bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use of Asymmetric Bidirectional Catheters with Different Curvature Radius for Catheter Ablation of Cardiac Arrhythmias
Authors: MANTZIARI LILIAN , SUMAN‐HORDUNA IRINA , GUJIC MARKO , JONES DAVID G. , WONG TOM , MARKIDES VIAS , FORAN JOHN P. , ERNST SABINE 
Published: February 2013

BackgroundThe impact of recently introduced asymmetric bidirectional ablation catheters on procedural parameters and acute success rates of ablation procedures is unknown.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data regarding ablations using a novel bidirectional catheter in a tertiary cardiac center and compared these in 1:5 ratio with a control group of procedures matched for age, gender, operator, and ablation type.ResultsA total of 50 cases and 250 controls of median age 60 (50–68) years were studied. Structural heart disease was equally prevalent in both groups (39%) while history of previous ablations was more common in the study arm (54% vs 30%, P = 0.001). Most of the ablation cases were for atrial fibrillation (46%), followed by atrial tachycardia (28%), supraventricular tachycardia (12%), and ventricular tachycardia (14%). Median procedure duration was 128 (52–147) minutes with the bidirectional, versus 143 (105–200) minutes with the conventional catheter (P = 0.232), and median fluoroscopy time was 17 (10–34) minutes versus 23 (12–39) minutes, respectively (P = 0.988). There was a trend toward a lower procedure duration for the atrial tachycardia ablations, 89 (52–147) minutes versus 130 (100–210) minutes, P = 0.064. The procedure was successfully completed in 96% of the bidirectional versus 84% of the control cases (P = 0.151). A negative correlation was observed between the relative fluoroscopy duration and the case number (r = –0.312, P = 0.028), reflecting the learning curve for the bidirectional catheter.ConclusionsThe introduction of the bidirectional catheter resulted in no prolongation of procedure parameters and similar success rates, while there was a trend toward a lower procedure duration for atrial tachycardia ablations.
A Comparison of Vegetation and Ground‐Dwelling Ants in Abandoned and Restored Gullies and Landslide Surfaces in the Western Colombian Andes
Authors: Calle Zoraida , Henao‐Gallego Natalia , Giraldo Carolina , Armbrecht Inge 
Published: February 2013

AbstractLandslides and gullies are two common manifestations of land degradation in the densely populated Colombian Andes. In these unstable areas, further mass movements pose a serious threat to local populations and cause off‐site environmental damage through sedimentation, pollution, and increased flooding. A novel approach for restoring severely eroded slopes combines the use of stabilization structures made with stalks of Guadua angustifolia Kunth, Poaceae (bamboo), with high‐density planting of species that exhibit quick growth and sprouting. This study compared the vegetation and ground‐dwelling ant assemblages of 10 pairs of gullies, each pair formed by one enhanced and one untreated or control gully, 6–8 years after restoration or abandonment. The restoration treatment had significant effects on the complexity of vegetation. Average values for plant species richness, basal area, stem density, foliage density index, and total vegetation volume were 11.6, 140, 30, 11.5, and 15.6 times larger, respectively, in enhanced than in control gullies. Mirroring the differences in vegetation, average ant species richness was significantly larger (13 vs. 7.6 species per gully), and a higher proportion of ant species nested within enhanced than control gullies (52.5 vs. 30%). While control gullies were dominated by generalist ants such as Ectatomma ruidum and Linepithema angulatum, enhanced gullies had more specialized ground‐dwelling species, normally associated with high plant cover and abundant leaf litter such as Octostruma balzani and Heteroponera inca. We conclude that this restoration strategy promotes a fast recovery of vegetation and the ground‐dwelling ant fauna in these tropical mountains.
Diversity and Distribution of Floral Resources Influence the Restoration of Plant–Pollinator Networks on a Reclaimed Strip Mine
Authors: Cusser Sarah , Goodell Karen 
Published: February 2013

