bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vaginal Epithelial Cell-Derived S100 Alarmins Induced by Candida albicans via Pattern Recognition Receptor Interactions Are Sufficient but Not Necessary for the Acute Neutrophil Response during Experimental Vaginal Candidiasis
Authors: Yano Junko , Palmer Glen E. , Eberle Karen E. , Peters Brian M. , Vogl Thomas , McKenzie Andrew N. , Fidel Paul L. 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTVulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), caused byCandida albicans, affects women worldwide. Animal and clinical studies suggest that the immunopathogenic inflammatory condition of VVC is initiated by S100 alarmins in response toC. albicans, which stimulate polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) migration to the vagina. The purpose of this study was to extend previousin vitrodata and determine the requirement for the alarmin S100A8 in the PMN response and to evaluate pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that initiate the response. For the former, PMN migration was evaluatedin vitroorin vivoin the presence or absence of S100 alarmins initiated by several approaches. For the latter, vaginal epithelial cells were evaluated for PRR expression andC. albicans-induced S100A8 and S100A9 mRNAs, followed by evaluation of the PMN response in inoculated PRR-deficient mice. Results revealed that, consistent with previously reportedin vitrodata, eukaryote-derived S100A8, but not prokaryote-derived recombinant S100A8, induced significant PMN chemotaxisin vivo. Conversely, a lack of biologically active S100A8 alarmin, achieved by antibody neutralization or by using S100A9−/−mice, had no effect on the PMN responsein vivo. In PRR analyses, whereas Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)- and SIGNR1-deficient vaginal epithelial cells showed a dramatic reduction inC. albicans-induced S100A8/S100A9 mRNAsin vitro, inoculated mice deficient in these PRRs showed PMN migration similar to that in wild-type controls. These results suggest that S100A8 alarmin is sufficient, but not necessary, to induce PMN migration during VVC and that the vaginal PMN response toC. albicansinvolves PRRs in addition to SIGNR1 and TLR4, or other induction pathways.
G Proteins Gαi1/3Are Critical Targets for Bordetella pertussis Toxin-Induced Vasoactive Amine Sensitization
Authors: Diehl Sean A. , McElvany Benjamin , Noubade Rajkumar , Seeberger Nathan , Harding Brock , Spach Karen , Teuscher Cory 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTPertussis toxin (PTX) is an AB5-type exotoxin produced by the bacteriumBordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough.In vivointoxication with PTX elicits a variety of immunologic and inflammatory responses, including vasoactive amine sensitization (VAAS) to histamine (HA), serotonin (5-HT), and bradykinin (BDK). Previously, by using a forward genetic approach, we identified the HA H1receptor (Hrh1/H1R) as the gene in mice that controls differential susceptibility toB. pertussisPTX-induced HA sensitization (Bphs). Here we show, by using inbred strains of mice, F1hybrids, and segregating populations, that, unlike Bphs, PTX-induced 5-HT sensitivity (Bpss) and BDK sensitivity (Bpbs) are recessive traits and are separately controlled by multiple loci unlinked to 5-HT and BDK receptors, respectively. Furthermore, we found that PTX sensitizes mice to HA independently of Toll-like receptor 4, a purported receptor for PTX, and that the VAAS properties of PTX are not dependent upon endothelial caveolae or endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Finally, by using mice deficient in individual Gαi/oG-protein subunits, we demonstrate that Gαi1and Gαi3are the criticalin vivotargets of ADP-ribosylation underlying VAAS elicited by PTX exposure.
Evaluation of a Hybrid Approach for Efficient Provenance Storage
Authors: Xie Yulai , Muniswamy-Reddy Kiran-Kumar , Feng Dan , Li Yan , Long Darrell D. E. 
Published: December 2013

Provenance is the metadata that describes the history of objects. Provenance provides new functionality in a variety of areas, including experimental documentation, debugging, search, and security. As a result, a number of groups have built systems to capture provenance. Most of these systems focus on provenance collection, a few systems focus on building applications that use the provenance, but all of these systems ignore an important aspect: efficient long-term storage of provenance.
In this article, we first analyze the provenance collected from multiple workloads and characterize the properties of provenance with respect to long-term storage. We then propose a hybrid scheme that takes advantage of the graph structure of provenance data and the inherent duplication in provenance data. Our evaluation indicates that our hybrid scheme, a combination of Web graph compression (adapted for provenance) and dictionary encoding, provides the best trade-off in terms of compression ratio, compression time, and query performance when compared to other compression schemes.
A bloat-aware design for big data applications
Authors: Bu Yingyi , Borkar Vinayak , Xu Guoqing , Carey Michael J. 
Published: December 2013

