bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Involvement of CETP (Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein) in the Shift of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Among Lipoproteins and in the Modulation of its Functions
Authors: Kurano Makoto , Hara Masumi , Ikeda Hitoshi , Tsukamoto Kazuhisa , Yatomi Yutaka 
Published: January 2017

Objective—
Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a vasoprotective lipid mediator. About two thirds of plasma S1P rides on high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and several pleiotropic properties of HDL have been ascribed to S1P. In human subjects, CETP (cholesteryl ester transfer protein) greatly influences HDL quantities. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the roles of CETP in the metabolism of S1P.

Approach and Results—

We overexpressed CETP in mice that lacked CETP and found that CETP overexpression decreased the HDL level but failed to modulate the levels of S1P and apolipoprotein M (apoM), a carrier of S1P, in the total plasma. We observed, however, that the distribution of S1P and apoM shifted from HDL to apoB-containing lipoproteins. When we administered C
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S1P bound to apoM-containing lipoprotein, C
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S1P and apoM were rapidly transferred to apoB-containing lipoproteins in CETP-overexpressing mice. When HDL containing C
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S1P was mixed with low-density lipoprotein ex vivo, C
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S1P shifted to the low-density lipoprotein fraction independent of the presence of CETP. Concordant with these results, apoM was distributed mainly to the same fraction as apo AI in a CETP-deficient subject, although apoM was also detected in apo AI–poor fractions in a corresponding hypercholesterolemia subject. About the bioactivities of S1P carried on each lipoprotein, S1P riding on apoB-containing lipoproteins induced the phosphorylation of Akt (AKT8 virus oncogene cellular homolog) and eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and CETP overexpression increased insulin secretion and sensitivity, which was inhibited by an S1P receptor 1 or 3 antagonist.

Conclusions—
CETP modulates the distribution of S1P among lipoproteins, which affects the bioactivities of S1P.
Motivational Salience Modulates Early Visual Cortex Responses across Task Sets
Authors: Rossi Valentina , Vanlessen Naomi , Bayer Mareike , Grass Annika , Pourtois Gilles , Schacht Annekathrin 
Published: January 2017

