bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictivity of Nonclinical Male Reproductive Findings for Human Effects
Authors: Scialli Anthony R. , Clark Richard V. , Chapin Robert E. 
Published: September 2017

BackgroundTesting of pharmaceutical products for reproductive toxicity in male laboratory animals is required for registration.MethodsWe evaluated whether the results of studies showing male reproductive toxicity in experimental animals was predictive of reproductive effects in men participating in clinical trials. We surveyed companies for information on pharmaceutical candidates that had shown male reproductive toxicity in nonclinical studies for which there was information on male reproductive effects in clinical trials.ResultsAmong 12 pharmaceutical candidates submitted by five companies, only one compound that had shown male reproductive toxicity in experimental animals also demonstrated reproductive toxicity in men.ConclusionIn this sample of compounds, nonclinical studies appeared to over‐predict reproductive toxicity in men. We identified possible reasons for the apparent lack of predictivity of the experimental animal studies. Birth Defects Research 110:17–26, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Epidemiology and Prognosis of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: A Population‐Based Cohort Study in Utah
Authors: Shanmugam Hari , Brunelli Luca , Botto Lorenzo D. , Krikov Sergey , Feldkamp Marcia L. 
Published: September 2017

BackgroundCongenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a relatively frequent and severe malformation. Population‐based data on clinical presentation and associated mortality are scarce. We examined a state‐wide cohort of infants with a clinically validated diagnosis of CDH to assess their clinical profile, sociodemographic patterns, and infant mortality.MethodsWe identified CDH cases from Utah's statewide population‐based surveillance program among the cohort of all pregnancy outcomes (live births, stillbirths, and pregnancy terminations) delivered from 1999 to 2011. Clinical geneticists reviewed all cases and classified them based on etiology (known, unknown), and whether they were isolated, multiple (additional unrelated major malformations or unique minor malformation), or syndromic (genetic, chromosomal).ResultsCDH occurred in 1 in 3156 births (227/718,990, or 3.17 per 10,000), with no time trend during the 13 years (p = 0.85). CDH was much more common in males (male to female ratio, 1.72:1; p < 0.01). Clinically, 64% of the cases were isolated, 23% were multiples, and 13% were syndromic. Most cases were live born (90%), with fewer stillbirths (7%) and pregnancy terminations (3%). Overall infant mortality was 32.5%, and varied considerably by underlying etiology (isolated 21%; multiple 44%; syndromic 82%). Prognosis was related to specific clinical findings within each etiologic group (e.g., prematurity, low Apgar score, and intrathoracic liver).ConclusionThis information on specific clinical and etiologic factors associated with prognosis can help clinicians and parents in the complex discussions about care planning and management that often occur in a crisis situation, following the diagnosis of CDH, whether prior or after delivery. Birth Defects Research 109:1451–1459, 2017.© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon) Seed Extract Consumption during Lactation Improved Vasodilation and Attenuated the Development of Hypertension in Female Offspring of Fructose‐Fed Pregnant Rats
Authors: Uson‐Lopez Rachael A. , Kataoka Saori , Mukai Yuuka , Sato Shin , Kurasaki Masaaki 
Published: September 2017

BackgroundFructose intake has been correlated with increased prevalence of metabolic disorders including hypertension. In pregnant rats, fructose intake has been reported to have adverse effects on the health of its offspring. This study investigated the effects of gestational maternal fructose consumption and if supplementation with melinjo seed extracts to the maternal diet during lactation could benefit the offspring in later life.MethodsPregnant rats were randomly divided into three groups: untreated (CC), fructose‐treated (FC), and fructose and melinjo‐treated (FM). FC and FM groups received 100 g/L of D(‐)‐fructose solution by means of the drinking water during gestation while CC received normal drinking water. During lactation, CC and FC groups were given standard commercial laboratory diet, while the FM group was given commercial laboratory diet with 0.1% melinjo seed extracts. After weaning, the offspring were given normal drinking water and standard commercial diet until week 17. The blood pressure of the offspring was monitored until the 16th week. During week 17, the offspring were killed, and the kidneys were collected and analyzed.ResultsThe level of renal phosphorylated AMP‐activated protein kinase (pAMPK) in FM of 17‐week female offspring was significantly higher compared with FC and CC groups. Maternal fructose intake down‐regulated the renal endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthetase expression in FC and maternal melinjo seed extract consumption maintained renal endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthetase expression in FM of 17‐week female offspring. In addition, maternal melinjo seed extract intake during lactation lowered the systolic blood pressure in FM of 17‐week female offspring.ConclusionFemale offspring were more vulnerable to the effects of placental fructose and melinjo seed extracts, suggesting sex‐specific sensitivities. In summary, our data show that melinjo seed extract consumption during lactation improved vasodilation and attenuated the development of hypertension in the 17‐week female offspring of fructose‐fed pregnant rats. Birth Defects Research 110:27–34, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Potentiostatic/Galvanostatic Study and Theoretical Description of Polypyrrole Film Electrodes: A Model of the Intracellular Matrix of Ectothermic Muscle Cells
Authors: Beaumont Samuel , Otero Toribio F. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractPolypyrrole film electrodes are composed of macromolecular electrochemical machines, ions and water. They are considered here as a model of the intracellular matrix of ectothermic muscle cells. The oxidation/reduction responses to the working temperature in aqueous solutions were investigated herein by potential and current steps. Under potentiostatic conditions, rising temperatures stimulate deeper conformational movements of the polymeric chains leading to the exchange of more ions increasing the consumed charge, with the effect that the reaction charge responds and senses the working temperature. Under galvanostatic conditions and higher environmental thermal energies the material potential evolves at lower values during reactions consuming lower electrical energies. At any reaction time, both the consumed reaction energy and the material potential sense the working thermal conditions. Reactions involving molecular machines sense and respond to the working temperature. Similarities with energetic consumptions and sensing responses from muscles in cold‐blooded animals are discussed. A theoretical description is proposed.
Size‐Dependent Reactivity of Nano‐Sized Neutral Manganese Oxide Clusters toward Ethylene
Authors: Chen Jiao‐Jiao , Zhang Ting , Zhang Mei‐Qi , Liu Qing‐Yu , Li Xiao‐Na , He Sheng‐Gui 
Published: September 2017

