bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Activity‐dependent secretion of alpha‐synuclein by enteric neurons
Authors: Paillusson Sébastien , Clairembault Thomas , Biraud Mandy , Neunlist Michel , Derkinderen Pascal 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThere is growing evidence supporting a role of extracellular alpha‐synuclein in the spreading of Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. Recent pathological studies have raised the possibility that the enteric nervous system (ENS) is one of the initial sites of alpha‐synuclein pathology in PD. We therefore undertook this survey to determine whether alpha‐synuclein can be secreted by enteric neurons. Alpha‐synuclein secretion was assessed by immunoblot analysis of the culture medium from primary culture of ENS. We show that alpha‐synuclein is physiologically secreted by enteric neurons via a conventional, endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi‐dependent exocytosis, in a neuronal activity‐regulated manner. Our study is the first to evidence that enteric neurons are capable of secreting alpha‐synuclein, thereby providing new insights into the role of the ENS in the pathophysiology of PD.
Testing Alternative Explanations for the Associations Between Parenting and Adolescent Suicidal Problems
Authors: Boeninger Daria K. , Masyn Katherine E. , Conger Rand D. 
Published: December 2012

Although studies have established associations between parenting characteristics and adolescent suicidality, the strength of the evidence for these links remains unclear, largely because of methodological limitations, including lack of accounting for possible child effects on parenting. This study addresses these issues by using autoregressive cross‐lag models with data on 802 adolescents and their parents across 5 years. Observed parenting behaviors predicted change in adolescent suicidal problems across 1‐year intervals even after controlling for adolescents' effects on parenting. Nurturant‐involved parenting continued to demonstrate salutary effects after controlling for adolescent and parent internalizing psychopathology: over time, observed nurturant‐involved parenting reduced the likelihood of adolescent suicidal problems. This study increases the empirical support implicating parenting behaviors in the developmental course of adolescent suicidality.
Prognostic value of biochemical liver parameters in neonatal sepsis‐associated cholestasis
Authors: Oswari Hanifah , Widjaja Ruth Karisma , Rohsiswatmo Rinawati , Cleghorn Geoffrey 
Published: December 2012

AimsThe aim of the study was to evaluate the significance of total bilirubin, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase and gamma‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) for predicting outcome in sepsis‐associated cholestasis.MethodsA retrospective cohort review of the hospital records was performed in 181 neonates admitted to the Neonatal Care Unit. A comparison was performed between subjects with low and high liver values based on cut‐off values from ROC analysis. We defined poor prognosis to be when a subject had prolonged cholestasis of more than 3.5 months, developed severe sepsis, septic shock or had a fatal outcome.ResultsThe majority of the subjects were male (56%), preterm (56%) and had early onset sepsis (73%). The poor prognosis group had lower initial values of GGT compared with the good prognosis group (P = 0.003). Serum GGT (cut‐off value of 85.5 U/L) and AST (cut‐off value of 51 U/L) showed significant correlation with the outcome following multivariate analysis. The odds ratio (OR) of low GGT and high AST were OR 4.3 (95% CI:1.6 to11.8) and OR 2.9 (95% CI:1.1 to 8), respectively, for poor prognosis. In subjects with normal AST values, those with low GGT value had relative risk of 2.52 (95% CI:1.4 to 3.5) for poorer prognosis compared with those with normal or high GGT.ConclusionSerum GGT and AST values can be used to predict the prognosis of patients with sepsis‐associated cholestasis.
Outcome of hepatobiliary scanning: preterm versus full‐term cholestatic infants
Authors: Siu Luen Yee , Wong Ka Nin , Li Ka Wah , Kwong Ngai Shan 
Published: December 2012

ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to evaluate the specificity of a non‐draining hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) for biliary atresia (BA) in preterm and full‐term babies, to verify the relationship between non‐draining scan and higher levels of direct bilirubin and to find an objective criterion to guide the time in performing HBS.MethodsA total of 175 infants (113 males and 62 females, median age of 45 days) with 181 HBS performed in Tuen Mun Hospital between January 1998 and May 2010 were retrospectively analysed. A ‘non‐draining’ scan was defined as one showing no excretion of radiolabelled tracer into the small bowel 24 h after injection. The disease category, epidemiological and laboratory data were compared between infants having non‐draining and draining scans. In addition, the predictive value of a negative scan for BA was compared between preterm and full‐term infants.ResultsTwenty infants (11.4%) were surgically confirmed to have BA. A non‐draining scan was found to be 100% sensitive for BA, and the specificity was 96% and 78% among full‐term infants and preterm infants, respectively. The mean direct bilirubin values of infants with BA and intrahepatic cholestasis were 141.9 and 111.3 μmol/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than 67.2 μmol/L seen in infants with draining scans. This analysis shows that using direct bilirubin ≥63 μmol/L as an objective criterion in guiding the time to perform HBS is most cost‐effective.ConclusionOur data supported that using direct bilirubin ≥63 μmol/L as an objective criterion in guiding the time to perform HBS will avoid unnecessary scans.
PETROPHYSICS OF LOWER CRETACEOUS PLATFORM CARBONATE OUTCROPS IN PROVENCE (SE FRANCE): IMPLICATIONS FOR CARBONATE RESERVOIR CHARACTERISATION
Authors: Borgomano J. , Masse J.‐P. , Fenerci‐Masse M. , Fournier F. 
Published: December 2012

High resolution petrophysical analyses were carried out on Urgonian (Lower Cretaceous) carbonates from outcrops in Provence, SE France. Porosity and permeability were measured on 541 plug samples selected from grain‐supported carbonates analogous to those in the age‐equivalent Shu'aiba and Kharaib Formation reservoirs in the eastern Arabian Plate. The sampling strategy allowed property heterogeneities from centimetre to kilometre scales to be investigated, as well as correlations between porosity and permeability in several different reservoir rock types. Property spatial modelling sensitivity analyses were also undertaken.The relative abundance of microporosity, grain size and sedimentary‐diagenetic anisotropy were the main geological parameters which controlled the petrophysical characteristics of the grainstones studied. Increasing microporosity decreased permeability but resulted in an increase in the homogeneity of the reservoir rocks and therefore in their predictability. An increase in grain size, from fine sand to gravel, and in the amount of intergranular pores, enhanced permeability significantly but resulted in a decrease in the homogeneity (and therefore predictability) of the reservoir rock.At a plug scale, poro‐perm relationships are very good and can be used predictively for fine grainstones dominated by microporosity; but relationships are moderate to weak for coarse rudstones with mixed pore types, including intraskeletal pores. In grainstone units, weak sedimentary anisotropy, such as decametre‐scale cross‐bedding, did not prevent the prediction of the horizontal property distribution from vertical data over a few hundreds of metres. In these units, the lateral correlation of rock properties follows periodic variograms with a 7 m wavelength. The lateral distribution of properties in coarse‐grained and heterogeneous rudstones with complex pore types and intense sedimentary heterogeneities, such as channel structures, was however more difficult to predict from a vertical data set.Upscaling poroperm data from plug scale to reservoir scale is linear in the case of grainstones with intergranular microporosity, but is non‐linear in the case of skeletal rudstones with coarser pore types including skeletal porosity.
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY OF THE FULA SUB‐BASIN, MUGLAD BASIN, SUDAN
Authors: Lirong Dou , Dingsheng Cheng , Zhi Li , Zhiwei Zhang , Jingchun Wang 
Published: December 2012

The Fula sub‐basin is a fault‐bounded depression located in the NE of the Muglad Basin, Sudan, and covers an area of about 3560 km2. Eleven oilfields and oil‐bearing structures have been discovered in the sub‐basin. The Lower Cretaceous Abu Gabra shales (Barremian – Aptian), deposited in a deep‐water lacustrine environment, are major source rocks. Reservoir targets include interbedded sandstones within the Abu Gabra Formation and sandstones in the overlying Bentiu and Aradeiba Formations (Albian – Cenomanian and Turonian, respectively).Oil‐source correlation indicates that crude oils in the Aradeiba and Bentiu Formations are characterized by low APIs (<22°), low sulphur contents (<0.2%), high viscosity and high Total Acid Number (TAN: >6 mg KOH/g oil on average). By contrast, API, viscosity and TAN for oils in the Abu Gabra Formation vary widely. These differences indicate that oil migration and accumulation in the Fula sub‐basin is more complicated than in other parts of the Muglad Basin, probably as a result of regional transtension and inversion during the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary.The Aradeiba‐Bentiu and Abu Gabra Formations form separate exploration targets in the Fula sub‐basin. Four play fairways are identified: the central oblique anticline zone, boundary fault zone, fault terrance zone and sag zone. The most prospective locations are probably located in the central oblique anticline zone.
IL28RA polymorphism is associated with early hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment failure in human immunodeficiency virus‐/HCV‐coinfected patients
Authors: Jiménez‐Sousa M. A. , Berenguer J. , Rallón N. , Guzmán‐Fulgencio M. , López J. C. , Soriano V. , Fernández‐Rodríguez A. , Cosín J. , Restrepo C. , García‐Álvarez M. , Miralles P. , Benito J. M. , Resino S. 
Published: December 2012

