bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New treatments for levodopa‐induced motor complications
Authors: Rascol Olivier , Perez‐Lloret Santiago , Ferreira Joaquim J 
Published: August 2015

AbstractLevodopa (l‐dopa)‐induced motor complications, including motor fluctuations and dyskinesia, affect almost all patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) at some point during the disease course, with relevant implications in global health status. Various dopaminergic and nondopaminergic pharmacological approaches as well as more invasive strategies including devices and functional surgery are available to manage such complications. In spite of undisputable improvements during the last decades, many patients remain significantly disabled, and a fully satisfying management ofl‐dopa–induced motor complications is still an important unmet need of PD therapy. This article reviews the recent trial results published from 2013 to April 2015 about pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions to treat motor complications. Randomized controlled trials conducted in patients suffering from already established complications showed that new levodopa (l‐dopa) formulations such as intrajejunall‐dopa–carbidopa infusion and bilayered extended‐releasel‐dopa–carbidopa (IPX066) can improve motor fluctuations. Positive results were also obtained with a new monoamine oxidase B (MAO‐B) inhibitor (safinamide) and a catechol‐O‐methyltransferase COMT inhibitor (opicapone). Pilot data suggest that new formulations of dopamine agonists (inhaled apomorphine) are also of potential interest. The development of novel nondopaminergic adenosine A2A antagonists (istradefylline, preladenant, and tozadenant) to treat motor fluctuations showed conflicting results in phase 2 and phase 3 trials. For dyskinesia, trials with new amantadine extended‐release formulations confirmed the interest of the glutamatergicN‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) antagonist approach. Positive pilot antidyskinetic effects were also recently reported using serotonin agents such as eltoprazine and glutamate mGluR5 modulators such as mavoglurant. However, the translation to clinical practice of such innovative concepts remains challenging, because subsequent phase 2 trials conducted to confirm the antidyskynetic effects of mavoglurant failed, leading to the interruption of the development of this compound for this indication. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Radiofrequency pulse design using nonlinear gradient magnetic fields
Authors: Kopanoglu Emre , Constable R. Todd 
Published: August 2015

PurposeAn iterative k‐space trajectory and radiofrequency (RF) pulse design method is proposed for excitation using nonlinear gradient magnetic fields.Theory and MethodsThe spatial encoding functions (SEFs) generated by nonlinear gradient fields are linearly dependent in Cartesian coordinates. Left uncorrected, this may lead to flip angle variations in excitation profiles. In the proposed method, SEFs (k‐space samples) are selected using a matching pursuit algorithm, and the RF pulse is designed using a conjugate gradient algorithm. Three variants of the proposed approach are given: the full algorithm, a computationally cheaper version, and a third version for designing spoke‐based trajectories. The method is demonstrated for various target excitation profiles using simulations and phantom experiments.ResultsThe method is compared with other iterative (matching pursuit and conjugate gradient) and noniterative (coordinate‐transformation and Jacobian‐based) pulse design methods as well as uniform density spiral and EPI trajectories. The results show that the proposed method can increase excitation fidelity.ConclusionAn iterative method for designing k‐space trajectories and RF pulses using nonlinear gradient fields is proposed. The method can either be used for selecting the SEFs individually to guide trajectory design, or can be adapted to design and optimize specific trajectories of interest. Magn Reson Med 74:826–839, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Solvent Molecule Controlled Zinc(II) Metal‐Organic Frameworks with Different Topology
Authors: Zhang Yan , Liu Qifeng , Geng Hongmei 
Published: August 2015

