bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Expansion of mesenchymal stem cells on electrospun scaffolds maintains stemness, mechano‐responsivity, and differentiation potential
Authors: Heo Su‐Jin , Szczesny Spencer E. , Kim Dong Hwa , Saleh Kamiel S. , Mauck Robert L. 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACTMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great promise for regenerative therapies and tissue engineering applications given their multipotential differentiation capacity. However, MSC isolation and expansion are typically performed on super‐physiologically stiff tissue culture plastic (TCP), which may alter their behavior and lead to unintended consequences upon implantation. In contrast, electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds possess physical and mechanical properties that are similar to that of native tissue. In this study, we investigated whether isolation and expansion of juvenile bovine MSCs directly onto electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds better preserves MSC phenotype and stemness compared to TCP. Our data show that culture of MSCs on electrospun scaffolds reduces proliferation, decreases cellular senescence, and better maintains stemness compared to cells isolated and expanded on TCP, likely due to a reduction in cell contractility. Furthermore, in contrast to electrospun scaffolds, TCP biased MSCs towards a fibrotic phenotype that persisted even after the cells were reseeded onto a different substrate. Cells pre‐cultured on electrospun scaffolds exhibited a heightened response to mechanical stimuli and greater chondrogenesis in methacrylated hyaluronic acid hydrogels. These data suggest that alternative substrates that better approximate the native cell environment should be used to preserve endogenous MSC behavior and may improve their success in tissue engineering applications. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:808–815, 2018.
Dispensing pattern for acute non‐infectious diarrhoea in children at community pharmacies in Thailand
Authors: Jaisue Siriluk , Phomtavong Sommaly , Eua‐anant Sasithorn , Borlace Glenn N. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackgroundIn cases of non‐infectious diarrhoea in children, the WHO and the Thai Antibiotic Smart Use (ASU) project recommend that no antibiotics should be given and drinking water should be replaced with oral rehydration salt (ORS) solution until the diarrhoea is finished.AimTo survey the dispensing pattern for non‐infectious diarrhoea treatment in children in Thailand.MethodsSimulated clients visited 91 Class I community pharmacies in five districts in Khon Kaen province and asked for advice to treat non‐infectious diarrhoea in a 14‐month‐old child. The patient history questions asked by the dispensers, the medications dispensed and non‐pharmacological advice given were recorded by the simulated clients immediately after leaving the pharmacy.ResultsIn this study, ORS solution was correctly dispensed to the simulated clients in only 7.7% of pharmacies with 68.1% incorrectly dispensing antibiotics. More than half of the dispensers (57.1%) did not give any advice regarding non‐pharmacological treatment.ConclusionThe results of this study indicate the need to implement a program to emphasise the importance of providing ORS and discourage the dispensing of antibiotics in this circumstance.
Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for recognition and enrichment of polysaccharides from seaweed
Authors: Li Guizhen , Row Kyung Ho 
Published: October 2017

AbstractNew magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers with two templates were fabricated for the recognition of polysaccharides (fucoidan and alginic acid) from seaweed by magnetic solid‐phase extraction, and the materials were modified by seven types of deep eutectic solvents. It was found that the deep eutectic solvents magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers showed stronger recognition and higher recoveries for fucoidan and alginic acid than magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers, and the deep eutectic solvents‐4‐magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers had the best effects. The practical recovery of the two polysaccharides (fucoidan and alginic acid) purified with deep eutectic solvents‐4‐magnetic molecular imprinted polymers in seaweed under the optimal conditions were 89.87, and 92.0%, respectively, and the actual amounts extracted were 20.6 and 18.7 μg/g, respectively. To sum up, the developed method proved to be a novel and promising method for the recognition of complex polysaccharide samples from seaweed.
