bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Brief Report: Does Medication Use or Disease Activity During Pregnancy in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect Bone Density in Their Prepubertal Offspring?
Authors: de Steenwinkel Florentien D. O. , Hokken‐Koelega Anita C. S. , Hazes Johanna M. W. , Dolhain Radboud J. E. M. 
Published: November 2013

ObjectivePrednisone use and active disease are associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Either or both of these factors may be inevitable during pregnancy in women with RA, but it is unknown whether they variables influence the BMD of the offspring. This study was undertaken to investigate whether medication use or disease activity during pregnancy in RA patients influences the BMD of their prepubertal offspring.MethodsMothers (n = 255) participated in a prospective cohort study of RA and pregnancy, and 108 children of these mothers (ages 5–10 years) were included in this followup study. Information on features known to influence BMD in children, i.e., calcium intake, physical activity, serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level, sex, height, and weight, was collected. In addition, pre‐ and postnatal variables known to influence BMD, i.e., gestational age, maternal smoking, birth weight, postnatal rate of growth, and type of feeding, were recorded. Independent variables were prednisone use, sulfasalazine use, and RA disease activity during pregnancy.ResultsWe found no association of BMD in the children with either prednisone use or RA disease activity during pregnancy, even after correcting for all known associated variables. Sulfasalazine use during pregnancy had a positive effect on the total‐body BMD of the offspring (difference in standard deviation score 0.53, P = 0.005).ConclusionOur findings indicate that neither medication use nor high RA disease activity during pregnancy is associated with decreased BMD in offspring at age ∼7 years. The maternal benefit of medication use for RA during pregnancy outweighs the effect on BMD in the offspring.
Ethanol production using a newly isolated Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain directly assimilating intact inulin with a high degree of polymerization
Authors: Yang Fan , Liu Zhicheng , Dong Weifeng , Zhu Linghuan , Chen Xiaoyi , Li Xianzhen 
Published: November 2013

AbstractAn inulin‐degrading strain L610, which was competent to directly convert inulin into ethanol, was isolated and identified as a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae according to physiological and phylogenetic analysis. Ion chromatography results showed that isolate L610 could assimilate the intact inulin completely without acidic or enzymatic pretreatment in contrast to the previously reported strains of S. cerevisiae, which could only ferment the fructo‐oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization less than 15. Strain L610 yielded 37.2 g/L ethanol within 48 H at a shake flask level under the evaluated culture conditions (11% inulin, 0.4% yeast extract, and 0.05% MgSO4 at 30 °C and pH 6.0). The conversion efficiency of inulin‐type sugar to ethanol was 60% of the theoretical ethanol yield. Strain L610 produced 40.0 g/L of ethanol when directly fermented in Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) powder suspension within 24 H, which was higher than the reported data, 28.9 g/L, produced by S. cerevisiae KCCM 50549.
MTHFR rs2274976 polymorphism is a risk marker for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in the Brazilian population
Authors: de Aquino Sibele Nascimento , Hoshi Ryuichi , Bagordakis Elizabete , Pucciarelli Maria Giulia Rezende , Messetti Ana Camila , Moreira Helenara , Bufalino Andreia , Borges Andréa , Rangel Ana Lucia , Brito Luciano Abreu , Oliveira Swerts Mario Sergio , Martelli‐Junior Hercilio , Line Sergio R. , Graner Edgard , Reis Sílvia R.A. , Passos‐Bueno Maria Rita , Coletta Ricardo D. 
