bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risperidone Enhances the Vulnerability to Stroke in Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Song Shu‐Wei , Sun Yang , Su Bei‐Lin , Liu Chong , Yang Chu , Godfraind Theophile , Su Ding‐Feng 
Published: April 2012

SUMMARYBackground: Stroke is the second most common cause of death and a major cause of disability worldwide. Risperidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug that may increase the risk of stroke. The present work examined whether risperidone enhances the vulnerability to stroke in hypertensive rats and the potential mechanisms underlying such action. Methods: Experiment 1: Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) rats, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and stroke‐prone SHRs (SHR‐SPs) were treated with risperidone (0.8 and 2.4 mg/kg/d) or vehicle for 30 consecutive days. Tissue damage in response to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was measured microscopically. The activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, the levels of malondialdehyde were also determined. Experiment 2: Survival data were recorded in SHR‐SPs that received daily risperidone perpetually. Experiment 3: Effect of risperidone on interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α was examined in quiescent or LPS‐activated cortical microglias from WKY rats. Experiment 4: Potential damage of risperidone exposure to neurons was examined in primary neuronal culture obtained from WKY rats, SHRs, and SHR‐SPs. Results: Risperidone increased infarct areas upon MCAO in SHR‐SPs and SHRs, but not in WKY rats. Survival time in SHR‐SPs was shortened by risperidone. Apoptosis was augmented by risperidone through enhanced Bax. Risperidone also increased endothelial injury. Conclusions: Risperidone enhances the vulnerability to stroke in hypertensive rats through increasing neuronal apoptosis and endothelial injury.
Payer types associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy in an ambulatory care setting
Authors: Williams Enifome O. , Stock Eileen M. , Zeber John E. , Copeland Laurel A. , Palumbo Francis B. , Stuart Mary , Miller Nancy A. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Objectives
Antipsychotic polypharmacy is increasingly prescribed despite little documented evidence of a therapeutic benefit. There is also a limited understanding of the role that health insurance plays on the prevalence of antipsychotic polypharmacy. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between antipsychotic polypharmacy and individuals' intended source of payment in a US national sample of ambulatory care patients.

Methods
The study combined 2002, 2003 and 2004 data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) among adults seeking outpatient-based physician medical care services in the USA. We investigated characteristic differences among patients who were prescribed multiple antipsychotics versus individuals receiving only a single antipsychotic medication. Multivariable logistic regression examined the association between antipsychotic polypharmacy and patients' primary payment type classified as private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare or other (primarily out-of-pocket) payment type.

Key findings
Use of more than one antipsychotic agent was recorded in 68 of 830 (8.2%) outpatient physician visits in the 3-year period 2002–2004. Among the payer types studied, Medicaid payment status was correlated with increased risk of antipsychotic polypharmacy (odds ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1–6.7).

Conclusions
Insurance status was associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy among non-institutionalized US residents prescribed antipsychotic medications. Patients reporting Medicaid as their primary payer were nearly three times as likely to be prescribed multiple antipsychotic drugs, potentially increasing their risk of adverse side effects as well as greater taxpayer burden. Future research should determine whether these trends continued after 2004 and to determine the costs of treating patients in the public sector with multiple antipsychotic drugs, a common scenario despite financial pressures and uncertain medical benefit.
Strain-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses against Human Cytomegalovirus Envelope Glycoprotein N
Authors: Pati Sunil K. , Novak Zdenek , Purser Misty , Arora Nitin , Mach Michael , Britt William J. , Boppana Suresh B. 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACT

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) gM-gN complex is a major target of virus-neutralizing activity, and gN subtypes induce strain-specific antibodies. However, the biological significance of HCMV gN polymorphisms is not known. Neutralizing antibody responses against HCMV gN recombinant viruses were investigated at study entry in 80 healthy HCMV-seropositive women who were monitored for the appearance of new antibody specificities against linear strain-specific epitopes on glycoproteins gH and gB as evidence of HCMV reinfection. Neutralizing activity against all four gN recombinant viruses was seen in 74% of subjects, and 61% of subjects had strain-specific responses. Significantly fewer women (9/39 subjects [23%]) with serological evidence of reinfection had strain-specific neutralizing responses than the women without reinfection (21/41 subjects [51%]). Women with antibodies against at least one of the four linear gB and gH antigens at study entry had higher neutralizing titers against gN-1 (
P
= 0.006) and gN-2 (
P
= 0.007). Neutralizing titers of ≥400 against gN-3 (
P
= 0.043) and gN-4 (
P
= 0.049) at study entry were associated with longer times to serological evidence of reinfection. The findings demonstrate that HCMV gN elicits strain-specific neutralizing antibody responses and that broader anti-gN neutralizing activity may provide some protection from reinfection with a different virus strain.
Rapid Detection of the Top Six Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O Groups in Ground Beef by Flow Cytometry
Authors: Hegde Narasimha V. , Jayarao Bhushan M. , DebRoy Chitrita 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACT

Rapid, sensitive, and highly specific flow-cytometric assays were developed for the detection of the top six non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing
Escherichia coli
(STEC) O groups in ground beef. The analytical sensitivity of the assays was 2 × 10
3
target cells in a bacterial mixture of 10
5
CFU/ml, and the limit of detection in ground beef was 1 to 10 CFU following 8 h of enrichment. The assays may be utilized for rapid detection of STEC O groups in meat.
Toward a Minimal Representation of Aerosols in Climate Models: Comparative Decomposition of Aerosol Direct, Semidirect, and Indirect Radiative Forcing
Authors: Ghan S. J. , Liu X. , Easter R. C. , Zaveri R. , Rasch P. J. , Yoon J.-H. , Eaton B. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
The authors have decomposed the anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing into direct contributions from each aerosol species to the planetary energy balance through absorption and scattering of solar radiation, indirect effects of anthropogenic aerosol on solar and infrared radiation through droplet and crystal nucleation on aerosol, and semidirect effects through the influence of solar absorption on the distribution of clouds. A three-mode representation of the aerosol in version 5.1 of the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5.1) yields global annual mean radiative forcing estimates for each of these forcing mechanisms that are within 0.1 W m−2 of estimates using a more complex seven-mode representation that distinguishes between fresh and aged black carbon and primary organic matter. Simulating fresh black carbon particles separately from internally mixed accumulation mode particles is found to be important only near fossil fuel sources. In addition to the usual large indirect effect on solar radiation, this study finds an unexpectedly large positive longwave indirect effect (because of enhanced cirrus produced by homogenous nucleation of ice crystals on anthropogenic sulfate), small shortwave and longwave semidirect effects, and a small direct effect (because of cancelation and interactions of direct effects of black carbon and sulfate). Differences between the three-mode and seven-mode versions are significantly larger (up to 0.2 W m−2) when the hygroscopicity of primary organic matter is decreased from 0.1 to 0 and transfer of the primary carbonaceous aerosol to the accumulation mode in the seven-mode version requires more hygroscopic material coating the primary particles. Radiative forcing by cloudborne anthropogenic black carbon is only −0.07 W m−2.
The Temporal Autocorrelation Structure of Sea Surface Winds
Authors: Monahan Adam H. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThe temporal autocorrelation structures of sea surface vector winds and wind speeds are considered. Analyses of scatterometer and reanalysis wind data demonstrate that the autocorrelation functions (acf) of surface zonal wind, meridional wind, and wind speed generally drop off more rapidly in the midlatitudes than in the low latitudes. Furthermore, the meridional wind component and wind speed generally decorrelate more rapidly than the zonal wind component. The anisotropy in vector wind decorrelation scales is demonstrated to be most pronounced in the storm tracks and near the equator, and to be a feature of winds throughout the depth of the troposphere. The extratropical anisotropy is interpreted in terms of an idealized kinematic eddy model as resulting from differences in the structure of wind anomalies in the directions along and across eddy paths. The tropical anisotropy is interpreted in terms of the kinematics of large-scale equatorial waves and small-scale convection. Modeling the vector wind fluctuations as Gaussian, an explicit expression for the wind speed acf is obtained. This model predicts that the wind speed acf should decay more rapidly than that of at least one component of the vector winds. Furthermore, the model predicts a strong dependence of the wind speed acf on the ratios of the means of vector wind components to their standard deviations. These model results are shown to be broadly consistent with the relationship between the acf of vector wind components and wind speed, despite the presence of non-Gaussian structure in the observed surface vector winds.
Revisiting Public Ownership
Authors: Cumbers Andrew , McMaster Robert 
Published: April 2012

