bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient Perceptions of Osteoporosis Treatment Thresholds
Authors: Neuner Joan M. , Schapira Marilyn M. 
Published: February 2014

Objective.Many older patients express concerns about medication risks, and have higher risk thresholds than physicians for cardiovascular preventive medications. We hypothesized that patients have relatively high risk thresholds for fracture preventive medications.Methods.Women ≥ 60 years old were recruited from 3 primary care internal medicine clinics in Wisconsin. Participants were provided information regarding fracture risks and treatment risks and benefits, followed by a series of vignettes depicting a 70-year-old woman at baseline fracture risks between 5–50%. Fracture risks were shown graphically and treatment side effects were provided for each vignette, and participants were asked to respond regarding whether they would accept treatment. The association of vignette treatment acceptance with participant beliefs regarding medication risks was examined in analyses adjusted for perceived risk of medications, patient numeracy, and prior respondent experience with osteoporosis.Results.The mean age of women in the cohort was 69.4 years (SD 7.29). Ninety-one percent were non-Hispanic whites, 34% reported a history of fracture, and 20.3% a history of osteoporosis. Subjects varied substantially in their responses to vignettes, but only 51% reported they would accept prescription osteoporosis treatment at the threshold currently recommended by national physician treatment guidelines, and fewer would accept treatment at lower risks. Belief that medications are generally not worth their risks was associated with lower acceptance of treatment at all levels of fracture risk.Conclusion.There is substantial variability in preferences for postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment. Presentation of individualized fracture risks as recommended by current guidelines has potential to allow better targeting to higher-risk patients, but further work is needed regarding how to present this information and counsel patients.
Erosions and Fatty Lesions of Sacroiliac Joints in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis: Evaluation of Different MRI Techniques and Two Scoring Methods
Authors: Krohn Michaela , Braum Leonie S. , Sieper Joachim , Song In-Ho , Weiß Anja , Callhoff Johanna , Althoff Christian E. , Hamm Bernd , Hermann Kay-Geert A. 
Published: February 2014

Objective.Assessment of structural damage of sacroiliac joints (SIJ) in patients with axial spondyloarthritides (axSpA) has been discussed as a useful outcome measure in clinical trials. The aim of our study was to evaluate different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scoring methods and pulse sequences with a focus on fatty lesions and bony erosions.Methods.Seventy-five patients with the diagnosis of axSpA underwent MRI at 3 timepoints as part of the ESTHER trial, which compared 2 groups of patients treated with etanercept or sulfasalazine. Two MRI sequences [unenhanced T1-weighted (T1w) turbo spin-echo (TSE) and unenhanced T1w opposed-phase gradient-echo sequences (opGRE)] and 2 different scoring systems (simple and comprehensive Berlin method) were used for the evaluation of fatty lesions and erosions of the SIJ. Differences between techniques and methods were evaluated by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and standardized response means (SRM).Results.Applying the simple Berlin method, mean fatty lesion scores for etanercept-treated patients were 4.59 and 5.19 at baseline and Week 48, respectively, while the comprehensive Berlin method revealed mean fatty lesion scores of 6.59 and 7.64, respectively. Corresponding SRM were 0.59 and 0.86 for simple and comprehensive methods, respectively, while ICC dropped from 0.76–0.77 to 0.59–0.62. Scoring of erosions on T1w opGRE images resulted in a higher interreader agreement (ICC of 0.65) compared to T1w TSE sequences (ICC of 0.18).Conclusion.Better characterization of fatty lesion changes within 1 year was achieved by the comprehensive Berlin scoring method; however, more reader variation has to be taken into account. The delineation of erosions is markedly improved when using T1w opGRE pulse sequences.
Blood Monocyte Heterogeneity and Markers of Endothelial Activation in Ankylosing Spondylitis
Authors: Surdacki Andrzej , Sulicka Joanna , Korkosz Mariusz , Mikołajczyk Tomasz , Telesińska-Jasiówka Dorota , Klimek Ewa , Kierzkowska Izabella , Guzik Tomasz , Grodzicki Tomasz K. 
Published: February 2014

