bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hemolytic anemia following high dose intravenous immunoglobulin in patients with chronic neurological disorders
Authors: Markvardsen L. H. , Christiansen I. , Harbo T. , Jakobsen J. 
Published: November 2013

Background and purposeHigh dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is an established treatment for various neuromuscular disorders. Recently, cases of hemolytic anemia following IVIG have been observed. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of anemia and hemolysis after IVIG and its relationship to the AB0 blood type system.MethodsIn a prospective study 34 de novo treated patients were given 2.0 g/kg bodyweight of Privigen and 50 patients received either Privigen [n = 28; 1.53 ± 0.4 g/kg (mean ± SD)] or Kiovig (n = 22; 1.7 ± 0.4 g/kg) as maintenance therapy. The de novo patients all had a post‐polio syndrome, whereas the remaining patients received maintenance therapy for the neuromuscular disorders chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy and multifocal motor neuropathy. Blood sampling was performed before and 2 weeks after infusion of IVIG.ResultsFollowing IVIG treatment blood hemoglobin declined from 8.6 ± 0.9 to 8.0 ± 1.2 mM, P < 0.001. Reticulocyte counts and levels of bilirubin and lactate dehydrogenase were increased and haptoglobin levels decreased. The decline of hemoglobin was 0.9 ± 1.2 mM after de novo therapy versus 0.4 ± 0.8 mM after maintenance therapy with Privigen (P = 0.05) and 0.2 ± 0.3 mM after maintenance therapy with Kiovig (P = 0.47). In de novo patients compared with patients on maintenance therapy reticulocyte count and lactate dehydrogenase level increased whereas haptoglobin level decreased. Anemia correlated with the AB0 blood type system with a significant difference between type 0 (n = 17; +0.3 ± 0.4 mM) and type A, B and AB (n = 48; −1.0 ± 1.0 mM), anemia being most pronounced in type AB.ConclusionModerate hemolytic anemia is a concomitant complication of high dose IVIG in subjects with blood types A, B and AB.
Large deletion mutation of SPAST in a multi‐generation family from Sardinia
Authors: Racis L. , Di Fabio R. , Tessa A. , Guillot F. , Storti E. , Piccolo F. , Nesti C. , Tedde A. , Pierelli F. , Agnetti V. , Santorelli F. M. , Casali C. 
Published: November 2013

Background and purposeThe hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP) are characterized by progressive spasticity of the lower limbs, mostly inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Analyses of large HSP pedigrees could help to better characterize the phenotype due to a single causative mutation. Patients in a seven‐generation kindred carrying a large deletion in SPAST/SPG4 are described.MethodsIndividuals originating from Sardinia were clinically and genetically studied.ResultsSixty‐seven subjects carried a heterozygous deletion encompassing exons 2–17 of SPAST. Fifty patients (53.2 ± 15.4 years) presented a pure form of spastic paraparesis characterized by mild impairment and slow progression. Most patients showed spasticity, increased tendon reflexes in the lower limbs and Babinski sign, whilst weakness was rarely detected and urinary disturbances occasionally reported. Amongst the 17 asymptomatic carriers of the mutation, minimal neurological signs were detected in 11 cases.ConclusionsA focus on spasticity, increased tendon reflexes and Babinski sign, more than on weakness, could help clinicians to promote early diagnosis in asymptomatic carriers of SPAST deletions.
Treatment and resolution of zilpaterol hydrochloride toxicity in aQuarterHorse gelding
Authors: Hepworth‐Warren K. L. , Alcott C. J. 
Published: November 2013

SummaryZilpaterol hydrochloride is a β‐2 agonist utilised as a repartitioning agent in cattle. In recent years, it has also been used illicitly among human athletes and body builders, and administered to racehorses. While there are numerous anecdotal reports of the effects of zilpaterol in horses, this is the first documented clinical case of equine zilpaterol toxicity. The horse presented with marked tachycardia, profuse sweating and generalised muscle fasciculations. Ultimately, treatment was initiated with propranolol and the horse made a complete recovery.
Reduced tongue tone associated with degeneration of the hypoglossal nerve nucleus in a horse with equine motor neuron disease
Authors: Robin M. , Malbon A. , Ricci E. , McGowan C. , Malalana F. 
Published: November 2013

