bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Deep brain stimulation in the ventrolateral thalamus/subthalamic area in dystonia with head tremor
Authors: Pauls K. Amande M. , Hammesfahr Sven , Moro Elena , Moore A. Peter , Binder Ellen , El Majdoub Faycal , Fink Gereon R. , Sturm Volker , Krauss Joachim K. , Maarouf Mohammad , Timmermann Lars 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTBackgroundPallidal deep brain stimulation (GPi‐DBS) effectively ameliorates idiopathic dystonia, although approximately 15% of patients respond insufficiently. Although various thalamic and subthalamic targets have been suggested for dystonic tremor, no systematic studies have been published on thalamic DBS in dystonic tremor. We assessed the effect of thalamic/subthalamic area DBS (Th‐DBS) on dystonic head tremor and dystonia in a single‐blind design.MethodsDystonic head tremor and dystonia before and 3 months after surgery were quantified via blinded video‐ratings using the Fahn‐Tolosa‐Marin‐Tremor‐Scale and the Burke‐Fahn‐Marsden‐Dystonia‐Rating‐Scale in seven patients with idiopathic cervical or segmental dystonia, dystonic head tremor, and bilateral Th‐DBS. Pain, side effects, adverse events, and stimulation parameters were assessed.ResultsTh‐DBS improved dystonic tremor and dystonia (P < 0.05; 57.1% and 70.4%, respectively). Head tremor amplitude and pain were also improved (P < 0.05; 77.5% and 90.0%, respectively). Side effects included dysarthria, gait disturbance, slowness of movement, and weight gain.ConclusionDystonic head tremor and dystonia can be improved with Th‐DBS. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Complex difference constrained compressed sensing reconstruction for accelerated PRF thermometry with application to MRI‐induced RF heating
Authors: Cao Zhipeng , Oh Sukhoon , Otazo Ricardo , Sica Christopher T. , Griswold Mark A. , Collins Christopher M. 
Published: April 2014

PurposeIntroduce a novel compressed sensing reconstruction method to accelerate proton resonance frequency shift temperature imaging for MRI‐induced radiofrequency heating evaluation.MethodsA compressed sensing approach that exploits sparsity of the complex difference between postheating and baseline images is proposed to accelerate proton resonance frequency temperature mapping. The method exploits the intra‐image and inter‐image correlations to promote sparsity and remove shared aliasing artifacts. Validations were performed on simulations and retrospectively undersampled data acquired in ex vivo and in vivo studies by comparing performance with previously published techniques.ResultsThe proposed complex difference constrained compressed sensing reconstruction method improved the reconstruction of smooth and local proton resonance frequency temperature change images compared to various available reconstruction methods in a simulation study, a retrospective study with heating of a human forearm in vivo, and a retrospective study with heating of a sample of beef ex vivo.ConclusionComplex difference based compressed sensing with utilization of a fully sampled baseline image improves the reconstruction accuracy for accelerated proton resonance frequency thermometry. It can be used to improve the volumetric coverage and temporal resolution in evaluation of radiofrequency heating due to MRI, and may help facilitate and validate temperature‐based methods for safety assurance. Magn Reson Med 73:1420–1431, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
No small surprise – small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcaemic type, is a malignant rhabdoid tumour
Authors: Foulkes William D , Clarke Blaise A , Hasselblatt Martin , Majewski Jacek , Albrecht Steffen , McCluggage W Glenn 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWhole‐exome sequencing (WES) is revolutionizing medical diagnostics and taxonomy. In less than 5 years since its first use, WES has revealed unexpected molecular drivers of numerous cancers. Here, we describe our use of WES to uncover the true nature of an enigmatic pathological entity, small‐cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcaemic type (SCCOHT), which has resisted definitive characterisation since it was first described in 1979. We conducted WES using three families with SCCOHT and identified deleterious mutations in the chromatin‐remodelling gene SMARCA4 (encoding BRG1) in all cases. Follow‐up of these findings, using both Sanger sequencing and WES of formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tumours, showed that virtually all SCCOHTs we studied lacked functional SMARCA4/BRG1. Notably, this gene, and the related SMARCB1 gene, is mutated in most, if not all, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumours and malignant rhabdoid tumours. Other groups have similar findings. We review the relationship between these three neoplasms, discuss how they were distinguished from morphologically similar neoplasms, consider their similarities and show how WES has revealed that SCCOHTs are in fact rhabdoid tumours. We propose that SCCOHT be renamed ‘malignant rhabdoid tumour of the ovary’ (MRTO) to reflect these observations. Copyright © 2014 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MicroRNA‐519a is a novel oncomir conferring tamoxifen resistance by targeting a network of tumour‐suppressor genes in ER+ breast cancer
Authors: Ward Aoife , Shukla Kirti , Balwierz Aleksandra , Soons Zita , König Rainer , Sahin Özgür , Wiemann Stefan 
Published: April 2014

