bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of Inherited Genetic Variants Associated With Lipid Profile, Hypertension, and Coronary Artery Disease on the Risk of Intracranial and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Authors: van ‘t Hof Femke N.G. , Ruigrok Ynte M. , Baas Annette F. , Kiemeney Lambertus A.L.M. , Vermeulen Sita H. , Uitterlinden André G. , Hofman Albert , Rivadeneira Fernando , Rinkel Gabriël J.E. , de Bakker Paul I.W. 
Published: May 2013

Background—
Epidemiological studies show that an unfavorable lipid profile and coronary artery disease (CAD) are risk traits for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) but not for intracranial aneurysms (IAs), and that hypertension is a main risk trait for IAs but not for AAAs. To evaluate these observations, we investigated single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with serum lipid levels, hypertension, and CAD and tested their contribution to AAA and IA risk.

Methods and Results—

We defined sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms previously reported to be associated with serum lipid levels, CAD, and blood pressure. From previously collected genome-wide data, we extracted genotypes for these single-nucleotide polymorphism sets in 709 IA cases and 2692 controls and 807 AAA cases and 1905 controls (all of Dutch origin). We computed genetic scores for each individual by summing the observed number of risk alleles weighted by their previously published effect size. Using logistic regression, we tested the genetic scores for association with IAs and AAAs and found significant associations for genetic scores of total cholesterol (
P
=3.6×10
-6
), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (
P
=5.7×10
-7
), and CAD (
P
=0.0014) with AAAs and for the blood pressure score with IAs (
P
=0.0030).

Conclusions—
We demonstrate that genetic risk profiles of lipid factors and CAD are associated with AAAs but not with IAs, and the genetic risk profile of blood pressure is associated with IAs but not with AAAs. These findings are consistent with epidemiological observations.
Coronary Heart Disease in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Is Associated With Interferon Regulatory Factor-8 Gene Variants
Authors: Leonard Dag , Svenungsson Elisabet , Sandling Johanna K. , Berggren Olof , Jönsen Andreas , Bengtsson Christine , Wang Chuan , Jensen-Urstad Kerstin , Granstam Sven-Olof , Bengtsson Anders A. , Gustafsson Johanna T. , Gunnarsson Iva , Rantapää-Dahlqvist Solbritt , Nordmark Gunnel , Eloranta Maija-Leena , Syvänen Ann-Christine , Rönnblom Lars 
Published: May 2013

Background—
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have increased morbidity and mortality in coronary heart disease (CHD). We asked whether there was a genetic influence on CHD in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Methods and Results—

The association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and CHD in 2 populations of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was assessed. Patients were genotyped on a custom 12k Illumina Array. The allele frequencies were compared between patients with (n=66) and without (n=509) CHD. We found 61 SNPs with an association (
P
<0.01) to CHD, with the strongest association for 3 SNPs located in the interferon regulatory factor-8 (
IRF8
) gene. Comparison of the allele frequencies of these 61 SNPs in patients with (n=27) and without (n=212) CHD in the second study population revealed that 2 SNPs, rs925994 and rs10514610 in
IRF8
(linkage disequilibrium,
r
2
=0.84), were associated with CHD in both study populations. Meta-analysis of the SNP rs925994 gave an odds ratio of 3.6 (2.1–6.3),
P
value 1.9×10
–6
. The identified
IRF8
allele remained as a risk factor for CHD after adjustment for traditional CHD risk factors. The
IRF8
risk allele was associated with the presence of carotid plaques (
P
<0.001) and increased intima-media thickness (
P
=0.01). By electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we show weaker binding of protein to the risk allele of the highly linked SNP rs11117415, and by flow cytometry, a reduced frequency of circulating B cells was detected in patients with the
IRF8
risk allele.

