bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of hachimijiogan on memory impairment induced by beta‐amyloid combined with cerebral ischemia in rats
Authors: Moriyama Hiroshi , Mishima Takayasu , Kainuma Mosaburo , Watanabe Takuya , Nagao Masaki , Takasaki Kotaro , Kubota Kaori , Katsurabayashi Shutaro , Tsuboi Yoshio , Iwasaki Katsunori 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTAimAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition most often found in older people. Cerebrovascular disease is commonly found in patients with AD. Hachimijiogan (HJG) is a herbal medicine commonly used to treat age‐related disease. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate whether HJG could improve memory impairment in rats treated with amyloid‐β protein (Aβ) and cerebral ischemia (Aβ + CI).MethodsRats were prepared by a combination of intracerebroventricular Aβ injection and transient cerebral ischemia. Spatial memory was evaluated on water maze and eight‐arm radial maze tasks. HJG (1000 mg/kg/day) or donepezil (DPZ; 10 mg/kg/day) was given orally once per day for 7 days before behavioral task assessment.Results
HJG reduced the increased time to reach the platform position in Aβ + CI rats in the water maze task as well as DPZ did. Additionally, HJG reduced the increase in errors in Aβ + CI rats in the eight‐arm radial maze task as well as DPZ did.Conclusion
HJG ameliorated memory impairment in Aβ + CI rats, indicating that it may be useful for treating AD.
Clomiphene citrate and letrozole to reduce follicle‐stimulating hormone consumption during ovarian stimulation: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Bechtejew T. N. , Nadai M. N. , Nastri C. O. , Martins W. P. 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo assess the available evidence comparing effectiveness of ovarian stimulation (OS) using clomiphene citrate (CC) and/or letrozole (LTZ) to reduce follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) consumption compared with standard OS.MethodsWe performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials that compared reproductive outcomes following in‐vitro fertilization. We searched 11 electronic databases and hand‐searched the reference lists of included studies and related reviews. We stratified the results, separating studies according to the oral agent used (CC or LTZ) and the characteristics of the included women (expected poor ovarian response or other women). When combining the results of the included studies, we assessed the relative risk (RR) for live birth, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage and cycle cancelation, the Peto odds ratio (OR) for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and mean difference (MD) for the number of oocytes retrieved and FSH consumption.ResultsA total of 22 studies were included in the review. Considering women with expected poor ovarian response, the available evidence suggested that using CC to reduce FSH consumption during OS provided similar rates of live birth (RR, 0.9 (95% CI, 0.6–1.2), moderate‐quality evidence) and clinical pregnancy (RR, 1.0 (95% CI, 0.8–1.4), moderate‐quality evidence); the use of LTZ did not cause a relevant change in the number of oocytes retrieved (MD, −0.4 (95% CI, −0.9 to 0.1), high‐quality evidence). Considering the studies evaluating other women, the available evidence suggested that using CC to reduce FSH consumption during OS reduced the number of oocytes retrieved (MD, −4.6 (95% CI, −6.1 to −3.0), high‐quality evidence) and risk of OHSS (Peto OR, 0.2 (95% CI, 0.1–0.3), moderate‐quality evidence), while results were similar for rates of live birth (RR, 0.9 (95% CI, 0.7–1.1), moderate‐quality evidence) and clinical pregnancy (RR, 1.0 (95% CI, 0.8–1.1), high‐quality evidence). The quality of the evidence was low or very low for other outcomes.ConclusionThe use of CC to reduce FSH consumption in women with expected poor ovarian response has the advantage of providing similar reproductive outcomes with reduced costs. For the other women, the use of CC for reducing FSH consumption has the additional advantage of reducing OHSS, but also reduces the total number of oocytes retrieved. More studies are needed to evaluate the effect of LTZ for the same purpose. Future studies should focus on cumulative pregnancy per oocyte retrieval, patient dissatisfaction and agreement to repeat the cycle if not pregnant, which are important outcomes for clinical decisions. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Longitudinal pelvic floor biometry: which factors affect it?