SummaryDue to the poor rate of response to hepatitis C virus (HCV) with pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment in HCV/HIV coinfected patients, key factors for predicting failure would be useful. We performed a retrospective study on 291 patients on HCV treatment, who had early virological response (EVR) data. IL28B and IL28RA polymorphisms were performed using the GoldenGate® assay. Unfavourable genotypes at IL28B (rs12980275 AG/GG and rs8099917 GT/GG) and an unfavourable allele at IL28RA (rs10903035 G) were associated with early treatment failure. However, only the rs12980275 AG/GG genotype and rs10903035 G allele remained independently associated with early failure in the overall population (OR = 4.15 (95% CI = 1.64–10.54) and OR = 2.00 (95% CI = 1.19–3.36), respectively) as well as in GT1/4 patients (OR = 5.07 (95% CI = 1.81–14.22) and OR = 2.03 (95% CI = 1.13–3.66), respectively). Next, a decision tree showed early treatment failure increased from 37.1% to 65.5% when the unfavourable rs12980275 AG/GG and rs10903035 AG/GG genotypes and HCV‐RNA≥ 500.000 IU/mL were taken into account in GT1/4 patients. In contrast, the failure rate decreased from 37.1% to 11.9% when the favourable rs12980275 AA and rs10903035 AA genotypes were detected. The percentage of patients correctly classified was 78.4%, and AUROC was 0.802 ± 0.028. Regarding GT3 patients, the presence of the GCGCA haplotype (all unfavourable alleles) was associated with early treatment failure, while no association was observed for the IL28B polymorphisms. In conclusion, the IL28RA polymorphism was associated with early treatment failure independently of the IL28B SNPs. The combination of IL28B and IL28RA polymorphisms might be a valuable tool for predicting early treatment failure before starting HCV treatment.
Nebivolol treatment increases splanchnic blood flow and portal pressure in cirrhotic rats via modulation of nitric oxide signalling
Authors: Reiberger Thomas , Payer Berit Anna , Schwabl Philipp , Hayden Hubert , Horvatits Thomas , Jäger Bernhard , Hummel Thomas , Mitterhauser Markus , Trauner Michael , Fuhrmann Valentin , Angermayr Bernhard , Peck‐Radosavljevic Markus ,   Vienna Hepatic Hemodynamic Lab
Published: December 2012

AbstractBackgroundWe evaluated the effects of nebivolol, a third generation beta‐blocker capable of increasing NO‐bioavailability on portal pressure, and on splachnic and systemic haemodynamics in a cirrhotic portal hypertensive rat model.MethodsMale Sprague–Dawley rats underwent sham operation (SO) or bile duct ligation (BDL). When cirrhosis was fully developed, the animals were orally treated with low‐dose (5 mg/kg) or high‐dose (10 mg/kg) nebivolol (NEBI) or vehicle (VEH) for 7 days. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), portal pressure (PP) and superior mesenteric artery blood flow (SMABF) were measured. Portosystemic collateral blood flow (PSCBF) was quantified using radioactive microspheres. Hepatic and splanchnic NOx levels and GSH/GSSG ratios (RedOx state) were determined using commercially available kits.ResultsBDL‐VEH rats showed increased HR, PP and PSCBF, whereas MAP was decreased compared to SO‐VEH rats. Nebivolol significantly reduced HR both in SO (P < 0.001) and BDL (P < 0.001) rats. BDL‐NEBI animals had significantly higher PP (15.5 vs. 12.6 mmHg; P = 0.006) and SMABF (5.3 vs. 3.7 ml/min/100g; P = 0.016) than BDL‐VEH animals. The increase in PP and SMABF was noted both in low‐dose and high‐dose BDL‐NEBI rats. While no beneficial effects on hepatic RedOx state were observed, splanchnic NOx levels were significantly increased by NEBI treatment in a dose‐dependent manner. Nebivolol treatment did not affect PSCBF in SO and BDL animals.ConclusionNebivolol increases portal pressure in cirrhotic animals by increasing splanchnic blood flow via modulation of NO signalling. Porto‐systemic collateral blood flow remained unchanged. These data do not support the use of Nebivolol for treatment of cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension.
Can the tyrosine kinase inhibitors trigger metabolic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients?
Authors: Brandi Giovanni , de Rosa Francesco , Calzà Laura , Girolamo Stefania Di , Tufoni Manuel , Ricci Carmen Serena , Cirignotta Fabio , Caraceni Paolo , Biasco Guido 
Published: December 2012

