bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A 12-year retrospective review of bullous systemic lupus erythematosus in cutaneous and systemic lupus erythematosus patients
Authors: Chanprapaph K , Sawatwarakul S , Vachiramon V 
Published: March 2017

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features, laboratory findings, systemic manifestations, treatment and outcome of patients with bullous systemic lupus erythematosus in a tertiary care center in Thailand. Methods We performed a retrospective review from 2002 to 2014 of all patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for bullous systemic lupus erythematosus to evaluate for the clinical characteristics, extracutaneous involvement, histopathologic features, immunofluorescence pattern, serological abnormalities, internal organ involvement, treatments and outcome. Results Among 5149 patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus and/or systemic lupus erythematosus, 15 developed vesiculobullous lesions. Ten patients had validation of the diagnosis of bullous systemic lupus erythematosus, accounting for 0.19%. Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus occurred after the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus in six patients with a median onset of 2.5 months (0–89). Four out of 10 patients developed bullous systemic lupus erythematosus simultaneously with systemic lupus erythematosus. Hematologic abnormalities and renal involvement were found in 100% and 90%, respectively. Polyarthritis (40%) and serositis (40%) were less frequently seen. Systemic corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, antimalarials and dapsone offered resolution of cutaneous lesions. Conclusion Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus is an uncommon presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus. Blistering can occur following or simultaneously with established systemic lupus erythematosus. We propose that clinicians should carefully search for systemic involvement, especially hematologic and renal impairment, in patients presenting with bullous systemic lupus erythematosus.
Reduced volumes of the CA1 and CA4-dentate gyrus hippocampal subfields in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Bódi N , Polgár A , Kiss E , Mester Á , Poór G , Kéri S 
Published: March 2017

Introduction There is evidence for hippocampal dysfunctions in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which may contribute to neuropsychiatric impairments. However, fine structural alterations of the hippocampus have not been investigated in SLE. Methods We measured the volume of hippocampal subfields in 18 SLE patients and 20 healthy control individuals matched for age, gender, and education. The MRI protocol included structural T1 volumes (Philips Achieva 3T scanner, magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MPRAGE)). For image processing, we used the neuGRID platform and the longitudinal pipeline of FreeSurfer v6.0 with the “hipposubfields” flag. Results Patients with SLE showed reduced volumes of CA1 (Cornu Ammonis 1) and CA4-dentate gyrus subfields relative to the control individuals. Smaller CA1 volumes were associated with worse performance on the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination. Conclusions These preliminary results indicate a prominent vulnerability and functional relevance of the CA1 hippocampal subfield in SLE.
PISMA: A Visual Representation of Motif Distribution in DNA Sequences
Authors: Alcántara-Silva Rogelio , Alvarado-Hermida Moisés , Díaz-Contreras Gibrán , Sánchez-Barrios Martha , Carrera Samantha , Galván Silvia Carolina 
Published: March 2017

Background: Because the graphical presentation and analysis of motif distribution can provide insights for experimental hypothesis, PISMA aims at identifying motifs on DNA sequences, counting and showing them graphically. The motif length ranges from 2 to 10 bases, and the DNA sequences range up to 10 kb. The motif distribution is shown as a bar-code–like, as a gene-map–like, and as a transcript scheme. Results: We obtained graphical schemes of the CpG site distribution from 91 human papillomavirus genomes. Also, we present 2 analyses: one of DNA motifs associated with either methylation-resistant or methylation-sensitive CpG islands and another analysis of motifs associated with exosome RNA secretion. Availability and Implementation: PISMA is developed in Java; it is executable in any type of hardware and in diverse operating systems. PISMA is freely available to noncommercial users. The English version and the User Manual are provided in Supplementary Files 1 and 2, and a Spanish version is available at www.biomedicas.unam.mx/wp-content/software/pisma.zip and www.biomedicas.unam.mx/wp-content/pdf/manual/pisma.pdf .
Long Noncoding RNA PVT1 Promotes EMT and Cell Proliferation and Migration Through Downregulating p21 in Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Authors: Wu Bao-Qiang , Jiang Yong , Zhu Feng , Sun Dong-Lin , He Xiao-Zhou 
Published: March 2017

