bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soluble CD163, a Specific Macrophage Activation Marker, is Decreased by Anti‐TNF‐α Antibody Treatment in Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Dige A. , Støy S. , Thomsen K. L. , Hvas C. L. , Agnholt J. , Dahlerup J. F. , Møller H. J. , Grønbæk H. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractActivated macrophages shed the haemoglobin–haptoglobin scavenger receptor CD163 into the circulation as soluble(s)‐CD163. We measured sCD163 as an in vivo macrophage activation marker in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) receiving antitumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α antibody or prednisolone treatment. We also investigated the CD163 expression on circulating monocytes. 58 patients with CD, 40 patients with UC and 90 healthy controls (HC) were included. All patients had active disease at inclusion and were followed for 6 weeks of anti‐TNF‐α antibody or prednisolone treatment. We measured plasma sCD163 levels at baseline, 1 day, 1 week and 6 weeks after initiating treatment. CD163 expression on circulating CD14+ monocytes was measured in 21 patients with CD receiving anti‐TNF‐α antibody treatment. Baseline sCD163 levels were elevated in patients with CD [1.99 (1.80–2.18) mg/l] and in patients with UC [2.07 (1.82–2.32) mg/l] compared with HC [1.51 (1.38–1.63) mg/l] (P < 0.001). Anti‐TNF‐α antibody treatment induced a rapid decrease in sCD163 levels in patients with CD and in patients with UC 1 day after treatment initiation (P < 0.05). One week of prednisolone treatment did not induce a reduction in sCD163 levels. Anti‐TNF‐α treatment normalized sCD163 levels in patients with UC, whereas patients with CD exhibited sustained increased sCD163 levels. In patients with CD, CD163 expression on CD14+ monocytes was increased compared with HC. This study highlights that active CD and UC are associated with increased macrophage activation, as indicated by elevated sCD163 levels and monocytic CD163 expression. Anti‐TNF‐α antibody treatment induced a rapid decrease in sCD163 levels, suggesting a specific effect on macrophage activation in inflammatory bowel diseases.
Dendritic Cells in Bone Marrow at Diagnosis and after Chemotherapy in Adult Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
Authors: Derolf Å. R. , Laane E. , Björklund E. , Saft L. , Björkholm M. , Porwit Anna 
Published: October 2014

AbstractDendritic cells (DCs) develop in the bone marrow from haematopoietic progenitor cells. Two subsets, plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) and myeloid DCs (mDCs), have been identified. Little is known regarding DC levels in bone marrow of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) before and after chemotherapy. We investigated relative pDC and mDC levels in bone marrow from 37 hospital controls and 60 patients with AML [at diagnosis, complete remission (CR) and follow‐up] using four‐colour flow cytometry. The pDC immunophenotype was characterized as lin‐/HLA‐DR+/CD123 + and mDC as lin‐/HLA‐DR+/CD11c+. In 69% of patients with AML, no DCs were detected at diagnosis. At CR, mDC levels were the same in patients with AML and hospital controls while pDC levels were slightly lower. There was no association between minimal residual disease or survival rates and DC levels. Patients with low mDC levels at CR were more likely to suffer from complicated infections, although the difference was not statistically significant. Altogether, there was a profound decrease in DC levels in patients with AML at diagnosis. DC levels increased at CR and were higher than in hospital controls after post‐remission therapy, suggesting that DCs recover after repeated chemotherapy. There may be an association between mDC levels and infectious complications.
Differential Cytokine Expression and Regulatory Cells in Patients with Primary and Secondary Sjögren's Syndrome
Authors: Furuzawa‐Carballeda J. , Sánchez‐Guerrero J. , Betanzos J. L. , Enriquez A. B. , Avila‐Casado C. , Llorente L. , Hernández‐Molina G. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractSjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the salivary and lacrimal glands. The aim of the study was to characterize and compare the presence of diverse cytokines and regulatory T and B cells in lip minor salivary gland (MSG) biopsies from patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), secondary SS (sSS), and patients with connective tissue disease (CTD) without (w/o) SS. We included samples of MSG from 15 pSS, 24 sSS (six scleroderma, nine rheumatoid arthritis and nine lupus patients) and 15 patients with CTD w/o SS. Tissues were examined by an indirect immunoperoxidase technique (goat polyclonal anti‐human IL‐19, goat polyclonal anti‐human IL‐22 or mouse monoclonal anti‐human IL‐24). To determine the subpopulation of CD4+/IL‐17A+‐, CD4+/IL‐4+‐, CD4+/IFN‐ɣ+‐expressing T cells, CD25+/Foxp3+ Treg cells and CD20+/IL‐10+‐producing B cell subset, a double‐staining procedure was performed. We estimated the mean percentage of positively staining cells in two fields per sample. CD4+/IFN‐ɣ+, CD4+/IL‐4+ and IL‐22+ cell percentages were elevated in both SS varieties; however, the cells were more prevalent in pSS. Patients with pSS had a high number of CD4+/IL‐17A+ and IL‐19+ T cells and a lower percentage of IL‐24+ cells (P < 0.05). The Treg and IL‐10‐producing B cells were increased in pSS (P < 0.05). Concluding, in our patients, a pro‐inflammatory and regulatory balance coexists in SS, being both responses more intense in pSS. The explanation of these differences may be related to disease activity, disease duration and treatment.
Patterns of Presentation for Attempted Suicide: Analysis of a Cohort of Individuals Who Subsequently Died by Suicide
Authors: Mallon Sharon , Rosato Michael , Galway Karen , Hughes Lynette , Rondon‐Sulbaran Janeet , McConkey Sam , Leavey Gerard 
Published: October 2014

