bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measurement of maximal isometric torque and muscle quality of the knee extensors and flexors in healthy 50‐ to 70‐year‐old women
Authors: Francis Peter , Toomey Clodagh , Mc Cormack William , Lyons Mark , Jakeman Philip 
Published: January 2016

SummaryMuscle quality is defined as strength per unit muscle mass. The aim of this study was to measure the maximal voluntary isometric torque of the knee extensor and flexor muscle groups in healthy older women and to develop an index of muscle quality based on the combined knee extensor and flexor torque per unit lean tissue mass (LTM) of the upper leg. One hundred and thirty‐six healthy 50‐ to 70‐year‐old women completed an initial measurement of isometric peak torque of the knee extensors and flexors (Con‐Trex MJ; CMV AG, Dubendorf, Switzerland) that was repeated 7 days later. Subsequently, 131 women returned for whole‐ and regional‐body composition analysis (iDXA™; GE Healthcare, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK). Isometric peak torque demonstrated excellent within‐assessment reliability for both the knee extensors and flexors (ICC range: 0·991–1·000). Test–retest reliability was lower (ICC range: 0·777–0·828) with an observed mean increase of 5% in peak torque [6·2 (17·2) N m] on the second day of assessment (P<0·001). The relative mean decrease in combined isometric peak torque (−12·2%; P = 0·001) was double that of the relative, non‐significant, median difference in upper leg LTM (−5·3%; P = 0·102) between those in the 5th and 6th decade. The majority of difference in peak isometric torque came from the knee extensors (15·1 N m, P<0·001 versus 2·4 N m, P = 0·234). Isometric peak torque normalized for upper leg LTM (muscle quality) was 8% lower between decades (P = 0·029). These findings suggest strength per unit tissue may provide a better indication of age‐related differences in muscle quality prior to change in LTM.
Induced pluripotent stem cells and Parkinson's disease: modelling and treatment
Authors: Xu Xiaoyun , Huang Jinsha , Li Jie , Liu Ling , Han Chao , Shen Yan , Zhang Guoxin , Jiang Haiyang , Lin Zhicheng , Xiong Nian , Wang Tao 
Published: January 2016

AbstractMany neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), are characterized by progressive neuronal loss in different regions of the central nervous system, contributing to brain dysfunction in the relevant patients. Stem cell therapy holds great promise for PD patients, including with foetal ventral mesencephalic cells, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Moreover, stem cells can be used to model neurodegenerative diseases in order to screen potential medication and explore their mechanisms of disease. However, related ethical issues, immunological rejection and lack of canonical grafting protocols limit common clinical use of stem cells. iPSCs, derived from reprogrammed somatic cells, provide new hope for cell replacement therapy. In this review, recent development in stem cell treatment for PD, using hiPSCs, as well as the potential value of hiPSCs in modelling for PD, have been summarized for application of iPSCs technology to clinical translation for PD treatment.
Maneuvering through Hostile Environments: How Firms Leverage Product and Process Innovativeness
Authors: Kach Andrew , Busse Christian , Azadegan Arash , Wagner Stephan M. 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACTIs focusing on innovativeness the appropriate organizational response in hostile environments? This study addresses four distinct forms of hostile environments: market decline, restrictiveness, competition, and resource scarcity. The research draws on contingency theory to explain how these forms of hostility affect product innovativeness, process innovativeness, and firm performance. While the extant literature has investigated the effects of hostile environments on performance, little has been done to distinguish between different forms of hostility and, in turn, their potential effect on product and process innovativeness. We argue that investments in product and process innovativeness are either fostered or hindered, contingent on the form of hostile pressures from the external operating environment. These firm responses should in turn suppress the negative effects of hostility on performance. A survey using newly developed measurement scales for hostile environments was used to collect data from 148 small and medium‐sized manufacturing plants. The results provide evidence that generally supports our hypotheses. More specifically, the direct effects of the four forms of hostile environments impact product and process innovativeness differently. Likewise, the suppression and consistent mediation effects of product and process innovativeness differ depending upon the type of hostile environment, suggesting that manufacturers consider applying these capabilities contingent upon the type of hostile climate they face. Therefore, to understand how firms leverage product and process innovativeness, hostile environments are best differentiated into categories rather than being aggregated.
Timing mechanisms in neuronal pathfinding, synaptic reorganization, and neuronal regeneration
Authors: Ivakhnitskaia Evguenia , Hamada Kana , Chang Chieh 
Published: January 2016

