bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical features and outcomes of infants with Ewing sarcoma under 12 months of age
Authors: Wong Thalia , Goldsby Robert E. , Wustrack Rosanna , Cash Thomas , Isakoff Michael S. , DuBois Steven G. 
Published: July 2015

BackgroundEwing sarcoma peaks in incidence in adolescence. Infants <12 months old have rarely been reported. We aimed to compare clinical features, treatment, and survival of infants <12 months to those of older pediatric patients with Ewing sarcoma.ProcedureWe utilized the SEER database to identify patients <12 months of age diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma between 1973 and 2011. We used Fisher exact tests to compare clinical features and treatment modalities between these patients and patients aged 1–19 years. We used Kaplan–Meier methods to describe overall survival in these two groups.ResultsOf 1,957 patients in the cohort, 39 (2.0%) were diagnosed at <12 months of age. Infants had a different distribution of primary tumor sites, with lower extremity tumors under represented. Compared to older patients, infants were more likely to have soft tissue tumors (81.6% vs. 27.1%; P < 0.001); have primitive neuroectodermal tumor/Askin tumor (61.5% vs. 19.9%; P < 0.001); and have tumors <8 cm (81.0% vs. 53.2%; P < 0.014). Infants were less likely to receive radiation therapy (13.2% vs. 53.3%; P < 0.001). Infants were at increased risk for early death (P < 0.013 by Wilcoxon), though long‐term overall survival was not different between age groups (P < 0.25 by log rank).ConclusionsEwing sarcoma is rare in infants, with different clinical presentations and treatment approaches. These patients appear to be at higher risk for early death, but long‐term survival is similar to older pediatric patients. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;9999:1–5 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effect of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) on biodegradation of PS:PLA and PS:PLA:OMMT using Phanerochaete chrysosporium
Authors: Shimpi Navinchandra , Borane Mahesh , Kadam Meghraj , Mishra Satyendra 
Published: July 2015

The environmental issues of synthetic polymers have been resolved using biodegradation under controlled conditions. The degradation study of polymeric composites of (a) polystyrene (PS) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) (PS:PLA), and (b) PS:PLA filled with organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) (PS:PLA:OMMT) was carried out using Phanerochaete chrysosporium. PLA was synthesized using l‐lactic acid under controlled ultrasound cavitation technique, dried and added to a solution of PS. Surface of montmorillonite (MMT) was modified using column chromatographic technique to improve d‐spacing up to 31.5 Å. The sheets of PS:PLA and PS:PLA:OMMT were subjected to degradation study in minimal medium using P. chrysosporium micro‐organism under controlled conditions up to 28 days. The growth of micro‐organism and fractures inside the polymer matrix before and after degradation was observed using scanning electron microscope. Change in extracellular protein content, biomass production, and % degradation with respect to time of incubated samples have been also studied. It was found that the PS:PLA:OMMT (at 5 phr OMMT content) and PS:PLA (at 30% PLA) composites show an increment in degradation. The presence of OMMT leads to faster degradation of PS:PLA:OMMT nanocomposites, which decreases in mechanical property by 30% of PLA and 5 wt% of OMMT content. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1292–1301, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers
Data management and data analysis techniques in pharmacoepidemiological studies using a pre‐planned multi‐database approach: a systematic literature review
Authors: Bazelier Marloes T. , Eriksson Irene , de Vries Frank , Schmidt Marjanka K. , Raitanen Jani , Haukka Jari , Starup‐Linde Jakob , De Bruin Marie L. , Andersen Morten 
Published: July 2015

