bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Type-1 Activity Enhances Rapid and Sustainable Hematopoietic Regeneration
Authors: Ibrahim Abd Aziz , Yahata Takashi , Onizuka Makoto , Dan Takashi , Ypersele De Strihou Charles , Miyata Toshio , Ando Kiyoshi 
Published: October 2013

Abstract
The prognosis of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) depends on the rapid recovery and sustained life-long hematopoiesis. The activation of the fibrinolytic pathway promotes hematopoietic regeneration; however, the role of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a negative regulator of the fibrinolytic pathway, has not yet been elucidated. We herein demonstrate that bone marrow (BM) stromal cells, especially osteoblasts, produce PAI-1 in response to myeloablation, which negatively regulates the hematopoietic regeneration in the BM microenvironment. Total body irradiation in mice dramatically increased the local expression levels of fibrinolytic factors, including tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), plasmin, and PAI-1. Genetic disruption of the PAI-1 gene, or pharmacological inhibition of PAI-1 activity, significantly improved the myeloablation-related mortality and promoted rapid hematopoietic recovery after HSCT through the induction of hematopoiesis-promoting factors. The ability of a PAI-1 inhibitor to enhance hematopoietic regeneration was abolished when tPA-deficient mice were used as recipients, thus indicating that PAI-1 represses tPA-dependent hematopoietic regeneration. The PAI-1 inhibitor not only accelerated the expansion of the donor HSCs during the early-stage of regeneration, but also supported long-term hematopoiesis. Our results indicate that the inhibition of PAI-1 activity could be a therapeutic approach to facilitate the rapid recovery and sustained hematopoiesis after HSCT. Stem Cells 2014;32:946–958
The First Rare‐Earth Metal Telluride Chlorides, RTeCl (R = La, Ce, Pr, Nd)
Authors: Larres Markus , Pantenburg Ingo , Meyer Gerd 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe first rare‐earth metal telluride chlorides, RTeCl with R = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, were obtained as single crystals and/or powder samples by the reaction of anhydrous rare‐earth trichlorides, RCl3, with the respective rare‐earth metals R and elemental tellurium (Te) in sealed tantalum containers at temperatures as high as 1050 °C. All four telluride‐chlorides crystallize with the so‐called tetragonal PbFCl type of structure but according to RTeCl = PbClF, with, for the example of LaTeCl‐I, a = 451.7(1), c = 827.4(2) pm, VE/Z = 84.5(1) Å3, tetragonal, P4/nnm (No. 129). LaTeCl and CeTeCl are dimorphic, the second modification crystallizes with the PbCl2 type of structure with, for LaTeCl‐II, a = 795.2(1), b = 450.8(1), c = 940.4(1) pm, VE/Z = 84.3(1) Å3, orthorhombic, Pnma (No. 62). In both structures, La3+ is nine‐coordinate, [LaTe5Cl4], with similar mean La–Te and La–Cl distances in both modifications, 333.2 vs. 333.1 pm and 302.9 vs. 301.8 pm, respectively.
The Value of a Genetic Counselor: Improving Identification of Cancer Genetic Counseling Patients with Chart Review
Authors: Eichmeyer Jennifer N. , Burnham Christa , Sproat Patty , Tivis Rick , Beck Thomas M. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAdvances in genetics are changing cancer care and requiring institutions to maximize the unique skills of genetics professionals. The identification of genetic syndromes is vital for prevention and management of families with high cancer risks. Despite this, high risk individuals who qualify are often not referred. Genetic counselors could review oncology charts to improve identification. A genetics assessment tool developed by NCI Community Cancer Centers Program was used to perform self‐assessment of the genetics program. A weekly report of all new oncology patients was provided to a genetic counselor for chart review. In 2010, 58 % of all eligible patients (n = 152) were offered a genetics evaluation. In 2011 this improved to 70 % (n = 167), which was a statistically significant difference, X2(1) = 5.13, p = 0.02. By cancer site, ovarian cancer referrals also showed statistically significant improvement, X2(1) = 6.36, p = 0.01. Breast and colon referrals were improved but not significant. Over 10 months, 129 patients were identified through the chart review program. Three were confirmed to have a genetic mutation for a hereditary cancer syndrome. An average week included review of 73 charts for 10 medical oncologists, 4 radiation oncologists, and 4 pediatric oncologists which generated 60–80 min of work for the genetic counselor. This program improved patient identification and quality, and allowed physicians to become more aware of opportunities for genetic counseling and more patients to receive genetic counseling and testing.
Phospholipid Transfer Protein Deficiency Decreases the Content of S1P in HDL via the Loss of its Transfer Capability
Authors: Yu Yang , Guo Shoudong , Feng Yumei , Feng Lei , Cui Yingjie , Song Guohua , Luo Tian , Zhang Ke , Wang Yiwei , Jiang Xian‐Cheng , Qin Shucun 
Published: October 2013

AbstractSphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P) is an amphiphilic signaling molecule, which is enriched in functional high density lipoprotein (HDL) and shows arterial protection. The distribution of S1P is changed with increased plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) activity and impaired HDL function in patients with coronary heart diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized that PLTP might transfer S1P among cells or lipoproteins. We found that plasma S1P contents were decreased by 60.1 % in PLTP knockout mice (PLTP−/−, N = 5) compared with their wild type littermates (WT, N = 5) (151.70 ± 38.59 vs. 379.32 ± 59.90 nmol/l, P<0.01). S1P content in HDL fraction (HDL‐S1P) from PLTP−/− was decreased by 64.7 % compared with WT (49.36 ± 1.49 vs. 139.76 ± 2.94 nmol/l, P<0.01). The results of the S1P transfer assay indicated that PLTP could facilitate S1P transport from erythrocytes to HDL at 37 °C in D‐Hanks buffer. Plasma content of apolipoprotein M, a specific adaptor of S1P, was not changed in PLTP−/− compared with WT. Therefore, we concluded that PLTP was a key factor to maintain plasma HDL‐S1P, and PLTP deficiency could decrease the S1P content in plasma lipoproteins, which involves its capability of transferring S1P from erythrocyte to HDL.
Non‐destructive Determination of High Oleic Acid Content in Single Soybean Seeds by Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy
Authors: Han Sang‐Ik , Chae Jong‐Hyun , Bilyeu Kristin , Shannon J. Grover , Lee Jeong‐Dong 
Published: October 2013

AbstractSoybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] with increased oleic acid is desirable to improve oxidative stability and functionality of soybean seed oil. Recently, soybean genotypes with high oleic acid (≥70 %) were developed by breeding programs. Efficient and effective identification of high oleic acid soybean genotypes using non‐destructive near infrared reflectance (NIR) on whole seeds would greatly enhance progress in breeding programs. The objective of this study was to develop a calibration equation for NIR determination of high oleic acid from single soybean seeds. A total of 600 intact, single F2 seeds were scanned by NIR. Spectral data were collected between 400 and 2,500 nm at 2 nm intervals. The relationship between NIR spectral patterns of each soybean seed and its oleic acid content was examined. The best predicted equations for oleic acid were selected on the basis of minimizing the standard error of cross‐validation and increasing the coefficient of determination. Validation demonstrated that the equations for determining total oleic acid and over 50 % oleic acid content had high predictive ability (r2 = 0.91 and r2 = 0.99, respectively). To validate the newly developed equation, F2 seeds from a different genetic background were tested. Again, high oleic acid from single soybean seeds was accurately predicted from various genetic backgrounds. Therefore, applying the calibration equations to NIR will be useful to rapidly and efficiently select high oleic acid soybean genotypes in breeding programs.
Effect of Processing Parameters on Flocculation of Picochlorum oklahomensis
Authors: Zhu Yan , Dunford Nurhan Turgut , Goad Carla 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe flocculation process is commonly used to separate suspended solids from water. The microalgae strain, Picochlorum oklahomensis (PO), was investigated for its flocculation characteristics. Efficiencies of biopolymer addition, pH adjustment and electroflocculation for biomass recovery from the culture medium were examined. Flocculation efficiency of PO increased sharply above pH 11 and reached 97 % at pH 13. Chitosan was more effective in flocculating PO cells than sodium alginate and cationic starch. A generalized linear mixed model using a beta distribution for response was utilized for optimization of the chitosan flocculation process variables. Biomass: chitosan ratio, pH and settling time (ST) were the independent variables. There were significant 3‐way interactions among the variables. The highest PO flocculation efficiency, 98.4 %, was obtained at biomass: chitosan ratio of 2.78, pH 9 and ST of 12 h. The electroflocculation efficiency improved with increasing current, operation time (OT) and ST. The highest electroflocculation efficiency, 99.74 %, was obtained under the following conditions; 0.8 A (ampere) and 15 min and 12 h, OT and ST, respectively. This study demonstrated that pH adjustment, chitosan addition and electroflocculation were all technically viable methods to flocculate PO cells. However, selection of the most suitable technique and the optimum treatment conditions needs to be based not only on the application of algal biomass, but also on an economic feasibility study.
Restricted‐Range Boraginaceae Species Constitute Potential Sources of Valuable Fatty Acids
Authors: Guil‐Guerrero José Luis , Gómez‐Mercado Francisco , Ramos‐Bueno Rebeca Pilar , Rincón‐Cervera Miguel Ángel , Venegas‐Venegas Elena 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe aim of this work was to establish the richness in γ‐linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3n‐6) and stearidonic acid (SDA, 18:4n‐3) of the seed oil of several restricted‐range Boraginaceae species, in a search for new valuable oils as advantageous alternatives to the commercially available sources of both polyunsaturated fatty acids. To this end, seeds of selected Boraginaceae species were collected and analyzed. The highest GLA contents (% total fatty acids) were found in the seed oils of Symphytum caucasicum M.Bieb. (22.9 %), Anchusa undulata subsp. undulata (Ten.) Cout. (22.0 %), Anchusa puechii Valdés (20.0 %), Glandora nitida Thomas (19.2 %), Echium pininana Webb & Berth. (17.1 %) and Pentaglottis sempervirens (L.) L. H. Bailey (17.0 %). With regard to SDA, the highest percentage was found in the seed oil of Echium cantabricum (M. Laínz) Fdez. Casas & M. Laínz (14.7 %), followed by Lappula patula (Lehm.) Asch ex Gürke (13.6 %). It is noticeable that several GLA‐enriched species stand under a great threat of extinction, thus revealing the importance of the preservation of the natural ecosystems for endangered species.
Clinical Issues‐November 2013
Authors: Burlingame Byron L. 
Published: October 2013

This MonthRequirements for sterilization areas in the surgical suiteKey words: immediate use steam sterilization, IUSS, sub‐sterile room, SPD, mini SPD.Airflow in endoscope cleaning roomsKey words: endoscopy, decontamination, air pressure, endoscope cleaning.Use of instrument marking tapeKey words: instrument tape, color‐coded tape, sterilization, marking tape.Noise in the ORKey words: noise, hearing, communication, music.
SWITCH for Safety: Perioperative Hand‐off Tools
Authors: Johnson Fay , Logsdon Patty , Fournier Kim , Fisher Sandra 
Published: October 2013

AbstractCommunication breakdown is the leading cause of reported sentinel events in the perioperative setting. Barriers to optimal communication include noise, stress, multitasking, and rapid turnover between procedures. AORN has identified communication during personnel changes (ie, hand offs) as a point of vulnerability for the surgical patient. A standardized hand‐off method provides an opportunity for personnel to ask and answer questions and should be available in the perioperative setting. At one facility, the standardization of hand‐off reporting resulted in the development of new hand‐off tools specific to the perioperative environment. A standardized reporting method enabled health care providers to address communication barriers and to maintain their focus on the patient during critical moments (eg, shift changes), thereby improving patient safety.
Effects of plastic film mulching with drip irrigation on N2O and CH4 emissions from cotton fields in arid land
Authors: LI Z. , ZHANG R. , WANG X. , CHEN F. , LAI D. , TIAN C. 
Published: October 2013