All suicides and related prior attempts occurring in Northern Ireland over two years were analyzed, focusing on number and timing of attempts, method, and mental health diagnoses. Cases were derived from coroner's records, with 90% subsequently linked to associated general practice records. Of those included, 45% recorded at least one prior attempt (with 59% switching from less to more lethal methods between attempt and suicide). Compared with those recording one attempt, those with 2+ attempts were more likely to have used less lethal methods at the suicide (OR = 2.77: 95% CI = 1.06, 7.23); and those using less lethal methods at the attempts were more likely to persist with these into the suicide (OR = 3.21: 0.79, 13.07). Finally, those with preexisting mental problems were more likely to use less lethal methods in the suicide: severe mental illness (OR = 7.88: 1.58, 39.43); common mental problems (OR = 3.68: 0.83, 16.30); and alcohol/drugs related (OR = 2.02: 0.41, 9.95). This analysis uses readily available data to highlight the persisting use of less lethal methods by visible and vulnerable attempters who eventually complete their suicide. Further analysis of such conditions could allow more effective prevention strategies to be developed.
Concealed Carry in the Show‐Me State: Do Voters in Favor of Right‐to‐Carry Legislation End Up Packing Heat?*
Authors: Ghent Linda S. , Grant Alan P. 
Published: October 2014

ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between a public vote on the right to carry (RTC) concealed weapons in the state of Missouri and the subsequent demand for concealed‐carry permits.MethodsWeighted logit analysis of the referendum vote and the proportion of the population holding concealed‐carry permits was performed to investigate the factors that influence them.ResultsWe find vast differences in the factors that significantly influenced the vote and the decision to hold a concealed‐carry permit. Crime rates are positively related to the vote, but have no influence on the decision to carry.ConclusionsOur analysis shows that most voters do not appear to vote for the RTC based on a latent desire to carry concealed weapons. Instead, our evidence suggests that voters in favor of concealed carry may be voting for moral or philosophical reasons, and that they may be hoping to free ride on the concealed carry of others.
The Damnedest Mess: An Empirical Evaluation of the 1966 Georgia Gubernatorial Election*
Authors: Bullock Charles S. , Hood M. V. 
Published: October 2014

