bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in mainland of China: A meta‐analysis of published studies
Authors: Li ZhanZhan , Xue Jing , Chen Peng , Chen LiZhang , Yan ShiPeng , Liu LiYa 
Published: November 2013

AbstractBackground and AimNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming an increasingly important health issue. However, there are no data on the change in prevalence of NAFLD within a population over time, especially in the mainland of China. The goal of this study was to estimate the pooled prevalence of NAFLD in the mainland of China.MethodsSystematic literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Chinese Web of Knowledge, Wangfang, Weipu, and SinoMed databases, as well as relevant articles published from 1997 to 2013, reporting prevalence estimates of NAFLD in the mainland of China. Summary estimates of prevalence were calculated with a random effects model. The effects of research methodology on the prevalence estimates were assessed using a meta‐regression model.ResultsForty‐eight studies were identified with of a total of 356 367 subjects. The overall pooled prevalence of NAFLD was 20.09% (17.95–22.31%). Subgroup analyses showed the following results: male: 24.81% (21.88–27.87%), female: 13.16% (11.33–15.11%), for 18–30: 9.22% (6.93–11.81%), for 40: 16.77% (13.22–20.66%), for 50: 23.50% (19.57–27.66%), for 60: 26.89% (21.11–33.09%), for urban: 21.83% (18.00–25.92%), for rural: 20.43% (8.01–36.74%); study years in 2000–2006: 18.22% (14.32–22.48%), 20.00% (16.84–23.36%) for 2007–2009, and 18.93% (15.41–22.72%) for 2010–2013.ConclusionsThe prevalence of NAFLD is lower than the estimates from developed countries. But it still reaches the epidemic proportions, and its prevalence is increasing. Meanwhile, a nationwide prevalence investigation should be conducted to confirm the estimates and determine more accurate rates for specific populations.
miR‐224 promotion of cell migration and invasion by targeting Homeobox D 10 gene in human hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Li Qiong , Ding Chenchen , Chen Chuan , Zhang Zhimin , Xiao He , Xie Fei , Lei Lin , Chen Yuanyuan , Mao Bijing , Jiang Mei , Li Jian , Wang Dong , Wang Ge 
Published: November 2013

AbstractBackground and AimMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that control target gene expression and are implicated in the regulation of diverse cellular pathways. In our previous research, we have demonstrated that miR‐224 was overexpressed in liver cancer cells and tissues, which was an important factor in the regulation of cell migration and invasion. This study aimed to further explore the regulatory mechanism of miR‐224 in the migration and invasion in liver cancer cells.MethodsA luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm that the HOXD10 gene was a direct target of miR‐224. Quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, Transwell migration, and Matrigel invasion assays were performed to clarify the molecular mechanism of miR‐224 in the regulation of cell migration and invasion in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Results (i) The expression of miR‐224 was strongly upregulated in MHHC97H and MHCC97L cells, and its expression level was significantly associated with cell invasive potential. (ii) The HOXD10 gene was confirmed to be a direct target of miR‐224. Compared with normal liver tissues and cells, HOXD10 had lower expression in HCC tissues and cells and inversely regulated HCC cell invasion. (iii) miR‐224 promoted expression of the tumor invasion‐associated proteins p‐PAK4 and MMP‐9 by directly targeting HOXD10.ConclusionOur findings suggest a previously undescribed regulatory pathway in which the miR‐224/HOXD10/p‐PAK4/MMP‐9 signaling pathway contributes to the regulation of cell migration and invasion and provides a new biotarget for HCC treatment.
Immunohistochemical localization of connective tissue growth factor, transforming growth factor‐beta1 and phosphorylated‐smad2/3 in the developing periodontium of rats
Authors: Li S. , Ge S. , Yang P. 
Published: November 2013

