bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification of the G protein‐coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) in human prostate: expression site of the estrogen receptor in the benign and neoplastic gland
Authors: Rago V. , Romeo F. , Giordano F. , Ferraro A. , Carpino A. 
Published: December 2015

SummaryEstrogens are involved in growth, differentiation and pathogenesis of human prostate through the mediation of the classical estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ. The G protein‐coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is a ‘novel’ mediator of estrogen signaling which has been recently recognized in some human reproductive tissues, but its expression in the prostate gland is still unknown. Here, we investigated GPER in benign (from 5 patients) and neoplastic prostatic tissues (from 50 patients) by immunohistochemical analysis and Western blotting. Normal areas of benign prostates revealed a strong GPER immunoreactivity in the basal epithelial cells while luminal epithelial cells were unreactive and stromal cells were weakly immunostained. GPER was also immunolocalized in adenocarcinoma samples but the immunoreactivity of tumoral areas decreased from Gleason pattern 2 to Gleason pattern 4. Furthermore, a strong GPER immunostaining was also revealed in cells of pre‐neoplastic lesions (high‐grade prostatic intra‐epithelial neoplasia). Western blot analysis of benign and tumor protein extracts showed the presence of a ~42 kDa band, consistent with the GPER molecular weight. An increase in both pAkt and p cAMP‐response‐binding protein (pCREB) levels was also observed in poorly differentiated PCa samples. Finally, this work identified GPER in the epithelial basal cells of benign human prostate, with a different localization with respect to the classical estrogen receptors. Furthermore, the expression of GPER in prostatic adenocarcinoma cells was also observed but with a modulation of the immunoreactivity according to tumor cell arrangements.
Long‐term survival in women with borderline ovarian tumors: a population‐based survey of borderline ovarian tumors in Sweden 1960–2007
Authors: Kalapotharakos Grigorios , Högberg Thomas , Bergfeldt Kjell , Borgfeldt Christer 
Published: December 2015

AbstractIntroductionWe conducted an evaluation of incidence and survival of women with borderline ovarian tumors in Sweden.Material and methodsAll women diagnosed with borderline ovarian tumor in the Swedish Cancer Register 1960–2007 (n = 6252) combined with follow up in the Swedish Death Registry to 1 July 2009 were included. Estimation of age‐standardized relative survival rate according to time periods for diagnosis.ResultsThe incidence of borderline ovarian tumors increased during the study period, with a steep increase during the 1980s. The age standardized 5‐year relative survival including all borderline tumors diagnosed 2000–07 was 97% (95% CI 92–99%). In women aged ≤64 years, the 10‐year relative survival related to age at diagnosis of borderline tumors ranged from 95 to 98% and was 89% in women aged 65–74 years. In a multivariable analysis including age and decade of diagnosis relative survival for every decade increased. The 10‐year relative survival in women with mucinous and serous borderline tumors did not differ significantly (p = 0.121).ConclusionsResults of the present study are reassuring about long‐term survival in women with borderline ovarian tumors. The age‐standardized relative survival rate increased across time periods for diagnosis. There was no difference in long‐term survival between mucinous and serous borderline ovarian tumors.
Improvement of plasma adiponectin, leptin and C‐reactive protein concentrations by orlistat: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Derosa Giuseppe , Maffioli Pamela , Sahebkar Amirhossein 
Published: December 2015

AimsTo conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis of relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to ascertain the effect size of orlistat in modulating plasma levels of adipokines, ghrelin and C‐reactive protein (CRP).MethodsMedline, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were searched. A random‐effects model and the generic inverse variance method were used for quantitative data synthesis. Heterogeneity was quantitatively assessed using I2 index. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using the one‐study remove approach. Random‐effects meta‐regression was performed using unrestricted maximum likelihood method to evaluate the impact of duration of treatment, percentage change in body mass index (BMI) and baseline BMI values as potential confounders of the estimated effect size.ResultsMeta‐analysis suggested a significant increase in plasma levels of adiponectin [weighted mean difference (WMD): 19.18%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.80, 32.57, p = 0.005] and significant reductions in plasma levels of leptin (WMD: −13.24%, 95% CI: −20.69, −5.78, p = 0.001) and CRP (WMD: −11.52%, 95% CI: −16.55, −6.49, p < 0.001) following treatment with orlistat. In meta‐regression, changes in plasma concentrations of adiponectin, leptin and CRP were associated with duration of treatment, but not with either change in BMI or baseline BMI values.ConclusionOrlistat is effective in increasing plasma concentrations of adiponectin and decreasing those of leptin and CRP.
Macro‐ and micro‐sedimentology of a modern melt‐out till – Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, USA
Authors: Larson Grahame J. , Menzies John , Lawson Daniel E. , Evenson Edward B. , Hopkins Nathan R. 
Published: December 2015