AbstractPlant–pollinator mutualisms are one of the several functional relationships that must be reinstated to ensure the long‐term success of habitat restoration projects. These mutualisms are unlikely to reinstate themselves until all of the resource requirements of pollinators have been met. By meeting these requirements, projects can improve their long‐term success. We hypothesized that pollinator assemblage and structure and stability of plant–pollinator networks depend both on aspects of the surrounding landscape and of the restoration effort itself. We predicted that pollinator species diversity and network stability would be negatively associated with distance from remnant habitat, but that local floral diversity might rescue pollinator diversity and network stability in locations distant from the remnant. We created plots of native prairie on a reclaimed strip mine in central Ohio, U.S.A. that ranged in floral diversity and isolation from the remnant habitat. We found that the pollinator diversity declined with distance from the remnant habitat. Furthermore, reduced pollinator diversity in low floral diversity plots far from the remnant habitat was associated with loss of network stability. High floral diversity, however, compensated for losses in pollinator diversity in plots far from the remnant habitat through the attraction of generalist pollinators. Generalist pollinators increased network connectance and plant‐niche overlap. As a result, network robustness of high floral diversity plots was independent of isolation. We conclude that the aspects of the restoration effort itself, such as floral community composition, can be successfully tailored to incorporate the restoration of pollinators and improve success given a particular landscape context.
Mast cells are present in the choroid of the normal eye in most vertebrate classes
Authors: McMenamin Paul Gerard , Polla Emily 
Published: February 2013

AbstractObjectiveMast cells are bone marrow‐derived tissue‐homing leukocytes, which have traditionally been regarded as effector cells in allergic disorders, responses against parasites, and regulation of blood flow, but a broader perspective of their functional heterogeneity, such as immunomodulation, angiogenesis, tissue repair, and remodeling after injury, is now emerging. The persistence of mast cells in connective tissues throughout the evolution of vertebrates is evidence of strong selective pressure suggesting that these cells must have multiple beneficial and important roles in normal homeostasis. While mast cells are present within the uveal tract of eutherian mammals, there is little known about their presence in the choroid of other vertebrate classes.Animals studiedEye tissues from a range of vertebrate species (fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds, marsupials, monotreme, and eutherian mammals) were investigated. Tissues were fixed in either 2% glutaraldehyde, 2% paraformaldehyde or a mixture of both and processed for resin embedding. Semi‐thin sections of the retina and choroid were cut and stained with toluidine blue.Results and conclusionsMast cells were identified in the choroid of all classes of vertebrates investigated except sharks. Their morphology, location, and staining characteristics were remarkably similar from teleost fish through to eutherian mammals and bore close morphological resemblance to mammalian connective tissue mast cells. The similar morphology and distribution of mast cells in the choroid of all vertebrate classes studied suggest a basic physiological function that has been retained since the evolution of the vertebrate eye.
BMP‐7 attenuates TGF‐β1–induced fibroblast‐like differentiation of rat dermal papilla cells
Authors: Bin Shu , Li Hou‐Dong , Xu Ying‐Bin , Qi Shao‐Hai , Li Tian‐Zeng , Liu Xu‐Sheng , Tang Jin‐Ming , Xie Ju‐Lin 
Published: February 2013