Authors: Chan S. S. C. , Cheung R. Y. K. , Lee L. L. , Chung T. K. H. 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo evaluate pelvic floor biometry of women 3–5 years after their first delivery. The effect of a subsequent delivery and the mode of delivery on pelvic floor biometry were also studied.MethodsThree‐hundred and twenty‐eight women who had been examined by translabial ultrasound during their first singleton pregnancy and at 8 weeks and 1 year postpartum, were invited for a follow‐up 3–5 years later. The positions of the bladder neck, cervix, anorectal junction and hiatal area (HA) were evaluated using translabial ultrasound. The effects of parity, mode of delivery and levator ani muscle avulsion were studied.ResultsA total of 240 women completed the study. Of these, 179 had one or more vaginal deliveries (VD) (VD‐only group), 52 had one or more Cesarean sections (CS) (CS‐only group) and nine had both VD and CS at follow‐up. The mean interval between the first delivery and follow‐up was 3.8 years. A significantly lower bladder neck and anorectal junction on Valsalva, a lower cervix at rest, on Valsalva and pelvic floor muscle contraction, and a greater HA were observed in the VD‐only group at follow‐up, compared with findings at 1 year of follow‐up or in the first pregnancy. The findings were similar in the CS‐only group, except without a lower anorectal junction on Valsalva. Compared with the primiparous VD‐only group, a greater HA at rest was observed in the multiparous VD‐only group (P = 0.027). The VD‐only group had a greater HA than the CS‐only group.ConclusionsAt 3–5 years after first delivery, a lower bladder neck, cervix and anorectal junction, and a greater HA were observed compared with findings in the first trimester and at 1 year of follow‐up, regardless of parity or mode of delivery. Women with two or more VDs had a greater HA compared with those who had only one VD, and women with at least one VD had a greater HA compared with those who delivered by CS only. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Effects of density, season, and food intake on sika deer nutrition on Yakushima Island, Japan
Authors: Kuroiwa Arika , Kuroe Misako , Yahara Tetsukazu 
Published: February 2017

AbstractSika deer (Cervus nippon) suffer severe winter food limitation in northern Japan; however, plant food resources are available during winter in southern Japan and, consequently, deer nutritional status may not decrease there. To test this hypothesis, we measured seasonal changes in Riney's kidney fat index (RKFI) and stomach intake in 74 culled deer individuals from five areas with different deer densities on Yakushima Island, Japan. The average RKFI differed significantly among populations and ranged from 22.91 ± 11.91 to 76.23 ± 15.99. There was no significant correlation between RKFI and deer density. The total fresh weight of rumen contents also differed significantly among populations, ranging from 0.51 to 3.51 kg. Food intake and RKFI exhibited an L‐shaped distribution in the vicinity of a town ranch. However, we found that food intake had a significantly positive effect in populations at the other four locations, suggesting that changes in nutritional status were related to the quantity of deer rumen contents. Neither deer density nor season were significantly correlated with RKFI values. The average RKFI values exceeded 20 in all five locations. These findings indicate that the deer were not in a poor nutritional condition even in high density areas of >70 head/km2, which supports the above hypothesis. Notably, food intake varied among individuals in the same area, but was independent of body weight and age, which suggests that food selectivity differs between deer individuals.
Fatty Acid Methyl Esters with Two Vicinal Alkylthio Side Chains and Their NMR Characterization
Authors: Knothe Gerhard , Steidley Kevin R. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe addition reaction of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) to double bonds in alkenes and monounsaturated fatty acid esters in the presence of iodine or other catalysts to give bis(methylthio) derivatives has largely served analytical purposes in mass spectrometry with scattered reports on the addition of other disulfides to alkenes also existing. In this work, this iodine‐catalyzed reaction was expanded to include the addition of other dialkyl disulfides (RSSR; R=ethyl, propyl, butyl, iso‐propyl) besides DMDS to the double bonds in monounsaturated fatty acid methyl esters with 16, 18, 20, and 22 carbon atoms in the fatty acid chain to give the corresponding methyl 1,2‐bis(alkylthio)alkanoates. The products are obtained in high to moderate yield after a facile purification procedure and are analytically characterized not only by mass spectrometry but also 1H and 13C NMR. The threo and erythro diastereomers obtained from (Z) and (E) fatty acid methyl esters, respectively, can be easily distinguished by the NMR shifts of the protons and carbons in and close to the 1,2‐bis(alkylthio) moiety. Various other effects in the NMR spectra are discussed. The 1,2‐bis(alkylthio) derivatives of a symmetrical alkene, 7(E)‐tetradecene, serve to confirm the NMR assignments besides NMR techniques such as 2D correlations and DEPT. The compounds may show properties of interest for various applications.
