bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Verification of the harmonization of human epididymis protein 4 assays
Authors: Ferraro Simona , Borille Simona , Carnevale Assunta , Frusciante Erika , Bassani Niccolò , Panteghini Mauro 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

Background:
Serum human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) has gained relevance as an ovarian cancer (OC) biomarker and new automated methods have replaced the first released manual EIA by tracing results to it. We verified agreement and bias of automated methods vs. EIA as well as possible effects on patients’ management.

Methods:
One hundred and fifteen serum samples were measured by Abbott Architect i2000, Fujirebio Lumipulse G1200, Roche Modular E170, and Fujirebio EIA. Passing-Bablok regression was used to compare automated assays to EIA and agreement between methods was estimated by Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). The bias vs. EIA was estimated and compared to specifications derived from HE4 biological variation.

Results:
Median (25th–75th percentiles) HE4 concentrations (pmol/L) were 84.5 (60.1–148.8) for EIA, 82.7 (50.3–153.9) for Abbott, 89.1 (55.2–154.9) for Roche, and 112.2 (67.8–194.2) for Fujirebio. Estimated regressions and agreements (95% confidence interval) were: Abbott=1.01(0.98–1.03) EIA–4.8(–7.5/–2.6), CCC=0.99(0.99–1.00); Roche=0.91(0.89–0.93) EIA+5.7(4.2/8.0), CCC=0.98(0.98–0.99); Fujirebio=1.20(1.17–1.24) EIA+ 2.4(–0.6/4.9), CCC=0.97(0.96–0.98). The average bias vs. EIA resulted within the desirable goal for Abbott [–3.3% (–6.1/–0.5)] and Roche [–0.2% (–3.0/2.5)]. However, while for Abbott the bias was constant and acceptable along the measurement concentration range, Roche bias increased up to –28% for HE4 values >250 pmol/L. Lumipulse showed a markedly positive bias [25.3% (21.8/28.8)].

Conclusions:
Abbott and Roche assays exhibited a good comparability in the range of HE4 values around the previously recommended 140 pmol/L cut-off. For patient monitoring, however, the assay used for determining serial HE4 must not be changed as results from different systems in lower and higher concentration ranges can markedly differ.
Distribution of antiphospholipid antibodies in a large population-based German cohort
Authors: Manukyan Davit , Rossmann Heidi , Schulz Andreas , Zeller Tanja , Pfeiffer Norbert , Binder Harald , Münzel Thomas , Beutel Manfred E. , Müller-Calleja Nadine , Wild Philipp S. , Lackner Karl J. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

Background:
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is the most common acquired thrombophilia. Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) above the 99th percentile of a reference group. Data on the distribution of aPL in the population are limited. The distribution of aPL including diagnostic cutoffs should be determined in a population-based cohort.

Methods:
The Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) is a population-based cohort aged 35–74 years. We determined the presence of antibodies against cardiolipin (aCL, IgG, and IgM), β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2GPI, IgG, and IgM), and domain 1 of β2-glycoprotein I (anti-domain 1, IgG) in a sample of 4979 participants.

