bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trajectory of Material Hardship and Income Poverty in Families of Children Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Bona Kira , London Wendy B. , Guo Dongjing , Frank Deborah A. , Wolfe Joanne 
Published: September 2015

BackgroundPoverty is correlated with negative health outcomes in pediatric primary care, and is emerging as a negative prognostic indicator in pediatric oncology. However, measures of poverty amenable to targeted intervention, such as household material hardship (HMH)—including food, energy, and housing insecurity—have not been described in pediatric oncology. We describe the trajectory of family reported HMH and income poverty at a pediatric oncology referral center in New England with high psychosocial supports.ProcedureSingle site, prospective cohort study including 99 English‐speaking families of children receiving chemotherapy for primary cancer. Families completed face‐to‐face surveys at two time‐points: (1) Within 30 days of child's diagnosis (T1) (N = 99, response rate 88%); (2) 6‐months following diagnosis (T2) (N = 93, response rate 94%). HMH was assessed in three domains: food, energy, and housing insecurity.ResultsTwenty percent of families reported low‐income (≤200% Federal Poverty Level) and at least one HMH prior to their child's diagnosis. At T2, 25% of families lost >40% annual household income secondary to treatment‐related work disruptions, and 29% of families reported HMH despite utilization of psychosocial supports.ConclusionsLow‐income and HMH are prevalent in a significant proportion of newly diagnosed pediatric oncology families at a large referral center. Despite psychosocial supports, the proportion of families experiencing unmet basic needs increases during chemotherapy to nearly one in three families. HMH provides a quantifiable and remediable measure of poverty in pediatric oncology. Interventions to ameliorate this concrete component of poverty could benefit a significant proportion of pediatric oncology families. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Retrospective Evaluation of the Benefit of Referring Pediatric Cancer Patients to an External Proton Therapy Center
Authors: Munck af Rosenschold Per , Engelholm Svend A. , Brodin Patrik N. , Jørgensen Morten , Grosshans David R. , Zhu Ronald X. , Palmer Matthew , Crawford Cody N. , Mahajan Anita 
Published: September 2015

BackgroundPediatric cancer patients requiring radiation therapy (RT) have been routinely assessed and referred to proton therapy (PT) at an external institution. The benefit of the delivered PT compared to the state‐of‐the‐art intensity modulated x‐ray RT (XT) at the home institution was evaluated.ProcedureTwenty‐four consecutive children referred for PT during 2010–2013 for craniospinal (CSI, n = 10), localized intracranial (IC, n = 7), head/neck (HN, n = 4) or parameningeal (PM, n = 3) lesions were included. The median age was 8 years (2–16 years). XT plans were generated for each patient, blinded to the PT delivered. Dosimetry, estimated growth hormone deficiency (GHD), and neurocognitive dysfunction (NCD) risks were compared for PT and XT (Wilcoxon).ResultsPT started (median) 5 weeks (± 1.3 weeks, 95% CI) after referral. For CSI patients, PT was clearly superior to XT plans with median dose reductions for the heart, lungs and thyroid of 17, 2.5 and 18 Gy, respectively (P = 0.005). The median estimated NCD and GHD risks were 1–3 (max 16) and 2 (max 61) percentage points, respectively, lower for PT compared to XT. The median of the mean doses to the brain, cochleae and pituitary gland was lower with PT than XT for the IC, H/N and PM patients (P < 0.039). For a single IC patient, the dose to hippocampi and optic chiasm was higher for PT compared to XT.ConclusionsPT clearly benefitted the patients studied, except for IC disease where differences between PT and XT were modest, and comparative PT and XT treatment planning is warranted prior to referral. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Combined Autoimmune Cytopenias Presenting in Childhood
Authors: Al Ghaithi Ibrahim , Wright Nicola A.M. , Breakey Vicky R. , Cox Kelly , Warias Ashley , Wong Tiffany , O'Connell Colleen , Price Victoria 
Published: September 2015

