bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Corticostriatal and Dopaminergic Response to Beer Flavor with Both fMRI and [11C]raclopride Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Oberlin Brandon G. , Dzemidzic Mario , Harezlak Jaroslaw , Kudela Maria A. , Tran Stella M. , Soeurt Christina M. , Yoder Karmen K. , Kareken David A. 
Published: July 2016

BackgroundCue‐evoked drug‐seeking behavior likely depends on interactions between frontal activity and ventral striatal (VST) dopamine (DA) transmission. Using [11C]raclopride (RAC) positron emission tomography (PET), we previously demonstrated that beer flavor (absent intoxication) elicited VST DA release in beer drinkers, inferred by RAC displacement. Here, a subset of subjects from this previous RAC‐PET study underwent a similar paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test how orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and VST blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) responses to beer flavor are related to VST DA release and motivation to drink.MethodsMale beer drinkers (n = 28, age = 24 ± 2, drinks/wk = 16 ± 10) from our previous PET study participated in a similar fMRI paradigm wherein subjects tasted their most frequently consumed brand of beer and Gatorade® (appetitive control). We tested for correlations between BOLD activation in fMRI and VST DA responses in PET, and drinking‐related variables.ResultsCompared to Gatorade, beer flavor increased wanting and desire to drink, and induced BOLD responses in bilateral OFC and right VST. Wanting and desire to drink correlated with both right VST and medial OFC BOLD activation to beer flavor. Like the BOLD findings, beer flavor (relative to Gatorade) again induced right VST DA release in this fMRI subject subset, but there was no correlation between DA release and the magnitude of BOLD responses in frontal regions of interest.ConclusionsBoth imaging modalities showed a right‐lateralized VST response (BOLD and DA release) to a drug‐paired conditioned stimulus, whereas fMRI BOLD responses in the VST and medial OFC also reflected wanting and desire to drink. The data suggest the possibility that responses to drug‐paired cues may be rightward biased in the VST (at least in right‐handed males) and that VST and OFC responses in this gustatory paradigm reflect stimulus wanting.
Caffeine‐mediated BDNF release regulates long‐term synaptic plasticity through activation of IRS2 signaling
Authors: Lao‐Peregrín Cristina , Ballesteros Jesús Javier , Fernández Miriam , Zamora‐Moratalla Alfonsa , Saavedra Ana , Gómez Lázaro María , Pérez‐Navarro Esther , Burks Deborah , Martín Eduardo D. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractCaffeine has cognitive‐enhancing properties with effects on learning and memory, concentration, arousal and mood. These effects imply changes at circuital and synaptic level, but the mechanism by which caffeine modifies synaptic plasticity remains elusive. Here we report that caffeine, at concentrations representing moderate to high levels of consumption in humans, induces an NMDA receptor‐independent form of LTP (CAFLTP) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus by promoting calcium‐dependent secretion of BDNF, which subsequently activates TrkB‐mediated signaling required for the expression of CAFLTP. Our data include the novel observation that insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) is phosphorylated during induction of CAFLTP, a process that requires cytosolic free Ca2+. Consistent with the involvement of IRS2 signals in caffeine‐mediated synaptic plasticity, phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) in response to LTP induction is defective in Irs2−/− mice, demonstrating that these plasticity changes are associated with downstream targets of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) pathway. These findings indicate that TrkB‐IRS2 signals are essential for activation of PI3K during the induction of LTP by caffeine.
Cornual wedge resection for interstitial pregnancy and postoperative outcome
Authors: Liao Chi‐Yuan , Tse Jessica , Sung Shu‐Yi , Chen Shu‐Hui , Tsui Wen‐Huei 
Published: July 2016

