bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Same‐Day Evaluation and Surgery for Otitis Media and Tympanostomy Tube Placement
Authors: Billings Kathleen R. , Hajduk John , Rose Allison , De Oliveira Gildasio S. , Suresh Suresh S. , Thompson Dana M. 
Published: May 2016

ObjectiveTo determine the feasibility of providing streamlined same‐day evaluation and surgical management of children with recurrent otitis media or chronic serous otitis media who meet criteria for tympanostomy tube (TT) placement.Study DesignRetrospective matched case series.SettingTertiary care children’s hospital.MethodsA comparison group (age, sex, insurance product) was utilized to determine if the same‐day process decreased facility time and surgical time for the care episode. A parent satisfaction survey was administered.ResultsThirty children, with a median age of 16 months (range, 12‐22 months), participated in the same‐day surgery process for TT. Twenty‐one patients (70.0%) were male, and these patients were matched to a comparison group (similar age, sex, and insurance product) having non‐same‐day (routine) TT placement. The same‐day patients spent significantly less time in clinic for the preoperative physician visit (average, 15 minutes) when compared with the non‐same‐day patients (average, 51.5 minutes; P <. 001). The operative experience for the same‐day patients was similar to the non‐same‐day patients (average, 145 vs 137 minutes, respectively; P =. 35), but the overall experience was significantly shorter for the same‐day patients (average, 151 vs 196 minutes for comparisons; P <. 001). All parents surveyed in the same‐day group were satisfied with the efficiency of the experience.ConclusionThe same‐day surgery process for management of children who meet the criteria for TT placement is a model of improved efficiency of care for children who suffer from otitis media.
Triethyl orthoformate covalently cross-linked chitosan-(poly vinyl) alcohol based biodegradable scaffolds with heparin-binding ability for promoting neovascularisation
Authors: Shahzadi Lubna , Yar Muhammad , Jamal Arshad , Siddiqi Saadat Anwar , Chaudhry Aqif Anwar , Zahid Saba , Tariq Muhammad , Rehman Ihtesham ur , MacNeil Sheila 
Published: May 2016

There is a need to develop pro-angiogenic biomaterials to promote wound healing and to assist in regenerative medicine. To this end, various growth factors have been exploited which have the potential to promote angiogenesis. However, these are generally expensive and labile which limits their effectiveness. An alternative approach is to immobilize heparin onto biocompatible degradable hydrogels. The heparin in turn will then bind endogenous proangiogenic growth factors to induce formation of new blood vessels. In this study, we continue our development of hydrogels for wound healing purposes by exploring covalently cross-linking chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels using triethyl orthoformate. Two concentrations of triethyl orthoformate (4 and 16%) were compared for their effects on the structure of hydrogels – their swelling, pore size, and rate of degradation and for their ability to support the growth of cells and for their heparin-binding capacity and their effects on angiogenesis in a chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. Hydrogels formed with 4 or 16% both triethyl orthoformate cross-linker were equally cyto-compatible. Hydrogels formed with 4% triethyl orthoformate absorbed slightly more water than those made with 16% triethyl orthoformate and broke down slightly faster than non-cross-linked hydrogels. When soaked in heparin the hydrogel formed with 16% triethyl orthoformate showed more blood vessel formation in the CAM assay than that formed with 4% triethyl orthoformate.
Utilization of Patient Electronic Messaging to Promote Advance Care Planning in the Primary Care Setting
Authors: Tieu Christina , Chaudhry Rajeev , Schroeder Darrell R. , Bock Frank A. , Hanson Gregory J. , Tung Ericka E. 
Published: May 2016