Objective.Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with excessive cardiovascular (CV) morbidity. Interactions between activated endothelium and monocytes precede atherosclerotic plaques. Our aim was to quantify blood monocyte subsets in relation to endothelial activation and inflammatory activity in subjects with AS who were free of clinical atherosclerotic CV disease.Methods.Markers of inflammation and endothelial activation were measured in 47 patients with AS receiving no disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, and 22 healthy controls. Exclusion criteria included atherosclerotic CV disease and traditional risk factors. Flow cytometry was used to identify monocyte subsets: classical CD14++CD16−, intermediate CD14++CD16+, and nonclassical CD14+CD16++monocytes and to evaluate their expression of CD11b and CD11c.Results.Traditional risk factors were comparable among the groups, except for lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in AS (p = 0.007). Relative to controls, in subjects with AS counts of classical monocytes were higher (84.3 ± 5.4 vs 78.9 ± 5.3% of blood monocytes, p < 0.001) and nonclassical monocytes lower (2.9 ± 2.2 vs 5.5 ± 2.3%, p < 0.001). In AS we observed increased soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [251 (224–293) vs 202 (187–230) ng/ml, p = 0.002], an endothelial ligand for monocytic β2-integrin CD11b/CD18. CD11b expression on all 3 monocyte subsets was elevated in 21 AS subjects with a Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index score ≥ 4 versus the remaining patients (p = 0.005–0.03). C-reactive protein, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and pentraxin-3 were increased in AS, in contrast to tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-18. IL-6 correlated with classical monocytes numbers in AS (r = 0.56, p < 0.0001) but not in the controls (r = 0.10, p = 0.65).Conclusion.Our findings suggest a contribution of immune dysregulation to enhanced monocyte-endothelial interactions in AS, especially in patients with active disease, which possibly can accelerate atherogenesis on a longterm basis.
Ultrasound of Synovitis in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Advantages of the Dorsal over the Palmar Approach to Finger Joints
Authors: Witt Matthias N. , Mueller Felix , Weinert Peter , Nigg Axel P. , Reindl Christiane S. , Proft Fabian , Schulze-Koops Hendrik , Grunke Mathias 
Published: February 2014

Objective.To compare the dorsal and palmar ultrasound (US) examination of finger joints in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with regard to the concurrence of greyscale (GSUS) and power Doppler (PDUS) positivity, and to correlate both approaches with clinical variables.Methods.Patients with newly diagnosed RA were assessed by clinical examination and US. GSUS and PDUS of metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints were performed using the dorsal and palmar approach. Findings of synovitis in GSUS and PDUS were graded semiquantitatively from 0 to 3. Clinical and sonographic reevaluation was performed after 6 months.Results.With 44.6% versus 32.2% positive findings, palmar GSUS identified significantly more joints with synovitis than did dorsal GSUS. With 22.1% versus 8.9%, PDUS abnormalities were detected significantly more often from the dorsal side. With 71.2% versus 21.8% for the MCP and 57.5% versus 17.4% for the PIP joints, significantly more GSUS and PDUS double-positive joints were found with the dorsal as opposed to the palmar approach. These differences remained significant at Month 6. Both palmar and dorsal GSUS and PDUS correlated with comparable strength with clinical variables such as the Disease Activity Score 28, Clinical Disease Activity Index, and Simple Disease Activity Index.Conclusion.Although the dorsal approach detected fewer GSUS findings than the palmar approach, PDUS signals were significantly more frequently detected by dorsal US. In addition, the prevalence of double-positive joints with concurrent GSUS and PDUS findings was significantly higher with the dorsal approach. These data argue in favor of the dorsal US approach to finger joints in RA.
Independent Relationship of Osteoprotegerin Concentrations with Endothelial Activation and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Patients with Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Dessein Patrick H. , López-Mejias Raquel , González-Juanatey Carlos , Genre Fernanda , Miranda-Filloy José A. , Llorca Javier , González-Gay Miguel A. 
Published: February 2014

