bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Midterm renal functions following acute renal infarction
Authors: Ongun Sakir , Bozkurt Ozan , Demir Omer , Cimen Sertac , Aslan Guven 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe aim of this study was to explore clinical features of renal infarction (RI) that may have a role in diagnosis and treatment in our patient cohort and provide data on midterm renal functions. Medical records of patients with diagnosis of acute RI, established by contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) and at least 1 year follow‐up data, who were hospitalized in our clinic between 1998 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed; including descriptive data, clinical signs and symptoms, etiologic factors, laboratory findings, and prescribed treatments. Patients with solitary infarct were treated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) only, whereas patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or multiple or global infarct were treated with anticoagulants. Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) referring to renal functions was determined by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. Twenty‐seven renal units of 23 patients with acute RI were identified. The mean age was 59.7 ± 15.7 years. Fourteen patients (60.8%) with RI had atrial fibrillation (AF) as an etiologic factor of which four had concomitant mesenteric ischemia at diagnosis. At presentation, 20 patients (86.9%) had elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), 18 patients (78.2%) had leukocytosis, and 16 patients (69.5%) had microscopic hematuria. Two patients with concomitant mesenteric ischemia and AF passed away during follow up. Mean eGFR was 70.8 ± 23.2 mL/min/1.73 m2 at admission and increased to 82.3 ± 23.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 at 1 year follow up. RI should be considered in patients with persistent flank or abdominal pain, particularly if they are at high risk of thromboembolism. Antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant drugs are both effective treatment options according to the amplitude of the infarct for preserving kidney functions.
mTORC1 and DNA‐PKcs as novel molecular determinants of sensitivity to Chk1 inhibition
Authors: Massey Andrew J. , Stephens Peter , Rawlinson Rebecca , McGurk Lauren , Plummer Ruth , Curtin Nicola J. 
Published: August 2015

Background:Chk1 inhibitors are currently under clinical evaluation as single agents and in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Understanding determinants of sensitivity and novel combinations is critical for further clinical development.Potentiation of mTOR inhibitor cytotoxicity by the Chk1 inhibitor V158411 was determined in p53 mutant colon cancer cells. DNA damage response, expression levels of repair proteins, cell cycle effects and the contribution of alternative DSB repair pathways were further evaluated by western blotting and high content analysis.Results:mTOR inhibitors AZD8055, RAD‐001, rapamycin and BEZ235 induced synergistic cytotoxicity with the Chk1 inhibitor V158411 in p53 mutant colon cancer cells. Reduced FANCD2, RAD51 and RPA70, core proteins in homologous recombination repair (HRR) and interstrand crosslink repair (ICLR), following inhibition of mTOR was associated with increased V158411 induced DSBs and caspase 3‐independent cell death. Dual mTOR and Chk1 inhibition activated DNA‐PKcs. Cells defective in DNA‐PKcs exhibited increased resistance to V158411 with Chk1 expression closely correlated to DNA‐PKcs expression in various types of cancer.Conclusions:Down regulation of proteins involved in HRR or ICLR by mTOR inhibitors is associated with increased sensitivity of human tumours to Chk1 inhibitors such as V158411. High levels of DNA‐PKcs may be a potential biomarker to stratify patients to Chk1 inhibitor therapy alone or in combination with mTOR inhibitors.
States’ Equality v States’ Power: the Euro-crisis, Inter-state Relations and the Paradox of Domination
Authors: FABBRINI Federico 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThis article examines how the Euro-crisis and responses to it have affected the horizontal relations of power between the EU Member States. It is argued that, whereas the EU institutional system had been designed since its foundation to strike a balance between state equality and state power, the Euro-crisis and the responses to it have increasingly upset this balance. A dynamic of inter-state domination is evidenced by the intergovernmental modes of governance within the European Council, as well as by the legal reforms in salient areas such as economic assistance, financial stabilisation and banking resolution, which have entrenched asymmetries between the states. In this article, it is argued that this dynamic constitutes a worrying development, given the anti-hegemonic nature of the EU integration project, and shows how intergovernmentalism paradoxically caters for powerful Member States. The article ends by considering options for institutional reforms, cautioning against the proposal to parliamentarise the EU and emphasising the potential of a new separation-of-powers system to restore a proper balance between the Member States.
Travauxto the EU Treaties: Preparatory Work as a Source of EU Law
Authors: MIETTINEN Samuli , KETTUNEN Merita 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe Court of Justice of the European Union has historically rejected references to preparatory work in the interpretation of EU Treaties. However, the preparatory work for the EURATOM, Maastricht, and Constitutional Treaties have played a role in recent judgments. The ‘explanations’ to the Charter of Fundamental Rights are expressly approved in the current Treaties. We examine the emerging case law on preparatory work. Reference to the drafters’ intent does not necessarily support dynamic interpretation, and may potentially even ossify historical interpretations. Even if the consequence of their introduction is a conservative interpretation, their use raises questions of transparency and democracy, and complicates the already difficult task of interpreting the EU constitution.
Double seal technique to obliterate the eustachian tube orifice: a novel method for the treatment of recalcitrant cerebrospinal fluid leak
Authors: Taghi A S , Bentley M , Kuchai R , Saleh H A 
Published: August 2015