Over the past decade, the increasing demands on data-driven business intelligence have led to the proliferation of large-scale, data-intensive applications that often have huge amounts of data (often at terabyte or petabyte scale) to process. An object-oriented programming language such as Java is often the developer's choice for implementing such applications, primarily due to its quick development cycle and rich community resource. While the use of such languages makes programming easier, significant performance problems can often be seen --- the combination of the inefficiencies inherent in a managed run-time system and the impact of the huge amount of data to be processed in the limited memory space often leads to memory bloat and performance degradation at a surprisingly early stage.
This paper proposes a bloat-aware design paradigm towards the development of efficient and scalable Big Data applications in object-oriented GC enabled languages. To motivate this work, we first perform a study on the impact of several typical memory bloat patterns. These patterns are summarized from the user complaints on the mailing lists of two widely-used open-source Big Data applications. Next, we discuss our design paradigm to eliminate bloat. Using examples and real-world experience, we demonstrate that programming under this paradigm does not incur significant programming burden. We have implemented a few common data processing tasks both using this design and using the conventional object-oriented design. Our experimental results show that this new design paradigm is extremely effective in improving performance --- even for the moderate-size data sets processed, we have observed 2.5x+ performance gains, and the improvement grows substantially with the size of the data set.
Metformin Selectively Targets Tumor-Initiating Cells in ErbB2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer Models
Authors: Zhu Pei , Davis Meghan , Blackwelder Amanda J. , Bachman Nora , Liu Bolin , Edgerton Susan , Williams Leonard L. , Thor Ann D. , Yang Xiaohe 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
Metformin is an oral biguanide used for type II diabetes. Epidemiologic studies suggest a link between metformin use and reduced risk of breast and other types of cancers. ErbB2-expressing breast cancer is a subgroup of tumors with poor prognosis. Previous studies demonstrated that metformin is a potent inhibitor of ErbB2–overexpressing breast cancer cells; metformin treatment extends the life span and impedes mammary tumor development in ErbB2 transgenic mice in vivo. However, the mechanisms of metformin associated antitumor activity, especially in prevention models, remain unclear. We report here for the first time that systemic administration of metformin selectively inhibits CD61high/CD49fhigh subpopulation, a group of tumor-initiating cells (TIC) of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-ErbB2 mammary tumors, in preneoplastic mammary glands. Metformin also inhibited CD61high/CD49fhigh subpopulation in MMTV-ErbB2 tumor-derived cells, which was correlated with their compromised tumor initiation/development in a syngeneic tumor graft model. Molecular analysis indicated that metformin induced downregulation of ErbB2 and EGFR expression and inhibited the phosphorylation of ErbB family members, insulin-like growth factor-1R, AKT, mTOR, and STAT3 in vivo. In vitro data indicate that low doses of metformin inhibited the self-renewal/proliferation of cancer stem cells (CSC)/TICs in ErbB2–overexpressing breast cancer cells. We further demonstrated that the expression and activation of ErbB2 were preferentially increased in CSC/TIC-enriched tumorsphere cells, which promoted their self-renewal/proliferation and rendered them more sensitive to metformin. Our results, especially the in vivo data, provide fundamental support for developing metformin-mediated preventive strategies targeting ErbB2–associated carcinogenesis. Cancer Prev Res; 7(2); 199–210. ©2013 AACR.
Supraglottoplasty in Premature Infants with Laryngomalacia: Does Gestation Age at Birth Influence Outcomes?
Authors: Durvasula Venkata S. P. B. , Lawson Bradley R. , Bower Charles M. , Richter Gresham T. 
Published: December 2013

