bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Applying measures of discriminatory accuracy to revisit traditional risk factors for being small for gestational age in Sweden: a national cross-sectional study
Authors: Juárez Sol Pía , Wagner Phillip , Merlo Juan 
Published: July 2014

ObjectivesSmall for gestational age (SGA) is considered as an indicator of intrauterine growth restriction, and multiple maternal and newborn characteristics have been identified as risk factors for SGA. This knowledge is mainly based on measures of average association (ie, OR) that quantify differences in average risk between exposed and unexposed groups. Nevertheless, average associations do not assess the discriminatory accuracy of the risk factors (ie, its ability to discriminate the babies who will develop SGA from those that will not). Therefore, applying measures of discriminatory accuracy rather than measures of association only, our study revisits known risk factors of SGA and discusses their role from a public health perspective.DesignCross-sectional study. We measured maternal (ie, smoking, hypertension, age, marital status, education) and delivery (ie, sex, gestational age, birth order) characteristics and performed logistic regression models to estimate both ORs and measures of discriminatory accuracy, like the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AU-ROC) and the net reclassification improvement.SettingData were obtained from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry.ParticipantsOur sample included 731 989 babies born during 1987–1993.ResultsWe replicated the expected associations. For instance, smoking (OR=2.57), having had a previous SGA baby (OR=5.48) and hypertension (OR=4.02) were strongly associated with SGA. However, they show a very small discriminatory accuracy (AU-ROC≈0.5). The discriminatory accuracy increased, but remained unsatisfactorily low (AU-ROC=0.6), when including all variables studied in the same model.ConclusionsTraditional risk factors for SGA alone or in combination have a low accuracy for discriminating babies with SGA from those without SGA. A proper understanding of these findings is of fundamental relevance to address future research and to design policymaking recommendations in a more informed way.
Admission via the emergency department in relation to mortality of adults hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia: an analysis of the British Thoracic Society national community-acquired pneumonia audit
Authors: Rodrigo Chamira , Mckeever Tricia M , Woodhead Mark , Welham Sally , Lim Wei Shen 
Published: July 2014

ObjectiveTo determine the association between 30-day inpatient mortality and route of admission to hospital, for adults with community acquired pneumonia (CAP).MethodsWe studied 16 313 adults included in the British Thoracic Society (BTS) national CAP audit dataset. Comparisons were made between adults admitted via emergency departments (ED) with non-ED routes of admission, with regard to 30-day inpatient mortality. Secondary outcome measures were adherence to national CAP guidelines (time to first chest X-ray ≤4 h from admission; time to first antibiotic dose ≤4 h from admission; antibiotic choice; and antibiotic route of administration) by route of admission.ResultsOf adults hospitalised with CAP, 75.6% were admitted via ED; these adults had a greater prevalence of comorbid illness and higher disease severity in comparison with non-ED admissions. Adjusted 30-day inpatient mortality was similar for ED versus non-ED route of admission (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.25). Admissions via ED were associated with faster processes of care (time to chest X-ray ≤4 h, adjusted OR 3.39, 95% CI 2.79 to 4.12; time to first antibiotic ≤4 h, adjusted OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.84) and greater use of intravenous antibiotics regardless of disease severity (adjusted OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.43 to 1.74).ConclusionsAdults with CAP admitted via EDs have more comorbid illness and greater disease severity compared to those admitted via non-ED routes. Following adjustment for these differences, 30-day inpatient mortality was not associated with route of admission.
Optimal capacity and buffer size estimation under generalized Markov Fluids models and QoS parameters
Authors: Bavio José , Marrón Beatriz 
Published: July 2014

