bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Association Between CYP2C19 Genotype and of In‐stent Restenosis Among Patients with Vertebral Artery Stent Treatment
Authors: Lin Yong‐Juan , Li Jing‐Wei , Zhang Mei‐Juan , Qian Lai , Yang Wen‐Jie , Zhang Chun‐Lei , Shao Yuan , Zhang Yang , Huang Yu‐Jie , Xu Yun 
Published: December 2013

SummaryAimsPreventing stroke through endovascular treatment with vertebral artery stent remains a great challenge due to the occurrence of an in‐stent restenosis.Materials & MethodsIn this study, a retrospective analysis was conducted in 90 patients who had been treated with VAS between 2004 and 2011 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. Patients were followed up at 3 months, 6 months,and 1 year after VAS treatment and annually thereafter. For each time point, neurological function tests, vessel ultrasound and computer tomography angiography were performed to preliminarily screen the vessel stenosis. Digital subtraction angiography was used to verify the narrow sign on CTA or ultrasound. Clinical features of each patient including clopido‐grel metabolization genes (CYP2C19, CYP3A4, and P2Y12) were recorded with purpose to investigate the possible risk factors for the development of ISR.ResultsSingle factor analysis dem‐onstrated that hyperlipidemia (P < 0.05) and CYP2C19 (P < 0.01) loss‐of‐function geno‐type increased the likelihood of ISR. A multiple logistic cox regression analysis also showed that stroke patients with hyperlipidemia (HR 3.719, 95% CI: 1.094–12.637, P = 0.035), and CYP2C19 loss‐of‐function genotype (HR 2.959, 95% CI: 1.325–6.610, P = 0.008) were more likely to suffer from ISR. Furthermore, CYP2C19 alleles were mainly divided into three groups: wt/wt (CYP2C19 *1/*1), wt/m (CYP2C19 *1/*2 and *1/*3), and m/m (CYP2C19 *2/*2,*2/*3 and*3/*3). Recurrent rate of ischemic stroke in m/m and wt/m groups was higher than the wt/wt group (OR: 0.141, 95% CI: 0.016–1.221, P = 0.042).ConclusionThe study leads to the conclusion that hyperlipidemia and CYP2C19 impotency are possible risk factors for the development of ISR in VAS‐treated patients with ischemic. Moreover, VAS‐treated patients with CYP2C19 impotency were susceptible to recurrent stroke during our 54‐month follow‐up.
Total mesorectal excision with water‐jet dissection in patients with rectal cancer: surgical and morphological aspects
Authors: Sidorov D. V. , Frank G. A. , Mainovskaya O. A. , Lozhkin M. V. , Grishin N. A. , Petrov L. O. , Troitskiy A. A. , Kirsanova O. N. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractAimThis publication will describe our own experience of using the ERBEJET2® water‐jet dissector during surgical interventions for rectal cancer.MethodWe utilized the water‐jet dissection technique to obtain tissue specimens in 10 patients with rectal cancer. All patients thus underwent nerve‐sparing low anterior resection of the rectum along with para‐aortic lymphadenectomy. No intraoperative complications were registered. The postoperative period went uncomplicated in all patients. No dysuria was observed. Obtained tissue specimens were examined morphologically. Macroscopic examination included assessments of the preservation of the rectal fascia propria and the amount of cellular tissue along the anterior, posterior, and lateral surfaces of the rectum. We performed microscopy of the circumferential resection margin to characterize the surgical clearance and the intensity and depth of damage to the mesorectal tissue. On morphological examination, the quality of mesorectal excision was found to be good (Grade 3) in all 10 patients.ResultsAs the results of our study demonstrate, the depth of lateral tissue damage is minimal with the water‐jet dissector.ConclusionWater‐jet dissectors have their own place in the long list of armamentarium used in surgical interventions performed for rectal cancer and contribute to improving oncological and functional outcomes of surgical treatment in this patient population.