SummaryEquine motor neuron disease (EMND) is a condition characterised by generalised weakness and muscle atrophy associated with degeneration of motor neurons in the ventral horns of the spinal cord. Despite the frequent detection of cranial nerve nuclei pathology during post mortem examination, associated clinical signs are rarely reported. This report describes a case of EMND in a pony gelding that presented with clinical signs of diffuse neuromuscular weakness associated with marked flaccidity of the tongue, making differentiation from similar neuromuscular conditions, particularly botulism, extremely challenging.
Large‐scale analysis of somatic hypermutations in antibodies reveals which structural regions, positions and amino acids are modified to improve affinity
Authors: Burkovitz Anat , Sela‐Culang Inbal , Ofran Yanay 
Published: November 2013

The principles of affinity maturation of antibodies (Abs), which underlies B cell‐mediated immunity, are still under debate. It is unclear whether the antigen (Ag) binding site is a preferred target for mutations, and what the role of activation‐induced deaminase (AID) hotspots is in this process. Here we report a structural analysis of 3495 residues that have been replaced through somatic hypermutations (SHMs) in 196 Abs. We show that there is no correlation between the propensity of an amino acid to be in AID hotspot and the probability that it is replaced during the SHM process. Although AID hotspots may be necessary to enable SHMs, they are not a major driving force in determining which residues are mutated. We identified Ab positions that are highly mutated and significantly affect binding. The effect of mutation on binding energy is a major factor in determining which structural regions of the Ab are mutated. There is a clear preference for mutations at the Ag‐binding site. However, positions outside this region that also affect binding are often preferred targets for SHMs. As for amino acid preferences, a general trend during SHM is to make Ab–Ag interfaces more similar to protein–protein interfaces in general. In different regions of the Ab, there are different sets of preferences for amino acid substitution. This mapping improves our understanding of Ab affinity maturation and may assist in Ab engineering.
A Step Outside: Observations from the World's Youngest State
Authors: Bachmann Veit 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe following text provides observations and reflections based on a visit to the South Sudanese capital of Juba in February 2012. Specifically, it addresses three aspects: (i) the Kenyan involvement in South Sudan as (perceived) sub‐imperialism; (ii) the place of the European Union (EU) compound, the collective space of the embassies of the EU and its member states in Juba; and (iii) a twofold plea for normativity in human geographic research and in the civilian aspects of the European integration process. Through these observations, this paper suggests a ‘grounded geopolitical research at the margins’ involving locally embedded fieldwork in a variety of empirical settings, including geopolitically marginalized ones. In so doing, I highlight how a ‘step outside’ the box of our accustomed intellectual (and geographical) environment provides not only a better understanding of different geopolitical conditions, assumptions and narratives but also fresh perspectives on our own ones.
International and Intra‐national Student Mobility: Trends, Motivations and Identity
Authors: Prazeres Laura 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThis paper provides a critical review and discussion of the literature on intra‐national and international student mobility. Although student mobility is gaining attention from social geographers, much research is still needed to address the complex and diverse geographies of student mobility. The literature indicates that current trends in mobility within higher education in the UK challenge traditional assumptions of student mobility. Although there is a growing trend of ‘immobility’ among students in the UK, international student mobility is on the rise globally. This paper will focus primarily on international student mobility and will discuss trends, motivations and student identities. The current body of work on student mobility focuses on mobilities within, and to, the Western world with an absence of work on mobilities from the North to the Global South. I suggest that future research should explore student mobilities to the developing world as well as the impact of place and mobility on students' personal, national and global identities.