Conclusions—

There is a considerable genetic component for CHD in systemic lupus erythematosus, with
IRF8
as a strong susceptibility locus.
Functional Characterization of a Novel Mutation in
NKX2-5
Associated With Congenital Heart Disease and Adult-Onset Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Costa Mauro W. , Guo Guanglan , Wolstein Orit , Vale Molly , Castro Maria L. , Wang Libin , Otway Robyn , Riek Peter , Cochrane Natalie , Furtado Milena , Semsarian Christopher , Weintraub Robert G. , Yeoh Thomas , Hayward Christopher , Keogh Anne , Macdonald Peter , Feneley Michael , Graham Robert M. , Seidman Jonathan G. , Seidman Christine E. , Rosenthal Nadia , Fatkin Diane , Harvey Richard P. 
Published: May 2013

Background—
The transcription factor NKX2-5 is crucial for heart development, and mutations in this gene have been implicated in diverse congenital heart diseases and conduction defects in mouse models and humans. Whether NKX2-5 mutations have a role in adult-onset heart disease is unknown.

Methods and Results—

Mutation screening was performed in 220 probands with adult-onset dilated cardiomyopathy. Six
NKX2-5
coding sequence variants were identified, including 3 nonsynonymous variants. A novel heterozygous mutation, I184M, located within the NKX2-5 homeodomain, was identified in 1 family. A subset of family members had congenital heart disease, but there was an unexpectedly high prevalence of dilated cardiomyopathy. Functional analysis of I184M in vitro demonstrated a striking increase in protein expression when transfected into COS-7 cells or HL-1 cardiomyocytes because of reduced degradation by the Ubiquitin-proteasome system. In functional assays, DNA-binding activity of I184M was reduced, resulting in impaired activation of target genes despite increased expression levels of mutant protein.

Conclusions—

Certain NKX2-5 homeodomain mutations show abnormal protein degradation via the Ubiquitin-proteasome system and partially impaired transcriptional activity. We propose that this class of mutation can impair heart development and mature heart function and contribute to
NKX2-5
–related cardiomyopathies with graded severity.
Predictors of Mortality and Outcomes of Therapy in Low-Flow Severe Aortic Stenosis
Authors: Herrmann Howard C. , Pibarot Philippe , Hueter Irene , Gertz Zachary M. , Stewart William J. , Kapadia Samir , Tuzcu E. Murat , Babaliaros Vasilis , Thourani Vinod , Szeto Wilson Y. , Bavaria Joseph E. , Kodali Susheel , Hahn Rebecca T. , Williams Mathew , Miller D. Craig , Douglas Pamela S. , Leon Martin B. 
Published: May 2013

Background—
The prognosis and treatment of patients with low-flow (LF) severe aortic stenosis are controversial.

Methods and Results—

The Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves (PARTNER) trial randomized patients with severe aortic stenosis to medical management versus transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR; inoperable cohort) and surgical aortic valve replacement versus TAVR (high-risk cohort). Among 971 patients with evaluable echocardiograms (92%), LF (stroke volume index ≤35 mL/m
2
) was observed in 530 (55%); LF and low ejection fraction (<50%) in 225 (23%); and LF, low ejection fraction, and low mean gradient (<40 mm Hg) in 147 (15%). Two-year mortality was significantly higher in patients with LF compared with those with normal stroke volume index (47% versus 34%; hazard ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.25–1.89;
P
=0.006). In the inoperable cohort, patients with LF had higher mortality than those with normal flow, but both groups improved with TAVR (46% versus 76% with LF and 38% versus 53% with normal flow;
P
<0.001). In the high-risk cohort, there was no difference between TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement. In patients with paradoxical LF and low gradient (preserved ejection fraction), TAVR reduced 1-year mortality from 66% to 35% (hazard ratio, 0.38;
P
=0.02). LF was an independent predictor of mortality in all patient cohorts (hazard ratio, ≈1.5), whereas ejection fraction and gradient were not.

