bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High Blood Pressure during Pregnancy is not a Protective Factor for Preterm Infants with Very Low Birth Weight. A Case-Control Study
Authors: Souza Eduardo de , Goulart Ana Lucia , Lima Adriana Martins de , Sass Nelson , Sabino Annibal Tagliaferri 
Published: April 2017

Objective To evaluate whether the presence of maternal blood pressure reduces the risks of morbidity, perinatal mortality and morbidity at 24 months of age in very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) compared with a control group.
Methods A retrospective, observational, case-control study. Total 49 VLBWIs were allocated to the study group, called the maternal arterial hypertension group (AHG), and matched with 44 in the control group (CG). The infants were assessed during hospitalization and at 12 and 24 months corrected age at a specialized clinic. For the assessment of growth, the World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro software (Geneva, 2006) was used, and for the psychomotor assessment, the Denver II test was used.
Results In relation to the antenatal variables, the infants of the AHG had more centralized circulation assessed by Doppler, received more corticosteroids and magnesium sulfate, and were born by cesarean section more frequently. In terms of the postnatal and in-hospital outcomes, the AHG had a higher gestational age at birth (30.7 versus 29.6 weeks) and a lower frequency of 5-minute Apgar scores of less than 7 (26.5% versus 52.3%). The CG had a higher rate of pulmonary dysplasia (30.2% versus 8.3%). There were no differences in terms of hospital mortality, complications, somatic growth and functional problems at 24 months of corrected age.
Conclusion The presence of maternal hypertension, especially preeclampsia, was not a protective factor against morbidity, mortality and evolution in VLBWIs aged up to 24 months. Therefore, the clinical practice should be focused on prolonging the pregnancy for as long as possible in these conditions as well.
Metformin Inhibits N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea Induced Gastric Tumorigenesis in db/db Mice
Authors: Zhuang Shan , Jian Yongmei , Sun Yongning 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
Type 2 diabetes can elevate risk of gastric cancer and metformin, an anti-diabetic agent, has an inhibitory effect against gastric cancer cell in vitro. However, the effect of metformin on type 2 diabetes-related gastric tumorigenesis in vivo is still not clear. In the present study, we aim to detect whether metformin can inhibit increased risk of gastric cancer in diabetic db/db mice and which the potential anti-cancer mechanisms of metformin are.
4-week-old mice were divided into 3 groups (2 db/db mice groups and one wild type mice group). All diabetic and non-diabetic mice were treated with N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea (MNU) for 20 weeks to induce gastric tumorigenesis. At week 21, one db/db mice group were treated with metformin (5 mg/ml) for 10 weeks and the other 2 groups were treated with saline. Blood samples were collected for testing insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1. Stomach tissues were collected for histopathological evaluation and mRNAs analysis.
Metformin significantly decreased incidence of MNU-induced gastric dysplasia and cancer in diabetic db/db mice. Furthermore, metformin reduced serum insulin as well as IGF-1, and also suppressed expression of insulin receptor, IGF-1, IGF-1 receptor and several pro-inflammatory cytokines mRNAs in stomach of db/db mice, but did not significantly influence IGF-2 and IGF-2 receptor expressions.
The results show that metformin can prevent the risk of gastric cancer in type 2 diabetes and the protective mechanisms may involve in an inhibitory effect of metformin on insulin as well as IGF-1 signals and cancer related pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Defined Structure-Activity Relationships of Boswellic Acids Determine Modulation of Ca2+ Mobilization and Aggregation of Human Platelets by Boswellia serrata Extracts
Authors: Siemoneit Ulf , Tausch Lars , Poeckel Daniel , Paul Michael , Northoff Hinnak , Koeberle Andreas , Jauch Johann , Werz Oliver 
Published: April 2017

AbstractBoswellic acids constitute a group of unique pentacyclic triterpene acids from Boswellia serrata with multiple pharmacological activities that confer them anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral properties. A subgroup of boswellic acids, characterized by an 11-keto group, elevates intracellular Ca2+ concentrations [Ca2+]i and causes moderate aggregation of human platelets. How different BAs and their mixtures in pharmacological preparations affect these parameters in activated platelets has not been addressed, so far. Here, we show that boswellic acids either antagonize or induce Ca2+ mobilization and platelet aggregation depending on defined structural determinants with inductive effects predominating for a B. serrata gum resin extract. 3-O-Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid potently suppressed Ca2+ mobilization (IC50 = 6 µM) and aggregation (IC50 = 1 µM) when platelets were activated by collagen or the thromboxane A2 receptor agonist U-46619, but not upon thrombin. In contrast, β-boswellic acid and 3-O-acetyl-β-boswellic acid, which lack the 11-keto moiety, were weak inhibitors of agonist-induced platelet responses, but instead they elicited elevation of [Ca2+]i and aggregation of platelets (≥ 3 µM). 11-Keto-β-boswellic acid, the structural intermediate between 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid and β-boswellic acid, was essentially inactive independent of the experimental conditions. Together, our study unravels the complex agonizing and antagonizing properties of boswellic acids on human platelets in pharmacologically relevant preparations of B. serrata gum extracts and prompts for careful evaluation of the safety of such extracts as herbal medicine in cardiovascular risk patients.
NIR Spectroscopy of Actaea racemosa L. rhizome – En Route to Fast and Low-Cost Quality Assessment
Authors: Bittner Marian , Krähmer Andrea , Schenk Regina , Springer Andreas , Gudi Gennadi , Melzig Matthias 
Published: April 2017