Geographies of the Book: Review and Prospect
Authors: Keighren Innes M. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThis paper traces the origins and recent history of the geography of the book: an interdisciplinary focus of study for geographers, book historians and historians of science. In describing this field's twin concern with geography in books and with the geography of books, the paper examines the ways in which printed texts matter to the study of geography's discursive and disciplinary histories and the contributions that geography, in turn, can make to explaining the circulation and reception of knowledge in print. Through an attention to the making and movement of texts, the paper examines how questions of geography inform understandings of the uneven diffusion and varied reception of knowledge and ideas. In addressing geography's print culture, and in examining geographies of reading, the paper reflects on the significance of books to the making of geographical knowledge and to the significance of geography in accounting for the making of textual meaning.
A comparison of cone beam computed tomography and periapical radiography for the detection of vertical root fractures in nonendodontically treated teeth
Authors: Brady E. , Mannocci F. , Brown J. , Wilson R. , Patel S. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractAimsTo compare in an ex vivo model, the diagnostic accuracy of periapical radiography and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for the detection of artificially induced incomplete and complete vertical root fractures (VRFs), and to determine whether the width of the VRFs had an impact on the diagnostic accuracy of the imaging systems.MethodologyIncomplete VRFs were induced in 30 nonendodontically treated human mandibular premolar and molar teeth. VRF widths were measured using optical coherence tomography. Complete VRFs were induced in 15 of these teeth. 3D Accuitomo and i‐CAT CBCT scans and periapical radiographs were taken prior to and after fracture induction. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was carried for each imaging technique. In addition, values for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, inter‐ and intra‐examiner agreement were calculated.ResultsIn the ROC analysis, both CBCT scanners were significantly more accurate than periapical radiography for the detection of incomplete VRFs (P < 0.05). The overall area under the ROC curve (AUC) values for 3D Accuitomo, i‐CAT and periapical radiography were 0.687, 0.659 and 0.540, respectively. The sensitivity of 3D Accuitomo, i‐CAT and periapical radiography was 27%, 28% and 3% respectively. Interexaminer agreement for the detection of incomplete fractures with periapical radiographs, 3D Accuitomo and i‐CAT was 0.020, 0.229 and 0.333, respectively. Both CBCT scanners were significantly more accurate (P < 0.01) in detecting VRFs of ≥50 μm compared with VRFs of <50 μm. 3D Accuitomo was significantly better than i‐CAT in detecting VRFs of <50 μm (P < 0.05). For complete fractures, the AUC values for 3D Accuitomo (0.999) and i‐CAT (0.998) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than for periapical radiography (0.724).ConclusionsUnder the conditions of this ex vivo study, periapical radiographs and CBCT were unreliable for the detection of simulated incomplete VRFs. The widths of the fractures appeared to have an impact on the diagnostic accuracy of CBCT as the detection of VRFs of ≥50 μm was significantly higher than those of <50 μm. The detection of complete fractures was significantly higher for all systems than that of incomplete fractures.
Manufacturing of Tubular Dead‐End Membranes by Continuous Thermoplastic Extrusion
Authors: Salehi Mehdi , Pfaff Ewald M. , Kaletsch Anke , Graule Thomas , Clemens Frank , Grobéty Bernard 
Published: November 2013

