bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ectopic expression of Smurf2 and acceleration of age-related intervertebral disc degeneration in a mouse model
Authors: Wu Qiuqian , Huang Jason H. 
Published: April 2017

OBJECTIVELumbar intervertebral disc degeneration, an age-related process, is a major cause of low-back pain. Although low-back pain is a very common clinical problem in the aging population, no effective treatment is available, largely owing to lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disc degeneration. The goal of this study was to characterize how ectopic expression of Smurf2 driven by the collagen Type II alpha 1 (Col2a1) promoter alters disc cell phenotype and associated cellular events, matrix synthesis, and gene expression during disc degeneration in mice.METHODSTo characterize how ectopic expression of Smurf2 in Col2a1-promoter working cells affects the disc degeneration process, the authors performed histological and immunohistochemical analysis of lumbar spine specimens harvested from wild-type (WT) and Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic mice at various ages (n ≥ 6 in each age group). To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying Smurf2-mediated disc degeneration, the authors isolated cells from WT and Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic lumbar intervertebral discs and performed Western blot and real-time RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) to examine the protein and mRNA levels of interesting targets.RESULTSThe authors demonstrated that approximately 30% of WT mice at 10–12 months of age had started to show disc degeneration and that the disc degeneration process was accelerated by 3–6 months in Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic mice. Chondrocyte-like cell proliferation, maturation, and fibrotic tissue formation in the inner annulus were often accompanied by fibroblast-to-chondrocyte differentiation in the outer annulus in transgenic discs. The chondrocyte-like cells in transgenic discs expressed higher levels of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) than were expressed in WT counterparts.CONCLUSIONSThe findings that ectopic expression of Smurf2 driven by the Col2a1 promoter accelerated disc degeneration in Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic mice, and that higher levels of CTGF protein and mRNA were present in Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic discs, indicate that Smurf2 accelerates disc degeneration via upregulation of CTGF.
Surgical technique and results of cable graft interpositioning of the facial nerve in lateral skull base surgeries: experience with 213 consecutive cases
Authors: Prasad Sampath Chandra , Balasubramanian Karthikeyan , Piccirillo Enrico , Taibah Abdelkader , Russo Alessandra , He Jingchun , Sanna Mario 
Published: April 2017

OBJECTIVEThe aim in this study was to review the technique and outcomes of cable graft interpositioning of the facial nerve (FN) in lateral skull base surgeries.METHODSThe authors retrospectively evaluated data from patients who had undergone cable graft interpositioning after nerve sacrifice during skull base tumor removal between June 1987 and May 2015. All patients had undergone lateral skull base approaches to remove tumors at a quaternary referral center in Italy. Facial nerve function was evaluated before and after surgery using the House-Brackmann (HB) grading system.RESULTSTwo hundred thirteen patients were eligible for study. The mean follow-up was 44.3 months. The most common pathology was vestibular schwannoma (83 cases [39%]), followed by FN tumor (67 cases [31%]). Facial nerve tumors had the highest incidence of nerve interruption (67 [66%] of 102 cases). Preoperative FN function was normal (HB Grade I) in 105 patients (49.3%) and mild (HB Grade II) in 19 (8.9%). At the last postoperative follow-up, 108 (50.7%) of the 213 patients had recovered to Grade III nerve function. Preoperative HB grading of the FN was found to have a significant effect on outcome (p = 0.002).CONCLUSIONSCable graft interpositioning is a convenient and well-accepted procedure for immediate restoration of the FN. The study results, over a large number of patients, showed that the stitch-less fibrin glue–aided coaptation technique yields good results. The best possible postoperative result achieved was an HB Grade III. The chances of a good postoperative result increase when FN function is normal preoperatively. Slow-growing tumors of the cerebellopontine angle had a favorable outcome after grafting.
Appendectomy History is not Related to Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Yilmaz Rezzak , Bayram Ece , Ulukan Çağrı , Altınok Mustafa Kemal , Akbostancı Muhittin Cenk 
Published: April 2017