AbstractTamoxifen is an endocrine therapy which is administered to up to 70% of all breast cancer patients with oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression. Despite the initial response, most patients eventually acquire resistance to the drug. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non‐coding RNAs which have the ability to post‐transcriptionally regulate genes. Although the role of a few miRNAs has been described in tamoxifen resistance at the single gene/target level, little is known about how concerted actions of miRNAs targeting biological networks contribute to resistance. Here we identified the miRNA cluster, C19MC, which harbours around 50 mature miRNAs, to be up‐regulated in resistant cells, with miRNA‐519a being the most highly up‐regulated. We could demonstrate that miRNA‐519a regulates tamoxifen resistance using gain‐ and loss‐of‐function testing. By combining functional enrichment analysis and prediction algorithms, we identified three central tumour‐suppressor genes (TSGs) in PI3K signalling and the cell cycle network as direct target genes of miR‐519a. Combined expression of these target genes correlated with disease‐specific survival in a cohort of tamoxifen‐treated patients. We identified miRNA‐519a as a novel oncomir in ER+ breast cancer cells as it increased cell viability and cell cycle progression as well as resistance to tamoxifen‐induced apoptosis. Finally, we could show that elevated miRNA‐519a levels were inversely correlated with the target genes' expression and that higher expression of this miRNA correlated with poorer survival in ER+ breast cancer patients. Hence we have identified miRNA‐519a as a novel oncomir, co‐regulating a network of TSGs in breast cancer and conferring resistance to tamoxifen. Using inhibitors of such miRNAs may serve as a novel therapeutic approach to combat resistance to therapy as well as proliferation and evasion of apoptosis in breast cancer. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2014 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Morphology and structure changes of aromatic copolysulfonamide fibers heat‐drawn at various temperatures
Authors: Yu Jinchao , Wang Rui , Yang Chunlei , Chen Shenghui , Tian Feng , Wang Huaping , Zhang Yumei 
Published: April 2014