Published: November 2013

BackgroundPolymorphisms within the MTHFR (rs2274976) and MTHFD1 (rs2236225) genes were previously associated with maternal susceptibility for having an offspring with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in the Brazilian population. However, as the genotypes of the patients with NSCL/P were not evaluated, it is not clear whether the effects are associated with maternal or offspring genotypes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of rs2274976 and rs2236225 in the pathogenesis of NSCL/P.MethodsBy using the TaqMan 5′‐exonuclease allelic discrimination assay, the present study genotyped the rs2274976 and rs2236225 polymorphisms in 147 case–parent trios, 181 isolated samples of NSCL/P and 478 healthy controls of the Brazilian population. Transmission disequilibrium test and structured case–control analysis based on the individual ancestry proportions were performed.ResultsThe transmission disequilibrium test showed a significant overtransmission of the rs2274976 A allele (p = 0.004), but no preferential parent‐of‐origin transmission was detected. The structured case–control analysis supported those findings, revealing that the minor A allele of rs2274976 was significantly more frequent in NSCL/P group compared with control group (p = 0.001), yielding an odds ratio of 3.46 (95% confidence interval, 2.05–5.85). No association of rs2236225 polymorphism with NSCL/P was observed in both transmission disequilibrium test and case–control analysis.ConclusionThe results of the study revealed that the presence of the rs2274976 A allele is a risk marker for the development of NSCL/P in the Brazilian population. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 100:30–35, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A model‐driven quantitative metabolomics analysis of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism in E. coli K‐12 MG1655 that is biochemically and thermodynamically consistent
Authors: McCloskey Douglas , Gangoiti Jon A. , King Zachary A. , Naviaux Robert K. , Barshop Bruce A. , Palsson Bernhard O. , Feist Adam M. 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTThe advent of model‐enabled workflows in systems biology allows for the integration of experimental data types with genome‐scale models to discover new features of biology. This work demonstrates such a workflow, aimed at establishing a metabolomics platform applied to study the differences in metabolomes between anaerobic and aerobic growth of Escherichia coli. Constraint‐based modeling was utilized to deduce a target list of compounds for downstream method development. An analytical and experimental methodology was developed and tailored to the compound chemistry and growth conditions of interest. This included the construction of a rapid sampling apparatus for use with anaerobic cultures. The resulting genome‐scale data sets for anaerobic and aerobic growth were validated by comparison to previous small‐scale studies comparing growth of E. coli under the same conditions. The metabolomics data were then integrated with the E. coli genome‐scale metabolic model (GEM) via a sensitivity analysis that utilized reaction thermodynamics to reconcile simulated growth rates and reaction directionalities. This analysis highlighted several optimal network usage inconsistencies, including the incorrect use of the beta‐oxidation pathway for synthesis of fatty acids. This analysis also identified enzyme promiscuity for the pykA gene, that is critical for anaerobic growth, and which has not been previously incorporated into metabolic models of E coli. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 803–815. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Engineering Cytochrome‐Modified Silica Nanoparticles To Induce Programmed Cell Death
Authors: Huang Wen‐Yen , Davies Gemma‐Louise , Davis Jason J. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractA low native membrane permeability and ineffective access to the cellular cytosol, together with aggressive proteolytic degradation, often severely hampers the practical application of any therapeutic protein or antibody. Through engineering the charging profile of mesoporous silica nanoparticles, cellular uptake and subsequent subcellular distribution can be controlled. We show herein that programmed cell death can subsequently be induced across a population of cancer cells with remarkable efficacy on conjugating a specific caspase‐cascade‐activating cytochrome to such cytosol‐accessing particles.
