bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: POULIKAKOS DIMITRIOS , BANERJEE DEBASISH , MALIK MAREK 
Published: November 2013

Sudden Cardiac Death in Chronic Kidney DiseaseThe review discusses the epidemiology and the possible underlying mechanisms of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in chronic kidney disease (CKD), and highlights the unmet clinical need for noninvasive risk stratification strategies in these patients. Although renal dysfunction shares common risk factors and often coexists with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the presence of renal impairment increases the risk of arrhythmic complications to an extent that cannot be explained by the severity of the atherosclerotic process. Renal impairment is an independent risk factor for SCD from the early stages of CKD; the risk increases as renal function declines and reaches very high levels in patients with end‐stage renal disease on dialysis. Autonomic imbalance, uremic cardiomyopathy, and electrolyte disturbances likely play a role in increasing the arrhythmic risk and can be potential targets for treatment. Cardioverter defibrillator treatment could be offered as lifesaving treatment in selected patients, although selection strategies for this treatment mode are presently problematic in dialyzed patients. The review also examines the current experience with risk stratification tools in renal patients and suggests that noninvasive electrophysiological testing during dialysis may be of clinical value as it provides the necessary standardized environment for reproducible measurements for risk stratification purposes.
Combination treatment for myeloproliferative neoplasms using JAK and pan‐class I PI3K inhibitors
Authors: Choong Meng Ling , Pecquet Christian , Pendharkar Vishal , Diaconu Carmen C. , Yong Jacklyn Wei Yan , Tai Shi Jing , Wang Si Fang , Defour Jean‐Philippe , Sangthongpitag Kanda , Villeval Jean‐Luc , Vainchenker William , Constantinescu Stefan N. , Lee May Ann 
Published: November 2013

AbstractCurrent JAK2 inhibitors used for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) treatment are not specific enough to selectively suppress aberrant JAK2 signalling and preserve physiological JAK2 signalling. We tested whether combining a JAK2 inhibitor with a series of serine threonine kinase inhibitors, targeting nine signalling pathways and already used in clinical trials, synergized in inhibiting growth of haematopoietic cells expressing mutant and wild‐type forms of JAK2 (V617F) or thrombopoietin receptor (W515L). Out of 15 kinase inhibitors, the ZSTK474 phosphatydylinositol‐3′‐kinase (PI3K) inhibitor molecule showed strong synergic inhibition by Chou and Talalay analysis with JAK2 and JAK2/JAK1 inhibitors. Other pan‐class I, but not gamma or delta specific PI3K inhibitors, also synergized with JAK2 inhibitors. Synergy was not observed in Bcr‐Abl transformed cells. The best JAK2/JAK1 and PI3K inhibitor combination pair (ruxolitinib and GDC0941) reduces spleen weight in nude mice inoculated with Ba/F3 cells expressing TpoR and JAK2 V617F. It also exerted strong inhibitory effects on erythropoietin‐independent erythroid colonies from MPN patients and JAK2 V617F knock‐in mice, where at certain doses, a preferential inhibition of JAK2 V617F mutated progenitors was detected. Our data support the use of a combination of JAK2 and pan‐class I PI3K inhibitors in the treatment of MPNs.
Motor protein function in skeletal abdominal muscle of cachectic cancer patients
Authors: Taskin Sultan , Stumpf Vera Isabell , Bachmann Jeannine , Weber Cornelia , Martignoni Marc Eric , Friedrich Oliver 
Published: November 2013

