bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serum carotenoid levels and risk of lung cancer death in US adults
Authors: Min Kyoung‐bok , Min Jin‐young 
Published: March 2014

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is the leading cause of cancer‐induced death in the USA. Although much attention has been focused on the anti‐carcinogenic effect of consuming carotenoid‐containing food or supplements, the results have been inconsistent. We investigated whether serum carotenoid levels were associated with the mortality risk of lung cancer in US adults using data from a nationally representative sample. The data were obtained from the Third Nutrition and Health Examination Survey (NHANES III) database and the NHANES III Linked Mortality File. A total of 10 382 participants aged over 20 years with available serum carotenoid levels and no other missing information on questionnaires and biomarkers at baseline (NHANES III) were included in the present study. Of the 10 382 participants, 161 subjects died due to lung cancer. We found that high serum levels of alpha‐carotene and beta‐cryptoxanthin at baseline were significantly associated with a lower risk of lung cancer death. When we stratified the risk by current smoking status, the risk of death of current smokers was significantly decreased to 46% (95% confidence interval, 31–94%) for alpha‐carotene and 61% (95% confidence interval, 19–80%) for beta‐cryptoxanthin. By contrast, no association was observed among never/former smokers at baseline. High serum levels of alpha‐carotene and beta‐cryptoxanthin are associated with a lower risk of lung cancer death in US adults.
Synthesis and Anti‐HIV Activity of 4‐(Naphthalen‐1‐yl)‐1,2,5‐thiadiazol‐3‐hydroxyl Derivatives
Authors: Rai Diwakar , Chen Wenmin , Zhan Peng , Liu Hong , Tian Ye , Liang Xin , De Clercq Erik , Pannecouque Christophe , Balzarini Jan , Liu Xinyong 
Published: March 2014

A series of 4‐(naphthalen‐1‐yl)‐1,2,5‐thiadiazol‐3‐hydroxyl derivatives (Ia–Im and IIa–IIe) designed as novel HIV‐1 non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) was synthesized via an expeditious route and evaluated for their anti‐HIV activities in MT‐4 cell cultures. All the synthesized compounds were structurally confirmed by spectral analyses. Biological results showed that three analogues displayed moderate inhibitory activity against wild‐type (wt) HIV‐1 replication with EC50 values ranging from 16 to 22 μm. Molecular docking of compound Ih with wt HIV‐1 RT was performed to understand the binding mode between these inhibitors and the wt HIV‐1 RT and to rationalize some SARs.
Microglial modulation as a mechanism behind the promotion of central nervous system well‐being by physical exercise
Authors: Jensen Samuel K. , Yong V. Wee 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe role of microglia within the central nervous system (CNS), and their contribution to processes critical for both normal function and the development of pathology have expanded significantly in recent years. Distinct microglial subpopulations are described that exert differential effects depending on region, environmental cues and activation state. This has led to the proposition of microglia as a novel therapeutic target in a variety of CNS disorders. Exercise has recently been shown to reduce the chronic activation and aberrant regulation of microglia that occurs during pathology, and to promote the adoption of neuroprotective phenotypes. This is thought to translate into decreased destruction of dopaminergic neurons in models of Parkinson's disease, the promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis, and the reduction of age‐induced neuroinflammation and microglial priming. The present review will detail the emerging evidence suggesting microglial modulation as a key mechanism through which exercise exerts beneficial effects on the CNS. Here, we will present the role of microglia within select CNS processes/disorders, and describe how physical exercise improves CNS well‐being by directly acting through microglia. Finally, we discuss considerations of implementation of exercise as a therapeutic intervention in neurological disorders.
