bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nurses’ adherence to ethical codes
Authors: Momennasab Marzieh , Koshkaki Afifeh Rahmanin , Torabizadeh Camellia , Tabei Seyed Ziaeddin 
Published: May 2015

Background: Ethical codes are guidelines that orient nurses and ensure that their decisions are in accordance with the values of the professional system. These codes show that there is a connection among values, patients’ rights, and nurses’ duties. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the viewpoints of patients, nurses, and nurse managers regarding the extent to which clinical ethical codes are observed. Research design: In this descriptive–comparative study, data were collected using three questionnaires based on Iranian nurses’ ethical codes with a focus on clinical care. The reliability of the questionnaire was verified by test–retest method (r = 0.9). The patients were interviewed by the researcher, but nurses and managers completed the questionnaires themselves. After all, the data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software (v 15). Participants and research context: In all, 100 patients, 100 nurses, and 30 managers from internal and surgical wards of two major hospitals in Shiraz, Iran, participated in 2014. Ethical considerations: This research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All the participants signed written informed consents. Findings: According to the results, 70% of the patients, 86% of the nurses, and 53.3% of the nurse managers rated nurses’ adherence to ethical codes as satisfactory. The mean scores (standard deviation) of the level of adherence to ethical codes were 38.44 (6.91) in the patients, 41.08 (4.82) in the nurses, and 37.83 (6.98) in the nurse managers. The results of analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the attitudes of the nurses and the other two groups (p = 0.001). Discussion: Nurses’ adherence to ethical codes was satisfactory in all three groups. Accordingly, our findings agree with the results of some national and international studies, although there are still controversies in this regard. Conclusion: Although the nurses rated their performance in certain fields more satisfactory compared to the patients and managers, all the three groups agreed that clinical ethical codes were properly observed in the internal and surgical wards. Nurses can improve the quality of care by considering the viewpoints of patients and managers about their ethical performance.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease associated with increased arterial stiffness in subjects with normal glucose tolerance, but not pre-diabetes and diabetes
Authors: Chou Chieh-Ying , Yang Yi-Ching , Wu Jin-Shang , Sun Zih-Jie , Lu Feng-Hwa , Chang Chih-Jen 
Published: May 2015