AbstractRhizomes of Actaea racemosa L. (formerly Cimicifuga racemosa) gained increasing interest as a plant-derived drug due to its hormone-like activity and the absence of estrogenic activity. According to the Current Good Manufacturing Practices guidelines and pharmacopeial standards, quality assessment of herbal starting materials includes tests on identity and substitution, as well as quantification of secondary metabolites, usually by HPTLC and LC methods. To reduce the laboratory effort, we investigated near-infrared spectroscopy for rapid species authentication and quantification of metabolites of interest.Near-infrared spectroscopy analysis is carried out directly on the milled raw plant material. Spectra were correlated with reference data of polyphenols and triterpene glycosides determined by LC/diode array detection and LC/evaporative light scattering detection, respectively. Quantification models were built and validated by cross-validation procedures. Clone plants, derived by vegetative propagation, and plants of a collection from different geographical origins cultivated in Berlin were analysed together with mixed batches from wild harvests purchased at wholesalers.Generally, good to excellent correlations were found for the overall content of polyphenols with coefficients of determination of R2 > 0.93. For individual polyphenols such as fukinolic acid, only models containing clone plants succeeded (R2 > 0.92). For the total content of triterpene glycosides, results were generally worse in comparison to polyphenols and were observed only for the mixed batches (R2 = 0.93).Next to quantitative analysis, near-infrared spectroscopy was proven as a rapid alternative to other, more laborious methods for species authentication. Near-infrared spectroscopy was able to distinguish different Actaea spp. such as the North American Actaea cordifolia and the Asian Actaea cimicifuga, Actaea dahurica, Actaea heracleifolia, and Actaea simplex.
Pseudomagnetic fields for sound at the nanoscale
Authors: Brendel Christian , Peano Vittorio , Painter Oskar J. , Marquardt Florian 
Published: April 2017

Significance
Unlike electrons, phonons do not feel a magnetic field, because they are not charged. Thus, much of the physics connected with charged particles in magnetic fields is absent for phonons, be it the Lorentz force or the unidirectional transport along the sample edges. Recently, researchers have started to study how one might make phonons akin to electrons in a magnetic field or related topological settings. The first experimental implementations involving coupled pendula or gyroscopes or air currents have already been realized at the macroscopic scale. Here, we describe a design that is well-suited for the nanoscale. It is purely geometric in nature and could be implemented based on an already experimentally demonstrated platform, a simple patterned 2D material.
The function of gesture in learning and memory
Authors: Cook Susan Wagner , M. Fenn Kimberly 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
Hand gestures facilitate memory processes, both for newly learned material and for material that is already understood. Gestures facilitate working memory in the moment in which they are produced, and they facilitate recall over time. Information encoded with gesture appears particularly likely to be consolidated in memory, and is particularly likely to transfer to novel contexts. Thus, gesture not only improves initial encoding of material, but also improves the quality of the memory representation that is retained. This chapter focuses on the function of gesture with respect to memory, and discusses potential mechanisms by which gesture may promote memory and consolidation, including managing cognitive load, externalizing information, providing multiple, diverse and embodied representations; and engaging reactivation during sleep.
Computational gesture research
Authors: Kopp Stefan 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
Embodied artificial agents, like humanoid robots or virtual characters, can produce a variety of co-speech gestures in interactive settings. This enables a computational branch of gesture research that offers opportunities for (1) investigating production and comprehension processes through computational cognitive modeling, and (2) studying systematically the effects and functions of gesturing in human-agent interaction. In this chapter we review current approaches to synthesize gestures, and we discuss in detail findings from experiments on the effects of gestures produced by virtual characters or robots. Current evidence suggests that synthetic gesturing has considerable effects on how an artificial agent is perceived and attributed with human-like properties. In contrast, so far, there is little evidence showing that contemporary synthetic gesturing helps human addressees to better understand or retain the information communicated by an agent. We discuss what these findings imply for the potential functions that gesture may serve in improving human-agent interaction, and more generally for our understanding of gesture through computational modeling efforts.
Gesture’s role in learning interactions
Authors: LeBarton Eve S. , Iverson Jana M. 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
Gesture difficulties in childhood may be found for some clinical populations with communication and language difficulties, while gesture may be used to compensate for difficulties in other children. Thus, the potential for gesture to supplement interaction and learning opportunities may be both limited and harnessed to support learning. Bidirectional relations during interactions between child and adult provide a mechanism through which gesture may be harnessed to support learning in clinical populations. For instance, the information conveyed in children’s gestures can influence the input that adults provide to children and this input, particularly gesture, can then support children’s learning during these interactions. Through both formal (e.g., interventions) and informal interactions, gesture provides opportunities to support rich interactions and learning in clinical populations.
English in Chinese higher education: past difficulties, current initiatives and future challenges
Authors: Wright Sue , Zheng Lin 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
English is the most common foreign language in the Chinese curriculum. However, even though a great deal of class time is devoted to acquiring English, the results have not been universally good. Studies to address the issue have suggested various reasons for this: large classes and the subsequent difficulty of implementing interactive teaching; traditional examinations, which favour grammar/translation pedagogy; the difficulty of recruiting fluent teachers, which makes communicative methodology hard to implement; low motivation in parts of the population where the chance of interacting with native speakers is highly unlikely. In addition, there may be other – new – reasons developing which put a brake on the spread of good foreign language skills among the Chinese population. The general problems reported in the foreign language classroom could be compounded by the growing influence of China in the world. The experience of groups whose economic and political weight were/are significant has shown that when others learn your language and it becomes a lingua franca of power, instrumental motivation for foreign language acquisition diminishes within the population. Can we expect to see the Chinese developing the same attitudes to foreign language learning, as Anglophones, for example, if/as Chinese spreads as a lingua franca?
Corpus-based comparative study of intensifiers: quite, pretty, rather and fairly
Authors: Su Yujie 
Published: April 2017

