bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rapid weight gain during early childhood is associated with overweight in preadolescence: a longitudinal study in Japan
Authors: Nanri H. , Shirasawa T. , Ochiai H. , Ohtsu T. , Hoshino H. , Kokaze A. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractBackgroundThe objective of this study was to examine the relationship between rapid weight gain during early childhood and overweight in preadolescence by sex.MethodStudy subjects were 676 boys and 620 girls in fourth grade (aged 9 or 10 years) from elementary schools in Ina‐town, Japan, during 2010–2012. Height and weight of subjects at birth, age 1.5 and 3 years, were collected from the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, while values at 9–10 years were measured. Rapid weight gain was defined as a change in weight‐for‐age standard deviation score greater than 0.67 from birth to age 1.5 years (0–1.5 years) or from age 1.5 to 3 years (1.5–3 years).ResultsAfter adjustment for confounding factors, compared with no rapid weight gain, rapid weight gain during 0–1.5 years and 1.5–3 years or rapid weight gain during 1.5–3 years but not during 0–1.5 years significantly increased the odds ratio (OR) for overweight at age 9–10 years in boys (OR, 6.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.84–13.58 and OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.67–6.54, respectively) and girls (OR, 7.55; 95% CI, 2.99–19.07 and OR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.38–8.49, respectively).ConclusionThe present study suggests that rapid weight gain during early childhood was associated with being overweight in preadolescence, regardless of sex.
The Development of Body Structure Knowledge in Infancy
Authors: Bhatt Ramesh S. , Hock Alyson , White Hannah , Jubran Rachel , Galati Ashley 
Published: January 2016

AbstractAlthough we know much about the development of face processing, we know considerably less about the development of body knowledge—despite bodies also being significant sources of social information. One set of studies indicated that body structure knowledge is poor during the 1st year of life and spawned a model that posits that, unlike the development of face knowledge, which benefits from innate propensities and dedicated learning mechanisms, the development of body knowledge relies on general learning mechanisms and develops slowly. In this article, we review studies on infants' knowledge about the structure of bodies and their processing of gender and emotion that paint a different picture. Although questions remain, a general social cognition system likely engenders similar trajectories of development of knowledge about faces and bodies, and may equip developing infants with the capacity to obtain socially critical information from many sources.
IL‐33 is related to innate immune activation and sensitization to HDM in mild steroid‐free asthma
Authors: Porsbjerg C. , Baines K. , Gibson P. , Bergqvist A. , Erjefält J. S. , Sverrild A. , Backer V. 
Published: January 2016

SummaryBackgroundIL‐33 represents a potential link between the airway epithelium and induction of a Th2‐type inflammatory response in asthma. However, the association with markers of eosinophilic airway inflammation has not previously been reported in patients with steroid‐free asthma.AimTo describe the relationship between airway IL‐33 and markers of eosinophilic airway inflammation, as well potential triggers of IL‐33, in mild, steroid‐free asthma.MethodsIL‐33 mRNA expression and IL‐33 immunoreactivity were measured in bronchial biopsies from patients with asthma untreated with inhaled steroids and healthy individuals. Furthermore, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and eosinophils in sputum and BAL were measured, as well as airway hyperresponsiveness to mannitol and methacholine. Epithelial integrity was assessed by computerized image analysis on haematoxylin‐stained sections, and TLR mRNA expression by PCR.ResultsA total of 23 patients with asthma and 10 healthy individuals were examined (age: 24 years (20–40); females: 53%). The level of IL‐33 mRNA expression was significantly higher in patients with asthma compared to healthy individuals (Median (IQR) 1.12 (0.78) vs. 0.86, P = 0.04). There was a positive correlation between IL‐33 mRNA expression and the level of FeNO (r = 0.56, P = 0.01), whereas there was no association with airway or blood eosinophils. IL‐33 expression was unrelated to loss of epithelial integrity, but correlated with an increased expression of TLR2 and TLR4 (TLR2: r = 0.47, P = 0.04; TLR4: 0.68, P < 0.001), as well allergy to house dust mites (HDMs).ConclusionIn mild untreated asthma, the expression of IL‐33 mRNA in bronchial mucosa is related to innate immune activation and allergic sensitization to HDM, rather than epithelial damage, and correlates with FeNO. These findings suggest that in mild allergic asthma, IL‐33 may represent a link between innate immune activation and FeNO production.
Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with selective immunoglobulin a deficiency
Authors: Magen E , Waitman D-A , Goldstein N , Schlesinger M , Dickstein Y , Kahan N R 
Published: January 2016