AbstractDermal papilla cells (DPCs) show phenotypic plasticity during wound healing. The multipotency of DPCs is well recognized, but the signaling pathways that regulate the differentiation of these cells into fibroblasts are poorly understood. A preliminary experiment showed that transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF‐β1) can induce DPCs to differentiate into fibroblast‐like cells, which suggests that DPCs may be a source of wound‐healing fibroblasts. Bone morphogenetic protein‐7 (BMP‐7), a member of the TGF‐β superfamily, can prevent and reverse fibrosis by counteracting the TGF‐β1–mediated profibrotic effect. To determine whether BMP‐7 attenuates the TGF‐β1–induced differentiation of DPCs into fibroblasts, we established an in vitro system for DPC differentiation and recorded the gene expression patterns that distinguished DPCs from fibroblasts. The proportion of fibroblast‐like cells was significantly enhanced in DPCs treated with TGF‐β1, as evidenced by immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry, quantitative real‐time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. BMP‐7 and TGF‐β1 administration substantially decreased fibroblast‐like differentiation, indicating inhibition of TGF‐β1–induced differentiation. The antagonistic BMP‐7– and TGF‐β1–activated signaling pathways can be used to promote wound healing or suppress hypertrophic scarring.
Impaired tissue regeneration corresponds with altered expression of developmental genes that persists in the metabolic memory state of diabetic zebrafish
Authors: Sarras Michael P. , Leontovich Alexey A. , Olsen Ansgar S. , Intine Robert V. 
Published: February 2013

AbstractAs previously reported by our laboratory, streptozocin‐induced diabetes mellitus (DM) in adult zebrafish results in an impairment of tissue regeneration as monitored by caudal fin regeneration. Following streptozocin withdrawal, a recovery phase occurs to reestablish euglycemia, via pancreatic beta‐cell regeneration. However, DM‐associated impaired fin regeneration continues indefinitely in the metabolic memory (MM) state, allowing for subsequent molecular analysis of the underlying mechanisms of MM. This study focuses on elucidating the molecular basis that explains the DM‐associated impaired fin regeneration and why it persists into the MM state with the aim of better understanding MM. Using a combination of microarray analysis and bioinformatics approaches, our study found that of the 14,900 transcripts analyzed, aberrant expression of 71 genes relating to tissue developmental and regeneration processes were identified in DM fish and the altered expression of these 71 genes persisted in MM fish. Key regulatory genes of major development and signal transduction pathways were identified among this group of 71. The aberrant expression of key regulatory genes in the DM state that persist into the MM state provides a plausible explanation on how hyperglycemia induced impaired fin regeneration in the adult zebrafish DM/MM model.
The role of skin substitutes in the management of chronic cutaneous wounds
Authors: Greaves Nicholas S. , Iqbal Syed A. , Baguneid Mohamed , Bayat Ardeshir 
Published: February 2013

AbstractChronic wounds, including diabetic and venous ulcers, represent disruption of normal healing processes resulting in a pathological state of nonhealing cutaneous inflammation. They place an increasingly significant economic burden on healthcare providers as their prevalence is rising in keeping with an aging population. Current treatment modalities are slow acting and resource intensive. Bioengineered skin substitutes from autogenic, allogenic, or xenogenic sources have emerged as a new and alternative therapeutic option. A range of such products is licensed for clinical use, which differ in terms of structure and cellular content. Placed directly onto a prepared wound bed, skin substitutes may stimulate or accelerate healing by promoting revascularization, cellular migration, and repopulation of wound fields through provision of an appropriate scaffold material to facilitate these processes. Products containing fetal or autologous cells also benefit from early release of bioactive molecules including growth factors and cytokines. To date, limited numbers of randomized controlled trials studying skin substitutes have been published but evidence from case series and case‐control studies is encouraging. This review discusses chronic wound biology, the influence that skin substitutes can exert on this environment, the products currently available, and examines the evidence for their use in chronic wound management.
A new method to retrieve phase information for equiangular fan beam differential phase contrast computed tomography
Authors: Wu Zhao , Gao Kun , Wang Zhili , Ge Xin , Chen Jian , Wang Dajiang , Pan Zhiyun , Zhang Kai , Zhu Peiping , Wu Ziyu 
Published: February 2013

