bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Presence of relaxin‐2, oxytocin and their receptors in uterosacral ligaments of pre‐menopausal patients with and without pelvic organ prolapse
Authors: Schott Sarah , Reisenauer Christl , Busch Christian 
Published: July 2014

AbstractObjectivePelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a major health concern for women. Its pathophysiology is yet not fully understood. We reported an impaired functional state of the smooth muscle compartment in uterosacral ligaments from patients with POP, which was cholinergic, stimulated by oxytocin and modulated by relaxin‐2. The current study investigated the presence of oxytocin and relaxin‐2 and their receptors in the uterosacral ligament from POP/non‐POP patients.DesignTranslational investigation on clinical samples.SettingUniversity hospital departments.Population and samplesFourty‐three samples of uterosacral ligament from pre‐menopausal patients with (n = 20) and without POP (n = 23).MethodsPresence of relaxin‐2, its receptors RXFP1 and RXFP2, and of oxytocin and its receptor were analysed by immunohistochemistry and classified using a staining score. Additionally, Western blot analysis was performed.Main outcome measuresPresence patterns with respect to POP and non‐POP uterosacral ligament samples for pathophysiological understanding of POP.ResultsRelaxin‐2, oxytocin and their receptors were expressed in endothelial cells, the smooth muscle compartment and vasa vasorum in the arteries and veins of the uterosacral ligament, in the smooth muscle compartment present in the ground reticulum and in nerves running through the uterosacral ligament. The presence level of relaxin‐2 was higher in the uterosacral ligament of the POP cohort (p < 0.001).ConclusionsWe demonstrated that relaxin‐2 had an increased presence in uterosacral ligaments from patients with POP, suggesting a role of the relaxin system in the pathogenesis of POP and identifying the relaxin system as a potential therapeutic target for the pharmacological treatment of POP.
Analysis of t(9;17)(q33.2;q25.3) chromosomal breakpoint regions and genetic association reveals novel candidate genes for bipolar disorder
Authors: Rajkumar Anto P , Christensen Jane H , Mattheisen Manuel , Jacobsen Iben , Bache Iben , Pallesen Jonatan , Grove Jakob , Qvist Per , McQuillin Andrew , Gurling Hugh M , Tümer Zeynep , Mors Ole , Børglum Anders D 
Published: July 2014

ObjectivesBreakpoints of chromosomal abnormalities facilitate identification of novel candidate genes for psychiatric disorders. Genome‐wide significant evidence supports the linkage between chromosome 17q25.3 and bipolar disorder (BD). Co‐segregation of translocation t(9;17)(q33.2;q25.3) with psychiatric disorders has been reported. We aimed to narrow down these chromosomal breakpoint regions and to investigate the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms within these regions and BD as well as schizophrenia (SZ) in large genome‐wide association study samples.MethodsWe cross‐linked Danish psychiatric and cytogenetic case registers to identify an individual with both t(9;17)(q33.2;q25.3) and BD. Fluorescent in situ hybridization was employed to map the chromosomal breakpoint regions of this proband. We accessed the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium BD (n = 16,731) and SZ (n = 21,856) data. Genetic associations between these disorders and single nucleotide polymorphisms within these breakpoint regions were analysed by BioQ, FORGE, and RegulomeDB programmes.ResultsFour protein‐coding genes [coding for (endonuclease V (ENDOV), neuronal pentraxin I (NPTX1), ring finger protein 213 (RNF213), and regulatory‐associated protein of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) (RPTOR)] were found to be located within the 17q25.3 breakpoint region. NPTX1 was significantly associated with BD (p = 0.004), while ENDOV was significantly associated with SZ (p = 0.0075) after Bonferroni correction.ConclusionsPrior linkage evidence and our findings suggest NPTX1 as a novel candidate gene for BD.
Full immersion simulation: validation of a distributed simulation environment for technical and non‐technical skills training in Urology
Authors: Brewin James , Tang Jessica , Dasgupta Prokar , Khan Muhammad S. , Ahmed Kamran , Bello Fernando , Kneebone Roger , Jaye Peter 
Published: July 2014

