bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
HIV nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors efavirenz and tenofovir change the growth and differentiation of primary gingival epithelium
Authors: Mitchell D , Israr M , Alam S , Dinello D , Kishel J , Jia R , Meyers C 
Published: October 2013

ObjectivesAn increasing number of HIV‐infected patients are combating HIV infection through the use of antiretroviral drugs, including reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Oral complications associated with these drugs are becoming a mounting cause for concern. In our previous studies, both protease inhibitors and reverse transcriptase inhibitors have been shown to change the proliferation and differentiation state of oral tissues. This study examined the effect of a nonnucleoside and a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor on the growth and differentiation of gingival epithelium.MethodsOrganotypic (raft) cultures of gingival keratinocytes were treated with a range of efavirenz and tenofovir concentrations. Raft cultures were immunohistochemically analysed to determine the effect of these drugs on the expression of key differentiation and proliferation markers, including cytokeratins and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).ResultsThese drugs dramatically changed the proliferation and differentiation state of gingival tissues when they were present throughout the growth period of the raft tissue as well as when drugs were added to established tissue on day 8. Treatment with the drugs increased the expression of cytokeratin 10 and PCNA and, conversely, decreased expression of cytokeratin 5, involucrin and cytokeratin 6. Gingival tissue exhibited increased proliferation in the suprabasal layers, increased fragility, and an inability to heal itself.ConclusionsOur results suggest that efavirenz and tenofovir treatments, even when applied in low concentrations for short periods of time, deregulated the cell cycle/proliferation and differentiation pathways, resulting in abnormal epithelial repair and proliferation. Our system could be developed as a potential model for studying the effects of HIV and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in vitro.
Pathobiological properties of the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4L in melanoma
Authors: Kito Yusuke , Bai Juncheng , Goto Naoe , Okubo Hiroshi , Adachi Yoshihiro , Nagayama Tomoko , Takeuchi Tamotsu 
Published: October 2013

SummaryA recent global gene expression profiling study unexpectedly showed that activated oncogenic NRAS may recruit neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally downregulated 4L (Nedd4L; a human homologue of Nedd4‐2) in cultured melanoma cells. However, whether Nedd4L was expressed in melanoma tissues or participated in melanoma carcinogenesis remains to be clarified. Here, we investigated the expression status of Nedd4L in human melanocytes, benign nevi and melanoma tissue specimens and subsequently attempted to determine the role of Nedd4L in melanoma cell growth. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that Nedd4L was not present in any non‐tumorous melanocytes or in 18 benign nevi tissues, but it was detected in 34 of 79 cutaneous melanomas and 9 of 32 nodal metastatic melanomas. Downregulation of Nedd4L significantly reduced the growth of cultured G361 melanoma cells in vitro. Moreover, exogenous Nedd4L expression significantly promoted the growth of A2058 melanoma cells in vivo in a xenograft assay. The present findings indicate that Nedd4L expression may be increased to facilitate tumour growth in many melanomas.
Is Firm‐specific Return Variation a Measure of Information Efficiency?
Authors: Bae Kee‐Hong , Kim Jin‐Mo , Ni Yang 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe issue of whether firm‐specific return variation measures the private information reflected in stock returns or trading noise is controversial. Using a firm's geographic proximity to its investors as a proxy for a firm's private information, we investigate the relation between firm‐specific return variation and price informativeness. We find that firms located in metropolitan areas experience higher firm‐specific return variation and that holdings and trading by local institutional investors positively affect firm‐specific return variation. These findings suggest that higher firm‐specific return variation is indicative of more informative stock prices.
Comparing the hydrosurgery system to conventional debridement techniques for the treatment of delayed healing wounds: a prospective, randomised clinical trial to investigate clinical efficacy and cost‐effectiveness
Authors: Liu Jing , Ko Jason H , Secretov Erwin , Huang Eric , Chukwu Christiana , West Julie , Piserchia Katherine , Galiano Robert D 
Published: October 2013