Tumour stage and preoperative chemoradiotherapy influence the lymph node yield in Stages I–III rectal cancer: results from a prospective nationwide cohort study
Authors: Lykke J. , Roikjær O. , Jess P. ,   the Danish Colorectal Cancer Group
Published: December 2013

AbstractAimThe study aimed to determine whether the lymph node yield (LNY) in rectal cancer is influenced by patient‐related and histopathological factors and the use of preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT).MethodAn analysis was carried out of the LNY in a nationwide Danish cohort of 7950 patients, treated by curative resection of Stage I–III rectal cancer during the period 2001–2011. The impact of year of diagnosis, age, gender, pathological stage of the tumour (pT‐stage) and preoperative CRT on LNY was analysed.ResultsTwenty‐nine per cent of the patients received preoperative CRT. The median LNY was 13 [interquartile range (IQR): 8–19]. A total of 43.4% of the patients had an LNY of < 12. The median LNY increased from 8 (IQR: 5–12) to 20 (IQR: 13–28) LNs over the years of the study period (P < 0.0001). Gender and body mass index (BMI) had no impact on the median LNY. Age had a minor impact, with a range of 12 (IQR: 8–18) to 13 (IQR: 9–20) (P < 0.0001). The LNY ranged from 9 (IQR: 6–14) to 16 (IQR: 10–26), according to pT‐stage (pT0–pT4) (P < 0.0001). Median LNY, according to preoperative CRT or no preoperative CRT, was 10 (IQR: 6–16) and 14 (IQR: 8–18), respectively (P < 0.0001). The percentages of patients with an LNY of < 12, according to preoperative CRT or no preoperative CRT, were 58.7% and 37.1%, respectively (P < 0.0001).ConclusionAn increase in the LNY over the period of the study was observed, probably reflecting improved quality of surgery and histopathology. A minor significant reduction of LNY was found with increasing age of the patient. LNY was significantly related to pT‐stage and to the use of preoperative chemoradiotherapy. For these reasons the minimum harvest of 12 LNs as a surrogate marker for the oncological quality of surgery should be questioned.
Targeted mutagenesis of multiple and paralogous genes in Xenopus laevis using two pairs of transcription activator‐like effector nucleases
Authors: Sakane Yuto , Sakuma Tetsushi , Kashiwagi Keiko , Kashiwagi Akihiko , Yamamoto Takashi , Suzuki Ken‐ichi T. 
Published: December 2013

Transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALENs) have been extensively used in genome editing in various organisms. In some cases, however, it is difficult to efficiently disrupt both paralogous genes using a single pair of TALENs in Xenopus laevis because of its polyploidy. Here, we report targeted mutagenesis of multiple and paralogous genes using two pairs of TALENs in X. laevis. First, we show simultaneous targeted mutagenesis of three genes, tyrosinase paralogues (tyra and tyrb) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (egfp) by injection of two TALENs pairs in transgenic embryos carrying egfp. Consistent with the high frequency of both severe phenotypic traits, albinism and loss of GFP fluorescence, frameshift mutation rates of tyr paralogues and egfp reached 40–80%. Next, we show early introduction of TALEN‐mediated mutagenesis of these target loci during embryogenesis. Finally, we also demonstrate that two different pairs of TALENs can simultaneously introduce mutations to both paralogues encoding histone chaperone with high efficiency. Our results suggest that targeted mutagenesis of multiple genes using TALENs can be applied to analyze the functions of paralogous genes with redundancy in X. laevis.
Prayer and the Theologian of the Cross: Julian of Norwich and Martin Luther
Authors: Holt Bradley 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThis article constructs a dialogue between Julian of Norwich and the concept of “theologian of the cross,” as found in Martin Luther and his recent interpreters. Since she is Catholic and medieval, one might begin by suspecting that her theology is not acceptable to someone who follows Luther's teaching in the Heidelberg Disputation. However a closer look will suggest that what she has to say is largely in accord with Luther's standard for a theologian of the cross. Put more positively, Julian is a theologian of the cross, in spite of her use of different language and concepts from those of Luther. The focus of the article is the subject of prayer: what Julian teaches about it, and what may be inferred about prayer from Luther's dramatic theses in his disputation.
