bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Administration of recombinant human granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor does not induce long‐lasting detectable epigenetic alterations in healthy donors
Authors: Leitner Gerda C. , Faschingbauer Martin , Wenda Sabine , Weigel Günter , Fischer Gottfried 
Published: May 2014

BackgroundThe short‐term safety profile of recombinant human granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor (rHuG‐CSF) in the allogeneic stem cell setting seems acceptable; only few data on long‐term safety are available. To further study possible epigenetic alterations, we investigated prospectively the influence of rHuG‐CSF on DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity and on changes in DNA methylation of candidate genes in peripheral blood cells of healthy unrelated stem cell donors within an observation period of 1 year.Study Design and MethodsIn this study, 20 stem cell donors (14 male/six female; median age, 40 years; range, 22‐54 years) and 20 sex‐ and age‐matched blood component donors (controls) were included. Sampling was performed before rHuG‐CSF administration; at the time of donation; and on Days (+1), 7, 30, 100, 180, and 360 in both groups. Analysis of DNMT activity in nuclear extracts was performed using a modified radionuclide assay. We performed methylation‐specific polymerase chain reaction to detect the methylation status of promoter CpG islands of the genes of the retinoic acid receptor beta (RAR‐B) and the Ras association domain family 1A (RASSF1A).ResultsDNMT activity increased significantly on the day of donation and 1 day after (p < 0.05). By Day +7 baseline values were reached. No further significant alterations of DNMT activity in the treated group compared to the controls were observed. We could not detect any differences in the gene methylation of RAR‐B and RASSF1A between both groups.ConclusionIn our prospective study no evidence of long‐lasting increased DNMT activity or enhanced DNA methylation in a limited panel of target genes after recombinant human G‐CSF administration was observed in healthy stem cell donors.
Systematic review of universal school-based resilience interventions targeting adolescent tobacco, alcohol or illicit drug use: review protocol
Authors: Hodder Rebecca Kate , Freund Megan , Wolfenden Luke , Bowman Jenny , Gillham Karen , Dray Julia , Wiggers John 
Published: May 2014

IntroductionTobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use contribute significantly to global rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite evidence suggesting interventions designed to increase adolescent resilience may represent a means of reducing adolescent substance use, and schools providing a key opportunity to implement such interventions, existing systematic reviews assessing the effectiveness of school-based interventions targeting adolescent substance use have not examined this potential.Methods and analysisThe aim of the systematic review is to determine whether universal interventions focused on enhancing the resilience of adolescents are effective in reducing adolescent substance use. Eligible studies will: include participants 5–18 years of age; report tobacco use, alcohol consumption or illicit drug use as outcomes; and implement a school-based intervention designed to promote internal (eg, self-esteem) and external (eg, school connectedness) resilience factors. Eligible study designs include randomised controlled trials, cluster randomised controlled trials, staggered enrolment trials, stepped wedged trials, quasi-randomised trials, quasi-experimental trials, time series/interrupted time-series trials, preference trials, regression discontinuity trials and natural experiment studies with a parallel control group. A search strategy including criteria for participants, study design, outcome, setting and intervention will be implemented in various electronic databases and information sources. Two reviewers will independently screen studies to assess eligibility, as well as extract data from, and assess risk of bias of included studies. A third reviewer will resolve any discrepancies. Attempts will be made to quantify trial effects by meta-analysis. Binary outcomes will be pooled and effect size reported using ORs. For continuous data, effect size of trials will be reported using a mean difference where trial outcomes report the same outcome using a consistent measure, or standardised mean difference where trials report a comparable measure. Otherwise, trial outcomes will be described narratively.DisseminationReview findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
IMPOSE (IMProving Outcomes after Sepsis)—the effect of a multidisciplinary follow-up service on health-related quality of life in patients postsepsis syndromes—a double-blinded randomised controlled trial: protocol
Authors: Paratz Jennifer D , Kenardy Justin , Mitchell Geoffrey , Comans Tracy , Coyer Fiona , Thomas Peter , Singh Sunil , Luparia Louise , Boots Robert J 
Published: May 2014

