bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Synergistic anti‐pancreatic cancer immunological effects by treatment with reduced expression in immortalized cells/dickkopf‐3 protein and peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Authors: Uchida Daisuke , Shiraha Hidenori , Kato Hironari , Sawahara Hiroaki , Nagahara Teruya , Iwamuro Masaya , Kataoka Junro , Horiguchi Shigeru , Watanabe Masami , Takaki Akinobu , Nouso Kazuhiro , Nasu Yasutomo , Kumon Hiromi , Yamamoto Kazuhide 
Published: December 2015

AbstractBackground and AimReduced expression in immortalized cells/dickkopf‐3 (REIC/DKK3) is a reported tumor suppressor gene and has potential to become an innovative therapy for various cancers. We examined the antitumor immunological effects of human REIC/DKK3 protein against pancreatic cancer.MethodsActivation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1 and 2, mammalian target of rapamycin, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 by REIC/DKK3 protein was assessed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells using immunoblotting. Pancreatic cancer cell lines (AsPC‐1 and MIA Paca‐2) were cocultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the anticancer effects of REIC/DKK3 protein were assessed using the methyl thiazole tetrazolium, cytotoxicity, and enzyme‐linked immunospot assays. The antitumor immunological effects of the combined treatment with REIC/DKK3 protein and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were also assessed in a pancreatic cancer model using non‐obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice.ResultsThe REIC/DKK3 protein activated extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1 and 2, mammalian target of rapamycin, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. REIC/DKK3 protein inhibited in vitro cancer cell viability and enhanced cytotoxicity when incubated with peripheral blood mononuclear cells. REIC/DKK3 protein induced significant production of interferon gamma from lymphocytes incubated with pancreatic cancer cells, indicating that CD8+ T cells were activated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells when cocultured with AsPC‐1 and MIA Paca‐2 in the presence of REIC/DKK3 protein. Combined treatment with REIC/DKK3 protein and peripheral blood mononuclear cells produced in vivo anticancer immunostimulatory effects on pancreatic cancer cells.ConclusionsThe REIC/DKK3 protein and peripheral blood mononuclear cells synergistically enhanced anticancer immunological effects against pancreatic cancer cells. The observed immunomodulatory effect of combined treatment likely occurs in adenovirus‐mediated REIC/DKK3 gene therapy and provides important clues to the therapeutic mechanisms involving immune cells.
Safety and efficacy of intraoperative iodine‐125 seed implantation brachytherapy for rectal cancer patients: A retrospective clinical research
Authors: Luo Ya‐Jun , Liu Zi‐Lin , Ye Peng‐Cheng , Fu Zhi‐Ming , Lu Fei , Suleiman Abdihakin Ali , Liao Juan , Xiao Jiang‐Wei 
Published: December 2015

AbstractBackground:This pilot study was performed to evaluate the risk of anastomotic leakage (AL) and pelvic autonomic nerve dysfunction, and the effects of 125I brachytherapy after intraoperative permanent implantation of iodine‐125 seeds within the patients with rectal carcinoma.Methods:In a cohort consisting of 80 rectal cancer patients who received potentially curative resection of rectal carcinoma with implantation of 125I brachytherapy or radical resection of rectal carcinoma underwent total mesorectal excision. The incidences of AL, fecal incontinence, urinary dysfunction, and sexual dysfunction were calculated for comparison, and risk factors for these complications were analyzed by logistic regression. Rates of tumor recurrence and overall survival were evaluated.Results:Six out of 17 (35.29%) patients in the 125I implant group and 1 out of 34 (2.94%) patients in the non‐implant group were complicated with AL (P = 0.006). The incidences of urinary dysfunction (P = 0.005) and fecal incontinence (P = 0.023) were significantly different between the two groups. Multivariate analyses revealed that 125I brachytherapy was an independent risk factor for AL (odds ratio, 18.702; 95%CI, 1.802–194.062; P = 0.014) and urinary dysfunction (odds ratio, 4.340; 95%CI, 1.158–16.264; P = 0.029), respectively. At postoperative 2‐year, the recurrence rates were 5.56% in the 125I implant group and 9.09% in the non‐implant group (P = 0.029).Conclusions:Intraoperative implantation of 125I brachytherapy significantly increases the risk of AL, fecal incontinence, urinary dysfunction, and improves local control and do not improve overall survival after total mesorectal excision.
