suat 
Published: December 2016

Abstract
This study deals with the presence of Mytilus galloprovincialis on the Mediterranean green crab, Carcinus aestuarii Nardo, 1847 as an epibiont. Crab samples were collected by means of single-entry fyke nets at 6 different locations selected in the Çardak Lagoon. A total of 22 specimens of M. galloprovincialis (1-9 ind. per crab) on different body parts of 4 crabs were recorded. This is the first report about the occurrence of M. galloprovincialis on C. aestuarii.