Abstract
The study of intensifiers has been of interest both in semantics and sociolinguistics. But as for how the intensifiers used by second-language or foreign-language learners of English, there are far fewer corpus-based researches partly owing to the potential difficulty in compiling a corpus and suitable data-analysing software. The present study examines four general intensifiers like quite, pretty, rather, fairly in the British National Corpus, the Written English Corpus of Chinese Learner and the Chinese Learner English Corpus, comparing the practical use as well as the semantic prosody of the four intensifiers between native speakers and English learners, and found that native speakers and learners showed different preference in use and have different understanding of the intensifiers in question.
Deep learning-based subdivision approach for large scale macromolecules structure recovery from electron cryo tomograms
Authors: Xu Min , Chai Xiaoqi , Muthakana Hariank , Liang Xiaodan , Yang Ge , Zeev-Ben-Mordehai Tzviya , Xing Eric P 
Published: April 2017

Abstract

Motivation
Cellular Electron CryoTomography (CECT) enables 3D visualization of cellular organization at near-native state and in sub-molecular resolution, making it a powerful tool for analyzing structures of macromolecular complexes and their spatial organizations inside single cells. However, high degree of structural complexity together with practical imaging limitations makes the systematic de novo discovery of structures within cells challenging. It would likely require averaging and classifying millions of subtomograms potentially containing hundreds of highly heterogeneous structural classes. Although it is no longer difficult to acquire CECT data containing such amount of subtomograms due to advances in data acquisition automation, existing computational approaches have very limited scalability or discrimination ability, making them incapable of processing such amount of data.

Results
To complement existing approaches, in this article we propose a new approach for subdividing subtomograms into smaller but relatively homogeneous subsets. The structures in these subsets can then be separately recovered using existing computation intensive methods. Our approach is based on supervised structural feature extraction using deep learning, in combination with unsupervised clustering and reference-free classification. Our experiments show that, compared with existing unsupervised rotation invariant feature and pose-normalization based approaches, our new approach achieves significant improvements in both discrimination ability and scalability. More importantly, our new approach is able to discover new structural classes and recover structures that do not exist in training data.

Availability and Implementation
Source code freely available at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/∼mxu1/software.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
LabRS: A Rosetta stone for retrospective standardization of clinical laboratory test results
Authors: Hauser Ronald George , Quine Douglas B , Ryder Alex 
Published: April 2017

Abstract

Objective
Clinical laboratories in the United States do not have an explicit result standard to report the 7 billion laboratory tests results they produce each year. The absence of standardized test results creates inefficiencies and ambiguities for secondary data users. We developed and tested a tool to standardize the results of laboratory tests in a large, multicenter clinical data warehouse.