AbstractBackgroundPediatric patients with chronic and/or refractory autoimmune multi‐lineage cytopenias present challenges in both diagnosis and management. Increasing availability of diagnostic testing has revealed an underlying immune dysfunction in patients previously diagnosed with Evans Syndrome. However, the data are sparse and the majority of patients are adults.ProcedureWe performed a retrospective chart review to document the natural history of 23 pediatric patients with autoimmune multi‐lineage cytopenias followed at three tertiary care pediatric hematology clinics.ResultsInvestigations revealed seven patients (30.4%) with an autoimmune lymphoproliferative‐like syndrome and six patients (26.1%) with other primary immunodeficiencies. Only one (4.3%) patient was suspected to have systemic lupus erythematosus and six patients (26.1%) had other types of autoimmunity. Treatment consisted of immunosuppressive therapy, intravenous gammaglobulin, and splenectomy. Supportive care included granulocyte‐colony stimulating factor, and blood product transfusions. Two patients (8.7%) died. Complete remission was achieved in 3 patients (13.0%); of the remaining, 14 patients (60.9%) had chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura, 10 patients (43.5%) chronic autoimmune neutropenia, and 4 patients (17.4%) chronic autoimmune hemolytic anemia with a median follow up of 5 years (2 months–12 years).ConclusionsThese data suggest that pediatric patients presenting with autoimmune multi‐lineage cytopenias should undergo investigation for underlying immune dysregulation, including autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, other primary immunodeficiencies and autoimmune disorders. The development of an international registry for such patients is imperative to improve the understanding of their complex natural history. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Toward antiviral therapy/prophylaxis for rhinovirus‐induced exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: challenges, opportunities, and strategies
Authors: Thibaut Hendrik Jan , Lacroix Céline , De Palma Armando M. , Franco David , Decramer Mark , Neyts Johan 
Published: September 2015

SummaryChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a life‐threatening lung illness characterized by persistent and progressive airflow limitation. Exacerbations of COPD contribute to the severity of this pathology and accelerate disease progression. To date, pharmacological treatment of both stable COPD patients and patients experiencing exacerbations is mainly symptomatic with bronchodilators and steroids as the mainstay of therapy. Bacteria trigger such exacerbations in a number of cases; hence, antibiotics might be included in the treatment as well. Several respiratory viruses are frequently detected in sputum from patients during COPD exacerbations. These include influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, and, most often, rhinoviruses. In this review, we discuss the potential use of an anti‐rhinovirus drug for the treatment and prophylaxis of rhinovirus‐induced COPD exacerbations and the path forward toward the development and use of such a drug. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Functional Niche Competition Between Normal Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells and Myeloid Leukemia Cells
Authors: Glait-Santar Chen , Desmond Ronan , Feng Xingmin , Bat Taha , Chen Jichun , Heuston Elisabeth , Mizukawa Benjamin , Mulloy James C. , Bodine David M. , Larochelle Andre , Dunbar Cynthia E. 
Published: September 2015

