bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Theory of Mind in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Lindinger Nadine M. , Malcolm‐Smith Susan , Dodge Neil C. , Molteno Christopher D. , Thomas Kevin G. F. , Meintjes Ernesta M. , Jacobson Joseph L. , Jacobson Sandra W. 
Published: February 2016

BackgroundTheory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to understand and make inferences about other people's intentions, feelings, and beliefs. Although children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are known to have deficits in social‐cognitive function, little is known about ToM in FASD.MethodsToM ability was assessed using a developmentally sensitive ToM battery, including the reading the mind in the eyes (RME) test, a measure of mental inferential ability that has been found to be impaired in other clinical populations. IQ and executive function (EF) were assessed as potential mediating variables. The battery was administered to 63 children (aged 9 to 11 years) from Cape Town, South Africa, whose mothers had been prospectively recruited during pregnancy. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS; n = 8) and partial FAS (PFAS; n = 19), as well as nonsyndromal heavily exposed children (n = 17), were compared to children born to abstaining or light drinkers (n = 19) from the same community.ResultsNo FASD group differences were found on the less challenging ToM tasks. By contrast, children with FAS and PFAS performed more poorly than controls on a more challenging ToM task, the RME test. A continuous measure of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) was more sensitive than FASD diagnosis in that it was related to 4 higher‐order ToM measures, particularly the ability to attribute mental states assessed on RME. IQ only partially mediated the effect of exposure on RME performance, and these effects were not mediated by EF. Hence, the data suggest that these ToM measures tap into a specific alcohol‐related social‐cognitive deficit that does not merely reflect poorer EF. FASD diagnosis and PAE were each also related to RME after control for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that deficits in higher‐order ToM function may play a significant role in the social‐cognitive behavioral impairment in FASD.
Association Study of Gene Polymorphisms in GABA, Serotonin, Dopamine, and Alcohol Metabolism Pathways with Alcohol Dependence in Taiwanese Han Men
Authors: Wu Lawrence Shih‐Hsin , Lee Chau‐Shoun , Weng Tzu‐Ya , Wang Kathy Hsiao‐Tsz , Cheng Andrew Tai‐Ann 
Published: February 2016

BackgroundThe roles of GABA, serotonin, dopamine, and alcohol metabolism pathways in alcohol dependence (AD) are evident from animal models and human studies. Aims of this study were to investigate associations between genes in the 4 pathways and AD.MethodsMale subjects from 2 independent samples of Taiwanese Han descent, a family sample of 179 trios and a case–control sample of 262 AD cases and 273 normal controls, were included in this study. The Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry was used for phenotype assessment of AD. We genotyped 282 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in 61 candidate genes involving alcohol metabolism, serotonin, and GABA systems among the family sample and replicated the top hits in the case–control sample.ResultsFifteen SNPs located in 10 genes showed signals of associations (FBAT test p < 0.05) with AD in the family sample. Three SNPs, rs1229984 in ADH1B, rs671 in ALDH2, and rs2000292 in HTR1B, were significantly replicated in the case–control sample (p = 5.87 × 10−14, 5.12 × 10−14, and 0.0051, respectively). In the combined meta‐analysis, these 3 SNPs and 1 additional SNP, rs698 in ADH1C, showed significant association after correcting for multiple comparisons, and rs1229984 and rs671 showed the strongest association (p < 10−16). Logistic regression conditioning on rs1229984 and rs671 in the case–control sample showed that rs2000292 in HTR1B remained nominally significant.ConclusionsGenes in alcohol metabolism pathway, especially ADH1B and ALDH2, conferred the major genetic risk for AD in Taiwanese Han population. Some genes in GABA and serotonin pathways showed nominal association with AD.
Role of Growth Arrest and DNA Damage‐Inducible, Beta in Alcohol‐Drinking Behaviors
Authors: Gavin David P. , Kusumo Handojo , Zhang Huaibo , Guidotti Alessandro , Pandey Subhash C. 
Published: February 2016