Aim: To evaluate the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and arterial stiffness in adults with normal glucose tolerance, pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes after excluding known diabetes. Methods: A total of 4860 subjects were divided into normal glucose tolerance, pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes groups according to the American Diabetes Association 2011 diagnostic criteria. The severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was divided into mild and moderate to severe. Increased arterial stiffness was defined as brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) ⩾ 1400 cm/s. Results: There was a significant difference in the prevalence of mild and moderate to severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease between subjects with and without increased arterial stiffness. Mild (odds ratio (OR) = 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.43–2.84) and moderate to severe (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.33–3.46) non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were independently associated with increased arterial stiffness in the normal glucose tolerance group. In the pre-diabetes and diabetes groups, neither mild nor moderate to severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with increased arterial stiffness. Conclusion: The effect of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on arterial stiffness is apparent in subjects with normal glucose tolerance, but not in diabetes and pre-diabetes.
SERS Detection of Dopamine Using Label-Free Acridine Red as Molecular Probe in Reduced Graphene Oxide/Silver Nanotriangle Sol Substrate
Authors: Luo Yanghe , Ma Lu , Zhang Xinghui , Liang Aihui , Jiang Zhiliang 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
The reduced graphene oxide/silver nanotriangle (rGO/AgNT) composite sol was prepared by the reduction of silver ions with sodium borohydride in the presence of H2O2 and sodium citrate. In the nanosol substrate, the molecular probe of acridine red (AR) exhibited a weak surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) peak at 1506 cm−1 due to its interaction with the rGO of rGO/AgNT. Upon addition of dopamine (DA), the competitive adsorption between DA and AR with the rGO took place, and the AR molecules were adsorbed on the AgNT aggregates with a strong SERS peak at 1506 cm−1 that caused the SERS peak increase. The increased SERS intensity is linear to the DA concentration in the range of 2.5–500 μmol/L. This new analytical system was investigated by SERS, fluorescence, absorption, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, and a SERS quantitative analysis method for DA was established, using AR as a label-free molecular probe.
Seed/Catalyst-Free Growth of Gallium-Based Compound Materials on Graphene on Insulator by Electrochemical Deposition at Room Temperature
Authors: Rashiddy Wong Freddawati , Ahmed Ali Amgad , Yasui Kanji , Hashim Abdul Manaf 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
We report the growth of gallium-based compounds, i.e., gallium oxynitride (GaON) and gallium oxide (Ga2O3) on multilayer graphene (MLG) on insulator using a mixture of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) and gallium nitrate (Ga(NO3)3) by electrochemical deposition (ECD) method at room temperature (RT) for the first time. The controlling parameters of current density and electrolyte molarity were found to greatly influence the properties of the grown structures. The thicknesses of the deposited structures increase with the current density since it increases the chemical reaction rates. The layers grown at low molarities of both solutions basically show grain-like layer with cracking structures and dominated by both Ga2O3 and GaON. Such cracking structures seem to diminish with the increases of molarities of one of the solutions. It is speculated that the increase of current density and ions in the solutions helps to promote the growth at the area with uneven thicknesses of graphene. When the molarity of Ga(NO3)3 is increased while keeping the molarity of NH4NO3 at the lowest value of 2.5 M, the grown structures are basically dominated by the Ga2O3 structure. On the other hand, when the molarity of NH4NO3 is increased while keeping the molarity of Ga(NO3)3 at the lowest value of 0.8 M, the GaON structure seems to dominate where their cubic and hexagonal arrangements are coexisting. It was found that when the molarities of Ga(NO3)3 are at the high level of 7.5 M, the grown structures tend to be dominated by Ga2O3 even though the molarity of NH4NO3 is made equal or higher than the molarity of Ga(NO3)3. When the grown structure is dominated by the Ga2O3 structure, the deposition process became slow or unstable, resulting to the formation of thin layer. When the molarity of Ga(NO3)3 is increased to 15 M, the nanocluster-like structures were formed instead of continuous thin film structure. This study seems to successfully provide the conditions in growing either GaON-dominated or Ga2O3-dominated structure by a simple and low-cost ECD. The next possible routes to convert the grown GaON-dominated structure to either single-crystalline GaN or Ga2O3 as well as Ga2O3-dominated structure to single-crystalline Ga2O3 structure have been discussed.
Synthesis of CaCO3 Nanobelts for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy
Authors: Sun Dongmei , Peng Haibao , Wang Shilong , Zhu Dazhang 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
Nanobelt carriers have demonstrated some advantages such as good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and strain-accommodating properties. We prepared an optimized nanobelt carrier formulation for drug (etoposide) as an oral delivery system and estimated the potential of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanobelts. The nanobelts were prepared by the method of binary solvent approach and were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectra. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) assay test exhibited that etoposide-loaded calcium carbonate nanobelts (ECCNBs) showed a higher cell kill ratio against SGC-7901 cells compared with free drug. The apoptosis test and cell cycle test analysis revealed that etoposide entrapped in calcium carbonate nanobelts (CCNBs) could enhance the delivery efficiencies of drug and improved inhibition effect. The present findings demonstrated that ECCNBs might induce cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and cell apoptosis in a p53-related manner. It can be foreseen that CCNBs are a promising drug carrier to store the anti-cancer drug for cancer therapy and drug delivery.
Macroscopic optical physiological parameters correlate with microscopic proliferation and vessel area breast cancer signatures
Authors: Chung So Hyun , Feldman Michael D. , Martinez Daniel , Kim Helen , Putt Mary E. , Busch David R. , Tchou Julia , Czerniecki Brian J. , Schnall Mitchell D. , Rosen Mark A. , DeMichele Angela , Yodh Arjun G. , Choe Regine 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
Introduction
Non-invasive diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) can detect and characterize breast cancer and predict tumor responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, even in patients with radiographically dense breasts. However, the relationship between measured optical parameters and pathological biomarker information needs to be further studied to connect information from optics to traditional clinical cancer biology. Thus we investigate how optically measured physiological parameters in malignant tumors such as oxy-, deoxy-hemoglobin concentration, tissue blood oxygenation, and metabolic rate of oxygen correlate with microscopic histopathological biomarkers from the same malignant tumors, e.g., Ki67 proliferation markers, CD34 stained vasculature markers and nuclear morphology.