Depth and character of rock weathering across a basaltic‐hosted climosequence on Hawai‘i
Authors: Goodfellow Bradley W. , Chadwick Oliver A. , Hilley George E. 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTUsing field observations and geochemical and digital terrain analyses, we describe the structure and thickness of the regolith across a climosequence on the island of Hawai‘i to gain insight into the relative roles of precipitation and the near‐surface hydrologic structure in determining weathering patterns. In the wet portion of the climosequence, where the long‐term water balance is positive, the regolith thickness reaches an observed maximum of ~40 m and appears limited by the geomorphic base‐level of the landscape. However, even within this thick regolith, distinct units of varying weathering intensity occur; the vertical ordering of which largely reflects differences in the initial permeability structure of the basalt flows rather than a systematic decrease in weathering intensity downwards from the ground surface. In the dry portion of the climosequence, where the long‐term water balance is negative, the regolith thickness is confined to ~1 m, is highly dependent on the inferred permeability structure of the basalt flows, and is independent of geomorphic base‐level. Weathering intensity also varies according to permeability structure and decreases in this thin regolith with distance beneath the ground surface. The abrupt change in regolith depth and character that coincides with the transition from net‐positive to net‐negative long‐term water balance implies that small changes in precipitation rates around a neutral water balance result in large changes in the distribution and depth of weathering. Together our observations indicate that the distribution and depth of weathering in basalts (and probably other lithologies) might be best understood by considering how precipitation interacts with the complicated near‐surface permeability structure over regolith‐forming timescales to weather rock in the vadose zone. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the use of loss‐on‐ignition techniques to quantify fluvial particulate organic carbon
Authors: Grove Magdalena K. , Bilotta Gary S. 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTThe fluvial flux of carbon (C) from terrestrial to marine environments represents an important component of the global C‐cycle, which can transfer C from the atmosphere to sedimentary storage. Fluvial fluxes of C are also an essential resource for freshwater ecosystems, critical for habitat heterogeneity and function. As such it is crucial that we are able to quantify this flux accurately. However, at present there are a number of different techniques used to quantify concentrations of fluvial C, and these techniques vary in their accuracy. In this article, we compare particulate organic carbon (POC) measurements derived from two commonly‐used techniques; a simple combustion and loss‐on‐ignition (LOI) technique, and an oxidative–combustion and carbon dioxide (CO2) detection technique. The techniques were applied to water samples collected from 10 contrasting reference‐condition, temperate river ecosystems. The POC measurements derived from the LOI technique were up to 16 times higher (average four times higher), than those derived from the oxidative–combustion and CO2 detection technique. This difference was highly variable both across the different river ecosystems and within each river ecosystem over time, suggesting that there is no simple way of converting the mass measured by LOI to estimates of fluvial POC. It is suggested that the difference in POC measured by these two techniques is a consequence of: (1) the loss of inorganic carbon at LOI combustion temperatures of > 425 °C, (2) the potential during the LOI combustion stage to lose hygroscopic and intercrystalline water, not completely driven off by the drying stage at temperatures of < 150 °C, and (3) the variable C content of fluvial organic matter, meaning that the simple application of a fixed correction factor to values obtained from the LOI technique may not be appropriate. These findings suggest that oxidative–combustion and CO2 detection techniques are preferential for quantifying fluvial POC. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Information Systems: Nationwide Database of Electric Rates to Become Available
Authors: Loomis David G. , Bowden Nicholas S. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractIn 2009, the US Department of Energy (DOE), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership, a public‐private consortium supporting open renewable and energy‐efficiency data, came together to sponsor the development of an open science and government data web platform, Open EI. One of Open EI's largest efforts is the United States Utility Rate Database (US URDB).