AbstractObjective:To demonstrate a novel and effective surgical technique for the treatment of refractory cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea after skull base surgery. The novel surgical technique is described and the findings of a review of relevant world English-language publications are reported.Case report:A 44-year-old woman, otherwise fit and well, presented with more than a 2-year history of right-sided facial pain. A diagnosis of classical trigeminal neuralgia was made. Surgical treatment was undertaken with a retromastoid suboccipital craniotomy. Post-operatively, the patient showed signs of right-sided cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea which was recalcitrant. In light of a continuous leak and several hospital admissions, a novel technique was performed whereby the eustachian tube orifice was obliterated using an endonasal endoscopic approach. The technique proved to be successful, with no further leakage.Conclusion:Endoscopic obliteration of the eustachian tube using a double seal technique is a simple, safe and effective procedure in the treatment of a refractory cerebrospinal fluid leak.
Squamous cell carcinoma of the lip: depth of invasion, local recurrence and regional metastases. Experience of a rural multidisciplinary head and neck unit
Authors: Pastuszek A , Hanson M , Grigg R 
Published: August 2015

AbstractBackground:The internationally recognised American Joint Committee on Cancer (tumour–node–metastasis) staging system utilises tumour size to determine stage. Other factors (i.e. tumour depth) may provide additional prognostic information.Method:A thorough retrospective analysis was performed of 68 patients with primary lip squamous cell carcinoma operated on or discussed by the Darling Downs Health Service between 2005 and 2013.Results:Twelve patients developed lymphatic spread. There was a statistically significant increased risk of nodal metastasis in: patients with tumours of increased thickness (U = 103.50; degrees of freedom = 68;p < 0.001), those with a larger overall tumour size (U = 163.50; degrees of freedom = 68;p = 0.005) and patients living further from the treatment centre (U = 199.00; degrees of freedom = 68;p = 0.018).Conclusion:It may be reasonable that other factors are considered for staging of lip squamous cell carcinomas, in combination with tumour–node–metastasis staging. Depth of invasion may have utility in prognosis and treatment; however, larger prospective analysis needs to be performed. Patients living in a more rural setting presented with more advanced disease, suggesting an ongoing rural–metropolitan gap in healthcare.
Bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and house mice (Mus musculus musculus; M. m. domesticus) in Europe are each parasitized by their own distinct species ofAspiculuris(Nematoda, Oxyurida)
Authors: BEHNKE J. M. , STEWART A. , BAJER A. , GRZYBEK M. , HARRIS P. D. , LOWE A. , RIBAS A. , SMALES L. , VANDEGRIFT K. J. 
Published: August 2015