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is an instrumental mechanism aimed at preserving patient autonomy. Numerous interventions have been proposed to facilitate the implementation of ACP; however, rates of completed advance directives (ADs) are universally low. Patient electronic portal messaging is a newer tool in patient–provider communication which has not been studied as a method to promote ACP. In this study, we hypothesized that the use of ACP-specific patient electronic messages would increase rates of AD completion in patients aged 65 years and older in an academic primary care practice. Methods: All primary care patients, aged 65+, who had previously enrolled in a patient electronic messaging system, within an academic primary care practice, were included for randomization. Two hundred patients were randomized to receive an electronic message. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients in each group who completed an AD, 3 months after intervention. Secondary outcomes included clinical utility of the completed ADs and proportion of patients who viewed their electronic messages. Results: The intervention group completed an AD 5.5% of the time when compared to 2% in the control group (odds ratio 3.2 [1.6-6.3]). Up to 74.5% of patients opened their electronic messages. Conclusion: Among primary care patients aged 65 years and older, use of AD-specific electronic messaging statistically significantly increased the rate of AD completion, but the absolute number of completed AD remained relatively low. These data suggest that this valuable communication tool holds opportunities for further improvement. Older, frailer adults were more likely to complete an AD, and prompted directives were more likely to include a written expression of the individual’s health-care values and preference.
Early neurological deterioration after thrombolysis: Clinical and imaging predictors
Authors: Simonsen Claus Z , Schmitz Marie L , Madsen Mette H , Mikkelsen Irene K , Chandra Ronil V , Leslie-Mazwi Thabele , Andersen Grethe 
Published: May 2016

Background National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale is the most common scale used in stroke patients. An increase of four points or more within 24 h signifies early neurological deterioration. We aimed to establish how often early neurological deterioration occurs in a cohort selected by magnetic resonance imaging and which factors predicted early neurological deterioration. Methods In this single-center study, we collected epidemiological, imaging and outcome data on 569 consecutive patients undergoing reperfusion therapy after magnetic resonance imaging selection. Results Of these, 33 (5.8%) experienced early neurological deterioration. Seven were due to a symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, 23 were caused by extension of ischemia on follow-up imaging and three were due to progression on the basis of small vessel disease. Early neurological deterioration was predicted by a larger perfusion lesion, higher blood glucose and presence of large vessel disease. Penumbra occurred in 34% of patients but only 9% of patients with penumbra experienced early neurological deterioration, thus eroding the value of penumbra as an imaging marker. Early neurological deterioration was a poor prognostic sign. Odds ratio for disability or death was 14.9 (95% confidence interval: 6.5–34.0). Conclusion Early neurological deterioration is rare. It originates mainly from ischemic infarct growth rather than from hemorrhage. Concern should be highest in patients with elevated blood glucose, larger perfusion lesions and large vessel disease. Prior aspirin use increases risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage.
Overexpression of the β2AR gene improves function and re-endothelialization capacity of EPCs after arterial injury in nude mice
Authors: Ke Xiao , Shu Xiao-Rong , Wu Fang , Hu Qing-Song , Deng Bing-Qing , Wang Jing-Feng , Nie Ru-Qiong 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Background
Proliferation and migration of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play important roles in restoring vascular injuries. β2 adrenergic receptors (β2ARs) are widely expressed in many tissues and have a beneficial impact on EPCs regulating neoangiogenesis. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of overexpressing β2ARs in infused peripheral blood (PB)-derived EPCs on the re-endothelialization in injured vessels.

Methods
Induction of endothelial injury was performed in male nude mice that were subjected to wire-mediated injury to the carotid artery. Human PB-derived EPCs were transfected with an adenovirus serotype 5 vector expressing β2AR (Ad5/β2AR-EPCs) and were examined 48 h later. β2AR gene expression in EPCs was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. In vitro, the proliferation, migration, adhesion, and nitric oxide production of Ad5/β2AR-EPCs were measured. Meanwhile, phosphorylated Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), which are downstream of β2AR signaling, were also elevated. In an in vivo study, CM-DiI-labeled EPCs were injected intravenously into mice subjected to carotid injury. After 3 days, cells recruited to the injury sites were detected by fluorescent microscopy, and the re-endothelialization was assessed by Evans blue dye.

