bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists on Changes in Cardiac Structure and Function of Left Ventricular Dysfunction
Authors: Li Xiaobo , Qi Yue , Li Yuqiong , Zhang Shanshan , Guo Shujie , Chu Shaoli , Gao Pingjin , Zhu Dingliang , Wu Zhijun , Lu Lin , Shen Weifeng , Jia Nan , Niu Wenquan 
Published: February 2013

Background—
A comprehensive evaluation of the benefits of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists on cardiac remodeling is lacking. We aimed to evaluate the impact of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists on changes in cardiac structure and function of left ventricular dysfunction.

Methods and Results—

Articles were identified by online searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases before June 2012, by hand searches of reviews and relevant journals, and by contact with the authors. Qualified articles were restricted to randomized controlled trials. There were, respectively, 12, 4, and 3 qualified trials that randomized 572, 647, and 407 patients to spironolactone, canrenoate, and eplerenone, and 531, 655, and 395 patients to placebo or active treatment, respectively. Overall, under mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist treatment there was improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (weighted mean difference, 2.97; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.26–3.67;
P
<0.0005), left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic volume index (weighted mean difference, −5.64; 95% CI, −7.94 to −3.34;
P
<0.0005 and weighted mean difference, −7.46; 95% CI, −11.63 to −3.3;
P
<0.0005), serum amino-terminal peptide of procollagen type-III (weighted mean difference, −1.12; 95% CI, −1.49 to −0.74;
P
<0.0005), B-type natriuretic peptide (weighted mean difference, −67.06; 95% CI, −91.24 to −42.88;
P
<0.0005), peak velocities of early mitral inflow (E; weighted mean difference, −9.57; 95% CI, −12.98 to −6.17;
P
<0.0005), and E wave deceleration time (weighted mean difference, 7.08; 95% CI, 4.07–10.09;
P
<0.0005). There was low probability of heterogeneity and publication bias.

Conclusions—
Our findings demonstrate that mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist treatment may exert beneficial effects on the reversal of cardiac remodeling and improvement of left ventricular function.
‘Can they really identify mental health problems at the age of three?’ Parent and practitioner views about screening young children’s social and emotional development
Authors: Alexander Karyn E , Brijnath Bianca , Mazza Danielle 
Published: February 2013

Objective: To report the views of parents, general practitioners and practice nurses on the proposed changes to incorporate social and emotional health checks of three-year-olds into the Healthy Kids Check, a one-off pre-school health assessment delivered through general practice. Method: Participants were recruited from three socio-culturally diverse urban areas of Melbourne for a qualitative study involving 28 parent interviews and six focus groups with a total of 40 practitioners. Participants discussed child social and emotional development, health-seeking and preventive health care for young children. Transcripts were thematically analysed. Results: Common themes showed: (i) Although both parents and practitioners were receptive to the idea of social and emotional screening, parents had limited knowledge about mental health issues for young children and the need for early intervention. (ii) All groups questioned the current capabilities of practice staff to identify problems, and practitioners expressed a need for further training and tools. (iii) Parents and practitioners cautioned that screening may increase parental anxiety and lead to unnecessary referrals. Practitioners countered this with examples of cases not recognised by parents. (iv) Participants questioned the value of earlier identification of problems without effective and accessible therapeutic pathways. Conclusions: For programmes to be effective, parents need to be reminded of the benefits of early intervention and encouraged to attend preventive health appointments. Practitioners require further training and tools specific to the primary care setting. Further investment in specialist and allied health services is considered essential to assure better outcomes for young children’s mental health following screening and referral. Practitioners welcome a more collaborative relationship with other professionals (e.g. early educators) in assessing children’s social and emotional development. General practice has the capability but requires a more structured approach to assessing the social and emotional health of young children.
Cuba’s New Socialism
Authors: Piñeiro Harnecker Camila 
Published: February 2013