IntroductionTraditionally, interstitial pregnancies were treated with cornual resection or hysterectomy via laparotomy. However, increasingly, interstitial pregnancies are treated with laparoscopic cornuotomy, ie, removal of ectopic pregnancy tissue with preservation of uterine architecture. Although this technique may increase the incidence of persistent and recurrent interstitial pregnancy, it can potentially maintain patient fertility and decrease their risk for future uterine rupture. In a case series of patients with interstitial pregnancies treated with cornual wedge resection, we examined fertility outcomes, rates of subsequent uterine rupture, and rates of persistent or recurrent interstitial pregnancy.Materials and methodsWe conducted a retrospective medical record review of cases (n = 29) of cornual wedge resection for interstitial pregnancy, performed between 1992 and 2013 at one hospital.ResultsOf the 29 cases, two later presented with uterine rupture; one, who also had a prior wedge resection, was found with scar dehiscence during a subsequent caesarean section. The incidence of subsequent uterine rupture and dehiscence was 30%. There were no cases of persistent ectopic pregnancy or recurrent interstitial pregnancy. Most (71.4%) patients who were trying to conceive achieved subsequent pregnancy.DiscussionThere is debate regarding the recommended surgical technique to treat interstitial pregnancies; cornual resection and cornuotomy are both important considerations. Choice of the technique employed continues to require careful consideration.
Predicting post‐endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis using the 4‐h serum lipase level
Authors: Papachristos Alexander , Howard Tess , Thomson Benjamin N. , Thomas Peter R. 
Published: July 2016

BackgroundEndoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a complex therapeutic procedure that is complicated by pancreatitis in 3–5% of cases. The aim of this study is to determine whether a 4‐h post‐ERCP serum lipase level is superior to the serum amylase level in predicting the occurrence of post‐ERCP pancreatitis (PEP).MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected data on 543 consecutive patients undergoing therapeutic ERCP at a single centre. Serum lipase and amylase levels were measured at 4‐h post‐procedure and were recorded as a factor of the upper limit of normal: amylase factor (AF) and lipase factor (LF). Sensitivity and specificity were compared using receiver‐operating characteristics and the Youden index (YI).ResultsA total of 506 procedures were considered for analysis. PEP occurred in 19 patients (3.8%). A LF of <10 was useful for the exclusion of PEP with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 94%, YI = 0.94. In contrast, an AF <3 yielded a sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 94%, YI = 0.73.ConclusionSerum lipase measured at 4‐h post‐ERCP better excludes PEP than serum amylase measured at the same time point. Patients with a LF <10 may be safely considered for same‐day discharge.
C‐reactive protein is a useful negative predictor of anastomotic leak in oesophago‐gastric resection
Authors: Gordon Alexandra C. , Cross Andrea J. , Foo Elizabeth W. , Roberts Ross H. 
Published: July 2016

BackgroundPost‐operative C‐reactive protein (CRP) has been investigated as a predictor of anastomotic leak (AL) following colorectal surgery, but its role in oesophago‐gastric surgery is not yet established.MethodsClinical data and post‐operative CRP values of patients who underwent elective oesophago‐gastric resection between January 2004 and July 2014 were analysed retrospectively. Only patients with an oesophageal anastomosis were included. AL was defined as leakage of contrast material seen on imaging or a leak confirmed intraoperatively on return to theatre.ResultsOne hundred and forty‐five patients were identified. Of the 145 patients, 13 (9%) developed AL. The CRP on post‐operative days (POD) 2, 3 and 6 had the greatest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the curve of 0.82, 0.80 and 0.91 respectively. Using a cut‐off value of 209 mg/L on POD 2, the sensitivity was 100%, the specificity was 61%, the positive predictive value (PPV) was 21% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 100%. Using a cut‐off value of 190 mg/L on POD 3, the sensitivity was 100%, the specificity was 59%, the PPV was 21% and the NPV was 100%. Using a cut‐off value of 154 mg/L on POD 6, the sensitivity was 100%, the specificity was 78%, the PPV was 29% and the NPV was 100%.ConclusionPost‐operative CRP is an accurate negative predictive test for the development of AL following oesophago‐gastric surgery. It may help to discriminate between patients with a high risk of leak and those in which AL is unlikely to occur.
Adding ribavirin to newer DAA regimens does not affect SVR rates in HCV genotype 1 infected persons: results from ERCHIVES
Authors: Butt A. A. , Yan P. , Marks K. , Shaikh O. S. , Sherman K. E. ,   the ERCHIVES Study Team
Published: July 2016