AbstractPurposeTo identify pharmacoepidemiological multi‐database studies and to describe data management and data analysis techniques used for combining data.MethodsSystematic literature searches were conducted in PubMed and Embase complemented by a manual literature search. We included pharmacoepidemiological multi‐database studies published from 2007 onwards that combined data for a pre‐planned common analysis or quantitative synthesis. Information was retrieved about study characteristics, methods used for individual‐level analyses and meta‐analyses, data management and motivations for performing the study.ResultsWe found 3083 articles by the systematic searches and an additional 176 by the manual search. After full‐text screening of 75 articles, 22 were selected for final inclusion. The number of databases used per study ranged from 2 to 17 (median = 4.0). Most studies used a cohort design (82%) instead of a case–control design (18%). Logistic regression was most often used for individual‐level analyses (41%), followed by Cox regression (23%) and Poisson regression (14%). As meta‐analysis method, a majority of the studies combined individual patient data (73%). Six studies performed an aggregate meta‐analysis (27%), while a semi‐aggregate approach was applied in three studies (14%). Information on central programming or heterogeneity assessment was missing in approximately half of the publications. Most studies were motivated by improving power (86%).ConclusionsPharmacoepidemiological multi‐database studies are a well‐powered strategy to address safety issues and have increased in popularity. To be able to correctly interpret the results of these studies, it is important to systematically report on database management and analysis techniques, including central programming and heterogeneity testing. © 2015 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of a multi‐state model in a claims database: illustration with methadone
Authors: Boucherie Quentin , Pauly Vanessa , Frauger Elisabeth , Thirion Xavier , Pradel Vincent , Micallef Joëlle 
Published: July 2015

AbstractPurposeIn pharmacoepidemiology, one of the main concerns is analysis of drug exposure time. However, in real‐life settings, patient's behavior is complex and characterized by drug exposure dynamics. Multi‐state models allow assessing the probabilities of various patterns, instead of just continuous use and/or discontinuation. The aim of this study was to illustrate with methadone, the use of multi‐state model (MSM) in a large claims database.MethodsThis study is based on the French health insurance reimbursement database. Methadone exposure is defined using four states for each period of follow‐up: syrup only, capsule only, syrup‐capsule and no dispensing. The model considered 12 possible transitions (including reverse transitions) from one state to another. To describe these transitions a time‐homogeneous Markov model was used.ResultsA total of 1265 methadone users were included. When patients belonged to the syrup‐capsule state, they had a 61.8% chance of moving to capsules the following month and 20.9% of moving to syrup. The probability of moving from the syrup to the non‐user state was 13.6% (11.7% from capsule state to non‐user state). The average length of stay was 5.9 months (CI95%: [5.5–6.4]) in capsule state, 4.9 (CI95%: [4.6–5.2]) in syrup state and 5.9 (CI95%: [5.5–6.3]) in non user state.ConclusionMSM provided a good description of methadone patterns of use. It outlined behaviors which have led to a rapid spread of capsule formulation among methadone users. Therefore, it illustrates the utility of MSM for modeling multiple sequences of drug use in a large claims database. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Population Pharmacokinetic Model of Sublingual Buprenorphine in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Authors: Ng Chee M. , Dombrowsky Erin , Lin Hopi , Erlich Michelle E. , Moody David E. , Barrett Jeffrey S. , Kraft Walter K. 
Published: July 2015

ObjectiveNeonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)—a clinical entity of infants from in utero exposure to psychoactive xenobiotic and buprenorphine—has been successfully used to treat NAS. However, nothing is known about the pharmacokinetics (PK) of buprenorphine in neonates with NAS. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the population pharmacokinetic of sublingual buprenorphine in neonates with NAS.DesignA retrospective population PK analysis of: (1) neonates with NAS treated with sublingual buprenorphine in randomized, double blinded clinical study and (2) data from healthy adults from a previously published pharmacokinetic study.SettingNeonatal intensive care unit and general clinical research unit.PatientsTwenty‐four neonates with NAS and five healthy adults.InterventionsAll participants received sublingual buprenorphine per study protocol.Measurements and Main ResultsA total of 303 PK data from 29 neonates and adults were used for model development. A population pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted using a first order conditional estimation with interaction in the NONMEM software program. A two‐compartment linear PK model with first‐order absorption process best described the pharmacokinetics of sublingual buprenorphine in neonates. The apparent clearance (CL) of buprenorphine was linearly related to body weight and matured with increasing age via two distinct saturated pathways. A typical neonate with NAS (body weight, 2.9 kg; postnatal age; 5.4 days) had a CL of 3.5 L/kg/hour and elimination half‐life of 11 hours. Phenobarbital did not affect the clearance of buprenorphine compared to neonates of similar age and weight.ConclusionsThis is the first study to investigate the population PK of sublingual buprenorphine in neonatal NAS. To our knowledge, this is also the first report to describe the age‐dependent changes of buprenorphine PK in this patient population. No buprenorphine dose adjustment is needed for neonates with NAS treated with buprenorphine and concurrent phenobarbital.
Effects of electric field during deposition on spray deposited indium‐doped zinc oxide films
Authors: Swami Sanjay Kumar , Chaturvedi Neha , Kumar Anuj , Dutta Viresh 
Published: July 2015