Three main ideological positions are behind the debate over current changes in Cuba: the statist position, which seeks to perfect a top-down, state socialism; the economicist position, which defends market socialism; and the self-managementist position, which favors democratic socialism and worker participation in company decision making. These visions largely coincide in maintaining that Cuba’s main long-term goal should be a more just society, liberated from economic hardship, but they differ markedly in the way they understand justice and freedom and thus socialism. Consequently, different Cubans tend to set different short- and medium-term goals and to propose different means for reaching them. All three make legitimate points that need to be considered in the making of strategic decisions. However, pursuing more democracy would appear more desirable than conferring inordinate power on state functionaries who pledge to represent the interests of society or on resourceful economic actors who direct from the shadows an “invisible hand” that affects us all. Tres principales posiciones ideológicas están detrás del debate sobre cambios contemporáneos en Cuba: la posición estadista, la cual busca perfeccionar un socialismo del Estado de arriba para abajo; la posición economicista, que defiende el socialismo de mercado; y la posición autogestionaria, que favorece el socialismo democrático y la participación de los trabajadores en las decisiones empresariales. Estas visiones coinciden en gran parte en mantener que el objetivo de largo plazo debería ser una sociedad más justa, liberada de apuros económicos. Pero se distinguen marcadamente en el modo en que se entiende la justicia y la libertad y por ende el socialismo. Por consiguiente distintos cubanos tienden a establecer diferentes metas de corto y mediano plazo, y a proponer diferentes caminos para llegar allí. Todos los tres hacen puntos legítimos que se tienen que considerar en la elaboración de decisiones estratégicas. Sin embargo, la búsqueda de más democracia parecería ser más deseable que el conferir poderes desproporcionados a funcionarios del Estado quienes prometen representar los intereses de la sociedad, o ponerlo en manos de actores económicos hábiles quienes dirigen desde las sombras la “mano invisible” que nos afecta a todos.
Short Interfering RNA against Bax Attenuates TNFα‐Induced Ototoxicity in Rat Organ of Corti Explants
Authors: Dinh Christine , Bas Esperanza , Dinh John , Vu Ly , Gupta Chhavi , Van De Water Thomas R. 
Published: February 2013

ObjectiveEvaluate the effectiveness of short interfering RNA against Bax (Bax siRNA) as a treatment for tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)–induced auditory hair cell (HC) loss in rat organ of Corti (OC) explants.Study DesignBasic science.SettingBasic science laboratory, University of Miami Ear Institute.MethodsOrgan of Corti explants dissected from 3‐day‐old rats were cultured in control media, TNFα, and TNFα + Bax siRNA at 0, 48, and 72 hours in vitro. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, HC viability studies, immunofluorescence, and confocal microscopy were performed. Analysis of variance with post hoc testing was used with P <. 05 considered significant.ResultsThe TNFα‐damaged explants demonstrated significant decreases in viable HCs in the basal turn with corresponding increased levels of Bax gene and protein expression, compared with control explant levels. The levels of viable HCs and Bax gene and protein expression in TNFα + Bax siRNA‐treated explants approached levels measured in control explants. Immunolocalization studies showed increased Bax protein expression in basal turn HCs in TNFα‐treated explants, whereas control explants and TNFα + Bax siRNA–treated explants had low levels of Bax expression.ConclusionTNFα initiates the programmed cell death of auditory HCs in OC explants through upregulation of proapoptotic Bax gene and protein expression. Bax siRNA blocks TNFα‐induced apoptosis of HCs by decreasing the TNFα‐induced levels of Bax mRNA and protein expression in treated explants. Bax siRNA is an effective treatment for TNFα‐induced ototoxicity in OC explants in vitro and has great potential to be a therapeutic agent against trauma/inflammation‐induced hearing loss.
Clinical application of olfactory ensheathing cells in the treatment of spinal cord injury
Authors: Rao Yaojian , Zhu Wenxiao , Liu Huijuan , Jia Chunxia , Zhao Qingan , Wang Yongjun 
Published: February 2013