Evaluation of Carotid Plaque Neovascularization in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease on Contrast‐Enhanced Ultrasonography
Authors: Qin Chuan , Zhang Li , Wang Xinfang , Duan Yilian , Ye Zhou , Xie Mingxing 
Published: October 2017

ObjectivesTo examine the repeatability of quantitative time‐intensity curve analysis of neovascularization within carotid plaques with contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography (US) and to investigate carotid plaque neovascularization in patients with coronary heart disease using contrast‐enhanced US and the correlation between risk factors and acute coronary syndrome (ACS).MethodsSixty patients with ACS and 60 with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent conventional carotid and contrast‐enhanced US, and plaque enhancement was observed and analyzed quantitatively. Carotid contrast‐enhanced US was performed within 1 month of ACS occurrence. Interobserver and intraobserver variability of the measurements was assessed. The peak signal intensity was the maximum number of contrast microbubbles that local tissues could accumulate, reflecting the local microvascular density and representing the capillary volume.ResultsThe ACS group had higher low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (mean ± SD, 3.21 ± 0.75 versus 2.53 ± 0.71 mmol/L; P < .01) and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (CRP; 3.76 ± 0.19 versus 2. 93 ± 0.15 mg/L; P < .01) levels than the stable CAD group. The proportion of soft plaques in the ACS group (81%) was higher than in the stable CAD group (53%). The proportion of plaque enhancement, peak signal intensity, and plaque‐to‐carotid lumen enhancement intensity ratio were higher in the ACS group than the stable CAD group. The peak signal intensity was correlated with the high‐sensitivity CRP value. Logistic regression analyses indicated that age (65–74 years), high‐sensitivity CRP, and enhancement intensity were correlated with the occurrence of ACS. The sensitivity and specificity of the peak signal intensity in carotid plaques were 80.0% and 88.3%, respectively (cutoff value, 9.97 dB; area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.865). The time‐intensity curve measurements had good repeatability.ConclusionsCarotid plaque enhancement is a potential independent risk factor for ACS occurrence. These results illustrate the correlation of carotid plaque vulnerability with the coronary artery symptomatic state according to the common pathogenetic mechanism of atherosclerosis.
The brown tide algae, Aureococcus anophagefferens and Aureoumbra lagunensis (Pelagophyceae), allelopathically inhibit the growth of competing microalgae during harmful algal blooms
Authors: Kang Yoonja , Gobler Christopher J. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractAllelopathy is an ecological strategy that can facilitate the occurrence of algal blooms. Here, we describe the ability of the harmful pelagophytes, Aureoumbra lagunensis isolated from coastal waters of Cuba, Florida, and Texas and Aureococcus anophagefferens (CCMP1785, CCMP1984) isolated from New York, U.S.A., to inhibit the growth of potentially co‐occurring phytoplankton. The allelopathic effects of brown tide algae were broad and strong with both whole cells and culture filtrate causing 10–96% reductions in cell abundance relative to controls in 10 phytoplankton strains originating from nine species and eight classes. The inhibition of target phytoplankton was dose‐dependent with Aureococcus and Aureoumbra cell densities exceeding 2.5 × 105 cell mL−1 causing significant reductions in abundance of competing phytoplankton. Recently isolated strains of Aureoumbra (2012–2013) were more allelopathically potent than a strain isolated 20 yr ago. Passage of culture filtrate through hydrophobic resins nearly eliminated the effects of allelochemicals on eukaryotic, but not prokaryotic phytoplankton. Allelochemicals were heat‐stable, but degraded at 20°C over 2 weeks. Filtrate of each pelagophyte was capable of reciprocally inhibiting the growth of the other pelagophyte indicating each alga synthesizes a unique set of allelochemicals. Filtrate from brown tide cultures and bloom events were capable of significantly reducing densities of natural assemblages of eukaryotic and prokaryotic phytoplankton from bloom‐prone waters in New York and Florida, respectively. Collectively, these findings suggest that allelopathic inhibition of competing phytoplankton is an important process that facilitates intensification and persistence of harmful brown tide blooms caused by Aureococcus and Aureoumbra.
Novel BeZnO Based Self‐Powered Dual‐Color UV Photodetector Realized via a One‐Step Fabrication Method
Authors: Su Longxing , Chen Hongyu , Xu Xiaojie , Fang Xiaosheng 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIn this work, we fabricated a novel BeZnO based dual‐color UV photodetector through a one‐step electron beam evaporation of asymmetric Ti/Au pair. A dual‐phase BeZnO alloy film with dual bandgap of ∼3.5 eV (∼355 nm) and ∼4.6 eV(∼270 nm) was artfully utilized as active layer to realize dual‐color response. This photodetector shows a noticeable photovoltaic characteristic and can be utilized as an excellent self‐powered device. The device exhibits two cut‐off response wavelengths at ∼275 nm and ∼360 nm under zero bias, which are corresponding to UVA and UVC region, respectively. According to the dynamic response spectra under UV radiation, the device presents excellent stability and reproducibility without external power supply. In addition, the device has an ultrafast response speed, with a rise time of ∼35 μs and a decay time of ∼880 μs. Finally, a physical model based on energy band theory is proposed to demonstrate that the self‐powered behavior is attributed to the asymmetric Schottky barrier heights caused by the hole‐trapping process occurred in electrode/BeZnO interface. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on BeZnO based self‐powered UV photodetector. Our findings demonstrate a novel and facile route to realize high performance self‐powered UV photodetectors for multipurposes.