The Content of Thyroid Hormone Receptor α in Ewe Kisspeptin Neurones is not Season‐Dependent
Authors: Dufourny L. , Gennetay D. , Martinet S. , Lomet D. , Caraty A. 
Published: December 2015

Seasonal reproduction is grounded in several mechanisms, among which are plasticity in both hormone synthesis and neuronal networks. Increased daylength on long days (LD) translates into local tri‐iodothyronin (T3) production in the mediobasal hypothalamus that will enable the transition to the anoestrus season in sheep. The photoperiod also strongly affects the content of kisspeptin (Kiss), a hypothalamic neuropeptide exerting a potent stimulatory effect on gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone release. Our hypothesis was that T3 directly inhibits Kiss release during LD. Using double immunocytochemistry, we first searched for coexpression of thyroid hormone receptor (THR)α in Kiss neurones in ewes with an active or inactive gonadotrophic axis. In both the preoptic area and the arcuate nucleus, most Kiss neurones were labelled by THR antibody under both physiological/photoperiodic conditions. These results suggest thyroid hormones may affect Kiss synthesis and release all through the year. We then attempted to assess the influence of T3 on Kiss content in hypothalamic explants sampled from ewes with an active gonadotrophic axis. Kiss produced by hypothalamic explants cultured with different doses of T3 (300 or 600 pg) and subjected to different times of incubation (2 or 24 h) was measured. No significant effects of T3 on Kiss tissular content were observed for the two doses of T3 and for the two incubation times. In light of these findings, potential reasons for the divergent effects of thyroid hormones on Kiss content are discussed. Our data emphasise that the effects of thyroid hormone on Kiss synthesis are not one‐sided and may affect a wide range of functions.
Salty and spicy food; are they involved in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris? A case controlled study
Authors: El Darouti M. A. , Zeid O. A. , Abdel Halim D. M. , Hegazy R. A. , Kadry D. , Shehab D. I. , Abdelhaliem H. S. , Saleh M. A. 
Published: December 2015

SummaryBackgroundMany studies have suggested a strong relation between diet and acne. Many patients with acne believe that spicy and salty foods exacerbate acne.AimTo assess the relationship between the dietary intake of salty and spicy food and the onset, severity, duration of acne.MethodsTwo hundred patients with acne vulgaris and 200 age‐ and gender‐matched controls were subjected to a detailed questionnaire taking, clinical examination and dietary assessment through using “24 h recall” method. Sodium content of the 24‐h food intake was computed by a computer program connecting participants' dietary information to the food composition table of National Nutrition Institute data base.ResultsPatients with acne consumed significantly higher daily amounts of sodium chloride (NaCl) (median 3367.54 mg) compared to the controls (median 2271.8 mg) (P < 0.001). A negative correlation between the amount of NaCl in the diet of patients with acne and the age of onset of acne lesions was detected (r = −0.216, P = 0.031). However, neither salty nor spicy food correlated with duration or severity of the disease.ConclusionConsumption of salty foods was significantly higher among patients with acne compared to acne free subjects, making the consumption of salty food a possible participating factor in the development of acne.