AbstractCachexia presents with ongoing muscle wasting, altering quality of life in cancer patients. Cachexia is a limiting prognostic factor for patient survival and health care costs. Although animal models and human trials have shown mechanisms of motorprotein proteolysis, not much is known about intrinsic changes of muscle functionality in cancer patients suffering from muscle cachexia, and deeper insights into cachexia pathology in humans are needed. To address this question, rectus abdominis muscle samples were collected from several surgical control, non‐cachectic and cachectic cancer patients and processed for skinned fibre biomechanics, molecular in vitro motility assays, myosin isoform protein compositions and quantitative ubiquitin polymer protein analysis. In pre‐cachectic and cachectic cancer patient samples, maximum force was significantly compromised compared with controls, but showed an unexpected increase in myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity consistent with a shift from slow to fast myosin isoform expression seen in SDS‐PAGE analysis and in vitro motility assays. Force deficit was specific for ‘cancer’, but not linked to presence of cachexia. Interestingly, quantitative ubiquitin immunoassays revealed no major changes in static ubiquitin polymer protein profiles, whether cachexia was present or not and were shown to mirror profiles in control patients. Our study on muscle function in cachectic patients shows that abdominal wall skeletal muscle in cancer cachexia shows signs of weakness that can be partially attributed to intrinsic changes to contractile motorprotein function. On protein levels, static ubiquitin polymeric distributions were unaltered, pointing towards evenly up‐regulated ubiquitin protein turnover with respect to ubiquitin conjugation, proteasome degradation and de‐ubiquitination.
Obesity and gastrointestinal liver disorders in Japan
Authors: Matsuura Bunzo , Nunoi Hiroaki , Miyake Teruki , Hiasa Yoichi , Onji Morikazu 
Published: November 2013

AbstractIn Japan, the prevalence of obesity in adult men has increased since the 1970s, while that in adult women has not changed. The prevalence of obesity in 5‐, 8‐, 11‐, and 14‐year‐old boys and girls increased from the late 1980s to late 1990s and has decreased since 2000, while that in 17‐year‐old girls increased in 2002, similar to that for boys, but has since decreased. In 2009, 33.3% of adult men and 25.0% of adult women were obese, and 8–10% of children (age, 5–17 years) were obese. The prevalence of visceral obesity in adults was 50.8% of men and 18.0% of women. Obesity, especially visceral obesity, affects insulin resistance and increases metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD]) and various cancers. In Japan, with a body mass index (BMI) of 23–25 as the reference category, the hazard ratio of total mortality is 1.36 for a BMI of 30–40 in men and 1.37 with a BMI of 30–40 in women. The frequency of patients with NAFLD has gradually increased in proportion to the increase in the population with obesity. From recent studies in Japan, the number of NAFLD patients is estimated to be 10 million, and around 2 million are considered to have non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis. Dietary and behavioral modification is effective for body weight loss and for improvement of obesity‐related gastrointestinal liver diseases. If necessary, bariatric surgery is useful for obesity treatment.
Iron metabolic disorder in chronic hepatitis C: Mechanisms and relevance to hepatocarcinogenesis
Authors: Hino Keisuke , Nishina Sohji , Hara Yuichi 
Published: November 2013

AbstractThe liver is the major iron storage organ in the body, and therefore, iron metabolic disorder is sometimes involved in chronic liver diseases. Chronic hepatitis C is one of the liver diseases that show hepatic iron accumulation, even though its level should be recognized to be basically mild to moderate and sometimes within the normal range. The mechanisms underlying hepatic iron accumulation in chronic hepatitis C have not been fully elucidated. Reduction of the hepcidin transcription activity by hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐induced reactive oxygen species may in part account for it, but the regulation of hepcidin is very complex and may depend on many variables, including the particular stage of the systemic and/or hepatic inflammatory conditions and the circulating transferrin‐bound iron and intracellular iron stores. This might explain the variations in hepatic iron concentrations reported among patients with HCV‐related chronic liver disease. However, even mild‐to‐moderate iron overload in the liver contributes to disease progression and hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic hepatitis C probably by reinforcing the HCV‐induced oxidative stress through Fenton reaction. The present review highlights the current concept of hepatic iron overload status in chronic hepatitis C and discusses how iron metabolic disorder develops in this disease and the impact of hepatic iron overload on disease progression and its relevance to hepatocarcinogenesis.
Role of FODMAP content in enteral nutrition‐associated diarrhea
Authors: Halmos Emma P 
Published: November 2013

AbstractGastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea are common complications of enteral nutrition (EN); however, the cause is unclear. Mode of EN delivery that alters digestion and possibly absorption is suggested to contribute to the high incidence of diarrhea; however, enteral formula is frequently blamed. Most research has focused on fiber‐supplemented EN, with a meta‐analysis showing that fiber reduces the incidence of diarrhea in non‐intensive care unit studies. Other hypotheses include formula osmolality and FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) content. FODMAPs are poorly absorbed short‐chain carbohydrates that exert an osmotic effect. Dietary FODMAPs have been shown to reduce gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, in those with irritable bowel syndrome and, given a high‐enough dose, will induce a laxative effect in most people. As FODMAPs are commonly added to enteral formula and EN is frequently used as the main source of nutrition, it is reasonable to hypothesize that EN provides more FODMAPs than usual dietary intake and increases risk for developing diarrhea. This hypothesis was assessed through a retrospective study showing that the standard‐use enteral formula Isosource 1.5 had a protective effect of developing diarrhea. The only characteristic unique to Isosource 1.5 was the lower FODMAP content as determined through methodologies previously validated for food analysis. Methodologies for application to enteral formulas are currently undergoing formal validation. Once confirmed for application in enteral formula, future directions include FODMAP analysis of specific ingredients to increase understanding of potential problems associated with enteral formula and a randomized, controlled trial investigating the role of formula FODMAP content.
Royal College of Physicians Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party evidence‐based guidelines for the nutritional support of patients who have had a stroke
Authors: Gomes F. , Hookway C. , Weekes C. E. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractBackgroundStroke affects 15 million people each year worldwide and is one of the world's leading causes of death and physical disability. Stroke can result in a decline in nutritional status and this is associated with increased mortality and poor outcomes. The present work aimed to systematically review key aspects of the nutritional support of stroke patients at risk of malnutrition and to provide evidence‐based guidelines for use in clinical practice. The work was conducted as part of the process to develop the 4th edition of the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) ‘National Clinical Guideline (NCG) for Stroke’.MethodsQuestions were generated by the search team, together with contributions from members of the Virtual Stroke Group and the RCP Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party Guideline Development Group. Six questions covering several areas of nutritional support after stroke were defined and searches were conducted through to 31 October 2011 using five electronic databases (Embase, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Web of Science). All included studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias using the van Tulder criteria for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and the Quorum criteria for systematic reviews.ResultsIn total, 4215 abstracts were identified, 24 papers were reviewed and 13 systematic reviews and RCTs were included to provide evidence for the nutritional support components of the guidelines. For each question, evidence statements, recommendations and practical considerations were developed.ConclusionsThis systematic review process has resulted in the development of evidence‐based guidelines for use in clinical practice and has identified areas for further research.
Physical Activity and Nutritional Weight Loss Interventions in Obese, Low‐Income Women: An Integrative Review
Authors: Moredich Cheryl A. , Kessler Theresa A. 
Published: November 2013