Objective.Osteoprotegerin (OPG) may contribute to the link between systemic inflammation and increased cardiovascular risk. We investigated the relationship of OPG concentrations with endothelial activation and carotid atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods.OPG concentrations and those of endothelial activation molecules were measured by using ELISA in 34 patients who were treated with infliximab (IFX), both immediately before and after an IFX infusion. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and plaque were determined by ultrasound in 27 of the study participants.Results.Median (interquartile range) OPG concentrations decreased from 4.8 pmol/l (2.8–6.5) to 4.4 pmol/l (2.9–6.1; p = 0.04) upon IFX infusion. Baseline OPG concentrations were inversely associated with those of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (partial R = −0.50, p = 0.004, and R = −0.48, p = 0.007, respectively). Prior to IFX administration, OPG concentrations were associated with those of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 (partial R = 0.34, p = 0.05), CIMT (partial R = 0.51 to 0.52, p < 0.009), and plaque (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.01–2.29 to OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.03–2.51; p < 0.04), independent of conventional risk factors and C-reactive protein concentrations or disease activity. Except for the OPG concentrations-plaque association (p = 0.09), these relationships remained significant subsequent to IFX administration (p < 0.05). Reductions in OPG levels related to those in vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 concentrations (partial R = 0.35, p = 0.04) and had borderline significance (p = 0.09) with those in ICAM-1 (partial R = 0.29) concentrations.Conclusion.OPG concentrations are independently associated with endothelial activation and carotid atherosclerosis in RA. Reductions in OPG concentrations upon IFX administration are associated with decreased endothelial activation. OPG may be involved in increased cardiovascular disease risk and may improve its stratification in patients with RA.
Endogenous Retroviruses and the Development of Cancer
Authors: Kassiotis George 
Published: February 2014

Abstract
Mammalian genomes include a considerable number of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), relics of ancestral infectious retroviruses, whose proviruses have invaded the germ-line. The documented ability of infectious retroviruses to cause cancer has greatly contributed to the discovery of ERVs. It also reinforced the concept that ERVs are causative agents of many cancers, a notion that historically has not always stood up to experimental scrutiny. The recent greater appreciation of the complexity of ERV biology and the identification of dedicated host mechanisms controlling ERV activity have revealed novel interactions between ERVs and their hosts, with the potential to cause or contribute to disease. In this review, the involvement of ERVs in cancer initiation and progression is discussed, as well as their contribution to our understanding of the process of transformation and to the invention of innovative preventive and therapeutic cancer treatments.
The first clinical experience in prostate cancer salvage cryotherapy
Authors: Ulys Albertas , Vėželis Alvydas , Snicorius Marius , Anglickis Marius 
Published: February 2014

Introduction. Prostate cancer is the most common malignant neoplasia among men in Lithuania, though it presents a low mortality rate. In 2007 more than 3 500 Lithuanians were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Many patients were treated with radiotherapy. Unfortunately, after several years the number of cases of prostate cancer recurrence after radiotherapy started to grow. This new problem requires the following difficult decision to make: which treatment method to choose? Radical prostatectomy, high-dose radiotherapy, cryotherapy, high-intensityfocused ultrasound, active surveillance or hormone therapy – all are viable salvage methods. In 2012 we performed the first cryotherapy procedures. Now we want to present our first clinical experience in prostate cancer salvage cryotherapy.
Materials and methods. Five patients diagnosed with prostate cancer were selected for prostate cryotherapy. Four patients were treated only with radiotherapy, one patient was treated with radiotherapy plus neoadjuvant hormonal treatment.
Prostate cancer recurrences were diagnosed by multiparametric MRI and ultrasound guided transrectal or transperineal biopsies. MRI findings were validated with the Magnetic Resonance Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS). CT, MRI, ultrasound scanning, and bone scintigraphy were performed for patients before treatment. No pathological bone changes were detected. All patients received 2-cycle cryotherapy with real-time ultrasound guidance and temperature change tracking.
Results. The described treatment scheme for these patients enables to deliver two freezing-thawing cycles with 10–12 probes and a urethra-warming catheter. All procedures were completed succesfully without any intraoperative complications. Urinal obstruction was observed after 1 week for 1 of 5 patients. He had to stay with epicystostomy and overwent prostate transurethral resection. After these procedures the patient could urinate normally.
One patient had biochemical progression due to metastasis in parailiacal lymph nodes, and he got external beam therapy to lymph-node projection. After 6 months there was no cancer progresion signs on MRI and PSA was 1.77 ng/ml.
No patients suffered from urinary incontinence.
Conclusions. Our initial experience shows that cryotherapy can be a viable alternative for patients with disease progression after radiotherapy. Currently the biggest advantages of cryotherapy are as follows: possibility to treat patients not suitable for salvage prostatectomy, short hospitalization, low complication risk and lower overall cost than other methods. Short term data seems to be promising but longer follow-up is necessary to verify oncological and functional results.
« Le Horla » et l’imaginaire du portrait composite
Authors: Schincariol Andrea 
Published: February 2014

