bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Circulating melanoma cells as a potential biomarker to detect metastasis and evaluate prognosis
Authors: Hida Tokimasa , Yoneta Akihiro , Wakamatsu Kazumasa , Yanagisawa Kenji , Ishii‐Osai Yasue , Kan Yuji , Kato Junji , Yamashita Toshiharu 
Published: March 2016

AbstractTNM staging is mainly used to evaluate the prognosis of melanoma patients. Serum biomarkers such as 5‐S‐cysteinyldopa (5‐S‐CD) have occasionally been used but most do not respond until the tumour burden becomes high. Recently, circulating melanoma cells (CMC) have been reported as a possible new biomarker to detect metastasis, monitor treatment response and predict prognosis. The object of this exploratory study was to evaluate the efficacy of CMC to detect metastasis and predict prognosis by cross‐sectional and prospective observational analyses, respectively. Altogether 15 patients with stages II–IV melanoma were enrolled and CMC were enumerated by CellSearch system with cut‐off values of two cells/7.5 mL. Serum 5‐S‐CD and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also measured. The sensitivity of CMC and 5‐S‐CD for the detection of metastasis was 33 and 50%, respectively. The combination of CMC and 5‐S‐CD showed a sensitivity of 67%, the best performance among CMC, 5‐S‐CD, LDH and any combination of two of the markers. Additionally, a 30‐month prospective observation showed that CMC could segregate patients with poorer prognosis. The median survival time for the patients with <2 CMC and those with ≥2 CMC was 19.5 and 4.5 months, respectively. The limitation of this study is the small sample size. These preliminary results indicate CMC may complement the efficacy of 5‐S‐CD to detect metastasis and can be a prognostic marker. Although there is still room for improvement to maximise the sensitivity, the CellSearch system is reproducible, standardised and suitable for multi‐centre studies.
An observational case series on dermatoscopic patterns of fading melanocytic naevi
Authors: Vyas Ritva , Rademaker Marius , Oakley Amanda 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackground/ObjectivesThe prevalence of melanocytic naevi falls with age. It has been postulated that this could be due to spontaneous involution (fading). Our objective was to provide dermatoscopic evidence of fading naevi and to describe the patterns of fading observed.MethodsSerial dermatoscopic images of naevi demonstrating fading were collected from a set of 25 000 images. Any naevi that showed significant fading, as compared to previous imaging of the same lesion, were included in the analysis.ResultsA total of 47 naevi in 21 patients were found to have significantly faded over a span of 2–11 years. The dermatoscopic fading was observed to occur in two patterns. The most common pattern observed was generalised fading (n = 45), where fading was present over all the naevus. There were two cases of focal fading (n = 2) where fading was present only over one area of the naevus.ConclusionsFading melanocytic naevi are uncommon. Melanocytic naevi fade in recognisable patterns, with generalised fading most commonly observed in our series.
Drugged Subjectivity, Intoxicating Alterity
Authors: Pollock Donald 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThis article explores the use of intoxicants by a community of Kulina Indians in western Brazil. I suggest that Kulina intoxication through alcohol, tobacco, and ayahuasca is best understood as a form of semiotic appropriation of the identity of cosmological “others,” including animal spirits, creator beings, other Indian groups, and Brazilians. I consider how embodying practices, such as song and physical movement, enhance the experience of being an “alter,” facilitated by the alterations in consciousness produced by intoxicants.
The Affective Scope: Entering China's Urban Moral and Economic World Through Its Emotional Disturbances
Authors: Pettier Jean‐Baptiste 
Published: March 2016