The macro‐ and micro‐sedimentology of a supraglacial melt‐out till forming at the Matanuska Glacier was examined in relationship to the properties of the stratified basal zone ice and debris from which it is originating. In situ melting of the basal ice has produced a laminated to bedded diamicton consisting mainly of silt. Macroscopic properties include: discontinuous laminae and beds; lenses of sand, silt aggregates and open‐work gravel; deformed and elongate clasts of clay; widely dispersed pebbles and cobbles, those that are prolate usually with their long axes subparallel to parallel to the bedding. Evidence for deformation is absent except for localized bending of beds over or under rock clasts. Microscopic properties are a unique element of this work and include: discontinuous lineations; silt to granule size laminae; prolate coarse sand and rock fragments commonly with their long axis subparallel to bedding; subangular to subrounded irregular shaped clay clasts often appearing as bands; sorted and unsorted silt to granule size horizons, sometimes disrupted by pore‐water pathways. Limited deformation occurs around rock clasts and thicker parts of lamina. This study shows that in situ melting of debris‐rich basal ice can produce a laminated and bedded diamicton that inherits and thereby preserves stratified basal ice properties. Production and preservation of supraglacial melt‐out till require in situ melting of a stagnant, debris‐rich basal ice source with a low relief surface that becomes buried by a thick, stable, insulating cover of ice‐marginal sediment. Also required are a slow melt rate and adequate drainage to minimize pore‐water pressures in the till and overlying sediment cover to maintain stability and uninterrupted deposition. Many modern and ancient hummocky moraines down glacier of subglacial overdeepenings probably meet these process criteria and their common occurrence suggests that both modern and pre‐modern supraglacial melt‐out tills may be more common than previously thought.
Glacial landscape evolution in the Uummannaq region, West Greenland
Authors: Lane Timothy P. , Roberts David H. , Ó Cofaigh Colm , Rea Brice R. , Vieli Andreas 
Published: December 2015

The Uummannaq region is a mosaic of glacial landsystems, consistent with hypothesized landscape distribution resulting from variations in subglacial thermal regime. The region is dominated by selective linear erosion that has spatially and altitudinally partitioned the landscape. Low altitude areas are dominated by glacial scour and higher elevations are dominated by plateaux or mountain valley and cirque glaciers. The appearance and nature of each landscape type varies locally with altitude and latitude, as a function of bedrock geology and average glacial conditions. Selective linear erosion has been a primary control on landscape distribution throughout Uummannaq, leading to plateau formation and the growth of a coalescent fjord system in the Uummannaq region. This has allowed the development of the Uummannaq ice stream's (UIS) onset zone during glacial periods. Fjord development has been enhanced by a downstream change in geology to less‐resistant lithologies, increasing erosional efficiency and allowing a single glacial channel to develop, encouraging glacier convergence and the initiation of ice streaming. The landscape has been affected by several periods of regional uplift from 33 Ma to present, and has been subject to subsequent fluvial and glacial erosion. Uplift has removed surfaces from the impact of widespread warm‐based glaciation, leaving them as relict landsurfaces. The result of this is a regional altitude‐dependent continuum of glacial modification, with extreme differences in erosion between high and low elevation surfaces. This study indicates that processes of long‐term uplift, glacial erosion/protection and spatial variability in erosion intensity have produced a highly partitioned landscape.
Late Quaternary loess deposition in the southern Chaiwopu Basin of the northern Chinese Tian Shan foreland and its palaeoclimatic implications
Authors: Lu Honghua , Xu Yidi , Niu Ying , Wang Zhen , Wang Hui , Zhao Junxiang , Zhang Weiguo , Zheng Xiangmin 
Published: December 2015

