bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An 80‐year‐old man with a right upper lobe opacity
Authors: Bishara Hashem , Saffuri Amer , Weiler‐Ravell Daniel 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBackground and AimsThe differential diagnosis of a right upper lobe pulmonary opacity in an elderly afebrile patient includes infectious and malignant etiology. However, unilateral lung edema should also be included in the differential diagnosis.MethodsCase report of an 80‐year‐old afebrile patient who presented with cough, dyspnea and blood‐tinged sputum and had an isolated right upper lobe infiltrate on chest X‐ray on whom a diagnostic work‐up including computed tomography scan of the chest and echocardiography was performed.ResultsBilateral alveolar opacities and pleural effusions, not apparent on the chest X‐ray, and a flail posterior leaflet with severe mitral valve regurgitation were revealed. His symptoms and findings responded to diuretic treatment.ConclusionPulmonary edema should be considered in a patient with mitral valve regurgitation presenting with a unilateral lung infiltrate. Chest computed tomography scan findings consistent with heart failure and echocardiography demonstrating mitral valve regurgitation are the main clues to the diagnosis. Diuretic therapy should cause a rapid improvement of the radiologic and clinical findings.
Diabetes‐related distress over the course of illness: results from the Diacourse study
Authors: Kasteleyn M. J. , de Vries L. , van Puffelen A. L. , Schellevis F. G. , Rijken M. , Vos R. C. , Rutten G. E. H. M. ,   on behalf of the Diacourse study group
Published: March 2015

AbstractAimsTo investigate the relationship between diabetes duration and diabetes‐related distress and to examine the impact of micro‐ and macrovascular complications and blood glucose‐lowering treatment on this relationship.MethodsWe conducted a cross‐sectional study in people with Type 2 diabetes who participated in the Dutch Diacourse study (n = 590) and completed the Problem Areas in Diabetes questionnaire. Data on diabetes duration, micro‐ and macrovascular complications and blood glucose‐lowering treatment were collected. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the association between diabetes duration and diabetes‐related distress, and to examine whether complications and treatment could explain this association.ResultsA significant linear and quadratic association between diabetes duration and diabetes‐related distress was found (duration: β = 0.27, P = 0.005; duration2: β = ‐0.21, P = 0.030). The association between duration and distress could be explained by microvascular complications and insulin treatment, which were both more often present in people with a longer diabetes duration, and were associated with higher levels of diabetes‐related distress (β = 0.20, P < 0.001 and β = 0.16, P = 0.006 respectively). Duration, age, gender, complications and treatment together explained 13.1% of the variance in distress.ConclusionsDiabetes duration was associated with diabetes‐related distress. This association can be explained largely by the presence of diabetes‐related microvascular complications and insulin treatment. Healthcare providers should focus on distress in people with Type 2 diabetes in different stages over the course of illness, especially when complications are present or when people are on insulin treatment. As well as diabetes duration, complications and blood glucose‐lowering treatment, diabetes‐related distress is likely to be influenced by many other factors.
Condition‐related predictors of successful transition from paediatric to adult care among adolescents with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Mistry B. , Van Blyderveen S. , Punthakee Z. , Grant C. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractAimsTo describe patient attendance for adult treatment after completion by young people of a structured Diabetes Transition Clinic and to identify the predictors of non‐attendance at adult clinics by young people with Type 1 diabetes transitioning from paediatric care.MethodsYoung people with Type 1 diabetes were consecutively enrolled on a Diabetes Transition Clinic programme at a Canadian paediatric teaching hospital, beginning in December 2007. Data from clinical interviews completed by an adolescent medicine specialist and an adult endocrinologist were prospectively collected at the Diabetes Transition Clinic visit in the patient's 18th year, before he/she was transferred at age 18 years to the adult clinic and at the first adult clinic visit.ResultsAs of June 2011, 136 young people participating in the Diabetes Transition Clinic programme had been discharged from paediatric care at least 1 year earlier. Of these, 43 participants were lost to follow‐up. Loss to follow‐up was more frequent among: those who were diagnosed with diabetes before the age of 12 years; those who were taking insulin twice or three times daily rather than by pump or multiple daily injections; those who had higher HbA1c levels; those who had fewer diabetes physician visits in the year preceding the Diabetes Transition Clinic visit; and those who did not ask questions at the Diabetes Transition Clinic visit.ConclusionsSeveral factors easily ascertained at a clinical encounter before transition can predict the likelihood of attendance in adult care, including age at diagnosis, mode of insulin administration, frequency of physician visits, and questions asked by patients during a transition visit.
Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria: to prednisone or not to prednisone? – a case report of a patient previously treated with steroids for 15 yrs and significant response on eculizumab
Authors: Röth Alexander , Alashkar Ferras , Herich‐Terhürne Dörte , Dührsen Ulrich 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBackgroundParoxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare acquired haematopoietic stem cell disorder characterised by persistent haemolysis and platelet activation, severe end‐organ damage, an increased risk of thrombosis and early mortality. We present the case of a 56‐year‐old male with long‐standing PNH and significant disease‐related morbidity who underwent steroid therapy for approximately 15 yrs before treatment with eculizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks the terminal phase of the complement cascade at the C5 level.Case historyThe patient presented with a severely impaired quality of life in 1997 and was diagnosed with PNH 8 months later, soon after which he was commenced on steroid therapy with prednisone. During long‐term steroid therapy with progressive increases in prednisone dose, the patient had frequent haemolytic episodes as well as thrombosis and renal complications. He also experienced Cushing's syndrome with arterial hypertension, insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, acne and portal fibrosis. Eculizumab therapy was started in late‐2009 and led to rapid improvements in haemoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase levels with a complete cessation of haemolytic episodes. Eculizumab has been well tolerated.ConclusionsLong‐term steroid therapy was not effective in controlling PNH in this patient and was associated with significant comorbidities. Treatment with eculizumab led to major improvements, even after such a long period with relatively uncontrolled disease.
Evidence for a common biological pathway linking three Parkinson's disease‐causing genes: parkin, PINK1 and DJ‐1
Authors: van der Merwe Celia , Jalali Sefid Dashti Zahra , Christoffels Alan , Loos Ben , Bardien Soraya 
Published: March 2015

AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Autosomal recessive, early‐onset cases of PD are predominantly caused by mutations in the parkin, PINK1 and DJ‐1 genes. Animal and cellular models have verified a direct link between parkin and PINK1, whereby PINK1 phosphorylates and activates parkin at the outer mitochondrial membrane, resulting in removal of dysfunctional mitochondria via mitophagy. Despite the overwhelming evidence for this interaction, few studies have been able to identify a link for DJ‐1 with parkin or PINK1. The aim of this review is to summarise the functions of these three proteins, and to analyse the existing evidence for direct and indirect interactions between them. DJ‐1 is able to rescue the phenotype of PINK1‐knockout Drosophila models, but not of parkin‐knockouts, suggesting that DJ‐1 may act in a parallel pathway to that of the PINK1/parkin pathway. To further elucidate a commonality between these three proteins, bioinformatics analysis established that Miro (RHOT1) interacts with parkin and PINK1, and HSPA4 interacts with all three proteins. Furthermore, 30 transcription factors were found to be common amongst all three proteins, with many of them being involved in transcriptional regulation. Interestingly, expression of these proteins and their associated transcription factors are found to be significantly down‐regulated in PD patients compared to healthy controls. In summary, this review provides insight into common pathways linking three PD‐causing genes and highlights some key questions, the answers to which may provide critical insight into the disease process.
Entrepreneurship, Family Ties, and Land Inequality: Evidence from Italy
Authors: Percoco Marco 
Published: March 2015

AbstractEntrepreneurship is considered to be one of the most important engines of growth, and its determinants are widely investigated. Several theories of entrepreneurship have been proposed and tested in the literature, most of them focusing on “hard factors,” i.e., determinants related to the quality/quantity of inputs and to the size of the market. In this paper, I investigate how the interaction between hard and soft factors may shape the entrepreneurial behavior of individuals. In particular, the aim of the paper is to explore the links among the structure of the family, land inequality at the beginning of the twentieth century, and subsequent entrepreneurship in Italian provinces. Using a novel data set on the Gini coefficient of land inequality in 1931, sharecropping in 1911, and the classification of family structures in 1950, I test their relevance to explaining entrepreneurship. I find that high land concentration with strong family ties reduces the probability of becoming an entrepreneur. Furthermore, the diffusion of sharecropping contracts is associated with higher entrepreneurship rates. Taken together, these results point to a central role played by the organization of agriculture in promoting entrepreneurship.
Dietary Intake Patterns and Diet Quality in a Nationally Representative Sample of Women With and Without Severe Headache or Migraine
Authors: Evans E. Whitney , Lipton Richard B. , Peterlin B. Lee , Raynor Hollie A. , Thomas J. Graham , O'Leary Kevin C. , Pavlovic Jelena , Wing Rena R. , Bond Dale S. 
Published: March 2015