Background: It has been suggested that appendectomy may modify the emergence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) by affecting the retrograde transport of α-synuclein (α-syn) from the gastrointestinal system. Objective: To explore the possible role of appendectomy on PD. Methods: The retrospective data of the 1625 patients (839 PD, 633 non-α-syn parkinsonism and 153 controls) were compared. Disease specific measures between PD patients with ( n = 69) and without ( n = 770) appendectomy were also evaluated. Results: The prevalence of appendectomy was not significantly lower in the PD group (8.2%) compared to the other groups (8.4% and 7.9%, p = 0.98), and the odds of having PD against other diagnoses (OR) were not significantly different in the appendectomy group (OR = 0.99, p = 0.96). No difference was determined between PD patients with and without appendectomy with respect to the age of disease onset, disease duration and severity. Appendectomy-first symptom interval was not determined to be related with PD diagnosis (hazard ratio = 1.12, p = 0.39) and did not predict disease severity in the PD group (OR = 0.99, p = 0.54). Age of appendectomy (lower or higher than 20) also did not affect future PD diagnosis (Relative Risk = 0.9, p = 0.54) or the disease severity. Conclusions: The results of the study suggest no effect of appendectomy on the emergence and clinical manifestations of PD. The removal of the appendix is possibly not sufficient to suppress the exposure of the brain stem to α-syn via vagal retrograde transport. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of appendix in PD.
A randomized trial of the effects of the no-carrageenan diet on ulcerative colitis disease activity
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sumit , Shumard Theresa , Xie Hui , Dodda Amar , Varady Krista A. , Feferman Leo , Halline Allan G. , Goldstein Jay L. , Hanauer Stephen B. , Tobacman Joanne K. 
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND: Carrageenan is a very common food additive in Western diets, but predictably causes inflammation in thousands of cell-based and animal experiments. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of carrageenan exposure on the interval to relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, clinical trial was conducted to assess if patients with ulcerative colitis in remission would have a longer interval to relapse if they followed a diet with no carrageenan. All participants were instructed in the no-carrageenan diet and were randomized to either placebo capsules or carrageenan-containing capsules. The carrageenan in the capsules was less than the average daily carrageenan intake from the diet. Relapse was defined as an increase of two or more points on the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) and intensification of treatment for ulcerative colitis. Participants were followed by telephone calls every two weeks until relapse or one year of participation. The occurrence of relapse and inflammatory biomarkers were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Twelve patients completed study questionnaires. Three patients who received carrageenan-containing capsules relapsed, and none of the patients who received placebo-containing capsules relapsed ( p = 0.046, log-rank test). Laboratory tests showed increases in Interleukin-6 ( p = 0.02, paired t-test, two-tailed) and fecal calprotectin ( p = 0.06; paired t-test, two-tailed) between the beginning and the end of study participation in the carrageenan-exposed group, but not in the placebo-group. CONCLUSION: Carrageenan intake contributed to earlier relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission. Restriction of dietary carrageenan may benefit patients with ulcerative colitis.
Iterative reconstruction for sparse-view X-ray CT using alpha-divergence constrained total generalized variation minimization
Authors: Niu Shanzhou , Huang Jing , Bian Zhaoying , Zeng Dong , Chen Wufan , Yu Gaohang , Liang Zhengrong , Ma Jianhua 
Published: April 2017

BCKGROUND: Accurate statistical model of the measured projection data is essential for computed tomography (CT) image reconstruction. The transmission data can be described by a compound Poisson distribution upon an electronic noise background. However, such a statistical distribution is numerically intractable for image reconstruction. OBJECTIVE: Although the sinogram data is easily manipulated, it lacks a statistical description for image reconstruction. To address this problem, we present an alpha-divergence constrained total generalized variation (AD-TGV) method for sparse-view x-ray CT image reconstruction. METHODS: The AD-TGV method is formulated as an optimization problem, which balances the alpha-divergence (AD) fidelity and total generalized variation (TGV) regularization in one framework. The alpha-divergence is used to measure the discrepancy between the measured and estimated projection data. The TGV regularization can effectively eliminate the staircase and patchy artifacts which is often observed in total variation (TV) regularization. A modified proximal forward-backward splitting algorithm was proposed to minimize the associated objective function. RESULTS: Qualitative and quantitative evaluations were carried out on both phantom and patient data. Compared with the original TV-based method, the evaluations clearly demonstrate that the AD-TGV method achieves higher accuracy and lower noise, while preserving structural details. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental results show that the presented AD-TGV method can achieve more gains over the AD-TV method in preserving structural details and suppressing image noise and undesired patchy artifacts. The authors can draw the conclusion that the presented AD-TGV method is potential for radiation dose reduction by lowering the milliampere-seconds (mAs) and/or reducing the number of projection views.
OH Survey along Sightlines of Galactic Observations of Terahertz C+
Authors: Tang Ningyu , Li Di , Heiles Carl , Yue Nannan , Dawson J. R. , Goldsmith Paul F. , Krčo Marko , McClure-Griffiths N. M. , Wang Shen , Zuo Pei , Pineda Jorge L. , Wang Jun-Jie 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
We have obtained OH spectra of four transitions in the