AbstractNeutral manganese oxide clusters with the general composition Mn2 NO3 N+x (N=2–22; x=−1, 0, 1) with dimensions up to a nanosize were prepared by laser ablation and reacted with C2H4 in a fast flow reactor. The size‐dependent reactivity of C2H4 adsorption on these clusters was experimentally identified and the adsorption reactivity decreases generally with an increase of the cluster size. Density functional theory calculations were performed to study the geometrical and electronic structures of the Mn2 NO3 N (N=1–6) clusters. The calculated results indicated that the coordination number and the charge distribution of the metal centers are responsible for the experimentally observed size‐dependent reactivity. The highly charged Mn atoms with low coordination are preferential to adsorb C2H4. In contrast, the neutral manganese oxide clusters are completely inert toward the saturated hydrocarbon molecule C2H6. This work provides new perspectives to design related materials in the separation of hydrocarbon molecules.
A Systematic Approach towards Synthesis and Design of Pervaporation‐Assisted Separation Processes
Authors: Scharzec Bettina , Waltermann Thomas , Skiborowski Mirko 
Published: September 2017

AbstractWhile membrane processes like pervaporation are considered as key technology towards more sustainable separation processes, they are rarely considered in conceptual design. In order to enable an identification of promising applications, the current article proposes a systematic approach that covers the synthesis of pervaporation‐assisted process variants and promotes the use of optimization‐based methods for process analysis. It seeks to minimize and guide necessary experiments and includes competitive reference processes as well as further means for process intensification in the evaluation.
Water Dynamics and Proton‐Transport Mechanisms of Nafion 117/Phosphotungstic Acid Composite Membrane: A Molecular Dynamics Study
Authors: Akbari Saeed , Mosavian Mohammad Taghi Hamed , Ahmadpour Ali , Moosavi Fatemeh 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe use of a Nafion/phosphotungstic acid composite membrane and the impact of varying concentration of heteropoly acid (HPA) on the well‐known effective mechanisms of proton transport were investigated by using classical and quantum hopping molecular dynamics simulation. Our simulations demonstrated that the HPA particles have a favorable influence on the Grotthuss mechanism in proton transportation at low hydration levels. From radial distribution function examinations, it was found that HPA particles were solvated with water and also exhibited stronger affinity toward hydronium ions. It can be concluded that addition of hydrophilic particles such as HPA improved proton conductivity. To assess this effectiveness, lifetime and half‐life of the hydrogen bond (H‐bond) network in the formed water clusters were investigated at different HPA concentrations. The analysis of H‐bond network stability revealed that the lifetime of H‐bonds between water molecules and protons decreased with increasing HPA concentration. Moreover, we found that the H‐bond network between water molecules was more stable, and the mismatch between simulated bulk water and those formed water clusters in the considered systems decreased upon HPA addition. Indeed, for HPA doped membrane, the activation energy of proton transfer process from a hydronium ion to a water molecule was lower than for the undoped system. The water diffusion coefficient decreased and that of the hydronium ion enhanced with an increase in HPA doping level.
Serum‐free human MSC medium supports consistency in human but not in equine adipose‐derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell culture
Authors: Schubert Susanna , Brehm Walter , Hillmann Aline , Burk Janina 
Published: September 2017

