bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Individualised dietary counselling for nutritionally at‐risk older patients following discharge from acute hospital to home: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Munk T. , Tolstrup U. , Beck A. M. , Holst M. , Rasmussen H. H. , Hovhannisyan K. , Thomsen T. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBackgroundMany older patients are undernourished after hospitalisation. Undernutrition impacts negatively on physical function and the ability of older patients to perform activities of daily living at home after discharge from acute hospital. The present study aimed to evaluate the evidence for an effect of individualised dietary counselling following discharge from acute hospital to home on physical function, and, second, on readmissions, mortality, nutritional status, nutritional intake and quality of life (QoL), in nutritionally at‐risk older patients.MethodsA systematic review of randomised controlled trials was conducted. The overall quality of the evidence was assessed according to Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system (GRADE) criteria.ResultsFour randomised controlled trials (n = 729) were included. Overall, the evidence was of moderate quality. Dietitians provided counselling in all studies. Meta‐analyses showed a significant increase in energy intake [mean difference (MD) = 1.10 MJ day−1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.66–1.54, P < 0.001], protein intake (MD = 10.13 g day−1, 95% CI = 5.14–15.13, P < 0.001) and body weight (BW) (MD = 1.01 kg, 95% CI = 0.08–1.95, P = 0.03). Meta‐analyses revealed no significant effect on physical function assessed using hand grip strength, and similarly on mortality. Narrative summation of effects on physical function using other instruments revealed inconsistent effects. Meta‐analyses were not conducted on QoL and readmissions as a result of a lack of data.ConclusionsIndividualised dietary counselling by dietitians following discharge from acute hospital to home improved BW, as well as energy and protein intake, in older nutritionally at‐risk patients, although without clearly improving physical function. The effect of this strategy on physical function and other relevant clinical outcomes warrants further investigation.
Seamless stitching of tile scan microscope images
Authors: LEGESSE F.B. , CHERNAVSKAIA O. , HEUKE S. , BOCKLITZ T. , MEYER T. , POPP J. , HEINTZMANN R. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryFor diagnostic purposes, optical imaging techniques need to obtain high‐resolution images of extended biological specimens in reasonable time. The field of view of an objective lens, however, is often smaller than the sample size. To image the whole sample, laser scanning microscopes acquire tile scans that are stitched into larger mosaics. The appearance of such image mosaics is affected by visible edge artefacts that arise from various optical aberrations which manifest in grey level jumps across tile boundaries. In this contribution, a technique for stitching tiles into a seamless mosaic is presented. The stitching algorithm operates by equilibrating neighbouring edges and forcing the brightness at corners to a common value. The corrected image mosaics appear to be free from stitching artefacts and are, therefore, suited for further image analysis procedures. The contribution presents a novel method to seamlessly stitch tiles captured by a laser scanning microscope into a large mosaic. The motivation for the work is the failure of currently existing methods for stitching nonlinear, multimodal images captured by our microscopic setups. Our method eliminates the visible edge artefacts that appear between neighbouring tiles by taking into account the overall illumination differences among tiles in such mosaics. The algorithm first corrects the nonuniform brightness that exists within each of the tiles. It then compensates for grey level differences across tile boundaries by equilibrating neighbouring edges and forcing the brightness at the corners to a common value. After these artefacts have been removed further image analysis procedures can be applied on the microscopic images. Even though the solution presented here is tailored for the aforementioned specific case, it could be easily adapted to other contexts where image tiles are assembled into mosaics such as in astronomical or satellite photos.