AbstractTwo zinc(II) coordination polymers, namely [Zn2(bptc)(DMF)2(H2O)]n (1) and [Zn(bptc)0.5(DMA)]n (2) (H4bptc = biphenyl‐3,3′,5,5′‐tetracarboxylic acid, DMF = N,N′‐dimethylformamide, DMA = N,N′‐dimethylacetamide), were obtained under solvothermal conditions by varying the reaction solvents. Single crystal X‐ray diffraction analyses revealed that compound 1 features a 3D PtS type framework based on dinuclear [Zn2O(COO)2] subunits and compound 2 features a 3D lvt type framework based on paddle‐wheel shaped [Zn2(COO)4] subunits. Moreover, the luminescent and thermal stabilities of these two compounds were investigated.
Complications in Laparoscopic Versus Open Incisional Ventral Hernia Repair. A Retrospective Comparative Study
Authors: Ahonen‐Siirtola Mirella , Rautio Tero , Ward Jaana , Kössi Jyrki , Ohtonen Pasi , Mäkelä Jyrki 
Published: August 2015

AbstractPurposeThe objective of the study was to evaluate peri‐ and postoperative outcomes, especially severe complications in adult incisional ventral hernia repair performed by open or laparoscopic surgery.MethodsAdult patients who were operated for incisional ventral hernias in two tertiary hospitals in Finland during 2006–2012 were included in the study. Clinical data were collected from patient registers. Peri‐ and postoperative parameters were gathered and compared between open and laparoscopic groups. Postoperative complications were analyzed, and the focus was on major complications.ResultsThe results of 818 hernioplasties were evaluated: 291 (36.3 %) open and 527 (63.7 %) laparoscopic operations. In the laparoscopic group, the number of patients with postoperative complications was slightly lower (18.4 vs. 23.4 %, p = 0.090), and there were significantly fewer surgical site infections (3.2 vs. 8.6 %, p = 0.001). Twelve major complications occurred. In the laparoscopic group, four of the five major complications were consequences of undetected enterotomies, leading to reoperations, longer hospital stays, and death of one patient. Major complications in the open group consisted of four cardiac infarctions and three septic surgical site infections. Complex adhesions had a significant influence on major complications, enterotomies, and surgical site infections. Laparoscopic operations had a lower mean blood loss (13 vs. 31.5 ml, p = 0.028), and hospital stay (4 vs. 6 days, p = 0.001) compared to open operations.ConclusionsLaparoscopic incisional ventral hernia repair has a low rate of postoperative complications but it is associated with an increased risk of undetected enterotomies, in particular during cases involving adhesiolysis.
A longitudinal evaluation of the Resilient Families randomized trial to prevent early adolescent depressive symptoms
Authors: Buttigieg Jason P. , Shortt Alison L. , Slaviero Tania M. , Hutchinson Delyse , Kremer Peter , Toumbourou John W. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThis study aimed to evaluate whether an intervention prevented the development of depressive symptoms through the early years of secondary school (Grades 7 to 9 – mean ages 12.3 to 14.5 years) in Victoria, Australia. Twelve schools were randomized to a universal preventative intervention (including a student social relationship/emotional health curriculum, and parent/caregiver parenting education); 12 were randomized as control schools. Multivariate regression analyses used student self‐report to predict depressive symptoms at 26‐month follow‐up (13‐months after intervention completion) from baseline measures and intervention status (N = 2027). There was no overall intervention effect on depressive symptoms. However, intervention students with moderate symptoms whose parents attended parent education events had a significantly reduced risk of depressive symptoms at follow‐up. Future evaluations of interventions of this type should investigate: therapeutic processes; methods to increase recruitment into effective parent education events; and the potential to target assistance to students with high depressive symptoms.
Perceived versus actual value of product substitution flexibility: An experimental investigation
Authors: Bansal Saurabh , Moritz Brent 
Published: August 2015

AbstractPrior literature suggests that in the presence of operational uncertainties such as uncertain demand, firms should deploy operational flexibilities. However, these flexibilities are costly to develop and a correct valuation of these capabilities is necessary to ensure that they are only deployed when the expected benefits exceed the cost. Using a set of behavioral decision‐making experiments for inventory of substitutable products, we investigate how decision‐makers perform when estimating the value of operational flexibility of product substitution. We found that subjects consistently overestimated the monetary value of product substitution. Furthermore, the overestimation became more acute as demand correlation increased. This behavior is not explained by risk aversion or random errors. Instead, it appears to be driven by fundamental and systematic behavioral biases when estimating the conjunctive probability of substitution. We suggest and validate a decomposition‐based approach to mitigate this overestimation.
Ultrastructural and functional fate of recycled vesicles in hippocampal synapses
Authors: Rey Stephanie A. , Smith Catherine A. , Fowler Milena W. , Crawford Freya , Burden Jemima J. , Staras Kevin 
Published: August 2015