AbstractFor clinical applications of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), serum‐free culture is preferable to standardize cell products and prevent contamination with pathogens. In contrast to human MSCs, knowledge on serum‐free culture of large animal MSCs is limited, despite its relevance for preclinical studies and development of veterinary cellular therapeutics. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of a commercially available serum‐free human MSC medium for culturing equine adipose‐derived MSCs in comparison with human adipose MSCs. Enzyme‐free isolation by explant technique and expansion of equine and human cells in the serum‐free medium were feasible. However, serum‐free culture altered the morphology and complicated handling of equine MSCs, with cell aggregation and spontaneous detachment of multilayers, compared to culture in standard medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum. Furthermore, proliferation and the surface immunophenotype of equine cells were more variable compared to the controls and appeared to depend on the lot of the serum‐free medium. Particularly the expression of CD90 was different between experimental groups (P < 0.05), with lower percentages of CD90+ cells found in equine MSC samples cultured in serum‐free medium (5.21–83.40%) compared to standard medium (86.20–99.50%). Additionally, small subpopulations expressing MSC exclusion markers such as CD14 (0.28–11.60%), CD34 (0.00–9.87%), CD45 (0.35–10.50%), or MHCII (0.00–3.67%) were found in equine samples after serum‐free culture. In contrast, human samples displayed a more consistent morphology and a consistent CD29+ (98.60–99.90%), CD73+ (94.60–98.40%), CD90+ (99.60–99.90%), and CD105+ (97.40–99.80%) immunophenotype after culture in serum‐free medium. The obtained data demonstrate that the serum‐free medium was suitable for human MSC culture but did not lead to entirely satisfactory results in equine MSCs. This underlines that requirements regarding serum‐free culture conditions are species‐specific, indicating a need for serum‐free media to be optimized for MSCs from relevant animal species. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Utilizing gradient simulations for quantifying community‐level resistance and resilience
Authors: Lamothe Karl A. , Jackson Donald A. , Somers Keith M. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractResilience is a complex, multidimensional property of ecosystems that describes how ecosystems respond to disturbance and likely results from the interactions of species and their environments across temporal and spatial scales. Due to the complexity in how ecosystems function and respond to disturbance, measuring resilience is a challenge. Gradient analysis provides a familiar, yet somewhat neglected framework for understanding and characterizing resilience. With simulations parameterized on existing biomonitoring data, we used distance‐based measures in ordination space to characterize community‐level resilience, here defined as a function of resistance and recovery. Our simulations and analyses involved five steps: (1) We generated regional species pools by simulating species distributions across environmental gradients; (2) we sampled from these regional species pools to emulate temporal changes in reference (i.e., minimally disturbed) and impacted communities responding to disturbance; (3) we performed ordinations on observations from both impacted and reference communities to summarize multivariate data; (4) we calculated distance‐based measures for individual community trajectories in the ordinations to quantify their relative resistance and resilience; and (5) we compared these distance‐based metrics between reference and impacted communities. We conclude with an empirical example demonstrating the lack of resistance of the Harp Lake (Ontario, Canada) zooplankton community to invasion relative to the changes observed among minimally disturbed reference communities. Overall, distance measures on ordinations provide a simple and effective visual framework to quantify the relative resistance and resilience of communities to disturbance, and our simulation approach provides a novel technique to develop and evaluate quantitative metrics related to ecosystem or community‐level processes.
An animal model of deep brain stimulation for treating tinnitus: A proof of concept study
Authors: Ahsan Syed F. , Luo Hao , Zhang Jinsheng , Kim Eric , Xu Yong 
Published: September 2017

ObjectiveThis proof‐of‐concept study aimed to demonstrate therapeutic effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on noise‐induced tinnitus.Study DesignExperimental animal study.MethodsAfter Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval, nine adult rats were implanted in the caudate nucleus with custom‐made electrode array. The rats were exposed to noise to induce tinnitus. Auditory brainstem response was performed to evaluate hearing threshold changes. Noise‐induced tinnitus and its suppression by DBS were evaluated using the gap‐detection acoustic startle reflex behavioral paradigm and electrophysiological evaluation of modulatory effects on neural correlates of tinnitus. Various stimulation parameters were used to determine the most effective ones in affecting behavioral changes, along with corresponding neural activity in the caudate nucleus. The correlation between the caudate nucleus and auditory cortex also was determined. Analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction was performed to examine DBS‐induced effects on behavioral evidence of tinnitus.ResultsBursting activity, a neural marker of tinnitus, was noted to decrease compared to baseline in tinnitus (+) animals. After stimulation, spontaneous and bursting activity increased in the tinnitus (+) animals but decreased in the tinnitus (−) animals. Behavioral data suggested suppression of tinnitus after DBS. These effects lasted up to 5 days. To our knowledge, this is the first development of an animal model to test deep brain stimulation of the caudate region for the treatment of tinnitus.ConclusionsDeep brain stimulation of the caudate nucleus can modulate tinnitus in a rat model of tinnitus.Level of EvidenceNA. Laryngoscope, 128:1213–1222, 2018
Reliability of urinary cytology and cystoscopy for the screening and diagnosis of bladder cancer in patients with neurogenic bladder: A systematic review
Authors: Alimi Quentin , Hascoet Juliette , Manunta Andrea , Kammerer‐Jacquet Solène‐Florence , Verhoest Grégory , Brochard Charlène , Freton Lucas , Kerdraon Jacques , Senal Nelly , Siproudhis Laurent , Rioux‐Leclercq Nathalie , Brucker Benjamin , Gamé Xavier , Peyronnet Benoit 
Published: September 2017