Summary
Selective immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency (IgAD) is the most common primary immunodeficiency in the western world. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of Helicobacter pylori-infected dyspeptic patients with IgAD. Case samples were drawn from all subjects ≥ 12 years of age (n = 104729) who had undergone serum total IgA measurements during 2004–14 for any reason at Leumit Healthcare Services (Israel) and had serum total IgA &lt; 0·07 g/l. The control group was comprised of a random sample of remaining patients with a case–control ratio of 10 controls for each case. The dyspeptic diseases were identified and retrieved from Leumit Health Care Services electronic database using specific ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes. The case group included 347 subjects and the control group 3470 subjects. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of patients with dyspepsia [84 (24·2%) versus 821 (23·6%) for cases and controls, respectively]. Additionally, there was no difference in a proportion of dyspeptic H. pylori-positive subjects [59 (17·1%) versus 524 (15·1%)] between the case and control groups. Only 59 (17%) among the 347 IgAD patients underwent gastroscopy. A significantly larger proportion of case subjects experienced several forms of gastritis [13 (61·9%) versus 38 (21·6%), P &lt; 0·001), duodenal ulcers [seven (33·3%) versus 19 (10·8%); P = 0·01] and nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH) [two (9·5%) versus none; P = 0·011]. IgAD is not associated with increased prevalence of H. pylori-associated dyspepsia; nevertheless, H. pylori-infected dyspeptic IgAD subjects experience more EGD-proved gastritis, duodenal ulcers and NLH.
Pneumolysin activates neutrophil extracellular trap formation
Authors: Nel J G , Theron A J , Durandt C , Tintinger G R , Pool R , Mitchell T J , Feldman C , Anderson R 
Published: January 2016

Summary
The primary objective of the current study was to investigate the potential of the pneumococcal toxin, pneumolysin (Ply), to activate neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation in vitro. Isolated human blood neutrophils were exposed to recombinant Ply (5-20 ng ml−1) for 30–90 min at 37°C and NET formation measured using the following procedures to detect extracellular DNA: (i) flow cytometry using Vybrant® DyeCycle™ Ruby; (ii) spectrofluorimetry using the fluorophore, Sytox® Orange (5 μM); and (iii) NanoDrop® technology. These procedures were complemented by fluorescence microscopy using 4′, 6-diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) (nuclear stain) in combination with anti-citrullinated histone monoclonal antibodies to visualize nets. Exposure of neutrophils to Ply resulted in relatively rapid (detected within 30–60 min), statistically significant (P &lt; 0·05) dose- and time-related increases in the release of cellular DNA impregnated with both citrullinated histone and myeloperoxidase. Microscopy revealed that NETosis appeared to be restricted to a subpopulation of neutrophils, the numbers of NET-forming cells in the control and Ply-treated systems (10 and 20 ng ml−1) were 4·3 (4·2), 14.3 (9·9) and 16·5 (7·5), respectively (n = 4, P &lt; 0·0001 for comparison of the control with both Ply-treated systems). Ply-induced NETosis occurred in the setting of retention of cell viability, and apparent lack of involvement of reactive oxygen species and Toll-like receptor 4. In conclusion, Ply induces vital NETosis in human neutrophils, a process which may either contribute to host defence or worsen disease severity, depending on the intensity of the inflammatory response during pneumococcal infection.
Complement activation in leprosy: a retrospective study shows elevated circulating terminal complement complex in reactional leprosy
Authors: Bahia El Idrissi N , Hakobyan S , Ramaglia V , Geluk A , Morgan B Paul , Das P Kumar , Baas F 
Published: January 2016