AbstractMotivationally relevant stimuli benefit from strengthened sensory processing. It is unclear, however, if motivational value of positive and negative valence has similar or dissociable effects on early visual processing. Moreover, whether these perceptual effects are task-specific, stimulus-specific, or more generally feature-based is unknown. In this study, we compared the effects of positive and negative motivational value on early sensory processing using ERPs. We tested the extent to which these effects could generalize to new task contexts and to stimuli sharing common features with the motivationally significant ones. At the behavioral level, stimuli paired with positive incentives were learned faster than stimuli paired with neutral or negative outcomes. The ERP results showed that monetary loss elicited higher neural activity in V1 (at the C1 level) compared with reward, whereas the latter influenced postperceptual processing stages (P300). Importantly, the early loss-related effect generalized to new contexts and to new stimuli with common features, whereas the later reward effects did not spill over to the new context. These results suggest that acquired negative motivational salience can influence early sensory processing by means of plastic changes in feature-based processing in V1.
A TMS Investigation on the Role of Lateral Occipital Complex and Caudal Intraparietal Sulcus in the Perception of Object Form and Orientation
Authors: Chouinard Philippe A. , Meena Deiter K. , Whitwell Robert L. , Hilchey Matthew D. , Goodale Melvyn A. 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
We used TMS to assess the causal roles of the lateral occipital (LO) and caudal intraparietal sulcus (cIPS) areas in the perceptual discrimination of object features. All participants underwent fMRI to localize these areas using a protocol in which they passively viewed images of objects that varied in both form and orientation. fMRI identified six significant brain regions: LO, cIPS, and the fusiform gyrus, bilaterally. In a separate experimental session, we applied TMS to LO or cIPS while the same participants performed match-to-sample form or orientation discrimination tasks. Compared with sham stimulation, TMS to either the left or right LO increased RTs for form but not orientation discrimination, supporting a critical role for LO in form processing for perception- and judgment-based tasks. In contrast, we did not observe any effects when we applied TMS to cIPS. Thus, despite the clear functional evidence of engagement for both LO and cIPS during the passive viewing of objects in the fMRI experiment, the TMS experiment revealed that cIPS is not critical for making perceptual judgments about their form or orientation.
Speaking Style Influences the Brain's Electrophysiological Response to Grammatical Errors in Speech Comprehension
Authors: Viebahn Malte C. , Ernestus Mirjam , McQueen James M. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThis electrophysiological study asked whether the brain processes grammatical gender violations in casual speech differently than in careful speech. Native speakers of Dutch were presented with utterances that contained adjective–noun pairs in which the adjective was either correctly inflected with a word-final schwa (e.g., een spannende roman, “a suspenseful novel”) or incorrectly uninflected without that schwa (een spannend roman). Consistent with previous findings, the uninflected adjectives elicited an electrical brain response sensitive to syntactic violations when the talker was speaking in a careful manner. When the talker was speaking in a casual manner, this response was absent. A control condition showed electrophysiological responses for carefully as well as casually produced utterances with semantic anomalies, showing that listeners were able to understand the content of both types of utterance. The results suggest that listeners take information about the speaking style of a talker into account when processing the acoustic–phonetic information provided by the speech signal. Absent schwas in casual speech are effectively not grammatical gender violations. These changes in syntactic processing are evidence of contextually driven neural flexibility.
Mere Exposure: Preference Change for Novel Drinks Reflected in Human Ventral Tegmental Area
Authors: Ballard Ian C. , Hennigan Kelly , McClure Samuel M. 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
Preferences for novel stimuli tend to develop slowly over many exposures. Psychological accounts of this effect suggest that it depends on changes in the brain's valuation system. Participants consumed a novel fluid daily for 10 days and underwent fMRI on the first and last days. We hypothesized that changes in activation in areas associated with the dopamine system would accompany changes in preference. The change in activation in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) between sessions scaled with preference change. Furthermore, a network comprising the sensory thalamus, posterior insula, and ventrolateral striatum showed differential connectivity with the VTA that correlated with individual changes in preference. Our results suggest that the VTA is centrally involved in both assigning value to sensory stimuli and influencing downstream regions to translate these value signals into subjective preference. These results have important implications for models of dopaminergic function and behavioral addiction.
Interindividual Variability and Intraindividual Reliability of Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation-induced Neuroplasticity Mechanisms in the Healthy Brain
Authors: Schilberg Lukas , Schuhmann Teresa , Sack Alexander T. 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
We combined patterned TMS with EMG in several sessions of a within-subject design to assess and characterize intraindividual reliability and interindividual variability of TMS-induced neuroplasticity mechanisms in the healthy brain. Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) was applied over M1 to induce long-term potentiation-like mechanisms as assessed by changes in corticospinal excitability. Furthermore, we investigated the association between the observed iTBS effects and individual differences in prolonged measures of corticospinal excitability. Our results show that iTBS-induced measures of neuroplasticity suffer from high variability between individuals within a single assessment visit and from low reliability within individuals across two assessment visits. This indicates that both group and individual effects of iTBS on corticospinal excitability cannot be assumed to be reliable and therefore need to be interpreted with caution, at least when measured by changes in the amplitudes of motor-evoked potentials.
Preschool Vision Screening in Primary Care Pediatric Practice
Authors: Hered Robert W. , Wood David L. 
Published: January 2017

