bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a Large Group of β-Thalassemia Patients Using Right Heart Catheterization
Authors: Derchi Giorgio , Galanello Renzo , Bina Patrizio , Cappellini Maria Domenica , Piga Antonio , Lai Maria-Eliana , Quarta Antonella , Casu Gavino , Perrotta Silverio , Pinto Valeria , Musallam Khaled M. , Forni Gian Luca 
Published: October 2013

Background—
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a concern in patients with β-thalassemia major (TM) and intermedia (TI); however, studies evaluating its prevalence and risk factors using systematic confirmation on right heart catheterization are lacking.

Methods and Results—
This was a multicenter cross-sectional study of 1309 Italian β-thalassemia patients (mean age 36.4±9.3 years; 46% men; 74.6% TM, 25.4% TI). Patients with a tricuspid-valve regurgitant jet velocity ≥3.2 m/s (3.6%) on transthoracic echocardiography further underwent right heart catheterization to confirm the diagnosis of PAH (mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mm Hg and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure ≤15mm Hg). The confirmed PAH prevalence on right heart catheterization was 2.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4–3.0) and was higher in TI (4.8%; 95% CI, 3.0–7.7) than TM (1.1%; 95% CI, 0.6–2.0). The positive predictive value for the tricuspid-valve regurgitant jet velocity ≥3.2 m/s threshold for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension was 93.9%. Considerable functional limitation and decrease in the 6-minute walk distance were noted in patients with confirmed PAH. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, independent risk factors for confirmed PAH were age (odds ratio, 1.102 per 1-year increase; 95% CI, 1.06–1.15) and splenectomy (odds ratio, 9.31; 95% CI, 2.57–33.7).

Conclusions—
The prevalence of PAH in β-thalassemia patients as confirmed on right heart catheterization was 2.1%, with an ≈5-fold higher prevalence in TI than TM. Advanced age and splenectomy are risk factors for PAH in this patient population.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01496963.
Diagnostic efficacy of PET and PET/CT for recurrent lung cancer: a meta-analysis
Authors: He Yan-Qi , Gong Han-Lin , Deng Yi-Fu , Li Wei-Min 
Published: October 2013

Background Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Although there are no conclusive data to support the survival benefits of early detection or early treatment for recurrence, an early and accurate diagnosis of recurrence is critical to optimize therapy. Purpose To compare the diagnostic value of positron emission tomography (PET) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) using fluorine-18 deoxyglucose (18FDG) with conventional imaging techniques (CITs) for the detection of lung cancer recurrence. Material and Methods A meta-analysis was performed, with systematic searches conducted using PubMed and EMBASE databases (up to 31 December 2011). Pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) values were calculated for 1035 patients reported in 13 articles. Summary receiver-operating characteristic curves (SROC) were also generated. Results The pooled sensitivity (95% CI) for PET, PET/CT, and CITs were 0.94 (0.91–0.97), 0.90 (0.84–0.95), and 0.78 (0.71–0.84), respectively. The pooled specificity (95% CI) for PET, PET/CT, and CITs were 0.84 (0.77–0.89), 0.90 (0.87–0.93), and 0.80 (0.75–0.84), respectively. Regarding sensitivity, lower values were associated with CITs than PET ( P = 0.000) and PET/CT ( P = 0.005), and there was no significant difference between PET/CT and PET ( P = 0.102). Regarding specificity, values for PET/CT and PET were significantly higher than for CITs (both P = 0.000), and there was no significant difference between PET/CT and PET ( P = 0.273). In the SROC curves, a better diagnostic accuracy was associated with PET/CT than PET and CITs. Conclusion PET/CT and PET were found to be superior modalities for the detection of recurrent lung cancer, and PET/CT was superior to PET.
Physiological and biochemical changes after boldenone injection in adult rabbits
Authors: Tousson Ehab , El-Moghazy Mostafa , Massoud Ahmed , El-Atrash Afaf , Sweef Osama , Akel Amani 
Published: October 2013

