bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Increased Prevalence of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders in Pediatric PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndromes
Authors: Henderson Carol J. , Ngeow Joanne , Collins Margaret H. , Martin Lisa J. , Putnam Philip E. , Abonia Juan P. , Marsolo Keith , Eng Charis , Rothenberg Marc E. 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTObjectives:The PTEN hamartoma tumor syndromes (PHTSs) are a collection of disorders caused by germline mutations of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN. Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs) are rare diseases characterized by food‐induced, eosinophil‐dominant inflammation in various segments of the gastrointestinal tract. On the basis of our clinical observations of several patients with EGID‐PHTS, we investigated whether there is an association between these 2 disorders.Methods:The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) warehouse was queried for the years 2007 to 2012 using International Classification of Diseases‐9 codes for PTEN‐related diseases; the results were cross‐referenced with participants enrolled in the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorder's EGID database to identify patients with both disorders. In an effort to replicate our findings, the Cleveland Clinic Genomic Medicine Institute PTEN database was queried for cases between 2005 and 2012. Inclusion criteria were age ≤18 years, history of PHTS, and an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and/or colonoscopy with at least 1 histologic EGID diagnosis confirmed by a CCHMC pathologist. The Pearson χ2 test was used to determine the odds of EGID enrichment in PHTS.Results:Of the 1,058,260 CCHMC distinct patients identified by the i2b2 search, 53 had clinical diagnoses suggestive of PHTS. Thirteen of the 53 had PTEN mutations, with 8 of 13 (62%) having had an EGD and/or colonoscopy. Five of the 8 had confirmed EGID. At the Cleveland Clinic, 3 of 75 patients (3/4 who had EGD and/or colonoscopy) with PHTS had confirmed EGID. CCHMC i2b2 query data showed a substantial enrichment of EGIDs in PHTSs (odds ratio 272; confidence interval 89–831, P < 0.0001). An EGID prevalence estimate from the i2b2 query supported a marked enrichment of EGIDs in PHTSs in the Cleveland Clinic database (P < 0.0001). Among the 8 subjects with EGIDs and PHTSs, the age at EGID and PHTS diagnosis was 7.6 ± 3.2 and 7.9 ± 5.8 years, respectively. Patients with EGID‐PHTS had excess eosinophils in biopsies of the esophagus (75%), stomach (38%), and colon (13%), with a notable presence of eosinophil‐rich gastrointestinal polyposis (88%).Conclusions:EGID is a previously unrecognized comorbid disease in pediatric patients with PHTS. These data suggest a potential role of PTEN in contributing to EGID susceptibility.
Maternal–Fetal Transmission of Hepatitis C Infection
Authors: Wen Jessica W. , Haber Barbara A. 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTChildren with hepatitis C virus infection often differ from adults regarding the rate of viral clearance, duration of infection, and the progression to cirrhosis. In the pediatric population, vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus infection from mother to infant is the most common route of infection. In the present review, we explore the factors that may influence the natural history of hepatitis C virus infection in children who acquire the infection through maternal–fetal transmission. There is particular focus on how viral diversity and the infant immune system may affect viral transmission. An enhanced understanding of maternal–fetal transmission of hepatitis C virus infection has the potential to affect effective drug and vaccine development for both children and adults.
Does Calretinin Immunohistochemistry Reduce Inconclusive Diagnosis in Rectal Biopsies for Hirschsprung Disease?
Authors: de Arruda Lourenção Pedro L.T. , Takegawa Bonifácio K. , Ortolan Erika V.P. , Terra Simone A. , Rodrigues Maria A.M. 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTMany difficulties occur during the evaluation of rectal biopsies for the diagnosis of Hirschsprung disease. We investigated whether the introduction of calretinin (CR) immunohistochemistry in a diagnostic panel could decrease the rate of inconclusive results. Data from 82 patients undergoing rectal biopsies before and after CR introduction were analyzed. Inconclusive results were obtained in 17 of 45 rectal biopsies (37.8%) in the series of cases before CR introduction and in 5 of 42 rectal biopsies (11.9%) in the series of cases after CR (P < 0.006). The inclusion of CR in the histopathologic panel may improve the diagnostic accuracy of Hirschsprung disease.
Energy Requirements for Maintenance and Growth in 3‐ to 4‐Year‐Olds May Be Overestimated by Existing Equations
Authors: Sijtsma Anna , Corpeleijn Eva , Sauer Pieter J.J. 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTObjectives:To give appropriate dietary advice to preschool children, an estimation of their energy requirements for both maintenance and activity is needed. We compared energy requirements for maintenance, measured by indirect calorimetry against existing equations predicting these requirements in 3‐ to 4‐year‐old children.Methods:In 30 children (age 3.4 ± 0.3) from the GECKO Drenthe cohort, height, weight, evening sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) (by indirect calorimetry), fat mass (FM), and fat‐free mass (FFM) (by isotope dilution) were measured. For 25 children, a valid evening SMR was available as a measure for energy used for maintenance and growth. This SMR was compared with existing equations (Schofield, FAO/WHO/UNU, Oxford and Harris‐Benedict). Correlations among SMR and weight, height, FM, and FFM were also calculated.Results:From the existing equations, significant higher values, ranging from 58 to 144 kcal/day, were calculated for the BMR compared with the measured SMR results, indicating 8% to 19% overestimation. This overestimation is higher at lower ranges of energy requirement. SMR was positively related to weight (r = 0.488, P = 0.013), height (r = 0.499, P = 0.011), and FFM (r = 0.482, P = 0.027), but not to FM (r = 0.211, P = 0.358).Conclusions:Existing equations show higher values for the energy used for maintenance in young children compared to the results of our measurements of the SMR. Energy used for maintenance is correlated with FFM and not with FM.
Bayesian inference of infectious disease transmission from whole genome sequence data
Authors: Didelot Xavier , Gardy Jennifer , Colijn Caroline 
Published: December 2013