ObjectiveTo evaluate the face, content and construct validity of the distributed simulation (DS) environment for technical and non‐technical skills training in endourology. To evaluate the educational impact of DS for urology training.Subjects and MethodsDS offers a portable, low‐cost simulated operating room environment that can be set up in any open space. A prospective mixed methods design using established validation methodology was conducted in this simulated environment with 10 experienced and 10 trainee urologists. All participants performed a simulated prostate resection in the DS environment. Outcome measures included surveys to evaluate the DS, as well as comparative analyses of experienced and trainee urologist's performance using real‐time and ‘blinded’ video analysis and validated performance metrics. Non‐parametric statistical methods were used to compare differences between groups.ResultsThe DS environment demonstrated face, content and construct validity for both non‐technical and technical skills. Kirkpatrick level 1 evidence for the educational impact of the DS environment was shown. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of simulated operating room training on real operating room performance.ConclusionsThis study has shown the validity of the DS environment for non‐technical, as well as technical skills training. DS‐based simulation appears to be a valuable addition to traditional classroom‐based simulation training.
The effect of lateral tectonic tilting on fluviodeltaic surficial and stratal asymmetries: experiment and theory
Authors: Kopp Jessica , Kim Wonsuck 
Published: July 2014

AbstractTectonic influence on deltas has long been recognized for its importance in morphodynamic and stratigraphic development. Here, we explore the control of lateral tectonic tilting on a prograding fluviodeltaic system through six laboratory experiments with a range of tilting rates. Basement tilting was applied along an axis that bisects the centre of the experimental delta, which forced uplift on one half of the basin and subsidence on the opposite half. In the experiments with lower tilting rates, the delta advanced faster in the direction of uplift due to the decline in relative base level. This slow uplift created truncated stratigraphic intervals that were dominated by active channel cut and fill. On the opposite side where subsidence occurred, the shoreline still prograded, but with decreased rates, while the delta topset was deposited thicker, alternating packages of fine and coarse sediments. The fluvial system was active uniformly across the delta in these slow tilting runs and produced asymmetry in shoreline planform geometries. In the experiments with higher titling rates, deposition quickly ceased on the uplift side and stacked conformable sequences of delta lobes on the subsidence side. The result was an overall lack of progradation in all directions. Progressively greater tilting rates used in these high tilting runs yielded steering of channels towards the direction with higher subsidence and developed even more asymmetrical stratal patterns. Characteristic tectonic and channel timescales applied to the experimental conditions prove to be good predictors of the fluviodeltaic planform and stratigraphic asymmetries. The deltaic asymmetry for the Ganges–Brahmaputra (G–B) system is largely comparable to the experiments with timescale ratios similar to those estimated for the G–B system.
Role of 18F‐FDOPA PET/CT imaging in endocrinology
Authors: Santhanam Prasanna , Taïeb David 
Published: July 2014