Recurrent Myocardial Infarction After Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Multivessel Coronary Disease Is Primarily Related to Stent Failure
Authors: Vink Maarten A. , Vos Nicola S. , Dirksen Maurits T. , Suttorp Maarten J. , Slagboom Ton , Patterson Mark S. , Kiemeneij Ferdinand , Laarman GertJan 
Published: December 2015

ObjectivesOur aim was to investigate the risk of events related to non‐culprit lesions after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with multivessel coronary disease (MVD).BackgroundIn patients undergoing primary PCI for ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who are diagnosed with MVD, the optimal treatment strategy is currently under debate. Although observational data exposed an increased risk of multivessel PCI in the acute phase of STEMI, 2 recently published randomized controlled trials showed a reduction of death or recurrent myocardial infarction (MI) after preventive PCI of non‐culprit lesions when compared with culprit‐lesion PCI only.MethodsWe performed a post‐hoc analysis of 279 patients with MVD included in the Paclitaxel‐Eluting Stent versus Conventional Stent in Myocardial Infarction with ST‐Segment Elevation (PASSION) trial. We analyzed the incidence and cause of recurrent MI. Recurrent MI due to stent failure was assumed in the event of definite or probable stent thrombosis.ResultsAfter 5 years, 14 patients (5.7%) with MVD had a recurrent MI versus 17 (5.4%) patients with 1‐vessel disease (HR 1.06, 95%CI 0.52–2.15, P = 0.87). The majority of events was attributable to stent failure, while of the remaining 6 events, only 1 was proven to originate from a lesion that was judged significant at enrolment.ConclusionsIn this post‐hoc analysis of the PASSION trial, recurrent MI in patients with MVD was mainly related to stent failure rather than a new event originating from a significant stenosis in a non‐culprit coronary artery. (J Interven Cardiol 2015;28:523–530)
Benefits of Balloon‐Dilatable Bilateral Pulmonary Artery Banding in Patients With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and Other Complex Cardiac Anomalies
Authors: Kise Hiroaki , Suzuki Shoji , Hoshiai Minako , Toda Takako , Koizumi Keiichi , Hasebe Yohei , Kono Yosuke , Honda Yoshihiro , Kaga Shigeaki , Sugita Kanji 
Published: December 2015

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of balloon‐dilatable bilateral pulmonary artery banding (b‐PAB) and its impact on the configuration of the pulmonary artery (PA).BackgroundWe have previously used balloon‐dilatable b‐PAB as first‐stage palliation for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and other complex cardiac anomalies.MethodsTwo pliable tapes were placed around each branch of the PA and tightened with 7–0 polypropylene sutures in a manner that allowed for the subsequent adjustment of PA diameters. We retrospectively examined the adjustability of PA diameters by balloon dilation and the need for surgical PA angioplasty at later stages.ResultsFrom January 2010 to October 2013, we performed b‐PAB in 8 patients, including 3 borderline cases between biventricular repair (BVR) and univentricular repair (UVR). The b‐PAB procedures were performed at a median age of 6.5 days (range, 2–10 days). Balloon dilations were performed in 10 lesions in 4 patients. All of the procedures were performed safely. Two patients reached definite BVR. The remaining 6 patients underwent open palliative procedures with univentricular physiologies that resulted in 2 deaths unrelated to the initial b‐PAB. In all but 1 of the patients, the PA configuration was properly maintained and did not require surgical pulmonary angioplasty.ConclusionsBalloon‐dilatable b‐PAB can be performed safely and prevents PA distortion at later stages. This technique should be considered for patients with complex cardiac anomalies if uncertainty exists regarding the optimal surgical strategy (BVR or UVR) in early infancy. (J Interven Cardiol 2015;28:594–599)
The Prevalence of TMD in Polish Young Adults
Authors: Loster Jolanta E. , Osiewicz Magdalena A. , Groch Magdalena , Ryniewicz Wojciech , Wieczorek Aneta 
Published: December 2015

AbstractPurposeThe prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in the general Polish population has not yet been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to determine how frequently Polish young adults demonstrated the signs and symptoms of TMD, and how often they were aware of these.Materials and MethodsThe study involved 260 volunteers of approximately 18 years of age (and with an F:M ratio of 2.8), who had completed the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) questionnaire in its internationally accepted Polish version. The volunteers were students from three randomly selected high schools in Kraków, Poland. Following the clinical examinations, all participants received none or one or more of the RDC/TMD axis I diagnoses on one or both sides: muscle disorders (group I), disk displacements (group II), arthralgia, osteoarthritis, and osteoarthrosis (group III). Classification on RDC/TMD axis II involved pain‐related impairment (Graded Chronic Pain Severity, from 0: no TMD pain in the prior 6 months, to IV: high disability—severely limiting), depression, and somatization levels (normal, moderate, severe).ResultsOn the RDC/TMD axis I, 69 (26.5%) of the participants received one or more of the possible diagnoses. Awareness of TMD was present in 20 (7.7%) people from that group, in the form of self‐complaints. The difference between females and males was statistically significant (p = 0.0013). On the RDC/TMD axis II assessment, a diagnosis of pain, depression, or somatization was given in 38 (14.6%) cases from that group.ConclusionMuscle disorders were most frequently diagnosed in the group of Polish young adults, and the prevalence of the disease did not differ across similar groups of young people.