AbstractIn these uncertain times of high health care costs, clinicians are looking for cost‐effective devices to employ in their everyday practices. In an effort to promote cost‐effective and proper wound repair, the hydrosurgical device allows accurate debridement of only unwanted tissue while precisely conserving viable structures for eventual repair. This prospective, randomised study compared procedures using the hydrosurgery system (VERSAJET™) with conventional debridement in order to assess clinical efficacy and cost‐effectiveness when treating subjects with chronic wounds. A total of 40 subjects were recruited. There was no difference in time to achieve stable wound closure between the treatment groups (P = 0·77). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of cost of the first operative procedure (P = 0·28), cost of surgical procedures during the study (P = 0·51), cost of study treatment (P = 0·29) or cost to achieve stable wound closure (P = 0·85). There were no differences in quantitative bacterial counts after debridement with either methods (P = 0·376). However, the time taken for the first excision procedure was significantly faster using the hydrosurgery system (VERSAJET) when compared with conventional debridement (P < 0·001). The total excision time for all procedures was significantly less for the Hydrosurgery group than for the conventional group (P = 0·005). Also, the Hydrosurgery group demonstrated significantly less intraoperative blood loss than conventional group for all procedures (P = 0·003). In this study, although there were no differences in time to stable wound closure or bacterial reduction between the two groups, the hydrosurgery system (VERSAJET) did offer advantages in terms of operative times and intraoperative blood loss and was cost‐neutral, despite the handpiece cost.
Board Effectiveness and Short Termism
Authors: Gonzalez Angelica , André Paul 
Published: October 2013

AbstractWe examine whether more effective boards in terms of size, experience, shareholding and independence, as discussed in the 2010 UK Corporate Governance Code, limit excessive short‐term risk taking or short‐termism. We use a state‐of‐the‐art asset pricing model that enables the disentangling of short‐term risk (related to short‐term returns) and long‐term risk (related to long‐term returns), and use the former as a proxy for short‐termism, where the short‐term component not only represents the time horizon for which we are interested but also the risk that is not related to fundamentals. We examine 916 firms in the UK over a possible horizon of 18 years, January 1992–December 2010, and find that more effective boards are associated with lower levels of short‐term risk and this result is robust to various types of short‐term risk (overall, downside) and specifications.
Epithelial Sodium Channel Inhibition by Amiloride on Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Young Prehypertensives
Authors: Bhagatwala Jigar , Harris Ryan A. , Parikh Samip J. , Zhu Haidong , Huang Ying , Kotak Ishita , Seigler Nichole , Pierce Gary L. , Egan Brent M. , Dong Yanbin 
Published: October 2013

Overactivity of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is considered to be one mechanism underlying obesity‐related blood pressure (BP) elevation. In an open‐labeled, nonplacebo‐controlled clinical trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT‐01308983), the authors aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of amiloride monotherapy, an ENaC blocker, on BP and cardiovascular risk in young adults with prehypertension (n=17). The mean body mass index of participants was 28.45±1.30 kg/m2. Following 10 mg daily amiloride for 4 weeks, peripheral systolic BP (SBP), central SBP, and carotid‐radial pulse wave velocity were significantly reduced by −7.06±2.25 mm Hg, −7.68±2.56 mm Hg, and −0.72±0.33 m/s, respectively, whereas flow‐mediated dilation was significantly increased by 2.2±0.9%. Following amiloride monotherapy for 4 weeks, a significant increase in serum aldosterone was observed (5.85±2.45 ng/dL). ENaC inhibition by amiloride may be used as an early intervention to halt the progression to full hypertension and cardiovascular disease in young adults with prehypertension.
T lymphocytes export proteasomes by way of microparticles: a possible mechanism for generation of extracellular proteasomes
Authors: Bochmann Isabel , Ebstein Frédéric , Lehmann Andrea , Wohlschlaeger Jeremias , Sixt Stephan Urs , Kloetzel Peter‐Michael , Dahlmann Burkhardt 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe 20S proteasome is almost exclusively localized within cells. High levels of extracellular proteasomes are also found circulating in the blood plasma of patients suffering from a variety of inflammatory, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. However, the origin of these proteasomes remained enigmatic. Since the proteome of microparticles, small membrane enclosed vesicles released from cells, was shown to contain proteasomal subunits, we studied whether intact proteasomes are actively released into the extracellular space. Using human primary T lymphocytes stimulated with CaCl2 and the calcium ionophore A23187 to induce membrane blebbing we demonstrate that microparticles contain proteolytically active 20S proteasomes as well as the proteasome activator PA28 and subunits of the 19S proteasome regulator. Furthermore, our experiments reveal that incubation of in vitro generated T lymphocyte‐microparticles with sphingomyelinase results in the hydrolysis of the microparticle membranes and subsequent release of proteasomes from the vesicles. Thus, we here show for the first time that functional proteasomes can be exported from activated immune cells by way of microparticles, the dissolution of which may finally lead to the generation of extracellular proteasomes.
Roles of microRNAs in prenatal chondrogenesis, postnatal chondrogenesis and cartilage‐related diseases
Authors: Shang Jin , Liu Huan , Zhou Yue 
Published: October 2013