AbstractFrom an outsider's perspective, today's Popular China might appear as a self‐confident and triumphant country. However, a large‐scale examination of the country's recent moral controversies reveals a very different picture, one that has much to do with the widespread local public perception of an ongoing “moral crisis” (Kleinman et al., 2011), whose examination requires careful attention placed on the ethical and affective aspects of the everyday lives of today's Chinese people. In this article, I propose to examine the anguish that Chinese bachelor youths and their concerned parents undergo and express, as they are confronted with the difficult process of finding a suitable mate for marriage. I examine the fears their celibacy generates, the mutual distrust that participants taking part in bachelors’ parents gatherings demonstrate, and the disputes these encounters engage. I analyze the moral world of today's urban China from the perspective of the very feelings and affects that pervade it. Highlighting the ways in which my interlocutors shared their emotions with me along the course of my fieldwork, carried out in the cities of Beijing and Chengdu, I will insist on the importance of these affects within an anthropological approach. The moral sensitivities contained in the maintenance of the economic and social situations of one's family reveal themselves as an exceptional resource for knowledge. By examining the political economy of sentiments within which parents and their children find themselves entrapped, I argue that we can gain a deeper understanding of the concrete consequences of today's societal transformations.
Direct and indirect resource use, healthcare costs and work force absence in patients with non‐infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis
Authors: Thorne Jennifer E. , Skup Martha , Tundia Namita , Macaulay Dendy , Revol Cindy , Chao Jingdong , Joshi Avani , Dick Andrew D. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractPurposeTo ascertain resource use, costs and risk of workforce absence in non‐infectious uveitis cases versus matched controls.MethodsIn a retrospective claims analysis of employees in the United States, prevalent (N = 705) and incident (N = 776) cases 18–64 years old with ≥2 diagnoses of non‐infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis were matched 1:1 to controls without uveitis. Persistent prevalent cases (treated for ≥90 days, N = 112) also were analysed. Outcomes were annual direct resource use and costs associated with inpatient stays; emergency department, outpatient and ophthalmologist/optometrist visits; and prescription drugs. Indirect resource use and costs associated with work loss from disability and medically related absenteeism also were compared. Multivariate regression assessed cost differences between cases and controls.ResultsCases had significantly (p < 0.05) more medical resource use versus controls including 0.4 versus 0.2 emergency visits and 16.5 versus 7.6 outpatient/other visits. Cases used more prescription drugs (7.8 versus 4.1) and had more disability days (10.3 versus 4.6), medically related absenteeism days (8.5 versus 3.8), and work loss days (18.7 versus 8.4) than controls (all p < 0.05). Total direct ($12 940 versus $3730) and indirect ($3144 versus $1378) costs were higher in cases than controls (all p < 0.05). Results for persistent cases suggested greater utilization and associated cost and work loss burden. Compared with controls, cases had significantly greater risks of workforce absence, leave of absence and long‐term disability (all p < 0.05).ConclusionNon‐infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis, particularly persistent disease, is associated with substantial medical and work loss costs suggesting an unmet need for more effective treatments.
Effects of the “Happy Together” integrated cognitive behavior program on elderly people with dementia being cared for at home in rural areas
Authors: Jo Hae Kyung , Song Mi Ryeong 
Published: March 2016

AbstractIntroductionThe purpose of this research was to apply the “Happy Together” integrated cognitive behavior program for elderly people with dementia who are living at home.MethodsThis research applied the non‐equivalent control group pretest–posttest design. Research participants included 46 pairs of elderly individuals and their caregivers.ResultsThe program brought about positive changes in the instrumental activities of daily living of elderly people with dementia and alleviated the burden felt by family caregivers.ConclusionsBoth elderly people with dementia and their family caregivers will be able to benefit from the “Happy Together” program.
Exponential state transition dynamics in the rest–activity architecture of patients with bipolar disorder
Authors: Ortiz Abigail , Bradler Kamil , Radu Luiza , Alda Martin , Rusak Benjamin 
Published: March 2016