Quality of service (QoS) for internet traffic management requires good traffic models and good estimation of sharing network resource. A link of a network processes all traffic and it is designed with certain capacity C and buffer size B. A Generalized Markov Fluid model (GMFM), introduced by Marrón (2012), is assumed for the sources because it describes in a versatile way the traffic, allows estimation based on traffic traces, and also consistent effective bandwidth (EB) estimation can be done. QoS, interpreted as buffer overflow probability, can be estimated for GMFM through the EB estimation and solving the optimization problem presented in Courcoubetis and Siris [ Perform. Eval. 48:5–23, 2002], the so-called inf-sup formulas. In this work, we implement a code to solve the inf-sup problem and other optimization related with it, that allow us to do traffic engineering in links of data networks to calculate both, minimum capacity required when QoS and buffer size are given or minimum buffer size required when QoS and capacity are given.
Novel MSH6 Mutations in Treatment-Naïve Glioblastoma and Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma Contribute to Temozolomide Resistance Independently of MGMT Promoter Methylation
Authors: Nguyen Stephanie A. , Stechishin Owen D.M. , Luchman H. Artee , Lun Xueqing Q. , Senger Donna L. , Robbins Stephen M. , Cairncross J. Gregory , Weiss Samuel 
Published: July 2014

Abstract
Purpose: The current standard of care for glioblastoma (GBM) involves a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and temozolomide chemotherapy, but this regimen fails to achieve long-term tumor control. Resistance to temozolomide is largely mediated by expression of the DNA repair enzyme MGMT; however, emerging evidence suggests that inactivation of MSH6 and other mismatch repair proteins plays an important role in temozolomide resistance. Here, we investigate endogenous MSH6 mutations in GBM, anaplastic oligodendroglial tumor tissue, and corresponding brain tumor–initiating cell lines (BTIC).
Experimental Design: MSH6 sequence and MGMT promoter methylation were determined in human tumor samples and BTICs. Sensitivity to temozolomide was evaluated in vitro using BTICs in the absence and presence of O6-benzylguanine to deplete MGMT. The influence of MGMT and MSH6 status on in vivo sensitivity to temozolomide was evaluated using intracranial BTIC xenografts.
Results: We identified 11 previously unreported mutations in MSH6 in nine different glioma samples and six paired BTIC lines from adult patients. In addition, MSH6 mutations were documented in three oligodendrogliomas and two treatment-naïve gliomas, both previously unreported findings. These mutations were found to influence the sensitivity of BTICs to temozolomide both in vitro and in vivo, independent of MGMT promoter methylation status.
Conclusions: These data demonstrate that endogenous MSH6 mutations may be present before alkylator therapy and occur in at least two histologic subtypes of adult glial neoplasms, with this report serving as the first to note these mutations in oligodendroglioma. These findings broaden our understanding of the clinical response to temozolomide in gliomas. Clin Cancer Res; 20(18); 4894–903. ©2014 AACR.
Molecular Pathways: IL11 as a Tumor-Promoting Cytokine—Translational Implications for Cancers
Authors: Ernst Matthias , Putoczki Tracy L. 
Published: July 2014

Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that cytokines produced by inflammatory cells act as rheostats to link the degree of wounding and local inflammation to epithelial cell survival, proliferation, and metabolism that collectively underpin the repair response. Among these cytokines, the GP130 family, which encompasses, among others, IL6 and IL11, plays a major role in orchestrating these complex processes through the activation of the latent signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in the epithelium. However, many of the molecular mechanisms that govern and ensure effective epithelial wound healing and regeneration renewal also promote tumorigenesis and the progression of established cancers. Accordingly, GP130 cytokines endow the inflammatory tumor microenvironment with a capacity to promote “cancer hallmark capabilities” of the malignant epithelium, while simultaneously suppressing the antitumor response of innate and adaptive immune cells. Here, we review some recent insights derived from genetic and therapeutic inhibition of the IL6/IL11–GP130–STAT3 signaling cascade in the context of preclinical mouse models of cancer, which are likely to have implications to other solid malignancies. Clin Cancer Res; 20(22); 5579–88. ©2014 AACR.
Halofuginone Stimulates Adaptive Remodeling and Preserves Re-Endothelialization in Balloon-Injured Rat Carotid Arteries
Authors: Guo Lian-Wang , Wang Bowen , Goel Shakti A. , Little Christopher , Takayama Toshio , Shi Xu Dong , Roenneburg Drew , DiRenzo Daniel , Kent K. Craig 
Published: July 2014

Background—
Three major processes, constrictive vessel remodeling, intimal hyperplasia (IH), and retarded re-endothelialization, contribute to restenosis after vascular reconstructions. Clinically used drugs inhibit IH but delay re-endothelialization and also cause constrictive remodeling. Here we have examined halofuginone, an herbal derivative, for its beneficial effects on vessel remodeling and differential inhibition of IH versus re-endothelialization.