BackgroundThe contribution of epigenetic factors, such as histone acetylation and DNA methylation, to the regulation of alcohol‐drinking behavior has been increasingly recognized over the last several years. GADD45b is a protein demonstrated to be involved in DNA demethylation at neurotrophic factor gene promoters, including at brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) which has been highly implicated in alcohol‐drinking behavior.MethodsDNA methyltransferase‐1 (Dnmt1), 3a, and 3b, and Gadd45a, b, and g mRNA were measured in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental areas of high ethanol (EtOH) consuming C57BL/6J (C57) and low alcohol consuming DBA/2J (DBA) mice using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In the NAc, GADD45b protein was measured via immunohistochemistry and Bdnf9a mRNA using in situ PCR. Bdnf9a promoter histone H3 acetylated at lysines 9 and 14 (H3K9,K14ac) was measured using chromatin immunoprecipitation, and 5‐methylcytosine (5MC) and 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine (5HMC) using methylated DNA immunoprecipitation. Alcohol‐drinking behavior was evaluated in Gadd45b haplodeficient (+/−) and null mice (−/−) utilizing drinking‐in‐the‐dark (DID) and 2‐bottle free‐choice paradigms.ResultsC57 mice had lower levels of Gadd45b and g mRNA and GADD45b protein in the NAc relative to the DBA strain. C57 mice had lower NAc shell Bdnf9a mRNA levels, Bdnf9a promoter H3K9,K14ac, and higher Bdnf9a promoter 5HMC and 5MC. Acute EtOH increased GADD45b protein, Bdnf9a mRNA, and histone acetylation and decreased 5HMC in C57 mice. Gadd45b +/− mice displayed higher drinking behavior relative to wild‐type littermates in both DID and 2‐bottle free‐choice paradigms.ConclusionsThese data indicate the importance of the DNA demethylation pathway and its interactions with histone posttranslational modifications in alcohol‐drinking behavior. Further, we suggest that lower DNA demethylation protein GADD45b levels may affect Bdnf expression possibly leading to altered alcohol‐drinking behavior.
Dynamic Exposure to Alcohol Advertising in a Sports Context Influences Implicit Attitudes
Authors: Zerhouni Oulmann , Bègue Laurent , Duke Aaron A. , Flaudias Valentin 
Published: February 2016

BackgroundExperimental studies investigating the impact of advertising with ecological stimuli on alcohol‐related cognition are scarce. This research investigated the cognitive processes involved in learning implicit attitudes toward alcohol after incidental exposure to alcohol advertisements presented in a dynamic context. We hypothesized that incidental exposure to a specific alcohol brand would lead to heightened positive implicit attitudes toward alcohol due to a mere exposure effect.MethodsIn total, 108 participants were randomly exposed to dynamic sporting events excerpts with and without advertising for a specific brand of alcohol, after completing self‐reported measures of alcohol‐related expectancies, alcohol consumption, and attitudes toward sport. Participants then completed a lexical decision task and an affective priming task.ResultsWe showed that participants were faster to detect brand name after being exposed to advertising during a sports game, and that implicit attitudes of participants toward the brand were more positive after they were exposed to advertising, even when alcohol usage patterns were controlled for.ConclusionsIncidental exposure to alcohol sponsorship in sport events impacts implicit attitudes toward the advertised brand and alcohol in general. The effect of incidental advertising on implicit attitudes is also likely to be due to a mere exposure effect. However, further studies should address this point specifically.
Alcohol Decreases Organic Dust‐Stimulated Airway Epithelial TNF‐Alpha Through a Nitric Oxide and Protein Kinase‐Mediated Inhibition of TACE
Authors: Gerald Carresse L. , Romberger Debra J. , DeVasure Jane M. , Khazanchi Rohan , Nordgren Tara M. , Heires Art J. , Sisson Joseph H. , Wyatt Todd A. 
Published: February 2016

