bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
School‐based assessment of mental health risk in children: the preliminary development of the Child RADAR
Authors: Burns John R. , Rapee Ronald M. 
Published: February 2018

BackgroundScreening young people for risk of mental health difficulties in schools is an effective method to facilitate monitoring and early intervention. This study is a preliminary report on the adaptation of the Youth RADAR screening instrument for primary school children. Specifically designed to be used in schools, the Child RADAR assesses a child's balance of risk and protective factors known to be associated with the development of mental health problems.MethodThree hundred and thirty‐nine children drawn from six primary schools across NSW, Australia, completed the alpha version of the Child RADAR in addition to an assessment of depression and anxiety symptoms and subjective well‐being.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis revealed the Child RADAR to have an acceptable factor structure. Reliability for the Total Child RADAR was satisfactory based on both internal consistency (α = .86) and test–retest reliability (r = .85). Convergent validity was demonstrated through significant associations with symptoms of anxiety and depression.ConclusionsThe Child RADAR shows preliminary promise as a school‐based screener of mental health risk. Further evaluation is required to demonstrate the generalizability of the instrument across different populations.
Perceptual Organization in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Evers Kris , Van der Hallen Ruth , Noens Ilse , Wagemans Johan 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is typically associated with problems in social communication and interaction, combined with restrictive and repetitive interests, behaviors, and activities. In addition, individuals with ASD often experience sensory abnormalities and have difficulties with perceptual organization, which can affect other aspects of information processing, such as attention, and perception of faces and motion. Researchers have studied atypical perceptual organization in individuals with ASD over the past decades, particularly in visual perception, finding both a reduced tendency to integrate information into meaningful wholes and a stronger focus on details in individuals with autism. In this article, we review empirical findings and describe briefly two influential theoretical accounts (weak central coherence and enhanced perceptual functioning theory), as well as more recent theoretical frameworks that emphasize the imbalance between local and global processing, or anomalies at the level of the brain as an engine of prediction.
The induced RNA-binding protein, HuR, targets 3′-UTR region of IL-6 mRNA and enhances its stabilization in periodontitis
Authors: Ouhara K , Munenaga S , Kajiya M , Takeda K , Matsuda S , Sato Y , Hamamoto Y , Iwata T , Yamasaki S , Akutagawa K , Mizuno N , Fujita T , Sugiyama E , Kurihara H 
Published: February 2018

Summary
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate mRNA stability by binding to the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) region of mRNA. Human antigen-R (HuR), one of the RBPs, is involved in the progression of diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus and some inflammatory diseases. Interleukin (IL)-6 is a major inflammatory cytokine regulated by HuR binding to mRNA. Periodontal disease (PD) is also an inflammatory disease caused by elevations in IL-6 following an infection by periodontopathogenic bacteria. The involvement of HuR in the progression of PD was assessed using in-vitro and in-vivo experiments. Immunohistochemistry of inflamed periodontal tissue showed strong staining of HuR in the epithelium and connective tissue. HuR mRNA and protein level was increased following stimulation with Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), one of the periodontopathogenic bacteria, lipopolysacchride (LPS)-derived from Pg (PgLPS) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α in OBA-9, an immortalized human gingival epithelial cell. The luciferase activity of 3′-UTR of IL-6 mRNA was increased by TNF-α, Pg and PgLPS in OBA-9. Luciferase activity was also increased in HuR-over-expressing OBA-9 following a bacterial stimulation. Down-regulation of HuR by siRNA resulted in a decrease in mRNA expression and production of IL-6. In contrast, the over-expression of HuR increased IL-6 mRNA expression and production in OBA-9. The HuR inhibitor, quercetin, suppressed Pg-induced HuR mRNA expression and IL-6 production in OBA-9. An oral inoculation with quercetin also inhibited bone resorption in ligature-induced periodontitis model mice as a result of down-regulation of IL-6. These results show that HuR modulates inflammatory responses by regulating IL-6.
Retinol‐binding protein 4 is positively associated with bone mineral density in patients with type 2 diabetes and osteopenia or osteoporosis
Authors: Huang Nana , Zhou Jin , Wang Wei , Wang Qiuling , Tang Yuxiao , Sun Ying , Wang Daping , Chen Shulin 
Published: February 2018