ObjectiveThe 1966 gubernatorial campaign provides an interesting retrospective examination of Georgia politics during a period of seismic change that included the dawn of two‐party competition, black enfranchisement, and legislative determination of the chief executive.MethodThis article provides an empirical evaluation of the 1966 gubernatorial election in Georgia, including action that occurred in the General Assembly following the election.ResultsOur findings clearly define the various coalitions supporting the three gubernatorial candidates and also explain why the plurality popular winner loses the legislative vote.ConclusionThe 1966 election is not only interesting as a case study in its own right, but one that had a major impact on two‐party politics and legislative‐executive relations in Georgia for decades to come.
Split quantification and the status of adjunction in the theory of grammar
Authors: Authier J.‐Marc 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThis article provides new evidence in favor of recognizing adjunction as a grammatical operation distinct from complementation. I first introduce a case of split quantification in French that has received little attention in the literature. It consists of a quantificational expression the restriction of which is made up of the elementcomme‘as’ followed by a bare common noun. I refer to this construct asQCN. I then compareQCNwith two well‐known cases of split quantification: quantification at a distance in French (QAD) and the so‐calledwas‐für/wat voorsplit quantification construction found in German and Dutch. I argue that a coherent account of those properties of FrenchQCNthat contrast with those of FrenchQADand Germanwas‐fürsentences can only emerge from a theory of phrase structure that recognizes that arguments and adjuncts are subject to different requirements within the workspace. I show that if one assumes thatQCNrestrictor phrases areQP‐modifying adjuncts that need not be present in the derivation while theirQPhost is undergoing Merge or Move (but can be introduced at a later stage in the derivation when their host is acting as the complement or specifier of some other projection), the patterns of locality restrictions observed forQCNas well as the scopal properties of this construction can be accounted for. This, I claim, constitute strong evidence against theories of phrase structure that do not recognize adjunction as a grammatical operation distinct from complementation.
Strong modality and truth disposability in syntactic subordination: What is the locus of the phase edge validating modal adverbials?
Authors: Abraham Werner 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThis paper investigates modality elements in German dependent clauses. We demonstrate that although modal adverbial elements can appear freely in matrix clauses, they have a limited distribution in dependent clauses – showing up, for example, in non‐factive complement clauses, but not in factive complement clauses. More generally, the modality potential comes to exist, in ways still to be explained, in what may be called ‘peripheral’ subordinate clauses rather than ‘central’ dependent clauses. To explain this distribution, we argue that for this distinction of dependent clauses phasehood should be extended beyondCPto embrace Force. From this point we continue to distinguish a proper left edge to the Force phase from a defective one with the result that the empirical status of dependent clauses is accounted for appropriately in Minimalist terms.
How much of seed dormancy in weeds can be related to seed traits?
Authors: Gardarin A , Colbach N 
Published: October 2014

SummarySeed dormancy contributes to species persistence in unpredictable environments and is a key process to be taken into account in weed dynamics models. As the level of seed dormancy, photosensitivity and the dates of dormancy induction and release are difficult to measure, our objective was to relate weed seed dormancy with morphological, chemical or physiological seed traits and with expert knowledge. Dormancy of four species was studied experimentally during a 2‐year seed burial experiment. Experiments were supplemented with data from the literature to increase the number of species analysed, resulting in a data set of 29 species. Proportions of non–dormant seeds were higher for elongated than spherical seeds, even when accounting for phylogenetic relatedness between species. Elongated seeds, which tend to remain on the soil surface in undisturbed habitats, may have been selected for lack of dormancy and immediate germination to limit mortality due to predation. Dormancy increased with seed coat thickness, which can act as a chemical and physical barrier to germination, while no relation was found with seed lipid or protein content. No correlation was found between photosensitivity parameters and any of the species traits analysed. Variations in dormancy dates (induction and release) were highly correlated with average field emergence season estimated from expert knowledge. The observed correlations suggest that the level of dormancy results both from direct and from indirect effects of traits being involved in trade‐offs together with seed mortality.
CT imaging during microwave ablation: Analysis of spatial and temporal tissue contraction
Authors: Liu Dong , Brace Christopher L. 
Published: October 2014