Methods and Results—
Two weeks after perivascular application to balloon-injured rat common carotid arteries, halofuginone versus vehicle (n=6 animals) enlarged luminal area 2.14-fold by increasing vessel size (adaptive remodeling; 123%), reducing IH (74.3%) without inhibiting re-endothelialization. Consistent with its positive effect on vessel expansion, halofuginone reduced collagen type 1 (but not type 3) production in injured arteries as well as that from adventitial fibroblasts in vitro. In support of its differential effects on IH versus re-endothelialization, halofuginone produced greater inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell versus endothelial cell proliferation at concentrations ≈50 nmol/L. Furthermore, halofuginone at 50 nmol/L effectively blocked Smad3 phosphorylation in smooth muscle cells, which is known to promote smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and IH, but halofuginone had no effect on phospho-Smad3 in endothelial cells.

Conclusions—
Periadventitial delivery of halofuginone dramatically increased lumen patency via adaptive remodeling and selective inhibition of IH without affecting endothelium recovery. Halofuginone is the first reported small molecule that has favorable effects on all 3 major processes involved in restenosis.
Electrocardiographic Repolarization‐Related Variables as Predictors of Coronary Heart Disease Death in the Women's Health Initiative Study
Authors: Rautaharju Pentti M. , Zhang Zhu‐Ming , Vitolins Mara , Perez Marco , Allison Matthew A. , Greenland Philip , Soliman Elsayed Z. 
Published: July 2014

Background

We evaluated 25 repolarization‐related
ECG
variables for the risk of coronary heart disease (
CHD
) death in 52 994 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative study.

Methods and Results

Hazard ratios from Cox regression were computed for subgroups of women with and without cardiovascular disease (
CVD
). During the average follow‐up of 16.9 years, 941
CHD
deaths occurred. Based on electrophysiological considerations, 2 sets of
ECG
variables with low correlations were considered as candidates for independent predictors of
CHD
death: Set 1, Ѳ(T
p
|T
ref
), the spatial angle between T peak (T
p
) and normal T reference (T
ref
) vectors; Ѳ(T
init
|T
term
), the angle between the initial and terminal T vectors;
STJ
depression in V6 and rate‐adjusted
QT
p
interval (
QT
pa
); and Set 2, Ta
VR
and
TV
1 amplitudes, heart rate, and
QRS
duration. Strong independent predictors with over 2‐fold increased risk for
CHD
death in women with and without
CVD
were Ѳ(T
p
|T
ref
) >42° from Set 1 and Ta
VR
amplitude >−100 μV from Set 2. The risk for these
CHD
death predictors remained significant after multivariable adjustment for demographic/clinical factors. Other significant predictors for
CHD
death in fully adjusted risk models were Ѳ(T
init
|T
term
) >30°,
TV
1 >175 μV, and
QRS
duration >100 ms.

Conclusions

Ѳ(T
p|
T
ref
) angle and Ta
VR
amplitude are associated with
CHD
mortality in postmenopausal women. The use of these measures to identify high‐risk women for further diagnostic evaluation or more intense preventive intervention warrants further study.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
00000611.
An annotated checklist of scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles
Authors: MALUMPHY CHRIS 
Published: July 2014