Abstract
Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) reside in a specialized niche that regulates their proliferative capacity and their fate. There is increasing evidence for similar roles of marrow niches on controlling the behavior of leukemic cells; however, whether normal hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) and leukemic cells reside in or functionally compete for the same marrow niche is unclear. We used the mixed lineage leukemia-AF9 (MLL-AF9) murine acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in a competitive repopulation model to investigate whether normal HSPC and leukemic cells functionally compete for the same marrow niches. Irradiated recipient mice were transplanted with fixed numbers of MLL-AF9 cells mixed with increasing doses of normal syngeneic whole bone marrow (WBM) or with purified HSPC (LSK). Survival was significantly increased and leukemic progression was delayed proportional to increasing doses of normal WBM or normal LSK cells in multiple independent experiments, with all doses of WBM or LSK cells studied above the threshold for rapid and complete hematopoietic reconstitution in the absence of leukemia. Confocal microscopy demonstrated nests of either leukemic cells or normal hematopoietic cells but not both in the marrow adjacent to endosteum. Early following transplantation, leukemic cells from animals receiving lower LSK doses were cycling more actively than in those receiving higher doses. These results suggest that normal HSPC and AML cells compete for the same functional niche. Manipulation of the niche could impact on response to antileukemic therapies, and the numbers of normal HSPC could impact on leukemia outcome, informing approaches to cell dose in the context of stem cell transplantation. Stem Cells 2015;33:3635–3642
Clinical experience with single‐nucleotide polymorphism‐based non‐invasive prenatal screening for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Authors: Gross S. J. , Stosic M. , McDonald‐McGinn D. M. , Bassett A. S. , Norvez A. , Dhamankar R. , Kobara K. , Kirkizlar E. , Zimmermann B. , Wayham N. , Babiarz J. E. , Ryan A. , Jinnett K. N. , Demko Z. , Benn P. 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo evaluate the performance of a single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐based non‐invasive prenatal test (NIPT) for the detection of fetal 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in clinical practice, assess clinical follow‐up and review patient choices for women with high‐risk results.MethodsIn this study, 21 948 samples were submitted for screening for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome using a SNP‐based NIPT and subsequently evaluated. Follow‐up was conducted for all cases with a high‐risk result.ResultsNinety‐five cases were reported as high risk for fetal 22q11.2 deletion. Diagnostic testing results were available for 61 (64.2%) cases, which confirmed 11 (18.0%) true positives and identified 50 (82.0%) false positives, resulting in a positive predictive value (PPV) of 18.0%. Information regarding invasive testing was available for 84 (88.4%) high‐risk cases: 57.1% (48/84) had invasive testing and 42.9% (36/84) did not. Ultrasound anomalies were present in 81.8% of true‐positive and 18.0% of false‐positive cases. Two additional cases were high risk for a maternal 22q11.2 deletion; one was confirmed by diagnostic testing and one had a positive family history. There were three pregnancy terminations related to screening results of 22q11.2 deletion, two of which were confirmed as true positive by invasive testing.ConclusionsClinical experience with this SNP‐based non‐invasive screening test for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome indicates that these deletions have a frequency of approximately 1 in 1000 in the referral population with most identifiable through this test. Use of this screening method requires the availability of counseling and other management resources for high‐risk pregnancies. © 2015 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. on behalf of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Implementing drinking water security: the limits of source protection
Authors: Cook Christina 
Published: September 2015

While the implementation of drinking water security legislation was an important response to a water quality tragedy in Ontario, Canada, its effect has been circumscribed by hydrosocial relations underlying water governance arrangements. The long‐established land‐use planning—and more recent growth planning and place‐based planning—laws and policies make water management secondary to land whether it is as part of the ecological system, as a resource, or as an amenity. The effect is to subjugate source water protection to land use and, indeed, economic development priorities for resource extraction. The Ontario case shows that implementation of proactive drinking water security through source protection law and policy will be circumscribed by hydrosocial relations that prioritize the economic development. To implement proactive drinking water security will require a fundamental rethinking of the trade‐offs implicit in our existing hydrosocial relations. WIREs Water 2016, 3:5–12. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1117This article is categorized under:

Human Water > Water Governance
Rights to urban climate resilience: moving beyond poverty and vulnerability
Authors: Friend Richard , Moench Marcus 
Published: September 2015

Urbanization represents a transformation of social‐ecological systems. In Asia within a generation, the dramatic pace and extent of urbanization transformed the ecological landscape and caused a fundamental shift in labor and production from rural, agricultural society to urban, industrialized society. Much of this has and continues to occur in locations that are hazardous and will exacerbate future climate risks. While Asia leads this process of urbanization, similar patterns are emerging across the Global South. Rapid urbanization compels us to rethink poverty and vulnerability. Much of the literature on urban poverty argues that it has been long ignored and is poorly understood due to inappropriate indicators and weak measurement methods. However in addition to these challenges, the nature of urbanization—including dependence on complex infrastructural, technological, and institutional systems—creates new drivers of poverty that necessitates new approaches to understanding and addressing urban poverty and vulnerability. As a result, there exists a problem regarding how urban poverty and vulnerability are framed. With the emergence of urban climate concerns and the discourse of resilience, poverty, and vulnerability are increasingly framed as impacts to be addressed and are seen as problems of welfare and social protection. At the heart of urbanization in Asia, however, are challenges of governance and equity rather than simply welfare. Issues of governance and equity link strongly to questions regarding how the urban future is shaped, for whose benefit and by whom, that is to say, to concepts of wellbeing and the ‘right of the city.’ WIREs Clim Change 2015, 6:643–651. doi: 10.1002/wcc.364This article is categorized under:

Climate and Development > Urbanization, Development, and Climate Change
Gut Microbial Fatty Acid Metabolites Reduce Triacylglycerol Levels in Hepatocytes
Authors: Nanthirudjanar Tharnath , Furumoto Hidehiro , Zheng Jiawen , Kim Young‐Il , Goto Tsuyoshi , Takahashi Nobuyuki , Kawada Teruo , Park Si‐Bum , Hirata Akiko , Kitamura Nahoko , Kishino Shigenobu , Ogawa Jun , Hirata Takashi , Sugawara Tatsuya 
Published: September 2015

AbstractHydroxy and oxo fatty acids were recently found to be produced as intermediates during gut microbial fatty acid metabolism. Lactobacillus plantarum produces these fatty acids from unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid. In this study, we investigated the effects of these gut microbial fatty acid metabolites on the lipogenesis in liver cells. We screened their effect on sterol regulatory element binding protein‐1c (SREBP‐1c) expression in HepG2 cells treated with a synthetic liver X receptor α (LXRα) agonist (T0901317). The results showed that 10‐hydroxy‐12(Z)‐octadecenoic acid (18:1) (HYA), 10‐hydroxy‐6(Z),12(Z)‐octadecadienoic acid (18:2) (γHYA), 10‐oxo‐12(Z)‐18:1 (KetoA), and 10‐oxo‐6(Z),12(Z)‐18:2 (γKetoA) significantly decreased SREBP‐1c mRNA expression induced by T0901317. These fatty acids also downregulated the mRNA expression of lipogenic genes by suppressing LXRα activity and inhibiting SREBP‐1 maturation. Oral administration of KetoA, which effectively reduced triacylglycerol accumulation and acetyl‐CoA carboxylase 2 (ACC2) expression in HepG2 cells, for 2 weeks significantly decreased Srebp‐1c, Scd‐1, and Acc2 expression in the liver of mice fed a high‐sucrose diet. Our findings suggest that the hypolipidemic effect of the fatty acid metabolites produced by L. plantarum can be exploited in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases or dyslipidemia.
Are Purkinje Cell Pauses Drivers of Classically Conditioned Blink Responses?
Authors: Jirenhed Dan-Anders , Hesslow Germund 
Published: September 2015

Abstract
Several lines of evidence show that classical or Pavlovian conditioning of blink responses depends on the cerebellum. Recordings from cerebellar Purkinje cells that control the eyelid and the conditioned blink show that during training with a conditioning protocol, a Purkinje cell develops a pause response to the conditional stimulus. This conditioned cellular response has many of the properties that characterise the overt blink. The present paper argues that the learned Purkinje cell pause response is the memory trace and main driver of the overt conditioned blink and that it explains many well-known behavioural phenomena.
Morphotectonic Study of the Brahmaputra Basin using Geoinformatics
Authors: Sarma Jogendra Nath , Acharjee Shukla , Murgante Beniamino 
Published: September 2015

Abstract
The Brahmaputra river basin occupies an area of 580,000 km2 lying in Tibet (China), Bhutan, India and Bangladesh. It is bounded on the north by the Nyen-Chen-Tanghla mountains, on the east by the Salween river basin and Patkai range of hills, on the south by Nepal Himalayas and the Naga hills and on the west by the Ganga sub-basin. Brahmaputra river originates at an elevation of about 5150 m in southwest Tibet and flows for about 2900 km through Tibet (China), India and Bangladesh to its mouth in the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmaputra river basin is investigated to examine the influence of active structures by applying an integrated study on morphotectonics, SRTM, and seismic data. The indices for morphotectonic analysis, viz. basin elongation ratio (Re) indicated tectonically active, transverse topographic symmetry (T = 0.018-0.664) indicated asymmetric nature, asymmetric factor (AF=33) suggested tilt, valley floor width to valley height ratio (Vf = 0.0013-2.945) indicated active incision and mountain-front sinuosity (Smf = 1.11-1.68) values indicated active tectonics in the area. Two prominent knicks on the long profile at distances of about 1600 km and 1900 km closely correlate to the two prominent peaks on the SL index. The first one represents the Indus –Tsangpo suture zone after crossing which the Brahmaputra (Tsangpo) enters the Himalayas and the second one represents the zone where the Dihang (Brahmaputra) comes out of the Himalayas after crossing the Main Boundary Thrust. A great or major earthquake in the modern times, in this region may create havoc with huge loss of life and property due to high population density and rapidly developing infrastructure.
Effect of Rock Fragments on Pore Water Pressure and Slope Stability at a Hillslope
Authors: Mukhlisin Muhammad , Naam Syahdatul Isnain 
Published: September 2015