SummaryBackgroundRibavirin is a key component of several hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment regimens. However, its utility in combination with newer directly acting anti‐viral agents regimens is unclear.AimTo determine the SVR rates with paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir/dasabuvir (PrOD) regimen ± ribavirin and compare this with sofosbuvir/simeprevir and sofosbuvir/ledipasvir regimens.MethodsWe used Electronically Retrieved Cohort of HCV Infected Veterans (ERCHIVES), a well‐established national cohort of HCV‐infected Veterans to identify HCV genotype 1 infected persons initiated on the above regimens. We excluded those with HIV coinfection, positive HBsAg and missing HCV RNA.ResultsWe identified 1235 persons on PrOD (75.5% ribavirin), 1254 on sofosbuvir/simeprevir (16.9% ribavirin) and 4247 on sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (23.3% ribavirin). Among HCV genotype 1a infected persons, ribavirin was prescribed to 99.2% on PrOD, 18.2% on sofosbuvir/simeprevir and 23.3% on sofosbuvir/ledipasvir. The SVR rates ranged from 92.6% to 100% regardless of the treatment regimen, presence of cirrhosis or HCV subtype, except in PrOD group without ribavirin, HCV genotype 1a without cirrhosis (SVR 80%, N = 5). There were minor, clinically insignificant differences in SVR rates in those treated with or without ribavirin in each of the treatment groups, regardless of presence of cirrhosis at baseline. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, ribavirin use was not associated with achieving SVR in any group.ConclusionsIn HCV genotype 1 infected persons, PrOD, sofosbuvir/simeprevir and sofosbuvir/ledipasvir regimens, are associated with high rates of SVR in actual clinical settings, which are comparable to clinical trials results (except PrOD genotype 1a with cirrhosis where the number was too small). The benefit of adding ribavirin to these regimens in the ERCHIVES treated cohort is not established.
Designing Massive Open Online Courses to take account of participant motivations and expectations
Authors: Salmon Gilly , Pechenkina Ekaterina , Chase Anne‐Marie , Ross Bella 
Published: July 2016

AbstractWe report on a study conducted on a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to explore and improve understanding and practice about MOOC learning design and participant motivations and expectations. The “Carpe Diem” MOOC was designed, developed and delivered in 2014. The MOOC participants' experiences were studied through surveys and interviews, and the analysis was triangulated. Three dominant motivations to complete the MOOC were found: to further existing knowledge, to acquire skills in the learning design process and to apply the learning design methodology in practice. We describe the relationship between participant motivations and expectations in this MOOC, which was undertaken mainly by participants who were themselves educators, and make recommendations for pedagogical design in MOOCs to promote and enable participant engagement and completion.
A short note on the maximal point‐biserial correlation under non‐normality
Authors: Cheng Ying , Liu Haiyan 
Published: July 2016

The aim of this paper is to derive the maximal point‐biserial correlation under non‐normality. Several widely used non‐normal distributions are considered, namely the uniform distribution, t‐distribution, exponential distribution, and a mixture of two normal distributions. Results show that the maximal point‐biserial correlation, depending on the non‐normal continuous variable underlying the binary manifest variable, may not be a function of p (the probability that the dichotomous variable takes the value 1), can be symmetric or non‐symmetric around p = .5, and may still lie in the range from −1.0 to 1.0. Therefore researchers should exercise caution when they interpret their sample point‐biserial correlation coefficients based on popular beliefs that the maximal point‐biserial correlation is always smaller than 1, and that the size of the correlation is always further restricted as p deviates from .5.
Does Variability Across Events Affect Verb Learning in English, Mandarin, and Korean?
Authors: Childers Jane B. , Paik Jae H. , Flores Melissa , Lai Gabrielle , Dolan Megan 
Published: July 2016