Purpose:Sample radiation damage is one of the main drawbacks limiting applications of the x‐ray phase‐contrast imaging method. Recently, for x‐ray grating‐based phase contrast imaging, the reverse projection (RP) method has been proposed by Zhu et al. [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107, – (2010) 10.1073/pnas.1003198107]. Compared to the conventional phase stepping technique, the RP method allows a strong reduction of the exposure time and minimization of the errors induced by mechanical vibrations. However, so far, it has only been considered for parallel beam illumination, typical of a synchrotron radiation source. In this paper, a generalization of the RP method from parallel beam geometry to fan beam geometry was presented and discussed.Methods:Within parallel beam geometry, the RP method utilizes the conjugate characteristic between reverse projection images. Nevertheless, this characteristic is not directly satisfied for fan beam geometry. In this study, a phantom composed of known materials was constructed and the projection images of the phantom were calculated in a fan beam geometry. By considering single ray, the conjugate images of the projection images were derived from the projection dataset. After that, using the modified RP method the authors retrieved phase and absorption information from paired images.Results:Extracted phase and absorption information of the phantom were in good agreement with theoretical values. Additionally, the slice reconstruction was performed and the results turned out to be in the authors’ expectation.Conclusions:Theoretical calculations and numerical simulations confirm both feasibility and validity of the RP method under fan beam illumination. Because this method is simple, fast, and releases a relatively low dose, the authors believe that this research is very useful for the x‐ray phase contrast imaging applications in clinical diagnosis, bioresearch, and industrial nondestructive testing.
The Australian Great Flood of 1954: Estimating the Cost of a Similar Event in 2011
Authors: Roche Kevin M. , McAneney K. John , Chen Keping , Crompton Ryan P. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
As in many other parts of the globe, migration to the coast and rapid regional development in Australia is resulting in large concentrations of population and insured assets. One of the most rapidly growing regions is southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales, an area prone to flooding. This study reexamines the Great Flood of 1954 and develops a deterministic methodology to estimate the likely cost if a similar event had occurred in 2011. This cost is estimated using council flood maps, census information, historical observations, and Risk Frontiers' proprietary flood vulnerability functions. The 1954 flood arose from heavy rainfall caused by the passage of a tropical cyclone that made landfall on 20 February near the Queensland–New South Wales border, before heading south. Responsible for some of the largest floods on record for many northern New South Wales' river catchments, it occurred prior to the availability of reliable insurance statistics and the recent escalation in property values. The lower-bound estimate of the insurance loss using current exposure and assuming 100% insurance penetration for residential buildings and contents is AU$3.5 billion, a cost that would make it the third-highest ranked insured loss due to an extreme weather event since 1967. The corresponding normalized economic loss is AU$7.6 billion but the uncertainty about this figure is high. The magnitude of these losses reflects the accumulation of exposure on the floodplains. Risk-informed land-use planning practices and improved building regulations hold the key to reducing future losses.
Coincidence of granulomatosis and polyangiitis with atypical clinical manifestation and antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: Shovman O , Langevitz P , Gilburd B , Shoenfeld Y 
Published: February 2013

Granulomatosis and angiitis (GPA) is a multisystemic disease characterized by a granulomatous inflammation, tissue necrosis, and vasculitis of small and medium-sized blood vessels. Although the disease has a predilection for the upper respiratory tract, lungs, and kidneys, any organ system may be affected. Here, we present a case of generalized GPA manifested initially by necrotizing isolated parotitis and later by pulmonary–renal syndrome. Simultaneously with pulmonary hemorrhage, our patient developed an antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) presenting with deep vein thrombosis and strongly positive lupus anticoagulant. To the best of our knowledge the coincidence of parotitis and pulmonary–renal syndrome due to GPA and APS has never been reported previously. Concomitant venous thromboembolism may be life-threatening in a patient with GPA. Early diagnosis and institution of the proper therapy are critical in order to prevent organ damage.
Systemic lupus erythematosus with cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis successfully treated with high-dose glucocorticoids and cyclosporine A
Authors: Hasegawa H , Mizoguchi F , Kohsaka H , Miyasaka N 
Published: February 2013