AbstractGenomics is increasingly being used to investigate disease outbreaks, but an important question remains unanswered – how well do genomic data capture known transmission events, particularly for pathogens with long carriage periods or large within-host population sizes? Here we present a novel Bayesian approach to reconstruct densely-sampled outbreaks from genomic data whilst considering within-host diversity. We infer a time-labelled phylogeny using BEAST, then infer a transmission network via a Monte-Carlo Markov Chain. We find that under a realistic model of within-host evolution, reconstructions of simulated outbreaks contain substantial uncertainty even when genomic data reflect a high substitution rate. Reconstruction of a real-world tuberculosis outbreak displayed similar uncertainty, although the correct source case and several clusters of epidemiologically linked cases were identified. We conclude that genomics cannot wholly replace traditional epidemiology, but that Bayesian reconstructions derived from sequence data may form a useful starting point for a genomic epidemiology investigation.
Managerial role in organizational CSR: empirical lessons from Ghana
Authors: Baba Abugre James 
Published: December 2013

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to examine the managerial role in the practices of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing economies.Design/methodology/approach–The paper takes the form of an empirical analysis of employees' opinions based on a quantitative survey of 100 middle and senior level managers from four organisations chosen from relatively high impact industry sectors.Findings–Managerial role in the practice of CSR is limited and ineffective in Ghana. Difficulties of effective CSR implementation mainly stem from leadership weak spots in the form of mismanagement and corruption, lack of leadership commitment and unwillingness to allocate monies due for CSR activities. Organisations can do better in the practice of CSR if management's attitude to CSR, corruption, and work behaviors are positive.Practical implications–The paper provides valuable information on managerial activities with regards to organisational CSR, and how these can be improved.Originality/value–Empirical literature on CSR in developing countries is limited. This paper identifies the roles that management and organisational leadership can play in the practice of CSR in developing countries. The paper proposes a universal approach which aims to address the need for adequate and effective enforcement of CSR.
Application of new optimal homotopy perturbation and Adomian decomposition methods to the MHD non-Newtonian fluid flow over a stretching sheet
Authors: Khan Yasir , Latifizadeh Habibolla 
Published: December 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new modified version of the homotopy perturbation method (NMHPM) and Adomian decomposition method (ADM) for solving the nonlinear ordinary differential equation arising in MHD non-Newtonian fluid flow over a linear stretching sheet.