BackgroundFarm workers in rural areas consume more alcohol than those who reside in urban areas. Occupational exposures such as agricultural work can pose hazards on the respiratory system. It is established that hog barn dust induces inflammation in the airway, including the release of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and IL‐8. We have shown that alcohol alters airway epithelial innate defense through changes in both nitric oxide (NO) and cAMP‐dependent protein kinase A (PKA). Simultaneous exposure to hog barn dust and alcohol decreases inflammatory mediators, TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐8, in mice. Previously, mice exposed to both alcohol and hog barn dust showed a depleted amount of lymphocytes compared to mice exposed only to hog barn dust. Weakening of the innate immune response could lead to enhanced susceptibility to disease. In addition, mice that were co‐exposed to hog barn dust and alcohol also experienced increased mortality.MethodsBecause we recently demonstrated that PKA activation inhibits the TNF‐α sheddase, TNF‐α‐converting enzyme (TACE), we hypothesized that an alcohol‐mediated PKA pathway blocks TACE activity and prevents the normative inflammatory response to hog barn dust exposure. To delineate these effects, we used PKA pathway inhibitors (adenylyl cyclase [AC], cAMP, and PKA) to modulate the effects of alcohol on dust‐stimulated TNF‐α release in the bronchial epithelial cell line, BEAS‐2B. Alcohol pretreatment blocked TACE activity and TNF‐α release in hog barn dust‐treated cells.ResultsAlcohol continued to block hog barn dust‐mediated TNF‐α release in the presence of the particulate AC inhibitor, SQ22,536. The soluble adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, KH7, however, significantly increased the inflammatory response to hog barn dust. phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors significantly elevated cAMP and enhanced alcohol‐mediated inhibition of dust‐stimulated TNF‐α release. In addition, the NO synthase inhibitor, l‐NMMA, also reversed the alcohol‐blocking effect on dust‐stimulated TNF‐α.ConclusionsThese data suggest that alcohol requires a soluble cyclase‐generated cAMP‐PKA pathway that is dependent upon the action of NO to inhibit TACE and TNF‐α release. These findings support our observations that alcohol functions through a dual NO and PKA pathway in bronchial epithelial cells.
Alcohol Consumption and Risk for Dependence Among Male Latino Migrant Farmworkers Compared to Latino Nonfarmworkers in North Carolina
Authors: Arcury Thomas A. , Talton Jennifer W. , Summers Phillip , Chen Haiying , Laurienti Paul J. , Quandt Sara A. 
Published: February 2016

BackgroundOur aim was to describe alcohol consumption behavior of male Latino migrant farmworkers, compare their alcohol consumption behavior with that of other male Latino immigrants, and determine factors associated with risk for alcohol dependence among Latino immigrant workers.MethodsCross‐sectional data were drawn from baseline interviews conducted as part of a larger community‐based participatory research project examining the cognitive and neurological outcomes of pesticide exposure. A total of 235 farmworkers and 212 nonfarmworkers completed interviews between May and August 2012.ResultsAlthough 17.5% of the North Carolina Latino farmworkers report never having drunk alcohol, and a total of 34.5% report not having drunk alcohol in the previous 3 months, 48.5% engaged in heavy episodic drinking (HED) in the previous 3 months, and 23.8% frequently engaged in HED during this period. Farmworkers and nonfarmworkers did not differ significantly in alcohol consumption behavior. Farmworkers and nonfarmworkers did differ significantly in each component of the CAGE scale, with 37.9% of farmworkers and 16.0% of nonfarmworkers being at risk for alcohol dependence (p < 0.0001). Significant factors for being at risk for alcohol dependence were stress (odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.03, 1.09) and being a farmworker (odds ratio 3.58, 95% confidence interval 2.12, 6.06). Being married reduced the risk of alcohol dependence (odds ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.23, 0.87).ConclusionsLatino farmworkers and nonfarmworkers consume relatively large amounts of alcohol and engage in HED at relatively high rates. Latino farmworkers have very high rates of risk for alcohol dependence. Policy changes and public health interventions are needed to address these concerns for a population that is vital to the agricultural economy.
Optimizing the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment
Authors: Hajari Javad Nouri 
Published: February 2016