Boldenone (BOL) is an androgenic steroid that improves the growth and food conversion in food-producing animals. In most countries worldwide, this anabolic steroid is forbidden for human uses and meat production as it was developed for veterinary use. Recently, BOL is used by bodybuilders in both off season and pre-contest, where it is well known for increasing vascularity while preparing for a bodybuilding contest. The present study was designed to investigate the physiological and biochemical changes in rabbits after injection with the growth promoter BOL. A total of 32 adult New Zealand rabbits were divided into four groups, where the control group includes animals that were injected intramuscularly with olive oil and dissected after 3 weeks. The remaining three experimental groups included animals that received one, two and three intramuscular injections of 5 mg/kg body weight BOL, respectively, and were dissected after 3, 6 and 9 weeks, respectively. The animals from practice appeared healthy and did not show clinical signs of disease and none of the rabbits died during the experimental period. Serum total protein, globulin, alanine aminotransferase, asparate aminotransferase, urea, creatinine, testosterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels were significantly increased while serum direct bilirubin, albumin and albumin/globulin ratio were significantly decreased ( p < 0.05) after one, two and three intramuscular injections of BOL as compared to their relative values in the control group. These findings explain the common phenomena in athletes and bodybuilders who suffer from infertility, renal and hepatic alterations following injection with some drugs as steroids (BOL) to build muscles.
Improving Medication Safety Through the Use of Metrics
Authors: Beckett Robert D. , Yazdi Marina , Hanson Laura J. , Thompson Ross W. 
Published: October 2013

Purpose: Describe medication safety metrics used at University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) institutions and recommend a meaningful way to report and communicate medication safety information across an organization. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an electronically distributed, open-ended survey instrument. Results: Twenty percent of the UHC institutions responded to our survey. Seventy-seven percent of those institutions responding to our survey reported their organization has defined metrics to measure medication safety; an additional 21% of the institutions were still in the process of defining metrics. Of metrics that were reported, 33% were true medication safety metrics. Results are distributed to a wide variety of institutional venues. Conclusion: Institutions should take several actions related to medication safety including defining local metrics; building metrics addressing preventable adverse drug events, medication errors, and technology; and reporting results to a variety of venues in order to design specific interventions to improve local medication use.
Prospective cohort study comparing intravenous busulfan to total body irradiation in hematopoietic cell transplantation
Authors: Bredeson Christopher , LeRademacher Jennifer , Kato Kazunobu , DiPersio John F. , Agura Edward , Devine Steven M. , Appelbaum Frederick R. , Tomblyn Marcie R. , Laport Ginna G. , Zhu Xiaochun , McCarthy Philip L. , Ho Vincent T. , Cooke Kenneth R. , Armstrong Elizabeth , Smith Angela , Rizzo J. Douglas , Burkart Jeanne M. , Pasquini Marcelo C. 
Published: October 2013

Key PointsCompared with TBI, IV-BU resulted in superior survival with no increased risk for relapse or TRM. The results support the use of myeloablative IV-BU vs TBI-based conditioning regimens for treatment of myeloid malignancies.
The scoring of poses in protein-protein docking: current capabilities and future directions
Authors: Moal Iain H , Torchala Mieczyslaw , Bates Paul A , Fernández-Recio Juan 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundProtein-protein docking, which aims to predict the structure of a protein-protein complex from its unbound components, remains an unresolved challenge in structural bioinformatics. An important step is the ranking of docked poses using a scoring function, for which many methods have been developed. There is a need to explore the differences and commonalities of these methods with each other, as well as with functions developed in the fields of molecular dynamics and homology modelling.ResultsWe present an evaluation of 115 scoring functions on an unbound docking decoy benchmark covering 118 complexes for which a near-native solution can be found, yielding top 10 success rates of up to 58%. Hierarchical clustering is performed, so as to group together functions which identify near-natives in similar subsets of complexes. Three set theoretic approaches are used to identify pairs of scoring functions capable of correctly scoring different complexes. This shows that functions in different clusters capture different aspects of binding and are likely to work together synergistically.ConclusionsAll functions designed specifically for docking perform well, indicating that functions are transferable between sampling methods. We also identify promising methods from the field of homology modelling. Further, differential success rates by docking difficulty and solution quality suggest a need for flexibility-dependent scoring. Investigating pairs of scoring functions, the set theoretic measures identify known scoring strategies as well as a number of novel approaches, indicating promising augmentations of traditional scoring methods. Such augmentation and parameter combination strategies are discussed in the context of the learning-to-rank paradigm.
The expression of diacylglycerol kinase theta during the organogenesis of mouse embryos
Authors: Ueda Shuji , Tu-Sekine Becky , Yamanoue Minoru , Raben Daniel M , Shirai Yasuhito 
Published: October 2013