Results:
aPL titers were similar in the whole sample and in an apparently healthy subgroup of 1049 individuals. There was a strong age-dependent increase of both aCL and anti-β2GPI IgM, while aPL IgG titers were stable or tended to decrease with age. A relevant decrease was observed for aCL IgG in women and anti-domain 1 IgG in both sexes. There was no association of aPL titers with a history of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Conclusions:
Our data show that for IgM aPL, age-dependent reference ranges should be used. In fact, the controversy regarding the clinical utility of IgM aPL might be related to the use of inappropriate reference ranges among other causes. In our population, aPLs were not associated with a history of VTE.
De la linéarité énumérative à la configuration descriptive : le discours littéraire des crivains roumains d’expression française
Authors: Condei Cecilia 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
The present study bases on the problem of the description, the type of text whose heterogeneousness is unanimously recognized, to observe the functioning of the enumeration under its base forms (list and inventory) in touch with the description cleanly said. Two perspectives guide us: discursive and textual, their necessity is imposed by the consideration of the speech and the text as inseparable and by the constitution of the corpus of study: the romantic literary speech of the Rumanian writers of French expression. Our way confirms two operating criteria in the classification of the forms of the enumeration and insists on the discursive aspects associated to the expressions of the point of view and to the discursive changes required by sequences - photographic images.
Aesthetic medicine tourism – nature and scope of the services
Authors: Panfiluk Eugenia 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
The article discusses the issues of development of aesthetic medicine tourism. Its aim is to identify the essence and scope of services related to aesthetic medicine tourism and its location within the health tourism. The article is based on the theoretical study of literature from the field of health tourism and aesthetic medicine as well as empirical research results. The article discusses the issues of conditions of social changes that contribute to the creation of new trends in the tourism market. Further, it characterises aesthetic medicine. The article presents the results of empirical research indicating the need to expand the segment of health tourism to include aesthetic medicine tourism. Then the differentiators of aesthetic medicine tourism were identified, which may qualify it as a separate segment of health tourism. The theoretical added value of the article is the indication of the development of a new trend in health tourism and the identification of traits that allow the isolation of a new trend - aesthetic medicine tourism.
Restaurants and hotels expenditure in Polish households of the elderly
Authors: Piekut Marlena 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
The age of household members is an important factor for expenditures. The aim of the study is to investigate the level of expenditure on restaurants and hotels incurred in Polish households of the elderly in 2004-2013 and to identify the factors affecting such expenditures. The source of information used in the study was the household budget survey of the Central Statistical Office of Poland. The main methods used in this study were variance analysis and regression analysis. Restaurants and hotels expenditure increases every year together with their share in total household expenditure. The most important factors affecting the restaurants and hotels spending in Polish households of the elderly are: income per capita and the level of education of the head of the family. The study on consumption determinants at different groups leads to better understanding of consumer behavior circumstances and thereby ensuring a good quality of life for the people of the elderly.
Creating an image of a region – Euroregion Beskydy and Euroregion Cieszyn Silesia examples
Authors: Wróblewski Łukasz 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
In the discussion of communication in management studies, more and more attention is being given to research on an image of a product as well as a brand of an institution. In times when the value of great corporations is mainly based on well promoted and maintained brands, any activity without care of reputation is unimaginable. This rule also applies to cities, communes or regions. Image is currently of strategic significance for these subjects. It can be stated that there is a type of relationship. When an image of a certain region is positive, achievement of complex goals is easier. Therefore, when the region fulfils its goals, it is easier to gain respect of current and potential citizens, tourists, and investors. Thus, a positive image is one of the greatest advantages that a region can have, as it is directly transferred into social and economic development. In the article, on the basis of the literature of the subject, the process of creating an image of a region is presented.According to the survey conducted among Polish and Czech respondents related to Euroregion Beskydy and Euroregion Cieszyn Silesia, by place of residence, workplace or place of education image of the regions appeared to be one of the most distinguishing of their features.
Interaction between secondary phloem and xylem in gravitropic reaction of lateral branches of Tilia cordata Mill. trees
Authors: Zajączkowska Urszula , Kozakiewicz Paweł 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
The tension wood (TW) of Tilia cordata (lime tree) does not contain gelatinous fibers. Based on anatomical studies of secondary phloem (secPhl) and xylem by means of microscopy, digital imaging, and biomechanical tests, it was hypothesized that there is an interaction between the phloem and xylem as a response of gravitropic forces on lateral branches. The goal of the present study was to check this hypothesis. The results demonstrated that dilated phloem rays are longer and wider on the upper side (US) of a branch compared to the lower side (LS) and that the ratio of fiber/ray parenchyma in the phloem is lower on the US of the branches. Bark strips consisting of secPhl with periderm have higher elastic modulus (MOE) on the US of branches. The results support the hypothesis that the compression stress of ray parenchyma may cause phloem fibers to stretch, which may result in the development of axial tensile stresses that are higher on the US of branches. However, the wider rings of xylem formed on the US of branches and the results of biomechanical tests can be interpreted that a higher MOE of wood in the US of lateral branch are the main factors responsible for gravitropic reaction of Tilia branches. TW can be considered as a kind of biotensegrity.
Sleep Spindle Density Predicts the Effect of Prior Knowledge on Memory Consolidation
Authors: Hennies Nora , Lambon Ralph Matthew A. , Kempkes Marleen , Cousins James N. , Lewis Penelope A. 
Published: March 2016