AimsTo assess the reliability of urinary cytology and cystoscopy to screen and diagnose bladder cancer in patients with NB.Patients and MethodsA systematic literature search of the Medline and Embase databases was performed in April 2017. Data extraction was performed by two independent reviewers. A narrative synthesis was made.ResultsOut of 220 records assessed, 15 were included in this systematic review. All studies were prospective or retrospective series with no control group. Cystoscopy allowed the detection of asymptomatic bladder cancer in 0‐10 patients, with a screening sensitivity (available in only one study) of 0%, a screening specificity ranging from 65% to 90%, and a yield in detecting asymptomatic bladder cancer of 0% in all series where it could be calculated. Urinary cytology allowed the detection of bladder cancer in asymptomatic patients in 0‐12 patients, with a screening sensitivity of 71%, a screening specificity ranging from 92% to 97% and a yield ranging from 0% to 1.25%. Sensitivity of cystoscopy for diagnosis of bladder cancer ranged from 27% to 81% and specificity was 54% in the only study where it could be calculated. Sensitivity of urinary cytology for diagnosis of bladder cancer was 0‐72% and specificity was 100%.ConclusionThere is currently insufficient data to support formal recommendations of using both tools in the screening of bladder cancer in patients with neurogenic bladder. Urinary cytology outperformed cystoscopy for screening and might be the best tool currently available.
Salvage rates and prognostic factors after relapse in children and adolescents with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors
Authors: Bergamaschi Luca , Bisogno Gianni , Manzitti Carla , D'Angelo Paolo , Milano Giuseppe Maria , Scagnellato Angela , Cappelletti Mirko , Chiaravalli Stefano , Dall'Igna Patrizia , Alaggio Rita , Ruggiero Antonio , Di Martino Martina , Affinita Maria Carmen , Pierobon Marta , Garaventa Alberto , Casanova Michela , Ferrari Andrea 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundMalignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is one of the most common nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas encountered in pediatric age, and it is generally characterized by poor outcome, particularly for relapsing patients.Materials and methodsThis study considered 73 patients <21 years of age with relapsing MPNST observed among 120 patients enrolled in Italian pediatric protocols from 1979 to 2004. With the aim of possibly establishing a risk‐adapted stratification, patients’ outcome was examined using univariate and multivariate analysis based on clinical features at onset, first‐line treatments, clinical findings at the time of first relapse, and second‐line treatments.ResultsThe time to relapse ranged from 1 to 204 months after first diagnosis (median 7 months). The first relapse event was mainly local. At the time of our analysis, nine patients were alive in remission. The median overall survival after first relapse was 11 months, and the survival rates were 39.2% at 1 year and 15.8% at 5 years. The factors revealing the greatest impact on prognosis were as follows: initial tumor invasiveness, time of relapse, and achievement of a secondary complete remission (which was related to the feasibility of radical surgery).ConclusionsOur study confirmed the unsatisfactory prognosis for pediatric patients with relapsing MPNST and pointed to a risk‐adapted stratification model for the purposes of deciding second‐line treatments. For the time being, an aggressive surgical approach seems to be the only effective salvage treatment and should be recommended. New therapeutic approaches are under evaluation with a view to improving current outcomes.
Therapeutic plasma exchange for a case of refractory opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome
Authors: Greensher Jocelyn E. , Louie James , Fish Jonathan D. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractOpsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome (OMAS) can be refractory to standard therapies and devastating. Alternative treatments are imperative. A 14‐month‐old male diagnosed with neuroblastoma and paraneoplastic OMAS achieved complete cancer remission with chemotherapy. The OMAS, however, persisted over the subsequent 4 years despite numerous immune‐modulatory and immunosuppressive therapies. The patient ultimately achieved complete remission following therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) combined with rituximab and intravenous immunoglobulin. After three asymptomatic years, he relapsed. Upon reintroducing TPE and rituximab plus oral prednisolone, the patient rapidly achieved a second complete remission. This case offers proof‐of‐principle for the potential efficacy of TPE for neuroblastoma‐associated OMAS.