Design/methodology/approach
– The governing equation is solved analytically by applying a newly developed optimal homotopy perturbation approach and ADM. This optimal approach contains convergence-control parameter and is computationally rather efficient. The results of numerical example are presented and only a few terms are required to obtain accurate solutions.

Findings
– A new modified optimal and ADM methods accelerate the rapid convergence of the series solution. These methods dramatically reduce the size of work. The obtained series solution is combined with the diagonal Padé approximants to handle the boundary condition at infinity. Results derived from these methods are shown graphically and in tabulated forms to study the efficiency and accuracy.

Practical implications
– Non-Newtonian flow processes play a key role in many types of polymer engineering operations. The formulation of mathematical model for these processes can be based on the equations of non-Newtonian fluid mechanics. The flow of an electrically conducting fluid in the presence of a magnetic field is of importance in various areas of technology and engineering such as MHD power generation, MHD flow meters, MHD pumps, etc. It is generally admitted that a number of astronomical bodies (e.g. the sun, Earth, Jupiter, Magnetic stars, Pulsars) posses fluid interiors and (or least surface) magnetic fields.

Originality/value
– The present results are original and new for the MHD non-Newtonian fluid flow over a linear stretching sheet. The results attained in this paper confirm the idea that NMHPM and ADM are powerful mathematical tools and that can be applied to a large class of linear and nonlinear problems arising in different fields of science and engineering.
Modifying the Black-Scholes-Merton model to calculate the cost of employee stock options
Authors: D. Finnerty John 
Published: December 2013

Purpose
– More than 80 percent of S&P 500 firms that issue ESOs use the Black-Scholes-Merton (BSM) model and substitute the estimated average term for the contractual expiration to calculate ESO expense. This simplification systematically overprices ESOs, which worsens as the stock's volatility increases. The purpose of this paper is to present a modification of the BSM model to explicitly incorporate the rates of forfeiture pre- and post-vesting and the rate of early exercise.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper demonstrates the model's usefulness by employing historical exercise and forfeiture data for 127 separate ESO grants and 1.31 billion ESOs to calculate the exercise and forfeiture parameters and value ESOs for nine firms.

Findings
– The modified BSM model is just as accurate but easier to use than the more computationally intensive utility maximization and trinomial lattice models, and it avoids the ASC 718 BSM model's overpricing bias.

Originality/value
– If firms prefer the BSM model over more mathematically elegant alternatives, they should at least use a BSM model that is free of overpricing bias.
Learning over tea! Studying in informal learning spaces
Authors: Hunter Jonathan , Cox Andrew 
Published: December 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to offer an exploratory investigation of students' use of informal learning spaces for their studies at the University of Sheffield. Previous research has mainly focused on formal learning spaces such as libraries and lecture theatres, but there is an increasing recognition of the value of informal learning spaces such as coffee bars.

Design/methodology/approach
– Questionnaires, observations and interviews were the sources of data for the study. The research approach particularly looked at how students used informal learning spaces and what their perceptions of the spaces were.

Findings
– Analysis showed that students found that the background atmosphere greatly influenced their choice of study location and that technological devices were only used sparingly. Students adapted their study habits to fit the learning spaces that they liked.

Originality/value
– Although, attention is often paid to the furniture and colour schemes in libraries, this article makes librarians consider the importance of all sensual stimuli in making libraries warm, friendly and homely spaces. The “Model of Zengagement” was developed to show how stimuli from the background atmosphere influences' students' study experience.
In vitro effects of cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase 3A inhibitor, on mouse oocyte maturation and morphology
Authors: Taiyeb Ahmed M , Dees William L , Ridha‐Albarzanchi Mundhir T , Sayes Christie M , Kraemer Duane C 
Published: December 2013

Summary

Inhibition of phosphodiesterase 3A (PDE3A) in oocytes has been reported to arrest oocyte maturation and to increase intra‐oocyte cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels. Although many PDE3A inhibitors have been found to arrest oocyte maturation in different species, including humans, the most commonly prescribed PDE3A inhibitor named cilostazol (CLZ) has not yet been fully evaluated in reproduction.