SUMMARYTo evaluate the effects of a modern cultivation system of plastic film mulching with drip irrigation (MD) on soil greenhouse gas fluxes, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes were quantified and contrasted in an MD system and a traditional system of mulch-free flood-irrigated (MFF) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in fields of northwest China. The results showed that soil N2O flux and the absorption rate of CH4 were lower in the MD than the MFF sites. A possible reason for the higher CH4 emissions at MD sites was that the relatively low gaseous oxygen (O2) availability and high ammonium (NH4+) content in the MD soil increased CH4 generation by methanogens and decreased CH4 oxidation by methanotrophs. The lower N2O in the MD sites may be due to an increase of soil denitrification by Thiobacillus denitrificans that reduced some nitrous compounds further into nitrogen gas (N2). Taking into account the global warming potentials of CH4 and N2O in a 100-year time horizon, during the entire growth period, the contribution of CH4 to the greenhouse effect was significantly lower than N2O in these two treatments. Considering these two greenhouse gas fluxes together, a transition from non-mulching cultivation to mulching cultivation could reduce atmospheric emissions by c. 20 g CO2 e m2/season. Based on these findings and previous studies, it can be concluded that mulched-drip irrigation cultivation is a good way to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases and reduce the global warming impact of arid farmlands.
Molecular epidemiology of influenza A virus infection in Cyprus in four consecutive seasons (2009 pandemic–2013)
Authors: PANAYIOTOU C. , RICHTER J. , BASHIARDES S. , KOPTIDES D. , TRYFONOS C. , CHRISTODOULOU C. 
Published: October 2013

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of influenza A virus infection in Cyprus from the 2009 pandemic until 2013. Pandemic influenza A(H1N1)2009 virus infections outnumbered infections with other respiratory viruses until the end of 2009. The pandemic virus was also the prevalent influenza strain during influenza season 2010–2011; however, it was completely replaced by H3N2 subtype in the next season. During the most recent influenza season, 2012–2013, the pandemic strain was once again the only influenza A virus circulating in Cyprus. Full-length neuraminidase gene sequencing revealed mutations that had previously been identified as permissive. No significant difference in the expression of the IFN-inducible genesOASandIFIT1were observed. The phylogenetic analysis of the neuraminidase gene sequences revealed a picture of continuous importation of influenza strains in the island of Cyprus with local circulation playing only a minor role in determining the prevalent strain of the next influenza season.
Echocardiography in sickle cell anaemia patients under 20 years of age: a descriptive study in the Brazilian Western Amazon
Authors: Ribera Melissa C. V. , Ribera Ricardo B. , Koifman Rosalina J. , Koifman Sérgio 
Published: October 2013

AbstractIntroductionCardiac abnormalities in sickle cell anaemia are frequent and early, despite being more evident in adulthood. The study on cardiac abnormalities is essential in the current context, as, owing to improved health, children are increasingly able to reach adulthood and suffering the consequences of chronic cardiac injury.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of echocardiographic changes in patients under 20, suffering from sickle cell disease in Rio Branco, Brazilian Western Amazon.MethodsThe descriptive epidemiological study compare two sets of children and adolescents, one including sickle cell anaemia patients (n=45), and other one (n=109) without sickle cell anaemia or heart disease. The echocardiographic measurements were indexed according to body surface using z-scores, and the prevalence of echocardiographic changes in both groups, with their respective 95% confidence intervals, ascertained and compared.ResultsCompared with the non-sickle cell anaemia series, the sickle cell anaemia group showed z-scores 13.1-fold higher for the diastolic diameter of the left ventricle, 5.2 times higher for the thickness of the posterior wall, 4.9 higher for the left atrium, 2.5 times higher for the right ventricle and 2.0 times higher for the septum thickness. Also the rate of left ventricular mass, systolic pressure of the right ventricle and the relative wall thickness were significantly higher in sickle cell anaemia set.ConclusionsCardiac abnormalities were observed in 93.5% of patients. Early detection of cardiac abnormalities and quantifying them using the indexation of echocardiographic measurements according to body surface will allow proper identification and attendance of these children.
Delivering palliative care to patients and caregivers in inner-city communities: Challenges and opportunities
Authors: Kayser Karen , DeMarco Rosanna F. , Stokes Charu , DeSanto-Madeya Susan , Higgins Philip C. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractObjective:Social and economic barriers can hinder access to quality palliative and end-of-life care for patients living in inner-city communities. Using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, we investigated the stresses associated with living with a chronic disease and barriers to access and utilization of palliative care resources experienced by low-income patients and caregivers in five inner-city communities.Methods:Four focus groups (N = 33) were conducted with community stakeholders, including healthcare professionals (social workers and nurses), persons living with chronic illnesses (e.g., HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and cancer), and caregivers. Focus group responses were analyzed using thematic analyses.Results:Patients' and caregivers' stresses centered around five themes: lack of family support, communication barriers with healthcare professionals, minority stress, caregiver burden, and lack of spiritual support. The community stakeholders identified resources and services to improve access to care and the quality of life of underserved, low-income populations living with chronic illnesses.Significance of Results:A CBPR approach enabled us to develop an interdisciplinary and culturally sensitive intervention to begin addressing the palliative and end-of-life needs of the patients and caregivers of the inner-city community.
WHY THEY MATTERED: THE RETURN OF POLITICS TO PURITAN NEW ENGLAND
Authors: PETERSON MARK 
Published: October 2013