ObjectiveOur goal was to model the temporal dynamics of sleep–wake transitions, represented by transitions between rest and activity obtained from actigraphic data, in patients with bipolar disorder using a probabilistic state transition approach.MethodsWe collected actigraphic data for 14 days from 20 euthymic patients with bipolar disorder, who had been characterized clinically, demographically, and with respect to their circadian preferences (chronotype). We processed each activity record to generate a series of transitions in both directions between the states of rest (R) and activity (A) and plotted the estimated transition probabilities (pRA and pAR). Each 24‐hour period was also divided into a rest phase consisting of the eight consecutive least active hours in each day and an active phase consisting of the 16 consecutive most active hours in each day. We then calculated separate transition probabilities for each of these phases for each participant. We subsequently modeled the rest phase data to find the best fit for rest–activity transitions using maximum likelihood estimation. We also examined the association of transition probabilities with clinical and demographic variables.ResultsThe best‐fit model for rest–activity transitions during the rest phase was a mixture (bimodal) of exponential functions. Of those patients with rapid cycling, 75% had an evening‐type chronotype. Patients with bipolar II disorder taking antidepressants had a lower probability of transitioning back to rest than those not on antidepressants [mean ± SD = 0.050 ± 0.006 versus 0.141 ± 0.058, F(1,15) = 3.40, p < 0.05].ConclusionsThe dynamics of transitions between rest and activity in bipolar disorder can be accounted for by a mixture (bimodal) of exponential functions. Patients taking antidepressants had a reduced probability of sustaining and returning to sleep.
Increased expression of bitter taste receptors in human allergic nasal mucosa and their contribution to the shrinkage of human nasal mucosa
Authors: Kook J. H. , Kim H. K. , Kim H. J. , Kim K. W. , Kim T. H. , Kang K. R. , Oh D. J. , Lee S. H. 
Published: March 2016

SummaryObjectiveBitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) are expressed in the extraoral tissues, where they possess various physiological functions. This study is to characterize TAS2Rs expression in normal and allergic nasal mucosa and analyse nasal symptom after challenge with bitter tastes to evaluate their pathophysiological function in normal and allergic nasal mucosa.MethodsThe expression levels of TAS2Rs (TAS2R4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 39, and 43) in nasal mucosa were investigated by real‐time PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of TAS2Rs and Ca2+ imaging in cultured epithelial cells were measured after stimulation with type 2 cytokines (IL‐4, IL‐5, and IL‐13) or bitter tastes. Nasal symptoms in control subjects and allergic rhinitis patients using visual analogue score and acoustic rhinometry were evaluated before and after stimulation with bitter tastes. Vascular diameter of rat nasal septum was measured before and after treatment with bitter tastes.ResultsTAS2Rs tested here were expressed in nasal mucosa where they were commonly distributed in superficial epithelium, submucosal glands, and endothelium. Their expression levels are increased in allergic nasal mucosa and up‐regulated in cultured epithelial cells simulated with type 2 cytokines. After treatment with bitter tastes, intracellular Ca2+ signalling was increased in cultured epithelial cells, and vascular constriction was found in rat nasal septum. Increased nasal patency was observed in human nasal mucosa without pain or sneezing.Conclusion and Clinical RelevanceTAS2Rs are constitutively expressed in human nasal mucosa and their expression levels are increased in allergic nasal mucosa, where they could potentially contribute to shrinkage of normal and allergic nasal mucosa.
Cyproterone acetate vs leuprolide acetate in combination with transdermal oestradiol in transwomen: a comparison of safety and effectiveness
Authors: Gava Giulia , Cerpolini Silvia , Martelli Valentina , Battista Giuseppe , Seracchioli Renato , Meriggiola Maria Cristina 
Published: March 2016