L’invention de la photographie a changé de manière radicale la façon d’étudier la physionomie humaine. En se substituant aux moyens de représentation traditionnels, la chambre noire introduit, dès la seconde moitié du xixe siècle, un nouveau protocole d’analyse physiognomonique fondé sur la croyance en l’infaillibilité de la plaque photosensible. Cette croyance est le fondement même de ce que Charles Grivel nomme le « lavatérisme généralisé » de l’époque. De Duchenne de Boulogne à Alphonse Bertillon, en passant par le travail fondateur de Cesare Lombroso, la chambre noire apparaît dans l’imaginaire visuel collectif comme le médium qui, par excellence, est à même de fixer et de restituer l’image des types sociaux. En prenant comme cas d’étude « Le Horla » (1886), cette contribution vise à retracer les liens entre le chef-d’oeuvre de Guy de Maupassant et l’iconographie photographique issue de cette vague néo-lavatérienne.
New view of Arctic cyclone activity from the Arctic system reanalysis
Authors: Tilinina Natalia , Gulev Sergey K. , Bromwich David H. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractArctic cyclone activity is analyzed in 11 year (2000–2010), 3‐hourly output from the Arctic System Reanalysis (ASR) interim version. Compared to the global modern era reanalyses (European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis (ERA)‐Interim, Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction‐Climate Forecast System Reanalysis), ASR shows a considerably higher number of cyclones over the Arctic with the largest differences over the high‐latitude continental areas (up to 40% in summer and 30% in winter). Over the Arctic Ocean during both seasons ASR captures well the cyclone maximum in the Eastern Arctic which has 30% less cyclones in summer and is hardly detectable in winter in ERA‐Interim. High resolution of the ASR model coupled with more comprehensive data assimilation allows for more accurate (compared to the global reanalyses) description of the life cycle of the most intense Arctic cyclones, for which ASR shows lower central pressure (4 hPa on average), faster deepening, and stronger winds on average.
Probabilistic detection of volcanic ash using a Bayesian approach
Authors: Mackie Shona , Watson Matthew 
Published: February 2014

AbstractAirborne volcanic ash can pose a hazard to aviation, agriculture, and both human and animal health. It is therefore important that ash clouds are monitored both day and night, even when they travel far from their source. Infrared satellite data provide perhaps the only means of doing this, and since the hugely expensive ash crisis that followed the 2010 Eyjafjalljökull eruption, much research has been carried out into techniques for discriminating ash in such data and for deriving key properties. Such techniques are generally specific to data from particular sensors, and most approaches result in a binary classification of pixels into “ash” and “ash free” classes with no indication of the classification certainty for individual pixels. Furthermore, almost all operational methods rely on expert‐set thresholds to determine what constitutes “ash” and can therefore be criticized for being subjective and dependent on expertise that may not remain with an institution. Very few existing methods exploit available contemporaneous atmospheric data to inform the detection, despite the sensitivity of most techniques to atmospheric parameters. The Bayesian method proposed here does exploit such data and gives a probabilistic, physically based classification. We provide an example of the method's implementation for a scene containing both land and sea observations, and a large area of desert dust (often misidentified as ash by other methods). The technique has already been successfully applied to other detection problems in remote sensing, and this work shows that it will be a useful and effective tool for ash detection.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Direct Oxidative CH Cross‐Coupling of Azoarenes with Alcohols
Authors: Tang Hui , Qian Cheng , Lin Dongen , Jiang Huanfeng , Zeng Wei 
Published: February 2014

AbstractA palladium‐catalyzed cascade oxidative CH cross‐coupling of azoarenes with alcohols was developed using tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant. This reaction provides a convenient access to ortho‐acylazoarenes under mild conditions in which readily available alcohols were used as the acyl sources.magnified image
Interleukin‐4 and interleukin‐13 compromise the sinonasal epithelial barrier and perturb intercellular junction protein expression
Authors: Wise Sarah K. , Laury Adrienne M. , Katz Elizabeth H. , Den Beste Kyle A. , Parkos Charles A. , Nusrat Asma 
Published: February 2014