Background and ObjectiveConnective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a downstream mediator of transforming growth factor‐beta1 (TGF‐β1), and TGF‐β1‐induced CTGF expression is regulated through the SMAD pathway. CTGF is implicated in the development of cartilage, bone and tooth. However, its expression in the developing periodontium is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the immunolocalization of CTGF, TGF‐β1 and phosphorylated SMAD2/3 (pSMAD2/3) in the developing periodontium of rats.Material and MethodsThe maxillaries of Wistar rats, 2, 3, 7 and 12 wk of age, were used and the localization of CTGF, TGF‐β1 and pSMAD2/3 was detected using immunoperoxidase techniques.ResultsHertwig' s epithelial root sheath (HERS) cells were strongly positive for CTGF and TGF‐β1, but not for pSMAD2/3. Positive staining for CTGF, TGF‐β1 and pSMAD2/3 was found in bone and periodontal ligament. In cementum, most cementoblasts associated with cellular cementum and some cementocytes stained strongly for CTGF, whereas cementoblasts associated with acellular cementum did not express CTGF. No signal for TGF‐β1 was observed in cellular and acellular cementum. In addition, most cementocytes were strongly positive for pSMAD2/3.ConclusionCTGF, TGF‐β1 and pSMAD2/3 are localized in bone and periodontal ligament, but are differentially expressed in HERS and cementum. The results of our study indicate that the regulation of CTGF expression by TGF‐β1 might be cell‐type specific in periodontium.
Functional and evolutionary analyses of Primulina heterotrichaCYC1C gene in tobacco and Arabidopsis transformation systems
Authors: LIU Bo‐Ling , PANG Hong‐Bo , YANG Xia , WANG Yin‐Zheng 
Published: November 2013

AbstractIn Asterids, specific expression of CYC‐like genes in the corresponding regions promotes or reduces dorsal petal growth and aborts stamen development. In Rosids, however, the reduced or enlarged dorsal petals are not accompanied by the abortion of stamens, which implies that the function of CYC‐like genes in regulating petal growth and stamen development might be independently recruited. To address this, we investigated the function of the PhCYC1C gene in Primulina heterotricha Y. Dong & Y. Z. Wang on petal growth and stamen development by overexpressing it in two different transformation systems, that is, Arabidopsis belonging to Rosids and tobacco located in Asterids. The results showed that overexpression of PhCYC1C reduced petal sizes in both tobacco and Arabidopsis transgenic plants mainly by repressing cell expansion, indicating its conserved function in determining petal growth between Asterids and Rosids. However, the fertility of both tobacco and Arabidopsis stamens was not affected at all. Given that strong expression signals of PhCYC1C are detected in both tobacco and Arabidopsis stamens and CYC‐like genes actually function to repress stamen development in Lamiales, we suggest that the CYC‐like gene‐associated regulatory network for controlling stamen development might have not established in Rosids as well as in early evolution of Asterids, but evolved as Asterids proceeded further. Our results provide valuable information on the conservation of CYC‐like genes' function in controlling corolla asymmetry and the divergence of their function in determining stamen abortion in angiosperms.
Effect of antimicrobial agents incorporated into resilient denture relines on the Candida albicans biofilm
Authors: Bueno MG , Urban VM , Barbério GS , da Silva WJ , Porto VC , Pinto LdeR , Neppelenbroek KH 
Published: November 2013

ObjectiveThe antimicrobial action of five drugs incorporated in temporary denture relines on the fungal biofilm was evaluated.Materials and MethodsA Candida albicans biofilm (SC5314) was formed on specimens (10 × 1 mm) of materials (Trusoft and Softone) modified or not (control) by the drugs (nystatin, miconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, and chlorhexidine diacetate). Cell viability was determined spectrophotometrically by the tetrazolium salt reduction assay (XTT) after 24 h, 48 h, and 7 and 14 days of incubation. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were those which inhibited 90% or more of fungal growth. Fungal susceptibility was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis.ResultsThe MICs of drugs incorporated in the materials were 0.032, 0.256, 0.128, 0.256, and 0.064 g ml−1 for nystatin, miconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, and chlorhexidine, respectively. Images from nystatin, chlorhexidine, and ketoconazole demonstrated no viable cells.ConclusionsThe antimicrobials incorporated in the resilient materials inhibited fungal growth during 14 days, with lower MICs for nystatin and chlorhexidine.
Model Selection for Estimating Treatment Effects
Authors: Rolling Craig A. , Yang Yuhong 
Published: November 2013