Summary18F‐FDOPA (6‐[18F]‐L‐fluoro‐L‐3, 4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine)‐based PET/CT imaging can be a useful tool for the detection of different neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). 18F‐FDOPA is taken up into the cells via the neutral amino acid transporter (LAT1/4F2hc). This transporter is also coupled to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway. 18F‐FDOPA PET/CT may be performed for confirmation of diagnosis of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma, staging at initial presentation, restaging and follow‐up of patients. In SDHx‐related syndromes, 18F‐FDG PET/CT should be performed in addition to 18F‐FDOPA PET/CT. 18F‐FDOPA PET/CT is also invaluable in the detection staging/restaging of carcinoid tumours and has greater sensitivity as compared to somatostatin receptor scintigraphy. 18F‐FDOPA PET/CT can also distinguish between focal vs diffuse CHI. It is not as useful in adult hyperinsulinism due to increased background uptake, but the problem may be overcome with the help of premedication with carbidopa. It has limited use in pancreatic NETs. 18F‐FDOPA PET/CT is a good modality for detection of persistent and residual medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), but 18F‐FDG PET/CT may be needed in aggressive tumours. In summary, F‐DOPA PET/CT has widespread utility in the diagnosis of different neuroendocrine tumours.
Role of Caribbean Islands in the diversification and biogeography of Neotropical Heraclides swallowtails
Authors: Lewis Delano S. , Sperling Felix A. H. , Nakahara Shinichi , Cotton Adam M. , Kawahara Akito Y. , Condamine Fabien L. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractNumerous hypotheses on the evolution of Neotropical biodiversity have stimulated research to provide a better understanding of diversity dynamics and distribution patterns of the region. However, few studies integrate molecular and morphological data with complete sampling of a Neotropical group, and so there has been little synthesis of the multiple processes governing biodiversity through space and time. Here, a total‐evidence phylogenetic approach is used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the butterfly subgenus Heraclides. We used DNA sequences for two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene and coded 133 morphological characters of larvae and adults. A robust and well‐resolved phylogeny was obtained using several analytical approaches, while molecular dating and biogeographical analyses indicated an early Miocene origin (22 Mya) in the Caribbean Islands. We inferred six independent dispersal events from the Caribbean to the mainland, and three from the mainland to the Caribbean, and we suggest that cooling climates with decreasing sea levels may have contributed to these events. The time‐calibrated tree is best explained by a museum model of diversity in which both speciation and extinction rates remained constant through time. By assessing both continental and fine‐scale biodiversity patterns, this study provides new findings, for instance that islands may act as source of diversity rather than as a sink, to explain spatio‐temporal macroevolutionary processes within the Neotropical region.
Immunomodulatory effect of melatonin in SK‐LU‐1 human lung adenocarcinoma cells co‐cultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Authors: Plaimee P. , Khamphio M. , Weerapreeyakul N. , Barusrux S. , Johns N. P. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractObjectivesThe anti‐cancer potential of melatonin has been examined using a variety of experimental approaches. Melatonin immunomodulatory action was evaluated against the lung cancer cell line SK‐LU‐1, in co‐culture with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).Materials and methodsMelatonin was tested on the cell line only after 24 h incubation (direct effect), and on the co‐culture system of SK‐LU‐1 and PBMC to investigate any indirect effect. Apoptotic induction of the cancer cells was assessed using annexin V/PI staining with flow cytometric analysis for membrane alteration. Intracellular superoxide anion (O2•−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for intracellular oxidative stress and glutathione (GSH) for intracellular anti‐oxidation were measured with specific fluorescence probes. DNA fractions were measured employing propidium iodide (PI) fluorescence staining.ResultsHigh doses of melatonin were directly toxic to SK‐LU‐1 cells, while PBMC‐mediated indirect effect occurred after moderate doses (1 μm). Under co‐culture conditions, increases in apoptotic cell death, increase in oxidative stress by reduction of GSH and cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 in SK‐LU‐1 cells, were observed as the immunomodulatory effect of melatonin.ConclusionMelatonin had indirect effects on lung cancer cells by enhancement of immunomodulatory effects, but further studies of mechanism(s) involved are needed.
Perceived trustworthiness of faces drives trust behaviour in children
Authors: Ewing Louise , Caulfield Frances , Read Ainsley , Rhodes Gillian 
Published: July 2014

AbstractFacial appearances can powerfully influence adults' trust behaviour, despite limited evidence that these cues constitute honest signals of trustworthiness. It is not clear, however, whether the same is also true for children. The current study investigated whether, like adults, 5‐year‐olds and 10‐year‐olds are more likely to place their trust in partners that look trustworthy than those that look untrustworthy. A second, closely related question was whether children also explicitly value the information from face cues when making trust decisions. We investigated these questions using Token Quest: an economic trust game that gave participants the opportunity to make investments with a series of partners who might (or might not) repay their trust with large returns. These interactions occurred under different conditions, including one in which participants were shown the face of each partner and another in which they could ‘purchase’ access to faces with a portion of their investment capital. Results indicated that, like adults, 10‐year‐old children selectively placed their trust in those partners they perceived as looking trustworthy and many were willing to ‘pay’ to purchase access to these face cues during the trust game. We observed a similar profile of trust behaviour in 5‐year‐olds, with no significant group difference in the impact of face cues on behaviour across the three age groups. Together, these findings indicate that the influence of face cues on trust behaviour emerges early, and highlight a capacity for sophisticated social cognition in young children.
Gross motor function is an important predictor of daily physical activity in young people with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy
Authors: Bania Theofani A , Taylor Nicholas F , Baker Richard J , Graham H Kerr , Karimi Leila , Dodd Karen J 
Published: July 2014