AbstractEfficient recycling of synaptic vesicles is thought to be critical for sustained information transfer at central terminals. However, the specific contribution that retrieved vesicles make to future transmission events remains unclear. Here we exploit fluorescence and time-stamped electron microscopy to track the functional and positional fate of vesicles endocytosed after readily releasable pool (RRP) stimulation in rat hippocampal synapses. We show that most vesicles are recovered near the active zone but subsequently take up random positions in the cluster, without preferential bias for future use. These vesicles non-selectively queue, advancing towards the release site with further stimulation in an actin-dependent manner. Nonetheless, the small subset of vesicles retrieved recently in the stimulus train persist nearer the active zone and exhibit more privileged use in the next RRP. Our findings reveal heterogeneity in vesicle fate based on nanoscale position and timing rules, providing new insights into the origins of future pool constitution.
Non-quantitative adjustment of offspring sex ratios in pollinating fig wasps
Authors: Wang Rui-Wu , Sun Bao-Fa , He Jun-Zhou , Dunn Derek W. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractFig wasp is one of the most well known model systems in examining whether or not the parents could adjust their offspring sex ratio to maximize their gene frequency transmission in next generations. Our manipulative experiments showed that, in all of the five pollinator wasps of figs (Agaonidae) that have different averages of foundress numbers per syconium, almost the same proportions of male offspring are produced in the experiment that foundresses deposit one hour then are killed with ether (66.1%–70.1%) and over the lifespan of each foundress (14.0%–21.0%). The foundresses tend to deposit their male eggs prior to female eggs. The observed increase in the proportion of male offspring as a function of foundress number results from density-dependent interference competition among the foundresses. These results showed that the selection of gene frequency transmission through the behavioral adjustment in the evolution of sex ratio does not exist in these five fig wasps. The results here implied that genetic adjustment mechanisms of the sex ratio of fig wasps can only be triggered to be on or off and that the foundresses can not quantitatively adjust their sex ratio according to increased environmental selection pressure.
Ultrafast electron dynamics at the Dirac node of the topological insulator Sb2Te3
Authors: Zhu Siyuan , Ishida Yukiaki , Kuroda Kenta , Sumida Kazuki , Ye Mao , Wang Jiajia , Pan Hong , Taniguchi Masaki , Qiao Shan , Shin Shik , Kimura Akio 
Published: August 2015

AbstractTopological insulators (TIs) are a new quantum state of matter. Their surfaces and interfaces act as a topological boundary to generate massless Dirac fermions with spin-helical textures. Investigation of fermion dynamics near the Dirac point (DP) is crucial for the future development of spintronic devices incorporating topological insulators. However, research so far has been unsatisfactory because of a substantial overlap with the bulk valence band and a lack of a completely unoccupied DP. Here, we explore the surface Dirac fermion dynamics in the TI Sb2Te3 by time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (TrARPES). Sb2Te3 has an in-gap DP located completely above the Fermi energy (EF). The excited electrons in the upper Dirac cone stay longer than those below the DP to form an inverted population. This was attributed to a reduced density of states (DOS) near the DP.
Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta induces apoptosis and mitotic catastrophe by disrupting centrosome regulation in cancer cells
Authors: Yoshino Yuki , Ishioka Chikashi 
Published: August 2015

AbstractGlycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β) has been investigated as a therapeutic target for numerous human diseases including cancer because of their diverse cellular functions. Although GSK-3β inhibitors have been investigated as anticancer reagents, precise biological mechanisms remain to be determined. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effects of GSK-3β inhibitors on cancer cell lines and observed centrosome dysregulation which resulted in abnormal mitosis. Mitotic checkpoints sensed the mitotic abnormalities and induced apoptosis. For cells that were inherently resistant to apoptosis, cell death distinct from apoptosis was induced. After GSK-3β inhibitor treatment, these cells exhibited characteristic features of mitotic catastrophe, including distended and multivesiculated nuclei and inappropriate reductions in cyclin B1 expression. This suggested that mitotic catastrophe was an alternative mechanism in cells resistant to apoptosis. Although the role of GSK-3β in centrosomes has not yet been clarified, phosphorylated GSK-3β was localised in centrosomes. From these data, GSK-3β seems to regulate centrosome function. Thus, we propose that centrosome dysregulation is an important mechanism for the anticancer effects of GSK-3β inhibitors and that mitotic catastrophe serves as a safe-guard system to remove cells with any mitotic abnormalities induced by GSK-3β inhibition.
Generalisation within specialization: inter-individual diet variation in the only specialized salamander in the world
Authors: Costa Andrea , Salvidio Sebastiano , Posillico Mario , Matteucci Giorgio , De Cinti Bruno , Romano Antonio 
Published: August 2015

AbstractSpecialization is typically inferred at population and species level but in the last decade many authors highlighted this trait at the individual level, finding that generalist populations can be composed by both generalist and specialist individual. Despite hundreds of reported cases of individual specialization there is a complete lack of information on inter-individual diet variation in specialist species. We studied the diet of the Italian endemic Spectacled Salamander(Salamandrina perspicillata), in a temperate forest ecosystem, to disclose the realised trophic niche, prey selection strategy in function of phenotypic variation and inter-individual diet variation. Our results showed thatSalamandrinais highly specialized on Collembola and the more specialized individuals are the better performing ones. Analyses of inter-individual diet variation showed that a subset of animals exhibited a broader trophic niche, adopting different foraging strategies. Our findings reflects the optimal foraging theory both at population and individual level, since animals in better physiological conditions are able to exploit the most profitable prey, suggesting that the two coexisting strategies are not equivalent. At last this species, feeding on decomposers of litter detritus, could play a key role determining litter retention rate, nutrient cycle and carbon sequestration.
Optogenetic control of cell signaling pathway through scattering skull using wavefront shaping
Authors: Yoon Jonghee , Lee Minji , Lee KyeoReh , Kim Nury , Kim Jin Man , Park Jongchan , Yu Hyeonseung , Choi Chulhee , Heo Won Do , Park YongKeun 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWe introduce a non-invasive approach for optogenetic regulation in biological cells through highly scattering skull tissue using wavefront shaping. The wavefront of the incident light was systematically controlled using a spatial light modulator in order to overcome multiple light-scattering in a mouse skull layer and to focus light on the target cells. We demonstrate that illumination with shaped waves enables spatiotemporal regulation of intracellular Ca2+ level at the individual-cell level.
Climate change on the Tibetan Plateau in response to shifting atmospheric circulation since the LGM
Authors: Zhu Liping , Lü Xinmiao , Wang Junbo , Peng Ping , Kasper Thomas , Daut Gerhard , Haberzettl Torsten , Frenzel Peter , Li Quan , Yang Ruimin , Schwalb Antje , Mäusbacher Roland 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe Tibetan Plateau (TP) is primarily influenced by the northern hemispheric middle latitude Westerlies and the Indian summer monsoon (ISM). The extent, long-distance effects and potential long-term changes of these two atmospheric circulations are not yet fully understood. Here, we analyse modern airborne pollen in a transition zone of seasonally alternating dominance of the Westerlies and the ISM to develop a pollen discrimination index (PDI) that allows us to distinguish between the intensities of the two circulation systems. This index is applied to interpret a continuous lacustrine sedimentary record from Lake Nam Co covering the past 24 cal kyr BP to investigate long-term variations in the atmospheric circulation systems. Climatic variations on the central TP widely correspond to those of the North Atlantic (NA) realm, but are controlled through different mechanisms resulting from the changing climatic conditions since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). During the LGM, until 16.5 cal kyr BP, the TP was dominated by the Westerlies. After 16.5 cal kyr BP, the climatic conditions were mainly controlled by the ISM. From 11.6 to 9 cal kyr BP, the TP was exposed to enhanced solar radiation at the low latitudes, resulting in greater water availability.
Surface evolution of manganese chloride aqueous droplets resulting in self-suppressed evaporation
Authors: Zeng Xiping , Zhang Yifan , Xia Zengzilu , Wang Li , Wang Cong , Huang Yingzhou , Shen Rong , Wen Weijia 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe exchange kinetics of liquid water, which are of fundamental interest and have potential applications, remain unclear. A fantastic and extraordinary phenomenon was observed during the evaporation of a water droplet doped with manganese chloride. As observed from the evolution of this type of droplet, a thin film was formed on the surface with an exothermic phase transition, resulting in self-suppressed evaporation. The MnCl2-doped water droplets were maintained in a relative humidity (RH) of 50% at 40 °C for more than a week and for longer than two months at a temperature of 25 °C. In contrast, a pure water droplet can only be sustained for a few minutes. The self-suppressed evaporation of doped water may be due to the special hydration of the accumulated manganese and chloride ions at the surface, decreasing the surface tension.
Heterogeneous lineage marker expression in naive embryonic stem cells is mostly due to spontaneous differentiation
Authors: Nair Gautham , Abranches Elsa , Guedes Ana M. V. , Henrique Domingos , Raj Arjun 
Published: August 2015