AbstractIndium‐doped zinc oxide (IZO) thin films were deposited on a glass substrate using spray technique with a direct current (DC) voltage applied to the nozzle to create an electric field during deposition. It was found that the presence of the electric field has a strong effect on doping efficiency, structural, electrical, and optical properties. Incorporation of indium in ZnO was confirmed by the Rutherford back scattering and X‐ray diffraction peak analysis. Scanning electron microscope micrograph showed that the surface morphology changed from rice‐like structure to flower‐like compact structure. The electrical resistivity of IZO film prepared under the electric field was 2 × 10−3 Ω cm, transmission in the visible region was more than about 80%, and figure of merit (ΦTC) was 3.39 × 10−3 Ω−1. The films deposited under the electric field showed a band gap narrowing, which is explained using the many body effects in the perturbation theory. Spray deposited IZO film under the electric field was shown to be useful for making self‐cleaning top glass in solar cell module fabrication. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fully printed flexible audio system on the basis of low‐voltage polymeric organic field effect transistors with three layer dielectric
Authors: Schmidt Georg C. , Höft Daniel , Haase Katherina , Bellmann Maxi , Kheradmand‐Boroujeni Bahman , Hassinen Tomi , Sandberg Henrik , Ellinger Frank , Hübler Arved C. 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTFully mass printed, flexible and truly polymeric organic field effect transistors consisting of a three layer dielectric made of CYTOP (low‐k), PVA (intermediate) and P(VDF‐TrFE‐CTFE)(high‐k) are introduced. Gravure‐, flexo‐and screen printing were selected as highly productive manufacturing technologies. These OFETs work at strongly reduced voltages and show high field effect mobility (µ = 0.2  cm2/Vs) and remarkable good bias stress stability at very high current density (50  µA/mm). Fully printed OFETs are used for the realization of ring oscillators working in the kHz regime at reduced supply voltage (10  V). In combination with printed fully polymeric piezoelectric loudspeakers, this work shows for the first time fully printed flexible audio systems. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 1409–1415
Differential proteomic analysis reveals that EGCG inhibits HDGF and activates apoptosis to increase the sensitivity of non‐small cells lung cancer to chemotherapy
Authors: Flores‐Pérez Ali , Marchat Laurence A. , Sánchez Lidia López , Romero‐Zamora Diana , Arechaga‐Ocampo Elena , Ramírez‐Torres Nayeli , Chávez José Díaz , Carlos‐Reyes Ángeles , Astudillo‐de la Vega Horacio , Ruiz‐García Erika , González‐Pérez Abrahan , López‐Camarillo César 
Published: July 2015

PurposeTo search for regulated proteins in response to green tea (–)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG) in A549 lung cancer cells.Experimental design2DE and ESI/multistage MS (ESI‐MS/MS) were performed to identify modulated proteins in A549 cells treated with EGCG. Cell migration was evaluated by transwell assays. RNA interference was used to silence the hepatoma‐derived growth factor (HDGF). Caspase‐3, caspase‐9, and HDGF were immunodetected by Western blot assays. Flow cytometry was used for detection of mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis.ResultsWe found that HDGF expression was threefold suppressed by EGCG treatment. Downregulation of HDGF by EGCG was confirmed using anti‐HDGF antibodies in three lung cancer cell lines. EGCG treatment and HDGF abrogation by RNA interference resulted in a decreased migration of A549 cells. In addition, EGCG induced a marked synergistic effect with cisplatin in cell death. Consistently, an enhanced cytotoxicity in HDGF‐silenced cells was also found. Cell death was associated to increased apoptosis, disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and activation of caspase‐3 and caspase‐9.Conclusion and clinical relevanceOur data suggest for the first time that abrogation of HDGF by EGCG enhances cisplatin‐induced apoptosis and sensitize A549 cells to chemotherapy. Therefore, we propose that decreasing the HDGF levels by using EGCG may represent a novel strategy in lung cancer therapy.
Effects of methotrexate and salazosulfapyridine on protein profiles of exosomes derived from a human synovial sarcoma cell line of SW982
Authors: Tsuno Hirotaka , Suematsu Naoya , Sato Toshiyuki , Arito Mitsumi , Matsui Toshihiro , Iizuka Nobuko , Omoteyama Kazuki , Okamoto Kazuki , Tohma Shigeto , Kurokawa Manae S. , Kato Tomohiro 
Published: July 2015