SUMMARYThe molecular phylogeny and morphology of the oxyuroid nematode genusAspiculurisfrom voles and house mice has been examined. Worms collected fromMyodes glareolusin Poland, Eire and the UK are identified asAspiculuris tianjinensis, previously known only from China, while worms fromMus musculusfrom a range of locations in Europe and from laboratory mice, all conformed to the description ofAspiculuris tetraptera. Worms from voles and house mice are not closely related and are not derived from each other, withA. tianjinensisbeing most closely related toAspiculuris dinnikifrom snow voles and to an isolate fromMicrotus longicaudusin the Nearctic. BothA. tianjinensisandA. tetrapteraappear to represent recent radiations within their host groups; in voles, this radiation cannot be more than 2 million years old, while in commensal house mice it is likely to be less than 10 000 years old. The potential ofAspiculurisspp. as markers of host evolution is highlighted.
The adaptive evolution of virulence: a review of theoretical predictions and empirical tests
Authors: CRESSLER CLAYTON E. , McLEOD DAVID V. , ROZINS CARLY , VAN DEN HOOGEN JOSÉE , DAY TROY 
Published: August 2015

SUMMARYWhy is it that some parasites cause high levels of host damage (i.e. virulence) whereas others are relatively benign? There are now numerous reviews of virulence evolution in the literature but it is nevertheless still difficult to find a comprehensive treatment of the theory and data on the subject that is easily accessible to non-specialists. Here we attempt to do so by distilling the vast theoretical literature on the topic into a set of relatively few robust predictions. We then provide a comprehensive assessment of the available empirical literature that tests these predictions. Our results show that there have been some notable successes in integrating theory and data but also that theory and empiricism in this field do not ‘speak’ to each other very well. We offer a few suggestions for how the connection between the two might be improved.
Ascaris and hookworm transmission in preschool children from rural Panama: role of yard environment, soil eggs/larvae and hygiene and play behaviours
Authors: KRAUSE RACHEL J. , KOSKI KRISTINE G. , PONS EMÉRITA , SANDOVAL NIDIA , SINISTERRA ODALIS , SCOTT MARILYN E. 
Published: August 2015

SUMMARYThis study explored whether the yard environment and child hygiene and play behaviours were associated with presence and intensity of Ascaris and hookworm in preschool children and with eggs and larvae in soil. Data were collected using questionnaires, a visual survey of the yard, soil samples and fecal samples collected at baseline and following re-infection. The presence of eggs/larvae in soil was associated negatively with water storage (eggs) but positively with dogs (eggs) and distance from home to latrine (larvae). Baseline and re-infection prevalences were: hookworm (28·0%, 3·4%); Ascaris (16·9%, 9·5%); Trichuris (0·9%, 0·7%). Zero-inflated negative binomial regression models revealed a higher baseline hookworm infection if yards had eggs or larvae, more vegetation or garbage, and if the child played with soil. Baseline Ascaris was associated with dirt floor, dogs, exposed soil in yard, open defecation and with less time playing outdoors, whereas Ascaris re-infection was associated with water storage, vegetation cover and garbage near the home and not playing with animals. Our results show complex interactions between infection, the yard environment and child behaviours, and indicate that transmission would be reduced if latrines were closer to the home, and if open defecation and water spillage were reduced.
Role of endothelial cells in bovine mammary gland health and disease
Authors: Ryman Valerie E. , Packiriswamy Nandakumar , Sordillo Lorraine M. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe bovine mammary gland is a dynamic and complex organ composed of various cell types that work together for the purpose of milk synthesis and secretion. A layer of endothelial cells establishes the blood–milk barrier, which exists to facilitate the exchange of solutes and macromolecules necessary for optimal milk production. During bacterial challenge, however, endothelial cells divert some of their lactation function to protect the underlying tissue from damage by initiating inflammation. At the onset of inflammation, endothelial cells tightly regulate the movement of plasma components and leukocytes into affected tissue. Unfortunately, endothelial dysfunction as a result of exacerbated or sustained inflammation can negatively affect both barrier integrity and the health of surrounding extravascular tissue. The objective of this review is to highlight the role of endothelial cells in supporting milk production and regulating optimal inflammatory responses. The consequences of endothelial dysfunction and sustained inflammation on milk synthesis and secretion are discussed. Given the important role of endothelial cells in orchestrating the inflammatory response, a better understanding of endothelial function during mastitis may support development of targeted therapies to protect bovine mammary tissue and mammary endothelium.
Uniparental disomy of the entire X chromosome in Turner syndrome patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Luo Yumei , Zhu Detu , Du Rong , Gong Yu , Xie Chun , Xu Xiangye , Fan Yong , Yu Bolan , Sun Xiaofang , Chen Yaoyong 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technique promises to provide an unlimited, reliable source of genetically matched pluripotent cells for personalized therapy and disease modeling. Recently, it is observed that cells with ring chromosomes 13 or 17 autonomously correct the defects via compensatory uniparental disomy during cellular reprogramming to iPSCs. This breakthrough finding suggests a potential therapeutic approach to repair large-scale chromosomal aberrations. However, due to the scarceness of ring chromosome samples, the reproducibility of this approach in different individuals is not carefully evaluated yet. Moreover, the underlying mechanism and the applicability to other types of chromosomal aberrations remain unknown. Here we generated iPSCs from four 45,X chorionic villous fibroblast lines and found that only one reprogrammed line acquired 46,XX karyotype via uniparental disomy of the entire X chromosome. The karyotype correction was reproducible in the same cell line by either retroviral or episomal reprogramming. The karyotype-corrected iPSCs were subject to X chromosome inactivation and obtained better colony morphology and higher proliferation rate than other uncorrected ones. Further transcriptomic comparison among the fibroblast lines identified a distinct expression pattern of cell cycle regulators in the uncorrectable ones. These findings demonstrate that the iPSC technique holds the potential to correct X monosomy, but the correction rate is very low, probably due to differential regulation of cell cycle genes between individuals. Our data strongly suggest that more systematic investigations are needed before defining the iPSC technique as a novel means of chromosome therapy.
Metal-induced malformations in early Palaeozoic plankton are harbingers of mass extinction
Authors: Vandenbroucke Thijs R. A. , Emsbo Poul , Munnecke Axel , Nuns Nicolas , Duponchel Ludovic , Lepot Kevin , Quijada Melesio , Paris Florentin , Servais Thomas , Kiessling Wolfgang 
Published: August 2015