Objectives To investigate the safety and therapeutic efficacy of autologous olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation in cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods Patients with cervical SCI of >6 months’ duration were treated with autologous OECs, injected into the area surrounding the SCI under magnetic resonance imaging guidance, twice a week for 4 weeks. Patients were evaluated before treatment and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months post-treatment, using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale, the ASIA sensory and motor score and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score. Results Eight patients were recruited to the study. Three months after treatment, ASIA and FIM scores had improved significantly compared with pretreatment, though by 1 year no further significant improvements in the ASIA score were seen. The return of substantial sensation and motor activity in various muscles below the injury level was observed in three patients during follow-up. In addition, bladder function was restored in two patients. There were no serious complications postoperatively or during the follow-up period. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence of the safety and possible efficacy of autologous OEC transplantation.
Relating health-related Quality of Life to disability progression in multiple sclerosis, using the 5-level EQ-5D
Authors: Fogarty Emer , Walsh Cathal , Adams Roisin , McGuigan Christopher , Barry Michael , Tubridy Niall 
Published: February 2013

Background: Increasing use of the Quality-Adjusted Life-Year to inform resource allocation decision-making has highlighted the importance of relating clinical and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Objective and Methods: To investigate the relationship between the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and HRQoL utility, using the 5-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L). The discriminatory power of the EQ-5D-5L was assessed using Shannon’s indices. Results: A linear decline in utility was observed with changes in EDSS score from 0 to 6, after which point the relationship exhibited greater variability. Mean utility values ranged from −0.22 at EDSS 9 to 0.88 at EDSS 0. We found that the discriminative capacity of the EQ-5D-5L was considerably lower for the domains self-care and anxiety/depression, compared with other health-related domains. Conclusion: In its first reported use in an MS population, the EQ-5D-5L displayed good discriminatory capacity, although performance differed between the various domains of health, with evidence of a ceiling effect present in the domains of self-care and anxiety/depression. The EQ-5D-5L demonstrated a high correlation with EDSS in our MS cohort up to EDSS 6, after which point the utility valuation of severe health states exhibited much greater variability. Utility estimates from this study may be used in economic evaluations of disease-modifying therapies in MS, to inform resource-allocation decisions.
Altered expression of the plasminogen activation pathway in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in multiple sclerosis: possible pathomechanism of matrix metalloproteinase activation
Authors: Cox Mathew B , Bowden Nikola A , Scott Rodney J , Lechner-Scott Jeannette 
Published: February 2013

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder where a breakdown in the integrity of the blood-brain barrier is thought to allow lymphocytes to enter the central nervous system. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine gene expression profiles between MS patients and healthy controls to identify genes intimately involved in the pathobiology of MS. Methods: Whole-genome gene expression analysis was performed using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 39 healthy controls and 37 MS patients, 24 MS patients receiving no disease modifying therapy and 13 MS patients receiving interferon-beta (IFN-beta). Pathway analysis was performed to identify pathways dysregulated in MS. Results: Gene expression profiling of MS identified a signature of predominately immune associated genes. The plasminogen activation pathway contained an over-representation of significantly differentially expressed genes, including matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9). Treatment with IFN-beta ameliorated the over-expression of MMP9, however the expression of two genes, plasminogen activator urokinase (PLAU) and serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade B (ovalbumin), member 2 (SERPINB2), forming part of the plasminogen activation pathway were not affected by IFN-beta therapy. Conclusions: High expression levels of MMP9 have been associated with MS and the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, while IFN-beta therapy decreases MMP9 expression. We confirm altered MMP9 expression in MS, and identify dysregulation within the plasminogen activation cascade, a pathway involved in the activation of MMP9.
Immune activation of human brain microvascular endothelial cells inhibits HIV replication in macrophages
Authors: Li Jieliang , Wang Yizhong , Wang Xu , Ye Li , Zhou Yu , Persidsky Yuri , Ho Wenzhe 
Published: February 2013