Precise temporal control of neuro differentiation and post‐differentiation events are necessary for the creation of appropriate wiring diagram in the brain. To make advances in the treatment of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, and traumatic brain injury, it is important to understand these mechanisms. Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a revolutionary tool for the study of neural circuits due to its genetic homology to vertebrates and ease of genetic manipulation. microRNA (miRNA), a ubiquitous class of small non‐coding RNA, that inhibits the expression of target genes, has emerged as an important timing control molecule through research conducted on C. elegans. This review will focus on the temporal control of neurodifferentiation and post‐differentiation events exerted by two conserved miRNAs, lin‐4 and let‐7. We summarize recent findings on the role of lin‐4 as a timing regulator controlling transition of sequential events in neuronal pathfinding and synaptic remodeling, and the role of let‐7 as a timing regulator that limits the regeneration potential of post‐differentiated AVM neurons as they age.
Effect of ranolazine on glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with either glimepiride or metformin
Authors: Pettus J. , McNabb B. , Eckel R. H. , Skyler J. S. , Dhalla A. , Guan S. , Jochelson P. , Belardinelli L. , Henry R. H. 
Published: January 2016

AimTo report the results of two phase III trials assessing the efficacy of ranolazine for glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes on metformin or glimepiride background therapy.MethodsIn two double‐blind trials we randomized 431 and 442 patients with type 2 diabetes to ranolazine 1000 mg twice daily versus placebo added to either glimepiride (glimepiride add‐on study) or metformin background therapy (metformin add‐on study). Patients receiving ranolazine added to metformin had their metformin dose halved (with the addition of a metformin‐matched placebo) relative to the placebo group to correct for a metformin‐ranolazine pharmacokinetic interaction. The primary endpoint of the trials was the change from baseline in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) at week 24.ResultsWhen added to glimepiride, ranolazine caused a 0.51% least squares mean [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71, 0.32] decrease from baseline in HbA1c at 24 weeks relative to placebo and roughly doubled the proportion of patients achieving an HbA1c of <7% (27.1 vs 14.1%; p = 0.001). When added to metformin background therapy, there was no significant difference in the 24‐week HbA1c change from baseline [placebo‐corrected LS mean difference −0.11% (95% CI −0.31, 0.1)].ConclusionsCompared with placebo, addition of ranolazine in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with glimepiride, but not metformin, significantly reduced HbA1c over 24 weeks. The decreased dose of metformin used in the metformin add‐on study complicates the interpretation of this trial. Whether an effective regimen of ranolazine added to metformin for glycaemic control can be identified remains unclear.
Changes in soil organic carbon fractions after afforestation with xerophytic shrubs in theTenggerDesert,northernChina
Authors: Li X. J. , Li X. R. , Wang X. P. , Yang H. T. 
Published: January 2016