Using Mettler Dropping Point Data from Dilute Soybean Oil‐Triglyceride Mixtures to Estimate Thermodynamic Properties for Corresponding Pure Triglyceride
Authors: Moorthy A. S. , List G. R. , Adlof R. O. , Steidley K. R. , Marangoni A. G. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe enthalpy of fusion and melting temperature for ten symmetrical and seven asymmetrical triglycerides (TAGs) was estimated using mettler dropping points (MDP) of five concentrations of TAGs dissolved in a complex mixed solvent (soybean oil) and a modified Clapeyron equation, an approach we refer to as LIST estimation. The ten estimates generated using the LIST method were compared for accuracy to values measured using differential scanning calorimetry and MDP of pure TAG samples and to estimates calculated using effective carbon number and the Triglyceride Property Calculator. We find that LIST estimates for stearic acid and palmitic acid‐based monoacid and symmetrical TAGs agree well with measured and calculated values using alternative methods. Conversely, LIST estimates for stearic acid and palmitic acid based asymmetrical TAGs diverge substantially from alternative estimates, suggesting that the LIST approach is inadequate in describing asymmetric TAGs using the assessed concentrations of TAG in soybean oil. Elaidic acid containing TAGs behaved uniquely, with LIST estimates for trielaidin not agreeing with alternative estimates yet LIST estimates for distearic–monoelaidic in both symmetric and asymmetric configurations agreeing well with alternative estimates. We conclude that the LIST approach of using MDP of a high melting pure TAGs dissolved in soybean oil can be, at minimum, a viable approach in estimating melting behavior properties of symmetric stearic and palmitic acid containing TAGs. Further investigation for the behavior of asymmetric stearic and palmitic acid containing TAGs in soybean oil is required. As such, using known enthalpies of symmetric stearic and palmitic acid containing TAGs, we should be able to estimate the solubility of a high melting pure TAG in soybean oil using MDP and Clapeyron's equation.
Evaluation of changes in magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging of the bilateral optic tract in monocular blind rats
Authors: Wang Rong , Zhong Yufeng , Tang Weijun , Tang Zuohua , Sun Xinghuai , Feng Xiaoyuan , Fan Jiawen , Wu Lingjie , Wang Jie , Xiao Zebin , Jin Lixin 
Published: February 2017

AbstractSome studies have used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter development of the visual pathway in humans and animals after visual deprivation. However, the alterations in the bilateral optic tract after the transection of unilateral optic nerve have not been well explored. In this study, we attempted to investigate the structural integrity of and pathological changes to the bilateral optic tract after transection of the unilateral optic nerve in rats using DTI. Eight healthy male Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, with 4 in each group. Group A served as a control group. Transection of the unilateral (right) optic nerve was performed in the four rats in group B at seven days after birth to establish the early monocular blind model. Four months after the operation, MnCl2 was injected into the left eyes of all rats, and MRI examinations were performed 24 h after injection. We detect the fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) values of the bilateral optic tract in all rats. In a comparison of the ipsilateral optic tract of group B with group A, a significant decrease in FA (P < 0.001) and an increase in RD (P < 0.01) of the left optic tract were found in group B, while no significant difference was found in the right optic tract. In group B, the FA and RD values of the left optic tract were significantly lower (P < 0.01) and significantly higher (P < 0.05), respectively, than those of the right optic tract. Consequently, transection of the right optic nerve can lead to structural integrity damage of and pathological changes to the left optic tract in rats. Some DTI‐derived parameters (such as FA and RD) may serve as biomarkers of optic tract degeneration.