Abstract

Background
Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) is a key enzyme that regulates diacylglycerol (DG) turnover and is involved in a variety of physiological functions. The isoform DGKθ has a unique domain structure and is the sole member of type V DGK. To reveal the spatial and temporal expression of DGKθ we performed immunohistochemical staining on paraffin sections of mouse embryos.

Results
At an early stage of development (E10.5 and 11.5), the expression of DGKθ was prominently detected in the brain, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglion, and limb bud, and was also moderately detected in the bulbus cordis and the primordium of the liver and gut. At later stages (E12.5 and 14.5), DGKθ expression persisted or increased in the neocortex, epithalamus, hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and pons. DGKθ was also evident in the epidermis, and nearly all epithelia of the oropharyngeal membrane, digestive tract, and bronchea. At prenatal developmental stages (E16.5 and E18.5), the expression pattern of DGKθ was maintained in the central nervous system, intestine, and kidney, but was attenuated in the differentiated epidermis.

Conclusion
These results suggest that DGKθ may play important physiological roles not only in the brain, but also in diverse organs and tissues during the embryonic stages.
Stacking resistance to crown gall and nematodes in walnut rootstocks
Authors: Walawage Sriema L , Britton Monica T , Leslie Charles A , Uratsu Sandra L , Li YingYue , Dandekar Abhaya M 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundCrown gall (CG) (Agrobacterium tumefaciens) and the root lesion nematodes (RLNs) (Pratylenchus vulnus) are major challenges faced by the California walnut industry, reducing productivity and increasing the cost of establishing and maintaining orchards. Current nematode control strategies include nematicides, crop rotation, and tolerant cultivars, but these methods have limits. Developing genetic resistance through novel approaches like RNA interference (RNAi) can address these problems. RNAi-mediated silencing of CG disease in walnut (Juglans regiaL.) has been achieved previously. We sought to place both CG and nematode resistance into a single walnut rootstock genotype using co-transformation to stack the resistance genes.A.tumefaciens, carrying self-complimentary iaaM and ipt transgenes, andAgrobacterium rhizogenes, carrying a self-complimentary Pv010 gene fromP.vulnus, were used as co-transformation vectors. RolABC genes were introduced by the resident T-DNA in theA.rhizogenesRi-plasmid used as a vector for plant transformation. Pv010 and Pv194 (transgenic control) genes were also transferred separately usingA.tumefaciens. To test for resistance, transformed walnut roots were challenged withP.vulnusand microshoots were challenged with a virulent strain ofA.tumefaciens.ResultsCombining the two bacterial strains at a 1:1 rather than 1:3 ratio increased the co-transformation efficiency. Although complete immunity to nematode infection was not observed, transgenic lines yielded up to 79% fewer nematodes per root followingin vitroco-culture than untransformed controls. Transgenic line 33-3-1 exhibited complete crown gall control and 32% fewer nematodes. The transgenic plants had thicker, longer roots than untransformed controls possibly due to insertion of rolABC genes. When the Pv010 gene was present in roots with or without rolABC genes there was partial or complete control of RLNs. Transformation using only one vector showed 100% control in some lines.ConclusionsCG and nematode resistance gene stacking controlled CG and RLNs simultaneously in walnuts. Silencing genes encoding iaaM, ipt, and Pv010 decrease CG formation and RLNs populations in walnut. Beneficial plant genotype and phenotype changes are caused by co-transformation usingA.tumefaciensandA.rhizogenesstrains. Viable resistance against root lesion nematodes in walnut plants may be accomplished in the future using this gene stacking technology.
Impacts of clinicopathologic and operative factors on short-term and long-term survival in renal cell carcinoma with venous tumor thrombus extension: a multi-institutional retrospective study in Japan
Authors: Hirono Masanori , Kobayashi Mikio , Tsushima Tomoyasu , Obara Wataru , Shinohara Nobuo , Ito Keiichi , Eto Masatoshi , Takayama Tatsuya , Fujii Yasuhisa , Nishikido Masaharu , Kimura Go , Kishida Takeshi , Takahashi Masayuki , Miyao Noriomi , Naya Yukio , Abe Takashige , Fujioka Tomoaki , Ito Kazuto , Naito Seiji ,   Members of the Japanese Society of Renal Cancer
Published: October 2013