Objectives. We determined the efficacy of pediatric-based preschool vision screening, as knowledge of vision screening effectiveness in primary care pediatrics is incomplete. Methods. Pediatricians and staff at nine primary care pediatric practices were trained in vision screening, and practices screened children aged 3–5 years from May 2007 through July 2008. Children failing or considered untestable were referred for pediatric ophthalmology examinations We determined rates of testability, failure, referral, and ophthalmologic examination completion, as well as positive predictive values (PPVs) of screening failure and untestability We also surveyed practices to assess the ease and accuracy of preschool vision screening. Results. Of 2,933 children screened, 93 (3.2%) failed the vision screening and 349 (11.9%) were untestable. Untestability was highest (27.1%) among 3-year-olds. The PPV for failing any aspect of the vision screening was 66.7%; for children aged 3, 4, and 5 years, the PPVs for failing were 30.0%, 77.8%, and 87.5%, respectively However, only 38.7% of children who failed the vision screening received ophthalmologic examinations, despite multiple follow-up attempts Pediatricians rated the ease and accuracy of screening 3-year-old children lower than for screening older children. Conclusions. Visual acuity-based screening had good PPV for vision loss for 4- and 5-year-old children but was less successful for 3-year-olds. Rates of referral and ophthalmologic examination completion were low, especially among children from low-income families.
Ketamine: Parenteral Anaesthesia for Tonsillectomy
Authors: Odetoyinbo O 
Published: January 2017

A total of 67 Nigerians aged 6–43 years had ton-sillectomy using ketamine hydrochloride as the sole anaesthetic agent. The patients were not intubated. Pharyngeal movement and laryngospasm were effectively eliminated with preoperative lignocaine (Xylocaine) spray. The recovery period was prolonged. Pulse and blood pressure were elevated by 10–20% in all the patients for up to 10 hours. But there was no chest complication. It is concluded that ketamine hydrochloride is a safe alternative to endotracheal anaesthesia for ton-sillectomy when the latter is not available.
Surgical Aspects of Intra‐Arterial Chemotherapy of Outpatients with Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Baker Shan R. , Wheeler Richard H. , Medvec Barbara R. 
Published: January 2017

We have evaluated the use of the completely implantable Infusaid pump in 22 patients with advanced cancer confined to the head and neck. Unilateral head lesions are treated with a single‐catheter pump infusing the external carotid artery. A dual‐catheter pump is used for midline or bilateral head lesions (both external carotid arteries infused) or unilateral head and neck disease (the second catheter positioned in the thyrocervical trunk). The infused volume of each catheter is determined by nuclear tomography after slow intra‐arterial injection of 99mTc‐labeled macroaggregated albumin through the pump's auxiliary port. The injection port/infusion chamber configuration of the pump permits long‐term, multiple‐course, combination‐drug intra‐arterial therapy on an outpatient basis. To date, 15 patients have been treated longer than 6 months and five longer than 1 year with no bleeding or neurologic complications. Eight of 10 patients treated with cisplatin and fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR) have responded. The Infusaid pump permits long‐term, practical, cost‐effective, intra‐arterial therapy to the entire tumor volume of ambulatory head and neck cancer patients with a high rate of tumor response.
The effect of swallowing bolus and head position on eustachian tube function via sonotubometry
Authors: Leider Jeffrey , Hamlet Sandra , Schwan Sabina 
Published: January 2017

Eustachian tube function was evaluated by sonotubometry in otologically normal young adults. The purpose of the research was to determine if the incidence or duration of eustachian tube opening would be altered with changes in swallowing bolus volume or changes in head rotation. The subject performed multiple swallows of 10 cc water bolus and dry swallows (saliva), with the head in the straight‐forward, turned right, and turned left positions. Both ears were evaluated. The average Incidence and duration of eustachian tube opening for all swallows was 74% (398 msec). No significant differences were found with any combination of bolus type or head position, suggesting that neither liquid bolus volume nor head rotation need be controlled when sonotubometry is performed.
How to identify patients at risk of abdominal compartment syndrome after surgical repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms in the operating room: A pilot study
Authors: Leclerc Betty , Salomon Du Mont Lucie , Besch Guillaume , Rinckenbach Simon 
Published: January 2017