Conclusions—
LF is common in severe aortic stenosis and independently predicts mortality. Survival is improved with TAVR compared with medical management and similar with TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement. A measure of flow (stroke volume index) should be included in the evaluation and therapeutic decision making of patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrial.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT0053089.4.
Neurobiological Systems for Lexical Representation and Analysis in English
Authors: Bozic Mirjana , Tyler Lorraine K. , Su Li , Wingfield Cai , Marslen-Wilson William D. 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Current research suggests that language comprehension engages two joint but functionally distinguishable neurobiological processes: a distributed bilateral system, which supports general perceptual and interpretative processes underpinning speech comprehension, and a left hemisphere (LH) frontotemporal system, selectively tuned to the processing of combinatorial grammatical sequences, such as regularly inflected verbs in English [Marslen-Wilson, W. D., & Tyler, L. K. Morphology, language and the brain: The decompositional substrate for language comprehension. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, 362, 823–836, 2007]. Here we investigated how English derivationally complex words engage these systems, asking whether they selectively activate the LH system in the same way as inflections or whether they primarily engage the bilateral system that support nondecompositional access. In an fMRI study, we saw no evidence for selective activation of the LH frontotemporal system, even for highly transparent forms like bravely. Instead, a combination of univariate and multivariate analyses revealed the engagement of a distributed bilateral system, modulated by factors of perceptual complexity and semantic transparency. We discuss the implications for theories of the processing and representation of English derivational morphology and highlight the importance of neurobiological constraints in understanding these processes.
The Origin and Meaning of the Crimson Thread in the Mishnaic Scapegoat Ritual in Light of an Ancient Syro-Anatolian Custom
Authors: Ayali-Darshan Noga 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
The custom of tying a crimson thread to the head of an animal as part of the High Priest’s official rites on the Day of Atonement and the purification rite for the leper is not specified in the Pentateuch but is known solely from mishnaic sources. The Second Temple practice is also attested by two independent early Christian sources that evidently drew on a common source that was not the Mishna. The present article searches for the origin of this tradition and its original purpose and setting through the ancient Syro-Anatolian apotropaic rites.
“By the Favour of Ahuramazda I Am King”: On the Promulgation of a Persian Propaganda Text among Babylonians and Judaeans
Authors: Granerød Gard 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
The aim of this article is to explore how the Achaemenid kings disseminated their official ideology among their subjects—including Judaeans outside of and within the Persian province of Yehud—in the Achaemenid period. The main text that the article focuses on is King Darius I’s Bisitun inscription (DB) and the remains of it that have been found in Babylon (DB Bab) and within the context of the Judaean community on the Elephantine Island in Upper Egypt (DB Aram). The author discusses the contents of the Persian propaganda text and how it was disseminated among and possibly received by the Judaeans.
Ketamine as a new treatment for depression: A review of its efficacy and adverse effects
Authors: Katalinic Natalie , Lai Rosalyn , Somogyi Andrew , Mitchell Philip B , Glue Paul , Loo Colleen K 
Published: May 2013

Objective: Narrative review of the literature on the efficacy and safety of subanaesthetic doses of ketamine for the treatment of depression. Method: Medline and PubMed databases were searched up to October 2012 using appropriate keywords. Results: The studies consistently report substantial efficacy with high response and remission rates from 4 to 72 hours (averages 77% and 43%, respectively) from single doses, though not all patients respond to ketamine. Early relapse is common. While the usual procedure involves the administration of intravenous ketamine at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg over 40 minutes, some preliminary evidence suggests other dosing regimens and routes of administration may be useful or even better. Repeated doses and maintenance pharmacological treatments have been investigated in order to prolong the antidepressant effects, with only modest success. Conclusions: Current research on the antidepressant effects of ketamine has consistently shown rapid and substantial improvement in mood in the majority of patients. However, these effects have often been found to be short-lived. Future research should focus on identifying predictors of response (e.g. clinical, genetic, pharmacokinetic, environmental), examining different dosing regimens and routes of administration, and strategies to maintain the antidepressant response.
Illness Online: Self-reported Data and Questions of Trust in Medical and Social Research
Authors: Wyatt Sally , Harris Anna , Adams Samantha , Kelly Susan E 
Published: May 2013