SummaryObjectiveThis study intends to study the association between serum retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), bone mineral density (BMD) and other bone metabolic‐related parameters in type 2 diabetic patients older than 50 years, with or without osteopenia or osteoporosis.MethodsPatients (n = 274 cases) with type 2 diabetes, hospitalized in the Endocrinology Department of Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital from December 2015 to March 2017, were enrolled in the study. The bone mineral density (BMD) was recorded by the dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometer, and patients were divided into normal bone mineral density (148 cases), osteopenia (93 cases) and osteoporosis (33 cases) groups. The serum adipokine RBP4 and other biomarkers were determined accordingly.ResultsSerum RBP4, body weight, calcium and body mass index (BMI) demonstrated a positive correlation with BMD at all tested body sites in osteopenia and osteoporosis groups compared with normal bone mineral density group. In contrast, age, duration of diabetes and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were inversely correlated with BMD at all tested body sites. In nonadjusted analyses, age, gender, duration of diabetes and ALP were inversely associated with BMD at the femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine, while body weight, BMI and RBP4 were positively associated with BMD at all sites. In multiple regression analyses, adjusted for age, weight, BMI and other bone‐related factors, a graded stepwise positive association between serum RBP4 and BMD was shown, at all sites.ConclusionSerum RBP4 was positively associated with BMD at all sites after adjustments for other factors in osteopenia and osteoporosis groups compared with normal bone mineral density group of type 2 diabetic patients.
Activation of 5‐HT7 receptor by administration of its selective agonist, LP‐211, modifies explorative‐curiosity behavior in rats in two paradigms which differ in visuospatial parameters
Authors: Carbone Cristiana , Adinolfi Annalisa , Cinque Stefano , Lacivita Enza , Alleva Enrico , Leopoldo Marcello , Adriani Walter 
Published: February 2018