PurposePrematurity is thought to be to be an independent risk factor for supraglottoplasty (SGP) failure. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of supraglottoplasty in premature infants with congenital laryngomalacia (LM) with that of term infants.Study DesignCase series with chart review.SettingTertiary‐care pediatric institution.MethodsAnalysis was performed on 325 consecutive patients undergoing SGP between 2004 and 2012. Patients older than 12 months age or with syndrome, neurologic, or cardiac comorbidities were excluded. Resolution of airway symptoms after SGP was considered successful while revision SGP and tracheostomy were considered failures. The rates of secondary airway lesions (SAL), dysphagia, and gastrostomy tube (GT) placement were also compared.ResultsA total of 176 infants (136 term, 40 preterm) were identified. SGP was successful in 92.7% term and 90% preterm infants with no significant difference (P =. 5865). Incidence of revision SGP and tracheostomy was similar among the groups. The outcomes of SGP were the same in all groups stratified by age. Incidence of SAL was significantly higher in preterm (72.5%) compared to term infants (34.6%, P =. 0002). Dysphagia rates in the follow‐up were higher in preterm (32.5%) versus term infants (6.6%, P <. 001). The rate of GT insertion was significantly greater (P =. 003) in preterm (27.5%) than term infants (6.6%). The preoperative dysphagia, persistent dysphagia, and GT in follow‐up was significantly higher when gestation age <32 weeks (25%, P =. 0168).ConclusionSupraglottoplasty outcomes in term and preterm infants were similar irrespective of gestation age. Higher rates of dysphagia in follow‐up are seen when gestation age <32 weeks.
Nonspecific Hyper‐reactivity and Localized Allergy: Cause of Discrepancy Between Skin Prick and Nasal Provocation Test
Authors: Chang Geun Uck , Jang Tae Young , Kim Kyu‐Sung , Choi Hyuk , Kim Young Hyo 
Published: December 2013

ObjectiveDisagreement between results of skin prick test (SPT) and nasal provocation tests (NPT) causes difficulty in differential diagnosis of allergic rhinitis (AR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR). We hypothesized this discrepancy could be due to the nonspecific hyper‐reactivity (NHR) and localized allergy of the nasal cavity.Study DesignProspective pilot.SettingAcademic tertiary rhinologic practice.Subjects and MethodsSixty patients with AR and 62 with NAR were enrolled. We categorized patients according to results of SPT and NPT. We compared: (1) the clinical characteristics and severity of the disease, (2) change of minimal cross‐sectional area (MCA) and total nasal volume (TNV) after normal saline (NS) challenge, and (3) change of nasal symptoms and acoustic parameters after intranasal house dust mite (HDM) challenge between groups.ResultsPatients in groups A (SPT[+]/NPT[+]) and C (SPT[–]/NPT[+]) complained of more persistent discomfort than those in groups B (SPT[+]/NPT[–]) and D (SPT[–]/NPT[–]). The proportion of moderate to severe symptoms was significantly higher in groups A, B, and C compared to group D. After NS challenge, MCA/TNV showed a significantly greater decrease in groups A (MCA: 27.6% ± 21.3%, TNV: 24.6% ± 16.4%) and C (MCA: 31.2% ± 24.0%, TNV: 24.1% ± 23.4%) compared to groups B (MCA: 0.1% ± 13.2%, TNV: 3.9% ± 13.5%) and D (MCA: 2.1% ± 12.1%, TNV: 2.0% ± 17.2%) (P <. 05). After HDM challenge, groups A/B showed a greater decrease in MCA (Group A: 62.4% ± 16.1%, Group B: 6.4% ± 11.3%) compared to groups C/D (Group C: 45.5% ± 14.4%, Group D: –3.0% ± 9.5%).ConclusionNHR and/or localized allergy should be considered in patients with rhinitis whose SPT and NPT results are not in agreement.
Global analysis of cis-natural antisense transcripts and their heat-responsive nat-siRNAs in Brassica rapa
Authors: Yu Xiang , Yang Jun , Li Xiaorong , Liu Xuxin , Sun Chuanbao , Wu Feijie , He Yuke 
Published: December 2013