AbstractCartilage has limited repair and regeneration capacity, thus damage of cartilage often results in its dysfunction and even chronic diseases like osteoarthritis (OA). Chondrogenesis induced by tissue‐engineering methods is essential to treating cartilage‐related diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non‐coding single‐stranded RNAs which exert their biological effects by binding to the target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), resulting in decay or translation suppression of target mRNAs. There are emerging evidence indicating that miRNAs may play important roles in regulating both prenatal and postnatal chondrogenesis. During embryonic skeletal development, prenatal chondrogenesis is thought to be a precondition for formation of cartilage in developing limbs. Plenty of studies on different types of stem cells have undoubtedly proven their capacity of differentiating into chondrocytes. MiRNAs are found to comprehensively modulate these processes by establishing an interaction network with target genes, transcription factors and cytokines et al. In addition, translational application of miRNA technology has also been explored. In this review, we focus on the up‐dated progress on regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs in prenatal and postnatal chondrogenesis. In addition, several miRNA target genes and roles of miRNAs in cartilage‐related diseases are also discussed. This will contribute to studies of chondrogenesis mechanisms and development of new treating methods.
Genetic markers associated with progression in early mycosis fungoides
Authors: Johnson V.E. , Vonderheid E.C. , Hess A.D. , Eischen C.M. , McGirt L.Y. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundMycosis fungoides (MF) is a rare, but potentially devastating malignancy. It classically presents with cutaneous patches and plaques and can progress to tumours on the skin with lymph node, blood and visceral involvement. While most patients with MF have a relatively benign disease course, a subset of patients will develop progressive disease that is often fatal.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify genetic markers in early MF limited to the skin (stages IA‐IIA) that distinguish those patients who will have progressive disease from those who will not, so that early appropriate treatment may be instituted.MethodsThe study includes 18 patients who were diagnosed with early stage MF at the time of biopsy and had follow‐up to determine which patients developed progressive disease. RNA was extracted from skin biopsy specimens and analysed for expression of CD3, FOXP3, IFNγ, Interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐13, KIR3DL2, MICB, PLS3 and STAT4 by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction.Results/ConclusionsReduced expression of FOXP3 and STAT4 and increased expression of IL‐4 relative to CD3 expression levels were significantly associated with MF progression. Further studies will be needed to fully assess the usefulness of these genetic markers to predict disease progression and guide treatment options in patients diagnosed with early MF.
Clinical features of patients with Guillain‐Barré syndrome at seven hospitals on the East Coast of Australia
Authors: Blum Stefan , Reddel Stephen , Spies Judy , McCombe Pamela 
Published: October 2013