Public ownership in the form of nationalization of the banking sector has re-emerged on the public agenda. Yet, there has been very little debate about the meaning, status, and function of public ownership as an alternative strategy in the context of globalization and advanced capitalism. Here, as a contribution to this agenda we advocate forms of public ownership tailored to enhance democratic decision making in the economy, to achieve greater equality and social cohesion, and wherever possible to encourage localized rather than central control and ownership. JEL classification: B51; H10; L00.
Borax counteracts genotoxicity of aluminum in rat liver
Authors: Turkez Hasan , Geyikoğlu Fatime , Tatar Abdulgani 
Published: April 2012

This study was carried out to evaluate the protective role of borax (BX) on genotoxicity induced by aluminum (Al) in rat liver, using liver micronucleus assay as an indicator of genotoxicity. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly separated into six groups and each group had four animals. Aluminum chloride (AlCl3; 5 mg/kg b.w.) and BX (3.25 and 13 mg/kg b.w.) were injected intraperitoneally to rats. Besides, animals were also treated with Al for 4 consecutive days followed by BX for 10 days. Rats were anesthetized after Al and BX injections and the hepatocytes were isolated for counting the number of micronucleated hepatocytes (MNHEPs). AlCl3 was found to significantly ( p < 0.05) increase the number of MNHEPs. Rats treated with BX, however, showed no increase in MNHEPs. Moreover, simultaneous treatments with BX significantly modulated the genotoxic effects of AlCl3 in rats. It can be concluded that BX has beneficial influences and has the ability to antagonize Al toxicity.
Effects of interferon beta-1b on cognitive performance in patients with a first event suggestive of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Penner Iris-Katharina , Stemper Brigitte , Calabrese Pasquale , Freedman Mark S , Polman Chris H , Edan Gilles , Hartung Hans-Peter , Miller David H , Montalbán Xavier , Barkhof Frederik , Pleimes Dirk , Lanius Vivian , Pohl Christoph , Kappos Ludwig , Sandbrink Rupert 
Published: April 2012

Background: Cognitive dysfunction occurs at the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), including the stage of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Methods: We evaluated the impact of interferon beta-1b (IFNβ-1b) 250 µg on cognitive performance during the CIS stage in the BENEFITstudy. Cognition was assessed by Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-3” (PASAT-3”) scores. Results: Improvement in PASAT-3” score from baseline to year two was greater for IFNβ-1b treatment than placebo in patients not reaching clinically definite MS (CDMS) by year two. The treatment effect was maintained at year five and was statistically significant. Conclusions: To conclude, early IFNβ-1b treatment had a sustained positive effect on PASAT-3” score over the 5-year BENEFIT study.
MicroRNA-29a and microRNA-142-3p are regulators of myeloid differentiation and acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Wang Xiao-Shuang , Gong Jia-Nan , Yu Jia , Wang Fang , Zhang Xin-Hua , Yin Xiao-Lin , Tan Zhen-Qing , Luo Zi-Mian , Yang Gui-Hua , Shen Chao , Zhang Jun-Wu 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Although microRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly linked to various physiologic processes, including hematopoiesis, their function in the myeloid development is poorly understood. We detected up-regulation of miR-29a and miR-142-3p during myeloid differentiation in leukemia cell lines and CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. By gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments, we demonstrated that both miRNAs promote the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate–induced monocytic and all-trans-retinoic acid-induced granulocytic differentiation of HL-60, THP-1, or NB4 cells. Both the miRNAs directly inhibited cyclin T2 gene, preventing the release of hypophosphorylated retinoblastoma and resulting in induction of monocytic differentiation. In addition, a target of miR-29a, cyclin-dependent kinase 6 gene, and a target of miR-142-3p, TGF-β–activated kinase 1/MAP3K7 binding protein 2 gene, are involved in the regulation of both monocytic and granulocytic differentiation. A significant decrease of miR-29a and 142-3p levels and an obvious increase in their target protein levels were also observed in blasts from acute myeloid leukemia. By lentivirus-mediated gene transfer, we demonstrated that enforced expression of either miR-29a or miR-142-3p in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from healthy controls and acute myeloid leukemia patients down-regulated expression of their targets and promoted myeloid differentiation. These findings confirm that miR-29a and miR-142-3p are key regulators of normal myeloid differentiation and their reduced expression is involved in acute myeloid leukemia development.
Targeting recombinant thrombomodulin fusion protein to red blood cells provides multifaceted thromboprophylaxis
Authors: Zaitsev Sergei , Kowalska M. Anna , Neyman Michael , Carnemolla Ronald , Tliba Samira , Ding Bi-Sen , Stonestrom Aaron , Spitzer Dirk , Atkinson John P. , Poncz Mortimer , Cines Douglas B. , Esmon Charles T. , Muzykantov Vladimir R. 
Published: April 2012