Abstract

Background
Although the percentage of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) extending into venous systems is unexpectedly high, the prognostic impact and independency of venous tumor thrombus-related factors on overall survival (OS) remain controversial. Furthermore, the prognostic impact of various clinicopathologic factors including tumor thrombus-related factors on OS may change with elapsed years after the intervention and also with follow-up duration of participants. The aim of the study is to explore independent and universal predictive preoperative and intraoperative clinicopathologic factors on OS in patients with RCC extending into venous systems using subgroup analysis in terms of restricted follow-up duration and yearly-based survivors.

Methods
Between 1980 and 2009, 292 patients diagnosed with RCC with venous tumor thrombus were retrospectively registered for this study. The prognostic impacts of various clinicopathologic and surgical treatment factors including levels of venous thrombus, venous wall invasion status and likelihood of aggressive cytoreductive operation, were investigated using Kaplan-Meier method and following multivariate Cox proportional hazards model for all patients and those still alive at 1, 2, and 3 years of follow-up. To investigate the impact of follow-up duration on the statistical analyses, multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore prognostic factors using restricted data until 1, 2, and 3 years of follow-up.

Results
The median follow-up duration was 40.4 months. The 5-year OS was 47.6%. Several independent predictive factors were identified in each subgroup analysis in terms of yearly-based survival and restricted follow-up duration. The presence of tumor thrombus invading to venous wall was independently related to OS in the full-range follow-up data and in survivors at 2 and 3 years of follow-up. Using restricted follow-up data until 1, 2, and 3 years of follow-up, many independent predictive factors changed with follow-up duration, but surgical category could be universal and independent predictive factors.

Conclusion
The most universal factors affecting improvement both in short-term and long-term survivals could be cytoreductive surgery and absence of venous wall invasion. It may mean that feasible aggressive cytoreductive operation following more reliable preoperative imaging for predicting venous wall invasion status would improve OS for patients with RCC extending into venous systems.
Application of proteomics to identify the target molecules involved in Lonicera japonica-induced photokilling in human lung cancer CH27 cells
Authors: Liao Jung C , Chang Wen T , Lan Yu H , Hour Mann J , Lee Hong Z 
Published: October 2013

Abstract

Background
The Lonicera japonica has been used as natural and healthy drink for its anti-inflammatory effect and pleasant odor in China and Taiwan.

Methods
2D electrophoresis was used to analyze the proteins involved in photoactivated Lonicera japonica-induced CH27 cell apoptosis. The fluorescent dyes MitoTracker Red CMXRos, calcein AM and JC-1 were used to elucidate mitochondrial function. The protein expression was performed by Western blotting. Fluorescent image of endoplasmic reticulum was accomplished by using ER-Tracker Green. This study used fluorescent dye CM-H2DCFDA to detect intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species.

Results
The identified proteins can be classified into three major groups, which include proteins involved in mitochondrial function, cytoskeleton-related proteins and proteins associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Photoactivated Lonicera japonica caused a significant effect on the mitochondrial function and ER stress in CH27 cells. The reactive oxygen species producing was found to be involved in photoactivated Lonicera japonica-induced CH27 cell apoptosis.