AimThe aim of the study was to describe daily physical activity levels of adolescents and young adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) and to identify factors that help predict these levels.MethodDaily physical activity was measured using an accelerometer‐based activity monitor in 45 young people with bilateral spastic CP (23 males, 22 females; mean age 18y 6mo [SD 2y 5mo] range 16y 1mo–20y 11mo); classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level II or III and with contractures of <20° at hip and knee. Predictor variables included demographic characteristics (age, sex, weight) and physical characteristics (gross motor function, lower limb muscle strength, 6min walk distance). Data were analyzed using the information‐theoretic approach, using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and linear regression.ResultsDaily activity levels were low compared with published norms. Gross Motor Function Measure Dimension‐E (GMFM‐E; walking, running, and jumping) was the only common predictor variable in models that best predicted energy expenditure, number of steps, and time spent sitting/lying. GMFM Dimension‐D (standing) and bilateral reverse leg press strength contributed to the models that predicted daily physical activity.InterpretationAdolescents and young adults with bilateral spastic CP and mild to moderate walking disabilities have low levels of daily activity. The GMFM‐E was an important predictor of daily physical activity.
On and off China's turnpike
Authors: Eckaus Richard S. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractA reorientation towards emphasis on consumption has become a major issue in China, raising the question of the relationship between economic growth and the composition of output. The issue is addressed here, using insights from economic growth theories. These theories indicate that concentration on capital goods production generates the most rapid overall growth. With short‐term deviations and without explicit reference to any theory, Chinese practice in the past seems to have conformed. A shift to emphasizing output of consumption goods while resulting in an overall growth slowdown, will improve consumer welfare, suggesting the benefits of shifting to this criterion of economic success.
Equally Weighted vs. Long‐Run Optimal Portfolios
Authors: Fugazza Carolina , Guidolin Massimo , Nicodano Giovanna 
Published: July 2014

AbstractOut‐of‐sample experiments cast doubt on the ability of portfolio optimising strategies to outperform equally weighted portfolios, when investors have a 1‐month time horizon. This paper examines whether this finding holds for longer investment horizons over which the optimising strategy exploits linear predictability in returns. Our experiments indicate that investors with longer horizons on average would have benefited, ex post, from an optimising strategy over the period 1995–2009. We analyse performance sensitivity to investor risk aversion, to the number of predictors included in the forecasting model and to the deduction of transaction costs from portfolio performance.
Heterogeneity in the Speed of Capital Structure Adjustment across Countries and over the Business Cycle
Authors: Drobetz Wolfgang , Schilling Dirk C. , Schröder Henning 
Published: July 2014

AbstractThis study analyses the heterogeneity in the speed of capital structure adjustment. Using a doubly‐censored Tobit estimator that accounts for mechanical mean reversion in leverage ratios, the speed of adjustment is 25% per year in a large international sample, supporting the economic relevance of the trade‐off theory. Differences in the adjustment speed across financial systems are attributable to differences in the costs of adjustment. Macroeconomic and micro‐level supply‐side constraints also affect the dynamics of leverage. Firms adjust more slowly during recessions, and the business cycle effect on adjustment speed is most pronounced for financially constrained firms in market‐based countries.
Limitations to estimating bacterial cross‐species transmission using genetic and genomic markers: inferences from simulation modeling
Authors: Benavides Julio A. , Cross Paul C. , Luikart Gordon , Creel Scott 
Published: July 2014