AbstractThrombin generates fibrin and activates platelets and endothelium, causing thrombosis and inflammation. Endothelial thrombomodulin (TM) changes thrombin's substrate specificity toward cleavage of plasma protein C into activated protein C (APC), which opposes its thrombotic and inflammatory activities. Endogenous TM activity is suppressed in pathologic conditions, and antithrombotic interventions involving soluble TM are limited by rapid blood clearance. To overcome this problem, we fused TM with a single chain fragment (scFv) of an antibody targeted to red blood cells. scFv/TM catalyzes thrombin-mediated generation of activated protein C and binds to circulating RBCs without apparent damage, thereby prolonging its circulation time and bioavailability orders of magnitude compared with soluble TM. In animal models, a single dose of scFv/TM, but not soluble TM, prevents platelet activation and vascular occlusion by clots. Thus, scFv/TM serves as a prodrug and provides thromboprophylaxis at low doses (0.15 mg/kg) via multifaceted mechanisms inhibiting platelets and coagulation.
Down-regulation of PKCζ in renal cell carcinoma and its clinicopathological implications
Authors: Pu Yeong-Shiau , Huang Chao-Yuan , Chen Jyue-Yu , Kang Wang-Yi , Lin Ying-Chu , Shiu Yu-Shiang , Chuang Shu-Ju , Yu Hong-Jeng , Lai Ming-Kuen , Tsai Yu-Chieh , Wu Wen-Jeng , Hour Tzyh-Chyuan 
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Background
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is highly resistant to systemic chemotherapy. Unfortunately, nearly all patients die of the metastatic and chemoresistant RCC. Recent studies have shown the atypical PKCζ is an important regulator of tumorigenesis. However, the correlation between PKCζ expression and the clinical outcome in RCC patients is unclear. We examined the level of PKCζ expression in human RCC.

Methods
PKCζ mRNA and protein expressions were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) respectively in RCC tissues of 144 patients. Cellular cytotoxicity and proliferation were assessed by MTT.

Results
PKCζ expression was significantly higher in normal than in cancerous tissues (P < 0.0001) by real-time PCR and IHC. Similarly, PKCζ expression was down-regulated in four renal cancer cell lines compared to immortalized benign renal tubular cells. Interestingly, an increase of PKCζ expression was associated with the elevated tumor grade (P = 0.04), but no such association was found in TNM stage (P = 0.13). Tumors with higher PKCζ expression were associated with tumor size (P = 0.048). Expression of higher PKCζ found a poor survival in patients with high tumor grade. Down-regulation of PKCζ showed the significant chemoresistance in RCC cell lines. Inactivation of PKCζ expression enhanced cellular resistance to cisplatin and paclitaxel, and proliferation in HK-2 cells by specific PKCζ siRNA and inhibitor.

Conclusions
PKCζ expression was associated with tumorigenesis and chemoresistance in RCC.
Comparison between scaling-root-planing (SRP) and SRP/photodynamic therapy: six-month study
Authors: Berakdar Mohammad , Callaway Angelika , Fakhr Eddin Mohammad , Roß Armin , Willershausen Brita 
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Introduction
The purpose of this long-term clinical study was to examine the additional efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) to scaling and root planing (SRP) in patients with chronic periodontal disease.

Methods
A total of 22 patients (mean age: 59.3 ± 11.7 years) with chronic periodontal disease and four teeth with probing depth ≥ 5 mm were enrolled in the study. Inclusion criteria were: no systemic disease, no smoking, no pregnancy and no long-term medication. Beside the anamnesis, the following clinical parameters were assessed at baseline (one week before therapy), and one, three and six months after the therapy: bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI) probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment loss. All measurements were done by the same examiner with a fixed periodontal probe (PCP 12, Hu-Friedy) at six measurements/tooth. In each patient, two teeth were treated with SRP alone and two teeth with SRP and PDT (Periowave, Ondine Biopharma, Vancouver, Canada). The nonparametric Wilcoxon test for paired samples was used for comparison of the effect of the two treatments (p ≤ 0.05).