Background and Aim: Long noncoding RNA-plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 is identified to be highly expressed and exhibits oncogenic activity in a variety of human malignancies, including pancreatic cancer. However, little is known about the overall biological role and mechanism of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 in pancreatic cancer so far. In this study, we investigated the effect of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and migration as well as epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Methods: Pancreatic cancer tissue specimens and cell line were used in this study, with normal tissue and cell line acting as control. Results: It showed that plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 expression was significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues or cell line compared to normal groups. Plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 downregulation significantly inhibited zinc finger E-box-binding protein 1/Snail expression but promoted p21 expression, and it also inhibited the cell proliferation and migration. Additionally, p21 downregulation enhanced, and p21 overexpression repressed, zinc finger E-box-binding protein 1/Snail expression and cells proliferation in PANC-1 cells. However, p21 downregulation reversed the effect of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 downregulation on zinc finger E-box-binding protein 1/Snail expression and cell proliferation and migration. Conclusion: Plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 promoted epithelial–mesenchymal transition and cell proliferation and migration through downregulating p21 in pancreatic cancer cells.
Feasibility and utility of an integrated medical imaging and informatics smartphone system for management of acute stroke
Authors: Shkirkova Kristina , Akam Eftitan Y , Huang Josephine , Sheth Sunil A , Nour May , Liang Conrad W , McManus Michael , Trinh Van , Duckwiler Gary , Tarpley Jason , Vinuela Fernando , Saver Jeffrey L ,   for the UCLA Stroke Systems of Care Study Group
Published: March 2017

Background Rapid dissemination and coordination of clinical and imaging data among multidisciplinary team members are essential for optimal acute stroke care. Aim To characterize the feasibility and utility of the Synapse Emergency Room mobile (Synapse ERm) informatics system. Methods We implemented the Synapse ERm system for integration of clinical data, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance, and catheter angiographic imaging, and real-time stroke team communications, in consecutive acute neurovascular patients at a Comprehensive Stroke Center. Results From May 2014 to October 2014, the Synapse ERm application was used by 33 stroke team members in 84 Code Stroke alerts. Patient age was 69.6 (±17.1), with 41.5% female. Final diagnosis was: ischemic stroke 64.6%, transient ischemic attack 7.3%, intracerebral hemorrhage 6.1%, and cerebrovascular-mimic 22.0%. Each patient Synapse ERm record was viewed by a median of 10 (interquartile range 6–18) times by a median of 3 (interquartile range 2–4) team members. The most used feature was computerized tomography, magnetic resonance, and catheter angiography image display. In-app tweet team, communications were sent by median 1 (interquartile range 0–1, range 0–13) users per case and viewed by median 1 (interquartile range 0–3, range 0–44) team members. Use of the system was associated with rapid treatment times, faster than national guidelines, including median door-to-needle 51.0 min (interquartile range 40.5–69.5) and median door-to-groin 94.5 min (interquartile range 85.5–121.3). In user surveys, the mobile information platform was judged easy to employ in 91% (95% confidence interval 65%–99%) of uses and of added help in stroke management in 50% (95% confidence interval 22%–78%). Conclusion The Synapse ERm mobile platform for stroke team distribution and integration of clinical and imaging data was feasible to implement, showed high ease of use, and moderate perceived added utility in therapeutic management.
Pneumonia and inflammation in acute decompensated heart failure: a registry-based analysis of 1939 patients
Authors: Jobs Alexander , Simon Ronja , de Waha Suzanne , Rogacev Kyrill , Katalinic Alexander , Babaev Valentin , Thiele Holger 
Published: March 2017