AbstractPre‐drawn aromatic copolysulfonamide (co‐PSA) fibers were prepared by wet spinning and then heat drawing at temperatures varying from 350 to 390 °C, which are below the decomposition temperature. The fibers were then characterized using tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and small‐angle X‐ray scattering. The relationship between structure and properties of the co‐PSA fibers drawn at different temperatures was investigated. The heat‐drawn co‐PSA fibers displayed similar glass transition temperature of about 355 °C, which was higher than that of pre‐drawn co‐PSA fibers of 345 °C. The crystal orientation was high as a crystalline structure formed during heat drawing and the crystallinity increased with the heat‐drawing temperature. However, the tenacity of the co‐PSA fibers did not increase linearly with the draw temperature. When the drawing temperature was higher than the glass transition temperature, a decrease in tenacity was observed, which could be attributed to an increase of crystallite size of the (100) plane and a decrease of the long period of the lamellar structure. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Intrinsic α‐helical and β‐sheet conformational preferences: A computational case study of alanine
Authors: Caballero Diego , Määttä Jukka , Zhou Alice Qinhua , Sammalkorpi Maria , O'Hern Corey S. , Regan Lynne 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTA fundamental question in protein science is what is the intrinsic propensity for an amino acid to be in an α‐helix, β‐sheet, or other backbone dihedral angle (
‐ψ) conformation. This question has been hotly debated for many years because including all protein crystal structures from the protein database, increases the probabilities for α‐helical structures, while experiments on small peptides observe that β‐sheet‐like conformations predominate. We perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a hard‐sphere model for Ala dipeptide mimetics that includes steric interactions between nonbonded atoms and bond length and angle constraints with the goal of evaluating the role of steric interactions in determining protein backbone conformational preferences. We find four key results. For the hard‐sphere MD simulations, we show that (1) β‐sheet structures are roughly three and half times more probable than α‐helical structures, (2) transitions between α‐helix and β‐sheet structures only occur when the backbone bond angle τ (NCαC) is greater than 110°, and (3) the probability distribution of τ for Ala conformations in the “bridge” region of
‐ψ space is shifted to larger angles compared to other regions. In contrast, (4) the distributions obtained from Amber and CHARMM MD simulations in the bridge regions are broader and have increased τ compared to those for hard sphere simulations and from high‐resolution protein crystal structures. Our results emphasize the importance of hard‐sphere interactions and local stereochemical constraints that yield strong correlations between
‐ψ conformations and τ.
Investigating Environmental Flows for Riparian Vegetation Recruitment Using System Dynamics Modelling
Authors: Morrison R. R. , Stone M. C. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSystem dynamics modelling is an underutilized tool that can provide flexible and system‐response analyses of environmental flows. Because system dynamics models are able to incorporate causal connections between social, economic and environmental aspects of a system, they are well suited to study water management problems. In addition, system dynamics models are excellent tools for incorporating expert and stakeholder feedback, which is an important component of any environmental flow study. Given the benefits of using a system dynamics modelling approach, our objective was to develop and demonstrate a stochastic system dynamics modelling framework to evaluate environmental flow alternatives. Specifically, our research examined the influence of flow alternatives on cottonwood recruitment and reservoir storage within the Rio Chama basin, New Mexico, USA. We used the ‘recruitment box model’ to investigate the impact of three alternatives on cottonwood recruitment within the project reach. The recruitment box model attributes seedling survival to floodplain elevation, annual timing of peak flows and river stage declines that match seedling root growth. We also demonstrate how flow alternatives can be evaluated using comparative metrics, which allow water resource managers to more easily evaluate alternatives before incorporating environmental flows into existing operations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Automatic test case evolution
Authors: Mirzaaghaei Mehdi , Pastore Fabrizio , Pezzè Mauro 
Published: April 2014