The piedmont aeolian sediment in Central Asia is has been widely used for Quaternary palaeoclimatic reconstructions. Here we present detailed sedimentological and rock magnetic investigations on 188 samples from the ~9.4‐m‐thick Urumqi River section (URS) in the southern Chaiwopu Basin of the northern Chinese Tian Shan foreland. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating constrains the time‐span of the URS loess sedimentation from c. 28 to c. 6.8 ka. This chronology implies that the onset of the URS loess sedimentation is approximately synchronous with the Shangwangfeng Glaciation (MIS 2) in the headwaters of the Urumqi River. Analyses of sediment grain size and rock magnetic parameters indicate that sediment grain‐size composition controls magnetic properties of the URS loess, i.e. the wind intensity model, distinct from the pedogenic model interpreting the variations in magnetic properties of the loess in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Overall, the variations in sediment grain size and magnetic properties throughout the URS indicate that the present study area was dominated by a climate of strengthened wind associated with gradually intensified aridity during the latest Pleistocene. In contrast, the intensity of aridity and coldness during the early Holocene gradually became relatively weakened.
Models of the rapid post‐rift subsidence in the eastern Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea: implications for the development of the deep thermal anomaly
Authors: Shi Xiaobin , Jiang Haiyan , Yang Jun , Yang Xiaoqiu , Xu Hehua 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe Qiongdongnan Basin is one of the largest Cenozoic rifted basins on the northern passive margin of the South China Sea. It is well known that since the Late Miocene, approximately 10 Ma after the end of the syn‐rift phase, this basin has exhibited rapid thermal subsidence. However, detailed analysis reveals a two‐stage anomalous subsidence feature of the syn‐rift subsidence deficit and the well‐known rapid post‐rift subsidence after 10.5 Ma. Heat‐flow data show that heat flow in the central depression zone is 70–105 mW m−2, considerably higher than the heat flow (<70 mW m−2) on the northern shelf. In particular, there is a NE‐trending high heat‐flow zone of >85 mW m−2 in the eastern basin. We used a numerical model of coupled geothermal processes, lithosphere thinning and depositional processes to analyse the origin of the anomalous subsidence pattern. Numerical analysis of different cases shows that the stretching factor βs based on syn‐rift sequences is less than the observed crustal stretching factor βc, and if the lithosphere is thinned with βc during the syn‐rift phase (before 21 Ma), the present basement depth can be predicted fairly accurately. Further analysis does not support crustal thinning after 21 Ma, which indicates that the syn‐rift subsidence is in deficit compared with the predicted subsidence with the crustal stretching factor βc. The observed high heat flow in the central depression zone is caused by the heating of magmatic injection equivalently at approximately 3–5 Ma, which affected the eastern basin more than the western basin, and the Neogene magmatism might be fed by the deep thermal anomaly. Our results suggest that the causes of the syn‐rift subsidence deficit and rapid post‐rift subsidence might be related. The syn‐rift subsidence deficit might be caused by the dynamic support of the influx of warmer asthenosphere material and a small‐scale thermal upwelling beneath the study area, which might have been persisting for about 10 Ma during the early post‐rift phase, and the post‐rift rapid subsidence might be the result of losing the dynamic support with the decaying or moving away of the deep thermal source, and the rapid cooling of the asthenosphere. We concluded that the excess post‐rift subsidence occurs to compensate for the syn‐rift subsidence deficit, and the deep thermal anomaly might have affected the eastern Qiongdongnan Basin since the Late Oligocene.
Nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis secondary to an activating mutation in the arginine vasopressin receptor AVPR2
Authors: Powlson Andrew S. , Challis Benjamin G. , Halsall David J. , Schoenmakers Erik , Gurnell Mark 
Published: December 2015

SummaryContextNephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD), resulting from activating mutations in the arginine vasopressin receptor type 2 (AVPR2), is a rare cause of hyponatraemia. However, its true prevalence may be underestimated and it should be considered in the investigation of unexplained hyponatraemia, with implications for management and targeted gene testing.ObjectiveWe describe a structured approach to the investigation of hyponatraemia in a young patient, which allowed a diagnosis of NSIAD to be made. We review current knowledge of NSIAD and use a structural modelling approach to further our understanding of the potential mechanisms by which the causative mutation leads to a constitutively active AVPR2.DesignClinical and biochemical investigation of hyponatraemia; a formal water load test with measurement of arginine vasopressin levels (AVP); sequencing of AVPR2; and computed structural modelling of the wild‐type and constitutively activated mutant receptors.ResultsA 38‐year‐old man presented with intermittent confusion and nausea associated with hyponatraemia and a biochemical picture consistent with syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Adrenocortical and thyroid function and an acute intermittent porphyria screen were normal. Cross‐sectional imaging of the head, chest and abdomen did not identify an underlying cause and so we proceeded to a water load test. This demonstrated a marked inability to excrete a free water load (just 15% of a 20 ml/kg oral load by 240 min postingestion), with the onset of hyponatraemia (Na+ 125 mmol/l, urine osmolality 808 mOsm/kg). However, AVP levels were low throughout the test (0·4–0·9 pmol/l), consistent with a diagnosis of NSIAD. AVPR2 sequencing revealed a previously described hemizygous activating mutation (p.Arg137Cys). Through structural modelling of AVPR2, we suggest that disruption of a hydrogen bond between residues Thr269 and Arg137 may promote stabilization of the receptor in its active conformation. Since diagnosis, the patient has adhered to modest fluid restriction and remained well, with no further episodes of hyponatraemia.ConclusionNSIAD should be considered in young patients with unexplained hyponatraemia. A water load test with AVP measurement is a potentially informative investigation, while AVPR2 sequencing provides a definitive molecular genetic diagnosis and a rationale for long‐term fluid restriction.
How Does Regulation Affect the Relation Between Family Control and Reported Cash Flows? Comparative Evidence from India and the United States
Authors: Nagar Neerav , Sen Kaustav 
Published: December 2015

AbstractManuscript TypeEmpirical.Research Question/IssueWe conduct a two‐country study to understand (i) how family and non‐family firms engage in classification shifting to manage reported operating cash flows in each country; (ii) how this behavior varies between the two countries; and (iii) how corporate governance regulation introduced independently in each country moderates the observed behavior.Research Findings/InsightsWe find that family ownership has different effects on quality of cash flow reporting in the two countries. Furthermore, country‐level regulation moderates these effects differently. In particular, (i) firms in both countries engage in manipulating operating cash flows, but the evidence is stronger in the United States; (ii) family firms in India engage in more shifting than non‐family firms, but this is not observed in the United States; and (iii) family (non‐family) firms in India increase (reduce) shifting, whereas only non‐family firms in the United States increase shifting after regulation. Since non‐family firms in India raise more external capital than family firms after regulation, we infer that family firms in India reacted to this competition for capital and resorted to shifting.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsMost studies assume that the incentives for family firm behavior are the same in different market settings. However, factors such as efficiency of public capital markets, enforcement of corporate laws and regulations, and other institutional practices can cause differences in family firm behavior across different market settings. We investigate the behavior of family and non‐family firms in each of these markets and study how a feature of the national governance system, regulatory design, moderates this behavior.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsOur findings should be useful to global investors and regulators in both emerging and developed markets. The results indicate how similar regulation in the two different settings can trigger differences in the behavior of firms.
Validated computed cleansing score for video capsule endoscopy
Authors: Klein Amir , Gizbar Moshe , Bourke Michael J , Ahlenstiel Golo 
Published: December 2015