Pattern of in‐hospital changes in drug use in the older people from 2010 to 2016
Authors: Franchi C. , Ardoino I. , Nobili A. , Pasina L. , Mannucci P.M. , Marengoni A. , Perticone F. ,   REPOSI investigators
Published: October 2017

AbstractPurposeTo assess the pattern of in‐hospital changes in drug use in older patients from 2010 to 2016.MethodsPeople aged 65 years or more acutely hospitalized in those internal medicine and geriatric wards that did continuously participate to the REgistro POliterapie Società Italiana di Medicina Interna register from 2010 to 2016 were selected. Drugs use were categorized as 0 to 1 drug (very low drug use), 2 to 4 drugs (low drug use), 5 to 9 drugs (polypharmacy), and 10 or more drugs (excessive polypharmacy). To assess whether or not prevalence of patients in relation to drug use distribution changed overtime, adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) was estimated with log‐binomial regression models.ResultsAmong 2120 patients recruited in 27 wards continuously participating to data collection, 1882 were discharged alive and included in this analysis. The proportion of patients with very low drug use (0‐1 drug) at hospital discharge increased overtime, from 2.7% in 2010 to 9.2% in 2016. Results from a log‐logistic adjusted model confirmed the increasing PR of these very low drug users overtime (particularly in 2014 vs 2012, PR 1.83 95% CI 1.14‐2.95). Moreover, from 2010 to 2016, there was an increasing number of patients who, on polypharmacy at hospital admission, abandoned it at hospital discharge, switching to the very low drug use group.ConclusionThis study shows that in internal medicine and geriatric wards continuously participating to the REgistro POliterapie Società Italiana di Medicina Interna register, the proportion of patients with a very low drug use at hospital discharge increased overtime, thus reducing the therapeutic burden in this at risk population.
Trends in utilization of benzodiazepine and Z‐drugs in Israel
Authors: Berman Erez , Eyal Sara , Marom Eli 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackgroundStudies on benzodiazepine (BZDs) as well as Zopiclone and Zolpidem (Z‐drugs) utilization are important for estimating the prevalence of medical conditions, providing the basis for pharmacovigilance, and identifying temporal trends of consumption. Such studies that involve the Israeli population have not been conducted yet.PurposeIdentify trends over time in utilization of BZDs and Z‐drugs in a nationwide population in Israel.MethodsData on BZD and Z‐drugs utilization (for all indications) for the period 2005 to 2013 were obtained from pharmaceutical companies that distribute BZDs in Israel. Prevalence of BZD utilization was reported as defined daily doses (DDD)/1000 inhabitants/day.ResultsThe utilization of BZDs and Z‐drugs aimed to treat sleeping disorders increased over the period of the study from 10.22 to 22.49 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day. The greatest increases in utilization of drugs established in Israel were observed for brotizolam (83%), zopiclone (59%), and zolpidem (94%). Decreases in use were recorded for lorazepam (14%), diazepam (16%), and oxazepam (27%). Use of hypnotic BZDs appeared to be relatively high, compared with the use of non‐BZD hypnotics (“Z‐drugs”) such as zolpidem or zopiclone. Nationwide stressful conditions did not appear to be reflected in the annual BZD sales.ConclusionsConventional BZDs and Z‐drugs remained the treatment of choice for sleeping disorders in Israel during the study period. These results are, in certain cases, in contrast to current practice recommendations and guidelines and point at a need in better dissemination of these guidelines among prescribers in Israel.
