bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Battered woman syndrome: An unusual presentation of pseudodystonia
Authors: Chandra Sadanandavalli Retnaswami , Issac Thomas Gregor 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTPseudodystonia is the term used to define abnormal postures, which are not due to the disorders of the basal ganglia and is encountered very rarely in clinical practice and often difficult to distinguish from true dystonia syndromes. We report a rare case of a battered woman who was managed as restricted resistant dystonia with pharmacotherapy and intrathecal baclofen and referred for considering deep brain stimulation (DBS). The patient turned out to be a case of pseudodystonia due to bilateral hip dislocation. This was due to assault by a close relative and the history was masked by the patient for more than one and a half years. In a patient with late onset dystonia, who is resistant to the recommended treatment for dystonia along with atypical clinical features and electrophysiological parameters, pseudodystonia should always be considered as a possible diagnosis and evaluated for causes of the same.
Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Sickle Cell Disease: Is It a Potentially Useful Biomarker?
Authors: Al-Humood Salah , Zueriq Rajaa , Al-Faris Lama , Marouf Rajaa , Al-Mulla Fahd 
Published: April 2014

Context.—Vascular occlusion in sickle cell disease causes increased levels of plasma cell-free DNA as a result of cell death and tissue damage.Objectives.—This study investigates plasma cell-free DNA concentrations in sickle cell disease patients, and aims at exploring the significance of plasma cell-free DNA as a potential biomarker in predicting its complications.Design.—Plasma cell-free DNA levels were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to quantitatively measure β-globin gene in blood samples from 57 sickle cell disease patients with acute vaso-occlusive crisis, 42 patients in steady state, 16 individuals with sickle cell trait, and 40 healthy controls.Results.—Plasma cell-free DNA level was significantly elevated in samples from patients with acute vaso-occlusive crisis when compared with those in steady state (P = .002), and was significantly higher both in crisis and in steady state when compared with individuals with sickle cell trait and healthy controls (P &lt; .001). There was no difference in cell-free DNA levels between individuals with sickle cell trait and healthy controls. There was no association between plasma cell-free DNA levels and various clinical complications of sickle cell disease and comorbidity.Conclusions.—Plasma cell-free DNA, as quantified by polymerase chain reaction amplification of the β-globin and human telomerase reverse transcriptase genes, is increased in sickle cell disease patients in vaso-occlusive crisis and in steady state compared with individuals with sickle cell trait and healthy controls, and may be used as a tool to diagnose and monitor the sickle cell crisis and differentiate post–packed red cell transfusion sickle cell disease patients from individuals with sickle cell trait.
Evaluation of Chromogenic In Situ Hybridization for the Determination of Monosomy 3 in Uveal Melanoma
Authors: Gleeson Grainne , Larkin Annemarie , Horgan Noel , Kennedy Susan 
Published: April 2014

Context.—Loss of 1 copy of chromosome 3 is considered a significant indicator of metastatic dissemination in uveal melanoma. Fresh or paraffin-embedded tumor tissue is most commonly used for current cytogenetic techniques for determining chromosome 3 status in uveal melanoma and often requires referral to an external specialist laboratory for analysis.Objectives.—To assess the chromogenic in situ hybridization assay for detecting chromosome 3 alterations using frozen tumor imprints and to compare the results obtained with those obtained by standard fluorescence in situ hybridization or single-nucleotide polymorphism array techniques.Design.—Chromogenic in situ hybridization was performed on 52 frozen uveal melanoma tumor imprints. The genetic status of 26 of the 52 cases had been determined previously by fluorescence in situ hybridization (group 1); the status of 26 cases had been determined using single-nucleotide polymorphism array (group 2).Results.—Chromogenic in situ hybridization was successfully performed on 48 of 52 tumor imprints. Chromogenic in situ hybridization showed excellent agreement in all 24 cases determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (100% concordance; κ = 1; P &lt; .001; 95% confidence interval, 100%–100%), and disagreed in 4 of the 24 cases previously studied by single-nucleotide polymorphism array (83% concordance; κ = 0.67; P &lt; .001; 95% confidence interval, 95%–39%). All 4 discordant cases were classified as disomic for chromosome 3 by chromogenic in situ hybridization and monosomic by SNP array. On histologic examination, the 4 discordant cases corresponded to 2 mixed cell tumors and 2 spindle cell tumors.Conclusions.—Chromogenic in situ hybridization using tumor imprints is a reliable technique for determining chromosome 3 status in uveal melanoma. Furthermore, it can also be easily integrated into a routine histopathology laboratory.