Purpose:To analyze the spatial distribution and temporal development of liver tissue contraction during high‐temperature ablation by using intraprocedural computed tomography (CT) imaging.Methods:A total of 46 aluminum fiducial markers were positioned in a 60 × 45 mm grid, in a single plane, around a microwave ablation antenna in each of six ex vivo bovine liver samples. Ablations were performed for 10 min at 100 W. CT data of the liver sample were acquired every 30 s during ablation. Fiducial motion between acquisitions was tracked in postprocessing and used to calculate measures of tissue contraction and contraction rates. The spatial distribution and temporal evolution of contraction were analyzed.Results:Fiducial displacement indicated that the zone measured postablation was 8.2 ± 1.8 mm (∼20%) smaller in the radial direction and 7.1 ± 1.0 mm (∼10%) shorter in the longitudinal direction than the preablation tissue dimension. Therefore, the total ablation volume was reduced from its preablation value by approximately 45%. Very little longitudinal contraction was noted in the distal portion of the ablation zone. Central tissues contracted more than 60%, which was near an estimated limit of ∼70% based on initial water content. More peripheral tissues contracted only 15% in any direction. Contraction rates peaked during the first 60 s of heating with a roughly exponential decay over time.Conclusions:Ablation zones measured posttreatment are significantly smaller than the pretreatment tissue dimensions. Tissue contraction is spatially dependent, with the greatest effect occurring in the central ablation zone. Contraction rate peaks early and decays over time.
Sensitivity study of voxel‐based PET image comparison to image registration algorithms
Authors: Yip Stephen , Chen Aileen B. , Aerts Hugo J. W. L. , Berbeco Ross 
Published: October 2014

Purpose:Accurate deformable registration is essential for voxel‐based comparison of sequential positron emission tomography (PET) images for proper adaptation of treatment plan and treatment response assessment. The comparison may be sensitive to the method of deformable registration as the optimal algorithm is unknown. This study investigated the impact of registration algorithm choice on therapy response evaluation.Methods:Sixteen patients with 20 lung tumors underwent a pre‐ and post‐treatment computed tomography (CT) and 4D FDG‐PET scans before and after chemoradiotherapy. All CT images were coregistered using a rigid and ten deformable registration algorithms. The resulting transformations were then applied to the respective PET images. Moreover, the tumor region defined by a physician on the registered PET images was classified into progressor, stable‐disease, and responder subvolumes. Particularly, voxels with standardized uptake value (SUV) decreases >30% were classified as responder, while voxels with SUV increases >30% were progressor. All other voxels were considered stable‐disease. The agreement of the subvolumes resulting from difference registration algorithms was assessed by Dice similarity index (DSI). Coefficient of variation (CV) was computed to assess variability of DSI between individual tumors. Root mean square difference (RMSrigid) of the rigidly registered CT images was used to measure the degree of tumor deformation. RMSrigidand DSI were correlated by Spearman correlation coefficient (R) to investigate the effect of tumor deformation on DSI.Results:Median DSIrigidwas found to be 72%, 66%, and 80%, for progressor, stable‐disease, and responder, respectively. Median DSIdeformablewas 63%–84%, 65%–81%, and 82%–89%. Variability of DSI was substantial and similar for both rigid and deformable algorithms with CV > 10% for all subvolumes. Tumor deformation had moderate to significant impact on DSI for progressor subvolume withRrigid= − 0.60 (p= 0.01) andRdeformable= − 0.46 (p= 0.01–0.20) averaging over all deformable algorithms. For stable‐disease subvolumes, the correlations were significant (p< 0.001) for all registration algorithms withRrigid= − 0.71 andRdeformable= − 0.72. Progressor and stable‐disease subvolumes resulting from rigid registration were in excellent agreement (DSI > 70%) for RMSrigid< 150 HU. However, tumor deformation was observed to have negligible effect on DSI for responder subvolumes with insignificant |R| < 0.26,p> 0.27.Conclusions:This study demonstrated that deformable algorithms cannot be arbitrarily chosen; different deformable algorithms can result in large differences of voxel‐based PET image comparison. For low tumor deformation (RMSrigid< 150 HU), rigid and deformable algorithms yield similar results, suggesting deformable registration is not required for these cases.
Technical Note: Influence of the phantom material on the absorbed‐dose energy dependence of the EBT3 radiochromic film for photons in the energy range 3 keV–18 MeV
Authors: Hermida‐López M. , Lüdemann L. , Flühs A. , Brualla L. 
Published: October 2014