AbstractExtending new verbs is important in becoming a productive speaker of a language. Prior results show children have difficulty extending verbs when they have seen events with varied agents. This study further examines the impact of variability on verb learning and asks whether variability interacts with event complexity or differs by language. Children (aged 2½ to 3 years) in the United States, China, Korea, and Singapore learned verbs linked to simple and complex events. Sets of events included one or three agents, and children were asked to extend the verb at test. Children learning verbs linked to simple movements performed similarly across conditions. However, children learning verbs linked to events with multiple objects were less successful if those events were enacted by multiple agents. A follow‐up study rules out an influence of event order. Overall, similar patterns of results emerged across languages, suggesting common cognitive processes support children's verb learning.
Access to the Albanian VET System: social, individual and school‐based barriers
Authors: Xhumari Merita , Dibra Sidita 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThis article analyses the determinants of access to the VET system in Albania and its impact on the inclusion of young people and vulnerable groups. The VET system often attracts students who have completed the compulsory levels of education with weak academic results. Many come from families with a low level of income and a low education level. Skill development can make a positive contribution to social inclusion and is particularly important for Albania at a time of greater unemployment among young people, lack of proper skills and competences of the labour force, demographic changes, and high levels of emigration. Yet, Albania has the lowest enrolment rate in the vocational education and training (VET) system in the Western Balkans and a variety of factors hinders access to VET schools. This article draws on original research based on in‐depth interviews with national and local actors, school managers and parents, focus groups and structured survey questionnaires with teachers and students at three VET providers in Albania. It finds that social, individual and school‐based factors all place barriers for enrolment of children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the VET system and that this contributes to the wider landscape of social exclusion in Albania.
Declining incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage over two decades in a population‐based study
Authors: Sacco S. , Ornello R. , Degan D. , Tiseo C. , Pistoia F. , Carolei A. 
Published: July 2016

Background and purposeThe incidence and case‐fatality rate (CFR) of primary intracerebral hemorrhage (PICH) over two decades were assessed in a prospective population‐based study.MethodsCases of incident first‐ever PICH were recorded over a 2‐year period (2011–2012) from multiple sources in the district of L'Aquila, central Italy. Included patients were followed up to 1 year after the event to ascertain CFRs. Current data were compared with those previously collected from 1994 through 1998.ResultsIn all, 115 patients (52 men; 45.2%) with a first‐ever PICH were included. Mean age ± SD was 77.4 ± 11.8 years. The hemorrhage was lobar in 43 (37.4%) patients, deep in 56 (48.7%), in the posterior fossa in 11 (9.6%) and intraventricular or multiple localized in five (4.3%). Crude annual incidence rate was 19.3 per 100 000 and 14.8 per 100 000 when standardized to the 2011 European population, indicating a 48% reduction comparing data of 2011–2012 to those of 1994–1998 (incidence rate ratio 0.52; 95% confidence interval 0.43–0.64; P < 0.001). In 2011–2012, the 7‐day CFR was 27.8%, the 30‐day CFR was 42.6% and the 1‐year CFR was 52.2%; the 1‐year standardized mortality ratio was 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.63–1.04) compared with 1994–1998.ConclusionsThe annual incidence rate of PICH was lower than that found two decades before and close to the rates recently found in other western countries. Data also indicated a non‐significant trend towards a decrease in mortality, which nonetheless remained high, pointing to the need for more appropriate treatments in order to reduce PICH severity and mortality.
Asymmetric Response to Heterotypic Distress Calls in the Lizard Liolaemus chiliensis
Authors: Labra Antonieta , Reyes‐Olivares Claudio , Weymann Michael 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe weeping lizard, Liolaemus chiliensis, emits distress calls when trapped by a predator. Conspecific lizards respond to such calls with prolonged immobility, which may increase their probability of remaining undetected by a predator. This benefit, however, depends on the ability to react to the alert message of the call, which may be impaired by natural variation in the calls. The distress calls of L. chiliensis show geographic variation, and here we tested the response of two geographically distant populations (>700 km apart) to local (homotypic) and non‐local (heterotypic) distress calls; if populations are finely tuned to their local calls, they may not be able to respond to heterotypic calls. We found that geographic variation in calls affects the lizards’ response, but this effect was population dependent; whereas southern lizards responded to calls of both populations, the northern lizards only reacted to homotypic distress calls. The factors that determine this asymmetric response to heterotypic calls are unclear and we discuss three hypotheses that have a common component in the difference in body size between the tested populations, which seems to play a key role in determining the response to distress calls in this species.
Three‐dimensional mixed‐mode (I and II) crack‐front fields in ductile thin plates — effects of T‐stress
Authors: Ding P. , Wang X. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractIt has been well‐established that the non‐singular T‐stress provides a first‐order estimate of geometry and loading mode (e.g. tension versus bending) effects on elastic–plastic crack‐front field under mode I loading conditions. The objective of this paper is to exam the T‐stress effect on three‐dimensional (3D) crack‐front fields under mixed‐mode (modes I and II) loading. To this end, detailed 3D small strain, elastic–plastic simulations are carried out using a 3D boundary layer (small‐scale yielding) formulation. Characteristics of near crack‐front fields are investigated for a wide range of T‐stresses (T/σ0 = −0.8, −0.4, 0.0, 0.4, 0.8). The plastic zones and thickness and angular and radial variations of the stresses are studied, corresponding to two values of the remote elastic mixity parameters Me = 0.3 and 0.7, under both low and high levels of applied loads. It is found that different T‐stresses have a significant effect on the plastic zones size and shapes, regardless of the mode mixity and load level. The thickness, angular and radial distributions of stresses are also affected markedly by T‐stress. It is important to include these effects when investigating the mixed‐mode ductile fracture failure process in thin‐walled structural components.
Immunohistochemical loss of 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine expression in acute myeloid leukaemia: relationship to somatic gene mutations affecting epigenetic pathways
Authors: Magotra Minoti , Sakhdari Ali , Lee Paul J , Tomaszewicz Keith , Dresser Karen , Hutchinson Lloyd M , Woda Bruce A , Chen Benjamin J 
Published: July 2016