SummaryResearchers often believe that a treatment's effect on a response may be heterogeneous with respect to certain baseline covariates. This is an important premise of personalized medicine. Several methods for estimating heterogeneous treatment effects have been proposed. However, little attention has been given to the problem of choosing between estimators of treatment effects. Models that best estimate the regression function may not be best for estimating the effect of a treatment; therefore, there is a need for model selection methods that are targeted to treatment effect estimation. We demonstrate an application of the focused information criterion in this setting and develop a treatment effect cross-validation aimed at minimizing treatment effect estimation errors. Theoretically, treatment effect cross-validation has a model selection consistency property when the data splitting ratio is properly chosen. Practically, treatment effect cross-validation has the flexibility to compare different types of models. We illustrate the methods by using simulation studies and data from a clinical trial comparing treatments of patients with human immunodeficiency virus.
An Extended Study of Seroprevalence of Anti‐Anisakis simplex IgE Antibodies in Norwegian Blood Donors
Authors: Lin A. H. , Nepstad I. , Florvaag E. , Egaas E. , Van Do T. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractDuring the last decade, cases of the fish parasite Anisakis simplex infection and allergy in human have increased in countries with high fish consumption. Our aim was to perform an extended seroprevalence study of anti‐IgE antibodies against this parasite in Norway, one of the high fish‐consuming countries. At the Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine and the Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, two main groups of anonymized serum samples were collected; the first (n = 993) from recently recruited blood donors (designated ‘BDO’) and the second (n = 414) from patient with total IgE levels ≥1000 kU/l (designated ‘IGE+’). The sera were analysed by the ImmunoCAP® method for total IgE and IgE antibodies against A. simplex, house dust mite (HDM), shrimp, cod, crab, brine shrimp and shrimp tropomyosin. The A. simplex positive sera were further tested by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, which uses 2 recombinant (r) major allergens, rAni s 1 and rAni s 7 as target antigens. SDS‐PAGE and Western immunoblotting analyses were also performed. Whereas the prevalences by ImmunoCAP® were 0.4% and 16.2% in the BDO and IGE+ groups, respectively, analyses with recombinant allergens showed only 0.0% and 0.2%. Cross‐reactivity and immunoblotting analyses suggested that most of the ImmunoCAP® positive sera were probably false‐positive due to cross‐sensitization to shrimp and HDM. However, positivity due to other A. simplex antigens should also be considered. Compared with other high fish‐consuming countries, we observed a very low seroprevalence of anti‐Anisakis IgE antibodies in a Norwegian population.
National health insurance scheme enrolment and antenatal care among women in Ghana: is there any relationship?
Authors: Dixon Jenna , Tenkorang Eric Y. , Luginaah Isaac N. , Kuuire Vincent Z. , Boateng Godfred O. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractObjectivesThe objective of this study was to examine whether enrolment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) affects the likelihood and timing of utilising antenatal care among women in Ghana.MethodsData were drawn from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative survey collected in 2008. The study used a cross‐sectional design to examine the independent effects of NHIS enrolment on two dependent variables (frequency and timing of antenatal visits) among 1610 Ghanaian women. Negative binomial and logit models were fitted given that count and categorical variables were employed as outcome measures, respectively.ResultsRegardless of socio‐economic and demographic factors, women enrolled in the NHIS make more antenatal visits compared with those not enrolled; however, there was no statistical association with the timing of the crucial first visit. Women who are educated, living in urban areas and are wealthy were more likely to attend antenatal care than those living in rural areas, uneducated and from poorer households.ConclusionThe NHIS should be strengthened and resourced as it may act as an important tool for increasing antenatal care attendance among women in Ghana.
Local photodynamic therapy delays recurrence of equine periocular squamous cell carcinoma compared to cryotherapy
Authors: Giuliano Elizabeth A. , Johnson Philip J. , Delgado Cherlene , Pearce Jacqueline W. , Moore Cecil P. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractObjective(i) To report the successful treatment of 10 cases of equine periocular squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) with surgical excision and photodynamic therapy (PDT) using verteporfin. (ii) To evaluate time to first tumor recurrence betweenPDT‐treated horses and horses treated with surgical excision and cryotherapy.MethodsA total of 24 equinePSCCcases were included: group 1 (n = 14) had excision and cryotherapy (1993–2003), group 2 (n = 10), excision and localPDT(2006–2010). Evaluated data: signalment, treatment method, tumor location, size, and time to first recurrence. Groups were compared via chi‐square test for categorical variables andWilcoxon rank‐sum test for numeric variables. Time to tumor recurrence was examined usingKaplan–Meier product‐limit survival analysis.ResultsOf 24 cases, nine breeds were affected. Mean age at treatment in years: 14 (range 5–24) in group 1; 11 (range 8–18) in group 2. Median tumor size: 163 mm2(range 20–625 mm2) in group 1; 195 mm2(range 45–775 mm2) in group 2. Signalment, tumor laterality, and size were not significantly different between groups. Time to recurrence was significantly different between groups (Logrank test,P = 0.0006). In group 1, 11/14 horses had tumor regrowth with median time to recurrence in months: 10 (range 1–44). In group 2 (minimum follow‐up of 25 months; range 25–50), no horse demonstrated tumor recurrence after one treatment with excision andPDT.ConclusionsThis represents the first report of localPDTusing verteporfin for treatment of equinePSCC. Following surgery, the likelihood of tumor recurrence was significantly reduced with localPDTcompared with cryotherapy.
A New Inlet Distortion and Pressure Loss Based Design of an Intake System for Stationary Gas Turbines
Authors: Rodriguez Jose , Klumpp Stephan , Biesinger Thomas , O’Brien James , Danninger Tobias 
Published: November 2013