SUMMARYSoftware systems evolve incrementally both during and after development, and many test cases become obsolete while software evolves. Updating test suites in the context of software evolution is a complex and time consuming activity. This article focuses on the problem of updating test suites automatically, and identifies eight scenarios that allow either to repair test cases or to use test cases to generate new ones, and proposes eight test evolution algorithms that automatically repair and generate test cases by adapting existing ones. This article presents a framework, TestCareAssistant (TCA), that implements the algorithms to support the evolution of test suites written in Java. The framework has been extensively evaluated on five different open source projects where it has been applied to repair 138 broken test cases, and to generate the test cases for 727 new classes and 2462 new methods. The results obtained with TCA indicate that the approach can successfully repair 90% of the broken test cases, create test cases that cover a large amount of code and complement the test cases that can be generated by state of the art techniques. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Percutaneous minimal‐access fetoscopic surgery for spina bifida aperta. Part II: maternal management and outcome
Authors: Degenhardt J. , Schürg R. , Winarno A. , Oehmke F. , Khaleeva A. , Kawecki A. , Enzensberger C. , Tinneberg H.‐R. , Faas D. , Ehrhardt H. , Axt‐Fliedner R. , Kohl T. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo assess maternal morbidity and outcome in women undergoing minimal‐access fetoscopic surgery for spina bifida aperta.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of 51 women undergoing minimal‐access fetoscopic surgery to improve postnatal neurological outcome of spina bifida aperta, at a mean gestational age of 24 weeks, at our center between July 2010 and June 2013. We analyzed various perioperative complications of surgery, namely: maternal and fetal death, need for maternal blood transfusion, placental abruption, pulmonary edema, spontaneous labor, oligohydramnios, chorioamnionitis, chorioamniotic membrane separation, duration of hospitalization, amniotic fluid leakage, gestational age at delivery and status of hysterotomy site.ResultsIn none of the 51 women was there maternal demise, spontaneous labor, placental abruption or a need for maternal blood transfusion in the perioperative period. Chorioamniotic membrane separation occurred in one patient, mild pulmonary edema occurred in one and oligohydramnios occurred in seven. All fetuses survived surgery, but there was one very early preterm delivery 1 week after the procedure and this neonate died immediately, from early postoperative chorioamnionitis. Amniotic fluid leakage occurred in 43 patients, at a mean gestational age of 29.7 (range, 22.6–37.3) weeks; two of these patients developed chorioamnionitis. Duration of maternal hospitalization after surgery was 7.2 (range, 4–12) days. Mean gestational age at delivery was 33 (range, 24.6–38.1) weeks. All abdominal and uterine trocar insertion sites healed well.ConclusionMinimal‐access fetoscopic surgery for spina bifida aperta is apparently safe for most maternal patients. Despite the common occurrence of amniotic leakage, the majority of women deliver beyond 32 weeks of gestation. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The two water worlds hypothesis: ecohydrological separation of water between streams and trees?
Authors: McDonnell Jeffrey J. 
Published: April 2014

Recent work in ecohydrology has shown that in some forested watershed systems, streams and trees appear to return different pools of water to the hydrosphere. Thus far, evidence for this has come exclusively from wet Mediterranean climates. This short opinion article outlines the hypothesis and a research agenda for future work. The most pressing issue is the need to gather more data points whereby dual isotope‐based studies in forested catchments compare samples of plant water and tightly bound soil water as well as mobile waters (soil, groundwater, and streamflow) in the catchment. New work is needed to test the hypothesis across different climates and vegetation regimes, especially places that contrast with the Mediterranean climates and forest types where two water worlds have been found. These include, but are not restricted to humid areas where plant water use and precipitation input are in phase, wetter zones where seasonality of precipitation is low, and drier zones where water stress is higher. Of equal importance to these basic research issues are the practical issues surrounding the sampling methods of plant and soil waters. Studies are needed to compare extraction techniques for low and high mobility soil waters and to understand the effect of sampling protocol on water isotope composition. Once these issues are resolved, high frequency sampling of soil and xylem waters will be especially instructive in development of mechanistic models of ecohydrological interaction—and an explanation for the hypothesis that is still wanting. WIREs Water 2014, 1:323–329. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1027This article is categorized under:

Science of Water > Hydrological Processes
Causal learning in children
Authors: Sobel David M. , Legare Cristine H. 
Published: April 2014

How do children learn the causal structure of the environment? We first summarize a set of theories from the adult literature on causal learning, including associative models, parameter estimation theories, and causal structure learning accounts, as applicable to developmental science. We focus on causal graphical models as a description of children's causal knowledge, and the implications of this computational description for children's causal learning. We then examine the contributions of explanation and exploration to causal learning from a computational standpoint. Finally, we examine how children might learn causal knowledge from others and how computational and constructivist accounts of causal learning can be integrated. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:413–427. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1291This article is categorized under:

Psychology > Development and Aging
Psychology > Learning
Tragic Knowledge: Truth Telling and the Maintenance of Hope in Surgery
Authors: Suri Megha , McKneally Martin , Devon Karen 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSurgeons often are faced with the challenge of balancing truth telling and the maintenance of hope in the setting of a poor prognosis. This ethical dilemma is informed by conflicting appeals to principles of autonomy and nonmaleficence, where a patient’s right to be told important medical information must be weighed against the potential harm that may result from the knowledge of an unfavourable diagnosis. Truth telling in surgery raises questions on the nature of truth itself, how much information ought to be shared, what information can be withheld, and how surgeons should share tragic knowledge with patients. This paper will address these questions and provide some insight on how surgeons may navigate the sharing of tragic knowledge.
A Modification of Radical Antegrade Modular Pancreatosplenectomy for Adenocarcinoma of the Left Pancreas: Significance of En Bloc Resection Including the Anterior Renal Fascia
Authors: Kitagawa Hirohisa , Tajima Hidehiro , Nakagawara Hisatoshi , Makino Isamu , Miyashita Tomoharu , Terakawa Hirofumi , Nakanuma Shinichi , Hayashi Hironori , Takamura Hiroyuki , Ohta Tetsuo 
Published: April 2014

AbstractBackgroundRadical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (RAMPS) has theoretical advantages for curative resection of adenocarcinomas of the left pancreas. The anterior renal fascia is a key structure, and resection planes should run posterior to this fascia. However, it is difficult to delineate this fascia and set a precise dissection plane. We modified RAMPS to achieve such a precise dissection plane with ease.MethodsAfter clamping the splenic artery, the third duodenal portion was mobilized from the left to the right to locate the inferior vena cava, which was covered by the anterior renal fascia. Here, the anterior renal fascia was incised while approaching the dissection plane. Dissection then continued cephalad, with this plane along the inferior vena cava, and then turned along the left renal vein at the confluence of the left renal vein toward the renal hilum. At this point, dissection continued along the coronal plane to the superior edge of the pancreas.ResultsBetween July 2007 and December 2012, a total of 24 pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients underwent modified RAMPS. Tumor extension beyond the pancreatic parenchyma (T3) and lymph node metastases was confirmed in 17 and 13 cases, respectively. Histologically clear surgical margins were achieved (R0 resection) in 21 patients (88 %). The 5‐year overall survival rate was 53 %. Six patients survived for over 5 years without recurrence.ConclusionsThis modification of RAMPS is advantageous for en bloc resection while actually including removal of the anterior renal fascia. It is associated with satisfactory survival rates for patients with distal pancreatic carcinomas.
The effect of albumin fusion structure on the production and bioactivity of the somatostatin-28 fusion protein in Pichia pastoris
Authors: Ding Yuedi , Fan Jun , Li Wenxin , Peng Ying , Yang Runlin , Deng Lili , Fu Qiang 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Somatostatin, a natural inhibitor of growth hormone (GH), and its analogs have been used in clinical settings for the treatment of acromegaly, gigantism, thyrotropinoma, and other carcinoid syndromes. However, natural somatostatin is limited for clinical usage because of its short half-life in vivo. Albumin fusion technology was used to construct long-acting fusion proteins and Pichia pastoris was used as an expression system. Three fusion proteins (SS28)2-HSA, (SS28)3-HSA, and HSA-(SS28)2, were constructed with different fusion copies of somatostatin-28 and fusion orientations. The expression level of (SS28)3-HSA was much lower than (SS28)2-HSA and HSA-(SS28)2 due to the additional fusion of the somatostatin-28 molecule. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry revealed that severe degradation occurred in the fermentation process. Similar to the standard, somatostatin-14, all three fusion proteins were able to inhibit GH secretion in blood, with (SS28)2-HSA being the most effective one. A pharmacokinetics study showed that (SS28)2-HSA had a prolonged half-life of 2 h. These results showed that increasing the number of small protein copies fused to HSA may not be a suitable method for improving protein bioactivity.