AbstractGlacial episodes have been linked to Ordovician–Silurian extinction events, but cooling itself may not be solely responsible for these extinctions. Teratological (malformed) assemblages of fossil plankton that correlate precisely with the extinction events can help identify alternate drivers of extinction. Here we show that metal poisoning may have caused these aberrant morphologies during a late Silurian (Pridoli) event. Malformations coincide with a dramatic increase of metals (Fe, Mo, Pb, Mn and As) in the fossils and their host rocks. Metallic toxins are known to cause a teratological response in modern organisms, which is now routinely used as a proxy to assess oceanic metal contamination. Similarly, our study identifies metal-induced teratology as a deep-time, palaeobiological monitor of palaeo-ocean chemistry. The redox-sensitive character of enriched metals supports emerging ‘oceanic anoxic event’ models. Our data suggest that spreading anoxia and redox cycling of harmful metals was a contributing kill mechanism during these devastating Ordovician–Silurian palaeobiological events.
Generation of a synthetic GlcNAcylated nucleosome reveals regulation of stability by H2A-Thr101 GlcNAcylation
Authors: Lercher Lukas , Raj Ritu , Patel Nisha A. , Price Joshua , Mohammed Shabaz , Robinson Carol V. , Schofield Christopher J. , Davis Benjamin G. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractO-GlcNAcylation is a newly discovered histone modification implicated in transcriptional regulation, but no structural information on the physical effect of GlcNAcylation on chromatin exists. Here, we generate synthetic, pure GlcNAcylated histones and nucleosomes and reveal that GlcNAcylation can modulate structure through direct destabilization of H2A/H2B dimers in the nucleosome, thus promoting an ‘open’ chromatin state. The results suggest that a plausible molecular basis for one role of histone O-GlcNAcylation in epigenetic regulation is to lower the barrier for RNA polymerase passage and hence increase transcription.
Contextual modulation of value signals in reward and punishment learning
Authors: Palminteri Stefano , Khamassi Mehdi , Joffily Mateus , Coricelli Giorgio 
Published: August 2015