An annotated list of 83 scale insect species (Hemiptera: Sterorrhyncha: Coccoidea) recorded from Saint Lucia is presented, based on data gathered from UK quarantine interceptions, samples collected in an urban coastal habitat in the North West of the Island in 2013, and published records. Thirty-three species (40%) are recorded for the first time for the country, including Dysmicoccus joannesiae (Costa Lima), a South American mealybug, and Poliaspoides formosana (Takahashi), an Asian armoured scale insect pest of bamboo, which are new for the Caribbean region. The economic, environmental and social impacts caused by introduced exotic species of scale insect are discussed. Two predatory midges Diadiplosis ?coccidivora (Felt) and Diadiplosis multifila (Felt) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are recorded for the first time from Saint Lucia. The latter species was observed causing 90% mortality of a large infestation of passion vine mealybug Planococcus minor (Maskell) on soursop fruit.
Two new genera and five new species of Teloganodidae (Ephemeroptera) from South India
Authors: SELVAKUMAR C. , SIVARAMAKRISHNAN K. G. , JACOBUS LUKE M. , JANARTHANAN S. , ARUMUGAM M. 
Published: July 2014

Two new genera and five new species of teloganodid mayflies (Ephemeroptera: Pannota: Ephemerelloidea) are described based on larvae from south India: Janohyphella indica, n. gen., n. sp., Indoganodes jobini, n. gen., n. sp., Teloganodes sartorii, n. sp., Dudgeodes palnius, n. sp., and Derlethina tamiraparaniae, n. sp. Janohyphella, n. gen., is distinguished from the larvae of other teloganodid genera by having a combination of three subequal caudal filaments, lamellate gills on abdominal segments II through V and posterolateral processes well-developed on abdominal segments II through IX, except III. Indoganodes, n. gen., is distinguished from the larvae of other teloganodid genera by having three subequal caudal filaments, lamellate gills on abdominal segments II through VI, posterolateral projections weakly developed on abdominal segments I through V, but distinct on segments VI through IX. Our new species of Dudgeodes Sartori, 2008 and Derlethina Sartori, 2008 represent the first discoveries of these genera outside Southeast Asia, with the latter genus previously considered endemic to Borneo. Emendations to the larval species key of known Oriental Teloganodidae are provided. We hypothesize that the occurrence of the new taxa in southern India is a result of the tectonic events associated with the split-up of Gondwana. This illustrates the profound biogeographical significance of how vicariance led to the establishment of some distinct oriental lineages initially on the rafting Indian Deccan Plate, which might have triggered dispersal events for subsequent species diversification in Southeast Asia.
18F-FDG-PET/CT better localizes active spinal infection than MRI for successful minimally invasive surgery
Authors: Nakahara Masayuki , Ito Manabu , Hattori Naoya , Magota Keiichi , Takahata Masahiko , Nagahama Ken , Sudo Hideki , Kamishima Tamotsu , Tamaki Nagara , Iwasaki Norimasa 
Published: July 2014

Background Surgical debridement is often required to treat spinal infections. Successful surgery requires accurate localization of the active infections, however, current imaging technique still requires surgeons’ experience to narrow the surgical fields to achieve less invasive procedures. Purpose To investigate the use of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for successful surgical planning. Material and Methods Nine patients with suspected spinal infection underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and FDG-PET/CT before surgery to locate active foci of infections. The spinal structures were divided into seven compartments at each intervertebral disc level for a total of 315 compartments investigated. The same classification system was used to design operating fields for histological correlation. Results FDG-PET/CT diagnosed fewer compartments as active infection (34 compartments, 10.8%) than MRI (62 compartments, 19.7%, P  = 0.002). Surgical exploration was performed in 49 compartments, and demonstrated active infection in 25 compartments. The sensitivity / specificity of FDG-PET/CT was 100% / 79%, respectively, which was superior to those of MRI, 76% / 42%. Foci of active infection showed hypermetabolic activity with a SUVmax of 7.1 ± 2.6 (range, 3.0–12.7). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated an optimal threshold for active spinal infection at a SUVmax of 4.2, corresponding to a sensitivity of 90.3% and specificity of 91.2%. Conclusion FDG-PET/CT demonstrated limited areas of abnormality allowing accurate delineation, and is thus useful to narrow the surgical fields. Since overall diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET/CT was superior to that of MRI, FDG-PET/CT is a useful technique to narrow the surgical field for successful less invasive surgery.
Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections for the Treatment of Hamstring Injuries
Authors: A Hamid Mohamad Shariff , Mohamed Ali Mohamed Razif , Yusof Ashril , George John , Lee Leena Poh Chen 
Published: July 2014