The present study was designed to investigate the potential inhibitory effects of CLZ on oocyte maturation and morphology in vitro. Antral oocytes were recovered from hyperstimulated mice and allocated to 10 different CLZ concentrations (0.00–67.66 μmol/L). Oocytes were then assessed after 24 and 48 h of incubation for maturation and morphology.

Some of the evaluated CLZ concentrations (1.06–4.23 μmol/L) were made similar to those observed in human clinical trials. CLZ arrested oocyte maturation at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage at concentrations as low as 1.06 μmol/L (P < 0.0001). A selective degenerative impact of CLZ targeting arrested oocytes at the GV stage was observed during 24 h of incubation (r = −0.781, P < 0.0001). This was not the case with non‐arrested oocytes (r = −0.082, P = 0.64). Such degenerative impact was dose‐dependent (P < 0.0001), suggesting a role for cyclic adenosine monophosphate in this degenerative process. The degenerated oocytes were of distorted oolema or fragmented cytoplasm.

Based on the experiments, it is concluded that CLZ can inhibit oocyte maturation in vitro, at concentrations similar to those observed in humans taking CLZ, and under such conditions the prolonged maintenance of oocytes at the GV stage is harmful.
Monte Carlo simulation analysis of ceftobiprole, dalbavancin, daptomycin, tigecycline, linezolid and vancomycin pharmacodynamics against intensive care unit‐isolated methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Salem Ahmed Hamed , Zhanel George G , Ibrahim Safaa A , Noreddin Ayman M 
Published: December 2013

Summary

The aim of the present study was to compare the potential of ceftobiprole, dalbavancin, daptomycin, tigecycline, linezolid and vancomycin to achieve their requisite pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) targets against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates collected from intensive care unit (ICU) settings.

Monte Carlo simulations were carried out to simulate the PK/PD indices of the investigated antimicrobials. The probability of target attainment (PTA) was estimated at minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 0.03 to 32 μg/mL to define the PK/PD susceptibility breakpoints. The cumulative fraction of response (CFR) was computed using minimum inhibitory concentration data from the Canadian National Intensive Care Unit study.

Analysis of the simulation results suggested the breakpoints of 4 μg/mL for ceftobiprole (500 mg/2 h t.i.d.), 0.25 μg/mL for dalbavancin (1000 mg), 0.12 μg/mL for daptomycin (4 mg/kg q.d. and 6 mg/kg q.d.) and tigecycline (50 mg b.i.d.), and 2 μg/mL for linezolid (600 mg b.i.d.) and vancomycin (1 g b.i.d. and 1.5 g b.i.d.). The estimated CFR were 100, 100, 70.6, 88.8, 96.5, 82.4, 89.4, and 98.3% for ceftobiprole, dalbavancin, daptomycin (4 mg/kg/day), daptomycin (6 mg/kg/day), linezolid, tigecycline, vancomycin (1 g b.i.d.) and vancomycin (1.5 g b.i.d.), respectively.