AbstractBackgroundBrassica rapaincludes several important leaf vegetable crops whose production is often damaged by high temperature. Cis-natural antisense transcripts (cis-NATs) andcis-NATs-derived small interfering RNAs (nat-siRNAs) play important roles in plant development and stress responses. However, genome-wide cis-NATs inB. rapaare not known. The NATs and nat-siRNAs that respond to heat stress have never been well studied inB. rapa. Here, we took advantage of RNA-seq and small RNA (sRNA) deep sequencing technology to identify cis-NATs and heat responsive nat-siRNAs inB. rapa.ResultsAnalyses of four RNA sequencing datasets revealed 1031cis-NATsB. rapassp.chinensiscv Wut andB. rapassp.pekinensiscv. Bre. Based on sequence homology betweenArabidopsis thalianaandB. rapa, 303 conservedcis-NATs inB. rapawere found to correspond to 280 cis-NATs inArabidopsis; the remaining 728 novelcis-NATs were identified asBrassica-specific ones. Using six sRNA libraries, 4846 nat-siRNAs derived from 150cis-NATs were detected. Differential expression analysis revealed that nat-siRNAs derived from 12 cis-NATs were responsive to heat stress, and most of them showed strand bias. Real-time PCR indicated that most of the transcripts generating heat-responsive nat-siRNAs were upregulated under heat stress, while the transcripts from the opposite strands of the same loci were downregulated.ConclusionsOur results provide the first subsets of genome-wide cis-NATs and heat-responsive nat-siRNAs inB. rapa; these sRNAs are potentially useful for the genetic improvement of heat tolerance inB. rapaand other crops.
Validation of Intraluminal and Intraperitoneal microdialysis in ischemic small intestine
Authors: Pynnönen Lauri , Minkkinen Minna , Perner Anders , Räty Sari , Nordback Isto , Sand Juhani , Tenhunen Jyrki 
Published: December 2013

Abstract

Background
We sought to define the sensitivity and specificity of intraperitoneal (IP) and intraluminal (IL) microdialysate metabolites in depicting ex vivo small intestinal total ischemia during GI-tract surgery. We hypothesized that IL as opposed to IP microdialysis detects small intestinal ischemia with higher sensitivity and specificity.

Methods
IL and IP microdialysate lactate, pyruvate, glucose and glycerol were analysed from small intestine of pancreaticoduodenectomy patients before and after occluding the mesenteric vasculature and routine resection of a segment of small intestine. Ex vivo time sequences of microdialysate metabolites were described and ROC analyses after 0–30, 31–60, 61–90 and 91–120 minutes after the onset ischemia were calculated.

Results
IL lactate to pyruvate ratio (L/P ratio) indicated ischemia after 31–60 minutes with 0.954 ROC AUC (threshold: 109) in contrast to IP L/P (ROC AUC of 0.938 after 61–90 minutes, threshold: 18). At 31–60 minutes IL glycerol concentration indicated ischemia with 0.903 ROC AUCs (thresholds: 69 μmol/l). IP glycerol was only moderately indicative for ischemia after 91–120 minutes with 0,791 ROC AUCs (threshold 122 μmol/l). After 31–60 minutes IL and IP lactate to glucose ratios (L/G ratio) indicated ischemia with 0.956 and 0,942 ROC AUCs (thresholds: 48,9 and 0.95), respectively.

Conclusions
The results support the hypothesis that intraluminal application of microdialysis and metabolic parameters from the small intestinal lumen indicate onset of ischemia earlier than intraperioneal microdialysis with higher sensitivity and specificity.
Antibiotic use and resistance in emerging economies: a situation analysis for Viet Nam
Authors: Nguyen Kinh Van , Thi Do Nga Thuy , Chandna Arjun , Nguyen Trung Vu , Pham Ca Van , Doan Phuong Mai , Nguyen An Quoc , Thi Nguyen Chuc Kim , Larsson Mattias , Escalante Socorro , Olowokure Babatunde , Laxminarayan Ramanan , Gelband Hellen , Horby Peter , Thi Ngo Ha Bich , Hoang Mai Thanh , Farrar Jeremy , Hien Tran Tinh , Wertheim Heiman FL 
Published: December 2013

Abstract

Background
Antimicrobial resistance is a major contemporary public health threat. Strategies to contain antimicrobial resistance have been comprehensively set forth, however in developing countries where the need for effective antimicrobials is greatest implementation has proved problematic. A better understanding of patterns and determinants of antibiotic use and resistance in emerging economies may permit more appropriately targeted interventions.
Viet Nam, with a large population, high burden of infectious disease and relatively unrestricted access to medication, is an excellent case study of the difficulties faced by emerging economies in controlling antimicrobial resistance.

Methods
Our working group conducted a situation analysis of the current patterns and determinants of antibiotic use and resistance in Viet Nam. International publications and local reports published between 1-1-1990 and 31-8-2012 were reviewed. All stakeholders analyzed the findings at a policy workshop and feasible recommendations were suggested to improve antibiotic use in Viet Nam.
Here we report the results of our situation analysis focusing on: the healthcare system, drug regulation and supply; antibiotic resistance and infection control; and agricultural antibiotic use.