Invitation to the Triune Conversation: Explorations of Prayer through the Theology of Robert Jenson
Authors: Henry James Daryn 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThis paper attempts to contribute to our understanding of prayer through an engagement with its crucial role in the systematic thought of Robert Jenson. I present prayer as our invitation to the triune conversation. Developing some of Jenson's categories, I work to show that a Christian understanding of prayer connects to a spectrum of systematic loci, especially creation and anthropology, the sacraments and ecclesiology, mission and eschatology. In these three modes, the anthropological, the ecclesial and the eschatological, prayer enters into the ultimate conversation that animates the world through faith, love and hope. This paper concludes by arguing that such an account of prayer, if authentic, supports a contemporary retrieval of the cataphatic dimension of theology.
The Evangelical Necessity of Creedal Confession in the World of Empire
Authors: Persaud Winston D. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThe author argues that in the world of Empire where greed, violence, and idolatry pervade, the Church is challenged to recognise that it exists to witness to the radical, liberating message of the gospel of the crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ. The Church is challenged to recognise and acknowledge how it is a beneficiary of Empire, but that its focus is to be on the Lord Jesus Christ and not the ‘Caesars’ who cannot give the life, healing, and forgiveness that only God can give. Faithfulness to the gospel calls for creedal‐confession that becomes both inevitable and necessary because the church's confession is communal. The community in Christ needs one another in order to be faithful through mutual creedal‐remembering and reminding of the identity of the God of Jesus Christ.
Two rare cases of Epstein–Barr virus‐associated lymphoproliferative disorders in inflammatory bowel disease patients on thiopurines and other immunosuppressive medications
Authors: Subramaniam K. , Cherian M. , Jain S. , Latimer M. , Corbett M. , D'Rozario J. , Pavli P. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThe setting of chronic immunosuppression in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may promote the proliferation of Epstein–Barr virus‐positive neoplastic clones. We report two rare cases of Epstein–Barr virus‐associated lymphoproliferative disorder in IBD patients: one resembled lymphomatoid granulomatosis, and the other was a lymphoma resembling Hodgkin lymphoma. There are currently no guidelines for the prevention of lymphoproliferative disorder in IBD patients on immunosuppressive therapy.
Indian‐born patients attending a sexual health clinic in Australia have differing characteristics to their Australian‐born counterparts
Authors: Sawleshwarkar S. , Kakar S. R. , Jones R. , Lagios K. , Mindel A. , Hillman R. J. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractWe report a retrospective cross‐sectional study from Western Sydney that assessed the sexual health characteristics of Indian‐born patients attending sexual health services compared with Australian‐born controls. The sexual health needs of Indian‐born patients differed significantly from controls with those born in India reporting more sexual dysfunction and controls having more sexually transmitted infections (STI). These issues should be considered when delivering services to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Financiación de los pisos de protección social: consideraciones acerca del espacio fiscal
Authors: Harris Elliott 
Published: December 2013

ResumenLa eficacia de la protección social para luchar contra la pobreza y la vulnerabilidad, amortiguar la repercusión de las crisis, atenuar la desigualdad y apoyar el crecimiento a largo plazo es un hecho establecido. Sin embargo, los sistemas de protección social eficaces son desde hace tiempo un lujo inasequible para muchos países en desarrollo y de bajos ingresos. El concepto de piso de protección social pretende garantizar un nivel mínimo de protección social a un costo razonable, incluso cuando los recursos son limitados, y sirve de plataforma para la aplicación progresiva de un sistema completo de protección social. Para introducir, mantener y extender el piso de protección social es necesario la movilización del espacio fiscal, tanto a corto como a largo plazo. En el artículo se afirma que para generar espacio fiscal hay que considerar detenidamente cuestiones como la previsibilidad y la repercusión de las opciones de financiación actuales en la sostenibilidad fiscal y de la deuda, la estabilidad macroeconómica, la desigualdad, la reducción de la pobreza y el crecimiento y, por lo tanto, en el futuro espacio fiscal. Desde esta perspectiva se abordan algunas de las consecuencias que supone generar espacio fiscal mediante la movilización de recursos internos adicionales, la reasignación del gasto o mejoras de eficiencia, la reducción del servicio de la deuda o la financiación exterior. En el artículo se presentan también algunos datos relativos a las numerosas iniciativas que se han financiado a un costo razonable y sobre una base sostenible en países con diferentes niveles de ingresos y de desarrollo, tanto con recursos propios como exteriores.