Results
After both types of treatment, the number of teeth positive for BOP declined. At baseline, the CAL measured 7.2 ± 1.2 mm (SRP) or 8.1 ± 1.3 mm (SRP/PDT); one, three and six months after both types of treatment an improvement was observed. At baseline, the probing depth was 5.9 ± 0.8 mm (SRP) or 6.4 ± 0.8 mm (SRP/PDT); after six months, an improvement of 2.4 ± 0.6 mm (SRP) or 2.9 ± 0.8 mm (SRP/PDT) was found. The greater reduction of the PD, achieved by a combination of SRP/PDT, was statistically significant after six months (p = 0.007).

Conclusion
This clinical study demonstrates that SRP in combination with PDT seems to be effective and is therefore suitable as an adjuvant therapy to the mechanical conditioning of the periodontal pockets in patients with chronic periodontal diseases.
Proteomic approach used in the diagnosis of Riedel's thyroiditis: a case report
Authors: Iacconi Pietro , Giusti Laura , Da Valle Ylenia , Ciregia Federica , Giannaccini Gino , Torregrossa Liborio , Proietti Agnese , Donatini Gianluca , Mazzeo Salvatore , Basolo Fulvio , Lucacchini Antonio 
Published: April 2012

AbstractIntroductionRiedel's thyroiditis, a rare thyroid disease, can be difficult to diagnose prior to surgical removal and can be confused with malignancy both clinically and cytologically.Case presentationWe report the case of a 72-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with a goiter, which showed a rapid increase in size at ultrasound check, suggesting malignancy. Because of inconclusive cytology, a total thyroidectomy was performed. Fine-needle aspiration of the removed thyroid was processed by two-dimensional electrophoresis, and the proteome was compared with both anaplastic cancer and control samples. Significant differentially expressed protein spots were identified by Western blot analysis by using specific antibodies.ConclusionsThe protein pattern of Riedel's fine-needle aspiration revealed a superimposition with that of the control samples. The comparison of the protein pattern of Riedel's thyroiditis fine-needle aspiration with that of anaplastic cancer showed evidence of a different expression of ferritin heavy chains, ferritin light chains, and haptoglobins, as previously reported in thyroid cancers. Therefore, we performed Western blot analysis of these proteins and validated that their expression levels were low or absent in Riedel's thyroiditis and control samples despite the high concentrations present in fine-needle aspiration anaplastic samples. The concurrent absent or low expression levels of haptoglobin, ferritin light chain, and ferritin heavy chain in Riedel's thyroiditis fine-needle aspiration samples strongly indicate the benign nature of the thyroid lesion. These results suggest the potential applicability of fine-needle aspiration proteome analysis for Riedel's thyroiditis diagnosis.
Estimating the Strength of Selective Sweeps from Deep Population Diversity Data
Authors: Messer Philipp W , Neher Richard A 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
Selective sweeps are typically associated with a local reduction of genetic diversity around the adaptive site. However, selective sweeps can also quickly carry neutral mutations to observable population frequencies if they arise early in a sweep and hitchhike with the adaptive allele. We show that the interplay between mutation and exponential amplification through hitchhiking results in a characteristic frequency spectrum of the resulting novel haplotype variation that depends only on the ratio of the mutation rate and the selection coefficient of the sweep. On the basis of this result, we develop an estimator for the selection coefficient driving a sweep. Since this estimator utilizes the novel variation arising from mutations during a sweep, it does not rely on preexisting variation and can also be applied to loci that lack recombination. Compared with standard approaches that infer selection coefficients from the size of dips in genetic diversity around the adaptive site, our estimator requires much shorter sequences but sampled at high population depth to capture low-frequency variants; given such data, it consistently outperforms standard approaches. We investigate analytically and numerically how the accuracy of our estimator is affected by the decay of the sweep pattern over time as a consequence of random genetic drift and discuss potential effects of recombination, soft sweeps, and demography. As an example for its use, we apply our estimator to deep sequencing data from human immunodeficiency virus populations.