Conclusion
Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum are the integral targets in photoactivated Lonicera japonica-induced CH27 cell apoptosis. We also demonstrated that ethyl acetate fraction of Lonicera japonica extracts caused photocytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner in CH27 cells. This could explain the fact that the ethyl acetate fraction of Lonicera japonica extracts may contain compounds which exhibit the photosensitizing activity in CH27 cells.
Hyper secretion of Thermobifida fusca β-glucosidase via a Tat-dependent signal peptide using Streptomyces lividans
Authors: Miyazaki Takaya , Noda Shuhei , Tanaka Tsutomu , Kondo Akihiko 
Published: October 2013

Abstract

Background
Protein production as secretory-form is a powerful tool in industrial enzyme production due to the simple purification procedure. Streptomyces lividans is a versatile host for secretory production of useful proteins. In order to expand the amount of secreted protein, signal peptide sequences, which encourage protein secretion from inside cell to extracellular environment, are one of the most significant factors. In this study, we focused on Streptomyces lividans as a host strain to secrete useful proteins, and screened for signal peptides from the biomass-degradation enzymes derived from Thermobifida fusca YX and S. lividans.

Results
Three candidate signal peptides were isolated and evaluated for their protein secretion ability using β-glucosidase derived from T. fusca YX, which is a non-secreted protein, as a model protein. Using S. lividans xylanase C signal peptide, the amount of produced the β-glucosidase reached 10 times as much as that when using Streptomyces cinnamoneus phospholipase D signal peptide, which was identified as a versatile signal peptide in our previous report. In addition, the introduction of the β-glucosidase fused to xylanase C signal peptide using two kinds of plasmid, pUC702 and pTYM18, led to further protein secretion, and the maximal level of produced the β-glucosidase increased up to 17 times (1.1 g/l) compared to using only pUC702 carrying the β-glucosidase fused to S. cinnamoneus phospholipase D signal peptide.

Conclusion
In the present study, we focused on signal peptide sequences derived from biomass degradation enzymes, which are usually secreted into the culture supernatant, and screened for signal peptides leading to effective protein secretion. Using the signal peptides, the hyper-protein secretion system was successfully demonstrated for the cytoplasmic β-glucosidase.
Adherence to human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-L) of Plasmodium vivax isolates from Colombia
Authors: De las salas Briegel , Segura Cesar , Pabón Adriana , Lopes Stefanie CP , Costa Fabio TM , Blair Silvia 
Published: October 2013

Abstract

Background
For years Plasmodium vivax has been considered the cause of benign malaria. Nevertheless, it has been observed that this parasite can produce a severe disease comparable to Plasmodium falciparum. It has been suggested that some physiopathogenic processes might be shared by these two species, such as cytoadherence. Recently, it has been demonstrated that P. vivax-infected erythrocytes (Pv-iEs) have the capacity to adhere to endothelial cells, in which intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) seems to be involved in this process.

Methods
Adherence capacity of 21 Colombian isolates, from patients with P. vivax mono-infection to a microvascular line of human lung endothelium (HMVEC-L) was assessed in static conditions and binding was evaluated at basal levels or in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) stimulated cells. The adherence specificity for the ICAM-1 receptor was determined through inhibition with an anti-CD54 monoclonal antibody.

Results
The majority of P. vivax isolates, 13 out of 21 (61.9%), adhered to the HMVEC-L cells, but P. vivax adherence was at least seven times lower when compared to the four P. falciparum isolates. Moreover, HMVEC-L stimulation with TNF led to an increase of 1.6-fold in P. vivax cytoadhesion, similar to P. falciparum isolates (1.8-fold) at comparable conditions. Also, blockage of ICAM-1 receptor with specific antibodies showed a significant 50% adherence reduction.

Conclusions

Plasmodium vivax isolates found in Colombia are also capable of adhering specifically in vitro to lung endothelial cells, via ICAM-1 cell receptor, both at basal state and after cell stimulation with TNF. Collectively, these findings reinforce the concept of cytoadherence for P. vivax, but here, to a different endothelial cell line and using geographical distinct isolates, thus contributing to understanding P. vivax biology.