Systems biology approach to late‐onset Alzheimer's disease genome‐wide association study identifies novel candidate genes validated using brain expression data and Caenorhabditis elegans experiments
Authors: Mukherjee Shubhabrata , Russell Joshua C. , Carr Daniel T. , Burgess Jeremy D. , Allen Mariet , Serie Daniel J. , Boehme Kevin L. , Kauwe John S.K. , Naj Adam C. , Fardo David W. , Dickson Dennis W. , Montine Thomas J. , Ertekin‐Taner Nilufer , Kaeberlein Matt R. , Crane Paul K. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIntroductionWe sought to determine whether a systems biology approach may identify novel late‐onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) loci.MethodsWe performed gene‐wide association analyses and integrated results with human protein‐protein interaction data using network analyses. We performed functional validation on novel genes using a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans Aβ proteotoxicity model and evaluated novel genes using brain expression data from people with LOAD and other neurodegenerative conditions.ResultsWe identified 13 novel candidate LOAD genes outside chromosome 19. Of those, RNA interference knockdowns of the C. elegans orthologs of UBC, NDUFS3, EGR1, and ATP5H were associated with Aβ toxicity, and NDUFS3, SLC25A11, ATP5H, and APP were differentially expressed in the temporal cortex.DiscussionNetwork analyses identified novel LOAD candidate genes. We demonstrated a functional role for four of these in a C. elegans model and found enrichment of differentially expressed genes in the temporal cortex.
The Alu neurodegeneration hypothesis: A primate‐specific mechanism for neuronal transcription noise, mitochondrial dysfunction, and manifestation of neurodegenerative disease
Authors: Larsen Peter A. , Lutz Michael W. , Hunnicutt Kelsie E. , Mihovilovic Mirta , Saunders Ann M. , Yoder Anne D. , Roses Allen D. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIt is hypothesized that retrotransposons have played a fundamental role in primate evolution and that enhanced neurologic retrotransposon activity in humans may underlie the origin of higher cognitive function. As a potential consequence of this enhanced activity, it is likely that neurons are susceptible to deleterious retrotransposon pathways that can disrupt mitochondrial function. An example is observed in the TOMM40 gene, encoding a β‐barrel protein critical for mitochondrial preprotein transport. Primate‐specific Alu retrotransposons have repeatedly inserted into TOMM40 introns, and at least one variant associated with late‐onset Alzheimer's disease originated from an Alu insertion event. We provide evidence of enriched Alu content in mitochondrial genes and postulate that Alus can disrupt mitochondrial populations in neurons, thereby setting the stage for progressive neurologic dysfunction. This Alu neurodegeneration hypothesis is compatible with decades of research and offers a plausible mechanism for the disruption of neuronal mitochondrial homeostasis, ultimately cascading into neurodegenerative disease.
Role of interleukin‐6 and pentraxin 3 as an early marker in Peyronie's disease
Authors: Atar Arda , Kural Alev , Yenice Gurkan , Comez Ilker , Tugcu Volkan 
Published: March 2017

AbstractInflammation is mechanistically involved in the development of Peyronie's disease (PD). The aim of this study is to assess the relevance of serum pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) concentrations in PD. The study enrolled 40 patients with PD in the acute phase and 40 healthy controls. Plasma PTX3 and IL‐6 concentrations were evaluated in 40 patients in the acute phase of PD and 40 healthy controls by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Serum concentrations of both PTX3 and IL‐6 were significantly higher in the PD patients than in the control group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). There was a significant correlation between concentration of PTX3 and painful erections. IL‐6 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with erectile dysfunction. IL‐6 and PTX3 levels showed no correlation with age, serum C‐reactive protein, degree of curvature, and disease duration. IL‐6 trans‐signaling and PTX3 amplification at the site of inflammation could have a role in pathophysiological mechanisms of PD. Biological drugs may be used for treatment during the acute phase of the disease based on this mechanism.