AbstractBackgroundSorafenib is the standard treatment of advanced hepatocarcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotic patients with preserved liver function. It shares many adverse effects with other tyrosine‐kinase (TK) inhibitors and antiangiogenic drugs. TK inhibitors could have a direct toxicity on CNS, both by interfering with TK‐related pathways and by inhibiting angiogenesis.AimsThe aim of this study was to investigate whether sorafenib administration can be associated to metabolic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed medical records of all cirrhotic patients treated with sorafenib for HCC afferent at our Department from January 2009 to December 2011.ResultsAmong 62 patients, we identified 10 patients with clinically significant cognitive impairment. Seven of these were clearly diagnosed with overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE), one with brain metastases and two with drug‐related toxic‐metabolic encephalopathy. These last two cases were characterized by severe cognitive impairment, mood alteration and memory deficit. Clinical exam, blood tests and brain CT excluded organic causes of encephalopathy and precipitating factors of HE. Sorafenib discontinuation was associated with complete reversal of the syndrome, which recurred on drug re‐administration in one case.ConclusionsOur study suggests that sorafenib may be a precipitating factor of metabolic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients with advanced HCC. This neurological syndrome appears to be not responsive to the conventional treatment for HE, but it is fully reversible by drug discontinuation. It can be speculated that the potential direct neuronal action of sorafenib may represent a trigger for the onset of metabolic encephalopathy in a subset of cirrhotic patients.
Second primary cancers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a nationwide cohort study in Taiwan
Authors: Wu Wen‐Chieh , Chen Yung‐Tai , Hwang Chian‐Yaw , Su Chien‐Wei , Li Szu‐Yuan , Chen Tzeng‐Ji , Liu Chia‐Jen , Kao Wei‐Yu , Chao Yee , Lin Han‐Chieh , Wu Jaw‐Ching 
Published: December 2012