HOW THE EXTREME POOR COPE WITH CRISES: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ASSETS AND CONSUMPTION
Authors: Lawson David , Kasirye Ibrahim 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThis paper uses quantitative and qualitative panel household data, for the period 1992–2009, to model the coping mechanisms of households when faced with crises in Uganda. We find that socio‐economic determinants strongly influence coping mechanisms, with larger sized households being more likely to engage in the reduction of assets, and with households more likely to reduce food consumption when there is a drought and sell assets when faced with floods. Furthermore, being persistently poor and sick appear to result in disproportionately large reductions in assets over time—depleting a households asset base, and future coping mechanisms, of poorer households. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of RT‐PCR assay and virus isolation in cell culture for the detection of alkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus
Authors: Madani Tariq A. , Abuelzein El‐Tayb M.E. , Azhar Esam I. , Al‐Bar Hussein M.S. , Abu‐Araki Huda , Ksiazek Thomas G. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractAlkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV) is an emerging flavivirus that was isolated originally from Saudi Arabia in 1994–1995. The main tests used for the detection of AHFV are the real time (rt) RT‐PCR and virus isolation in cell culture. In the present study the detection of AHFV by rtRT‐PCR was compared with virus isolation in BHK‐21, HEp‐2, and LLC‐MK2 cell lines. AHFV suspensions grown in BHK‐21, HEp‐2, and LLC‐MK2 cell lines were serially diluted 10‐fold from 10−1 to 10−11. Samples from each dilution were used to inoculate four cell culture tubes and were also examined by the rtRT‐PCR for AHFV RNA. Fifteen non‐inoculated cell culture samples (five from each cell line) were included blindly in both tests. Thus, a total of 132 AHFV‐positive and 15 negative control samples were tested. The rtRT‐PCR could detect the viral RNA in all diluted specimens up to and including the 10−10 dilution (40 specimens for each cell line), whereas, cell cultures were positive in 70% of specimens for BHK‐21, 65% for LLC‐MK2, and 45% for HEp‐2 at this dilution. None of the three cell cultures nor the rtRT‐PCR was positive at 10−11 dilution. The specificity and positive predictive values of virus isolation compared to rtRT‐PCR were each 100%, whereas the negative predictive values were 29.4% for BHK‐21, 26.3% for LLC‐MK2, and 18.5% for HEp‐2. In conclusion, the rtRT‐PCR is more sensitive than virus isolation for detecting AHFV. J. Med. Virol. 86:1176–1180, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The evolution of HIV‐1 group M genetic variability in Southern Cameroon is characterized by several emerging recombinant forms of CRF02_AG and viruses with drug resistance mutations
Authors: Agyingi Lucy , Mayr Luzia M. , Kinge Thompson , Orock George Enow , Ngai Johnson , Asaah Bladine , Mpoame Mbida , Hewlett Indira , Nyambi Phillipe 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe HIV epidemic in Cameroon is marked by a broad genetic diversity dominated by circulating recombinant forms (CRFs). Studies performed more than a decade ago in urban settings of Southern Cameroon revealed a dominance of the CRF02_AG and clade A variants in >90% of the infected subjects; however, little is known about the evolving viral variants circulating in this region. To document circulating HIV viral diversity, four regions of the viral genome (gag, PR, reverse transcriptase, env) in 116 HIV‐1 positive individuals in Limbe, Southern Cameroon, were PCR‐amplified. Sequences obtained at the RT and protease regions were analyzed for mutations that conferred drug resistance using the Stanford Drug Resistance Database. The present study reveals a broad genetic diversity characterized by several unique recombinant forms (URF) accounting for 36% of infections, 48.6% of patients infected with CRF02_AG, and the emergence of CRF22_01A1 in 7.2% of patients. Three out of 15 (20%) treated patients and 13 out of 93 (13.9%) drug naïve patients harbor drug resistance mutations to RT inhibitors, while 3.2% of drug naïve patients harbor drug resistance mutations associated with protease inhibitors. The high proportion (13.9%) of drug resistance mutations among the drug naïve patients reveals the ongoing transmission of these viruses in this region of Cameroon and highlights the need for drug resistance testing before starting treatment for patients infected with HIV‐1. J. Med. Virol. 86:385–393, 2014. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Medical Virology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collaborative Competence: Redefining Management Education Through Social Construction
Authors: Gilbert Douglas J. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to stimulate discussion and further research on the topic of a fundamental and wholesale change in management education across a variety of organizations. The proposed model for management education is focused on interpersonal relationships as core to all aspects of educating managers. The article's premise is that management education should evolve to a design based on management itself as a relational social practice. The emergent model developed in the article rests on a historical analysis of approaches that demonstrate a flawed focus on rationalistic concepts. A new model is grounded in collaborative competence, an approach to achieve results over and above the sum of individual contributions. Collaborative competence is designed based on social construction principles. The episodic criticisms of the value of management education demonstrate that the approaches to educating organizational managers remain lacking. Shifting the pivotal focus of management education from rational and technical notions to a focus on relationships first rooted in social construction provides an enabling framework for organizational performance. The change in focus also addresses the need to educate managers to act in more ethical and socially responsible ways.