SummaryObjectiveTo retrospectively compare the effectiveness and safety of 1‐year administration of transdermal oestradiol (TE) with cyproterone acetate (CPA) or leuprolide acetate (Leu) in transwomen.Design, patients and measurementsForty transwomen received 50 mg of CPA daily orally (n = 20; CPA+E group) or Leu at a dose of 3·75 mg i.m. monthly (n = 20; Leu+E group) in combination with TE at a dose of 1 or 2 mg daily for 1 year. Reproductive hormones, biochemical parameters, body composition and bone mineral density were assessed.ResultsLH, FSH and total testosterone levels were significantly decreased by month three of hormone administration in both groups and continued to decrease until month 12; the decrease in LH levels in the first 12 months was significantly faster in the Leu+E group. Prolactin was significantly increased at month 12 in the CPA+E group only. Bone metabolism parameters and bone mineral density as detected at DEXA did not significantly change in either group, apart from a statistically significant increase in parathyroid hormone after 52 weeks of Leu administration. Total cholesterol and HDL‐cholesterol were significantly increased in the Leu+E group and reduced in the CPA+E group. No major adverse effects were registered in either group. Psychological well‐being parameters did not differ between the two groups.ConclusionsPreliminary results from this retrospective observational pilot study suggest that CPA and Leu in combination with TE are equally effective in the suppression of gonadotrophins and testosterone levels over 1 year. Whether the different effects on HDL‐cholesterol may lead to long‐term different cardiovascular safety profiles remains to be defined.
Unintended Feedbacks: Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Conservation Effectiveness
Authors: Larrosa Cecilia , Carrasco Luis R. , Milner‐Gulland E. J. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractHuman reactions to conservation interventions can trigger unintended feedbacks resulting in poor conservation outcomes. Understanding unintended feedbacks is a necessary first step toward the diagnosis and solution of environmental problems, but existing anecdotal evidence cannot support decision‐making. Using conservation examples, we present a conceptual framework and typology of unintended feedbacks based on a social‐ecological systems (SES) approach. Three types of causal mechanisms for unintended feedbacks are distinguished: (1) flow unintended feedbacks when pre‐existing feedbacks are enhanced or dampened; (2) deletion unintended feedbacks; and (3) addition unintended feedbacks when interventions, respectively, remove or add actors or links to the SES structure. Application of this typology can improve conservation outcomes by enabling the inclusion of complex relationships into planning and evaluation. We show how widely used tools for conservation planning could produce misleading recommendations, and discuss future work to mitigate the effect of unintended feedbacks in conservation practice. There is an urgent need to collect evidence in a structured way in order to understand the mechanisms by which human decision‐making feeds through to conservation outcomes at different scales, thereby minimizing negative unintended feedbacks. The framework presented in this article can support the development of this evidence‐base.
Managing Natural Capital Stocks for the Provision of Ecosystem Services
Authors: Maseyk Fleur J.F. , Mackay Alec D. , Possingham Hugh P. , Dominati Estelle J. , Buckley Yvonne M. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractDecision makers and land managers are increasingly required to manage landscapes for multiple purposes and benefits. However, despite progress in the development of frameworks linking natural capital to the provision of ecosystem services and human benefits there remains little guidance for how management interventions can improve ecosystem service provision. As ecosystem services cannot be directly influenced, interventions need to be directed toward natural capital stocks. We provide a framework that explicitly links natural capital stocks to ecosystem service provision and identify manageable attributes of natural capital stocks as the critical intervention point. A structured decision making process based on our framing of the ecosystem services concept can facilitate its application on the ground.
Heart rate, blood pressure and repolarization effects of an energy drink as compared to coffee
Authors: Brothers R. Matthew , Christmas Kevin M. , Patik Jordan C. , Bhella Paul S. 
Published: March 2016

SummaryThe goal of this study was to investigate the impact of energy drinks on haemodynamic and cardiac physiology. Comparisons were made to coffee as well as water consumption. In Protocol #1 the caffeine content was normalized to body weight to represent a controlled environment. Heart rate, blood pressure and cardiac QTc interval were assessed in 15 participants, on 4 days, prior to and for 6·5 h postconsumption of (i) energy drink (2 mg caffeine per kg body weight; low dose), (ii) energy drink (3 mg caffeine per kg body weight; medium dose), (iii) coffee (2 mg caffeine per kg body weight) and (iv) 250 ml water. In Protocol #2, the beverages were consumed in volumes that they are purchased to represent real‐life conditions. The aforementioned measurements were repeated in 15 participants following (i) 1 16 oz can of energy drink (16 oz Monster), (ii) 1 24 oz can of energy drink (24 oz Monster), (iii) 1 packet of Keurig K‐Cup Starbucks coffee (coffee) and (iv) 250 ml water. The order of the beverages was performed in a randomized double‐blinded fashion. For both protocols, QTc interval, heart rate and systolic blood pressure were unchanged in any condition (P>0·05). Diastolic blood pressure and mean blood pressure were slightly elevated in Protocol #1 (P<0·05, main effect of time) with no difference between beverages (P<0·05, interaction of beverage × time); however, they were unaffected in Protocol #2 (P>0·05). These findings suggest that acute consumption of these commonly consumed beverages has no negative effect on cardiac QTc interval.
Cytomorphology of ovarian clear cell carcinomas in peritoneal effusions
Authors: Damiani D. , Suciu V. , Genestie C. , Vielh P. 
Published: March 2016