Predictors of Red Cell Alloimmunization in Multitransfused Egyptian Patients With β-Thalassemia
Authors: Hussein Eiman , Desooky Nermeen , Rihan Abeer , Kamal Abeer 
Published: April 2014

Context.—Thalassemia is a major health problem in Egypt. Red blood cell alloimmunization is an important complication in transfusion-dependent patients.
Objectives.—To determine alloimmunization prevalence in Egyptian patients with β-thalassemia and to evaluate risk factors that could influence alloimmunization, with the hope of minimizing transfusion-associated risks in those patients.
Design.—Records of 272 patients with β-thalassemia who are receiving regular blood transfusions, matched for ABO-Rh(D), were analyzed. Alloantibody identification was performed by DiaMed-ID microtyping system. Autoantibodies were detected by direct Coombs test.
Results.—Alloimmunization incidence was 22.8% with 123 alloantibodies detected in 62 patients. The most common alloantibody was Rh-related (37.4%; 46 of 123), comprising anti-E (14.6%; 18 of 123), anti-D (8.9%; 11 of 123), anti-C (8.9%; 11 of 123), and anti-c (4.9%; 6 of 123), followed by anti-Kell (26%; 32 of 123), → anti-MNS (9.8%; 12 of 123), → anti-Kidd (8.9%; 11 of 123) → anti-Duffy (8.1%; 10 of 123), → anti-Le (5.7%; 7 of 123), → anti-Lu (2.4%; 3 of 123), and → anti-P1 (1.6%; 2 of 123). Anti-D antibodies developed in 34.5% of all Rh-negative patients. Eighty percent of all anti-D antibodies developed in patients older than 18 years. Males had the highest alloimmunization incidence. Alloimmunization incidence increased with the number of units transfused (P = .01). Patients who received unfiltered blood had a higher alloimmunization rate than did those who always received leukoreduced blood (P &lt; .001). Splenectomized patients had a higher alloimmunization rate (32%; 40 of 125) than did those who did not have a splenectomy (16.3%; 24 of 147; P = .003). Autoantibodies occurred in 1.5% (4 of 272) of all patients.
Conclusion.—Transfusion of leukoreduced and phenotypically matched cells for selective antigens may help reduce expenses and risks of alloimmunization in patients with thalassemia.
Detection of Malignancy in Body Fluids: A Comparison of the Hematology and Cytology Laboratories
Authors: Jerz Jaclyn L. , Donohue Rachel E. , Mody Rayomond R. , Schwartz Mary R. , Mody Dina R. , Zieske Arthur W. 
Published: April 2014

Context.—Body fluids submitted to the hematology laboratory for cell counts may also be examined for the presence of malignancy. Previous studies evaluating the hematology laboratory's performance at detecting malignancy in body fluids have reached conflicting conclusions.
Objective.—To investigate the hematology laboratory's ability to detect malignancy in body fluids by comparison with cytology.
Design.—Retrospective analysis of 414 body fluid samples during an 18-month period, with introduction of new quality assurance measures after the first 210 cases. If no concurrent cytology was ordered, results were compared with recent previous and/or subsequent cytologic, histologic, or flow cytometric diagnoses.
Results.—Of the initial 210 cases, the hematology laboratory detected 3 of 13 malignancies diagnosed by concurrent cytology (23% sensitivity), with no false-positives (100% specificity). Malignancy was not identified on retrospective review of the hematology slides in the 10 discrepant cases. After the initial study, educational sessions on morphology for the medical technologists and a more thorough hematology-cytology correlation policy were implemented. The subsequent 204 hematology laboratory cases had increased sensitivity for the detection of malignancy (60%; 6 of 10). Definitive features of malignancy were seen in only one discrepant hematology laboratory slide on retrospective review. This case had not been flagged for hematopathologist review. None of the discrepancies before or after implementation of the additional quality assurance measures impacted patient care.