Dense and gastight dead‐end tubular Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3‐δ (BSCF) membranes were fabricated by thermoplastic extrusion. Optimal feedstocks for the extrusion of dead‐end tubular structures were obtained for a feedstock consisting of 89.83 wt% BSCF powder, 5.63 wt% ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), 3.56 wt% paraffin wax (PW), and 0.98 wt% stearic acid (SA). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine the thermal characteristics of the feedstock and to characterize the amount of binder removed during the wicking step. Straight and round dead‐end tubular membranes with wall thickness of 0.5 mm could be achieved after sintering. The gastightness test showed that the membranes were leak‐tight up to a pressure of 35 bar.
MyoD and Myf6 gene expression patterns in skeletal muscle during embryonic and posthatch development in the domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos domestica)
Authors: Li H. , Zhu C. , Tao Z. , Xu W. , Song W. , Hu Y. , Zhu W. , Song C. 
Published: November 2013

SummaryThe MyoD and Myf6 genes, which are muscle regulatory factors (MRFs), play major roles in muscle growth and development and initiate muscle fibre formation via the regulation of muscle‐specific gene translation. Therefore, MyoD and Myf6 are potential candidate genes for meat production traits in animals and poultry. The objective of this study was to evaluate MyoD and Myf6 gene expression patterns in the skeletal muscle during early developmental stage of ducks. Gene expression levels were detected using the quantitative RT‐PCR method in the breast muscle (BM) and leg muscle (LM) at embryonic days 13, 17, 21, 25, 27, as well as at 1 week posthatching in Gaoyou and Jinding ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domestica). The MyoD and Myf6 gene profiles in the two duck breeds were consistent during early development, and MyoD gene expression showed a ‘wave’ trend in BM and an approximate ‘anti‐√’ trend in LM. Myf6 gene expression in BM showed the highest level at embryonic day 21, which subsequently decreased, although remained relatively high, while levels at embryonic days 13, 17 and 21 were higher in LM. The results of correlation analysis showed that MyoD and Myf6 gene expression levels were more strongly correlated in LM than in BM in both duck breeds. These results indicated that different expression patterns of the MyoD and Myf6 genes in BM and LM may be related to muscle development and differentiation, suggesting that MyoD and Myf6 are integral to skeletal muscle development.
The EU Factor in Fat Times and in Lean: Did the EU Amplify the Boom and Soften the Bust?
Authors: Jacoby Wade 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThis article describes the EU's impact on economic performance in the new Member States since the advent of membership. It first deals with the EU's role in promoting the economic boom that marked the region up to 2007, emphasizing the role of the single market and of the EU in anchoring and encouraging economic policy liberalization. The second section investigates the EU role in buffering the bust that occurred after 2007, looking at structural fund spending and financial sector instruments to enhance liquidity. I argue the EU had a (mostly unintentional) pro‐cyclical effect that fuelled the boom and contributed to setting up the region for a very hard fall during the bust. I also show the EU efforts to buffer the hard times were far quicker in the area of structural fund spending compared to very slow and limited innovation in liquidity provision, especially for non‐eurozone states.
Absorption of Regional Funds: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Tosun Jale 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThis article evaluates the determinants of the absorption performance of European Union Member States with regard to the European Regional Development Fund's (ERDF) 2000–06 programming period. Theoretically grounded in Europeanization research and studies of regional governance, the empirical analysis concentrates on the ERDF absorption performance of 25 Member States at the end of the programming period in 2008. The results of Tobit models show a positive relationship between ERDF absorption and government capacity. The estimation findings also demonstrate that new Member States generally had higher absorption rates than old Member States. Furthermore, Member States with high income levels were less likely to maximize the absorption of their ERDF allocations. Finally, there is some support for the hypothesis that fiscal decentralization has a negative impact on absorption performance.
Life Cycle Assessment of a Lithium‐Ion Battery Vehicle Pack
Authors: Ellingsen Linda Ager‐Wick , Majeau‐Bettez Guillaume , Singh Bhawna , Srivastava Akhilesh Kumar , Valøen Lars Ole , Strømman Anders Hammer 
Published: November 2013

SummaryElectric vehicles (EVs) have no tailpipe emissions, but the production of their batteries leads to environmental burdens. In order to avoid problem shifting, a life cycle perspective should be applied in the environmental assessment of traction batteries. The aim of this study was to provide a transparent inventory for a lithium‐ion nickel‐cobalt‐manganese traction battery based on primary data and to report its cradle‐to‐gate impacts. The study was carried out as a process‐based attributional life cycle assessment. The environmental impacts were analyzed using midpoint indicators. The global warming potential of the 26.6 kilowatt‐hour (kWh), 253‐kilogram battery pack was found to be 4.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. Regardless of impact category, the production impacts of the battery were caused mainly by the production chains of battery cell manufacture, positive electrode paste, and negative current collector. The robustness of the study was tested through sensitivity analysis, and results were compared with preceding studies. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the most effective approach to reducing climate change emissions would be to produce the battery cells with electricity from a cleaner energy mix. On a per‐kWh basis, cradle‐to‐gate greenhouse gas emissions of the battery were within the range of those reported in preceding studies. Contribution and structural path analysis allowed for identification of the most impact‐intensive processes and value chains. This article provides an inventory based mainly on primary data, which can easily be adapted to subsequent EV studies, and offers an improved understanding of environmental burdens pertaining to lithium‐ion traction batteries.
A Theory of Debt Maturity: The Long and Short of Debt Overhang
Authors: DIAMOND DOUGLAS W. , HE ZHIGUO 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTDebt maturity influences debt overhang, the reduced incentive for highly levered borrowers to make real investments because some value accrues to debt. Reducing maturity can increase or decrease overhang even when shorter term debt's value depends less on firm value. Future overhang is more volatile for shorter term debt, making future investment incentives volatile and influencing immediate investment incentives. With immediate investment, shorter term debt typically imposes lower overhang; longer term debt can impose less if asset volatility is higher in bad times. For future investments, reduced correlation between assets‐in‐place and investment opportunities increases the shorter term debt overhang.
Cervical dentin hypersensitivity: a cross‐sectional investigation in Athens, Greece
Authors: Rahiotis C. , Polychronopoulou A. , Tsiklakis K. , Kakaboura A. 
Published: November 2013