Financing of Micro and Small Enterprises in China: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Chan Sow Hup , Lin Jason Jianxiong 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe financing predicaments of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) — such as MSE owners requiring lower credit costs, longer loan repayment periods, monthly loan repayments, and more diverse security methods to reduce access barriers — suggest a need for financial inclusion of the unbanked and a future for the microfinance industry in China.
Long‐term outcome following surgical treatment of sacral chordoma
Authors: Osaka Shunzo , Osaka Eiji , Kojima Toshio , Yoshida Yukihiro , Tokuhashi Yasuaki 
Published: November 2013

BackgroundSixteen sacral chordoma surgeries performed at a single institution during the 1983–2008 period were retrospectively studied. Our aim is to assess surgical treatment and long‐term outcomes.MethodsFifteen patients underwent primary wide excision, and one intralesional excision using ethanol for local control and radiation therapy (RT). A combined anteroposterior approach for large tumors above S2, and wide excision was performed with the modified threadwire‐saw (MT‐saw) after 1997.ResultsFourteen of the 15 patients had wide margins, one a wide margin with contamination. The MT‐saw was facilitated sacral excision with wide margins. Eleven patients are alive for 5–28 years. Five patients died before 10 years, two patients experienced sepsis, and one of another disease. Two patients died of local recurrence (LR) and another of multiple metastases after intralesional excision and wide excision with contamination, respectively. LR and complications occurred 4 each of 11 patients with tumors ≥10 cm, neither with tumors <10 cm. The overall 5‐ and 10‐year survival rate with wide surgical margins was 13/16 (81.3%) and 8/13 (61.5%).ConclusionsA combined anteroposterior approach for large tumors, and the MT‐saw facilitates sacral excision with wide margins. Wide excision is recommended for younger patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2014 109:184–188. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of histopathologic factors on pattern of metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
Authors: Lanzer Martin , Gander Thomas , Kruse Astrid , Luebbers Heinz‐Theo , Reinisch Sabine 
Published: November 2013

Objectives/HypothesisKnowledge of histopathological factors, such as perineural invasion (PNI), extracapsular spread (ECS), angiolymphatic vessel invasion, and conglomerate lymph nodes, in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is important for appropriate treatment decisions. Given the availability of aggressive therapeutic options with known side effects and burdens for the patient, choosing the correct treatment option is vital.Study DesignRetrospective patient database.MethodsUsing a retrospective database of patients treated over a 10‐year period, independent prognostic factors for disease‐free survival and overall survival were assessed. Univariate analysis was used to identify significant variables, and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine independent prognostic factors.ResultsBetween January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2009, 291 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were analyzed to identify influence of histopathological factors on pattern of metastasis. PNI tends to set metastasis locoregional, both in ipsilateral and contralateral lymph nodes. Lymphangiosis eases the way toward ipsilateral lymph node metastasis. ECS spread and hemangiosis demonstrated a significantly higher risk of distant metastasis. With the occurrence of conglomerate lymph nodes, patient data demonstrated a highly significant accumulation of distant metastasis.ConclusionsPatients with PNI and lymph vessel invasion tend toward locoregional lymph node metastasis on the ipsilateral side of the neck. In cases of PNI, the patient is at risk for a contralateral neck recurrence of the tumor. In patients with ECS, blood vessel invasion, or conglomerate disease, disseminated spread of the disease to distant locations is more likely and has a high negative impact on survival of the patient.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 124:E160–E166, 2014