Conclusions.—Body fluid processing by the hematology laboratory is not optimized for the detection of malignancy. Concurrent cytologic examination is critical for the detection of malignancy, and needs to be considered as cost-saving measures are increasingly implemented.
Satellite‐beacon Ionospheric‐scintillation Global Model of the upper Atmosphere (SIGMA) I: High‐latitude sensitivity study of the model parameters
Authors: Deshpande K. B. , Bust G. S. , Clauer C. R. , Rino C. L. , Carrano C. S. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractComplex magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling mechanisms result in high‐latitude irregularities that are difficult to characterize using only Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) scintillation measurements. However, GNSS observations combined with physical parameters derived from modeling can be used to study the physics of these irregularities. We have developed a full three‐dimensional electromagnetic wave propagation model called “Satellite‐beacon Ionospheric‐scintillation Global Model of the upper Atmosphere” (SIGMA), to simulate GNSS scintillations. This model eliminates the most significant approximation made by the previous simulation approaches about the correlation length of the irregularity. Thus, for the first time, using SIGMA, we can accomplish scintillation simulations of significantly high fidelity. While the model is global, it is particularly applicable at high latitudes as it accounts for the complicated geometry of the magnetic field lines in these regions. Using SIGMA, we simulate the spatial and temporal variations in the GNSS signal phase and amplitude on the ground. In this paper, we present the model and results from a study to determine the sensitivity of the SIGMA outputs to different input parameters. We have deduced from our sensitivity study that the peak to peak (P2P) power gets most affected by the spectral index and line of sight direction, while the P2P phase and standard deviation of the phase (σφ) are more sensitive to the anisotropy of the irregularity. The sensitivity study of SIGMA narrows the parametric space to investigate when comparing the modeled results to the observations.
Estimation of the helium ion density distribution in the plasmasphere based on a single IMAGE/EUV image
Authors: Nakano S. , Fok M.‐C. , Brandt P. C. , Higuchi T. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWe have developed a technique by which to estimate the spatial distribution of plasmaspheric helium ions based on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) data obtained from the IMAGE satellite. The estimation is performed using a linear inversion method based on the Bayesian approach. The global imaging data from the IMAGE satellite enable us to estimate a global two‐dimensional distribution of the helium ions in the plasmasphere. We applied this technique to a synthetic EUV image generated from a numerical model. This technique was confirmed to successfully reproduce the helium ion density that generated the synthetic EUV data. We also demonstrate how the proposed technique works for real data using two real EUV images.
Dual‐FOV Raman and Doppler lidar studies of aerosol‐cloud interactions: Simultaneous profiling of aerosols, warm‐cloud properties, and vertical wind
Authors: Schmidt Jörg , Ansmann Albert , Bühl Johannes , Baars Holger , Wandinger Ulla , Müller Detlef , Malinka Aleksey V. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractFor the first time, colocated dual‐field of view (dual‐FOV) Raman lidar and Doppler lidar observations (case studies) of aerosol and cloud optical and microphysical properties below and within thin layered liquid water clouds are presented together with an updraft and downdraft characterization at cloud base. The goal of this work is to investigate the relationship between aerosol load close to cloud base and cloud characteristics of warm (purely liquid) clouds and the study of the influence of vertical motions and turbulent mixing on this relationship. We further use this opportunity to illustrate the applicability of the novel dual‐FOV Raman lidar in this field of research. The dual‐FOV lidar combines the well‐established multiwavelength Raman lidar technique for aerosol retrievals and the multiple‐scattering Raman lidar technique for profiling of the single‐scattering extinction coefficient, effective radius, number concentration of the cloud droplets, and liquid water content. Key findings of our 3 year observations are presented in several case studies of optically thin altocumulus layers occurring in the lower free troposphere between 2.5 and 4 km height over Leipzig, Germany, during clean and polluted situations. For the clouds that we observed, the most direct link between aerosol proxy (particle extinction coefficient) and cloud proxy (cloud droplet number concentration) was found at cloud base during updraft periods. Above cloud base, additional processes resulting from turbulent mixing and entrainment of dry air make it difficult to determine the direct impact of aerosols on cloud processes.