Information that relates to a prior knowledge schema is remembered better and consolidates more rapidly than information that does not. Another factor that influences memory consolidation is sleep and growing evidence suggests that sleep-related processing is important for integration with existing knowledge. Here, we perform an examination of how sleep-related mechanisms interact with schema-dependent memory advantage. Participants first established a schema over 2 weeks. Next, they encoded new facts, which were either related to the schema or completely unrelated. After a 24 h retention interval, including a night of sleep, which we monitored with polysomnography, participants encoded a second set of facts. Finally, memory for all facts was tested in a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Behaviorally, sleep spindle density predicted an increase of the schema benefit to memory across the retention interval. Higher spindle densities were associated with reduced decay of schema-related memories. Functionally, spindle density predicted increased disengagement of the hippocampus across 24 h for schema-related memories only. Together, these results suggest that sleep spindle activity is associated with the effect of prior knowledge on memory consolidation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTEpisodic memories are gradually assimilated into long-term memory and this process is strongly influenced by sleep. The consolidation of new information is also influenced by its relationship to existing knowledge structures, or schemas, but the role of sleep in such schema-related consolidation is unknown. We show that sleep spindle density predicts the extent to which schemas influence the consolidation of related facts. This is the first evidence that sleep is associated with the interaction between prior knowledge and long-term memory formation.
Effective Connectivity from Early Visual Cortex to Posterior Occipitotemporal Face Areas Supports Face Selectivity and Predicts Developmental Prosopagnosia
Authors: Lohse Michael , Garrido Lucia , Driver Jon , Dolan Raymond J. , Duchaine Bradley C. , Furl Nicholas 
Published: March 2016

Face processing is mediated by interactions between functional areas in the occipital and temporal lobe, and the fusiform face area (FFA) and anterior temporal lobe play key roles in the recognition of facial identity. Individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP), a lifelong face recognition impairment, have been shown to have structural and functional neuronal alterations in these areas. The present study investigated how face selectivity is generated in participants with normal face processing, and how functional abnormalities associated with DP, arise as a function of network connectivity. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and dynamic causal modeling, we examined effective connectivity in normal participants by assessing network models that include early visual cortex (EVC) and face-selective areas and then investigated the integrity of this connectivity in participants with DP. Results showed that a feedforward architecture from EVC to the occipital face area, EVC to FFA, and EVC to posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) best explained how face selectivity arises in both controls and participants with DP. In this architecture, the DP group showed reduced connection strengths on feedforward connections carrying face information from EVC to FFA and EVC to pSTS. These altered network dynamics in DP contribute to the diminished face selectivity in the posterior occipitotemporal areas affected in DP. These findings suggest a novel view on the relevance of feedforward projection from EVC to posterior occipitotemporal face areas in generating cortical face selectivity and differences in face recognition ability.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAreas of the human brain showing enhanced activation to faces compared to other objects or places have been extensively studied. However, the factors leading to this face selectively have remained mostly unknown. We show that effective connectivity from early visual cortex to posterior occipitotemporal face areas gives rise to face selectivity. Furthermore, people with developmental prosopagnosia, a lifelong face recognition impairment, have reduced face selectivity in the posterior occipitotemporal face areas and left anterior temporal lobe. We show that this reduced face selectivity can be predicted by effective connectivity from early visual cortex to posterior occipitotemporal face areas. This study presents the first network-based account of how face selectivity arises in the human brain.
An Adenosine-Mediated Glial-Neuronal Circuit for Homeostatic Sleep
Authors: Bjorness Theresa E. , Dale Nicholas , Mettlach Gabriel , Sonneborn Alex , Sahin Bogachan , Fienberg Allen A. , Yanagisawa Masashi , Bibb James A. , Greene Robert W. 
Published: March 2016

Sleep homeostasis reflects a centrally mediated drive for sleep, which increases during waking and resolves during subsequent sleep. Here we demonstrate that mice deficient for glial adenosine kinase (AdK), the primary metabolizing enzyme for adenosine (Ado), exhibit enhanced expression of this homeostatic drive by three independent measures: (1) increased rebound of slow-wave activity; (2) increased consolidation of slow-wave sleep; and (3) increased time constant of slow-wave activity decay during an average slow-wave sleep episode, proposed and validated here as a new index for homeostatic sleep drive. Conversely, mice deficient for the neuronal adenosine A1 receptor exhibit significantly decreased sleep drive as judged by these same indices. Neuronal knock-out of AdK did not influence homeostatic sleep need. Together, these findings implicate a glial-neuronal circuit mediated by intercellular Ado, controlling expression of homeostatic sleep drive. Because AdK is tightly regulated by glial metabolic state, our findings suggest a functional link between cellular metabolism and sleep homeostasis.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe work presented here provides evidence for an adenosine-mediated regulation of sleep in response to waking (i.e., homeostatic sleep need), requiring activation of neuronal adenosine A1 receptors and controlled by glial adenosine kinase. Adenosine kinase acts as a highly sensitive and important metabolic sensor of the glial ATP/ADP and AMP ratio directly controlling intracellular adenosine concentration. Glial equilibrative adenosine transporters reflect the intracellular concentration to the extracellular milieu to activate neuronal adenosine receptors. Thus, adenosine mediates a glial-neuronal circuit linking glial metabolic state to neural-expressed sleep homeostasis. This indicates a metabolically related function(s) for this glial-neuronal circuit in the buildup and resolution of our need to sleep and suggests potential therapeutic targets more directly related to sleep function.
Transient Pupil Dilation after Subsaccadic Microstimulation of Primate Frontal Eye Fields
Authors: Lehmann Sebastian J. , Corneil Brian D. 
Published: March 2016