IntroductionObesity is epidemic in the United States and is considered a public health issue that disproportionally affects low‐income women. Combating obesity among low‐income women presents unique challenges that must be addressed if weight loss interventions are to be successful. The aim of this integrative review was to explore and synthesize the literature that addresses physical activity and nutrition interventions used to combat obesity in obese, low‐income women.MethodsA search for original research published between 2006 and 2011 was conducted in online databases. In addition, a hand search of references was performed, and one author was contacted to clarify outcome data. Articles that met inclusion criteria targeted obese, low‐income adult women; focused on physical activity or nutrition behavior as an intervention; and measured change in weight as a primary outcome. Studies that focused on women who were postpartum or breastfeeding and those that used pharmacologic or surgical interventions to augment weight loss were excluded.ResultsA total of 7 articles were chosen for critical appraisal. According to a synthesis of the current studies, specific weight loss interventions for physical activity and nutrition behavior change for obese, low‐income women produced the desired outcome of weight loss. Participants among these studies voiced a preference for group interventions led by peers or medical professionals. Interventions led by peer educators were successful and had the advantage of lowering cost and increasing sustainability. Pragmatic nutrition education worked best, especially when cognizant of cost, food preferences, and culture. Even small increases in physical activity augmented weight loss; however, safety concerns prevented some low‐income women from engaging in exercise.DiscussionAccording to this synthesis of the best‐available evidence, customized weight loss interventions are effective in obese, low‐income women. By incorporating these evidence‐based interventions, clinicians can be instrumental in decreasing the burden of obesity in obese, low‐income women.
Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the short‐form Child Perceptions Questionnaire for 11‐14‐year‐olds for assessing oral health needs of children
Authors: Salinas‐Martínez Ana María , Hernández‐Elizondo Raquenel Teresa , Núñez‐Rocha Georgina Mayela , Ramos Peña Esteban Gilberto 
Published: November 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the short‐form of the Children Perceived Oral Health Questionnaire aimed at assessing child's oral health‐related quality of life of children aged 11‐14 years (CPQ11‐14). A secondary objective was to explore its screening qualities for evaluating oral health needs and immediate referral for treatment.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study was conducted during August‐December of 2011 in Monterrey, Mexico (n = 303 schoolchildren). The CPQ11‐14 consisted of 16 items and 2 key questions. Dental caries was diagnosed by visual‐tactile exam, and malocclusion by WHO index. We estimated Cronbach's alpha and Spearman's correlations and compared rank scores with the Mann‐Whitney test. As we did not have a preestablished cutoff point score, we identified one with the best combination of sensitivity/specificity values using receiver operating characteristic curves.ResultsInternal consistency was 0.85. Correlation was 0.40 (P < 0.001) between CPQ11‐14 scores and self‐perceived oral health rating and 0.51 (P < 0.001) between CPQ11‐14 score and general well‐being rating (concurrent validity). The mean score was 11.6 ± 8.6 for children in need of oral care and 8.1 ± 7.2 for those not in need of oral care (P < 0.01; discriminating validity). Sensitivity was 79.4% and specificity 48.7%; the positive and negative predictive values were 81.6% and 45.2%, respectively.ConclusionsThe Spanish version short‐form CPQ11‐14 registered acceptable psychometric properties. We were able to identify a cutoff point score with acceptable sensitivity and positive predictive value but still needs future validation before generalizing its use.
Effect of dietary microbially produced gamma‐linolenic acid and plant extracts on enzymatic and non‐enzymatic antioxidants in various broiler chicken organs
Authors: Fejerčáková A. , Vašková J. , Bača M. , Vaško L. , Marcinčák S. , Hertelyová Z. , Petrášová D. , Guothová L. 
Published: November 2013

SummaryPlant extracts and fungal fermented feed with gamma‐linolenic acid‐rich microbial oils are perspective additives for use in animal nutrition as appetite and digestion stimulants, stimulants of physiological functions, for the prevention and treatment for certain pathological conditions, and as antioxidants. The activity of antioxidant enzymes and the level of reduced glutathione were measured in the plasma and in liver, heart and kidney mitochondria after 42 days of feeding broiler chickens both regular and combination diets. These were selected based on our previous experience. The administration of agrimony and gamma‐linolenic acid resulted in a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity in all four bodies in contrast to plant extracts. We conclude that the decrease in activity is due to decreased production, and hence dismutation, of superoxide radicals to peroxides followed by lower activity of glutathione peroxidase, which was not seen in the case of only plant extract administration. Generally, higher glutathione reductase activity would be in response to increased demands on reduced glutathione as a cofactor for the reaction catalysed by glutathione peroxidase and the utilization of glutathione itself. However, measured levels of reduced glutathione showed no change. The results argue against any oxidative stress conditions. The application of agrimony extract appears to be suitable for the antioxidant effect against peroxidation of gamma‐linolenic acid. As the efficacy of measuring the effects of diets on the oxidative stability of meat caused by selected antioxidant enzymes is rather low, additional data from the experiment will be processed to clearly assess the influence of this combination of diets.
Catecholamines promote the expression of virulence and oxidative stress genes in Porphyromonas gingivalis
Authors: Graziano T. S. , Closs P. , Poppi T. , Franco G. C. , Cortelli J. R. , Groppo F. C. , Cogo K. 
Published: November 2013