IntroductionPatients post sepsis syndromes have a poor quality of life and a high rate of recurring illness or mortality. Follow-up clinics have been instituted for patients postgeneral intensive care but evidence is sparse, and there has been no clinic specifically for survivors of sepsis. The aim of this trial is to investigate if targeted screening and appropriate intervention to these patients can result in an improved quality of life (Short Form 36 health survey (SF36V.2)), decreased mortality in the first 12 months, decreased readmission to hospital and/or decreased use of health resources.Methods and analysis204 patients postsepsis syndromes will be randomised to one of the two groups. The intervention group will attend an outpatient clinic two monthly for 6 months and receive screening and targeted intervention. The usual care group will remain under the care of their physician. To analyse the results, a baseline comparison will be carried out between each group. Generalised estimating equations will compare the SF36 domain scores between groups and across time points. Mortality will be compared between groups using a Cox proportional hazards (time until death) analysis. Time to first readmission will be compared between groups by a survival analysis. Healthcare costs will be compared between groups using a generalised linear model. Economic (health resource) evaluation will be a within-trial incremental cost utility analysis with a societal perspective.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been granted by the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC; HREC/13/QRBW/17), The University of Queensland HREC (2013000543), Griffith University (RHS/08/14/HREC) and the Australian Government Department of Health (26/2013). The results of this study will be submitted to peer-reviewed intensive care journals and presented at national and international intensive care and/or rehabilitation conferences.Trial registration numberAustralian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12613000528752.
Preventive health services implemented by family physicians in Portugal—a cross-sectional study based on two clinical scenarios
Authors: Martins Carlos , Azevedo Luís Filipe , Santos Cristina , Sá Luísa , Santos Paulo , Couto Maria , Pereira Altamiro , Hespanhol Alberto 
Published: May 2014

ObjectivesTo assess whether Portuguese family physicians perform preventive health services in accordance with scientific evidence, based on the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).DesignCross-sectional study.SettingPrimary healthcare, Portuguese National Health Service.Participants255 Portuguese family physicians selected by a stratified cluster sampling design were invited to participate in a computer-assisted telephone survey.OutcomesPrevalence of compliance with USPSTF recommendations for screening, given a male and female clinical scenario and a set of proposed medical interventions, including frequency of the intervention and performance in their own daily practice.ResultsA response rate of 95.7% was obtained (n=244). 98–100% of family physicians answered according to the USPSTF recommendations in most interventions. In the male scenario, the lowest concordance was observed in the evaluation of prostate-specific antigen with 37% of family physicians answering according to the USPSTF recommendations. In the female scenario, the lowest concordance was for cholesterol testing with 2% of family physicians complying. Family physicians younger than 50 years had significantly better compliance scores than older ones (mean 77% vs 72%; p<0.001).ConclusionsWe found a high degree of agreement with USPSTF recommendations among Portuguese family physicians. However, we also found results suggesting excessive use of some medical interventions, raising concerns related to possible harm associated with overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
Fuzzy Logic Classification of S-Band Polarimetric Radar Echoes to Identify Three-Body Scattering and Improve Data Quality
Authors: Mahale Vivek N. , Zhang Guifu , Xue Ming 
Published: May 2014