AbstractTo document the clinical features of Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) in Australia, we performed a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to several hospitals along the East Coast of Australia from 2000 to 2012. Using hospital records, we reviewed all patients with a diagnosis of GBS admitted to seven hospitals. From these, we report information of subjects who fulfilled standard diagnostic criteria. We excluded patients where inadequate information was available or who were under the age of 18. We report the features of 335 patients, in 228 of whom neurophysiological data were available. There were 168 cases of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), 17 of acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), 4 of acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN), and 35 of Miller‐Fisher syndrome (MFS). The median age at onset was 52.5 years (18–89 years) with a male : female ratio of 1.61 : 1. Upper respiratory tract infections were the most frequently identified trigger (151 subjects, 44.5%). Most patients were severely affected, with 42.7% of subjects bedbound, and an additional 24% requiring ventilatory support. GBS affects adults of all ages and usually follows a severe clinical course. In contrast to other autoimmune diseases, males are more frequently affected. A wide variety of triggering factors leads to a relatively stereotypical clinical syndrome. The most common variant of GBS in Australia is AIDP. This study shows that the clinical features of GBS in Australia are similar to that previously reported and confirms the male predominance, increased incidence with age, and frequent evidence of peripheral nerve demyelination as features of GBS.
A controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin in multifocal motor neuropathy
Authors: Hahn Angelika F. , Beydoun Said R. , Lawson Victoria ,   for The IVIG in MMN Study Team, Oh MyungShin , Empson Victoria G. , Leibl Heinz , Ngo Leock Y. , Gelmont David , Koski Carol L. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractIntravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has become the standard treatment for multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) based on limited data. To critically assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of 10% liquid IVIG (IVIG), 44 adults with MMN were randomized 1 : 1 to either double‐blind treatment of IVIG followed by placebo for 12 weeks each or the reverse. Open‐label IVIG was administered for 12 weeks at the beginning and end of the study for clinical stabilization, and between double‐blinded periods to prevent a carry‐over effect. To avoid potential worsening, switching to open‐label IVIG was permitted if deterioration occurred during blinded treatment. Mean maximal grip strength of the more affected hand declined 31.38% during placebo and increased 3.75% during IVIG (p = 0.005). In 35.7% of participants, Guy's Neurological Disability scores for upper limbs worsened during placebo and not during IVIG, whereas the converse was true in 11.9% (p = 0.021). Sixty‐nine percent (69.0%) switched prematurely from placebo to open‐label IVIG and 2.4% switched from blinded to open‐label IVIG (p < 0.001). One serious adverse reaction (pulmonary embolism) and 100 non‐serious reactions (69 mild, 20 moderate, and 11 severe) to IVIG occurred. IVIG was effective in improving disability and muscle strength, and was safe and well tolerated in adults with MMN.
Does learning style influence academic performance in different forms of assessment?
Authors: Wilkinson Tracey , Boohan Mairead , Stevenson Michael 
Published: October 2013

AbstractEducational research on learning styles has been conducted for some time, initially within the field of psychology. Recent research has widened to include more diverse disciplines, with greater emphasis on application. Although there are numerous instruments available to measure several different dimensions of learning style, it is generally accepted that styles differ, although the qualities of more than one style may be inherent in any one learner. But do these learning styles have a direct effect on student performance in examinations, specifically in different forms of assessment? For this study, hypotheses were formulated suggesting that academic performance is influenced by learning style. Using the Honey and Mumford Learning Style Questionnaire, learning styles of a cohort of first year medical and dental students at Queen's University Belfast were assessed. Pearson correlation was performed between the score for each of the four learning styles and the student examination results in a variety of subject areas (including anatomy) and in different types of assessments – single best answer, short answer questions and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations. In most of the analyses, there was no correlation between learning style and result and in the few cases where the correlations were statistically significant, they generally appeared to be weak. It seems therefore from this study that although the learning styles of students vary, they have little effect on academic performance, including in specific forms of assessment.
Exploring young people's dignity: A qualitative approach
Authors: Narayan Kruthika , Hooker Claire , Jarrett Carmen , Bennett David 
Published: October 2013