Background: The prognostic impact of pneumonia and signs of systemic inflammation in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) has not been fully elucidated yet. The aim of the present study was thus to investigate the association of pneumonia and the inflammation surrogate C-reactive protein with all-cause mortality in patients admitted for ADHF. Methods: We analysed data of 1939 patients admitted for ADHF. Patients were dichotomised according to the presence or absence of pneumonia. The primary endpoint of all-cause mortality was determined by death registry linkage. Results: In total, 412 (21.2%) patients had concomitant pneumonia. Median C-reactive protein levels were higher in patients with compared to patients without pneumonia (24.9 versus 9.8 mg/l, respectively; P<0.001). All-cause mortality was significantly higher in patients with pneumonia ( P<0.001). In adjusted Cox regression models, pneumonia as well as C-reactive protein were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Only C-reactive protein remained as independent predictor for long-term mortality. Conclusion: Pneumonia is relatively common in ADHF and a predictor for in-hospital mortality. However, inflammation in general seems to be more important than pneumonia itself for long-term prognosis. Compared to community-acquired pneumonia studies, C-reactive protein levels were rather low and therefore pneumonia might be over-diagnosed in ADHF patients.
A systematic review of treatments for acne scarring. Part 1: Non-energy-based techniques
Authors: Kravvas Georgios , Al-Niaimi Firas 
Published: March 2017

[Formula: see text] Introduction: Acne is a common condition that can result in permanent scarring. Acne scars can be broken down into three categories: atrophic; hypertrophic; and keloidal. Atrophic scars can be further sub-classified into: ice pick; rolling; and boxcar. Objectives and Methods: We have performed a comprehensive literature search of the last ten years in order to determine the efficacy and adverse reactions of commonly used treatments against post-acne scarring. Results: A total of 36 relevant articles were identified on the following interventions: subcision (n = 10), dermabrasion (n = 1), microneedling (n = 8), dermal fillers (n = 5), and chemical peeling (n = 12). Discussion: Improvement in the appearance of post-acne scarring following subcision is in the range of 10–100%. Microdermabrasion achieved the least significant results. A total of 27.3% patients did not achieve any benefit despite eight treatment sessions, and only 9.1% achieved good results. All patients treated with microneedling achieved some improvement in scar appearance in the range of 31–62%. Dermal fillers also led to favourable outcomes. In particular, treatment with PPMA led to improvement in 84% of patients. Utilising chemical peels, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) CROSS achieved >70% improvement in 73.3% of patients, whereas 20% glycolic acid did not lead to any improvement in 25%. Conclusion: Post-acne scarring is a common and challenging condition with no easy and definitive solution. The above interventions have been used with varying degrees of efficacy, each having both pros and cons. All have been deemed to be safe with few and transient adverse reactions. However, further trials with a larger number of patients are necessary in order to reach more concrete conclusions regarding their efficacy.
A comparison of service organisation and guideline compliance between two adjacent European health services
Authors: McElwaine Paul , McCormack Joan , McCormick Michael , Rudd Anthony , Brennan Carmel , Coetzee Heather , Cotter Paul E , Doyle Rachel , Hickey Anne , Horgan Frances , Loughnane Cliona , Macey Chris , Marsden Paul , McCabe Dominick , Mulcahy Riona , Noone Imelda , Shelley Emer , Stapleton Tadhg , Williams David , Kelly Peter , Harbison Joseph 
Published: March 2017

Introduction Outcomes in stroke patients are improved by a co-ordinated organisation of stroke services and provision of evidence-based care. We studied the organisation of care and application of guidelines in two neighbouring health care systems with similar characteristics. Methods Organisational elements of the 2015 National Stroke Audit (NSA) from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) were compared with the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) in Northern Ireland (NI) and the United Kingdom (UK). Compliance was compared with UK and European guidelines. Results Twenty-one of 28 ROI hospitals (78%) reported having a stroke unit (SU) compared with all 10 in NI. Average SU size was smaller in ROI (6 beds vs. 15 beds) and bed availability per head of population was lower (1:30,633 vs. 1:12,037 p < 0.0001 Chi Sq). Fifty-four percent of ROI patients were admitted to SU care compared with 96% of UK patients ( p < 0.0001). Twenty-four–hour physiological monitoring was available in 54% of ROI SUs compared to 91% of UK units ( p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between ROI and NI in access to senior specialist physicians or nurses or in SU nurse staffing (3.9/10 beds weekday mornings) but there was a higher proportion of trained nurses in ROI units (2.9/10 beds vs. 2.3/10 beds ( p = 0.02 Chi Sq). Conclusion Whilst the majority of hospitals in both jurisdictions met key criteria for organised stroke care the small size and underdevelopment of the ROI units meant a substantial proportion of patients were unable to access this specialised care.
Validation and comparison of two stroke prognostic models for in hospital, 30-day and 90-day mortality
Authors: Dutta Dipankar , Cannon Abigail , Bowen Emily 
Published: March 2017