Background and ObjectiveStress has been identified as an important risk factor in the development of many infectious diseases, including periodontitis. Porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram‐negative oral anaerobic bacterium, is considered an important pathogen in chronic periodontitis. Microorganisms, including P. gingivalis, that participate in infectious diseases have been shown to respond to catecholamines released during stress processes by modifying their growth and virulence. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of adrenaline and noradrenaline on the growth, antimicrobial susceptibility and gene expression in P. gingivalis.Material and MethodsP. gingivalis was incubated in the presence of adrenaline and noradrenaline (100 μm) for different time‐periods in rich (Tryptic soy broth supplemented with 0.2% yeast extract, 5 μg/mL of hemin and 1 μg/mL of menadione) and poor (serum‐SAPI minimal medium and serum‐SAPI minimal medium supplemented with 5 μg/mL of hemin and 1 μg/mL of menadione) media, and growth was evaluated based on absorbance at 660 nm. Bacterial susceptibility to metronidazole was examined after exposure to adrenaline and noradrenaline. The expression of genes involved in iron acquisition, stress oxidative protection and virulence were also evaluated using RT‐quantitative PCR.ResultsCatecholamines did not interfere with the growth of P. gingivalis, regardless of nutritional or hemin conditions. In addition, bacterial susceptibility to metronidazole was not modified by exposure to adrenaline or noradrenaline. However, the expression of genes related to iron acquisition (hmuR), oxidative stress (tpx, oxyR, dps, sodB and aphC) and pathogenesis (hem, hagA and ragA) were stimulated upon exposure to adrenaline and/or noradrenaline.ConclusionAdrenaline and noradrenaline can induce changes in gene expression related to oxidative stress and virulence factors in P. gingivalis. The present study is, in part, a step toward understanding the stress–pathogen interactions that may occur in periodontal disease.
Does age worsen sleep‐dependent memory consolidation?
Authors: Cherdieu Melaine , Reynaud Emanuelle , Uhlrich Josselin , Versace Remy , Mazza Stephanie 
Published: November 2013

SummarySlow wave sleep (SWS) is known to favour episodic memory consolidation. Given that ageing is associated with a reduction in SWS and episodic memory impairment, our aim was to investigate whether memory continues to benefit from sleep in older adults. Episodic memory consolidation was tested in 20 young (22.1 ± 1.7 years) and 20 older volunteers (68.9 ± 5.3 years) who performed a visuospatial two‐dimensional object‐location task. Retention capacities were evaluated after 12 h of wakefulness or 12 h of sleep. Performances before and after the interval allowed us to calculate a forgetting rate. Sleep architecture was measured by polysomnography (older adults = 410 min; young adults: 467 min). Our results showed that the beneficial effect of sleep on memory consolidation was reduced in older adults compared to young adults. In older adults, sleep did not enhance memory consolidation significantly compared to wakefulness. Sleep prevented young adults from forgetting (−0.10% ± 2.1), while the forgetting rate in older adults was still important after a period of sleep (16.60% ± 4.2; P = 0.05). The sleep architecture of older adults was characterized by a decrease in sleep efficiency (−12%; P < 0.05), in total cycle time (−137 min; P < 0.05), in percentage of total cycle time (−21%; P < 0.05) and in rapid eye movement time (−41 min; P < 0.05) compared to young adults. However, no difference in slow wave sleep was observed (−1%; not significant) and no correlation was found with performance. Age‐related changes in sleep parameters may have a negative impact on memory consolidation in older adults.