SummaryMycobacterium leprae infection gives rise to the immunologically and histopathologically classified spectrum of leprosy. At present, several tools for the stratification of patients are based on acquired immunity markers. However, the role of innate immunity, particularly the complement system, is largely unexplored. The present retrospective study was undertaken to explore whether the systemic levels of complement activation components and regulators can stratify leprosy patients, particularly in reference to the reactional state of the disease. Serum samples from two cohorts were analysed. The cohort from Bangladesh included multi-bacillary (MB) patients with (n = 12) or without (n = 46) reaction (R) at intake and endemic controls (n = 20). The cohort from Ethiopia included pauci-bacillary (PB) (n = 7) and MB (n = 23) patients without reaction and MB (n = 15) patients with reaction. The results showed that the activation products terminal complement complex (TCC) (P ≤ 0·01), C4d (P ≤ 0·05) and iC3b (P ≤ 0·05) were specifically elevated in Bangladeshi patients with reaction at intake compared to endemic controls. In addition, levels of the regulator clusterin (P ≤ 0·001 without R; P &lt; 0·05 with R) were also elevated in MB patients, irrespective of a reaction. Similar analysis of the Ethiopian cohort confirmed that, irrespective of a reaction, serum TCC levels were increased significantly in patients with reactions compared to patients without reactions (P ≤ 0·05). Our findings suggests that serum TCC levels may prove to be a valuable tool in diagnosing patients at risk of developing reactions.
ERBB‐2 overexpression as a risk factor for malignant phaeochromocytomas and paraganglinomas
Authors: Wang Weiqing , Zhong Xu , Ye Lei , Qi Yan , Su TingWei , Wei Qing , Xie Jing , Jiang Lei , Jiang Yiran , Zhou Weiwei , Cui Bin , Ning Guang 
Published: January 2016

SummaryObjectiveThere are currently no good histological or molecular markers to differentiate benign from malignant phaeochromocytomas and paraganglinomas (PPGLs). Our previous cross‐sectional study observed that ERBB‐2 overexpression was associated with malignant PPGLs. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of ERBB‐2 overexpression for metastasis in PPGLs in a large population.MethodsA total of 262 patients diagnosed as PPGLs in our institution between 2002 and 2012 were included. We analysed ERBB‐2 protein expression in the primary PPGL tumours by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and ERBB‐2 amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Direct Sanger sequencing was performed to examine ERBB‐2 exon 20 mutations. The occurrence of malignant PPGLs was documented in the follow‐up period. Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association between ERBB‐2 overexpression and metastasis of PPGLs.ResultsTwenty‐six (9·9%) patients had ERBB‐2 overexpression in their primary PPGL tumours, which was significantly associated with ERBB‐2 amplification (17/25, 68%). No ERBB‐2 mutation was found. At a median follow‐up of 4·5 years, a total of 23 malignant PPGLs were documented, including eight (30·8%) patients in the ERBB‐2 overexpression group and 15 (6·4%) patients in the ERBB‐2‐negative group. The incidence rate of metastasis was 5·3 per 100 person‐years vs 1·4 per 100 person‐years in the ERBB‐2 overexpression and ERBB‐2‐negative groups (P < 0·001), respectively. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that ERBB‐2 overexpression was associated with decreased metastasis‐free survival (P = 0·001, log‐rank test). After adjusting for primary tumour size and location, Cox regression analysis revealed that ERBB‐2 overexpression was independently associated with risk of malignant PPGLs (HR = 2·78; 95% CI, 1·12–6·90; P = 0·028).ConclusionPatients harbouring tumours with ERBB‐2 overexpression have a significantly higher risk of developing malignant PPGLs.
Truncation and microdeletion of EVC/EVC2 with missense mutation of EFCAB7 in Ellis‐van Creveld syndrome
Authors: Nguyen Tran Quynh Nhu , Saitoh Makiko , Trinh Huu Tung , Doan Nguyen Minh Thien , Mizuno Yoko , Seki Masafumi , Sato Yusuke , Ogawa Seishi , Mizuguchi Masashi 
Published: January 2016