ground state, at 1612, 1665, 1667, and 1720 MHz, toward 51 sightlines that were observed in the Herschel project Galactic Observations of Terahertz C+. The observations cover the longitude range of (32°, 64°) and (189°, 207°) in the northern Galactic plane. All of the diffuse OH emissions conform to the so-called “Sum Rule” of the four brightness temperatures, indicating optically thin emission conditions for OH from diffuse clouds in the Galactic plane. The column densities of the H i “halos” N(H i) surrounding molecular clouds increase monotonically with OH column density, N(OH), until saturating when

cm−2 and

cm−2, indicating the presence of molecular gas that cannot be traced by H i. Such a linear correlation, albeit weak, is suggestive of

halos’ contribution to the UV shielding required for molecular formation. About 18% of OH clouds have no associated CO emission (CO-dark) at a sensitivity of 0.07 K, but are associated with C+ emission. A weak correlation exists between C+ intensity and OH column density for CO-dark molecular clouds. These results imply that OH seems to be a better tracer of molecular gas than CO in diffuse molecular regions.
La logique d’Abélard conduit-elle à la contradiction ? Les lectures in re et in voce des inférences et le débat avec les Montani
Authors: Michel Bruno 
Published: April 2017

Dans l’historiographie récente, la logique d’Abélard a été reconnue comme profondément novatrice par des auteurs (C. Martin, J. Marenbon) qui soulignent qu’elle conduit malheureusement aussi à la contradiction. Nous montrons ici que cette conclusion n’est pas inévitable et que, si les deux lectures in re (extensionnelle) et in voce (intensionnelle) des inférences sont distinguées comme il convient, la réfutation par les Montani de la théorie des inférences d’Abélard n’atteint cette dernière qu’à la marge. Il existe une lecture – distinguant impossibilité logique ( in voce ) et impossibilité ontologique ( in re ) – qui préserve la non-contradiction de la théorie des inférences d’Abélard.
La tâche d’association iconographique : mise en exergue du processus d’objectivation dans la représentation sociale du médicament
Authors: Cohen Golda , Moliner Pascal 
Published: April 2017

Un certain nombre de méthodes permettent le repérage des éléments d’une représentation sociale. Cependant, ces dernières présentent trop souvent l’inconvénient d’être dépendantes du langage. A partir de la représentation sociale du médicament, nous avons comparé les éléments issus de deux tâches d’association libres : verbale (n=304) et iconographique (n=304). Bien que l’on trouve au sein de ces dernières des éléments communs, on observe la mise en exergue d’une structure représentationnelle spécifique à la tâche de production, dans le premier cas le schème de la médication, dans le second cas l’importance de la pharmacie comme lieu de vente et la dimension esthétique du médicament. Les résultats suggèrent que la tâche d’association iconographique permet d’extraire les éléments objectivables de la représentation de façon prototypique.
Jerôme S. Bruner, car l’interaction donne forme à la cognition...
Authors: Delahousse Alain 
Published: April 2017