ObjectiveTo investigate and describe the cytomorphology of malignant effusions from ovarian clear cell carcinomas (OCCC).MethodsFive cases of malignant peritoneal effusions from OCCC histologically confirmed were analysed and compared.ResultsAmong the malignant peritoneal effusions exhibiting clear cell features, a characteristic feature of OCCC was the presence of large deposits of a hyaline matrix. This matrix may be typically arranged either in ‘raspberry bodies’ or ‘globule‐like’ structures. Other rare neoplasms composed of clear cells must be considered in the differential diagnosis such as yolk sac tumour of the ovary, clear cell subtype of endometrial carcinoma and, less frequently, malignant peritoneal mesothelioma as well as metastatic renal cell carcinoma.ConclusionsOvarian clear cell carcinomas have distinct morphological features that are helpful in making a cytological diagnosis of this entity. The role of cytological examination in ovarian neoplasms is of paramount importance, as stated by The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) recommendations.
Comparison of Hyperemic Impedance Echocardiography with Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography to Detect Inducible Myocardial Ischemia: A Pilot Study
Authors: Patel Jijibhoy J. , Gupta Ankur , Nanda Navin C. 
Published: March 2016

BackgroundStress echocardiography using exercise or pharmacological stressors is either contraindicated or associated with significant side effects in some patients. This pilot study was designed to evaluate a new technique, hyperemic impedance echocardiography (HIE). It is based on reactive coronary hyperemia when transient limb ischemia is induced by tourniquet inflation. We hypothesized that this physiologic coronary hyperemia can identify inducible myocardial ischemia by assessment of regional wall motion abnormalities on echocardiography when compared with dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE).MethodsTwenty consecutive outpatients with suspected stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent clinically indicated DSE were recruited for performance of HIE after informed consent was obtained. Standard graded dobutamine infusion protocol from 5 to 40 μg/kg per min was used for DSE. HIE was performed by inflating tourniquets at a pressure of 10 mmHg below the systolic blood pressure for 1 minute in three of four extremities at a time for total of four cycles. Echocardiography was performed immediately after the last rotating tourniquet deflation. DSE and HIE were classified as abnormal for development of new or worsening wall motion abnormality in at least one myocardial segment. Test characteristics were also determined for a subset of these patients (n = 12) who underwent clinically indicated coronary angiography.ResultsHyperemic impedance echocardiography showed 86% sensitivity, 67% specificity, 86% positive predictive value, and 67% negative predictive value with a test accuracy of 80% to detect inducible myocardial wall motion abnormalities when compared with DSE. HIE also showed 83% sensitivity, 75% negative predictive value with a test accuracy of 66.7% for detection of significant (≥50% diameter stenosis) CAD on coronary angiography.ConclusionIn this pilot study, HIE was a feasible, safe, and promising method for detection of inducible myocardial ischemia by assessment of regional wall motion abnormalities when compared to DSE and coronary angiography. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Not poles apart: Antarctic soil fungal communities show similarities to those of the distant Arctic
Authors: Cox Filipa , Newsham Kevin K. , Bol Roland , Dungait Jennifer A. J. , Robinson Clare H. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAntarctica's extreme environment and geographical isolation offers a useful platform for testing the relative roles of environmental selection and dispersal barriers influencing fungal communities. The former process should lead to convergence in community composition with other cold environments, such as those in the Arctic. Alternatively, dispersal limitations should minimise similarity between Antarctica and distant northern landmasses. Using high‐throughput sequencing, we show that Antarctica shares significantly more fungi with the Arctic, and more fungi display a bipolar distribution, than would be expected in the absence of environmental filtering. In contrast to temperate and tropical regions, there is relatively little endemism, and a strongly bimodal distribution of range sizes. Increasing southerly latitude is associated with lower endemism and communities increasingly dominated by fungi with widespread ranges. These results suggest that micro‐organisms with well‐developed dispersal capabilities can inhabit opposite poles of the Earth, and dominate extreme environments over specialised local species.