Phylogeography and trans‐Pacific divergence of the rocky shore gastropod Nucella lima
Authors: Nicole Cox L. , Zaslavskaya Nadezhda I. , Marko Peter B. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractAimWe have used phylogeographical and multilocus coalescent population genetic methods to reconstruct the Pleistocene biogeographical history of a broadly distributed north Pacific rocky shore gastropod, Nucella lima.LocationNorthern Pacific rim, from south‐eastern Alaska to Hokkaido Island.MethodsWe gathered DNA sequence data from three loci from N. lima, whose current distribution spans the entire North Pacific rim. We used a combination of population genetic summary statistics (Tajima's D, Fu's FS and ΦST), isolation‐with‐migration divergence models, and extended Bayesian skyline plots to reconstruct the recent biogeographical history of this species.ResultsThe largest values of ΦST across all loci were always between eastern and western samples. Population divergence models indicated no gene flow and mid‐Pleistocene divergence times (> 600 ka) between eastern and western populations. Mitochondrial DNA diversity in the east was low, and coalescent‐based estimates of effective population size were significantly smaller in the east 20,000 years ago, at the end of the last glacial period.Main conclusionsThe results are consistent with a hypothesis in which north Pacific populations were separated into eastern and western refugia by 317 ka with no gene flow since the split. Eastern populations probably underwent a severe bottleneck in population size during the last glacial period. The contrasting demographic histories of eastern and western populations are consistent with the general palaeobiogeographical pattern of greater climate‐related extinction of marine taxa in the eastern Pacific.
Determining habitat suitability for bumblebees in a mountain system: a baseline approach for testing the impact of climate change on the occurrence and abundance of species
Authors: Herrera José M. , Ploquin Emilie F. , Rodríguez‐Pérez Javier , Obeso José R. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractAimOur aim was to determine the role of environmental variables in explaining occurrence and abundance patterns of bumblebee (Bombus) species in a mountain region. We also used a historical dataset to compare historical and recent habitat suitability predictions for forecasting variations in species' responses to regional climate warming.LocationThe Cantabrian Range (Iberian Peninsula, south‐western Europe).MethodsDuring 2007–09 we sampled bumblebees in 37 localities and developed generalized linear models (GLMs) to predict species' occurrence and abundance in relation to environmental variables. We extracted independent variables at different spatial scales for each locality, based on topoclimatic (slope, temperature and rainfall patterns) and land‐cover (habitat configuration and composition) variables. We also used historical (1988–89) bumblebee data (23 localities) to both calibrate recent distribution models and determine the current environmental factors underlying the realized response of individual species to regional climate warming (0.8 °C) over two decades.ResultsOccurrence and abundance patterns of species were best predicted by models combining topoclimatic and land‐cover variables. Our findings revealed three groups of species, distinguished on the basis of the realized response of individual species to regional climate warming: one comprising six species with climate‐based tracking behaviour, a second with three species tracking suitable landscape composition and configuration regardless of climatic conditions, and a third comprising one species showing no apparent tracking behaviour.Main conclusionsTopoclimate and land cover determined the occurrence and abundance patterns of bumblebee species in mountainous landscapes, even at fine spatial extents. Both environmental variables, however, differentially influenced bumblebees, thereby providing relevant clues for determining the current environmental factors underlying species' distributions and their susceptibility to changing environmental conditions. Our findings therefore suggest that determining habitat suitability can be used as a baseline approach for understanding species‐specific responses to climate warming and for developing vulnerability assessments for conservation‐focused management planning.