AbstractBackgroundThere has been no large‐scale population‐based study on the incidence and clinical manifestations of second primary cancer (SPC) after diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).AimsThis study aimed to evaluate the incidence and the risk factors of SPC following HCC diagnosis.MethodThis study used data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan to identify all HCC patients from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006. Cases of SPC were gathered using the ICD9‐CM codes of 140–208.91. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were conducted for incidence of SPC in HCC survivors. Competing‐risks regression with adjustment of death was used to analyse the risk factors of SPC.ResultsFrom 45 976 HCC patients, 749 (1.6%) developed SPC after 90 days of HCC diagnosis. Male HCC patients had higher risks of gastric, biliary, urinary bladder, kidney and haematological cancers compared to the general male population. Female patients had higher incidences of biliary tract, kidney and bone and soft tissue cancers. Older age and chronic kidney disease (CKD) were independent factors predicting SPC.ConclusionsSPC in patients with HCC is not rare in Taiwan. Urinary bladder cancer and renal cancer are more specific SPC for HCC patients. Better surveillance strategies for SPC should be established for HCC survivors, especially in the elderly or those with CKD.
A novel approach to parasite population genetics: Experimental infection reveals geographic differentiation, recombination and host‐mediated population structure in Pasteuria ramosa, a bacterial parasite of Daphnia
Authors: Andras J. P. , Ebert D. 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe population structure of parasites is central to the ecology and evolution of host‐parasite systems. Here, we investigate the population genetics of Pasteuria ramosa, a bacterial parasite of Daphnia. We used natural P. ramosa spore banks from the sediments of two geographically well‐separated ponds to experimentally infect a panel of Daphnia magna host clones whose resistance phenotypes were previously known. In this way, we were able to assess the population structure of P. ramosa based on geography, host resistance phenotype and host genotype. Overall, genetic diversity of P. ramosa was high, and nearly all infected D. magna hosted more than one parasite haplotype. On the basis of the observation of recombinant haplotypes and relatively low levels of linkage disequilibrium, we conclude that P. ramosa engages in substantial recombination. Isolates were strongly differentiated by pond, indicating that gene flow is spatially restricted. Pasteuria ramosa isolates within one pond were segregated completely based on the resistance phenotype of the host—a result that, to our knowledge, has not been previously reported for a nonhuman parasite. To assess the comparability of experimental infections with natural P. ramosa isolates, we examined the population structure of naturally infected D. magna native to one of the two source ponds. We found that experimental and natural infections of the same host resistance phenotype from the same source pond were indistinguishable, indicating that experimental infections provide a means to representatively sample the diversity of P. ramosa while reducing the sampling bias often associated with studies of parasite epidemics. These results expand our knowledge of this model parasite, provide important context for the large existing body of research on this system and will guide the design of future studies of this host‐parasite system.
Progressive genome‐wide introgression in agricultural Campylobacter coli
Authors: Sheppard Samuel K. , Didelot Xavier , Jolley Keith A. , Darling Aaron E. , Pascoe Ben , Meric Guillaume , Kelly David J. , Cody Alison , Colles Frances M. , Strachan Norval J. C. , Ogden Iain D. , Forbes Ken , French Nigel P. , Carter Philip , Miller William G. , McCarthy Noel D. , Owen Robert , Litrup Eva , Egholm Michael , Affourtit Jason P. , Bentley Stephen D. , Parkhill Julian , Maiden Martin C. J. , Falush Daniel 
Published: December 2012

AbstractHybridization between distantly related organisms can facilitate rapid adaptation to novel environments, but is potentially constrained by epistatic fitness interactions among cell components. The zoonotic pathogens Campylobacter coli and C. jejuni differ from each other by around 15% at the nucleotide level, corresponding to an average of nearly 40 amino acids per protein‐coding gene. Using whole genome sequencing, we show that a single C. coli lineage, which has successfully colonized an agricultural niche, has been progressively accumulating C. jejuni DNA. Members of this lineage belong to two groups, the ST‐828 and ST‐1150 clonal complexes. The ST‐1150 complex is less frequently isolated and has undergone a substantially greater amount of introgression leading to replacement of up to 23% of the C. coli core genome as well as import of novel DNA. By contrast, the more commonly isolated ST‐828 complex bacteria have 10–11% introgressed DNA, and C. jejuni and nonagricultural C. coli lineages each have <2%. Thus, the C. coli that colonize agriculture, and consequently cause most human disease, have hybrid origin, but this cross‐species exchange has so far not had a substantial impact on the gene pools of either C. jejuni or nonagricultural C. coli. These findings also indicate remarkable interchangeability of basic cellular machinery after a prolonged period of independent evolution.
The simulation game: an analysis of interactions between students and simulated patients
Authors: de la Croix Anne , Skelton John 
Published: December 2012

Context Institutional interactions are often asymmetrical in that the professional has more control over the conversation. It is difficult to say who the professional is in simulated consultations between simulated patients (SPs) and medical students because these feature a real (educational) institutional context and a simulated (medical) institutional context. This study describes this asymmetry and makes educational recommendations based on the description.Methods One hundred assessed conversations between SPs and Year 3 students were transcribed and analysed using discourse analysis (DA). We aimed to find linguistic patterns in predefined parts of the conversations (questions, topic initiations, openings, closings) that might suggest conversational dominance.Results The SP is conversationally more dominant, despite performing the role of the patient, in that he or she asks more direct questions, is more likely to initiate topics, is more likely not to follow topic changes by students, and closes the consultation. The student is likely to follow topics initiated by the SP and to seek permission to pre‐close the consultation.Conclusions The apparently greater dominance of the SP indicates that the simulated consultation differs from the doctor–patient consultation in certain key aspects. It is in that sense unrealistic. We argue, however, that ‘realism’ ought not to be a goal of simulated consultation and that what matters is that such consultations are sufficiently realistic for their educational purpose. We discuss the educational implications that follow from this.