Methods
In this pilot study, we investigate correlations of macroscopic physiological parameters of malignant tumors measured by diffuse optical technologies with microscopic histopathological biomarkers of the same tumors, i.e., the Ki67 proliferation marker, the CD34 stained vascular properties marker, and nuclear morphology.

Results
The tumor-to-normal relative ratio of Ki67-positive nuclei is positively correlated with DOT-measured relative tissue blood oxygen saturation (R = 0.89, p-value: 0.001), and lower tumor-to-normal deoxy-hemoglobin concentration is associated with higher expression level of Ki67 nuclei (p-value: 0.01). In a subset of the Ki67-negative group (defined by the 15 % threshold), an inverse correlation between Ki67 expression level and mammary metabolic rate of oxygen was observed (R = −0.95, p-value: 0.014). Further, CD34 stained mean-vessel-area in tumor is positively correlated with tumor-to-normal total-hemoglobin and oxy-hemoglobin concentration. Finally, we find that cell nuclei tend to have more elongated shapes in less oxygenated DOT-measured environments.

Conclusions
Collectively, the pilot data are consistent with the notion that increased blood is supplied to breast cancers, and it also suggests that less conversion of oxy- to deoxy-hemoglobin occurs in more proliferative cancers. Overall, the observations corroborate expectations that macroscopic measurements of breast cancer physiology using DOT and DCS can reveal microscopic pathological properties of breast cancer and hold potential to complement pathological biomarker information.
Intradiscal application of rhBMP-7 does not induce regeneration in a canine model of spontaneous intervertebral disc degeneration
Authors: Willems Nicole , Bach Frances C , Plomp Saskia G M , van Rijen Mattie HP , Wolfswinkel Jeannette , Grinwis Guy CM , Bos Clemens , Strijkers Gustav J , Dhert Wouter JA , Meij Björn P , Creemers Laura B , Tryfonidou Marianna A 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
Introduction
Strategies for biological repair and regeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) by cell and tissue engineering are promising, but few have made it into a clinical setting. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 7 (rhBMP-7) has been shown to stimulate matrix production by IVD cells in vitro and in vivo in animal models of induced IVD degeneration. The aim of this study was to determine the most effective dose of an intradiscal injection of rhBMP-7 in a spontaneous canine IVD degeneration model for translation into clinical application for patients with low back pain.

Methods
Canine nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) were cultured with rhBMP-7 to assess the anabolic effect of rhBMP-7 in vitro, and samples were evaluated for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and DNA content, histology, and matrix-related gene expression. Three different dosages of rhBMP-7 (2.5 μg, 25 μg, and 250 μg) were injected in vivo into early degenerated IVDs of canines, which were followed up for six months by magnetic resonance imaging (T2-weighted images, T1rho and T2 maps). Post-mortem, the effects of rhBMP-7 were determined by radiography, computed tomography, and macroscopy, and by histological, biochemical (GAG, DNA, and collagen), and biomolecular analyses of IVD tissue.

Results
In vitro, rhBMP-7 stimulated matrix production of canine NPCs as GAG deposition was enhanced, DNA content was maintained, and gene expression levels of ACAN and COL2A1 were significantly upregulated. Despite the wide dose range of rhBMP-7 (2.5 to 250 μg) administered in vivo, no regenerative effects were observed at the IVD level. Instead, extensive extradiscal bone formation was noticed after intradiscal injection of 25 μg and 250 μg of rhBMP-7.