Objectives Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is poorly identified in surgery for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and an early management is crucial. The aim of this study was to validate how many risk factors were needed to predict ACS. Secondary objectives were to assess its prevalence and the 30-day mortality. Methods All patients operated for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm during 5 years were included. An independent committee performed a retrospective diagnosis of ACS. Eight criteria were selected from the literature, and corresponded to pre- and intraoperative period: anemia (hemoglobin lower than 10 g/dL), prolonged shock (systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg more than 18 min), preoperative cardiac arrest, obesity (body mass index > 30), massive fluid resuscitation (≥3500 mL per hour for at least 1 h) and transfusions (>10 units packed blood red cell since the beginning of the treatment), severe hypothermia (≤33℃), acidosis (pH < 7.2). Sensitivity and specificity were assessed for each number of criteria. Results Eight patients were ACS+ and 28 ACS-, with three criteria for ACS+ and 1.5 for ACS- ( p = 0.002). Three criteria among the eight selected criteria have the best cutoff for sensitivity and specificity (75% and 82%) with a positive predictive value of 54% and a negative predictive value of 92%. The prevalence of ACS was 17%. The 30-day mortality in ACS+ tended to be higher than in ACS- ( p = 0.108). Conclusion The present results suggest that patients with an ACS seemed to have higher mortality and the threshold of three factors among eight specific factors is enough to predict this.
Molecular disease monitoring using circulating tumor DNA in myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Yeh Paul , Dickinson Michael , Ftouni Sarah , Hunter Tane , Sinha Devbarna , Wong Stephen Q. , Agarwal Rishu , Vedururu Ravikiran , Doig Kenneth , Fong Chun Yew , Blombery Piers , Westerman David , Dawson Mark A. , Dawson Sarah-Jane 
Published: January 2017

Key PointsCirculating tumor DNA can monitor disease and predict treatment failure by tracking driver mutations and karyotypic abnormalities in MDS.
On hybrid intelligence-based control approach with its application to flexible robot system
Authors: Khoobjou E. , Mazinan A. H. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractFlexible robot system is in general taken into real consideration as most important process in a number of academic and industrial environments. Due to the fact that the aforementioned system is so applicable in real domains, the novel ideas with respect to state-of-the-art in outperforming its performance are always valuable. With this purpose, a number of the soft computing techniques can be preferred with reference to the traditional ones to predict and optimize the overall performance of the above-captioned process. The approach proposed here is in fact organized in line with the integration of the fuzzy-based approach in association with the neural networks, in order to enable the process under control to be capable of learning and adapting to be matched, in a number of real environments. It can be shown that the outcomes tolerate the imprecise circumstances, as one of advantages regarding the fuzzy-based approach. In the present investigation, a new hybrid approach is proposed to deal with the arm of flexible robot system through the neural networks, the fuzzy-based approach and also the particle swarm optimization. It should be noted that the objective of the proposed research is to control the claw of robot system including two-degree-of-freedom movable arms. The results indicate that the mean-square error and the root-mean-square error are accurately outperformed with reference to the traditional ones, tangibly.
Pensando na articulação entre a internet como instrumento de pesquisa jurídica e o rigor acadêmico
Authors: Monebhurrun Nitish 
Published: January 2017

Esse artigo propõe uma reflexão sobre o mau uso da Internet como instrumento de pesquisa, o que compromete o rigor acadêmico. Explica-se que o problema não é a Internet como um malefício por natureza, mas as lacunas na formação do(a) jurista que se depara como um mundo de pesquisa sem preparação. Se a Internet facilita consideravelmente o trabalho do(da) pesquisador(a), os problemas de formação e uma ética evanescente na corrida pelo diploma, tornam esse instrumento mais pernicioso. Sustenta-se que a situação emana também da postura dos professores de Direito, que transmitem aos alunos um medo de pensar, ao impor-lhes apenas trabalhos de compilação que não testam a sua capacidade como pensadores do Direito em formação. Ceder à tentação do mau uso da internet, como nos casos de plágio, é uma problemática de cunho ético, mas decorre também da postura dos professores segundo o seu entendimento da docência. Argumenta-se que a ética do aluno durante a sua pesquisa, seja pela Internet ou por qualquer outro meio, é oriunda da ética de responsabilidade do próprio professor.
Potere e politica nell’esperienza costituzionale del Brasile postcoloniale. Una riflessione a partire da un’opera di Machado de Assis
Authors: Paffarini Jacopo 
Published: January 2017