A 37-year-old male with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented with high fever, subcutaneous indurations, anemia, thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes and hyperferritinemia. Skin biopsy revealed hemophagocytic histiocytes in the adipose tissues. The patient was diagnosed with SLE with cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis (CHP). Treatment with high-dose glucocorticoids and cyclosporine A induced remission of SLE and CHP. CHP is generally a systemic disorder affecting subcutaneous adipose tissues with a high mortality rate. However, based on the present and previously reported cases, we believe that intensive immunosuppression can ameliorate CHP that occurs as a skin manifestation of SLE.
FAVR (Filtering and Annotation of Variants that are Rare): methods to facilitate the analysis of rare germline genetic variants from massively parallel sequencing datasets
Authors: Pope Bernard J , Nguyen-Dumont Tú , Odefrey Fabrice , Hammet Fleur , Bell Russell , Tao Kayoko , Tavtigian Sean V , Goldgar David E , Lonie Andrew , Southey Melissa C , Park Daniel J 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
Characterising genetic diversity through the analysis of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) data offers enormous potential to significantly improve our understanding of the genetic basis for observed phenotypes, including predisposition to and progression of complex human disease. Great challenges remain in resolving genetic variants that are genuine from the millions of artefactual signals.

Results
FAVR is a suite of new methods designed to work with commonly used MPS analysis pipelines to assist in the resolution of some of the issues related to the analysis of the vast amount of resulting data, with a focus on relatively rare genetic variants. To the best of our knowledge, no equivalent method has previously been described. The most important and novel aspect of FAVR is the use of signatures in comparator sequence alignment files during variant filtering, and annotation of variants potentially shared between individuals. The FAVR methods use these signatures to facilitate filtering of (i) platform and/or mapping-specific artefacts, (ii) common genetic variants, and, where relevant, (iii) artefacts derived from imbalanced paired-end sequencing, as well as annotation of genetic variants based on evidence of co-occurrence in individuals. We applied conventional variant calling applied to whole-exome sequencing datasets, produced using both SOLiD and TruSeq chemistries, with or without downstream processing by FAVR methods. We demonstrate a 3-fold smaller rare single nucleotide variant shortlist with no detected reduction in sensitivity. This analysis included Sanger sequencing of rare variant signals not evident in dbSNP131, assessment of known variant signal preservation, and comparison of observed and expected rare variant numbers across a range of first cousin pairs. The principles described herein were applied in our recent publication identifying XRCC2 as a new breast cancer risk gene and have been made publically available as a suite of software tools.

Conclusions
FAVR is a platform-agnostic suite of methods that significantly enhances the analysis of large volumes of sequencing data for the study of rare genetic variants and their influence on phenotypes.
Phage display of functional αβ single-chain T-cell receptor molecules specific for CD1b:Ac2SGL complexes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected cells
Authors: Camacho Frank , Huggett Jim , Kim Louise , Infante Juan F , Lepore Marco , Perez Viviana , Sarmiento María E , Rook Graham , Acosta Armando 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The development of molecules specific for M. tuberculosis-infected cells has important implications, as these tools may facilitate understanding of the mechanisms regulating host pathogen interactions in vivo. In addition, development of new tools capable to targeting M. tuberculosis-infected cells may have potential applications to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis (TB). Due to the lack of CD1b polymorphism, M. tuberculosis lipid-CD1b complexes could be considered as universal tuberculosis infection markers. The aim of the present study was to display on the PIII surface protein of m13 phage, a human αβ single-chain T-cell receptor molecule specific for CD1b:2-stearoyl-3-hydroxyphthioceranoyl-2´-sulfate-α-α´-D-trehalose (Ac2SGL) which is a complex presented by human cells infected with M. tuberculosis. The results showed the pIII fusion particle was successfully displayed on the phage surface. The study of the recognition of the recombinant phage in ELISA and immunohistochemistry showed the recognition of CD1b:Ac2SGL complexes and cells in human lung tissue from a tuberculosis patient respectively, suggesting the specific recognition of the lipid-CD1b complex.