miR‐210 mediates vagus nerve stimulation‐induced antioxidant stress and anti‐apoptosis reactions following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats
Authors: Jiang Ying , Li Longling , Tan Xiaodan , Liu Bin , Zhang Yanhong , Li Changqing 
Published: March 2015

AbstractVagus nerve stimulation (VNS) exerts neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and modulates redox status, potentially through the activity of miR‐210, an important microRNA that is regulated by hypoxia‐inducible factor and Akt‐dependent pathways. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms of VNS‐ and miR‐210‐mediated hypoxic tolerance. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were preconditioned with a miR‐210 antagomir (A) or with an antagomir control (AC), followed by middle cerebral artery occlusion and VNS treatment. The animals were divided into eight groups: sham I/R, I/R, I/R+AC, I/R+A, sham I/R+VNS, I/R+VNS, I/R+VNS+AC, and I/R+VNS+A. Activation of the endogenous cholinergic a7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a7nAchR) pathway was identified using double immunofluorescence staining. miR‐210 expression was measured by PCR. Behavioral outcomes, infarct volume, and neuronal apoptosis were observed at 24 h following reperfusion. Markers of oxidative stress were detected using ELISA. Rats treated with VNS showed increased miR‐210 expression as well as decreased apoptosis and antioxidant stress responses compared with the I/R group; these rats also showed increased p‐Akt protein expression and significantly decreased levels of cleaved caspase 3 in the ischemic penumbra, as measured by western blot and immunofluorescence analyses, respectively. Strikingly, the beneficial effects of VNS were attenuated following miR‐210 knockdown. In conclusion, our results indicate that miR‐210 is a potential mediator of VNS‐induced neuroprotection against I/R injury. Our study highlights the neuroprotective potential of VNS, which, to date, has been largely unexplored.
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Since approved by the FDA in 1997, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has proven to be a safe and effective treatment for refractory epilepsy and resistant depression. Recent studies have found that VNS also provided neuroprotective effects against ischemic injury in a rat stroke model. We showed that miR‐210 played an important role in the antioxidant stress and anti‐apoptosis responses induced by VNS. This is the first report showing the effects of VNS at the mRNA level. Therefore, VNS represents a promising candidate treatment for ischemic stroke patients. Schematic view of the role of miR210 mediated in the protective effects of the VNS on the acute cerebral ischemia. VNS acts to activate neuronal and astrocytes a7nAchR , inhibits the apoptosis and oxidant stress responses possibly associated with increased Akt phosphorylation and miR210 expression.
Asset Quality Misrepresentation by Financial Intermediaries: Evidence from the RMBS Market
Authors: PISKORSKI TOMASZ , SERU AMIT , WITKIN JAMES 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTWe document that contractual disclosures by intermediaries during the sale of mortgages contained false information about the borrower's housing equity in 7–14% of loans. The rate of misrepresented loan default was 70% higher than for similar loans. These misrepresentations likely occurred late in the intermediation and exist among securities sold by all reputable intermediaries. Investors—including large institutions—holding securities with misrepresented collateral suffered severe losses due to loan defaults, price declines, and ratings downgrades. Pools with misrepresentations were not issued at a discount. Misrepresentation on another easy‐to‐quantify dimension shows that these effects are a conservative lower bound.
Self‐reported gagging in dentistry: prevalence, psycho‐social correlates and oral health
Authors: van Houtem C. M. H. H. , van Wijk A. J. , Boomsma D. I. , Ligthart L. , Visscher C. M. , de Jongh A. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryAlthough gagging has a profound effect on the delivery of dental care, it is a relatively under‐investigated phenomenon. This study aimed to derive a prevalence estimate of gagging during dental treatment based on patient‐reported information, to determine some socio‐demographic and psychological correlates and to assess the relationship of gagging with self‐reported oral health and avoidance of dental care. Data were collected with a survey among Dutch twin families (n = 11 771). Estimated overall prevalence of gagging during dental treatment was 8·2% (95% CI 7·7–8·7). Patients' self‐report of gagging was found to be significantly associated with female sex, a lower level of education and higher levels of dental trait anxiety, gagging‐related fears (e.g. fear of objects in the mouth), anxious depression and neuroticism. Gagging also appeared to be significantly associated with untreated cavities, gingival bleeding and wearing full dentures, but not with avoidance of dental care. It can be concluded that individuals who report to gag during dental treatment are moderately dentally anxious, fear‐specific situations that can trigger a gagging response and, albeit visiting the dentist equally frequently, report to have a poorer oral health compared to those who do not gag.