In conclusion, ceftobiprole and dalbavancin have the highest probability of achieving their requisite PK/PD targets against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from ICU settings. The susceptibility predictions suggested a reduction of the vancomycin breakpoint to 1 μg/mL.
Houses of Experiment: Modern Housing and the Will to Laboratorization
Authors: Strebel Ignaz , Jacobs Jane M. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThis article adds historical and geographical specificity to the link between city building and laboratorization processes. It does so by way of the example of housing in mid‐twentieth‐centuryBritain. Housing provision at this time saw an intensification of the relationship between architectural design and science by way of the emergent field of building science as well as new social‐science studies of householder satisfaction. The article focuses on two examples of these housing sciences, tracing their role in the production ofBritish modern housing. The first example focuses on a set of experiments conducted on ventilation and heating atBritain's Building Research Station. The second example examines the social science of a post‐occupancy study of multi‐storey flats inGlasgow. The article argues that mid‐twentieth‐century housing construction and provision was structured in and through a laboratory logic that had a complex geography and temporality. In the sciences of housing conducted during this period there is a conflation and hybridization of the space of the laboratory, the site of the house and the action of the experiment.
Feeling like a State: Design Guidelines and the Legibility of ‘Urban Experience’ in Singapore
Authors: Lee Kah‐Wee 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThis article examines how ‘urban experience’ is objectified and transformed into something that is legible to the state and its experts. It conceptualizes design guidelines as a political technology where bodies of expert knowledge, emplaced in a planning bureaucracy, shape the way the built environment is produced and experienced. Using Singapore as an example of a centralized planning bureaucracy, I analyze how lighting, public art and advertisement signs are targeted to produce a total environment with normative narratives. This article makes two contributions. First, it unpacks the processes that translate different modes of legibility in an attempt to make ‘experience’ legible for planners. The political efficacy of guidelines and pre‐established bureaucratic boundaries means that planners can only intervene through a series of combinations, mediations and approximations. Thus, legibility proceeds in a way that is akin to ‘feeling around’. Second, it foregrounds the ‘middle layer of urban governance’ that is often ignored in the discipline. Guidelines represent one coordinate in a system of political technologies that is concerned with producing the norm, that substrate of urban production mechanized through a series of repetitions, gradations and classifications.
An Update on the Clinical Development of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin Kexin 9 Inhibitors, Novel Therapeutic Agents for Lowering Low‐Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol
Authors: Ling Hua , Burns Tammy L. , Hilleman Daniel E. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryProprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) plays an essential role in the degradation of low‐density lipoprotein C (LDL‐C) receptors, and PCSK9 inhibitors have recently emerged as a potential treatment option to reduce LDL‐C. Our paper reviewed the current available Phase II clinical trials of PCSK9 inhibitors for the treatment of dyslipidemia. A second objective of this review was to evaluate the potential clinical role of PCSK9 inhibitors in the management of dyslipidemia. Studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of any PCSK9 inhibitors in patients with dyslipidemia were included. The monoclonal antibodies REGN727/SAR236553 and AMG145 have the most published clinical data. Seven phase II trials were retrieved that evaluated the efficacy and safety of REGN727/SAR236553 or AMG145 in patients with either hypercholesterolemia or heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH). These two agents significantly decreased LDL‐C levels either as monotherapy or in combination with other lipid‐lowering agents. REGN727/SAR236553 and AMG145 have been well tolerated. The ongoing phase III trials of these two agents are summarized. REGN727/SAR236553 and AMG145 have demonstrated the potential to further decrease LDL‐C levels when added to conventional lipid‐lowering therapy. Morbidity and mortality data are required to define their roles in clinical practice.
P44, the ‘longevity‐assurance’ isoform of P53, regulates tau phosphorylation and is activated in an age‐dependent fashion
Authors: Pehar Mariana , Ko Mi Hee , Li Mi , Scrable Heidi , Puglielli Luigi 
Published: December 2013

Summaryp44 is a short isoform of p53 with ‘longevity‐assurance’ activity. Overexpression of p44 in the mouse (p44+/+ transgenic mice) causes a progeroid phenotype that mimics an accelerated form of aging. The phenotype includes abnormal phosphorylation of the microtubule‐binding protein tau, synaptic deficits, and cognitive decline. Genetic engineering demonstrated that the phosphorylation status of tau acts upstream of the synaptic deficits. Here, we provide evidence that p44 promotes the phosphorylation of tau in the mouse. Specifically, we show that p44 binds to the promoter of tau kinases Dyrk1A, GSK3β, Cdk5, p35, and p39 and activates their transcription. The upregulation of the above kinases is followed by increased phosphorylation of tau. Finally, we show that p44 is preferentially found in the nucleus and that its levels increase with age in the mouse brain. Taken together, these results suggest that an imbalance in the p53:p44 ratio might be involved with the altered tau metabolism that characterizes aging.