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of cervical dentin hypersensitivity in a cross‐sectional investigation of Greek adults. Seven hundred and sixty‐seven subjects were examined. Participants were patients processed for first examination in the Clinic of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Athens. The evaluation of hypersensitivity was performed using two methods: for each tooth, the response to a) tactile stimulus and b) air‐blast stimulus was measured. Additional factors such as smoking habits, oral health behaviour, consumption of acidic foods, type of toothbrush, daily use of fluoride solution and of desensitising toothpaste, gingival recession and non‐carious cervical lesions were recorded and evaluated as causative factors. Descriptive statistics on the demographics of the study sample, of oral health behaviour characteristics and of oral examination findings were performed. Comparisons of these characteristics in the presence or absence of hypersensitivity were conducted with the chi‐square test. Data were further analysed using multiple logistic regression modelling. Among study participants, 21·3% had at least one cervical dentin hypersensitivity reaction to the tactile stimulus, and 38·6%, to the air‐blast stimulus. Multivariate analysis detected association of the hypersensitivity in tactile or air‐blast stimulus with the non‐carious lesions and with the gingival recessions. Additionally, a relation between hypersensitivity and air‐blast stimulus with gender (female) was found. There was no association between the hypersensitivity in both of the stimuli and the level of education, smoking, consumption of acidic foods, type of toothbrush and daily use of fluoride solution or desensitising toothpaste. The overall prevalence of cervical dentin hypersensitivity in the adult population in Athens ranged from 21·3% to 38·6% depending on the type of stimuli. Cervical non‐carious lesions and gingival recessions were determined as significant predictors of dentin hypersensitivity.
QCM-4 a novel 5-HT3 antagonist attenuates the behavioral and biochemical alterations on chronic unpredictable mild stress model of depression in Swiss albino mice
Authors: Kurhe Yeshwant , Radhakrishnan Mahesh , Gupta Deepali , Devadoss Thangaraj 
Published: November 2013

Abstract

Objectives
The inconsistent therapeutic outcome necessitates identifying novel compounds for the treatment of depression. Therefore, the present study is aimed at evaluating the antidepressant-like effects of a novel 5-HT3 receptor antagonist 3-methoxy-N-p-tolylquinoxalin-2-carboxamide (QCM-4) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced behavioral and biochemical alterations in mice.

Methods
Animals were subjected to different stressors for a period of 28 days. Thereafter, battery tests like locomotor score, sucrose preference test, forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field test (OFT) were performed. Biochemical assays like lipid peroxidation, nitrite levels, reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were assessed in brain homogenate.

Key findings
QCM-4 dose dependently reversed the CUMS induced behavioral and biochemical alterations by increasing the sucrose consumption, reducing the immobility time in FST and TST, increasing the percent time in open arm in EPM and increasing the ambulation along with the rearings and decreased number of fecal pellets in OFT. Further, biochemical alterations were attenuated by QCM-4 as indicated by reduced lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels and elevated antioxidant enzyme levels like GSH, catalase and SOD.

Conclusions
QCM-4 attenuated the behavioral and biochemical derangements induced by CUMS in mice, indicating antidepressant behavior of the novel compound.