Compound Astragalus and Salvia miltiorrhiza extracts suppress hepatocarcinogenesis by modulating transforming growth factor‐β/Smad signaling
Authors: Hu Xiangpeng , Rui Wenjuan , Wu Chao , He Shufang , Jiang Jiemei , Zhang Xiaoxiang , Yang Yan 
Published: December 2013

AbstractBackground and AimPrevious studies showed Compound Astragalus and Salvia miltiorrhiza extract (CASE), extract from Astragalus membranaceus and Salvia miltiorhiza, significantly suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats induced by diethylinitrosamine (DEN), and in vitro experiments further demonstrated that CASE's anti‐HepG2 cell invasion is associated with transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β). We hypothesized that CASE's suppression of HCC is modulated by TGF‐β/Smad signaling, and we conducted this in vivo study to test this hypothesis.MethodsRats were divided into the normal control, the DEN group, and three CASE (60, 120, and 240 mg/kg) treatment groups. The expression of phosphorylation(p) Smad both at C‐terminal and linker region, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, and Smad4 and Smad7 of liver tissues were measured and compared across the five groups.ResultsThe positive staining of pSmad2L and pSmad3L increased both in hepatoma nodule areas and adjacent relatively normal liver tissues in rats treated with DEN, while the positive staining of pSmad2C and pSmad3C increased only in relatively normal liver tissues adjacent to hepatoma tissues. The elevated expression of pSmad2C, pSmad2L, pSmad3L, Smad4, and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 proteins were suppressed by CASE in a dose‐dependent manner. CASE treatment also significantly reduced the intranuclear amounts of pSmad2L and pSmad3L, and upregulated the elevation of pSmad3C positive cells and protein expression in a dose‐dependent manner.ConclusionThe results suggest that CASE significantly suppresses HCC progression by mediating TGF‐β/Smad signaling, especially by modulating Smad3 phosphorylation both at the C‐terminal and linker region.
An exploratory study of the patients' sleep patterns and inflammatory response following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)
Authors: Casida Jesus M , Davis Jean E , Shpakoff LaVonne , Yarandi Hossein 
Published: December 2013

Aims and ObjectivesTo describe sleep patterns and inflammatory response postCPB, determine sleep pattern changes and inflammatory response over time and explore relationships between sleep and biomarkers of stress and inflammation.BackgroundDespite the numerous citations of the role of sleep in restoration and health maintenance, a paucity of research exists about this phenomenon in patients undergoing CPB. Specifically, there is no research that has explored correlations between sleep patterns and systemic inflammatory response in adult cardiac surgery patients.DesignExploratory, repeated‐measures, correlational study.MethodSubjects were recruited from a Midwestern urban hospital. Of the 25 eligible subjects, 16 males and four females completed the study. Wrist actigraphy was used to measure sleep variables. Salivary cortisol and C‐reactive protein (C‐RP) levels were measured daily. Data were collected during postoperative nights/days 1 through 4 (T1–T4).ResultsSubjects' sleep onset latency (SOL) median scores (0 minute) were within normal range across time periods, whereas median scores for wake after sleep onset (WASO > 270 minutes), sleep fragmentation index (SFI >51%), total sleep time (<153 minutes) and sleep efficiency index (SEI <36%) fell outside the normal ranges. Changes in the median sleep scores over time, however, were not significant at p > 0·05. Median cortisol levels were within normal range (0·3–0·8 μg/dl) from T1−T4, but the C‐RP level peaked at T2 (median = 2370 pg/ml). Strong correlations were found: (1) between SFI−cortisol (rs = 0·82), C‐RP (rs = 0·65) − WBC (rs = 0·69); (2) between SEI−C‐RP (rs = 0·58); (3) between WASO−WBC (rs = 0·48), WASO and cross‐clamp time (rs = 0·50); and (4) between SOL−age (rs = −0·55) at p < 0·05.ConclusionsSubjects were severely sleep‐deprived with inflammatory response exaggerations warranting further investigations using larger sample sizes.Relevance to clinical practiceThis study offers a foundation for developing a conceptual model explaining mechanisms of sleep disturbance and inflammatory response postCPB. This knowledge is crucial for testing sleep‐promoting interventions to modulate inflammatory responses essential for preventing complications, and restoring health.