Results
In vitro, β2AR overexpression augmented EPC proliferation, migration, and nitric oxide production and enhanced EPC adhesion to endothelial cell monolayers. In vivo, when cell tracking was used, the number of recruited CM-DiI-labeled EPCs was significantly higher in the injured zone in mice transfused with Ad5/β2AR-EPCs compared with non-transfected EPCs. The degree of re-endothelialization was also higher in the mice transfused with Ad5/β2AR-EPCs compared with non-transfected EPCs. We also found that the phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS was increased in Ad5/β2AR-EPCs. Preincubation with β2AR inhibitor (ICI118,551), Akt inhibitor (ly294002), or eNOS inhibitor (L-NAME) significantly attenuated the enhanced in vitro function and in vivo re-endothelialization capacity of EPCs induced by β2AR overexpression.

Conclusions
The present study demonstrates that β2AR overexpression enhances EPC functions in vitro and enhances the vascular repair abilities of EPCs in vivo via the β2AR/Akt/eNOS pathway. Upregulation of β2AR gene expression through gene transfer may be a novel therapeutic target for endothelial repair.
What is the impact on fish recruitment of anthropogenic physical and structural habitat change in shallow nearshore areas in temperate systems? A systematic review protocol
Authors: Macura Biljana , Lönnstedt Oona M. , Byström Pär , Airoldi Laura , Eriksson Britas Klemens , Rudstam Lars , Støttrup Josianne 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
Background
Shallow nearshore marine ecosystems are changing at an increasing rate due to a range of human activities such as urbanisation and commercial development. The growing numbers of constructions and other physical and structural alterations of the shoreline often take place in nursery and spawning habitats of many fish and other aquatic species. Several coastal fish populations have seen marked declines in abundance and diversity during the past two decades. A systematic review on the topic would clarify if anthropogenic physical and structural changes of near-shore areas have effects on fish recruitment and which these effects are.

Methods
The review will examine how various physical and structural anthropogenic changes of nearshore fish habitats affect fish recruitment. Relevant studies include small- and large-scale field studies in marine and brackish systems or large lakes in temperate regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Relevant studies may be based on comparisons between undisturbed and disturbed areas, before and after disturbance, or both. Relevant outcomes include measures of recruitment defined as abundance of juveniles of nearshore fish communities. Searches will be made for peer-reviewed and grey literature in English, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, German, Swedish and Spanish. All fish species and species groups will be considered in this review. Included relevant studies will be subject to a critical appraisal that will assess study validity. From relevant included studies, we will extract information on study characteristics, measured outcomes, exposure, comparators, effect modifiers and critical appraisal. Data synthesis will contain narrative and summary findings of each included study of sufficient quality. Meta-analysis may be possible in cases where studies report similar types of outcomes.
Hemostatic Therapy Using Tranexamic Acid and Coagulation Factor Concentrates in a Model of Traumatic Liver Injury
Authors: Zentai Christian , van der Meijden Paola E. J. , Braunschweig Till , Hueck Nicolai , Honickel Markus , Spronk Henri M. H. , Rossaint Rolf , Grottke Oliver 
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND:
The potential clinical benefits of targeted therapy with coagulation factor concentrates (e.g., fibrinogen) and antifibrinolytic agents (e.g., tranexamic acid [TXA]) for the treatment of trauma-induced coagulopathy are increasingly recognized. We hypothesized that human fibrinogen concentrate (FC) and prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC), administered as combined therapy with TXA, would provide additive effects for reducing blood loss in an animal trauma model.

METHODS:
Thirty-six pigs were subjected to 2 consecutive blunt liver injuries, resulting in severe hemorrhagic shock and coagulopathy. Intervention comprised saline (control group); TXA (15 mg kg−1, TXA group); TXA and FC (90 mg kg−1, TXA–FC); or TXA, FC, and PCC (20 U kg−1, TXA–FC–PCC). Blood loss, thromboelastometry (ROTEM), measures of thrombin generation, platelet activation, and global coagulation variables were monitored for 4 hours. Tissue sections were examined to determine the occurrence of thromboembolic events.