Characterization of skin sensitizers from autoxidized citronellol – impact of the terpene structure on the autoxidation process
Authors: Rudbäck Johanna , Hagvall Lina , Börje Anna , Nilsson Ulrika , Karlberg Ann‐Therese 
Published: March 2014

SummaryBackgroundCitronellol is a frequently used fragrance compound in consumer products. It is present in fragrance mix II, which is used for screening of contact allergy to fragrances. Because of its chemical structure, citronellol could be susceptible to autoxidation.ObjectivesTo compare the behaviour of citronellol with that of the structurally similar compounds linalool and geraniol, in terms of ability to autoxidize, the products formed, and the sensitization potencies of these.MethodsCitronellol was exposed to air, and autoxidation was followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis after derivatization of thermolabile compounds. The sensitizing potencies of the oxidation mixture and its major oxidation compounds were examined with the local lymph node assay.ResultsThe concentration of citronellol decreased while the sensitization potency increased in air‐exposed samples over time, with hydroperoxides being identified as the major oxidation products and main skin sensitizers.ConclusionsThe present study shows the impact of the absence of the 2,3‐double bond in the citronellol structure on the oxidation pathways for formation of oxidation products. The study also shows the usefulness of our new GC–MS method for quantification of the citronellol oxidation products, especially the hydroperoxides. The investigated citronellol hydroperoxides could be important allergens, owing to the high concentrations detected and frequent exposure to citronellol in the population.
Learning Visual Units After Brief Experience in 10‐Month‐Old Infants
Authors: Needham Amy , Goldstone Robert L. , Wiesen Sarah E. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractHow does perceptual learning take place early in life? Traditionally, researchers have focused on how infants make use of information within displays to organize it, but recently, increasing attention has been paid to the question of how infants perceive objects differently depending upon their recent interactions with the objects. This experiment investigates 10‐month‐old infants' use of brief prior experiences with objects to visually organize a display consisting of multiple geometrically shaped three‐dimensional blocks created for this study. After a brief exposure to a multipart portion of the display, each infant was shown two test events, one of which preserved the unit the infant had seen and the other of which broke that unit. Overall, infants looked longer at the event that broke the unit they had seen prior to testing than the event that preserved that unit, suggesting that infants made use of the brief prior experience to (a) form a cohesive unit of the multipart portion of the display they saw prior to test and (b) segregate this unit from the rest of the test display. This suggests that infants made inferences about novel parts of the test display based on limited exposure to a subset of the test display. Like adults, infants learn features of the three‐dimensional world through their experiences in it.
Effect of sustained use of platelet aggregation inhibitors on post‐endoscopic sphincterotomy bleeding
Authors: Lee Min Geun , Kim Jaihwan , Lee Sang Hyub , Lee Ban Seok , Lee Seung June , Lee Yoon Suk , Cha Byung Hyo , Hwang Jin‐Hyeok , Ryu Ji Kon , Kim Yong‐Tae 
Published: March 2014

Background and AimThe effect of platelet aggregation inhibitors (PAI) on post‐endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) bleeding in patients who cannot discontinue PAI for sufficient time in urgent conditions has not been identified. The present study analyzed the effect of sustained use of PAI on post‐procedural bleeding in patients undergoing ES.MethodsA total of 762 patients were grouped into one of the following groups: no‐PAI group (n = 601), continuation group (n = 132), and withdrawal group (n = 29). The continuation group included sustained PAI therapy (sustained user, n = 49) or those in whom therapy was interrupted <7 days prior to ES (non‐sustained user, n = 83). The primary outcome was defined as the incidence, type, and severity of post‐ES bleeding among groups.ResultsThere were no significant differences between incidence, type, or severity of post‐ES bleeding in the three groups. Among 132 patients with continued use of PAI, there was no significant difference regarding incidence and severity of bleeding according to sustained or non‐sustained use (P = 0.071 and P = 0.086, respectively). However, post‐ES delayed bleeding was more frequent in sustained PAI users than in non‐sustained users (7/49, 14.3% vs 2/83, 2.4%) and was significantly associated with sustained PAI therapy in the continuation group (P = 0.013).ConclusionSustained use of PAI without interruption until ES might increase the risk of delayed bleeding.