Self-reported data are regarded by medical researchers as invalid and less reliable than data produced by experts in clinical settings, yet individuals can increasingly contribute personal information to medical research through a variety of online platforms. In this article we examine this ‘participatory turn’ in healthcare research, which claims to challenge conventional delineations of what is valid and reliable for medical practice, by using aggregated self-reported experiences from patients and ‘pre-patients’ via the internet. We focus on 23andMe, a genetic testing company that collects genetic material and self-reported information about disease from its customers. Integral to this research method are relations of trust embedded in the information exchange: trust in customers’ data; trust between researchers/company and research subjects; trust in genetics; trust in the machine. We examine the performative dimension of these trust relations, drawing on Shapin and Schaffer’s (1985) discussion of how material, literary and social technologies are used in research in order to establish trust. Our scepticism of the company’s motives for building trust with the self-reporting consumer forces us to consider our own motives. How does the use of customer data for research purposes by 23andMe differ from the research practices of social scientists, especially those who also study digital traces? By interrogating the use of self-reported data in the genetic testing context, we examine our ethical responsibilities in studying the digital selves of others using internet methods. How researchers trust data, how participants trust researchers, and how technologies are trusted are all important considerations in studying the social life of digital data.
Optimal scan timing of hepatic arterial-phase imaging of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma determined by multiphasic fast CT imaging technique
Authors: Kagawa Yuki , Okada Masahiro , Yagyu Yukinobu , Kumano Seishi , Kanematsu Masayuki , Kudo Masayuki , Murakami Takamichi 
Published: May 2013

Background A new multiphasic fast imaging technique, known as volume helical shuttle technique, is a breakthrough for liver imaging that offers new clinical opportunities in dynamic blood flow studies. This technique enables virtually real-time hemodynamics assessment by shuttling the patient cradle back and forth during serial scanning. Purpose To determine optimal scan timing of hepatic arterial-phase imaging for detecting hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with maximum tumor-to-liver contrast by volume helical shuttle technique. Material and Methods One hundred and one hypervascular HCCs in 50 patients were prospectively studied by 64-channel multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) with multiphasic fast imaging technique. Contrast medium containing 600 mg iodine per kg body weight was intravenously injected for 30 s. Six seconds after the contrast arrival in the abdominal aorta detected with bolus tracking, serial 12-phase imaging of the whole liver was performed during 24-s breath-holding with multiphasic fast imaging technique during arterial phase. By placing regions of interest in the abdominal aorta, portal vein, liver parenchyma, and hypervascular HCCs on the multiphase images, time-density curves of anatomical regions and HCCs were composed. Timing of maximum tumor-to-liver contrast after the contrast arrival in the abdominal aorta was determined. Results For the detection of hypervascular HCC at arterial phase, mean time and value of maximum tumor-to-liver contrast after the contrast arrival were 21 s and 38.0 HU, respectively. Conclusion Optimal delay time for the hepatic arterial-phase imaging maximizing the contrast enhancement of hypervascular HCCs was 21 s after arrival of contrast medium in the abdominal aorta.
Analysis of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system in women with endometriosis
Authors: Lan Shen , Ling Liu , Jianhong Zhao , Xijing Jiang , Lihui Wang 
Published: May 2013