Comparison of Treatment Persistence with Dabigatran or Rivaroxaban versus Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation Patients: A Competing Risk Analysis in the French National Health Care Databases
Authors: Maura Géric , Billionnet Cécile , Alla François , Gagne Joshua J. , Pariente Antoine 
Published: October 2017

BackgroundDirect oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been proposed as a more convenient alternative to vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), which are commonly associated with poor treatment persistence in non‐valvular atrial fibrillation (nv‐AF).MethodsUsing data from the French national health care databases (Régime Général, 50 million beneficiaries), a cohort study was conducted to compare the 1‐year non‐persistence rates in nv‐AF patients initiating dabigatran (N=11,141) or rivaroxaban (N=11,126) versus VKA (N=11,998). Treatment discontinuation was defined as a switch between oral anticoagulant (OAC) classes or a 60‐day gap with no medication coverage, with the additional criterion of no reimbursement for international normalized ratio monitoring during this gap for VKA patients. Considering death as a competing risk, differences between 1‐year discontinuation rates were used to compare each DOAC versus VKA. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated via bootstrapping. Baseline patient characteristics were adjusted using inverse probability of treatment weighting. Subgroup analyses considered DOAC dose at initiation, age, risk of stroke, and bleeding.ResultsAdjusted 1‐year discontinuation rates were higher for dabigatran than for VKA new users (36.8% vs 30.2%; difference: 6.6% [95% CI, 5.5–7.6]) and for rivaroxaban versus VKA new users (33.4% vs 30.4%; 3.0% [1.9–4.1]). Similar differences were found in all subgroup analyses, except in dabigatran and rivaroxaban patients <75 years (dabigatran vs VKA: 0.3% [−1.4 to 1.8]; rivaroxaban vs VKA: −2.6% [−4.3 to −0.9]) and dabigatran 150 mg new users (−1.1% [−3.1 to 0.7]). Consistent results were obtained when considering both switches between OAC classes and death as competing risks of treatment discontinuation.ConclusionResults from this nationwide cohort study showed high non‐persistence levels with all OACs and suggest that persistence with both dabigatran and rivaroxaban therapy is not better than persistence with VKA therapy. Hospitalizations for bleeding among non‐persistent patients were unlikely to explain these high non‐persistence rates.
Angiotensin‐converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphism in Egyptian children with CAP: A case‐control study
Authors: Abouzeid Heba , Alkholy Usama M. , Abdou Mohammed A. , Morsy Saeed M. , Abdelrahman Hind M. , Sherif Ashraf M. , Abdalmonem Nermin , Hamed Mohammed E. , Allah Mayy A.N. , Al Morshedy Salah , Elashkar Shaimaa S.A. , Noah Maha A. , Hegab Mohamed S. , Akeel Nagwa E. , Hashem Mustafa I.A. , Gawish Heba H. , Fattah Lobna Abdel 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackgroundCommunity‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. The angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) gene is a potential candidate gene for CAP risk.ObjectivesIn this study, we aimed to investigate whether the ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism (rs4340) could be a genetic marker for CAP susceptibility in Egyptian children, and we also measured the serum ACE level to assess its relation to such polymorphism.MethodsThis was a prospective case‐control study included 300 patients with CAP, and 300 age, gender, and ethnicity matched healthy controls. The ACE I/D polymorphism (rs4340) at intron 16 was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP), while the serum ACE levels were measured by ELISA.ResultsCompared to the controls subjects, the frequencies of the ACE DD genotype and D allele were overrepresented in patients with CAP (OR = 3.05; [95%CI: 2.14‐4.35] for the DD genotype; P < 0.001) and (OR: 1.8; [95%CI: 1.42‐2.29]; for the D allele; P < 0.01, respectively). Patients with the DD genotype had significantly higher mean serum ACE levels (45.6 ± 11.4 U/L) compared to those with ID genotype (36.5 ± 8.3 U/L) and II genotype (21.6 ± 5.7 U/L); P < 0.01, respectively.ConclusionThe ACE I/D polymorphism (rs4340) may contribute to the genetic susceptibility of CAP in Egyptian children. The ACE D allele and DD genotype were associated with higher serum ACE levels among studied CAP patients.