Serum levels of fractalkine are associated with markers of insulin resistance in gestational diabetes
Authors: Ebert T. , Hindricks J. , Kralisch S. , Lossner U. , Jessnitzer B. , Richter J. , Blüher M. , Stumvoll M. , Fasshauer M. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAimsFractalkine has recently been introduced as an adipokine that improves glucose tolerance. Regulation of fractalkine in gestational diabetes, as well as its association with markers of obesity, glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammation and renal function, has not been elucidated.MethodsCirculating fractalkine was quantified by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in 74 women with gestational diabetes and 74 healthy, pregnant control subjects matched for age, BMI, and gestational age.ResultsMedian (interquartile range) levels of fractalkine were not significantly different between the two groups [gestational diabetes: 2.24 (2.16) μg/l; control: 2.45 (1.38) μg/l] (P = 0.461). In multivariate linear regression analysis, fractalkine remained independently associated with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (β = –0.253, P = 0.002) and the proinflammatory adipokine progranulin (β = 0.218, P = 0.007).ConclusionsCirculating fractalkine is not different between women with gestational diabetes and control subjects, but the adipokine is independently associated with markers of insulin resistance and proinflammatory progranulin in pregnancy.
Development and validation of the Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire‐Short Form
Authors: Peyrot M. , Xu Y. , Rubin R. R. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAimsTo develop and validate a short form of the 54‐item Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire that maintains the domains and performance characteristics of the long‐form questionnaire.MethodsData from the Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire validation study were analysed to select items representing the nine scales (convenience, negative events, interference, self‐monitoring of blood glucose burden, efficacy, social burden, psychological well‐being, treatment satisfaction and treatment preference). The resulting 20‐item Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire Short‐Form was administered online, with validated criterion measures of treatment satisfaction and medication adherence, with a retest within 2 weeks. Participants were US adults (N = 413) with Type 2 diabetes using oral agents alone; insulin by syringe and/or pen with or without oral agents; or glucagon‐like peptide‐1 agents. Most participants (82%) completed the retest.ResultsThe median inter‐item agreement of scales was 0.76 and the total composite (mean of all items except treatment preference) was 0.88. The median test‐retest reliability of scales was 0.86, and of the total composite was 0.95. All statistically significant correlations between Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire Short‐Form scales and criterion measures of treatment satisfaction and adherence were in the expected direction. The median correlation of the Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire Short‐Form with corresponding criterion measures of treatment satisfaction was 0.59; the mean correlation of the same Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire Short‐Form measures with adherence was 0.42. The Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire Short‐Form scales were more powerful predictors of adherence than were the criterion measures of treatment satisfaction. The Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire Short‐Form scales differentiated between those taking different medications and between those using different insulin delivery devices.ConclusionsThis study suggests that the Diabetes Medication System Rating Questionnaire Short‐Form provides a comprehensive set of measures with acceptable reliability and validity and a reduced burden of administration.
The Influence of the Region of Interest Width on Two‐Dimensional Speckle Tracking–Based Measurements of Strain and Strain Rate
Authors: Spriestersbach Hendrik , Oh‐Icí Darach , Schmitt Boris , Berger Felix , Schmitz Lothar 
Published: March 2014

AimsThere are significant variations in the published normal values of two‐dimensional speckle tracking–derived strain and strain rate. These occur even when authors use the same software. To measure strain, the operator creates a region of interest (ROI) to define the myocardium to be analyzed. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that measurements vary significantly with the chosen ROI width.Methods and ResultsIn 20 healthy subjects (11 males, mean age 17.6 ± 6.18 years) an apical four‐chamber view (4CH) and parasternal short‐axis view (SAX) were analyzed. Initially ROI width was set automatically by the software. Two subsequent measurements were obtained from each cine loop by choosing the ROI width one step narrower and one step wider than the automatic ROI width. The mean differences between the measurements of narrower and automatic ROI and between automatic and wider ROI were −1.8 ± 0.7% and −0.9 ± 0.5% for global longitudinal strain (SL), −2.2 ± 0.6% and −1.7 ± 0.7% for global circumferential strain (SC), −0.10 ± 0.06/sec and −0.07 ± 0.06/sec for global longitudinal strain rate (SrL), and −0.15 ± 0.09/sec and −0.12 ± 0.07/sec for global circumferential strain rate (SrC) (all P < 0.000). This corresponds to a relative difference to the mean of both measurements of −4.4 to −11.0%.ConclusionLayer‐specific myocardial deformation and curvature dependency lead to an inverse correlation between the chosen ROI width and strain and strain rate measurements. Just one step of ROI‐width change leads to a significant bias. Precise ROI‐width definition is essential but technical factors limit its feasibility.