Pupillometry provides a simple and noninvasive index for a variety of cognitive processes, including perception, attention, task consolidation, learning, and memory. The neural substrates by which such cognitive processes influence pupil diameter remain somewhat unclear, although cortical inputs to the locus coeruleus mediating arousal are likely involved. Changes in pupil diameter also accompany covert orienting; hence the oculomotor system may provide an alternative substrate for cognitive influences on pupil diameter. Here, we show that low-level electrical microstimulation of the primate frontal eye fields (FEFs), a cortical component of the oculomotor system strongly connected to the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (SCi), evoked robust pupil dilation even in the absence of evoked saccades. The magnitude of such dilation scaled with increases in stimulation parameters, depending strongly on the intensity and number of pulses. Although there are multiple pathways by which FEF stimulation could cause pupil dilation, the timing and profile of dilation closely resembled that evoked by SCi stimulation. Moreover, pupil dilation evoked from the FEFs increased when presumed oculomotor activity was higher at the time of stimulation. Our findings implicate the oculomotor system as a potential substrate for how cognitive processes can influence pupil diameter. We suggest that a pathway from the frontal cortex through the SCi operates in parallel with frontal inputs to arousal circuits to regulate task-dependent modulation of pupil diameter, perhaps indicative of an organization wherein one pathway assumes primacy for a given cognitive process.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTPupillometry (the measurement of pupil diameter) provides a simple and noninvasive index for a variety of cognitive processes, offering a biomarker that has value in both health and disease. But how do cognitive processes influence pupil diameter? Here, we show that low-level stimulation of the primate frontal eye fields can induce robust pupil dilation without saccades. Pupil dilation scaled with the number and intensity of stimulation pulses and varied with endogenous oculomotor activity at the time of stimulation. The oculomotor system therefore provides a plausible pathway by which cognitive processes may influence pupil diameter, perhaps operating in conjunction with systems regulating arousal.
Reversal of Alcohol-Induced Dysregulation in Dopamine Network Dynamics May Rescue Maladaptive Decision-making
Authors: Schindler Abigail G. , Soden Marta E. , Zweifel Larry S. , Clark Jeremy J. 
Published: March 2016

Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance among adolescents, promoting the development of substance use disorders and compromised decision-making in adulthood. We have previously demonstrated, with a preclinical model in rodents, that adolescent alcohol use results in adult risk-taking behavior that positively correlates with phasic dopamine transmission in response to risky options, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show that adolescent alcohol use may produce maladaptive decision-making through a disruption in dopamine network dynamics via increased GABAergic transmission within the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Indeed, we find that increased phasic dopamine signaling after adolescent alcohol use is attributable to a midbrain circuit, including the input from the pedunculopontine tegmentum to the VTA. Moreover, we demonstrate that VTA dopamine neurons from adult rats exhibit enhanced IPSCs after adolescent alcohol exposure corresponding to decreased basal dopamine levels in adulthood that negatively correlate with risk-taking. Building on these findings, we develop a model where increased inhibitory tone on dopamine neurons leads to a persistent decrease in tonic dopamine levels and results in a potentiation of stimulus-evoked phasic dopamine release that may drive risky choice behavior. Based on this model, we take a pharmacological approach to the reversal of risk-taking behavior through normalization of this pattern in dopamine transmission. These results isolate the underlying circuitry involved in alcohol-induced maladaptive decision-making and identify a novel therapeutic target.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTOne of the primary problems resulting from chronic alcohol use is persistent, maladaptive decision-making that is associated with ongoing addiction vulnerability and relapse. Indeed, studies with the Iowa Gambling Task, a standard measure of risk-based decision-making, have reliably shown that alcohol-dependent individuals make riskier, more maladaptive choices than nondependent individuals, even after periods of prolonged abstinence. Using a preclinical model, in the current work, we identify a selective disruption in dopamine network dynamics that may promote maladaptive decision-making after chronic adolescent alcohol use and demonstrate its pharmacological reversal in adulthood. Together, these results highlight a novel neural mechanism underlying heightened risk-taking behavior in alcohol-dependent individuals and provide a potential therapeutic target for further investigation.