SummaryAimsThe serotonin 7 receptor (5‐HT7R) subtype, coded by Htr7 gene, is broadly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) with clear involvement in behavioral functions such as learning/memory, regulation of mood, and circadian rhythms. In this study, we assessed effects of 5‐HT7R stimulation by administration of its selective agonist, LP‐211 (0.25 mg/kg i.p.), in adult Wistar‐Han rats.MethodsWe used two different explorative‐curiosity tests. Drug was administered either before one side‐chamber familiarization (CF/V group) or immediately after it, to act on consolidation of familiarization (V/CF group).ResultsExp. 1 for novelty seeking in black/white boxes (BWB), with door opening after 5 minutes in the familiar chamber, showed that (i) time spent in the novel environment (significantly higher than in familiar chamber for controls) is enhanced in V/CF group (potentiated recognition for a “visual” consolidation) and not different in CF/V group; (ii) activity and chamber transitions, made by CF/V rats, are significantly higher than for other groups (interference on recognition for a “spatial” acquisition). Exp. 2 for novelty preference in D‐ vs L‐shaped chambers (D/L), with start from neutral center, gave different results: (i) time spent in the novel environment by CF/V group is significantly higher than other groups (potentiated “cognitive” acquisition); (ii) chamber transitions made by V/CF group are significantly higher than other groups (potentiated “emotional” consolidation).ConclusionThese apparently conflicting results may reflect LP‐211 effects on visual vs spatial memory (D/L apparatus has more pronounced hippocampal components than BWB). However, further experiments are needed to analyze more in depth the mechanisms involved.
High flow nasal cannulae oxygen therapy in acute‐moderate hypercapnic respiratory failure
Authors: Lee Myoung Kyu , Choi Jaehwa , Park Bonil , Kim Bumjoon , Lee Seok Jeong , Kim Sang‐Ha , Yong Suk Joong , Choi Eun Hee , Lee Won‐Yeon 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIntroductionSevere acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a significant event that results in substantial mortality.ObjectivesWe evaluated the effectiveness of the high flow nasal cannulae (HFNC) therapy in severe AECOPD with moderate hypercapnic acute respiratory failure (ARF) compared to non‐invasive ventilation (NIV).MethodsThe prospective observational trial was performed to compare the effectiveness between the HFNC and NIV in severe AECOPD with moderate hypercapnic ARF. The end point was the intubation rate and 30‐day mortality.ResultsNinety‐two AECOPD patients enrolled during study periods. The median age was 73 (66.5‐79) years, and 57 patients (64.8%) were male. Forty‐four patients were assigned to HFNC, and 44 patients were assigned to NIV. The intubation rate at day 30 was 25.0% in the HFNC group and 27.3% in the NIV group (P = .857), and the 30‐day mortality was 15.9% in the HFNC group and 18.2% in the NIV group (P = .845). The pH (7.38 ± 0.59 vs 7.36 ± 0.10, P = .295), PaO2 (82.2 ± 24.9 vs 81.6 ± 21.7 mm Hg, P = .899) and PaCO2 (46.8 ± 15.2 vs 51.7 ± 17.2 mm Hg, P = .160) after 6 hours and the pH (7.39 ± 0.07 vs 7.39 ± 0.08, P = .743), PaO2 (84.3 ± 18.5 vs 84.7 ± 23.2 mm Hg, P = .934) and PaCO2 (47.0 ± 16.0 vs 49.6 ± 13.7 mm Hg, P = .422) after 24 hours were not significantly different.ConclusionThere was no difference of the 30‐day mortality and intubation rate between HFNC and NIV groups.
Acceptability and validity of a home exercise diary used in home‐based pulmonary rehabilitation: A secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Lahham Aroub , McDonald Christine F. , Mahal Ajay , Lee Annemarie L. , Hill Catherine J. , Burge Angela T. , Cox Narelle S. , Moore Rosemary , Nicolson Caroline , O'halloran Paul , Gillies Rebecca , Holland Anne E. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIntroductionEvaluating adherence to home‐based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) could be challenging due to lack of direct supervision and the complex nature of the rehabilitation model. To measure adherence to home‐based PR in the HomeBase trial, participants were encouraged to work towards a goal of at least 30 min of whole‐body exercise on most days of the week and report their participation using a home exercise diary.ObjectiveThis project aimed to evaluate the acceptability and validity of the home exercise diary.MethodsDiary return and completion rates assessed acceptability of the home exercise diary. Home participants underwent physical activity (PA) monitoring using the Sensewear armband during the final week of an 8‐week PR. The correlation between self‐documented and objective daily exercise minutes was calculated. Objective exercise minutes were defined as bouts of ≥10 min spent in ≥ moderate PA. Differences in self‐documented weekly exercise minutes between sufficiently active (≥7000 daily steps) and inactive participants were computed.ResultsDiaries were returned by 92% of programme completers. Of those who returned diaries, 72% have completed exercise documentation. Fifteen programme completers underwent PA monitoring [mean age 69 (9) (SD) years, FEV1 55 (19) %predicted]. A moderate correlation was observed between self‐documented and objective mean daily exercise minutes (r = .59, P = .02). Active participants [n = 6, 10 253 (1521) daily steps] documented more exercise (111 min) during week eight compared with inactive participants [n = 9, 2705 (1772) daily steps, P = .002].ConclusionThe self‐documented home exercise diary is an acceptable and valid method to reflect exercise participation during home‐based PR.
Bosentan therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: A systemic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Chen Xinwang , Zhai Zhenguo , Huang Ke , Xie Wanmu , Wan Jun , Wang Chen 
Published: February 2018

AbstractBackground and ObjectiveBosentan therapy has been recommended for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and might be beneficial for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). We aimed to evaluate the specific effects of bosentan for PAH and CTEPH.Materials and MethodsWe performed a systemic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparing efficacy and safety of bosentan treatment for PAH and CTEPH through major biomedical database.ResultsA total of 10 RCTs including 1185 patients were enrolled. For PAH patients, bosentan prolonged 6‐minute walk distance with a weighted mean difference of 35.7 m, reduced mean pulmonary arterial pressure by 5.7 mm Hg, increased cardiac index by 0.4 L/min/m2, reduced pulmonary vascular resistance by 305.1 dyn·s/cm5, prevented functional class from deterioration and reduced clinical worsening as compared with placebo. For CTEPH patients, bosentan improved cardiac index by 0.3 L/min/m2 and reduced pulmonary vascular resistance by 176.0 dyn·s/cm5. Other efficacy outcomes regarding CTEPH did not attain statistical difference. For both PAH and CTEPH, there was no significant difference in mortality or adverse event between bosentan and placebo group. However, bosentan raised the risk of abnormal liver function in both PAH and CTEPH patients.ConclusionsBosentan is effective in treating PAH, whereas it improves only certain hemodynamic parameters of CTEPH. Incidence of liver function abnormality is higher in bosentan treatment.
Hu antigen R (HuR) heterogeneous expression quantification as a prognostic marker of melanoma
Authors: Liaudet Nicolas , Fernandez Marylise , Fontao Lionel , Kaya Gürkan , Merat Rastine 
Published: February 2018