Background and AimDiagnostic yield of video capsule endoscopy may be hampered by intestinal content or air bubbles. A major limitation in video capsule‐related study is the lack of a validated objective score for bowel preparation quality. We aimed to design and validate a computed small bowel preparation score for research and clinical use.MethodsTwo experienced physicians reached a consensus regarding bowel preparation quality based on known criteria used in previous studies and their confidence of an accurate medical interpretation of the procedure. A computed algorithm based on the pixels in the color bar was created and validated. Concordance between the gastroenterologists’ agreement (gold standard) and the computed analysis was assessed.ResultsOf 85 videos studied, 44 (52%), 13 (15%) and 28 (33%) had adequate, borderline and inadequate bowel preparation, respectively, according to the gastroenterologists’ agreement. Computer analysis restricted to adequate and inadequate cases yielded accurate classification of bowel preparation in 65/72 cases (90% agreement, sensitivity 95%, specificity 82%, total accuracy 90%, Kappa 0.79). When adding the borderline definition, the computer analysis correctly classified 71/85 of the cases, yielding an overall agreement of 84% (Kappa 0.72). Minute‐by‐minute analysis of 10 cases also yielded an agreement of 91.4%.ConclusionThe present study introduces a user‐friendly computer analysis‐based small bowel preparation score, which demonstrated excellent concordance with the physician's assessment. This score holds promise as a standardization tool in research and clinical practice of video capsule endoscopy. Further validation is warranted.
Magnetite as a precursor for green rust through the hydrogenotrophic activity of the iron‐reducing bacteria Shewanella putrefaciens
Authors: Etique M. , Jorand F. P. A. , Ruby C. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractMagnetite (FeIIFeIII2O4) is often considered as a stable end product of the bioreduction of FeIII minerals (e.g., ferrihydrite, lepidocrocite, hematite) or of the biological oxidation of FeII compounds (e.g., siderite), with green rust (GR) as a mixed FeII‐FeIII hydroxide intermediate. Until now, the biotic transformation of magnetite to GR has not been evidenced. In this study, we investigated the capability of an iron‐reducing bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens, to reduce magnetite at circumneutral pH in the presence of dihydrogen as sole inorganic electron donor. During incubation, GR and/or siderite (FeIICO3) formation occurred as secondary iron minerals, resulting from the precipitation of FeII species produced via the bacterial reduction of FeIII species present in magnetite. Taking into account the exact nature of the secondary iron minerals and the electron donor source is necessary to understand the exergonic character of the biotic transformation of magnetite to GR, which had been considered to date as thermodynamically unfavorable at circumneutral pH. This finding reinforces the hypothesis that GR would be the cornerstone of the microbial transformations of iron‐bearing minerals in the anoxic biogeochemical cycle of iron and opens up new possibilities for the interpretation of the evolution of Earth's history and for the understanding of biocorrosion processes in the field of applied science.
Assessment of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate pulpotomy in mature permanent teeth with carious exposures
Authors: Taha N. A. , Ahmad M. B. , Ghanim A. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAimTo assess the outcome of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) complete pulpotomy in permanent teeth with carious exposures.MethodologyFifty‐two permanent molar teeth with fully developed roots and vital pulps in 43 patients aged 11–51 years were included. Preoperative pulpal and periapical diagnosis was established. After informed consent, each tooth was anaesthetized, isolated with dental dam and disinfected with 5% NaOCl before caries excavation; subsequently, a full pulpotomy was performed. Haemostasis was achieved, and Grey MTA (Angelus, Londrina, Brazil) was placed as the pulpotomy agent; a moist cotton pellet was placed, and the tooth was temporized with the intermediate restorative material (IRM). Permanent restorations were placed 1 week later if the tooth was asymptomatic, and a postoperative periapical radiograph was taken. Clinical and radiographic evaluation was completed at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 3 years postoperatively.ResultsClinical signs and symptoms suggestive of irreversible pulpitis were established in 44/52 teeth, and periapical rarefaction was present in 14 teeth. Immediate failure occurred in one tooth. The recall rate ranged from 92% at 3 months to 80.3% at 3 years, with an overall 100% clinical and 97.5% radiographic success during the first year, and 92.7% success at 3 years. All cases with periapical rarefaction were associated with improvement in the periapical index (PAI) score. Two cases had new periapical rarefaction associated with dislodgment of the permanent restoration. A hard tissue barrier was detected radiographically in 5 cases and canal narrowing in 7 cases.ConclusionMTA full pulpotomy was a successful treatment option for cariously exposed pulps in mature permanent molar teeth.