The investigation of interspecies diversity of erythrocyte aggregation properties by two different photometric methods in four animal species
Authors: Kiss F. , Toth E. , Peto K. , Miko I. , Nemeth N. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryAmong the haemorheological parameters, red blood cell (RBC) aggregation shows the largest interspecies diversity, and often controversial data can be found in the literature, besides the methodology‐dependent issues. In this present investigation, we compared four experimental/laboratory animal species’ RBC aggregation by two different photometric methods for better revealing the differences. Blood samples (K3‐EDTA, 1.5 mg/ml) were taken from female animals: 16 inbred mice (Mus musculus, cardiac puncture), 15 outbred rats (Rattus norvegicus, caudal caval vein puncture), 15 beagle dogs (Canis canis, cephalic vein) and 23 juvenile pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus, medial saphenous vein). Haematological parameters (microcell counter) and RBC aggregation (light transmission and syllectometry‐laser backscatter methods) were determined within 2 h after sampling. Describing the first 5–10 s of the aggregation process, additional parameters were calculated out of the syllectometric raw data. Standardized difference was calculated to determine the sensitivity of the two devices. Parameters describing the extent and magnitude of red blood cell aggregation showed the lowest values in the rat and the highest in the pig and canine blood. In turn, parameters describing the kinetics of aggregation showed the lowest values in the mouse and the highest in the rat. The standardized difference values for the laser backscattering method were 2–4 times larger vs. the light transmission one. The magnitude of the differences was not consequent in the aggregation parameters. These comparative results show that the laser backscattering method can detect the RBC aggregation differences between the investigated species more sensitively than the light transmission method.
Evolution of the HCV viral population from a patient with S282T detected at relapse after sofosbuvir monotherapy
Authors: Hedskog C. , Dvory‐Sobol H. , Gontcharova V. , Martin R. , Ouyang W. , Han B. , Gane E. J. , Brainard D. , Hyland R. H. , Miller M. D. , Mo H. , Svarovskaia E. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryClinical phase II/III studies of the nucleotide analogue HCV NS5B inhibitor sofosbuvir (SOF) have demonstrated high efficacy in HCV‐infected patients in combination therapy. To date, resistance to SOF (S282T in NS5B) has rarely been detected in patients. In this study, we investigated the evolution of S282T viral variants detected in one HCV genotype 2b‐infected patient who relapsed following 12 weeks of SOF monotherapy. Deep sequencing of the NS5B gene was performed on longitudinal plasma samples at baseline, days 2 and 3 on SOF, and longitudinal samples post‐SOF treatment through week 48. Intrapatient HCV evolution was analysed by maximum‐likelihood phylogenetic analysis. Deep sequencing analysis revealed a low level pre‐existence of S282T at 0.05% of viral sequences (4/7755 reads) at baseline and 0.03% (6/23 415 reads) at day 2 on SOF. Viral relapse was detected at week 4 post‐treatment where 99.8% of the viral population harboured S282T. Follow‐up analysis determined that S282T levels diminished post‐treatment reaching undetectable levels 24–48 weeks post‐SOF. Phylogenetic analysis together with the persistence of unique post‐treatment mutations in all post‐SOF samples suggested that growth of wild type resulted from reversion of the S282T mutant to a wild type and not outgrowth of the baseline wild‐type population. Our data suggest that a very low level of pre‐existing S282T at baseline in this patient was enriched and transiently detected following SOF monotherapy. Despite relapse with drug resistance to SOF, this patient was successfully retreated with SOF plus ribavirin for 12 weeks and is now cured from HCV infection.