Serologically diagnosed acute human bocavirus 1 infection in childhood community‐acquired pneumonia
Authors: Nascimento‐Carvalho Amanda C. , Vilas‐Boas Ana‐Luisa , Fontoura Maria‐Socorro H. , Xu Man , Vuorinen Tytti , Söderlund‐Venermo Maria , Ruuskanen Olli , Nascimento‐Carvalho Cristiana M. ,   the PNEUMOPAC‐Efficacy Study Group
Published: October 2017

AbstractAimTo assess the role of human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) as a causative agent of non‐severe community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children.MethodsPatients aged 2‐59 months with non‐severe CAP (respiratory complaints and radiographic pulmonary infiltrate/consolidation) attending a University Hospital in Salvador, Brazil were enrolled in a prospective cohort. From 820 recruited children in a clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01200706), nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA), and acute and convalescent serum samples were obtained from 759 (92.6%) patients. NPAs were tested for 16 respiratory viruses by PCR. Acute HBoV1 infection was confirmed by measuring specific IgM and IgG responses in paired serum samples.ResultsRespiratory viruses were detected in 693 (91.3%; 95%CI: 89.1‐93.2) CAP cases by PCR. HBoV1‐DNA was detected in 159 (20.9%; 95%CI: 18.2‐24.0) cases. Of these 159 PCR positive cases, acute HBoV1 infection was confirmed serologically in 38 cases (23.9%; 95%CI: 17.8‐31.0). Overall, acute HBoV1 infection was confirmed in 5.0% (38/759) of non‐severe CAP patients. HBoV1 was detected in 151 cases with at least one other virus making 31.7% of all multiple virus (n = 477) detections. Among all 759 cases, 216 had one respiratory virus detected, and sole HBoV1 was detected in only 8 (3.7%). Acute HBoV1 infection was serologically diagnosed in 34 (22.5%) HBoV1‐DNA‐positive cases with another virus, compared to 4 (50.0%) cases with sole virus detection (p = 0.09).ConclusionHBoV1 was detected by PCR in one fifth of the children with non‐severe CAP and acute HBoV1 infection was serologically confirmed in one quarter of these cases.
Early Detection of Urinary Proteome Biomarkers for Effective Early Treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis in a Rat Model
Authors: Wu Jianqiang , Li Xundou , Zhao Mindi , Huang He , Sun Wei , Gao Youhe 
Published: October 2017

ScopePulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a progressive and devastating lung disease. With limited effective treatments available in the late stage, PF has a very poor prognosis. Molecular biomarkers are highly desired for PF, especially for its early phase.Materials and methodsUrine is a good biomarker source, and accumulates systemic changes in the body especially in the early‐stage of diseases. In this study, a bleomycin (BLM)‐induced rat model is used to mimic PF. Using labeled proteome quantitation, some urinary proteins are identified as candidate biomarkers of PF for early detection and disease monitoring. Then, prednisone treatment is administered at different phases of fibrosis.ResultsOur results suggested that urine proteins could enable early detection and monitoring of both disease progression and treatment efficacy in the BLM‐induced PF model. Early prednisone treatment effectively inhibited pulmonary fibrosis, whereas the same treatment at a later phase had very limited effects. Meanwhile, five proteins showed the potential for monitoring therapeutic response.ConclusionUrinary proteomics has been underutilized in respiratory diseases. These findings will improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of PF and accelerate biomarker discovery in respiratory diseases.
A Parallel Reaction Monitoring Mass Spectrometric Method for Analysis of Potential CSF Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Brinkmalm Gunnar , Sjödin Simon , Simonsen Anja Hviid , Hasselbalch Steen Gregers , Zetterberg Henrik , Brinkmalm Ann , Blennow Kaj 
Published: October 2017

ScopeThe aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a parallel reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (PRM‐MS) assay consisting of a panel of potential protein biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).Experimental designThirteen proteins were selected based on their association with neurodegenerative diseases and involvement in synaptic function, secretory vesicle function, or innate immune system. CSF samples were digested and two to three peptides per protein were quantified using stable isotope‐labeled peptide standards.ResultsCoefficients of variation were generally below 15%. Clinical evaluation was performed on a cohort of 10 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 15 healthy subjects. Investigated proteins of the granin family exhibited the largest difference between the patient groups. Secretogranin‐2 (p<0.005) and neurosecretory protein VGF (p<0.001) concentrations were lowered in AD. For chromogranin A, two of three peptides had significantly lowered AD concentrations (p<0.01). The concentrations of the synaptic proteins neurexin‐1 and neuronal pentraxin‐1, as well as neurofascin were also significantly lowered in AD (p<0.05). The other investigated proteins, β2‐microglobulin, cystatin C, amyloid precursor protein, lysozyme C, neurexin‐2, neurexin‐3, and neurocan core protein, were not significantly altered.Conclusion and clinical relevancePRM‐MS of protein panels is a valuable tool to evaluate biomarker candidates for neurodegenerative disorders.