BackgroundAltered expression of epithelial intercellular junction proteins has been observed in sinonasal biopsies from nasal polyps and epithelial layers cultured from nasal polyp patients. These alterations comprise a “leaky” epithelial barrier phenotype. We hypothesize that T helper 2 (Th2) cytokines interleukin (IL)‐4 and IL‐13 modulate epithelial junction proteins, thereby contributing to the leaky epithelial barrier.MethodsDifferentiated primary sinonasal epithelial layers cultured at the air‐liquid interface were exposed to IL‐4, IL‐13, and controls for 24 hours at 37°C. Epithelial resistance measurements were taken every 4 hours during cytokine exposure. Western blot and immunofluorescence staining/confocal microscopy were used to assess changes in a panel of tight and adherens junction proteins. Western blot densitometry was quantified with image analysis.ResultsIL‐4 and IL‐13 exposure resulted in a mean decrease in transepithelial resistance at 24 hours to 51.6% (n = 6) and 68.6% (n = 8) of baseline, respectively. Tight junction protein junctional adhesion molecule‐A (JAM‐A) expression decreased 42.2% with IL‐4 exposure (n = 9) and 37.5% with IL‐13 exposure (n = 9). Adherens junction protein E‐cadherin expression decreased 35.3% with IL‐4 exposure (n = 9) and 32.9% with IL‐13 exposure (n = 9). Tight junction protein claudin‐2 showed more variability but had a trend toward higher expression with Th2 cytokine exposure. There were no appreciable changes in claudin‐1, occludin, or zonula occludens‐1 (ZO‐1) with IL‐4 or IL‐13 exposure.ConclusionSinonasal epithelial exposure to Th2 cytokines IL‐4 and IL‐13 results in alterations in intercellular junction proteins, reflecting increased epithelial permeability. Such changes may explain some of the phenotypic manifestations of Th2‐mediated sinonasal disease, such as edema, nasal discharge, and environmental reactivity.
Identification of a Critical Intermediate in Galvanic Exchange Reactions by Single‐Nanoparticle‐Resolved Kinetics
Authors: Smith Jeremy G. , Yang Qing , Jain Prashant K. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe realization of common materials transformations in nanocrystalline systems is fostering the development of novel nanostructures and allowing a deep look into the atomistic mechanisms involved. Galvanic corrosion is one such transformation. We studied galvanic replacement within individual metal nanoparticles by using a combination of plasmonic spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Single‐nanoparticle reaction trajectories showed that a Ag nanoparticle exposed to Au3+ makes an abrupt transition into a nanocage structure. The transition is limited by a critical structural event, which we identified by electron microscopy to comprise the formation of a nanosized void. Trajectories also revealed a surprisingly strong nonlinearity of the reaction kinetics, which we explain by a model involving the critical coalescence of vacancies into a growing void. The critical void size for galvanic exchange to spontaneously proceed was found to be 20 atomic vacancies.
Total Synthesis of Human Hepcidin through Regioselective Disulfide‐Bond Formation by using the Safety‐Catch Cysteine Protecting Group 4,4′‐Dimethylsulfinylbenzhydryl
Authors: Dekan Zoltan , Mobli Mehdi , Pennington Michael W. , Fung Eileen , Nemeth Elizabeta , Alewood Paul F. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractA safety‐catch cysteine protecting group, S‐4,4′‐dimethylsulfinylbenzhydryl (Msbh), was designed and developed to expand the capabilities of synthetic strategies for the regioselective formation of disulfide bonds in cysteine‐rich peptides. The directed regioselective synthesis of human hepcidin, which contains four disulfide bonds, was undertaken and led to a high‐resolution NMR structure under more physiologically relevant conditions than previously. Conversely, hepcidin synthesized with the formerly assigned vicinal disulfide‐bond connectivity displayed significant conformational heterogeneity under similar conditions. The two synthetic forms of human hepcidin induced ferroportin internalization with apparent EC50 values of 2.0 (native fold, 1) and 4.4 nM (non‐native fold, 2), with 2 undergoing isomerization to 1 in the presence of ferroportin expressing cells.