PurposeTo elucidate effects of salazosulfapyridine (SASP) and methotrexate (MTX), major anti‐rheumatic drugs, on exosomes derived from SW982 of a human synovial sarcoma cell line.Experimental designSW982 was treated with SASP and/or MTX under interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β)‐treated or nontreated conditions. Exosomes were isolated from the culture media, and exosomal proteome was analyzed by 2D‐DIGE. Protein spots whose intensity was significantly altered by the above treatments were identified by MS.ResultsTwo hundred ninety‐four protein spots were detected in the exosome preparations by 2D‐DIGE. Compared to the nontreated cells, SASP‐, MTX‐, and (SASP + MTX)‐treated cells displayed 8, 10, and 21 exosomal protein spots with more than ±2.0‐fold intensity differences (p < 0.05), respectively. Similarly, the IL‐1β‐treated cells displayed 58 exosomal protein spots with more than ±1.5‐fold intensity differences (p < 0.05). In about half of the 58 spots, the IL‐1β‐induced intensity changes were suppressed by simultaneous addition of SASP and/or MTX. Most of the identified proteins were immunity‐ or anti‐oxidation‐related proteins.Conclusions and clinical relevanceThe SASP and/or MTX treatments altered the protein profiles of exosomes and suppressed the effects of IL‐1β on the exosomal proteome. Exosomes may play roles in the actions of these anti‐rheumatic drugs.
Molecular architecture of KedS8, a sugar N‐methyltransferase from Streptoalloteichus sp. ATCC 53650
Authors: Delvaux Nathan A. , Thoden James B. , Holden Hazel M. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractKedarcidin, produced by Streptoalloteichus sp. ATCC 53650, is a fascinating chromoprotein of 114 amino acid residues that displays both antibiotic and anticancer activity. The chromophore responsible for its chemotherapeutic activity is an ansa‐bridged enediyne with two attached sugars, l‐mycarose, and l‐kedarosamine. The biosynthesis of l‐kedarosamine, a highly unusual trideoxysugar, is beginning to be revealed through bioinformatics approaches. One of the enzymes putatively involved in the production of this carbohydrate is referred to as KedS8. It has been proposed that KedS8 is an N‐methyltransferase that utilizes S‐adenosylmethionine as the methyl donor and a dTDP‐linked C‐4′ amino sugar as the substrate. Here we describe the three‐dimensional architecture of KedS8 in complex with S‐adenosylhomocysteine. The structure was solved to 2.0 Å resolution and refined to an overall R‐factor of 17.1%. Unlike that observed for other sugar N‐methyltransferases, KedS8 adopts a novel tetrameric quaternary structure due to the swapping of β‐strands at the N‐termini of its subunits. The structure presented here represents the first example of an N‐methyltransferase that functions on C‐4′ rather than C‐3′ amino sugars.
Structure of the external aldimine form of PglE, an aminotransferase required for N,N'‐diacetylbacillosamine biosynthesis
Authors: Riegert Alexander S. , Young N. Martin , Watson David C. , Thoden James B. , Holden Hazel M. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractN,N'‐diacetylbacillosamine is a novel sugar that plays a key role in bacterial glycosylation. Three enzymes are required for its biosynthesis in Campylobacter jejuni starting from UDP‐GlcNAc. The focus of this investigation, PglE, catalyzes the second step in the pathway. It is a PLP‐dependent aminotransferase that converts UDP‐2‐acetamido‐4‐keto‐2,4,6‐trideoxy‐d‐glucose to UDP‐2‐acetamido‐4‐amino‐2,4,6‐trideoxy‐d‐glucose. For this investigation, the structure of PglE in complex with an external aldimine was determined to a nominal resolution of 2.0 Å. A comparison of its structure with those of other sugar aminotransferases reveals a remarkable difference in the manner by which PglE accommodates its nucleotide‐linked sugar substrate.
Structure alignment of membrane proteins: Accuracy of available tools and a consensus strategy
Authors: Stamm Marcus , Forrest Lucy R. 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTProtein structure alignment methods are used for the detection of evolutionary and functionally related positions in proteins. A wide array of different methods are available, but the choice of the best method is often not apparent to the user. Several studies have assessed the alignment accuracy and consistency of structure alignment methods, but none of these explicitly considered membrane proteins, which are important targets for drug development and have distinct structural features. Here, we compared 13 widely used pairwise structural alignment methods on a test set of homologous membrane protein structures (called HOMEP3). Each pair of structures was aligned and the corresponding sequence alignment was used to construct homology models. The model accuracy compared to the known structures was assessed using scoring functions not incorporated in the tested structural alignment methods. The analysis shows that fragment‐based approaches such as FR‐TM‐align are the most useful for aligning structures of membrane proteins. Moreover, fragment‐based approaches are more suitable for comparison of protein structures that have undergone large conformational changes. Nevertheless, no method was clearly superior to all other methods. Additionally, all methods lack a measure to rate the reliability of a position within a structure alignment. To solve both of these problems, we propose a consensus‐type approach, combining alignments from four different methods, namely FR‐TM‐align, DaliLite, MATT, and FATCAT. Agreement between the methods is used to assign confidence values to each position of the alignment. Overall, we conclude that there remains scope for the improvement of structural alignment methods for membrane proteins. Proteins 2015; 83:1720–1732. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
What Drives Human Migration in Sahelian Countries? A Meta‐analysis
Authors: Neumann Kathleen , Hermans Frans 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe Sahel region has one of the most mobile populations in the world, with migration serving as a common household strategy to increase livelihood and social resilience. However, the Sahel region's population is extremely heterogeneous, and the processes and factors that contribute to migration are complex. Consequently, recent empirical studies yielded conflicting conclusions regarding the processes that drive migration. This study was designed to increase our understanding of the factors that drive migration in the Sahel region. We performed a systematic meta‐analysis of English‐language literature to synthesise the empirical evidence collected from 53 case studies covering eight Sahelian countries. We analysed the frequencies of a broad range of drivers that affected migration processes during the past three decades. Our results show that the primary impetus for driving migration is a combination of economic and social motivations, which together account for 80% of all drivers that were identified in the case studies. In contrast, only 11% of the identified drivers are related directly to demographic and/or environmental conditions. Moreover, we conclude that the majority of case studies do not explore causation among migration drivers, which clearly hampers our understanding of migration mechanisms taking place in the Sahel region. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improved seasonal prediction of the hot summer of 2003 over Europe through better representation of uncertainty in the land surface
Authors: MacLeod David A. , Cloke Hannah L. , Pappenberger Florian , Weisheimer Antje 
Published: July 2015