This paper presents a new design for a Compressor Inlet Manifold (CIM) for a land-based power generation Gas Turbine (turbine). The CIM is the component of the Inlet System (IS) that is directly connected to the turbine via the Compressor Inlet Case (CIC). The design philosophy is to use low fidelity but fast and automated CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) for design iterations and then confirm the design with detailed higher accuracy CFD before proceeding to engine tests. New design features include contouring the wall to minimize areas of flow separation and associated unsteadiness and losses, and improvement of the flow quality into the compressor.
The CIM in a land-based turbine acts as a nozzle whereas the inlet of an aircraft acts as a diffuser. The flow also enters the CIM at 90 deg to the engine axis. This leads to a pair of counter rotating vortices at the compressor inlet. Three main sources of flow distortions at the face of the compressor are identified: flow separations at outer walls of the IS and CIM struts and the counter rotating vortices. The higher accuracy CFD analysis including the complete IS, CIM and the first compressor stage, simulates the effect of these distortions on the compressor front stage at design conditions. A range of inlet distortion parameters are used to evaluate the inlet design. The well known DC60 based criterion derived from aircraft engines and other less known but published parameters are able to give an indication of how the compressor surge margin of stationary gas turbines is affected.
From Rotating Stall to Surge: A Shock Tube Mechanism
Authors: Huang Paul Xiubao , Yin JianAn 
Published: November 2013