Objectives To compare the efficacy, safety and other clinical benefits of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRH-a) in women with endometriosis. Methods A systematic search was carried out using the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, MEDLINE™ and EMBASE databases for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the use of the LNG-IUS and GnRH-a in premenopausal women with endometriosis. Results Five RCTs studies were identified. A meta-analysis showed that, in women with endometriosis, both the LNG-IUS and GnRH-a reduced pain visual analogue scale scores (weighted mean difference [WMD] 0.03 [95% confidence interval [CI] −0.53, 0.59]), serum levels of CA125 (WMD −12.29 [95% CI −29.90, 3.32]), and American Society of Reproductive Medicine staging scores (WMD 1.10 [95% CI −27.98, 30.18]). Psychological and general wellbeing index scores were increased (WMD 1.50 [95% CI −6.19, 9.19]). Levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were also significantly reduced in patients treated with the LNG-IUS (WMD 39.30 [95% CI 6.74, 71.86]). Conclusions The LNG-IUS had clinical efficacy equivalent to that of GnRH-a but may have some clinical advantages over GnRH-a in the treatment of endometriosis-associated symptoms. These observations will require further verification in additional studies employing larger patient populations.
Bupivacaine Induces Short-Term Alterations and Impairment in Rat Tendons
Authors: Lehner Christine , Gehwolf Renate , Hirzinger Corinna , Stephan Daniel , Augat Peter , Tauber Mark , Resch Herbert , Bauer Hans-Christian , Bauer Hannelore , Tempfer Herbert 
Published: May 2013

Background: Toxicity of the local anesthetic bupivacaine (BV) has been a matter of debate across medical fields. Numerous in vitro studies demonstrate considerable toxicity of BV on various cell types. Purpose: This study addresses the question of how tendon tissue responds to BV in vivo and in vitro. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: In vitro studies on cultured rat Achilles tendon–derived cells were performed with cell viability assays and cleaved caspase 3 immunocytochemistry. Quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, gelatin zymography, and a biomechanical testing routine were applied on rat Achilles tendons at 1 and 4 weeks after a single unilateral peritendinous injection of 0.5% BV. The BV-mediated cell death in tendons was estimated with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and immunohistochemical detection of cleaved caspase 3. Results: Treatment of rat tendon–derived cells with 0.5% bupivacaine for 10 minutes had detrimental effects on cell viability, which can be reduced by N-acetyl-L-cysteine or reduction of extracellular calcium. In vivo, single peritendinous injections of BV caused apoptosis in endotenon cells and an increase of pro–matrix metalloproteinase-9 after 6 hours. The collagen ratio shifted toward collagen type III after 6 hours and 2 days; scleraxis messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was reduced by 87%. Maximum tensile load was reduced by 17.6% after 1 week. Conclusion: Bupivacaine exerts a severe, reactive oxygen species–mediated effect on tendon cell viability in vitro in a time- and dose-dependent manner, depending on extracellular calcium concentration. Culture conditions need to be taken into account when in vitro data are translated into the in vivo situation. In vivo, administration of BV elicits a marked but temporary functional damage. Clinical Relevance: Local anesthetics cause short-term alterations in rat tendons, which, if occurring in humans to a similar extent, may be relevant regarding decreased biomechanical properties and increased vulnerability to tendon overload or injury.
Secular and Religious Feminisms: A Future of Disconnection?
Authors: Llewellyn Dawn , Trzebiatowska Marta 
Published: May 2013

This article identifies a disciplinary disconnection between secular and religious feminisms. While areas of study such as women’s, gender and feminist studies, and disciplines like feminist studies in religion, spirituality and theology advance understanding of gender relations, they are forms of analysis that rarely keep company. As we argue, there is a disconnection grounded in a sacred/secular divide (Magee, 1999) evident through the different stages of the women’s movement and feminist history. Not only is this disciplinary disconnection mutually unhelpful, but it has implications for the ways gendered religious and secular discourses operate in the public square and therefore, has implications for the future of feminist theology. This article first identifies the lack of relationship between secular and religious feminisms illustrated in three interrelated ways: secular feminisms’ neglect of women’s religious experiences; feminist religious studies’ reservedness; and the sacred/secular binary operating in the academy. We then suggest this disconnection extends to the most recent expressions of feminism – the third wave. This article then discusses what both disciplines lose from a lack of dialogue and what might be gained by a closer relationship; particularly when contemporary events in the public sphere (such as the Pussy Riots) highlight the importance of paying attention to the way women’s experiences, and secular and religious discourses interact.