BackgroundPrognostic markers for melanoma, particularly for stage II disease, are needed for the risk‐benefit evaluation of future adjuvant therapies. The mainly nuclear RNA‐binding protein human antigen R (HuR) regulates the protein expression of thousands of mRNAs, its own heterogeneous expression could therefore reflect tumor heterogeneity and plasticity. Here, we evaluate its quantification in primary melanoma as a marker of metastatic outcome.MethodsWe conducted an immunohistochemistry‐based automated quantification of HuR nuclear expression heterogeneity in primary melanomas, most with Breslow thickness ≥ 1 mm and calculated the dimensionless fourth moment, that is, the kurtosis of HuR (HuR K) expression distribution. Twelve tumors from patients with no metastatic disease were compared to a similar number of tumors from patients who had metastatic disease at 2 years follow up.ResultsHuR K value appeared significantly higher in the non‐metastatic group comparatively to the metastatic group (P = 2.84 × 10−3, 1‐tailed Wilcoxon rank‐sum test). Moreover, compared to the Breslow thickness, HuR K value appeared as a more robust marker of metastatic outcome (respective areas under receiver operating characteristic curves 0.84 and 0.87).ConclusionOur data need confirmation on a large cohort, however strongly suggest that HuR expression heterogeneity quantification using kurtosis, could be used as a prognostic marker in melanoma.
On the Social Efficiency of Finance
Authors: Epstein Gerald 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACTThe rise in the economic and political power of finance over a number of decades is hardly in dispute these days. While there is now considerable agreement among economists that unregulated finance has the potential to contribute to financial instability and financial crises, there is much less agreement about the long‐term impacts of modern finance on capital accumulation and distribution. This contribution, focused on the USA, explores some of these relations under the heading of the ‘Social Efficiency of Finance’, a term used here to mean the impact of financial institutions and relations on income and wealth distribution and on the development of the economy. The author describes some key dimensions of the rise of ‘roaring banking’ in the USA in recent decades, outlines specific ways in which this financialized system has affected accumulation, distribution and growth, and presents some results of a simple ‘bottom‐line’ analysis of the cost of this financial system in the US, reaching the conclusion that the ‘social efficiency’ of modern finance in the US is very low.
The Hungarian twin crisis of 1931
Authors: Macher Flora 
Published: February 2018

AbstractEven though Germany, Austria, and Hungary experienced a major financial crisis simultaneously in 1931, of the three, only Germany's and Austria's episodes have been investigated in depth. This article offers a thorough assessment of the missing piece. It finds that, just like Germany, Hungary also experienced a twin crisis. The primary reason for the weakness of the financial sector was banks’ excessive exposure to agricultural loans. The fragility of the currency was the result of an early balance‐of‐payments crisis in 1928/9. The vulnerability of the banking and monetary systems culminated in a twin crisis in 1931.
Cortical oscillations and entrainment in speech processing during working memory load
Authors: Hjortkjær Jens , Märcher‐Rørsted Jonatan , Fuglsang Søren A. , Dau Torsten 
Published: February 2018