AbstractCompared with reward seeking, punishment avoidance learning is less clearly understood at both the computational and neurobiological levels. Here we demonstrate, using computational modelling and fMRI in humans, that learning option values in a relative—context-dependent—scale offers a simple computational solution for avoidance learning. The context (or state) value sets the reference point to which an outcome should be compared before updating the option value. Consequently, in contexts with an overall negative expected value, successful punishment avoidance acquires a positive value, thus reinforcing the response. As revealed by post-learning assessment of options values, contextual influences are enhanced when subjects are informed about the result of the forgone alternative (counterfactual information). This is mirrored at the neural level by a shift in negative outcome encoding from the anterior insula to the ventral striatum, suggesting that value contextualization also limits the need to mobilize an opponent punishment learning system.
A plasmonic nanorod that walks on DNA origami
Authors: Zhou Chao , Duan Xiaoyang , Liu Na 
Published: August 2015

AbstractIn nano-optics, a formidable challenge remains in precise transport of a single optical nano-object along a programmed and routed path toward a predefined destination. Molecular motors in living cells that can walk directionally along microtubules have been the inspiration for realizing artificial molecular walkers. Here we demonstrate an active plasmonic system, in which a plasmonic nanorod can execute directional, progressive and reverse nanoscale walking on two or three-dimensional DNA origami. Such a walker comprises an anisotropic gold nanorod as its ‘body’ and discrete DNA strands as its ‘feet’. Specifically, our walker carries optical information and can in situ optically report its own walking directions and consecutive steps at nanometer accuracy, through dynamic coupling to a plasmonic stator immobilized along its walking track. Our concept will enable a variety of smart nanophotonic platforms for studying dynamic light–matter interaction, which requires controlled motion at the nanoscale well below the optical diffraction limit.
Sialic acid catabolism drives intestinal inflammation and microbial dysbiosis in mice
Authors: Huang Yen-Lin , Chassard Christophe , Hausmann Martin , von Itzstein Mark , Hennet Thierry 
Published: August 2015

AbstractRapid shifts in microbial composition frequently occur during intestinal inflammation, but the mechanisms underlying such changes remain elusive. Here we demonstrate that an increased caecal sialidase activity is critical in conferring a growth advantage for some bacteria including Escherichia coli (E. coli) during intestinal inflammation in mice. This sialidase activity originates among others from Bacteroides vulgatus, whose intestinal levels expand after dextran sulphate sodium administration. Increased sialidase activity mediates the release of sialic acid from intestinal tissue, which promotes the outgrowth of E. coli during inflammation. The outburst of E. coli likely exacerbates the inflammatory response by stimulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by intestinal dendritic cells. Oral administration of a sialidase inhibitor and low levels of intestinal α2,3-linked sialic acid decrease E. coli outgrowth and the severity of colitis in mice. Regulation of sialic acid catabolism opens new perspectives for the treatment of intestinal inflammation as manifested by E. coli dysbiosis.
Inhibition of microvesiculation sensitizes prostate cancer cells to chemotherapy and reduces docetaxel dose required to limit tumor growth in vivo
Authors: Jorfi Samireh , Ansa-Addo Ephraim A. , Kholia Sharad , Stratton Dan , Valley Shaunelle , Lange Sigrun , Inal Jameel 
Published: August 2015

AbstractMicrovesicles shed from cells carry constituents of the cell cytoplasm, including, of importance in multidrug resistance to cancer chemotherapy, drugs that the tumor cell attempts to efflux. To see whether such drugs could be used at lower concentrations with the same efficacy, it was first shown that microvesiculation of prostate cancer (PCa) cells, PC3, could be inhibited pharmacologically with calpeptin (calpain inhibitor) and by siRNA (CAPNS1). In cells treated with docetaxel (DTX), this inhibition resulted in a third-fold increase in intracellular concentrations of DTX. As a result, 20-fold lower concentrations of DTX (5 nM) could be used, in the presence of calpeptin (20 μM) inducing the same degree of apoptosis after 48 h in PC3 cells, as 100 nM of DTX alone. Inhibition of microvesiculation similarly improved combination chemotherapy (DTX and methotrexate). In a mouse xenograft model of PCa, DTX (0.1 mg/kg) together with calpeptin (10 mg/kg), administered i.p., significantly reduced tumor volumes compared to DTX alone (0.1 mg/kg) and brought about the same reductions in tumor growth as 10 mg/kg of DTX alone. As well as further reducing vascularization, it also increased apoptosis and reduced proliferation of PC3 cells in tumor xenografts.