RELATIVE HILBERT CO-EFFICIENTS
Authors: MAFI AMIR , PUTHENPURAKAL TONY J. , REDDY RAKESH B. T. , SAREMI HERO 
Published: March 2017

AbstractLet (A,${\mathfrak{m}$) be a Cohen–Macaulay local ring of dimensiondand letI⊆Jbe two${\mathfrak{m}$-primary ideals withIa reduction ofJ. Fori= 0,. . .,d, leteiJ(A) (eiI(A)) be theith Hilbert coefficient ofJ(I), respectively. We call the numberci(I,J) =eiJ(A) −eiI(A) theith relative Hilbert coefficient ofJwith respect toI. IfGI(A) is Cohen–Macaulay, thenci(I,J) satisfy various constraints. We also show that vanishing of someci(I,J) has strong implications on depthGJn(A) forn≫ 0.
Participative Case Planning: A model for empowering practice in statutory child welfare
Authors: McCallum Sharon 
Published: February 2017

This paper describes the technique of participative case planning, a tool developed and used by the author for working with families who have had their children removed because of abuse and/or neglect. This technique seeks to assist families and practitioners to work together in an empowering way to return children home quickly and safely. The particular model draws on theoretical principles and perspectives of empowerment, case management, case planning, crisis intervention, task centred therapy and contracting.The paper outlines the steps involved in participative case planning pom preparation for the meeting to its end. It also addresses a number of issues, including the role of the chairperson, involvement of children and non-return of children.
Available, Accessible, High Quality Child Care in Australia: Why we haven’t moved very far.
Authors: Hayden Jacqueline 
Published: February 2017

In a recent article in Children Australia (16:2, 1991) Moore points out how our system of social services and community work reinforces traditional concepts of family (especially mother) responsibility for the care of children with disabilities. This same attitude reflects a fundamental ambivalence in our society towards the provision of state assisted child care. Like care for the disabled, out-of-home care for young children is assumed to rest within the private sphere, so that state assistance in any form becomes gratefully accepted as a generous gift.Child care in Australia moved into the political realm with the enactment of the Child Care Act in 1972. This legislation described the conditions under which the Commonwealth Government would distribute funds for capital expenses, and provide some wage supplements to non-profit groups delivering child care services in formal centre settings. Since that time, promises of increased Commonwealth funding to meet increasing demand have become more and more ambitious – 20,000 spaces were promised in 1984; 30,000 in 1988; and by 1990, the promise had expanded to 78,000 new child care spaces to be funded by the Labor Party. As it turned out, many of the 78,000 spaces promised during the 1990 election campaign were not ‘new’ at all, but represented already existing private spaces, now made eligible for funding by a change in policy. The bulk of the spaces meanwhile were targeted for after-school care (much less expensive to fund), when research clearly indicated the dearth of spaces and critical need for infant care (very expensive to fund).
The ‘Ritual’ and ‘Satanic’ Abuse of Children: Crop circles and the organised abuse of children require a careful and considered approach
Authors: Goddard Chris 
Published: February 2017

If you go down to the woods today…Matthew Arnold (1822–1888), the nineteenth-century English poet, wrote about the live murmur of a summer’s day’, presumably referring to bees, birds and other bugs humming around the countryside. A twentieth-century American (whom I believe to be a poet though not all would agree) wrote that The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1963). Nowhere have they changed more than in the English countryside. In 1991, it was the ‘live murmur’ of the summer’s night that was more likely to be heard. Out in fertile rural England the English people have discovered crop circles in their cornfields.It is good to be in England in (the admittedly all-too-brief) summer, but quiet evenings in cornfields sleeping off the effects of English ales are a thing of the past. These days, find a cornfield and you will find half the media and a sizeable chunk of the English population. In some country areas, they say, it is quieter sitting in the middle of the road because you avoid the crowds. Crop circles in cornfields have seized the imagination of the public.