Compressor surge is a complete breakdown in compression resulting in an abrupt momentary reversal of gas flow and the violent pressure fluctuation with relatively low frequency and high amplitude. It commonly exists in dynamic type turbo compressors, particularly axial compressor and jet engine, or turbo charger for reciprocating engines. It is generally accepted that surge is preceded by a rotating stall, a situation of a few stalled blades rotating around compressor annulus (cascade) with much higher frequency. In jet engine, violent surge event typically produces a frightening loud bang, lots of vibrations and could cause catastrophic structural failures if not timely managed.
Naturally, as important matters as rotating stall and surge, there have been tremendous R/D efforts from academia, government and industry devoted to this area, especially since jet engines became the prime powerhouses for modern airplanes. Despite of all the efforts, there still seems to be a more urgent need to understand the physical characteristics of the transition from a rotating stall to surge that has mystified researchers due to its transient nature. Fundamental questions remain unanswered even today, such as: What exactly triggers the surge to take place from a rotating stall? What is the physical nature of a compressor system or a local incipient surge: is it a movement of wave or fluid particles or both? How to estimate the quantitative destructive forces of a severe surge, that is, the maximum possible surge strength?
This paper attempts to answer these questions by applying the classical Shock Tube Theory to the transient process from rotating stall to surge. The Shock Tube analogy is established with the hypothesis (implied from experimental observations) that an instant zero through flow condition exists inside a stalled cascade cell or dynamic compressor that triggers surge. It is revealed that surge event consists of a pair of non-linear compression and expansion waves (CW & EW) that instantly reverse gas flow (IRFF) by the pushing force of upstream propagating CW and the pulling force from downstream travelling EW. The surge strength is shown to be proportional to the square root of the pressure ratio of the involved cascade or compressor. Surge Rules are deduced to predict the location of surge initiation, the minimum and maximum surge strengths, travelling directions and speed. Moreover, a pro-active control strategy called SEWI (Surge Early Warning Initiative) is proposed using the unique characteristics of CW-IRFF-EW formation of a cascade cell induced surge as precursors for subsequent warning and controls before the destructive compressor surge takes place.
CFD Investigation on the Rotordynamic Characteristics of Shroud Leakage Flow in High Pressure Steam Turbine
Authors: Nishijima Noriyo , Endo Akira , Yamaguchi Kazuyuki 
Published: November 2013

We conducted a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study to investigate the rotordynamic characteristics of the shroud labyrinth seal of a high-pressure steam turbine.
Four different CFD models were constructed to investigate the appropriate modeling approach for evaluating the seal force of an actual steam turbine because shroud seals are generally short with fewer fins and the effect of surrounding flow field is thought to be large. The four models are a full model consisting of a 1-stage stator/rotor cascade and a labyrinth seal over the rotor shroud, a guide-vane model to simulate the condition similar to seal element experiments, and two other simplified models. The calculated stiffness coefficients of the four models did not agree and fell into two groups. Through careful investigations of flow fields, it was found that the difference could be explained by the circumferential mass flow distribution at the seal inlet and the mass flow bias rate is an important factor in evaluating the seal force of a turbine shroud. The results also indicate that the rotordynamic characteristics obtained from seal element experiments may differ from those of actual turbines, especially in short seals.
Investigation of Compressor Tip Clearance Flow Based on the Discontinuous Galerkin Methods
Authors: Ren Xiaodong , Gu Chunwei 
Published: November 2013

The tip clearance flow has a significant influence on the compressor performance and stability. CFD, which is a current tool, has been widely used to investigate the flow by many researchers. In this paper, an unstructured-grid code based on a RKDG method was developed with an improved vertex-based slope limiter to ensure the nonlinear stability. The limiter tests show that the improved limiter has less numerical dissipation and it can keep the high-order accuracy.
The performance for NASA Rotor 37 was simulated to validate the RKDG code. The results are compared with the experimental data and the ones computed by NUMECA FINE™/Turbo. It is shown that the results computed by the RKDG code are in better agreement with the experimental data, which implies that the high-order accuracy method is very important for improving the CFD reliability.
Finally, the tip clearance flow of the compressor was investigated using the RKDG code. It is found that the tip leakage jet flow could be separated into two parts and they go downstream separately without mixing.