En hommage à sa récente disparition, nous rappelons le parcours de recherche particulièrement riche et consistant de Jérôme Bruner, allant de l’investigation de la perception à la reconnaissance du lien social et culturel via la féconde découverte de l’activité cognitive. Dans un deuxième temps, nous scrutons plus avant ses apports cognitifs dans les domaines de la perception, de la catégorisation et de la signification et relevons la trame constitutive de l’apprentissage instrumental au sein de cette activité cognitive qu’il a été le premier à mettre au jour. Il s’agit d’une trame intégrée et opérante, constituée dans l’interaction effective avec l’environnement et ses conséquences éprouvées, une trame confortée aujourd’hui par les neurosciences de l’apprentissage. Par ses modes et ses histoires, nourrie de la reconnaissance de ses normes et de leurs exceptions, investie de ses valeurs respectées ou bafouées, la culture charrie les avatars de l’insertion en société comme autant d’instruments symboliques susceptibles de faire sens et d’orienter l’adaptation collective. En finale, dans un troisième temps, nous confrontons les apports de Bruner à certains des paradoxes que rencontre aujourd’hui la psychologie sociale. En particulier, l’hypothèse d’une cognition « sociale » qui fonctionnerait sur ses propres « traitements », coupée en quelque sorte d’une analyse fonctionnelle de l’interdépendance sociale. En particulier également, le postulat parfois défendu, que l’élucidation du procès de signification serait de seconde zone, comparé aux paradigmes expérimentaux avérés, déclarés porteurs de la seule connaissance « scientifique » bien que coupés du contexte adaptatif. En particulier enfin, la difficulté avérée du secteur, à intégrer ensemble, les dimensions individuelles et culturelles de l’adaptation qui constituent pourtant le terreau de l’échange social et de la communication.
Les changements idéologiques à la période de l’adolescence : construction, choix, ruptures
Authors: Lehalle  Henri 
Published: April 2017

Il est difficile d’imaginer que les engagements professionnels ne soient pas soutenus par des considérations idéologiques sur le fonctionnement de la société. Or, la période de l’adolescence est précisément celle où de telles constructions idéologiques se déterminent et se différencient.Ces constructions idéologiques peuvent être examinées sous divers aspects : composantes cognitives, références collectives et développement moral, engagements civiques et politiques. Mais, comme les changements adolescents s’effectuent selon des modalités très diverses, en continuité ou en rupture avec le passé, ce sont les analyses en systèmes dynamiques qui offrent les outils les plus pertinents pour mieux comprendre les processus de changement, en particulier lorsque les trajectoires développementales conduisent à des formes de radicalisation.
Knowledge of Concussion and Reporting Behaviors in High School Athletes With or Without Access to an Athletic Trainer
Authors: Wallace Jessica , Covassin Tracey , Nogle Sally , Gould Daniel , Kovan Jeffrey 
Published: April 2017

Context:
Increased sport participation and sport-related concussion incidence has led to an emphasis on having an appropriate medical professional available to high school athletes. The medical professional best suited to provide medical care to high school athletes is a certified athletic trainer (AT). Access to an AT may influence the reporting of sport-related concussion in the high school athletic population; however, little is known about how the presence of an AT affects concussion knowledge, prevention, and recognition.

Objective:
To evaluate knowledge of concussion and reporting behaviors in high school athletes who did or did not have access to an AT.

Design:
Cross-sectional study.

Setting:
Survey.

Patients or Other Participants:
A total of 438 athletes with access to an AT and 277 without access to an AT.

Intervention(s):
A validated knowledge-of-concussion survey consisting of 83 items addressing concussion history, concussion knowledge, scenario questions, signs and symptoms of a concussion, and reasons why an athlete would not report a concussion. The independent variable was access to an AT.

Main Outcome Measure(s):
We examined the proportion of athletes who correctly identified knowledge of concussion, signs and symptoms of concussion, and reasons why high school student-athletes would not disclose a potential concussive injury by access to an AT. Frequency statistics, χ2 tests, independent t tests, and linear regression were conducted to analyze the data.

Results:
The underreporting of concussion among high school athletes was 55%. Athletes with access to an AT had more knowledge of concussion than did athletes without such access (P ≤ .001). Chi-square tests did not demonstrate a significant relationship between AT access and a higher percentage reporting concussions.

Conclusions:
High school athletes with access to an AT had more concussion knowledge, but they did not report suspected concussions to an authority figure more frequently than athletes without access to an AT.
Evaluation of Nintendo Wii Balance Board as a Tool for Measuring Postural Stability After Sport-Related Concussion
Authors: Merchant-Borna Kian , Jones Courtney Marie Cora , Janigro Mattia , Wasserman Erin B. , Clark Ross A. , Bazarian Jeffrey J. 
Published: April 2017

Context:
Recent changes to postconcussion guidelines indicate that postural-stability assessment may augment traditional neurocognitive testing when making return-to-participation decisions. The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) has been proposed as 1 measure of balance assessment. A new, freely available software program to accompany the Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB) system has recently been developed but has not been tested in concussed patients.