AbstractSurgical approaches for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) have evolved rapidly in the past century. This has resulted in an increase in the anatomical success rate from zero per cent in the beginning of the 1900s to now almost 100 per cent. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is regarded as an acute eye disease that needs immediate treatment. With the increasing number of cataract surgeries and an increased elderly population, the numbers of RRD occurrences are increasing. The aim of this thesis is to create knowledge on how treatment and care of RRD patients can be optimized. In the first paper, data on the incidence of RRD in Denmark are presented based on data from a nation register the National Patient Registry (NPR). It was discovered that the incidence of RRD in Denmark is similar to previous reported numbers and that the incidence has been increasing due to increasing numbers of cataract surgeries and an increased elderly population. Using data from the NPR, we estimated that the risk of a RRD occurring on the fellow eye is 100 times larger than on the first eye and that middle aged men have the highest risk. Having an increase in the incidence of RRD we need to ensure that the patients are also treated in the most optimal way. To ensure this, an indicator is needed to monitor the quality at the different centres. This indicator presented in the second paper is based in the occurrence of redetachment. We define a detachment to be caused by poor surgery if the retina detaches within one year after initial surgery with pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckling and VTX with gas, and one and a half years after surgery with VTX with oil. Also lack of oil removal within the first year is a failed operation. It is widely accepted that RRD is an acute disease but when should surgery be performed to attain the most optimal result? In the third paper, we evaluated the progression of posterior RRD with an optical coherence tomography to make an objective assessment of the movement. We found that the risk of a macula on RRD progressing to affect the fovea is small if the patient is postured appropriately. We found that the movement of the RRD is dynamic but the detachments will ultimately approach the fovea. Having an opportunity to postpone surgery without risking the outcome for the patient allows a more optimal surgery. The results of this thesis can be used by all health care systems to establish optimal conditions in the treatment of RRD.
The peroxisomal Lon protease LonP2 in aging and disease: functions and comparisons with mitochondrial Lon protease LonP1
Authors: Pomatto Laura C. D. , Raynes Rachel , Davies Kelvin J. A. 
Published: February 2016

ABSTRACTPeroxisomes are ubiquitous eukaryotic organelles with the primary role of breaking down very long‐ and branched‐chain fatty acids for subsequent β‐oxidation in the mitochondrion. Like mitochondria, peroxisomes are major sites for oxygen utilization and potential contributors to cellular oxidative stress. The accumulation of oxidatively damaged proteins, which often develop into inclusion bodies (of oxidized, aggregated, and cross‐linked proteins) within both mitochondria and peroxisomes, results in loss of organelle function that may contribute to the aging process. Both organelles possess an isoform of the Lon protease that is responsible for degrading proteins damaged by oxidation. While the importance of mitochondrial Lon (LonP1) in relation to oxidative stress and aging has been established, little is known regarding the role of LonP2 and aging‐related changes in the peroxisome. Recently, peroxisome dysfunction has been associated with aging‐related diseases indicating that peroxisome maintenance is a critical component of ‘healthy aging’. Although mitochondria and peroxisomes are both needed for fatty acid metabolism, little work has focused on understanding the relationship between these two organelles including how age‐dependent changes in one organelle may be detrimental for the other. Herein, we summarize findings that establish proteolytic degradation of damaged proteins by the Lon protease as a vital mechanism to maintain protein homeostasis within the peroxisome. Due to the metabolic coordination between peroxisomes and mitochondria, understanding the role of Lon in the aging peroxisome may help to elucidate cellular causes for both peroxisome and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Social predictors of less frequent dental attendance over time among older people: population‐averaged and person‐specific estimates
Authors: Gülcan Ferda , Ekbäck Gunnar , Ordell Sven , Lie Stein Atle , Åstrøm Anne Nordrehaug 
Published: February 2016