Conclusions
An intradiscal bolus injection of 2.5 μg, 25 μg, and 250 μg rhBMP-7 showed no regenerative effects in a spontaneous canine IVD degeneration model. In contrast, intradiscal injection of 250 μg rhBMP-7, and to a lesser extent 25 μg rhBMP-7, resulted in extensive extradiscal bone formation, indicating that a bolus injection of rhBMP-7 alone cannot be used for treatment of IVD degeneration in human or canine patients.
KIAA1199 as a potential diagnostic biomarker of rheumatoid arthritis related to angiogenesis
Authors: Yang Xinyu , Qiu Pengcheng , Chen Bingbing , Lin Yaoyao , Zhou Zhonghao , Ge Renshan , Zou Hai , Wang Jianmin , Wang Jianguang 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
Introduction
Our previous proteomic study on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) derived from the synovial tissues found that the expression of KIAA1199 was higher in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients than in healthy controls. The aim of this study was to examine the biological function of KIAA1199 and evaluate its clinical diagnosis value in RA.

Methods
The over-expression of KIAA1199 was verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in inactive and active RA patients and healthy controls. The effect of KIAA1199 expression on FLSs proliferation, angiogenesis and related pathway were analyzed by MTT, cell migration, tube formation, chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, qPCR and western-blotting after KIAA1199 knockdown and over-expression.

Results
The verification results show the up-regulation of KIAA1199 in RA patients at mRNA and protein level as compared to that in healthy controls. ELISA and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis shows that KIAA1199 concentration in serum, synovial fluid and synovial tissues could be used as dependable biomarkers for the diagnosis of active RA, provided an area under roc curve (AUC) of 0.83, 0.92 and 0.92. Sensitivity and specificity, which were determined by cut-off points, reached 72% 84% and 80% in sensitivity and 80%, 93.3%, 93.3% in specificity, respectively. Moreover, KIAA1199 also enhance the proliferation and angiogenesis of synovial membrane, and KIAA1199/ PLXNB3/ SEMA5A/CTGF axis may be a newly found pathway enhancing cell proliferation and angiogenesis.

Conclusion
KIAA1199 may be a potential diagnostic biomarker of RA related to angiogenesis.
Early biomarkers of joint damage in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis
Authors: Mc Ardle Angela , Flatley Brian , Pennington Stephen R. , FitzGerald Oliver 
Published: May 2015

AbstractJoint destruction, as evidenced by radiographic findings, is a significant problem for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Inherently irreversible and frequently progressive, the process of joint damage begins at and even before the clinical onset of disease. However, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthropathies are heterogeneous in nature and not all patients progress to joint damage. It is therefore important to identify patients susceptible to joint destruction in order to initiate more aggressive treatment as soon as possible and thereby potentially prevent irreversible joint damage. At the same time, the high cost and potential side effects associated with aggressive treatment mean it is also important not to over treat patients and especially those who, even if left untreated, would not progress to joint destruction. It is therefore clear that a protein biomarker signature that could predict joint damage at an early stage would support more informed clinical decisions on the most appropriate treatment regimens for individual patients. Although many candidate biomarkers for rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis have been reported in the literature, relatively few have reached clinical use and as a consequence the number of prognostic biomarkers used in rheumatology has remained relatively static for several years. It has become evident that a significant challenge in the transition of biomarker candidates to clinical diagnostic assays lies in the development of suitably robust biomarker assays, especially multiplexed assays, and their clinical validation in appropriate patient sample cohorts. Recent developments in mass spectrometry-based targeted quantitative protein measurements have transformed our ability to rapidly develop multiplexed protein biomarker assays. These advances are likely to have a significant impact on the validation of biomarkers in the future. In this review, we have comprehensively compiled a list of candidate biomarkers in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, evaluated the evidence for their potential as biomarkers of bone (joint) damage, and outlined how mass spectrometry-based targeted and multiplexed measurement of candidate biomarker proteins is likely to accelerate their clinical validation and the development of clinical diagnostic tests.
Linking classification and therapeutic management of vasculitides
Authors: Baldwin Corisande , Carette Simon , Pagnoux Christian 
Published: May 2015