AimsGenes affecting epigenetic pathways are frequently mutated in myeloid malignancies, including acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The genes encoding TET2, IDH1 and IDH2 are among the most commonly mutated genes, and cause defective conversion of 5‐methylcytosine into 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), impairing demethylation of DNA, and presumably serving as driver mutations in leukaemogenesis. The aim of this study was to correlate 5hmC immunohistochemical loss with the mutation status of genes involved in epigenetic pathways in AML.Methods and resultsImmunohistochemical staining with an anti‐5hmC antibody was performed on 41 decalcified, formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) bone marrow biopsies from patients with AML. Archived DNA was subjected to next‐generation sequencing for analysis of a panel of genes, including TET2, IDH1, IDH2, WT1 and DNMT3A. TET2, IDH1, IDH2, WT1 and DNMT3A mutations were found in 46% (19/41) of the cases. Ten of 15 cases (67%) with TET2, IDH1, IDH2 or WT1 mutations showed deficient 5hmC staining, whereas nine of 26 cases (35%) without a mutation in these genes showed loss of 5hmC. It is of note that all four cases with TET2 mutations showed deficient 5hmC staining.ConclusionsOverall, somatic mutations in TET2, IDH1, IDH2, WT1 and DNMT3A were common in our cohort of AML cases. Immunohistochemical staining for 5hmC was lost in the majority of cases harbouring mutations in these genes, reflecting the proposed relationship between dysfunctional epigenetic pathways and leukaemogenesis.
Metabonomics: a developing platform for better understanding Chinese herbal teas as a complementary therapy
Authors: You Rong , Guan Yanqing , Li Lin 
Published: July 2016

SummaryChinese herbal teas (CHTs) have gained increasing attention throughout the world as a complementary therapy. Due to the multicomponent composition in herbal teas, the molecular mechanisms of their causality in health effects are still elusive and becoming the main obstacles for their application. There is a pressing need for a more systematic study about their molecular mechanisms to substantiate the health effects of CHTs. With the particular feature of measuring the real metabolic phenotype resulted from molecular interplay between host and environmental factors, metabonomics is especially suited to inspect metabolic responses to CHT intake and provide insights into health effects. Application of metabonomics to uncover the effects of CHTs on human health is foreseen as providing deeper insights of the complicated molecular mechanisms of CHTs by explaining relatively subtle and different effects of herbal tea intervention, classifying the metabolic responses to herbal tea, depicting synergistic effects of CHTs and evaluating the safety of CHTs intake.