AbstractEllis‐van Creveld syndrome (EvC) is a ciliopathy with cardiac anomalies, disproportionate short stature, polydactyly, dystrophic nails and oral defects. To obtain further insight into the genetics of EvC, we screened EVC/EVC2 mutations in eight Vietnamese EvC patients. All the patients had a congenital heart defect with atypical oral and/or skeletal abnormalities. One had compound heterozygous EVC2 mutations: a novel mutation c.769G > T‐p.E177X in exon 6 inherited from father and another previously reported c.2476C > T‐p.R826X mutation in exon 14 inherited from mother. The EVC2 mRNA expression level was significantly lower in the patient and her parents compared to controls. Another case had a novel heterozygous EVC mutation (c.1717C > G‐p.S572X) in exon 12, inherited from his father. Of note, the mother without any EVC mutation on Sanger sequencing showed a lower expression level of EVC mRNA compared with controls. SNP array analysis revealed that the patient and mother had a heterozygous 16.4 kb deletion in EVC. This patient also had a heterozygous novel variant in exon 9 of EFCAB7 (c.1171 T > C‐p.Y391H), inherited from his father. The atypical cardiac phenotype of this patient and the father suggested that EFCAB7 may modify the phenotype by interacting with EVC. In conclusion, we detected two novel nonsense mutations and a partial deletion of EVC/EVC2 in two Vietnamese families with EvC. Moreover, we found in one family a missense mutation of EFCAB7, a possible modifier gene in EvC and its related disorders.
Predicting Visual Perception of Material Structure in Virtual Environments
Authors: Filip J. , Vávra R. , Havlíček M. , Krupička M. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractOne of the most accurate yet still practical representation of material appearance is the Bidirectional Texture Function (BTF). The BTF can be viewed as an extension of Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) for additional spatial information that includes local visual effects such as shadowing, interreflection, subsurface‐scattering, etc. However, the shift from BRDF to BTF represents not only a huge leap in respect to the realism of material reproduction, but also related high memory and computational costs stemming from the storage and processing of massive BTF data. In this work, we argue that each opaque material, regardless of its surface structure, can be safely substituted by a BRDF without the introduction of a significant perceptual error when viewed from an appropriate distance. Therefore, we ran a set of psychophysical studies over 25 materials to determine so‐called critical viewing distances, i.e. the minimal distances at which the material spatial structure (texture) cannot be visually discerned. Our analysis determined such typical distances typical for several material categories often used in interior design applications. Furthermore, we propose a combination of computational features that can predict such distances without the need for a psychophysical study. We show that our work can significantly reduce rendering costs in applications that process complex virtual scenes.
Accurate and Efficient Computation of Laplacian Spectral Distances and Kernels
Authors: Patané Giuseppe 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThis paper introduces the Laplacian spectral distances, as a function that resembles the usual distance map, but exhibits properties (e.g. smoothness, locality, invariance to shape transformations) that make them useful to processing and analysing geometric data. Spectral distances are easily defined through a filtering of the Laplacian eigenpairs and reduce to the heat diffusion, wave, biharmonic and commute‐time distances for specific filters. In particular, the smoothness of the spectral distances and the encoding of local and global shape properties depend on the convergence of the filtered eigenvalues to zero. Instead of applying a truncated spectral approximation or prolongation operators, we propose a computation of Laplacian distances and kernels through the solution of sparse linear systems. Our approach is free of user‐defined parameters, overcomes the evaluation of the Laplacian spectrum and guarantees a higher approximation accuracy than previous work.
Towards Globally Optimal Normal Orientations for Large Point Clouds
Authors: Schertler Nico , Savchynskyy Bogdan , Gumhold Stefan 
Published: January 2016