Key PointsBrain ECs possess a functional TLR3/RIG-I system that is able to mount an effective IFN induction upon immune activation. Brain ECs may be a key regulatory bystander, playing a crucial role in the BBB innate immunity against HIV infection.
MultiAlign: a multiple LC-MS analysis tool for targeted omics analysis
Authors: LaMarche Brian L , Crowell Kevin L , Jaitly Navdeep , Petyuk Vladislav A , Shah Anuj R , Polpitiya Ashoka D , Sandoval John D , Kiebel Gary R , Monroe Matthew E , Callister Stephen J , Metz Thomas O , Anderson Gordon A , Smith Richard D 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
MultiAlign is a free software tool that aligns multiple liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry datasets to one another by clustering mass and chromatographic elution features across datasets. Applicable to both label-free proteomics and metabolomics comparative analyses, the software can be operated in several modes. For example, clustered features can be matched to a reference database to identify analytes, used to generate abundance profiles, linked to tandem mass spectra based on parent precursor masses, and culled for targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric analysis. MultiAlign is also capable of tandem mass spectral clustering to describe proteome structure and find similarity in subsequent sample runs.

Results
MultiAlign was applied to two large proteomics datasets obtained from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of environmental samples. Peptides in the datasets for a microbial community that had a known metagenome were identified by matching mass and elution time features to those in an established reference peptide database. Results compared favorably with those obtained using existing tools such as VIPER, but with the added benefit of being able to trace clusters of peptides across conditions to existing tandem mass spectra. MultiAlign was further applied to detect clusters across experimental samples derived from a reactor biomass community for which no metagenome was available. Several clusters were culled for further analysis to explore changes in the community structure. Lastly, MultiAlign was applied to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based datasets obtained from a previously published study of wild type and mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation enzyme knockdown mutants of human hepatocarcinoma to demonstrate its utility for analyzing metabolomics datasets.

Conclusion
MultiAlign is an efficient software package for finding similar analytes across multiple liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry feature maps, as demonstrated here for both proteomics and metabolomics experiments. The software is particularly useful for proteomic studies where little or no genomic context is known, such as with environmental proteomics.
Genomic reconstruction of transcriptional regulatory networks in lactic acid bacteria
Authors: Ravcheev Dmitry A , Best Aaron A , Sernova Natalia V , Kazanov Marat D , Novichkov Pavel S , Rodionov Dmitry A 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
Genome scale annotation of regulatory interactions and reconstruction of regulatory networks are the crucial problems in bacterial genomics. The Lactobacillales order of bacteria collates various microorganisms having a large economic impact, including both human and animal pathogens and strains used in the food industry. Nonetheless, no systematic genome-wide analysis of transcriptional regulation has been previously made for this taxonomic group.

Results
A comparative genomics approach was used for reconstruction of transcriptional regulatory networks in 30 selected genomes of lactic acid bacteria. The inferred networks comprise regulons for 102 orthologous transcription factors (TFs), including 47 novel regulons for previously uncharacterized TFs. Numerous differences between regulatory networks of the Streptococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae groups were described on several levels. The two groups are characterized by substantially different sets of TFs encoded in their genomes. Content of the inferred regulons and structure of their cognate TF binding motifs differ for many orthologous TFs between the two groups. Multiple cases of non-orthologous displacements of TFs that control specific metabolic pathways were reported.