SummaryAfforestation is an important means of controlling desertification and of restoring vegetation on land that has become desert. The procedure leads to changes in the dynamics of organic carbon (C) in the soil as xerophytic shrubs are established, but the dynamics are still poorly understood, partly because of the lack of long‐term observations. Progressive measures to bind sand dunes along the route of theBaotou–Lanzhou railway on the south eastern edge of theTenggerDesert inChina, which were begun in 1956, provide the opportunity to study such changes. We sampled the topsoil (0–10 cm) from 10 sites that represent a chronosequence and vary in age from 1 to 57 years since sand‐binding measures and afforestation were begun. These measures evidently trapped increasing amounts of clay and silt, and with them increased the concentrations of both available phosphorus (P) and available potassium (K). By analysing the organicCin the samples we have been able to describe quantitatively the changes in severalCfractions over time. We found that totalC, its light and heavy fractions, dissolvedCand microbialCall increase slowly at first after afforestation, then more rapidly, and then at a decreasing rate. They seem to be examples of logistic growth and could be described by logistic equations. The light fraction increased faster than the totalC, as did the microbialCduring the first 19 years. The lightCfraction was the most sensitive for identifying changes in soilCafter afforestation. Over the full 57 years, the contributions of the light and microbial fractions to totalCincreased, while those of the heavy fraction and dissolvedCdecreased. Our results suggest that the proportion ofCin labile pools increased, but the proportion in stable pools decreased, which would increase the risk of substantial losses ofCcaused by potential global warming and human‐induced disturbances.
50 Hz hippocampal stimulation in refractory epilepsy: Higher level of basal glutamate predicts greater release of glutamate
Authors: Cavus Idil , Widi Gabriel A. , Duckrow Robert B. , Zaveri Hitten , Kennard Jeremy T. , Krystal John , Spencer Dennis D. 
Published: January 2016

SummaryObjectiveThe effect of electrical stimulation on brain glutamate release in humans is unknown. Glutamate is elevated at baseline in the epileptogenic hippocampus of patients with refractory epilepsy, and increases during spontaneous seizures. We examined the effect of 50 Hz stimulation on glutamate release and its relationship to interictal levels in the hippocampus of patients with epilepsy. In addition, we measured basal and stimulated glutamate levels in a subset of these patients where stimulation elicited a seizure.MethodsSubjects (n = 10) were patients with medically refractory epilepsy who were undergoing intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) evaluation in an epilepsy monitoring unit. Electrical stimulation (50 Hz) was delivered through implanted hippocampal electrodes (n = 11), and microdialysate samples were collected every 2 min. Basal glutamate, changes in glutamate efflux with stimulation, and the relationships between peak stimulation–associated glutamate concentrations, basal zero‐flow levels, and stimulated seizures were examined.ResultsStimulation of epileptic hippocampi in patients with refractory epilepsy caused increases in glutamate efflux (p = 0.005, n = 10), and 4 of ten patients experienced brief stimulated seizures. Stimulation‐induced increases in glutamate were not observed during the evoked seizures, but rather were related to the elevation in interictal basal glutamate (R2 = 0.81, p = 0.001). The evoked‐seizure group had lower basal glutamate levels than the no‐seizure group (p = 0.04), with no stimulation‐induced change in glutamate efflux (p = 0.47, n = 4). Conversely, increased glutamate was observed following stimulation in the no‐seizure group (p = 0.005, n = 7). Subjects with an atrophic hippocampus had higher basal glutamate levels (p = 0.03, n = 7) and higher stimulation‐induced glutamate efflux.SignificanceElectrical stimulation of the epileptic hippocampus either increased extracellular glutamate efflux or induced seizures. The magnitude of stimulated glutamate increase was related to elevation in basal interictal glutamate, suggesting a common mechanism, possibly impaired glutamate metabolism. Divergent mechanisms may exist for seizure induction and increased glutamate in patients with epilepsy. These data highlight the potential risk of 50 Hz stimulation in patients with epilepsy.
Technical aspects of pediatric epilepsy surgery: Report of a multicenter, multinational web‐based survey by the ILAE Task Force on Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery
Authors: Cukiert Arthur , Rydenhag Bertil , Harkness William , Cross J. Helen , Gaillard William D. ,   the Task Force for Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery for the ILAE Commissions of Pediatrics and Surgical Therapies
Published: January 2016