Puritans had big stories to tell, and they cast themselves big parts to play in those stories. The fervent English Protestants who believed that the Elizabethan Church urgently needed further reformation, and the self-selecting band among them who went on to colonize New England, were sure that they could re-create the churches of the apostolic age, and eliminate centuries’ worth of Romish accretions. By instituting scriptural forms of worship, these purified churches might have a beneficial influence on the state as well, and bring about the rule of the godly. If a purified English church and state could inaugurate reformation across all of Christendom, spread the gospel to infidels around the globe, and usher in the millennium, then all the better. In 1641, an anonymous tract called A Glimpse of Sions Glory announced that the new puritan-controlled Parliament would bring on “Babylon's destruction . . . The work of the day [is] to give God no rest till he sets up Jerusalem in the praise of the whole world.” The leading minister of colonial Boston at the time, John Cotton, predicted that as soon as 1655, as Michael Winship summarizes Cotton:
the states and Christian princes of Europe, under irresistible supernatural influence, would have instituted congregationalism [Massachusetts’ form of church polity] and overthrown Antichrist and Muslim Turkey. The example of their churches’ pure Christianity would have brought about the conversion of Jews and pagans across the globe. Thereafter, the churches of Christ would enjoy the millennium's thousand years of peace before the climactic battle with Gog and Magog at the end of time.
Those are big stories.
Complementarity between the ICRC and the United Nations and international humanitarian law and international human rights law, 1948–1968
Authors: Fortin Katharine 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis article shows that between the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and the Tehran conference in 1968, international human rights law and international humanitarian law and their respective guardian institutions, the United Nations (UN) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), were not so conceptually far apart as is sometimes suggested. Its purpose is to give further legitimacy to the role of human rights law in armed conflict and show that cooperation between the UN and the ICRC has a long history.
Positive epistasis between co-infecting plasmids promotes plasmid survival in bacterial populations
Authors: San Millan Alvaro , Heilbron Karl , MacLean R Craig 
Published: October 2013

AbstractPlasmids have a key role in the horizontal transfer of genes among bacteria. Although plasmids are catalysts for bacterial evolution, it is challenging to understand how they can persist in bacterial populations over the long term because of the burden they impose on their hosts (the ‘plasmid paradox’). This paradox is especially perplexing in the case of ‘small’ plasmids, which are unable to self-transfer by conjugation. Here, for the first time, we investigate how interactions between co-infecting plasmids influence plasmid persistence. Using an experimental model system based on interactions between a diverse assemblage of ‘large’ plasmids and a single small plasmid, pNI105, in the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we demonstrate that positive epistasis minimizes the cost associated with carrying multiple plasmids over the short term and increases the stability of the small plasmid over a longer time scale. In support of these experimental data, bioinformatic analysis showed that associations between small and large plasmids are more common than would be expected owing to chance alone across a range of families of bacteria; more generally, we find that co-infection with multiple plasmids is more common than would be expected owing to chance across a wide range of bacterial phyla. Collectively, these results suggest that positive epistasis promotes plasmid stability in bacterial populations. These findings pave the way for future mechanistic studies aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms of plasmid–plasmid interaction, and evolutionary studies aimed at understanding how the coevolution of plasmids drives the spread of plasmid-encoded traits.