A quantitative measure of polar vortex strength using the function M
Authors: Smith Madeleine L. , McDonald Adrian J. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractChanges in the dynamics of the stratospheric polar vortices can significantly affect the composition of air in the polar stratosphere, with the dynamics of the vortex barrier being particularly important. The “Function M” is a recently proposed measure for quantifying transport in dynamical systems. We show that it can be used not only to visualize the structure of the stratospheric polar region in detail but also to provide a basis for quantitative measures capturing important aspects of vortex dynamics. Two such measures have been calculated daily for August–October 2009 and 2010 in the Southern Hemisphere for potential temperatures of 600, 700, and 900 K, as well as for three different Northern Hemisphere winter periods for 900 K. We discuss a measure of vortex barrier strength and permeability based on the average value of the function M near the vortex edge. The second measure, associated with vortex barrier area, is obtained by calculating the area associated with values of M above a threshold. Both measures are found to be potentially useful, with the area‐based measure providing the most convincing results. The measures are based on a Lagrangian framework and follow the vortex edge, allowing periods when the vortex retains its dynamical integrity to be identified even when the vortex is greatly distorted. We also discuss a strong linear correlation near the vortex edge between values of the function M calculated over different time periods, suggesting that the structure of the polar vortex is coherent over periods of at least 30 days.
Quasi‐biennial oscillation and solar cycle influences on winter Arctic total ozone
Authors: Li King‐Fai , Tung Ka‐Kit 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe total column ozone (TCO) observed from satellites and assimilated in the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts since 1979 is used as an atmospheric tracer to study the modulations of the winter Arctic stratosphere by the quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) and the solar cycle. It is found that both the QBO and solar forcings in low latitudes can perturb the late winter polar vortex, likely via planetary wave divergence, causing an early breakdown of the vortex in the form of sudden stratospheric warming. As a result, TCO within the vortex in late winter can increase by ~60 Dobson unit during either a solar maximum or an easterly phase of the QBO, or both, relative to the least perturbed state when the solar cycle is minimum and the QBO is in the westerly phase. In addition, from the solar maximum to the solar minimum during the QBO easterly phase, the change in TCO is found to be statistically insignificant. Therefore, the “reversal” of the Holton–Tan effect, reported in some previous studies using lower stratospheric temperature, is not evident in the TCO behavior of both observation and assimilation.
Troposphere‐stratosphere coupling: Links to North Atlantic weather and climate, including their representation in CMIP5 models
Authors: Shaw Tiffany A. , Perlwitz Judith , Weiner Ori 
Published: April 2014

AbstractA new dynamical metric of troposphere‐stratosphere coupling is established based on extreme stratospheric planetary‐scale wave heat flux events, defined as the 10th and 90th percentiles of the daily high‐latitude averaged heat flux distribution at 50 hPa using European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Re‐Analysis (ERA)‐Interim reanalysis data. The stratospheric heat flux extremes are linked instantaneously to high‐latitude planetary‐scale wave patterns in the troposphere and zonal wind, temperature, and mean sea level pressure anomalies in the Atlantic basin. The impacts are reminiscent of different phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation. In particular, extreme positive (negative) heat flux events in the stratosphere are associated with an equatorward (poleward) jet shift in the North Atlantic basin. The metric is used to evaluate troposphere‐stratosphere coupling in models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). The results show that models with a degraded representation of stratospheric extremes exhibit robust biases in the troposphere relative to ERA‐Interim. In particular, models with biased stratospheric extremes exhibit a biased climatological stationary wave pattern and Atlantic jet stream position in the troposphere. In addition, these models exhibit biases in geopotential height and zonal wind extremes in the North Atlantic region. The stratospheric biases are connected to model lid height, but it is not sufficient for assessing the tropospheric impacts. Our analysis reveals that the mean bias of the stratospheric heat flux is also not sufficient for assessing the representation of troposphere‐stratosphere coupling. Overall, the results suggest that a metric based on stratospheric heat flux extremes should be used in conjunction with metrics based on extreme polar vortex events in multimodel assessments of troposphere‐stratosphere coupling.