Objective/BackgroundThe role of diet in migraine is not well understood. We sought to characterize usual dietary intake patterns and diet quality in a nationally representative sample of women with and without severe headache or migraine. We also examined whether the relationship between migraine and diet differs by weight status.MethodsIn this analysis, women with migraine or severe headache status was determined by questionnaire for 3069 women, ages 20‐50 years, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, 1999‐2004. Women who experienced severe headaches or migraines were classified as migraine for the purposes of this analysis. Dietary intake patterns (micro‐ and macronutrient intake and eating frequency) and diet quality, measured by the Healthy Eating Index, 2005, were determined using one 24‐hour dietary recall.ResultsDietary intake patterns did not significantly differ between women with and without migraine. Normal weight women with migraine had significantly lower diet quality (Healthy Eating Index, 2005 total scores) than women without migraine (52.5 ± 0.9 vs 45.9 ± 1.0; P < .0001).ConclusionsWhereas findings suggest no differences in dietary intake patterns among women with and without migraine, dietary quality differs by migraine status in normal weight women. Prospective analyses are needed to establish how diet relates to migraine onset, characteristics, and clinical features in individuals of varying weight status.
Regulation of matrix remodelling phenotype in gingival fibroblasts by substratum topography
Authors: Kim Shawna S. , Wen Weiyan , Prowse Paul , Hamilton Douglas W. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractGingival connective tissue often has a composition resembling that of scar surrounding dental implant abutments. Increased cell adhesion, α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) expression and increased extracellular matrix deposition are a hallmark of fibrotic cells, but how topographic features influence gingival fibroblast adhesion and adoption of the α‐SMA positive myofibroblast phenotype associated with scarring is unknown. The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate whether implant topographies that limit adhesion formation would reduce myofibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix deposition. Human gingival fibroblasts were cultured on PT (smooth) and SLA (roughened) titanium discs for varying time‐points. At 1 and 2 weeks after seeding, incorporation of α‐SMA into stress‐fibre bundles and fibronectin deposition was significantly higher on PT than SLA surfaces indicating differentiation of the cells towards a myofibroblast phenotype. Analysis of adhesion formation demonstrated that cells formed larger adhesions and more stable adhesions on PT, with more nascent adhesions observed on SLA. Gene expression analysis identified up‐regulation of 15 genes at 24 hrs on SLA versus PT associated with matrix remodelling. Pharmacological inhibition of Src/FAK signalling in gingival fibroblasts on PT reduced fibronectin deposition and CCN2 expression. We conclude that topographical features that reduce focal adhesion stability could be applied to inhibit myofibroblast differentiation in gingival fibroblasts.
IGF‐1 drives chromogranin A secretion via activation of Arf1 in human neuroendocrine tumour cells
Authors: Münzberg Christin , Höhn Katharina , Krndija Denis , Maaß Ulrike , Bartsch Detlef K. , Slater Emily P. , Oswald Franz , Walther Paul , Seufferlein Thomas , von Wichert Götz 
Published: March 2015

AbstractHypersecretion is the major symptom of functional neuroendocrine tumours. The mechanisms that contribute to this excessive secretion of hormones are still elusive. A key event in secretion is the exit of secretory products from the Golgi apparatus. ADP‐ribosylation factor (Arf) GTPases are known to control vesicle budding and trafficking, and have a leading function in the regulation of formation of secretory granula at the Golgi. Here, we show that Arf1 is the predominant Arf protein family member expressed in the neuroendocrine pancreatic tumour cell lines BON and QGP‐1. In BON cells Arf1 colocalizes with Golgi markers as well as chromogranin A, and shows significant basal activity. The inhibition of Arf1 activity or expression significantly impaired secretion of chromogranin A. Furthermore, we show that the insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1), a major regulator of growth and secretion in BON cells, induces Arf1 activity. We found that activation of Arf1 upon IGF‐1 receptor stimulation is mediated by MEK/ERK signalling pathway in BON and QGP‐1 cells. Moreover, the activity of Arf1 in BON cells is mediated by autocrinely secreted IGF‐1, and concomitantly, autocrine IGF1 secretion is maintained by Arf1 activity. In summary, our data indicate an important regulatory role for Arf1 at the Golgi in hypersecretion in neuroendocrine cancer cells.
Targeting procaspase‐3 with WF‐208, a novel PAC‐1 derivative, causes selective cancer cell apoptosis
Authors: Wang Fangyang , Liu Yajing , Wang Lihui , Yang Jingyu , Zhao Yanfang , Wang Nannan , Cao Qi , Gong Ping , Wu Chunfu 
Published: March 2015