Purpose:Water is the reference medium for radiation therapy dosimetry, but for film dosimetry it is more practical to use a solid phantom. As the composition of solid phantoms differs from that of water, the energy dependence of film exposed within solid phantoms may also differ. The energy dependence of a radiochromic film for a given beam quality Q (energy for monoenergetic beams) has two components: the intrinsic energy dependence and the absorbed‐dose energy dependence f(Q), the latter of which can be calculated through a Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport. The authors used Monte Carlo simulations to study the influence of the phantom material on the f(Q) of the EBT3 radiochromic film (Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Wayne, NJ) for photon beams with energies between 3 keV and 18 MeV.Methods:All simulations were carried out with the general‐purpose Monte Carlo code penelope 2011. The geometrical model consisted of a cylindrical phantom, with the film positioned at different depths depending on the initial photon energy. The authors simulated monoenergetic parallel photon beams and x‐ray beams from a superficial therapy system. To validate their choice of simulation parameters, they also calculated f(Q) for older film models, EBT and EBT2, comparing with published results. In addition to water, they calculated f(Q) of the EBT3 film for solid phantom materials commonly used for film dosimetry: RW1 and RW3 (PTW‐Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany), Solid Water (Gammex‐RMI, Madison, WI), and PMMA. Finally, they combined their calculated f(Q) with published overall energy response data to obtain the intrinsic energy dependence of the EBT3 film in water.Results:The calculated f(Q) for EBT and EBT2 films was statistically compatible with previously published data. Between 10 keV and 18 MeV, the variation found in f(Q) of the EBT3 film for water was within 2.3%, with a standard statistical uncertainty less than 1%. If the quantity dose‐to‐water in the phantom is considered, which is the common practice in radiation dosimetry, the maximum difference of energy dependence for the solid phantoms with respect to water is about 6%, at an energy of 50 keV.Conclusions:The EBT3 film shows a reasonably constant absorbed‐dose energy dependence when irradiated in water. If the dose‐to‐water in the phantom is considered, the maximum difference of EBT3 film energy dependence with the solid phantoms studied with respect to water is about 6% (at an energy of 50 keV). The reported overall energy dependence of the EBT3 film in water at energies below 100 keV is mainly due to the intrinsic energy dependence.
Molecular Mechanism of Nicotine Degradation by a Newly Isolated Strain, Ochrobactrum sp. Strain SJY1
Authors: Yu Hao , Tang Hongzhi , Zhu Xiongyu , Li Yangyang , Xu Ping 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACT

A newly isolated strain, SJY1, identified as
Ochrobactrum
sp., utilizes nicotine as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. Strain SJY1 could efficiently degrade nicotine via a variant of the pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways (the VPP pathway), which highlights bacterial metabolic diversity in relation to nicotine degradation. A 97-kbp DNA fragment containing six nicotine degradation-related genes was obtained by gap closing from the genome sequence of strain SJY1. Three genes, designated
vppB
,
vppD
, and
vppE
, in the VPP pathway were cloned and heterologously expressed, and the related proteins were characterized. The
vppB
gene encodes a flavin-containing amine oxidase converting 6-hydroxynicotine to 6-hydroxy-
N
-methylmyosmine. Although VppB specifically catalyzes the dehydrogenation of 6-hydroxynicotine rather than nicotine, it shares higher amino acid sequence identity with nicotine oxidase (38%) from the pyrrolidine pathway than with its isoenzyme (6-hydroxy-
l
-nicotine oxidase, 24%) from the pyridine pathway. The
vppD
gene encodes an NADH-dependent flavin-containing monooxygenase, which catalyzes the hydroxylation of 6-hydroxy-3-succinoylpyridine to 2,5-dihydroxypyridine. VppD shows 62% amino acid sequence identity with the hydroxylase (HspB) from
Pseudomonas putida
strain S16, whereas the specific activity of VppD is ∼10-fold higher than that of HspB. VppE is responsible for the transformation of 2,5-dihydroxypyridine. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis suggested that the VPP pathway, which evolved independently from nicotinic acid degradation, might have a closer relationship with the pyrrolidine pathway. The proteins and functional pathway identified here provide a sound basis for future studies aimed at a better understanding of molecular principles of nicotine degradation.