Objective:
To evaluate the feasibility of using the WBB to assess postural stability across 3 time points (baseline and postconcussion days 3 and 7) and to assess concurrent and convergent validity of the WBB with other traditional measures (BESS and Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test [ImPACT] battery) of assessing concussion recovery.

Design:
Cohort study.

Setting:
Athletic training room and collegiate sports arena.

Patients or Other Participants:
We collected preseason baseline data from 403 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and III student-athletes participating in contact sports and studied 19 participants (age = 19.2 ± 1.2 years, height = 177.7 ± 8.0 cm, mass = 75.3 ± 16.6 kg, time from baseline to day 3 postconcussion = 27.1 ± 36.6 weeks) who sustained concussions.

Main Outcome Measure(s):
We assessed balance using single-legged and double-legged stances for both the BESS and WBB, focusing on the double-legged, eyes-closed stance for the WBB, and used ImPACT to assess neurocognition at 3 time points. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample. Mean differences and Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to determine differences within and between metrics over the 3 time points. Individual-level changes over time were also assessed graphically.

Results:
The WBB demonstrated mean changes between baseline and day 3 postconcussion and between days 3 and 7 postconcussion. It was correlated with the BESS and ImPACT for several measures and identified 2 cases of abnormal balance postconcussion that would not have been identified via the BESS.

Conclusions:
When accompanied by the appropriate analytic software, the WBB may be an alternative for assessing postural stability in concussed student-athletes and may provide additional information to that obtained via the BESS and ImPACT. However, verification among independent samples is required.
Quadriceps Function and Hamstrings Co-Activation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Pamukoff Derek N. , Pietrosimone Brian G. , Ryan Eric D. , Lee Dustin R. , Blackburn J. Troy 
Published: April 2017

Context: Individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have quadriceps dysfunction that contributes to physical disability and posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis. Quadriceps function in the ACLR limb is commonly evaluated relative to the contralateral uninjured limb. Bilateral quadriceps dysfunction is common in individuals with ACLR, potentially biasing these evaluations.Objective: To compare quadriceps function between individuals with ACLR and uninjured control participants.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Research laboratory.Patients or Other Participants: Twenty individuals with unilateral ACLR (age = 21.1 ± 1.7 years, mass = 68.3 ± 14.9 kg, time since ACLR = 50.7 ± 21.3 months; females = 14; Tegner Score = 7.1 ± 0.3; 16 patellar tendon autografts, 3 hamstrings autografts, 1 allograft) matched to 20 control participants (age = 21.2 ± 1.2 years, mass = 67.9 ± 11.3 kg; females = 14; Tegner Score = 7.1 ± 0.4) on age, sex, body mass index, and Tegner Activity Scale.Main Outcome Measure(s): Maximal voluntary isometric knee extension was performed on an isokinetic dynamometer. Peak torque (PT), rate of torque development (RTD), electromyographic (EMG) amplitude, central activation ratio (CAR), and hamstrings EMG amplitude were assessed during maximal voluntary isometric knee extension and compared between groups using independent-samples t tests. Relationships between hamstrings co-activation and quadriceps function were assessed using Pearson correlations.Results: Participants with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction displayed lesser quadriceps PT (1.86 ± 0.74 versus 2.56 ± 0.37 Nm/kg, P = .001), RTD (39.4 ± 18.7 versus 52.9 ± 16.4 Nm/s/kg, P = .03), EMG amplitude (0.25 ± 0.12 versus 0.37 ± 0.26 mV, P = .04), and CAR (83.3% ± 11.1% versus 93.7% ± 3.2%, P = .002) and greater hamstrings co-activation (27.2% ± 12.8% versus 14.3% ± 3.7%, P &lt; .001) compared with control participants. Correlations were found between hamstrings co-activation and PT (r = −0.39, P = .007), RTD (r = −0.30, P = .03), and EMG amplitude (r = −0.30, P = .03).Conclusions: Individuals with ACLR possessed deficits in PT, RTD, and CAR compared with control participants. Peak torque is the net result of all agonist and antagonist activity, and lesser PT in individuals with ACLR is partially attributable to greater hamstrings co-activation.