AbstractCaspase‐3 is a critical effector caspase in apoptosis cascade, and is often over‐expressed in many cancer tissues. The first synthesized procaspase‐3 activator, PAC‐1, induces cancer cell apoptosis and exhibits antitumour activity in murine xenograft models. To identify more potent procaspase‐3 activators, a series of compounds were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their ability of inducing cancer cell death in culture. Among these compounds, WF‐208 stood out by its high cytotoxicity against procaspase‐3 overexpressed HL‐60 cells. Compared with PAC‐1, WF‐208 showed higher cytotoxicity in cancer cells and lower toxicity in normal cells. The further investigation described herein showed that WF‐208 activated procaspase‐3, degraded IAPs (The Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins) and leaded to caspase‐3‐dependent cell death in tumour cells, which possibly because of the zinc‐chelating properties. WF‐208 also showed greater antitumour activity than PAC‐1 in murine xenograft model. In conclusion, we have discovered WF‐208 as a promising procaspase‐3 activating compound, with higher activity and higher cell selectivity than PAC‐1.
Life Cycle Assessment and the Resilience of Product Systems
Authors: Pizzol Massimo 
Published: March 2015

SummaryResilience is the capacity of systems to withstand and recover from disturbance. It depends on the structure and architecture of a system and plays a key role for the sustainability of complex systems. Despite its importance, resilience is not explicitly taken into account by studies of life cycle assessment (LCA), whose main objective is determining the eco‐efficiency of a product system, with limited focus on its structure. The question is whether a product system whose structure is improved or designed to be more resilient will result in being not only inefficient, but also eco‐inefficient, when assessed by means of LCA. This study proposes a theoretical modeling approach, consisting of assessment of disturbance and system expansion, to compare vulnerable and resilient product systems within the framework of LCA. Examples are provided where the theory is made operational. The structure of a vulnerable product system changes under disturbance: some processes are constrained and others are made necessary. In a resilient product system, the number and type of processes do not change under conditions of disturbance, because some redundant disturbance‐preventing activities are included. If this modeling approach is applied, resilient product systems are not necessarily less eco‐efficient than their vulnerable counterparts. This runs contrary to the intuitive idea that optimizing a system only for efficiency will necessarily allow achievement of eco‐efficiency as well. This modeling approach is then critically discussed.
Resource selection modeling reveals potential conflicts involving reintroduced lions in Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa
Authors: Millspaugh J. J. , Rittenhouse C. D. , Montgomery R. A. , Matthews W. S. , Slotow R. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractEcotourism has motivated efforts to reintroduce lions (Panthera leo) to landscapes where they were not previously common. In 2002, four lions were reintroduced into the fenced Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa to improve ecotourism opportunities, but lions potentially compete for habitat with humans and endemic herbivores of conservation concern. We developed a population‐level resource selection function to map the relative probability of lion occurrence throughout Tembe Elephant Park to predict the spatial distribution of potential conflicts. In winter, high relative probability of lion occurrence spatially overlapped with Muzi reedbeds/hygrophilous grassland habitat, which is where humans gather natural resources. Comparatively, we found no spatial overlap with sand forest habitat used by endemic herbivores. The results were opposite in summer, with lion occurrence overlapping sand forest habitat and no predicted overlap with Muzi reedbeds/hygrophilous grassland habitat. During spring and autumn, the highest relative probability of lion occurrence spatially overlapped both Muzi reedbeds/hygrophilous grassland and sand forest habitats. These results show that lions might compete with humans in winter, spring and autumn and with endemic herbivores in all seasons but winter. Despite the success of reserve fencing in limiting human–lion conflicts, we show that communities that reintroduce carnivores continue to balance relative reward, associated with ecotourism, and risks to human safety and species of conservation concern. We discuss the importance of dynamic management practices that ensure temporal segregation between humans and lions within specific habitat types.
Effects of threat, trait anxiety and state anxiety on police officers’ actions during an arrest
Authors: Renden Peter G. , Landman Annemarie , Daalder Nathalie R. , de Cock Hans P. , Savelsbergh Geert J. P. , Oudejans Raôul R. D. 
Published: March 2015

PurposeWe investigated the effects of threat and trait anxiety on state anxiety and how that affects police officers’ actions during an arrest. Most experiments on police performance under anxiety test the performance of one particular skill. Yet, police work often involves concerted use of a combination of skills.MethodsWe created situations – with two different levels of threat – in which officers had to choose and initiate their actions to control and arrest a non‐cooperative suspect. We examined whether threat, trait anxiety and state anxiety influenced decision‐making (e.g., choosing the appropriate actions) and performance (e.g., quality of communication and the execution of skills).ResultsTrait anxiety affected the level of state anxiety, but not any of the decision‐making and performance variables. As for decision‐making, results showed that only threat determined which action officers took to gain control over the suspect. As for performance, higher levels of state anxiety were accompanied by lower scores of overall performance, communication, proportionality of applied force and quality of skill execution.ConclusionIt is concluded that state anxiety not only impairs performance of single perceptual‐motor tasks, but also relevant accompanying skills such as communicating and applying appropriate force. We argue that police training should focus on an integrated set of decision‐making and perceptual‐motor skills and not just on the performance of isolated motor skills.