Results
Market reforms have improved healthcare access in Viet Nam and contributed to better health outcomes. However, increased accessibility has been accompanied by injudicious antibiotic use in hospitals and the community, with predictable escalation in bacterial resistance. Prescribing practices are poor and self-medication is common – often being the most affordable way to access healthcare. Many policies exist to regulate antibiotic use but enforcement is insufficient or lacking.
Pneumococcal penicillin-resistance rates are the highest in Asia and carbapenem-resistant bacteria (notably NDM-1) have recently emerged. Hospital acquired infections, predominantly with multi-drug resistant Gram-negative organisms, place additional strain on limited resources. Widespread agricultural antibiotic use further propagates antimicrobial resistance.

Conclusions
Future legislation regarding antibiotic access must alter incentives for purchasers and providers and ensure effective enforcement. The Ministry of Health recently initiated a national action plan and approved a multicenter health improvement project to strengthen national capacity for antimicrobial stewardship in Viet Nam. This analysis provided important input to these initiatives. Our methodologies and findings may be of use to others across the world tackling the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
Factors associated with pretreatment and treatment dropouts: comparisons between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal clients admitted to medical withdrawal management
Authors: Li Xin , Sun Huiying , Marsh David C , Anis Aslam H 
Published: December 2013

Abstract

Background
Addiction treatment faces high pretreatment and treatment dropout rates, especially among Aboriginals. In this study we examined characteristic differences between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal clients accessing an inpatient medical withdrawal management program, and identified risk factors associated with the probabilities of pretreatment and treatment dropouts, respectively.

Methods
2231 unique clients (Aboriginal = 451; 20%) referred to Vancouver Detox over a two-year period were assessed. For both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups, multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted with pretreatment dropout and treatment dropout as dependent variables, respectively.

Results
Aboriginal clients had higher pretreatment and treatment dropout rates compared to non-Aboriginal clients (41.0% vs. 32.7% and 25.9% vs. 20.0%, respectively). For Aboriginal people, no fixed address (NFA) was the only predictor of pretreatment dropout. For treatment dropout, significant predictors were: being female, having HCV infection, and being discharged on welfare check issue days or weekends. For non-Aboriginal clients, being male, NFA, alcohol as a preferred substance, and being on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) at referral were associated with pretreatment dropout. Significant risk factors for treatment dropout were: being younger, having a preferred substance other than alcohol, having opiates as a preferred substance, and being discharged on weekends.

Conclusions
Our results highlight the importance of social factors for the Aboriginal population compared to substance-specific factors for the non-Aboriginal population. These findings should help clinicians and decision-makers to recognize the importance of social supports especially housing and initiate appropriate services to improve treatment intake and subsequent retention, physical and mental health outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of treatment.
Assessment of the loading history of patients after high tibial osteotomy using SPECT/CT - a new diagnostic tool and algorithm
Authors: Mucha Armin , Dordevic Milos , Testa Enrique A , Rasch Helmut , Hirschmann Michael T 
Published: December 2013

Abstract

Background
Single photon emission computerized tomography and conventional computerized tomography (SPECT/CT) tracer uptake has been shown to reflect the loading history of the tibiofemoral knee joint and correlate with the mechanical and anatomical alignment. It was our primary purpose to develop a novel standardized SPECT/CT algorithm for patients undergoing high tibial osteotomy, evaluate the inter- and intra-observer reliability (OR), and assess the clinical applicability for follow-up of patients before and after high tibial osteotomy.

Methods
The localization scheme defines 9 femoral, 8 patellar, and 13 tibial zones to accurately map the examined tracer uptake volume in each anatomical area of interest. Maximum values for each area (mean ± standard deviation, median, and range) of the localization scheme were recorded as well as normalized values for the intensity of SPECT/CT tracer uptake calculated. The inter- and intra-OR was assessed for SPECT/CT localization and tracer activity. Pre- and postoperative mechanical alignment was assessed in SPECT/CT using a custom-made specialized software. The median inter- and intra-observer differences of the measured mechanical alignment were calculated along with the inter- and intra-OR.

Results
The localization scheme showed near-perfect inter- and intra-OR (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) > 0.9) for the measurement of tracer activity and localization in all anatomical regions. For measurements of mechanical alignment, there was a strong agreement between the two observers (an inter-OR of ICC = 0.99 and an intra-OR of ICC = 0.98).

Conclusions
The presented SPECT/CT algorithm is highly reliable and clinically feasible. Combined with mechanical alignment analysis, it provides the surgeon with helpful information about realignment effects of high tibial osteotomies (HTOs) and might help identify the optimal personalized degree of correction in HTO surgery.