AbstractCross‐species transmission (CST) of bacterial pathogens has major implications for human health, livestock, and wildlife management because it determines whether control actions in one species may have subsequent effects on other potential host species. The study of bacterial transmission has benefitted from methods measuring two types of genetic variation: variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, it is unclear whether these data can distinguish between different epidemiological scenarios. We used a simulation model with two host species and known transmission rates (within and between species) to evaluate the utility of these markers for inferring CST. We found that CST estimates are biased for a wide range of parameters when based on VNTRs and a most parsimonious reconstructed phylogeny. However, estimations of CST rates lower than 5% can be achieved with relatively low bias using as low as 250 SNPs. CST estimates are sensitive to several parameters, including the number of mutations accumulated since introduction, stochasticity, the genetic difference of strains introduced, and the sampling effort. Our results suggest that, even with whole‐genome sequences, unbiased estimates of CST will be difficult when sampling is limited, mutation rates are low, or for pathogens that were recently introduced.
Epidermal gene expression and ethnic pigmentation variations among individuals of Asian, European and African ancestry
Authors: Yin Lanlan , Coelho Sergio G. , Ebsen Dominik , Smuda Christoph , Mahns Andre , Miller Sharon A. , Beer Janusz Z. , Kolbe Ludger , Hearing Vincent J. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractDifferences in visible skin pigmentation give rise to the wide variation of skin colours seen in racial/ethnic populations. Skin pigmentation is important not only from cosmetic and psychological points of view, but more importantly because of its implications for the risk of all types of skin cancers, on photoaging, etc. Despite differences in those parameters in Caucasian and Asian skin types, they are remarkably similar in their production and distribution of melanins, and the mechanism(s) underlying their different characteristics have remained obscure. In this study, we used microarray analysis of skin suction blisters to investigate molecular differences underlying the determination of pigmentation in various skin types, and we used immunohistochemistry to validate the expression patterns of several interesting targets that were identified. Intriguingly, Caucasian and Asian skins had highly similar gene expression patterns that differed significantly from the pattern of African skin. The results of this study suggest the dynamic interactions of different types of cells in human skin that regulate its pigmentation, reveal that the known pigmentation genes have a limited contribution and uncover a new array of genes, including NINL and S100A4, that might be involved in that regulation.
Top‐down and bottom‐up control of litter decomposers in streams
Authors: Gonçalves Ana Lúcia , Chauvet Eric , Bärlocher Felix , Graça Manuel A. S. , Canhoto Cristina 
Published: July 2014

Summary

Detritivores preferentially consume certain aquatic hyphomycete species while rejecting others. Fungal identity may therefore be a crucial factor determining stream food‐web structure and complexity and extend the impact of microbial diversity to effects up through the food web.

In this study, we examined if shredder feeding is affected by the identity of fungi on leaves (bottom‐up effects) and if preferences of shredders for particular fungi affect the composition of fungal assemblages (top‐down effects). Oak leaf discs were conditioned in microcosms with six individual fungal species previously reported as highly palatable (P), unpalatable/rejected (R) and intermediate (I). Additionally, three microcosms were inoculated with three mixtures of four fungal species, each consisting of a different subset of the six species.

Colonised discs were offered to three detritivores with different feeding strategies: Proasellus sp. (Isopoda), Echinogammarus meridionalis (Amphipoda) and Schizopelex festiva (Trichoptera). When offered leaves colonised by single fungal species, consumption rates by E. meridionalis and S. festiva were higher on I, followed by P and, finally, R species. Consumption rates by Proasellus sp. were similar across fungal treatments. Consumption rates by the three invertebrates were also similar across all fungal multispecies treatments, suggesting that invertebrate preferences for, or rejection of, a given fungal species may be masked when it grows in proximity to other fungi. Composition and structure of fungal communities were not significantly affected by the feeding of any of the three invertebrates.

Our results suggest that certain combinations of fungal and detritivore species result in unpredictable bottom‐up and top‐down effects in stream food webs.