Introduction We aimed to validate and compare two clinical prognostic models for mortality which include the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS); the Age and NIHSS Score (ANS) and case mix model (CMM) of the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Program (SSNAP). The NIHSS on admission was also tested as a prognostic score. Patients and methods Prospectively collected data from the SSNAP register for a cohort of patients (ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke) admitted over 1 year to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, England were accessed. The ANS and CMM were calculated and tested for in hospital, 30-day and 90-day mortality using calibration plots with Hosmer–Lemeshow tests, receiver operating characteristics curves and other measures of prognostic accuracy. Results Of 848 patients, 110 (12.9%) died in hospital, 112 (13.2%) at 30 days and 164 (19.2%) at 90 days. Calibration for all three scores was good, although Hosmer–Lemeshow test p values were <0.05 with the NIHSS alone for in hospital and 30-day deaths, suggesting deviation from good fit. The c-statistics for in hospital, 30-day and 90-day mortality were ANS (0.783, 0.782, 0.779) and CMM (0.783, 0.774, 0.758), respectively. The NIHSS alone showed fair discrimination but performed less well. A NIHSS score ≥6 was associated with significant mortality ( p < 0.0001) in comparison to a score <6. Conclusion A simple prognostic model containing age and admission NIHSS only, performed as well as a more complex score at predicting in hospital, 30-day and 90-day mortality. Admission NIHSS recording should be encouraged for stroke registries.
Metabolomics analysis identifies different metabotypes of asthma severity
Authors: Reinke Stacey N. , Gallart-Ayala Héctor , Gómez Cristina , Checa Antonio , Fauland Alexander , Naz Shama , Kamleh Muhammad Anas , Djukanović Ratko , Hinks Timothy S.C. , Wheelock Craig E. 
Published: March 2017

In this study, we sought to determine whether asthma has a metabolic profile and whether this profile is related to disease severity.We characterised the serum from 22 healthy individuals and 54 asthmatics (12 mild, 20 moderate, 22 severe) using liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Selected metabolites were confirmed by targeted mass spectrometry assays of eicosanoids, sphingolipids and free fatty acids.We conclusively identified 66 metabolites; 15 were significantly altered with asthma (p≤0.05). Levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, cortisone, cortisol, prolylhydroxyproline, pipecolate and N-palmitoyltaurine correlated significantly (p<0.05) with inhaled corticosteroid dose, and were further shifted in individuals treated with oral corticosteroids. Oleoylethanolamide increased with asthma severity independently of steroid treatment (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed two patterns: 1) a mean difference between controls and patients with mild asthma (p=0.025), and 2) a mean difference between patients with severe asthma and all other groups (p=1.7×10−4). Metabolic shifts in mild asthma, relative to controls, were associated with exogenous metabolites (e.g.dietary lipids), while those in moderate and severe asthma (e.g. oleoylethanolamide, sphingosine-1-phosphate, N-palmitoyltaurine) were postulated to be involved in activating the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptor, driving TRPV1-dependent pathogenesis in asthma.Our findings suggest that asthma is characterised by a modest systemic metabolic shift in a disease severity-dependent manner, and that steroid treatment significantly affects metabolism.
Concordance between upper and lower airway microbiota in infants with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Prevaes Sabine M.P.J. , de Steenhuijsen Piters Wouter A.A. , de Winter-de Groot Karin M. , Janssens Hettie M. , Tramper-Stranders Gerdien A. , Chu Mei Ling J.N. , Tiddens Harm A. , van Westreenen Mireille , van der Ent Cornelis K. , Sanders Elisabeth A.M. , Bogaert Debby 
Published: March 2017

Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples are commonly used to direct therapy for lower respiratory tract infections in non-expectorating infants with cystic fibrosis (CF).We aimed to investigate the concordance between the bacterial community compositions of 25 sets of nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from 17 infants with CF aged ∼5 months (n=13) and ∼12 months (n=12) using conventional culturing and 16S-rRNA sequencing.Clustering analyses demonstrated that BAL microbiota profiles were in general characterised by a mixture of oral and nasopharyngeal bacteria, including commensals likeStreptococcus,Neisseria,VeillonellaandRothiaspp. and potential pathogens likeStaphylococcus aureus,Haemophilus influenzaeandMoraxellaspp. Within each individual, however, the degree of concordance differed between microbiota of both upper respiratory tract niches and the corresponding BAL.The inconsistent intra-individual concordance between microbiota of the upper and lower respiratory niches suggests that the lungs of infants with CF may have their own microbiome that seems seeded by, but is not identical to, the upper respiratory tract microbiome.
Evaluation of the efficacy of cisplatin–etoposide and the role of thoracic radiotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation in LCNEC
Authors: Prelaj Arsela , Rebuzzi Sara Elena , Del Bene Gabriella , Giròn Berrìos Julio Rodrigo , Emiliani Alessandra , De Filippis Lucilla , Prete Alessandra Anna , Pecorari Silvia , Manna Gaia , Ferrara Carla , Rossini Daniele , Longo Flavia 
Published: March 2017

In small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), the role of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is well established. Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) shares several clinicopathological features with SCLC, but its optimal therapy is not defined. We evaluated clinical response and survival outcomes of advanced LCNEC treated in first-line therapy compared with SCLC.72 patients with stage III–IV LCNEC (n=28) and extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC) (n=44) received cisplatin–etoposide with/without thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI).Comparing LCNEC with SCLC, we observed similar response rates (64.2%versus59.1%), disease control rates (82.1%versus88.6%), progression-free survival (mPFS) (7.4versus6.1 months) and overall survival (mOS) (10.4versus10.9 months). TRT and PCI in both histologies showed a benefit in mOS (34versus7.8 months and 34versus8.6 months, both p=0.0001). LCNEC patients receiving TRT showed an improvement in mPFS and mOS (12.5versus5 months, p=0.02 and 28.3versus5 months, p=0.004), similarly to ES-SCLC. PCI in LCNEC showed an increase in mPFS (20.5versus6.4 months, p=0.09) and mOS (33.4versus8.6 months, p=0.05), as in ES-SCLC.Advanced LCNEC treated with SCLC first-line therapy has a similar clinical response and survival outcomes to ES-SCLC.
cAMP: a multifaceted modulator of immune synapse assembly and T cell activation
Authors: Arumugham Vijay Bharathi , Baldari Cosima T 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
T Lymphocyte activation involves a substantial reorganization of the membranous and intracellular compartments. Signaling complexes assemble and dismantle in a highly ordered fashion in both compartments and orchestrate the activation of T cells with high sensitivity and specificity. TCR ligation leads to a short burst of cAMP production, which is centrally required for T cell activation; however, sustained elevations in intracellular cAMP concentrations are immunosuppressive. Emerging evidence of the existence of local cAMP pools gleaned from studies on other cell types suggests that cAMP compartmentalization may account, in part, for these opposing effects. Whereas cAMP compartmentalization has been identified as a central factor in the control of the cAMP-dependent processes in other cell types, this has, as yet, not been addressed in T lymphocytes. In this review, we discuss the role of cAMP in T cell activation and differentiation, with an emphasis on the effects mediated by the cAMP effectors, protein kinase A (PKA) and exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC)1, and on the regulatory proteins that may control the generation of local cAMP pools in T cells. We also present an overview of the available tools to image cAMP production at the subcellular level and discuss how bacterial adenylate cyclase (AC) toxins that are known to generate local cAMP pools can be exploited to address the role of cAMP compartmentalization in T cell activation.