AbstractThe three-body scatter signature (TBSS) is a radar artifact that appears downrange from a high-radar-reflectivity core in a thunderstorm as a result of the presence of hailstones. It is useful to identify the TBSS artifact for quality control of radar data used in numerical weather prediction and quantitative precipitation estimation. Therefore, it is advantageous to develop a method to automatically identify TBSS in radar data for the above applications and to help identify hailstones within thunderstorms. In this study, a fuzzy logic classification algorithm for TBSS identification is developed. Polarimetric radar data collected by the experimental S-band Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) in Norman, Oklahoma (KOUN), are used to develop trapezoidal membership functions for the TBSS class of radar echo within a hydrometeor classification algorithm (HCA). Nearly 3000 radar gates are removed from 50 TBSSs to develop the membership functions from the data statistics. Five variables are investigated for the discrimination of the radar echo: 1) horizontal radar reflectivity factor ZH, 2) differential reflectivity ZDR, 3) copolar cross-correlation coefficient ρhv, 4) along-beam standard deviation of horizontal radar reflectivity factor SD(ZH), and 5) along-beam standard deviation of differential phase SD(ΦDP). These membership functions are added to an HCA to identify TBSSs. Testing is conducted on radar data collected by dual-polarization-upgraded operational WSR-88Ds from multiple severe-weather events, and results show that automatic identification of the TBSS through the enhanced HCA is feasible for operational use.
Changes of the Annual Precipitation over Central Asia in the Twenty-First Century Projected by Multimodels of CMIP5
Authors: Huang Anning , Zhou Yang , Zhang Yaocun , Huang Danqing , Zhao Yong , Wu Haomin 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
Based on the outputs of historical and future representative concentration pathway (RCP) experiments produced by 28 models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), future changes in climatic mean, interannual standard deviation (ISD), and long-term trends of the annual precipitation over central Asia (CA) have been estimated. Under different emission scenarios during the twenty-first century, the climatic mean and ISD (long-term trends) of the annual precipitation over CA projected by the five best models’ ensemble mean show very similar (quite different) spatial patterns to those in the twentieth century. Relatively stronger increasing rates (over 3 mm decade−1 in RCP2.6 and over 6 mm decade−1 in RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) are located over northern CA and the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Compared to the situations in the twentieth century, the climatic mean, ISD, and long-term trends of the projected annual precipitation over most of CA under different emission scenarios exhibit robust increasing changes during the twenty-first century. The projected increasing changes in the climatic mean (ISD) of the CA annual mean range from 10% to 35% (10%–90%) under different emission scenarios with relatively large increases over Xinjiang, China (northern CA and Xinjiang). The increasing trends of the annual precipitation over most of CA are projected to intensify with relatively large increases (over 3–9 mm decade−1) located over northern CA, the Tian Shan Mountains, and northern Tibet during the twenty-first century. In addition, the intensities of the increasing changes in the climatic mean, ISD, and trends of CA annual precipitation are intensified with the emissions increased correspondingly. Further analyses of the possible mechanisms related to the projected changes in precipitation indicate that the increases of the annual precipitation over CA in the twenty-first century are mainly attributed to the enhanced precipitable water that results from strengthened water vapor transport and surface evaporation.
Southern Hemisphere Cloud–Dynamics Biases in CMIP5 Models and Their Implications for Climate Projections
Authors: Grise Kevin M. , Polvani Lorenzo M. 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
This study quantifies cloud–radiative anomalies associated with interannual variability in the latitude of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) midlatitude eddy-driven jet, in 20 global climate models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Two distinct model types are found. In the first class of models (type I models), total cloud fraction is reduced at SH midlatitudes as the jet moves poleward, contributing to enhanced shortwave radiative warming. In the second class of models (type II models), this dynamically induced cloud radiative warming effect is largely absent. Type I and type II models have distinct deficiencies in their representation of observed Southern Ocean clouds, but comparison with two independent satellite datasets indicates that the cloud–dynamics behavior of type II models is more realistic.
Because the SH midlatitude jet shifts poleward in response to CO2 forcing, the cloud–dynamics biases uncovered from interannual variability are directly relevant for climate change projections. In CMIP5 model experiments with abruptly quadrupled atmospheric CO2 concentrations, the global-mean surface temperature initially warms more in type I models, even though their equilibrium climate sensitivity is not significantly larger. In type I models, this larger initial warming is linked to the rapid adjustment of the circulation and clouds to CO2 forcing in the SH, where a nearly instantaneous poleward shift of the midlatitude jet is accompanied by a reduction in the reflection of solar radiation by clouds. In type II models, the SH jet also shifts rapidly poleward with CO2 quadrupling, but it is not accompanied by cloud radiative warming anomalies, resulting in a smaller initial global-mean surface temperature warming.
Ensemble Kalman Filter Analyses and Forecasts of a Severe Mesoscale Convective System Using Different Choices of Microphysics Schemes
Authors: Wheatley Dustan M. , Yussouf Nusrat , Stensrud David J. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractA Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF)-based ensemble data assimilation system is used to produce storm-scale analyses and forecasts of the 4–5 July 2003 severe mesoscale convective system (MCS) over Indiana and Ohio, which produced numerous high wind reports across the two states. Single-Doppler observations are assimilated into a 36-member, storm-scale ensemble during the developing stage of the MCS with the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) approach encoded in the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART). The storm-scale ensemble is constructed from mesoscale EnKF analyses produced from the assimilation of routinely available observations from land and marine stations, rawinsondes, and aircraft, in an attempt to better represent the complex mesoscale environment for this event. Three EnKF simulations were performed using the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) one- and two-moment and Thompson microphysical schemes. All three experiments produce a linear convective segment at the final analysis time, similar to the observed system at 2300 UTC 4 July 2003. The higher-order schemes—in particular, the Thompson scheme—are better able to produce short-range forecasts of both the convective and stratiform components of the observed bowing MCS, and produce the smallest temperature errors when comparing surface observations and dropsonde data to corresponding model data. Only the higher-order microphysical schemes produce any appreciable rear-to-front flow in the stratiform precipitation region that trailed the simulated systems. Forecast performance by the three microphysics schemes is discussed in context of differences in microphysical composition produced in the stratiform precipitation regions of the rearward expanding MCSs.
The Manchester short splint: A change to splinting practice in the rehabilitation of zone II flexor tendon repairs
Authors: Peck FH , Roe AE , Ng CY , Duff C , McGrouther DA , Lees VC 
Published: May 2014