RESULTS:
Total blood loss was similar in the TXA–FC and TXA–FC–PCC groups (mean ± SD: 1012 ± 86 mL and 1037 ± 118 mL, respectively; P = 1.000). These values were both lower (P < 0.001) than the TXA group (1579 ± 306 mL). Blood loss in all 3 intervention groups was lower (P < 0.001) than in the control group (2376 ± 478 mL). After trauma and resuscitation, but before study intervention, plasma fibrinogen levels were severely depleted (median for the whole study population: 66 mg dL−1; interquartile range: 51–108 mg dL−1) and clot strength was decreased (EXTEM whole-blood maximum clot firmness [MCF]: 53 ± 5 mm). Compared with controls, TXA inhibited fibrinolysis and stabilized MCF and clotting time. The addition of FC restored and stabilized hemostasis to a greater extent than TXA alone; the addition of PCC had no statistically significant impact on blood loss, clot strength (MCF), or clotting time, but it increased thrombin generation. There were no significant differences among the study groups regarding platelet activation. No thrombi or microthrombi were observed in any group at necropsy.

CONCLUSIONS:
The early use of TXA and FC reduced blood loss and improved coagulation measurements in a porcine model of blunt liver injury and hemorrhagic shock. FC, administered in addition to TXA, was highly effective in reducing blood loss. The lack of statistically significant reduction in blood loss when PCC was added to TXA and FC may be attributable to the absence of thrombin generation impairment in this model.
Apoptosis-mediated testicular alteration in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) in response to temporal phase relation of serotonergic and dopaminergic oscillations
Authors: Banerjee Somanshu , Tsutsui Kazuyoshi , Chaturvedi Chandra Mohini 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT
Reproductive performance of many avian species, including Japanese quail, is reported to be modulated by specific temporal phase relation of serotonergic and dopaminergic oscillations. Accordingly, it has been shown that the serotonin precursor 5-HTP and the dopamine precursor l-DOPA given 8 h apart induce gonadal suppression and given 12 h apart lead to gonadal stimulation, while other temporal relationships were found to be ineffective. In the present study, we investigated the effects of 8- and 12-h phase relation of neural oscillations on testicular responses including expression of GnRH-I, GnIH, pro-apoptotic proteins (p53 and Bax), inactive and active executioner caspase-3, and the uncleaved DNA repair enzyme PARP-1. Testicular volume and mass decreased significantly in 8-h quail and increased in 12-h quail compared with controls. Expression of ir-GnIH, p53, Bax and active-caspase-3 increased and that of GnRH-I, pro-caspase-3 and uncleaved PARP-1 decreased in 8-h quail compared with controls. A TUNEL assay also confirmed testicular regression in these quail. Testes of 12-h quail exhibited significantly increased expression of GnRH-I, pro-caspase-3 and uncleaved PARP-1 compared with the control group. Our findings suggest that differential response of avian testes to 8- and 12-h phase relation of serotonergic and dopaminergic neural oscillations may be attributed to autocrine/paracrine action of GnIH expression, which is upregulated in regressed testes, leading to apoptotic changes, and downregulated in developed testes, causing apoptotic inhibition. It is concluded that specific phase relation of neural oscillations may modulate the local testicular GnRH-GnIH system and alter the apoptotic mechanism in quail testes. Moreover, these findings highlight the physiological effects of time-dependent drug delivery, including the specific time intervals between two drugs.
Terrestrial movement energetics: current knowledge and its application to the optimising animal
Authors: Halsey Lewis G. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACTThe energetic cost of locomotion can be a substantial proportion of an animal's daily energy budget and thus key to its ecology. Studies on myriad species have added to our knowledge about the general cost of animal movement, including the effects of variations in the environment such as terrain angle. However, further such studies might provide diminishing returns on the development of a deeper understanding of how animals trade-off the cost of movement with other energy costs, and other ecological currencies such as time. Here, I propose the ‘individual energy landscape’ as an approach to conceptualising the choices facing the optimising animal. In this Commentary, first I outline previous broad findings about animal walking and running locomotion, focusing in particular on the use of net cost of transport as a metric of comparison between species, and then considering the effects of environmental perturbations and other extrinsic factors on movement costs. I then introduce and explore the idea that these factors combine with the behaviour of the animal in seeking short-term optimality to create that animal's individual energy landscape – the result of the geographical landscape and environmental factors combined with the animal's selected trade-offs. Considering an animal's locomotion energy expenditure within this context enables hard-won empirical data on transport costs to be applied to questions about how an animal can and does move through its environment to maximise its fitness, and the relative importance, or otherwise, of locomotion energy economy.