Waist Circumference and Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior in Rural School Adolescents
Authors: Machado‐Rodrigues Aristides M. , Coelho e Silva Manuel J. , Ribeiro Luís P. , Fernandes Romulo , Mota Jorge , Malina Robert M. 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDResearch on relationships between lifestyle behaviors and adiposity in school youth is potentially important for identifying subgroups at risk. This study evaluates the associations between waist circumference (WC) and objective measures of sedentary behavior (SB) in a sample of rural school adolescents.METHODSThe sample included 254 students (114 boys, 140 girls), 13‐16 years of age, from rural regions of the Portuguese midlands. Height, weight, and WC were measured. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was assessed with the 20‐m shuttle‐run test. An uniaxial GT1M accelerometer was used to obtain 5 consecutive days of physically activity (PA) and SB. Multiple linear regression was used to test associations between WC and SB, adjusted for several potential confounders (age, sex, PA, CRF, parental education).RESULTSSB was not significantly associated with the WC, neither in the unadjusted model nor after adjustment for all potential confounders. In the final model, the unique significant predictor of the WC was cardiorespiratory fitness (β = −0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.02 to −0.62).CONCLUSIONWC was not independently associated with SB time in rural school adolescents. Future research is claimed among rural adolescents in different geographic contexts to try to clarify recent findings of less studied communities.
Prioritizing Alcohol Prevention: Establishing Alcohol as the Gateway Drug and Linking Age of First Drink With Illicit Drug Use
Authors: Barry Adam E. , King Jessica , Sears Cynthia , Harville Cedric , Bondoc Irina , Joseph Kessy 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDGiven ever‐reducing budgets of community and school substance use prevention programs, there is a call for identifying the first substance in the sequence leading to polydrug use.METHODSExamining data from a nationally representative sample of 2835 United States 12th graders, we sought to determine (1) the first substance adolescents use; (2) order in which adolescents progress through alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use; and (3) impact of age of initial substance use on lifetime and frequency of illicit substance use.RESULTSAlcohol is the most commonly used substance, and the majority of polysubstance using respondents consumed alcohol prior to tobacco or marijuana initiation. Respondents initiating alcohol use in sixth grade reported significantly greater lifetime illicit substance use (M = 1.9, standard deviation [SD] = 1.7, p < .001) and more frequent illicit substance use (M = 6.0, SD = 6.5, p < .001) than those initiating alcohol use in ninth grade or later. Overall, effect sizes for these differences were large (eta squared = 0.30 and 0.28, respectively).CONCLUSIONSFindings underscore the importance of screening for substance use, even among youth enrolled in elementary/middle school. In addition, school prevention programs should begin in elementary school (third grade) and target alcohol use.
Health Risk Behaviors in a Representative Sample of Bisexual and Heterosexual Female High School Students in Massachusetts
Authors: White Hughto Jaclyn M. , Biello Katie B. , Reisner Sari L. , Perez‐Brumer Amaya , Heflin Katherine J. , Mimiaga Matthew J. 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDDifferences in sexual health‐related outcomes by sexual behavior and identity remain underinvestigated among bisexual female adolescents.METHODSData from girls (N = 875) who participated in the Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey were analyzed. Weighted logistic regression models were fit to examine sexual and psychosocial health by lifetime sexual behavior (behaviorally bisexual vs behaviorally heterosexual) and sexual identity (bisexual vs heterosexual) adjusting for grade and race/ethnicity.RESULTSOverall, 10.5% of girls reported lifetime bisexual behavior and 8.1% reported a bisexual identity. Behavior and identity were discordant for bisexual young women as 53.2% of behaviorally bisexual students had a bisexual identity and 46.8% had a heterosexual identity. Bisexual identity and behavior were associated with unprotected intercourse at last sexual encounter, early sexual debut, 4 or more lifetime partners, history of forced/unwanted sex, sexually transmitted infection testing history, past‐year depression, and past‐month drug use (all ps < .05).CONCLUSIONBisexuality, whether defined by identity or behavior, is associated with adverse sexual and psychosocial health outcomes in adolescent girls. Studies that explore wellness across the life span, and are designed to recognize developmental differences burgeoning in adolescence, may provide insights into the differential sexual risk outcomes observed among bisexual girls.