Measurements and modeling of the inorganic chemical composition of fine particulate matter and associated precursor gases in California's San Joaquin Valley during CalNex 2010
Authors: Markovic M. Z. , VandenBoer T. C. , Baker K. R. , Kelly J. T. , Murphy J. G. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractA modified Ambient Ion Monitor‐Ion Chromatograph was utilized to monitor the composition of water‐soluble fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and precursor gases at the Bakersfield, CA, supersite during Research at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex) in May and June of 2010. The observations were used to investigate inorganic gas/particle partitioning, to derive an empirical relationship between ammonia emissions and temperature, and to assess the performance of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. The water‐soluble PM2.5 maximized in the morning and in the evening because of gas/particle partitioning and possibly regional transport. Among the PM2.5 constituents, pNO3− was the dominant chemical species with campaign average mass loading of 0.80 µg m−3, and the mass loadings of pNH4+ and pSO42− were 0.46 µg m−3 and 0.53 µg m−3, respectively. The observed HNO3 (g) levels had an average of 0.14 ppb. Sub‐ppb levels of SO2 (g) were measured, consistent with the absence of major emission sources in the region. Measured NH3 (g) had an average of 19.7 ppb over the campaign and demonstrated a strong relationship with temperature. Observations of ammonia were used to derive an empirical enthalpy for volatilization of 30.8 ± 2.1 kJ mol−1. The gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile PM2.5 composition was driven by meteorological factors and limited by total nitrate (TN) in this region. CMAQ model output exhibited significant biases in the predicted concentrations of pSO42−, NH3 (g), and TN. The largest model bias was in HNO3 (g), with an overprediction of an order of magnitude, which may be due to missing HNO3 (g) sinks such as reactive uptake on dust in the CMAQ framework.
Usefulness of ensemble forecasts from NCEP Climate Forecast System in sub‐seasonal to intra‐annual forecasting
Authors: Kumar Sanjiv , Dirmeyer Paul A. , Kinter J. L. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractTypically, sub‐seasonal to intra‐annual climate forecasts are based on ensemble mean (EM) predictions. The EM prediction provides only a part of the information available from the ensemble forecast. Here we test the null hypothesis that the observations are randomly distributed about the EM predictions using a new metric that quantifies the distance between the EM predictions from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2) and the observations represented by CFSv2 Reanalysis. The null hypothesis cannot be rejected in this study. Hence, we argue that the higher order statistics such as ensemble standard deviation are also needed to describe the forecast. We also show that removal of systematic errors that are a function of the forecast initialization month and lead time is a necessary pre‐processing step. Finally, we show that CFSv2 provides useful ensemble climate forecasts from 0 to 9 month lead time in several regions.
What causes the location of the air‐sea turbulent heat flux maximum over the Labrador Sea?
Authors: Moore G.W.K. , Pickart R.S. , Renfrew I.A. , Våge Kjetil 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe Labrador Sea is a region of climatic importance as a result of the occurrence of oceanic wintertime convection, a process that is integral to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. This process requires large air‐sea heat fluxes that result in a loss of surface buoyancy, triggering convective overturning of the water column. The Labrador Sea wintertime turbulent heat flux maximum is situated downstream of the ice edge, a location previously thought to be causal. Here we show that there is considerable similarity in the characteristics of the regional mean atmospheric circulation and high heat flux events over the Labrador Sea during early winter, when the ice is situated to the north, and midwinter, when it is near the region of maximum heat loss. This suggests that other factors, including the topography of the nearby upstream and downstream landmasses, contribute to the location of the heat flux maximum.