Predicting the activity of Heterobasidion parviporum on Norway spruce in warming climate from its respiration rate at different temperatures
Authors: Müller M. M. , Sievänen R. , Beuker E. , Meesenburg H. , Kuuskeri J. , Hamberg L. , Korhonen K. 
Published: March 2014

SummaryWe studied the effect of climate warming on Heterobasidion root rot in boreal forests by measuring respiration activity of pure cultures of Heterobasidion parviporum in Norway spruce (Picea abies) sawdust and by linking these data to temperature data obtained from three spruce forests located along a north‐south transect stretching from northern Germany to northern Finland. The pure cultures applied in this investigation were homokaryotic, but in a separate investigation, we found no significant difference between the activity of homo‐ and heterokaryotic isolates. We also found that the temperature response curves of growth and respiration rates of this fungus were similar and propose that respiration reflects the general activity of H. parviporum. The respiration data were scaled up to annual cumulative respiration activity using daily temperature measurements from soil and air in the spruce forest sites. The annual respiration activity of H. parviporum showed a linear relationship with the average annual air temperature. An increase in the annual air temperature by 5°C would raise the annual activity of H. parviporum in spruce roots in northern Finland, southern Finland and northern Germany by 91%, 53% and 40%, respectively. This increase remains below the predicted increase in forest growth in northern Finland but exceeds considerably the predictions for southern Finland. According to the previous literature, a number of other decay fungi show a similar activity response to temperature as H. parviporum, suggesting that this result can be generalized to decay fungi with similar ecological habits.
Metals and electrolytes in sclerotic hippocampi in patients with drug‐resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Ristić Aleksandar J. , Sokić Dragoslav , Baščarević Vladimir , Spasić Snežana , Vojvodić Nikola , Savić Slobodan , Raičević Savo , Kovačević Maša , Savić Danijela , Spasojević Ivan 
Published: March 2014

SummaryAn altered metal and electrolyte profile has been implicated in the pathologic mechanisms of chronic epilepsy; however, no study has comprehensively measured hippocampal concentrations of these elements in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis (mTLE‐HS). We therefore analyzed hippocampi of 24 patients with drug‐resistant mTLE‐HS (mean age 35.6 ± 9.4 years) who underwent anterior temporal lobe resection and amygdalohippocampectomy and 17 hippocampi obtained by autopsy from 13 controls (mean age 40.5 ± 12.9 years), using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP‐OES). Epileptic hippocampi showed significantly lower concentrations (μg/g of tissue) of copper (HS: 2.34 ± 0.12; control [C]: 3.57 ± 0.33; p < 0.001), manganese (HS: 0.205 ± 0.030; C: 0.409 ± 0.064; p = 0.004), and potassium (HS: 2,001 ± 59; C: 2,322 ± 61; p < 0.001), and increased sodium levels (HS: 1,131 ± 22; C: 1,040 ± 25; p = 0.010). Zinc, iron, calcium, and magnesium levels did not differ in HS and controls. In summary, copper and manganese levels are deficient, whereas iron level is unchanged in hippocampi from patients with mTLE‐HS. Our results provide a basis for understanding the potential involvement of different metals and electrolytes in the pathology of HS.A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
How to Spot a Stranger's Egg? A Mimicry‐Specific Discordancy Effect in the Recognition of Parasitic Eggs