Levelling the reading gap: a socio‐spatial study of school libraries and reading in Singapore
Authors: Loh Chin Ee 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThis article takes a comparative socio‐spatial approach at the intersection of social class and reading politics to provide a fresh way of examining school reading policies and practices, unearthing previously hidden spaces of inequity for reading intervention. The juxtaposition of two nested case studies in Singapore, one of an elite all‐boys' school and another of a co‐educational government school with students in different academic tracks, revealed inequitable practices, specifically in the designs and uses of school library spaces between schools serving different social classes. The study argues that attempts to design reading interventions should move away from the view of student‐as‐problem to structure‐as‐problem in order to discover new perspectives for reading intervention. Additionally, this study demonstrates how foregrounding social class in educational research is necessary for effective design of educational strategies that aim to transform education and society by narrowing the gap between students from different social classes.
Alcohol consumption and risk of infection after a variceal bleeding in low‐risk patients
Authors: Conejo Irene , Augustin Salvador , Pons Mónica , Ventura‐Cots Meritxell , González Antonio , Esteban Rafael , Genescà Joan 
Published: December 2015

AbstractBackground & AimsAntibiotic prophylaxis is a cornerstone in the management of acute variceal bleeding. However, emergence of multiresistant bacteria and antibiotic‐associated complications is a growing problem in cirrhosis. It has been proposed that certain low‐risk populations may have good outcomes without antibiotic. We aimed to analyse the stratified risk of bacterial infection after a variceal bleeding in previously considered low‐risk patients.MethodsWe analysed prospective data from all consecutive cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding admitted to our tertiary hospital between 2004 and 2012. All patients received somatostatin, variceal ligation and antibiotic prophylaxis. Patients were followed until day 42 or death. Patients were stratified based on Child–Pugh class. Within the low‐risk strata, further one‐step stratification was performed using baseline risk factors identified through logistic regression multivariate adjustment.ResultsTwo hundred and fifteen patients were included. Twenty‐seven patients (12.5%) developed 32 bacterial infections within 6 weeks after the index bleeding. Multivariate adjustment identified alcohol consumption as a significant risk factor for infection. Within previously considered low‐risk patients (Child–Pugh A), the risk of infection was significantly higher in patients with active alcohol consumption (21.4% vs. 0% in non‐drinkers, P = 0.015). The risk of infection in Child–Pugh A and B patients with non‐alcohol cirrhosis receiving antibiotics was very low (2/81, 2.5%).ConclusionsAlcohol consumption significantly increased the risk of infection after a variceal bleeding in previously considered low‐risk patients. Within Child–Pugh A class, patients with active alcohol consumption should not be considered at low risk of infection.
Responses to simulated winter conditions differ between threespine stickleback ecotypes
Authors: Gibbons Taylor C. , Rudman Seth M. , Schulte Patricia M. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAbiotic factors can act as barriers to colonization and drive local adaptation. During colonization, organisms may cope with changes in abiotic factors using existing phenotypic plasticity, but the role of phenotypic plasticity in assisting or hindering the process of local adaptation remains unclear. To address these questions, we explore the role of winter conditions in driving divergence during freshwater colonization and the effects of plasticity on local adaptation in ancestral marine and derived freshwater ecotypes of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We found that freshwater‐resident stickleback had greater tolerance of acute exposure to low temperatures than marine stickleback, but these differences were abolished after acclimation to simulated winter conditions (9L:15D photoperiod at 4 °C). Plasma chloride levels differed between the ecotypes, but showed a similar degree of plasticity between ecotypes. Gene expression of the epithelial calcium channel (ECaC) differed between ecotypes, with the freshwater ecotype demonstrating substantially greater expression than the marine ecotype, but there was no plasticity in this trait under these conditions in either ecotype. In contrast, growth (assessed as final mass) and the expression of an isoform of the electroneutral Na+/H+exchanger (NHE3) exhibited substantial change with temperature in the marine ecotype that was not observed in the freshwater ecotype under the conditions tested here, which is consistent with evolution of these traits by a process such as genetic assimilation. These data demonstrate substantial divergence in many of these traits between freshwater and marine stickleback, but also illustrate the complexity of possible relationships between plasticity and local adaptation.