AimHuman dignity as an important consideration in health care has been primarily investigated from an adult perspective. This paper explores young people's perceptions of dignity and how it impacts on their health‐care experience.MethodA qualitative pilot study was undertaken at the Children's Hospital, Westmead in from 2010 to 2011. Semistructured interviews were conducted with five inpatients, and data were analysed using a grounded theory approach.ResultsThe adolescents interviewed perceived dignity as a way of protecting their personhood. Privacy and maintaining integrity were the means by which dignity could be preserved in a health‐care setting.ConclusionsThe study found that young people had unique perceptions of privacy and personhood with regards to dignity. Of the concepts of dignity in the existing literature, the dignity of identity was most applicable to adolescents' conceptions. This understanding of young people's views of dignity could prevent dignity violations in health care and beneficially impact their development.
Reassessing the taxonomic status of two enigmatic Desmos species (Annonaceae): Morphological and molecular phylogenetic support for a new genus, Wangia
Authors: GUO Xing , WANG Jing , XUE Bine , THOMAS Daniel C. , SU Yvonne C. F. , TAN Yun‐Hong , SAUNDERS Richard M. K. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe systematic position of two enigmatic Annonaceae species from China, Desmos saccopetaloides (W. T. Wang) P. T. Li and Desmos yunnanensis (Hu) P. T. Li, has been controversial, with both species having been transferred between several different genera within subfamilies Annonoideae and Malmeoideae. Phylogenetic analyses of eight chloroplast regions (matK, ndhF, ndhF‐rpl32, psbA‐trnH, rbcL, rpl32‐trnL, trnL‐F, and ycf1; ca. 9.2 kb, 66 taxa) unambiguously placed D. saccopetaloides in a subclade of tribe Miliuseae, nested among the genera Monoon, Neo‐uvaria, Phaeanthus, Sageraea, and Stelechocarpus. This relationship was also supported by endosperm rumination patterns in the seed; other morphological characters furthermore indicated that D. saccopetaloides has closer affinities with Monoon, Neo‐uvaria, and Phaeanthus rather than either Sageraea or Stelechocarpus. Desmos saccopetaloides is distinguished from these genera by its leaf‐opposed inflorescences, sepaloid outer petals, saccate inner petals with basal glandular tissue, moniliform monocarps with uniseriate seeds, and rectangular disulculate pollen with two “cryptoapertures.” On the basis of the combined molecular phylogenetic and morphological data, we propose a new genus, Wangia, to accommodate D. saccopetaloides. The molecular phylogenetic analyses furthermore indicated that D. yunnanensis belongs to the genus Dasymaschalon: examination of the type collections revealed that it is conspecific with Dasymaschalon obtusipetalum, although the combination Dasymaschalon yunnanense has nomenclatural priority.
Phylogeography of the widespread plant Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae) in China indicated by three chloroplast DNA regions
Authors: LIAO Yi‐Ying , GUO You‐Hao , CHEN Jin‐Ming , WANG Qing‐Feng 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAilanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, a temperate tree species, has a wide distribution in China. To infer its refugia and patterns of migration during past climatic changes in China, genetic variations among different populations were studied. Gene sequences of three chloroplast DNA spacer regions, psbA‐trnH, trnL‐trnF, and trnD‐trnT, were obtained from 440 individuals of 44 populations. The distribution of haplotype and the relationships among them were investigated by haplotype network. In addition, the genetic diversity of the sampled regions was inferred, and the biogeographic history was also reconstructed. Twelve haplotypes were identified, among which, five were unique. The phylogenetic analysis and geographical distribution of haplotypes indicate that multiple glacial refugia existed in mainland China during the Quaternary oscillations. Due to the combined effects of contiguous range expansion and allopatric fragmentation, significant genetic structure was not found in this study. Based on biogeographic and demographic analysis, three main dispersal routes were identified for the major haplotypes, whereas others were more likely localized demographic expansion.