Methods
Laboratory records, each of which consisted of a laboratory result and a test identifier, from 27 diverse facilities were captured from 2000 through 2015. Each record underwent a standardization process to convert the original result into a format amenable to secondary data analysis. The standardization process included the correction of typos, normalization of categorical results, separation of inequalities from numbers, and conversion of numbers represented by words (eg, “million”) to numerals. Quality control included expert review.

Results
We obtained 1.266 × 109 laboratory records and standardized 1.252 × 109 records (98.9%). Of the unique unstandardized records (78.887 × 103), most appeared &lt;5 times (96%, eg, typos), did not have a test identifier (47%), or belonged to an esoteric test with &lt;100 results (2%). Overall, these 3 reasons accounted for nearly all unstandardized results (98%).

Conclusion
Current results suggest that the tool is both scalable and generalizable among diverse clinical laboratories. Based on observed trends, the tool will require ongoing maintenance to stay current with new tests and result formats. Future work to develop and implement an explicit standard for test results would reduce the need to retrospectively standardize test results.
A New Local Flap Nipple Reconstruction Technique Using Dermal Bridge and Preoperatively Designed Tattoo
Authors: Komiya Takako , Iwahira Yoshiko 
Published: April 2017

Background:
Nipple–areolar reconstruction is the final step in breast reconstruction. Reconstruction using local flaps and tattooing is useful in cases of bilateral reconstruction, a small nipple–areolar complex (NAC) as the donor site, and avoiding disturbance of the normal side and other body parts. However, this method can cause projection loss and color fading of the nipple. Moreover, the breast mound is reconstructed with an implant.

Methods:
We performed nipple–areolar reconstruction of 90 nipples using clover-designed flaps oriented at 120 degrees and tattooing after breast silicone implantation in 64 women. The tattoo was designed before flap operation and stained darker. Following donor site closure, a dermal flap was made as a bridge for nipple support. The nipple space was separated by the dermal flap from the breast mound and was filled with subcutaneous tissue. The size of the reconstructed nipple projection was measured postoperatively and 1 year later. The projection maintenance rate was calculated.

Results:
The heights of the nipple projection were 11.3 ± 1.8 mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.9–11.7) just after the operation and 6.09 ± 2.4 mm (95% CI: 5.6–6.6) 1 year later. The actual range of nipple projection between these 2 heights was 5.2 ± 2.4 mm (95% CI: 4.7–5.7). The maintenance rate of the reconstructed nipple projection after 12 months was 54.1 ± 20.9 (95% CI: 49.7–58.5). The nipple color was maintained for over a year.

Conclusions:
Our nipple–areolar reconstruction technique could maintain the projection and color of the reconstructed nipple for a long period. Good outcomes were obtained in this implant-based breast reconstruction.
PREDICTIVE VALUE OF OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHIC FEATURES IN THE BEVACIZUMAB AND RANIBIZUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA (BRDME) STUDY
Authors: Fickweiler Ward , Schauwvlieghe Ann-Sofie M. E. , Schlingemann Reinier O. , Maria Hooymans Johanna M. , Los Leonoor I. , Verbraak Frank D. ,   the BRDME Research Group
Published: April 2017

Purpose:
To establish the predictive value of specific optical coherence tomography retinal features on visual outcomes and retinal thickness during anti–vascular endothelial growth factor treatment in patients with diabetic macular edema.

Methods:
Post hoc analysis of compound data of a prospective, 6-month, multicenter, randomized controlled trial of 119 patients with diabetic macular edema receiving either intravitreal bevacizumab or ranibizumab were analyzed to assess the associations between baseline retinal morphologic parameters and change in best-corrected visual acuity and central subfield thickness. Based on the study protocol of the core study, best-corrected visual acuity and central subfield thickness were obtained before each mandatory monthly injection during 6 months.

Results:
The presence of serous retinal detachment at baseline was associated with significant improvement in best-corrected visual acuity letter score at Month 3 and Month 6 (P < 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively). In addition, the presence of disorganization of retinal inner layers was associated with lower best-corrected visual acuity letter score at Month 3 and Month 6 (P < 0.05 and P = 0.01, respectively).

Conclusion:
This study found that serous retinal detachment and disorganization of retinal inner layers were associated with different treatment responses to anti–vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in patients with diabetic macular edema.
Pink Plaques on the Face
Authors: So Jessica Kim , Nelson Fern , Jacob Sharon E. 
Published: April 2017

ABSTRACT
Teledermatology is a term to describe the provision of dermatologic medical services through telecommunication technology. In this modality, there is transfer of patient medical information electronically (including history and visual data) obtained in one location to a provider who is in another location (Roman & Jacob, 2015). The construct of the TeleDermViewPoint column is such that cases are presented in a standardized teledermatology reader format reflective of an actual teledermatology report. This is a case of pink plaques on the face.