Background: A hamstring injury is one of the most common types of injury affecting athletes. Despite this, the optimal management of hamstring muscle injuries is not yet defined. The effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy on the recovery of hamstring injuries is unclear. Purpose: To investigate the effect of a single PRP injection in the treatment of grade 2 hamstring muscle injuries. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Twenty-eight patients diagnosed with an acute hamstring injury were randomly allocated to autologous PRP therapy combined with a rehabilitation program or a rehabilitation program only. The primary outcome of this study was time to return to play. In addition, changes in pain severity and pain interference scores over time were examined. Results: Patients in the PRP group achieved full recovery significantly earlier than controls ( P = .02). The mean time to return to play was 42.5 ± 20.6 days in the control group and 26.7 ± 7.0 days in the PRP group. Significantly lower pain severity scores were observed in the PRP group throughout the study. However, no significant difference in the pain interference score was found between the 2 groups. Conclusion: A single autologous PRP injection combined with a rehabilitation program was significantly more effective in treating hamstring injuries than a rehabilitation program alone.
Synergistic association of six well-characterized polymorphisms in three genes of the renin-angiotensin system with breast cancer among Han Chinese women
Authors: Ding Peijian , Yang Yang , Ding Shuangjian , Sun Baoxin 
Published: July 2014

Objective: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy that is believed to be largely under genetic control. We therefore investigated both individual and interactive associations of six well-characterized polymorphisms in three genes of the renin-angiotensin system with breast cancer among Han Chinese women. Methods and results: This was a hospital-based study involving 606 patients diagnosed with sporadic breast cancer and 633 age- and ethnicity-matched controls. There were significant differences in genotype and allele distributions of ACE gene rs4343 ( pgentoype = 0.002 and pallele < 0.001) and AGTR1 gene rs5186 polymorphisms ( pgentoype < 0.001 and pallele < 0.001), even with a Bonferroni-corrected alpha of 0.0042 (0.05/12). Allele combinations of T-T-T-G-C-A (alleles in order of rs5050, rs699, rs4291, rs4343, rs188018 and rs5186), G-C-T-G-C-A and T-C-T-G-C-C, respectively, had the age-adjusted odds of 2.21 ( p = 0.021), 3.01 ( p = 0.021) and 5.24 ( p = 0.015) for breast cancer, whereas allele combination T-C-T-A-T-A was associated with a 76% ( p = 0.008) reduced risk. Interaction analysis revealed an overall best two-locus model including rs4343 and rs4291 polymorphisms, and this model had the maximal testing accuracy of 0.6259 with a cross-validation consistency of 10 ( p = 0.0015). Conclusion: Our findings support a contributory role of the ACE gene, with its genetic polymorphisms acting synergistically, in predisposition to breast cancer among Han Chinese women.
Imaging as a biomarker in drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease: is MRI a suitable technology?
Authors: Merlo Pich Emilio , Jeromin Andreas , Frisoni Giovanni B , Hill Derek , Lockhart Andrew , Schmidt Mark E , Turner Martin R , Mondello Stefania , Potter William Z 
Published: July 2014

AbstractThis review provides perspectives on the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a neuroimaging approach in the development of novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. These considerations were generated in a roundtable at a recent Wellcome Trust meeting that included experts from academia and industry. It was agreed that MRI, either structural or functional, could be used as a diagnostic, for assessing worsening of disease status, for monitoring vascular pathology, and for stratifying clinical trial populations. It was agreed also that MRI implementation is in its infancy, requiring more evidence of association with the disease states, test-retest data, better standardization across multiple clinical sites, and application in multimodal approaches which include other imaging technologies, such as positron emission tomography, electroencephalography, and magnetoencephalography.