Authors: Moskát Csaba , Zölei Anikó , Bán Miklós , Elek Zoltán , Tong Lainga , Geltsch Nikoletta , Hauber Márk E. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractEgg discrimination by hosts is an antiparasitic defence to reject foreign eggs from the nest. Even when mimetic, the presence of brood parasitic egg(s) typically alters the overall similarity of all eggs in a clutch, producing a discordant clutch compared to more homogenous clutches of composed only of hosts’ own eggs. In multiple parasitism, the more foreign eggs are laid in the nest, the more heterogeneous the overall clutch appears. Perceptual filters and recognition templates cannot explain the known pattern of lower rejection rates of foreign eggs in multiple vs. single parasitism. We therefore assessed the role of clutch homogeneity and manipulated the colour of one or more eggs in the clutches of great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) hosts of common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus). Varying the colours of both the majority and the minority eggs caused predictable shifts in the rejection of the focal egg(s), and ejection rates of the minority egg colour consistently increased but only when it belonged to a more mimetic egg colour, relative to the less mimetic colour of majority eggs. The results imply that in addition to sensory filters, and template‐based cognitive decision rules, discordancy‐based rejection is affected by the overall clutch appearance and interacts with specific colours varying in the extent of mimicry, to contribute to the recognition decisions of hosts to reject parasitic eggs.
Black Bear Reactions to Venomous and Non‐venomous Snakes in Eastern North America
Authors: Rogers Lynn L. , Mansfield Susan A. , Hornby Kathleen , Hornby Stewart , Debruyn Terry D. , Mize Malvin , Clark Rulon , Burghardt Gordon M. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBears are often considered ecological equivalents of large primates, but the latter often respond with fear, avoidance, and alarm calls to snakes, both venomous and non‐venomous, there is sparse information on how bears respond to snakes. We videotaped or directly observed natural encounters between black bears (Ursus americanus) and snakes. Inside the range of venomous snakes in Arkansas and West Virginia, adolescent and adult black bears reacted fearfully in seven of seven encounters upon becoming aware of venomous and non‐venomous snakes; but in northern Michigan and Minnesota where venomous snakes have been absent for millennia, black bears showed little or no fear in four encounters with non‐venomous snakes of three species. The possible roles of experience and evolution in bear reactions to snakes and vice versa are discussed. In all areas studied, black bears had difficulty to recognize non‐moving snakes by smell or sight. Bears did not react until snakes moved in 11 of 12 encounters with non‐moving timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and four species of harmless snakes. However, in additional tests in this study, bears were repulsed by garter snakes that had excreted pungent anal exudates, which may help explain the absence of snakes, both venomous and harmless, in bear diets reported to date.
Evidence that hepatitis C virus genome partly controls infection outcome
Authors: Hartfield Matthew , Bull Rowena , White Peter A. , Lloyd Andrew , Luciani Fabio , Alizon Samuel ,   the HITS investigators
Published: March 2014

AbstractInfection by hepatitis C virus (HCV) leads to one of two outcomes; either the infection resolves within approximately 6 months or the virus can persist indefinitely. Host genetics are known to affect the likelihood of clearance or persistence. By contrast, the importance of the virus genotype in determining infection outcome is unknown, as quantifying this effect traditionally requires well‐characterized transmission networks, which are rare. Extending phylogenetic approaches previously developed to estimate the virus control over set‐point viral load in HIV‐1 infections, we simulate inheritance of a binary trait along a phylogenetic tree, use this data to quantify how infection outcomes cluster and ascertain the effect of virus genotype on these. We apply our method to the Hepatitis C Incidence and Transmission Study in prisons (HITS‐p) data set from Australia, as this cohort prospectively identified incident cases including viraemic subjects who ultimately clear the virus, thus providing us with a unique collection of sequences from clearing infections. We detect significant correlations between infection outcome and virus distance in the phylogeny for viruses of Genotype 1, with estimates lying at around 67%. No statistically significant estimates were obtained for viruses of Genotype 3a.