Conclusions
The reconstructed regulatory networks substantially expand the existing knowledge of transcriptional regulation in lactic acid bacteria. In each of 30 studied genomes the obtained regulatory network contains on average 36 TFs and 250 target genes that are mostly involved in carbohydrate metabolism, stress response, metal homeostasis and amino acids biosynthesis. The inferred networks can be used for genetic experiments, functional annotations of genes, metabolic reconstruction and evolutionary analysis. All reconstructed regulons are captured within the Streptococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae collections in the RegPrecise database (http://regprecise.lbl.gov).
Transcriptomic analysis of differentially expressed genes during anther development in genetic male sterile and wild type cotton by digital gene-expression profiling
Authors: Wei Mingming , Song Meizhen , Fan Shuli , Yu Shuxun 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) anther development involves a diverse range of gene interactions between sporophytic and gametophytic tissues. However, only a small number of genes are known to be specifically involved in this developmental process and the molecular mechanism of the genetic male sterility (GMS) is still poorly understand. To fully explore the global gene expression during cotton anther development and identify genes related to male sterility, a digital gene expression (DGE) analysis was adopted.

Results
Six DGE libraries were constructed from the cotton anthers of the wild type (WT) and GMS mutant (in the WT background) in three stages of anther development, resulting in 21,503 to 37,352 genes detected in WT and GMS mutant anthers. Compared with the fertile isogenic WT, 9,595 (30% of the expressed genes), 10,407 (25%), and 3,139 (10%) genes were differentially expressed at the meiosis, tetrad, and uninucleate microspore stages of GMS mutant anthers, respectively. Using both DGE experiments and real-time quantitative RT-PCR, the expression of many key genes required for anther development were suppressed in the meiosis stage and the uninucleate microspore stage in anthers of the mutant, but these genes were activated in the tetrad stage of anthers in the mutant. These genes were associated predominantly with hormone synthesis, sucrose and starch metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis, flavonoid metabolism, and histone protein synthesis. In addition, several genes that participate in DNA methylation, cell wall loosening, programmed cell death, and reactive oxygen species generation/scavenging were activated during the three anther developmental stages in the mutant.

Conclusions
Compared to the same anther developmental stage of the WT, many key genes involved in various aspects of anther development show a reverse gene expression pattern in the GMS mutant, which indicates that diverse gene regulation pathways are involved in the GMS mutant anther development. These findings provide the first insights into the mechanism that leads to genetic male sterility in cotton and contributes to a better understanding of the regulatory network involved in anther development in cotton.
Using hospital discharge data to identify incident pregnancy-associated cancers: a validation study
Authors: Lee Yuen Yi Cathy , Roberts Christine L , Young Jane , Dobbins Timothy 
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Background
Pregnancy-associated cancer is associated with maternal morbidities and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and is reported to be increasing. Hospital discharge data have the potential to provide timely information on cancer incidence, which is central to evaluation and improvement of clinical care for women. This study aimed to assess the validity of hospital data for identifying incident pregnancy-associated cancers compared with incident cancers from an Australian population-based statutory cancer registry.

Methods
Birth data from 2001–2008, comprised 470,277 women with 679,736 maternities, were linked to cancer registry and hospitalisation records to identify newly diagnosed cancers during pregnancy or within 12 months of delivery. Two hospital-identified cancer groups were examined; “index cancer hospitalisation” – first cancer admission per woman per pregnancy and “all cancer hospitalisations” –the total number of hospitalisations with a cancer diagnosis and women could have multiple hospitalisations during pregnancy. The latter replicates a scenario where identification of individuals is not possible and hospitalisations are used as the unit of analysis.

Results
The incidence of pregnancy-associated cancer (according to cancer registry) was 145.4/100,000 maternities. Incidence of cancer was substantially over-estimated when using hospitalisations as the unit of analysis (incidence rate ratio, IRR 1.7) and under-estimated when using the individual (IRR 0.8). Overall, the sensitivity of “index cancer hospitalisation” was 60.4%, positive predictive value (PPV) 77.7%, specificity and negative predictive value both 100%. Melanoma ascertainment was only 36.1% and breast cancer 62.9%. For other common cancers sensitivities ranged from 72.1% to 78.6% and PPVs 56.4% to 87.3%.

Conclusion
Although hospital data provide another timely source of cancer identification, the validity is insufficient to obtain cancer incidence estimates for the obstetric population.