AbstractObjectivesLongitudinal studies considering social disparities in the utilization of dental services are scarce. Repeated measures should be accounted for by the use of appropriate statistical methods. The purpose of this study was first to describe the patterns of less frequent dental attendance (less than once a year) over time from the age of 65–70 in Norwegian and Swedish 1942 cohorts. Second, this study estimated the influence of predisposing, enabling and need‐related social predictors using marginal model with robust variance estimators and random intercept model, RIM, to account for the clustered structure of the repeated observations. Third, the study aimed to compare the estimates of associations between social predictors and less frequent dental attendance derived from marginal and random intercept models.MethodsIn 2007 and 2012, all residents born in 1942 in selected counties of Norway and Sweden were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey. In Norway, the response rate was 58.0% (n = 4211) in 2007 and 54.5% (n = 3733) in 2012 with a follow‐up rate of 70%. The corresponding figures in Sweden were 73.1% (n = 6078) and 72.2% (n = 5697), with a follow‐up rate of 80%. Marginal and random intercept models were fitted for population‐averaged and person‐specific estimates. Design effects were calculated by comparing the results from ordinary logistic regression analyses and the marginal model with robust variance estimators. The proportion of the total variation due to differences between persons was reported using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).ResultsLess frequent dental attendance declined from 14.5% to 12.2% in Norway and from 13.6% to 12.9% in Sweden. According to marginal and random intercept models, time‐invariant (gender, country of birth, education) and time‐variant social predictors (working status, social network, marital status, smoking and perceived health) contributed to less frequent dental attendance. A likelihood ratio test confirmed that adjustment for clustered observations was appropriate. The ICC was 0.90 in Norway and 0.85 in Sweden.ConclusionsThe prevalence of less frequent dental attendance was low and dropped by increasing age from 65 to 70 years. Both at population and at person‐specific levels, being advantaged on social aspects protects against less frequent dental attendance after 65 years of age in the Norwegian and Swedish cohorts investigated.
Variant haploinsufficiency and phenotypic non‐penetrance in PRPF31‐associated retinitis pigmentosa
Authors: Rose A.M. , Bhattacharya S.S. 
Published: February 2016

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetically heterogenous group of inherited disorders, characterized by death of the retinal photoreceptor cells, leading to progressive visual impairment. One form of RP is caused by mutations in the ubiquitously expressed splicing factor, PRPF31, this form being known as RP11. An intriguing feature of RP11 is the presence of non‐penetrance, which has been observed in the majority of PRPF31 mutation‐carrying families. In contrast to variable expressivity, which is highly pervasive, true non‐penetrance is a very rare phenomenon in Mendelian disorders. In this article, the molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic non‐penetrance in RP11 are explored. It is an elegant example of how our understanding of monogenic disorders has evolved from studying only the disease gene, to considering a mutation on the genetic background of the individual – the logical evolution in this genomic era.
In vivo bone regeneration on titanium devices using serum‐free grown adipose‐derived stem cells, in a sheep femur model
Authors: Godoy Zanicotti Diogo , Coates Dawn Elizabeth , Duncan Warwick John 
Published: February 2016

AbstractAimThe aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSC), grown in serum‐free conditions, to regenerate bone around titanium discs with different titanium surfaces.Material and methodsOvine ADSC (oADSC) were isolated from seven sheep and cultured using serum‐free and osteogenic conditions. Prior to in vivo testing, the growth and osteogenic behaviour of these cells were analysed in vitro using cell proliferation and extracellular matrix mineralisation assays. The bone regenerative capacity of autologous oADSC was evaluated in vivo on titanium discs in a sheep femur epicondyle model. Machined (MTi) and alumina‐blasted (ABTi) titanium discs were used. Bone regeneration within the defects was evaluated after 1 month using histology and histomorphometry. PKH26 cell‐tracking dye was used to verify the persistence of oADSC in the surgical wound.ResultsoADSC sourced from five of seven sheep differentiated into osteoblast‐like cells. Cellular proliferation was reduced only for osteogenically induced oADSC (oOS‐ADSC) grown on ABTi, compared to non‐induced oADSC grown on ABTi and tissue culture polystyrene (P = 0.03 and 0.02 respectively). There was no significant difference for in vitro mineralisation assays comparing oADSC with oOS‐ADSC, regardless of implant surface type. oADSC labelled with PKH26 were detected 1 month after surgery within the defect. There was no difference in bone regeneration between the bone defects treated with oADSC vs. just blood clot.ConclusionAfter 1‐month healing, the use of autologous oADSC did not improve bone regeneration in defects containing titanium devices with different surfaces.