Striking longevity in a hibernating lemur
Authors: Blanco M. B. , Zehr S. M. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBody mass correlates with life span across mammals; larger species tend to live longer than small ones. There are, however, exceptions to this pattern. One metabolic strategy that has been linked to increased longevity is hibernation; that is, small‐bodied hibernating mammals live longer than expected based on their size alone. Hibernation may be beneficial in seasonal and unpredictable habitats because individuals can reduce metabolic rates to conserve energy in times of resource scarcity. On the downside, the extended periods of dormancy hibernating mammals undergo afford them fewer reproductive opportunities per year compared with their similarly sized non‐hibernating relatives. One strategy to compensate for a reduced reproductive rate is to extend reproductive life span. Increased longevity may also be expected if hibernators possess cellular machinery resilient to metabolic stress, which is generally associated with aging. Here we present data on life span and other life‐history variables for four small‐bodied strepsirrhine primates: (1) the fat‐tailed dwarf lemur Cheirogaleus medius, a hibernator; (2) the gray mouse lemur Microcebus murinus, a closely related species, which opportunistically expresses torpor and/or hibernation; (3) the Northern giant mouse lemur Mirza zaza another closely related species, which does not hibernate, but may employ daily torpor; (4) the bushbaby Galago moholi, a non‐lemur, non‐hibernating strepsirrhine that employs torpor only as an emergency response to harsh conditions. We analyzed newly compiled captive data from the developing Duke Lemur Center Database, and report that dwarf lemurs live significantly longer, reproduce longer and show later incidences of both morphologic and reproductive senescence than the other species analyzed. That these correlations hold in captive populations with no predation indicates that intrinsic biologic effects must play some role.
Blind toads in paradise: the cascading effect of vision loss on a tropical archipelago
Authors: Tolledo J. , Toledo L. F. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractOn the archipelago ofFernandode Noronha, nearly half of the individuals in the invasive population ofCururu toads have mouthpart, limb or eye deformities. Among these, a subset of adult toads is completely blind or has just one functional eye. In this study, we examined the consequences of this vision loss in relation to feeding and reproductive biology. Blind toads were handicapped relative to normal toads, whereas the half‐blind individuals were intermediate. In contrast to the expected active hunting mode used by normal toads, blind toads searched for prey using a sit‐and‐wait foraging strategy. The small sample of blind toads (n = 4) had no stomach contents. However, eight half‐blinded and 86 sighted animals presented stomach contents, and differed in general diet profile. Body condition as well as reproductive effort increased according to the number of functional eyes. Therefore, we suggest that shifts in feeding and hunting, as a consequence of vision loss, influence diet, with subsequent impact on overall body condition and reproductive effort. A cascade effect of this kind has not been previously reported and provides insightful data related to behavioral plasticity and reproductive fitness.
High Concentrations of Uric Acid Inhibit Endothelial Cell Migration via miR‐663 Which Regulates Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog by Targeting Transforming Growth Factor‐β1
Authors: Hong Quan , Yu Shandong , Geng Xiaodong , Duan Liping , Zheng Wei , Fan Men , Chen Xiangmei , Wu Di 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBackgroundWhether microRNAs participate in endothelial dysfunction HUA remains unknown. A previous study indicated that miR‐663 was the most significantly differentially expressed endothelial microRNA under HUA conditions. Some studies have demonstrated that the miR‐663 target gene and TGF‐β1, promoted endothelial cell migration by inhibiting PTEN deleted on chromosome 10. Therefore, we hypothesized that HUA inhibits endothelial migration via miR‐663, which regulates PTEN by targeting TGF‐β1.MethodsPCR analysis was performed to determine miR‐663 expression levels. A luciferase assay was performed to validate whether miR‐663 targets TGF‐β1 directly. Western blot analysis was performed to determine TGF‐β1 and PTEN expression levels. An miR‐663 inhibitor and TGF‐β1‐ and PTEN‐specific siRNAs were transfected into EA.hy926 cells to inhibit miR‐663, TGF‐β1, and PTEN expression, respectively. A wound healing assay was performed to determine the migratory ability of EA.hy926 cells.ResultsmiR‐663 had higher expression levels in HUA‐stimulated endothelial cells and in the sera of hyperuricemic patients and animals. TGF‐β1 was targeted directly by miR‐663. Endothelial miR‐663 was up‐regulated under HUA conditions, and HUA inhibited endothelial cell migration via miR‐663, which targeted TGF‐β1. Thus, TGF‐β1 regulated cell migration in a PTEN‐dependent manner.ConclusionHUA inhibits endothelial cell migration via miR‐663, which regulates PTEN by targeting TGF‐β1.