Introduction The results of patients with primary zone II flexor tendon repairs rehabilitated using a traditional forearm-based splint were audited and compared with those who were managed in the Manchester short splint. Method The short splint was fabricated to permit maximal wrist flexion and up to 45° of wrist extension with a block to 30° of metacarpophalangeal joint extension. A rehabilitation regimen consisting of early combined passive flexion exercises and active motion was employed. In 2011, 62 patients (76 digits) with a mean age of 34 years (range 14–58) were rehabilitated using the forearm-based splint (group A). In 2012, 40 patients (45 digits) with a mean age of 31 years (range 15–71) were rehabilitated using the Manchester short splint (group B). Results Group B had significantly less flexion contracture at their proximal interphalangeal joints than group A at 6 weeks (median 15° versus 28°; p = 0.003) and 12 weeks (median 6° versus 18°; p = 0.024) postoperatively. At the final review, group B had a significantly greater arc of flexion at their distal interphalangeal joints (median 59° versus 30°; p < 0.001) and a greater proportion of patients with excellent/good Strickland’s grades. There were three (3.9%) ruptures in group A and two (4.4%) ruptures in group B (p > 0.999). Conclusion The use of a shorter splint would appear to enhance the outcomes whilst preserving repair integrity.
A Detailed Description of the Implementation of Inpatient Insulin Orders With a Commercial Electronic Health Record System
Authors: Neinstein Aaron , MacMaster Heidemarie Windham , Sullivan Mary M. , Rushakoff Robert 
Published: May 2014

Background: In the setting of Meaningful Use laws and professional society guidelines, hospitals are rapidly implementing electronic glycemic management order sets. There are a number of best practices established in the literature for glycemic management protocols and programs. We believe that this is the first published account of the detailed steps to be taken to design, implement, and optimize glycemic management protocols in a commercial computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system. Process: Prior to CPOE implementation, our hospital already had a mature glycemic management program. To transition to CPOE, we underwent the following 4 steps: (1) preparation and requirements gathering, (2) design and build, (3) implementation and dissemination, and (4) optimization. These steps required more than 2 years of coordinated work between physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and programmers. With the move to CPOE, our complex glycemic management order sets were successfully implemented without any significant interruptions in care. With feedback from users, we have continued to refine the order sets, and this remains an ongoing process. Conclusions: Successful implementation of glycemic management protocols in CPOE is dependent on broad stakeholder input and buy-in. When using a commercial CPOE system, there may be limitations of the system, necessitating workarounds. There should be an upfront plan to apply resources for continuous process improvement and optimization after implementation.
Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, an inhibitor of histone deacetylase, suppresses vasculogenic mimicry and proliferation of highly aggressive pancreatic cancer PaTu8988 cells
Authors: Xu Xing-dong , Yang Lan , Zheng Li-yun , Pan Yan-yan , Cao Zhi-fei , Zhang Zhi-qing , Zhou Quan-sheng , Yang Bo , Cao Cong 
Published: May 2014

Abstract

Background
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive human malignancies with a extremely low 5-year survival rate. Hence, the search for more effective anti-pancreatic cancer agents is urgent.

Methods
PaTu8988 pancreatic cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), cell survival, proliferation, migration and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) were analyzed. Associated signaling changes were also analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blots.

Results
Here, we reported that SAHA, a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), exerted significant inhibitory efficiency against pancreatic cancer cell survival, proliferation, migration and VM. SAHA dose-dependently inhibited PaTu8988 pancreatic cancer cell growth with the IC-50 of 3.4 ± 0. 7 μM. Meanwhile, SAHA suppressed PaTu8988 cell cycle progression through inducing G2/M arrest, which was associated with cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK-1)/cyclin-B1 degradation and p21/p27 upregulation. Further, SAHA induced both apoptotic and non-apoptotic death of PaTu8988 cells. Significantly, SAHA suppressed PaTu8988 cell in vitro migration and cell-dominant tube formation or VM, which was accompanied by semaphorin-4D (Sema-4D) and integrin-β5 down-regulation. Our evidences showed that Akt activation might be important for Sema-4D expression in PaTu8988 cells, and SAHA-induced Sema-4D down-regulation might be associated with Akt inhibition.

Conclusions
This study is among the first to report the VM formation in cultured human pancreatic cancer cells. And we provided strong evidence to suggest that SAHA executes significant anti-VM efficiency in the progressive pancreatic cancer cells. Thus, SAHA could be further investigated as a promising anti-pancreatic cancer agent.
Sheaf fuzzy problems for functional differential equations
Authors: Tri Phan Van , Hoa Ngo Van , Phu Nguyen Dinh 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
In this paper, we present the studies on two kinds of solutions to fuzzy functional differential equations (FFDEs) and sheaf fuzzy functional differential equations (SFFDEs). The different types of solutions to FFDEs and SFFDEs are generated by the usage of generalized Hukuhara derivative concepts of fuzzy derivative in the formulation of a differential problem. Some examples are given to illustrate these results.