SummarySurgical techniques may vary extensively between centers. We report on a web‐based survey aimed at evaluating the current technical approaches in different centers around the world performing epilepsy surgery in children. The intention of the survey was to establish technical standards. A request was made to 88 centers to complete a web‐based survey comprising 51 questions. There were 14 questions related to general issues, 13 questions investigating the different technical aspects for children undergoing epilepsy surgery, and 24 questions investigating surgical strategies in pediatric epilepsy surgery. Fifty‐two centers covering a wide geographic representation completed the questionnaire. The median number of resective procedures per center per year was 47. Some important technical practices appeared (>80% of the responses) such as the use of prophylactic antibiotics (98%), the use of high‐speed drills for bone opening (88%), nonresorbable material for bone flap closure (85%), head fixation (90%), use of the surgical microscope (100%), and of free bone flaps. Other questions, such as the use of drains, electrocorticography (ECoG) and preoperative withdrawal of valproate, led to mixed, inconclusive results. Complications were noted in 3.8% of the patients submitted to cortical resection, 9.9% hemispheric surgery, 5% callosotomy, 1.8% depth electrode implantation, 5.9% subdural grids implantation, 11.9% hypothalamic hamartoma resection, 0.9% vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and 0.5% deep brain stimulation. There were no major differences across regions or countries in any of the subitems above. The present data offer the first overview of the technical aspects of pediatric epilepsy surgery worldwide. Surprisingly, there seem to be more similarities than differences. That aside many of the evaluated issues should be examined by adequately designed multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Further knowledge on these technical issues might lead to increased standardization and lower costs in the future, as well as definitive practice guidelines.
Distinct white matter integrity in glutamic acid decarboxylase and voltage‐gated potassium channel‐complex antibody‐associated limbic encephalitis
Authors: Wagner Jan , Schoene‐Bake Jan‐Christoph , Witt Juri‐Alexander , Helmstaedter Christoph , Malter Michael P. , Stoecker Winfried , Probst Christian , Weber Bernd , Elger Christian E. 
Published: January 2016

SummaryObjectiveAutoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and the voltage‐gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex are associated with distinct subtypes of limbic encephalitis regarding clinical presentation, response to therapy, and outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate white matter changes in these two limbic encephalitis subtypes by means of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).MethodsDiffusion data were obtained in 14 patients with GAD antibodies and 16 patients with VGKC‐complex antibodies and compared with age‐ and gender‐matched control groups. Voxelwise statistical analysis was carried out using tract‐based spatial statistics. The results were furthermore compared with those of 15 patients with unilateral histologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis and correlated with verbal and figural memory performance.ResultsWe found widespread changes of fractional anisotropy and all diffusivity parameters in GAD‐associated limbic encephalitis, whereas no changes were found in VGKC‐complex–associated limbic encephalitis. The changes observed in the GAD group were even more extensive when compared against those of the hippocampal sclerosis group, although the disease duration was markedly shorter in patients with GAD antibodies. Correlation analysis revealed areas with a trend toward a negative correlation of diffusivity parameters with figural memory performance located mainly in the right temporal lobe in the GAD group as well.SignificanceThe present study provides further evidence that, depending on the associated antibody, limbic encephalitis features clearly distinct imaging characteristics by showing widespread white matter changes in GAD‐associated limbic encephalitis and preserved white matter integrity in VGKC‐complex–associated limbic encephalitis. Furthermore, our results contribute to a better understanding of the specific pathophysiologic properties in these two subforms of limbic encephalitis by revealing that patients with GAD antibodies show widespread affections of white matter across various regions of the brain. In contrast to this, the inflammatory process seems to be more localized in VGKC‐complex–associated limbic encephalitis, primarily affecting mesiotemporal gray matter.
Autosomal dominant cortical tremor, myoclonus, and epilepsy (ADCME) in a unique south Indian community
Authors: Mahadevan Radha , Viswanathan Natarajan , Shanmugam Ganesan , Sankaralingam Saravanan , Essaki Bobby , Chelladurai Rachel P. 
Published: January 2016