Flow cytometry reveals that the rust fungus, Uromyces bidentis (Pucciniales), possesses the largest fungal genome reported—2489 Mbp
Authors: Ramos Ana Paula , Tavares Sílvia , Tavares Daniela , Silva Maria Do Céu , Loureiro João , Talhinhas Pedro 
Published: March 2015

SummaryAmong the Eukaryotes, Fungi have relatively small genomes (average of 44.2 Mbp across 1850 species). The order Pucciniales (Basidiomycota) has the largest average genome size among fungi (305 Mbp), and includes the two largest fungal genomes reported so far (Puccinia chrysanthemi and Gymnosporangium confusum, with 806.5 and 893.2 Mbp, respectively). In this work, flow cytometry was employed to determine the genome size of the Bidens pilosa rust pathogen, Uromyces bidentis. The results obtained revealed that U. bidentis presents a surprisingly large haploid genome size of 2489 Mbp. This value is almost three times larger than the previous largest fungal genome reported and over 50 times larger than the average fungal genome size. Microscopic examination of U. bidentis nuclei also showed that they are not as different in size from the B. pilosa nuclei when compared with the differences between other rusts and their host plants. This result further reinforces the position of the Pucciniales as the fungal group with the largest genomes, prompting studies addressing the role of repetitive elements and polyploidy in the evolution, pathological specialization and diversity of fungal species.
Psychometric testing of the Revised Humane Caring Scale for adult patients in Singapore
Authors: Goh Mien Li , Ang Emily NK , Chan Yiong‐Huak , He Hong‐Gu , Vehviläinen‐Julkunen Katri 
Published: March 2015

AbstractIn this study, we examined the validity and reliability of the Revised Humane Caring Scale as used by adult patients in a tertiary hospital in Singapore. A three‐phase descriptive quantitative study was conducted. In phase I, an expert panel of nurses and inpatients examined the content validity of the scale; phase II comprised a pilot study on 20 patients; and in phase III, a large‐scale study on 235 patients was implemented to test the internal consistency of the scale. The results revealed that the content validity index of the scale ranged from 0.856 to 1, and the scale had a high inter‐rater agreement kappa value of 0.940. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.798 to 0.877 in phase II, and from 0.579 to 0.760 in phase III, respectively. The Revised Humane Caring Scale revealed good content validity and an acceptable level of internal consistency. The scale is an acceptable measurement tool for evaluating adult patients' satisfaction during hospitalization.
Salivary microRNAs in oral cancer
Authors: Zahran F , Ghalwash D , Shaker O , Al‐Johani K , Scully C 
Published: March 2015

ObjectiveThis study investigated the use of three salivary microRNAs (miRNA‐21, miRNA‐184, and miRNA‐145) as possible markers for malignant transformation in oral mucosal lesions.Materials and methodsSalivary whole unstimulated samples were collected from a study group of 100 subjects, consisting of 20 clinically healthy controls, 40 patients with oral potentially malignant disorders (PMDs) [20 with dysplastic lesions and 20 without dysplasia], 20 with biopsy‐confirmed oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and 20 with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) as disease controls. Total RNA was isolated and purified from saliva samples using the microRNA Isolation Kit (Qiagen, UL). miRNA expression analysis was performed using qRT‐PCR (Applied Biosystems).ResultsThere was a highly significant increase in salivary miRNA‐21 and miRNA‐184 in OSCC and PMD (with and without dysplasia) when compared to healthy and disease controls (P < 0.001). Conversely, miRNA‐145 levels showed a highly significant decrease in OSCC and PMD overall (P < 0.001). RAS cases showed no significant difference from normal controls in any measured miRNA (P > 0.05). The only microRNA to discriminate between OSCC and PMD with dysplasia was miRNA‐184. When receiver operating characteristic curves were designed for the three miRNAs, cutoff points delineating the occurrence of malignant change were a fourfold increase in miRNA‐21 with specificity 65% and sensitivity 65%, a 0.6 decrease in miRNA‐145, with specificity 70% and sensitivity 60%, and a threefold increase of miRNA‐184, with specificity 75% and sensitivity 80%. Calculating the area under the curve revealed that miRNA‐184 was the only one among the studied miRNAs that provided good diagnostic value.ConclusionSalivary determination of the miRNAs tested might furnish a noninvasive, rapid adjunctive aid for revealing malignant transformation in oral mucosal lesions, particularly miRNA‐184.