Abstract
This study investigates the effects of rock fragments on pore water pressure and safety factor of a slope. The study was conducted using computer software SEEP/W and SLOPE/W for a slope with and without rock fragment in order to get value for the pore water pressure and safety factor of the slope. The study also been carried out on the rock fragment characteristics such as position (top, middle and bottom) and size (large, medium and small) to find out the effects of rock fragments on hydrologic response and slope stability. The results show that the rock fragments obstruct water flow on the slope and increase the pore water pressure. However, higher pore water pressure can cause the slope to become less stable. These indicate that the safety factor for the slope with rock fragment is lower than slope without the rock fragment. The results also showed that pore water pressure and seepage flow response are affected by different position of the rock fragment. At a lower position of the rock fragments, the pore water pressure is the highest. Therefore, the safety factors are smaller compared to other rock positions. On the other hand, the results show that the pore water pressure and safety factor of the slope are less influenced by the size of rock fragments.
Rainfall Induced Rock-Fall Debris Avalanche in October 2010, at Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria
Authors: Effiong Abiye Brooks , Igwe Ogbonnaya , Okoro Una Chuku , Maduka Raphael Iweanya , Ojonugwa Reuben Ajodo 
Published: September 2015

Abstract
This study explains the causes and the mechanism of the landslide occurrence at Kwande local Government Area of Benue, Nigeria in 2010. Although there was no fatality or any damage in the area, a large area of farmland was destroyed, trees were uprooted and a normal stream course was also disturbed. To study and understand the landslide event, a combination of geotechnical investigations and statistical data were used. These parameters were applied to a numerical model to simulate the causes of the landslide. Results of the geotechnical investigations made on samples taken from the area, showed average maximum dry density value of 1.6kg/m3, and average optimum moisture content value of 14%, hence the low to moderate density is indicative of a soil that can easily disperse. Also the triaxial compression test showed an angle of internal friction and cohesion values averaging around 14.82° and 25kPa respectively, and these low values indicate that the shear strength of the soil was reduced, due to the combined effect of increase in slope gradient, and high precipitation intensity which increased to a monthly value of 145mm before the landslide. The simulation result showed that the factor of safety value was 1.158, which is still close to the value for an incipient failure. Hence the results shown can be used in predicting the mechanisms and areas of possible landslides, as well as the causes of such soil deformations, and as such, safety measures could be taken against the reoccurrence of landslides in the area.
Lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase A2, homocysteine, and Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Doody Rachelle S. , Demirovic Jasenka , Ballantyne Christie M. , Chan Wenyaw , Barber Robert , Powell Suzanne , Pavlik Valory ,   Texas Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care Consortium
Published: September 2015

AbstractIntroductionLipoprotein‐associated phospholipase A2 (Lp‐PLA2) and homocysteine (Hcy) have been linked to inflammation and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using a case‐control design, we examined their independent effects and interactions with cardiovascular disease equivalent (CVDE), on AD risk.MethodsAD cases and controls were from the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium study. Lp‐PLA2 was determined using the PLAC test (diaDexus, Inc), and Hcy by recombinant cycling assay (Roche Hitachi 911). Logistic regression was used to predict AD case status. We assayed for Lp‐PLA2 in the brain tissue of cases and controls.ResultsAD case status was independently associated with Lp‐PLA2 and Hcy above the median (odds ratio [OR] = 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.22–2.97; P < .001 and OR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.16–2.82; P = .009, respectively). Lp‐PLA2, but not Hcy, interacted with CVDE to increase risk. Lp‐PLA2 was absent from the brain tissue in both groups.DiscussionHigher Lp‐PLA2 and Hcy are independently associated with AD. The association of Lp‐PLA2 with AD may be mediated through vascular damage.