AbstractVarious processing algorithms on point set surfaces rely on consistently oriented normals (e.g. Poisson surface reconstruction). While several approaches exist for the calculation of normal directions, in most cases, their orientation has to be determined in a subsequent step. This paper generalizes propagation‐based approaches by reformulating the task as a graph‐based energy minimization problem. By applying global solvers, we can achieve more consistent orientations than simple greedy optimizations. Furthermore, we present a streaming‐based framework for orienting large point clouds. This framework orients patches locally and generates a globally consistent patch orientation on a reduced neighbour graph, which achieves similar quality to orienting the full graph.
Phylogenetic analysis of RAD‐seq data: examining the influence of gene genealogy conflict on analysis of concatenated data
Authors: Rivers David M. , Darwell Clive T. , Althoff David M. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractOne of the major issues in phylogenetic analysis is that gene genealogies from different gene regions may not reflect the true species tree or history of speciation. This has led to considerable debate about whether concatenation of loci is the best approach for phylogenetic analysis. The application of Next‐generation sequencing techniques such as RAD‐seq generates thousands of relatively short sequence reads from across the genomes of the sampled taxa. These data sets are typically concatenated for phylogenetic analysis leading to data sets that contain millions of base pairs per taxon. The influence of gene region conflict among so many loci in determining the phylogenetic relationships among taxa is unclear. We simulated RAD‐seq data by sampling 100 and 500 base pairs from alignments of over 6000 coding regions that each produce one of three highly supported alternative phylogenies of seven species of Drosophila. We conducted phylogenetic analyses on different sets of these regions to vary the sampling of loci with alternative gene trees to examine the effect on detecting the species tree. Irrespective of sequence length sampled per region and which subset of regions was used, phylogenetic analyses of the concatenated data always recovered the species tree. The results suggest that concatenated alignments of Next‐generation data that consist of many short sequences are robust to gene tree/species tree conflict when the goal is to determine the phylogenetic relationships among taxa.
Loading protocols and implant supported restorations proposed for the rehabilitation of partially and fully edentulous jaws. Camlog Foundation Consensus Report
Authors: Schwarz Frank , Sanz‐Martín Ignacio , Kern Jaana‐Sophia , Taylor Thomas , Schaer Alex , Wolfart Stefan , Sanz Mariano 
Published: January 2016

AbstractObjectivesThe aim of this consensus meeting was to assess whether immediate loading protocols achieve comparable clinical outcomes when compared to conventional loading protocols depending on the type of prosthetic restoration. In addition post‐loading implant loss for implant supported prostheses in edentulous jaws was analyzed regarding a potential impact of implant location (maxilla vs. mandible), implant number per patient, type of prosthesis (removable vs. fixed), and type of attachment system (screw‐retained, ball vs. bar vs. telescopic crown).Material and methodsTwo comprehensive systematic reviews were prepared in advance of the meeting. Consensus statements, practical recommendations, and implications for future research were based on within group as well as plenary scrutinization and discussions of these systematic reviews.ResultsThe survival rates are high for immediate loaded and conventional loaded implants, but immediate loading may impose a greater risk for implant failure. The estimated implant loss rate is influenced by the implant location, type of restoration, and implant number.ConclusionsConsistent reporting of clinical studies is necessary and high‐quality studies are needed to confirm the present results.
Effect of poly (lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA)‐coated beta‐tricalcium phosphate on the healing of rat calvarial bone defects: a comparative study with pure‐phase beta‐tricalcium phosphate
Authors: Bizenjima Takahiro , Takeuchi Takahiro , Seshima Fumi , Saito Atsushi 
Published: January 2016

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate the effect of poly (lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA)‐coated β‐tricalcium phosphate (TCP) as a scaffold on bone regeneration in rat calvaria.Material and MethodsBilateral critical‐sized defects were created in the calvaria of 20 Sprague Dawley rats. Defects of each rat were filled with pure‐phase β‐TCP or PLGA/β‐TCP, or left as unfilled control. The healing was evaluated by micro‐computed tomography, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses. Tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining was also performed to assess the resorption activity.ResultsAt 4 weeks, ingrowth of cells from the surrounding tissue into the β‐TCP and PLGA/β‐TCP biomaterials were observed in the defect area, and new bone formation had started. At 6 weeks, the value for defect closure in the β‐TCP group was significantly greater than that in the unfilled control (P < 0.01). A significantly greater level of new bone formation was found in the β‐TCP group (P < 0.01) and PLGA/β‐TCP group (P < 0.05) than that in the control group, while no significant difference was found between the β‐TCP and PLGA/β‐TCP groups. At both time points, the height of new tissue/biomaterial in the central third of the defect was significantly increased when the β‐TCP or PLGA/β‐TCP was used. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen ‐positive cells were observed around and inside the β‐TCP or PLGA/β‐TCP, and TRAP‐positive cells were found at the surface of the biomaterials, suggesting that remodeling was occurring.ConclusionThe application of PLGA‐coated β‐TCP could promote bone regeneration to similar extent as the β‐TCP biomaterial in this in vivo model.