Olfactory specialization for perfume collection in male orchid bees
Authors: Mitko Lukasz , Weber Marjorie G. , Ramirez Santiago R. , Hedenström Erik , Wcislo William T. , Eltz Thomas 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT
Insects rely on the olfactory system to detect a vast diversity of airborne molecules in their environment. Highly sensitive olfactory tuning is expected to evolve when detection of a particular chemical with great precision is required in the context of foraging and/or finding mates. Male neotropical orchid bees (Euglossini) collect odoriferous substances from multiple sources, store them in specialized tibial pouches and later expose them at display sites, presumably as mating signals to females. Previous analysis of tibial compounds among sympatric species revealed substantial chemical disparity in chemical composition among lineages with outstanding divergence between closely related species. Here, we tested whether specific perfume phenotypes coevolve with matching olfactory adaptations in male orchid bees to facilitate the location and harvest of species-specific perfume compounds. We conducted electroantennographic (EAG) measurements on males of 15 sympatric species in the genus Euglossa that were stimulated with 18 compounds present in variable proportions in male hind tibiae. Antennal response profiles were species-specific across all 15 species, but there was no conspicuous differentiation between closely related species. Instead, we found that the observed variation in EAG activity follows a Brownian motion model of trait evolution, where the probability of differentiation increases proportionally with lineage divergence time. However, we identified strong antennal responses for some chemicals that are present as major compounds in the perfume of the same species, thus suggesting that sensory specialization has occurred within multiple lineages. This sensory specialization was particularly apparent for semi-volatile molecules (‘base note’ compounds), thus supporting the idea that such compounds play an important role in chemical signaling of euglossine bees. Overall, our study found no close correspondence between antennal responses and behavioral preferences/tibial contents, but confirms the utility of EAG profiling for discovering certain behaviorally active compounds.
Influence of river floods on the humification process in the bottom sediments from the Goczałkowice reservoir
Authors: Czerwieńska Karolina , Szendera Waldemar , Chmielewski Waldemar 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
The paper presents the results of studies on the influence of the 2010 Vistula flood on the humification process in the bottom sediments of the Goczałkowice Reservoir in southern Poland. Due to its location in the vicinity of farmlands, forests and urbanized areas, the Goczałkowice Reservoir is characterized by amplified and intense humification processes within its sediments. The studies were focused on the determining the influence of the flood wave containing organic and inorganic suspensions on these processes. Humic acids were analyzed using two spectroscopic methods: Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Application of these methods allowed to determine the values of free radicals and of the g-factor, which are indicators of oxidation, aromatization and maturation of humic acids during the humification process, as well as the value of the 1650/1720 ratio, reflecting the dissociation of the COOH group to COO− and the formation of complexes of transitional metals with humic acids during the humification process.
Antagonism between lead and zinc ions in plants
Authors: Musielińska Renata , Kowol Jolanta , Kwapuliński Jerzy , Rochel Robert 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
The article presents the results of research which describes antagonism between Pb-Zn in selected plant species from the area of Czestochowa – Mirow district (north-western part of the Czestochowa Upland). There were analyzed changes in the ratio of Pb/Zn in different organs of the tested plants as a function of the Zn content changes. The content of metals in the plants and the soil was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry AAS. In all organs of the plants there was observed antagonistic decrease of Pb uptake and accumulation, resulting from the increase in the concentration Zn.
Antagonism between Zn and Pb in roots of the tested plants occurred at Zn content of 200–600 μg/g. In turn, antagonism in stems and flowers occurred at lower contents of zinc (100–180 μg/g). In leaves, antagonism between Pb and Zn occurred when Zn was present at the level of 300–800 μg/g.
Ex definition of the analyses confirm the presence of antagonism of lead with regard to high levels of Zn. The study also confirmed that the degree of antagonism depends on the plant species.