SummaryAutosomal dominant cortical tremor, myoclonus, and epilepsy (ADCME)/familial adult onset myoclonic epilepsy (FAME) is a nonprogressive disorder characterized by (1) distal tremors that are usually precipitated by posture and action; (2) stimulus‐sensitive myoclonus that is predominantly seen in the upper limb and is precipitated by photic stimuli, fatigue, emotional stress, and sleep deprivation; (3) seizures that were predominantly of the generalized tonic–clonic type that showed significant response to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). ADCME has been reported worldwide with different genetic loci in Japanese families (8q23.3‐q24.1), Italian families (2p11.1‐q12.2), a French family (5p15.3.1‐p15.1), and a Thai family (3q26.32‐q28). ADCME has not been reported in South India and is still not recognized as an independent entity under the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). We report 241 patients with ADCME identified belonging to 48 families. The 48 families are domiciled in two southern districts of Tamilnadu in India, belonging to a community called “Nadar” whose nativity is confined to these southern districts, with reported unique genetic characteristics. This study is reported for the presentation of this rare disease in a unique ethnic group, and is the largest single report on ADCME worldwide.
Gene flow from an adaptively divergent source causes rescue through genetic and demographic factors in two wild populations of Trinidadian guppies
Authors: Fitzpatrick Sarah W. , Gerberich Jill C. , Angeloni Lisa M. , Bailey Larissa L. , Broder Emily D. , Torres‐Dowdall Julian , Handelsman Corey A. , López‐Sepulcre Andrés , Reznick David N. , Ghalambor Cameron K. , Chris Funk W. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractGenetic rescue, an increase in population growth owing to the infusion of new alleles, can aid the persistence of small populations. Its use as a management tool is limited by a lack of empirical data geared toward predicting effects of gene flow on local adaptation and demography. Experimental translocations provide an ideal opportunity to monitor the demographic consequences of gene flow. In this study we take advantage of two experimental introductions of Trinidadian guppies to test the effects of gene flow on downstream native populations. We individually marked guppies from the native populations to monitor population dynamics for 3 months before and 26 months after gene flow. We genotyped all individuals caught during the first 17 months at microsatellite loci to classify individuals by their genetic ancestry: native, immigrant, F1 hybrid, F2 hybrid, or backcross. Our study documents a combination of demographic and genetic rescue over multiple generations under fully natural conditions. Within both recipient populations, we found substantial and long‐term increases in population size that could be attributed to high survival and recruitment caused by immigration and gene flow from the introduction sites. Our results suggest that low levels of gene flow, even from a divergent ecotype, can provide a substantial demographic boost to small populations, which may allow them to withstand environmental stochasticity.
Control of helminth parasites in juvenile horses
Authors: Reinemeyer C. R. , Nielsen M. K. 
Published: January 2016

SummaryParasite control in juvenile horses remains a substantial challenge for veterinary practitioners and their clients. This age group is at risk for various types of parasitic disease because their worm burdens tend to be larger and more diverse than in mature horses. This contrast is largely attributable to marked differences in relative levels of acquired immunity. Frequent, perennial anthelmintic treatment is not a sustainable approach for parasite control in this age group, but the simple, surveillance‐based parasite control strategies recommended for mature horses are not appropriate for juveniles either. Maneuvering through the early years of a horse's life requires up‐to‐date knowledge about biology and epidemiology of the parasite species in play as well as local evidence regarding the anthelmintic resistance status of each herd. This article provides an overview of the most important helminth parasites to target in a control programme for juvenile horses, and highlights how the target species change as horses age. Young foals (<2 months) are exposed toStrongyloides westeriandParascarisspp., whereas the primary target parasite in foals between age 2 months and weaning isParascarisspp. Beyond weaning, the focus shifts away from ascarids, and the targets instead are strongyles and tapeworms.Gasterophilusspp. andOxyuris equiare also discussed.