La complessità delle relazioni di potere è ascrivibile a molte opere di Machado de Assis, attraverso i suoi scritti si accede ad un ritratto della società carioca in un’epoca in cui lo Stato brasiliano era ancora alla ricerca di un definitivo assetto istituzionale. La posizione di Machado de Assis acquista in questo senso un duplice rilievo per lo studioso europeo: da un lato, costituisce una testimonianza delle tensioni sviluppatesi intorno ai processi di diffusione oltreoceano del pensiero politico e filosofico del Vecchio Continente; dall’altro, identifica la realtà brasiliana come il prodotto di questa contraddizione tra l’arcaico e il moderno, tra i canoni antichi e il progresso guidato dell’ambizione individuale.
Princípios contratuais e exigência de fundamentação das decisões: boa-fé e função social do contrato à luz do CPC/2015
Authors: Konder Carlos Nelson 
Published: January 2017

O artigo analisa o impacto da introdução, pelo Código de Processo Civil de 2015, de parâmetros para que se possa avaliar a adequada fundamentação de uma decisão judicial sobre a aplicação dos princípios contratuais, mais especificamente, a boa-fé e a função social do contrato. Parte das contribuições da teoria da argumentação contemporânea, incorporadas pela doutrina processualista, em especial no que tange a estruturas normativas, como princípios, cláusulas gerais e conceitos indeterminados. Dedica-se, então, à observação de uma amostragem de decisões judiciais representativa das críticas doutrinárias, que afirmam a ocorrência de invocação meramente retórica dos princípios contratuais, como forma apenas de avalizar o entendimento pessoal do intérprete. Ao final, sinaliza instrumentos para que o intérprete possa se desincumbir mais adequadamente do ônus argumentativo de fundamentação das decisões, por meio de topoi discursivos sugeridos doutrinariamente ou positivados constitucionalmente, tal como as chamadas especializações funcionais ou figuras parcelares da boa-fé e os bens jurídicos referidos pelo constituinte aptos a dar conteúdo à função social do contrato, como educação, saúde, moradia e meio ambiente.
Caryopathic effect of bio-preparation Bacillus subtilis 12В on the status of spermatogenic epithelium of animals infected with helminths
Authors: Сивкова  , Sivkova T. , Красникова  , Krasnikova E. , Шураков  , Shurakov S. 
Published: January 2017

Objective of research: to study the caryopathic effect of bio-preparation Bacillus subtilis
12В on the status of spermatogenic epithelium of white mice after a single intra-abdominal
administration of the Fasciola hepatica extract.
Materials and methods: The investigations were conducted on white male mice after oral
use of preparation Sporovite based on B. subtilis 12B; then the intra-abdominal injection of F.
hepatica extracts at a dose of 100 mkg/head was applied. The protein extract from F. hepatica
was administered to mice of the second group, and animals of the third group received only
the probiotic Sporovite. Animals of the fourth group did not get the preparation and served as
controls. 48 hours later the animals were killed; touch smears obtained from testis were stained
by the Romanovsky method and examined under a microscope what enables to determine the mitotic index and the number of pathological meiosis forms. The experiments were conducted
on lambs whose seminal vesicles were placed into a solution of 10% Formalin and examined
histologically. 2-3μ-thick slices were stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin by Van Gieson method
and examined under a microscope at 50, 400 and 1000 x magnifications.
Results and discussion: During the pathomorphological and caryomitotic studies of testis
of white mice and lambs after administration of Sporovite on the background of intra-abdominal
injection of F. hepatica extract the reduction of negative effects on the status of spermatogenic
epithelium of testis in animals wasn’t observed. A decrease in mitotic index by 2-3 times and a
high amount of pathological forms were registered. The number of metaphases with preterm
chromosome disjunction under the joint effect of F. hepatica and B. subtilis extracts has decreased
by half.