AbstractVasculitides are classified by the size, type and location of the predominantly involved vessels and by their primary or secondary nature. Their treatment depends on the type of vasculitis, its etiology (when known), and its severity and must be further adjusted by the individual characteristics and comorbidities of patients. In this paper, we review how the classification and definition of vasculitides have evolved over the past years and how it has affected therapeutic changes. As new genetic markers are being discovered and the pathogenesis of vasculitides continues to be elucidated, further modifications in classification and treatment can be expected.
Dislocated quasi-b-metric spaces and fixed point theorems for cyclic contractions
Authors: Klin-eam Chakkrid , Suanoom Cholatis 
Published: May 2015

AbstractIn this paper, we establish dislocated quasi-b-metric spaces and introduce the notions of Geraghty type dqb-cyclic-Banach contraction and dqb-cyclic-Kannan mapping and derive the existence of fixed point theorems for such spaces. Our main theorem extends and unifies existing results in the recent literature.
Ligand-Hole in [SnI6] Unit and Origin of Band Gap in Photovoltaic Perovskite Variant Cs2SnI6
Authors: Xiao Zewen , Lei Hechang , Zhang Xiao , Zhou Yuanyuan , Hosono Hideo , Kamiya Toshio 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
Cs2SnI6, a variant of perovskite CsSnI3, is gaining interest as a photovoltaic material. Based on a simple ionic model, it is expected that Cs2SnI6 is composed of Cs+, I−, and Sn4+ ions and that the band gap is primarily made of occupied I− 5p6 valence band maximum (VBM) and unoccupied Sn4+ 5s conduction band minimum (CBM) similar to SnO2. In this work, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations and revealed that the real oxidation state of the Sn ion in Cs2SnI6 is +2 similar to CsSnI3. The +2 oxidation state of Sn originates from 2 ligand holes (L+) in the [SnI6]2− octahedron unit, where the ligand [I6] cluster has the apparent [I66−L+2]4− oxidation state, because the band gap is formed mainly by occupied I 5p VBM and unoccupied I 5p CBM. The +2 oxidation state of Sn and the band gap originate from the intracluster hybridization and stabilized by the strong covalency of the Sn–I bonds.
Behavioural evidence for self-medication in bumblebees?
Authors: Baracchi David , Brown Mark J. F. , Chittka Lars 
Published: May 2015

The presence of antimicrobial secondary metabolites in nectar suggests that pollinators, which are threatened globally by emergent disease, may benefit from the consumption of nectars rich in these metabolites. We tested whether nicotine, a nectar secondary metabolite common inSolanaceaeandTiliaspecies, is used by parasitized bumblebees as a source of self-medication,using a series of toxicological, microbiological and behavioural experiments. Caged bees infected withCrithidia bombi had a slight preference for sucrose solution laced with the alkaloid and behavioural tests showed that the parasite infection induced an increased consumption of nicotine during foraging activity, though nicotine had an appetite-reducing effect overall. When ingested, nicotine delayed the progression of a gut infection in bumblebees by a few days, but dietary nicotine did not clear the infection, and after 10 days the parasite load approached that of control bees. Moreover, when pathogens were exposed to the alkaloid prior to host ingestion, the protozoan’s viability was not directly affected, suggesting that anti-parasite effects were relatively weak. Nicotine consumption in a single dose did not impose any cost even in starved bees but the alkaloid had detrimental effects on healthy bees if consistently consumed for weeks. These toxic effects disappeared in infected bees, suggesting that detoxification costs might have been counterbalanced by the advantages in slowing the progression of the infection. Nicotine consumption did not affect bee lifespan but the reduction in the parasite load may have other likely unexplored subtle benefits both for individual bees and their colony. Potential evidence for self-medication is discussed. The contention that secondary metabolites in nectar may be under selection from pollinators, or used by plants to enhance their own reproductive success, remains to be confirmed.