AbstractNeuronal oscillations are thought to play an important role in working memory (WM) and speech processing. Listening to speech in real‐life situations is often cognitively demanding but it is unknown whether WM load influences how auditory cortical activity synchronizes to speech features. Here, we developed an auditory n‐back paradigm to investigate cortical entrainment to speech envelope fluctuations under different degrees of WM load. We measured the electroencephalogram, pupil dilations and behavioural performance from 22 subjects listening to continuous speech with an embedded n‐back task. The speech stimuli consisted of long spoken number sequences created to match natural speech in terms of sentence intonation, syllabic rate and phonetic content. To burden different WM functions during speech processing, listeners performed an n‐back task on the speech sequences in different levels of background noise. Increasing WM load at higher n‐back levels was associated with a decrease in posterior alpha power as well as increased pupil dilations. Frontal theta power increased at the start of the trial and increased additionally with higher n‐back level. The observed alpha–theta power changes are consistent with visual n‐back paradigms suggesting general oscillatory correlates of WM processing load. Speech entrainment was measured as a linear mapping between the envelope of the speech signal and low‐frequency cortical activity (< 13 Hz). We found that increases in both types of WM load (background noise and n‐back level) decreased cortical speech envelope entrainment. Although entrainment persisted under high load, our results suggest a top‐down influence of WM processing on cortical speech entrainment.
A novel tubulin inhibitor STK899704 induces tumor regression in DMBA/TPA‐induced skin carcinogenesis model
Authors: Hwang Joonsung , Soung Nak Kyun , Han Ho Jin , Lee Yongjun , Choi Tae Woong , Mun Jiyun , Cha‐Molstad Hyunjoo , Lee Kyung Ho , Kim Hyo Joon , Lee Hee Gu , Hong Jin Tae , Ahn Jong Seog , Kwon Yong Tae , Kim Bo Yeon 
Published: February 2018

AbstractSkin cancer is the most common type of cancer. The incidence rate of skin cancer has continuously increased over the past decades. In an effort to discover novel anticancer agents, we identified a novel tubulin inhibitor STK899704, which is structurally distinct from other microtubule‐binding agents such as colchicine, vinca alkaloids and taxanes. STK899704 inhibited microtubule polymerization leading to mitotic arrest and suppressed the proliferation of various cancer cell lines as well as multidrug resistance cancer cell lines. In this study, our investigation is further extended into animal model to evaluate the effect of STK899704 on skin carcinogenesis in vivo. Surprisingly, almost 80% of the tumors treated with STK899704 were regressed with a one‐fifth reduction in tumor volume. Furthermore, the efficacy of STK899704 was nearly 2 times higher than that of 5‐fluorouracil, a widely used skin cancer therapeutic. Overall, our results suggest that STK899704 is a promising anticancer chemotherapeutic that may replace existing therapies, particularly for skin cancer.
Eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester ameliorates atopic dermatitis–like symptoms in special diet–fed hairless mice, partly by restoring covalently bound ceramides in the stratum corneum
Authors: Fujii Masanori , Ohyanagi Chie , Kawaguchi Naomi , Matsuda Hiroyuki , Miyamoto Yoshitaka , Ohya Susumu , Nabe Takeshi 
Published: February 2018

AbstractSkin barrier dysfunction has a key role in the development of atopic dermatitis (AD). Covalently bound ceramides (Cer), which are essential lipids for permeability barrier homoeostasis, are reportedly decreased in the stratum corneum (SC) of AD patients. Hairless mice fed a special diet develop pruritic dermatitis resembling human AD. Our previous study found that oral administration of the n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid α‐linolenic acid ameliorated skin barrier dysfunction in AD mice with concomitant increase in serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). In this study, we examined the effects of EPA ethyl ester (EPA‐E) on diet‐induced AD in hairless mice. Oral administration of EPA‐E ameliorated skin barrier dysfunction and pruritus in AD mice. In the SC of AD mice, covalently bound Cer were markedly diminished. EPA‐E administration restored the lack of bound Cer. Our findings imply the possible therapeutic clinical application of EPA‐E in the treatment of human AD.
A fracture mechanics model to study indentation cutting
Authors: Terzano M. , Spagnoli A. , Ståhle P. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractMany cutting processes, such as chopping, slicing, and carving, consist in 2 different stages: an initial stage of indentation, in which the cutting tool is pushed into the material under the action of an external force, and a second stage, where the target material undergoes a progressive separation. This second stage is characterised by the formation of a fracture surface followed by the cut propagation due to the increasing external force, until eventually a steady state might occur. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the cutting process by means of some concepts of fracture mechanics and discuss the occurrence of the steady state. A simple model is used to obtain an analytic expression of the stress intensity factor at the tip of the cut and investigate the evolution of the fracture process. It is found that the cut propagation depends on the wedge sharpness. The analytic results are compared with finite element analyses, where the effect of tip blunting due to plasticity is taken into account. The influence of the cutting tool geometry is also discussed.