Methods to represent uncertainties in weather and climate models explicitly have been developed and refined over the past decade and have reduced biases and improved forecast skill when implemented in the atmospheric component of models. These methods have not yet been applied to the land‐surface component of models. Since the land surface is strongly coupled to the atmospheric state at certain times and in certain places (such as the European summer of 2003), improvements in the representation of land‐surface uncertainty may potentially lead to improvements in atmospheric forecasts for such events.Here we analyze seasonal retrospective forecasts for 1981–2012 performed with the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) coupled ensemble forecast model. We consider two methods of incorporating uncertainty into the land‐surface model (H‐TESSEL): stochastic perturbation of tendencies and static perturbation of key soil parameters.We find that the perturbed parameter approach improves the forecast of extreme air temperature for summer 2003 considerably, through better representation of negative soil‐moisture anomalies and upward sensible heat flux. Averaged across all the reforecasts, the perturbed parameter experiment shows relatively little impact on the mean bias, suggesting perturbations of at least this magnitude can be applied to the land surface without any degradation of model climate. There is also little impact on skill averaged across all reforecasts and some evidence of overdispersion for soil moisture.The stochastic tendency experiments show a large overdispersion for the soil temperature fields, indicating that the perturbation here is too strong. There is also some indication that the forecast of the 2003 warm event is improved for the stochastic experiments; however, the improvement is not as large as observed for the perturbed parameter experiment.