AbstractPopulations of cultured mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exhibit a subfraction of cells expressing uncharacteristically low levels of pluripotency markers such as Nanog. Yet, the extent to which individual Nanog-negative cells are differentiated, both from ESCs and from each other, remains unclear. Here, we show the transcriptome of Nanog-negative cells exhibits expression of classes of genes associated with differentiation that are not yet active in cells exposed to differentiation conditions for one day. Long non-coding RNAs, however, exhibit more changes in expression in the one-day-differentiated cells than in Nanog-negative cells. These results are consistent with the concept that Nanog-negative cells may contain subpopulations of both lineage-primed and differentiated cells. Single cell analysis showed that Nanog-negative cells display substantial and coherent heterogeneity in lineage marker expression in progressively nested subsets of cells exhibiting low levels of Nanog, then low levels of Oct4 and then a set of lineage markers, which express intensely in a small subset of these more differentiated cells. Our results suggest that the observed enrichment of lineage-specific marker gene expression in Nanog-negative cells is associated with spontaneous differentiation of a subset of these cells rather than the more random expression that may be associated with reversible lineage priming.
High-frequency hearing, tinnitus and patient satisfaction with stapedotomy: A randomized prospective study
Authors: Bagger-Sjöbäck Dan , Strömbäck Karin , Hultcrantz Malou , Papatziamos Georgios , Smeds Henrik , Danckwardt-Lillieström Niklas , Tideholm Bo , Johansson Ann , Hellström Sten , Hakizimana Pierre , Fridberger Anders 
Published: August 2015

AbstractOtosclerosis is a common disorder that leads to conductive hearing loss. Most patients with otosclerosis also have tinnitus and surgical treatment is known to improve hearing as well as tinnitus. Some patients however experience worsening of tinnitus after the operation, but there are no known factors that allow surgeons to predict who will be at risk. In this prospective observational study on 133 patients undergoing stapedotomy, we show that postoperative air conduction thresholds at very high stimulus frequencies predict improvement of tinnitus, as assessed with proportional odds logistic regression models. Young patients were significantly more likely to experience reduction of tinnitus and patients whose tinnitus became better were also more satisfied with the outcome of the operation. These findings have practical importance for patients and their surgeons. Young patients can be advised that surgery is likely to be beneficial for their tinnitus, but a less positive message should be conveyed to older patients.