bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tiliroside, a glycosidic flavonoid, inhibits carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption in the gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Goto Tsuyoshi , Horita Mayuka , Nagai Hiroyuki , Nagatomo Akifumi , Nishida Norihisa , Matsuura Youichi , Nagaoka Satoshi 
Published: December 2011

AbstractScope Recent studies have reported that tiliroside, a glycosidic flavonoid, possesses anti‐diabetic activities. In the present study, we investigated the effects of tiliroside on carbohydrate digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.Methods and results This study showed that tiliroside inhibits pancreatic α‐amylase (IC50 = 0.28 mM) in vitro. Tiliroside was found as a noncompetitive inhibitor of α‐amylase with Ki values of 84.2 μM. In male ICR mice, the increase in postprandial plasma glucose levels was significantly suppressed in the tiliroside‐administered group. Tiliroside treatment also suppressed hyperinsulinemia after starch administration. Tiliroside administration inhibited the increase of plasma glucose levels in an oral glucose tolerance test, but not in an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. In human intestinal Caco‐2 cells, the addition of tiliroside caused a significant dose‐dependent inhibition of glucose uptake. The inhibitory effects of both sodium‐dependent glucose transporter 1 (SGLT1) and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) inhibitors (phlorizin and phloretin, respectively) on glucose uptake were significantly inhibited in the presence of tiliroside, suggesting that tiliroside inhibited glucose uptake mediated by both SGLT1 and GLUT2.Conclusion These findings indicate that the anti‐diabetic effects of tiliroside are at least partially mediated through inhibitory effects on carbohydrate digestion and glucose uptake in the gastrointestinal tract.
Reproducibility and repeatability of quantitative sodium magnetic resonance imaging in vivo in articular cartilage at 3 T and 7 T
Authors: Madelin Guillaume , Babb James S. , Xia Ding , Chang Gregory , Jerschow Alexej , Regatte Ravinder R. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractOsteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of articular cartilage that may be associated with a loss of glycosaminoglycans. Quantitative sodium magnetic resonance imaging is highly specific to glycosaminoglycan content and could be used to assess the biochemical degradation of cartilage in early osteoarthritis. However, the reproducibility and repeatability of this technique are not well documented. The aim of this study is to test the reproducibility and repeatability of sodium quantification in cartilage in vivo using intraday and interday acquisitions at 3 T and 7 T, with a radial 3D sequence, with and without fluid suppression. Fluid suppression was obtained by adiabatic inversion recovery (IR WURST) and is expected to improve the sensitivity of the method to glycosaminoglycan content. The root mean square of coefficients of variation are all in the range of 7.5–13.6%. No significant intermagnet, intersequence, intraday, and interday differences in the coefficients of variation were observed. Sodium quantification using IR WURST gave values closer to those reported in the literature for healthy cartilage (220–310 mM) than radial 3D. In conclusion, IR WURST was more accurate in context of sodium measurement, with a reproducibility and repeatability comparable to other compositional magnetic resonance imaging techniques of cartilage. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome in adolescent survivors of standard risk childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Aldhafiri Fahad , Al‐Nasser Abdullah , Al‐Sugair Abdulaziz , Al‐Mutairi Hanan , Young David , Reilly John J 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackgroundThis study estimated prevalence of unhealthy weight status and metabolic syndrome (MS) amongst Saudi survivors of standard risk ALL.ProcedureWe recruited 56 survivors, mean age 13.4 years (SD 4.1), a mean of 9.1 years (SD 4.1) post‐diagnosis. The BMI for age was used to define weight status relative to national (Saudi) and international (Cole et al., Cole‐IOTF, WHO, and CDC) reference data. We measured body composition by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA), waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid profile (HDL‐C, Triglycerides), fasting glucose and insulin.ResultsAccording to international definitions based on BMI for age, around half of the sample had unhealthy weight status. All of the approaches based on BMI for age underestimated overfatness, present in 27/51 (53%) of the sample according to DXA. Prevalence of MS was 7.1% (3/42 of those over 9‐years old) and 5.4% (3/56) by applying the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition and National Cholesterol Education Program Third Adult Treatment panel Guidelines (NCEP III), respectively. However, MS by the NCEP III definition was present in 19% of the overweight and obese survivors and 7.1% of the sample had at least two of the components of MS.ConclusionUnhealthy body weight and overfatness may be common amongst adolescent Saudi survivors of standard risk ALL, though overweight and obesity may be no more common than in the general Saudi adolescent population. Defining weight status using BMI underestimates overfatness. Ideally, body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors should be monitored at late effects clinics. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012; 59: 133–137. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of MDM2 and MDM4 on development and survival in hereditary retinoblastoma
Authors: de Oliveira Reis Adriana Helena , de Carvalho Ivna Néria Silva Ribamar , de Sousa Damasceno Paula Batista , Ferman Sima Esther , Lucena Evandro , Lopez‐Camelo Jorge Santiago , Seuánez Héctor N. , Vargas Fernando Regla 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackgroundRetinoblastoma (RB) accounts for 3% of all childhood malignancies, with different incidences around the world. This malignancy results from loss‐of‐function of both RB1 alleles although other genes, like MDM2 and MDM4, have been proposed to be involved in tumor development.ProcedureWe genotyped rs2279744T>G and rs937283A>G in MDM2, and rs4252668T>C and rs116197192G>A in MDM4, in 104 unrelated RB patients and 104 controls. Sixty‐month survival Kaplan–Meier curves and χ2‐tests were performed for estimating the putative effect of MDM2 and MDM4 alleles on disease progression and survival of RB patients.ResultsMDM2 rs2279744G was significantly more frequent in controls, indicating an apparently protective effect on RB development. However, survival of patients who carried a constitutional RB1 mutation was significantly lower with rs2279744TG or GG than with rs2279744TT. Presence of rs2279744G and a constitutional RB1 mutation was sixfold more frequent in the 0–12 month age group than other age groups at onset of symptoms (P = 0.0401). MDM4 rs4252668C was present at a significantly higher frequency in controls while the frequency of MDM4 rs116197192G was significantly higher in RB patients, suggesting that this allele might increase the risk of developing RB.ConclusionOur results indicate that MDM2 and MDM4 polymorphisms may influence development and/or survival in RB. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012; 59: 39–43. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
SIX1 protein expression selectively identifies blastemal elements in Wilms tumor
Authors: Sehic Daniel , Karlsson Jenny , Sandstedt Bengt , Gisselsson David 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackgroundWilms tumor (WT) is the most common renal neoplasm in children. Histologically, most WTs consist of three tissue elements: blastema, epithelium, and stroma. Some cases also show diffuse or focal anaplastic features. Previous studies have shown that a predominance of blastemal cells in post‐chemotherapy WT specimens is associated with a poor clinical course. However, there is currently no molecular marker for blastemal cells, and risk stratification for post‐nephrectomy treatment is therefore often based on clinico‐histological parameters alone.ProcedureIn the present study, three public gene expression microarray datasets, including 82 WTs and 8 normal fetal kidneys, were used to establish a consensus gene expression profile of WT. By bioinformatic analyses, 17 genes overexpressed in WT compared to fetal kidney were then selected for evaluation of their protein expression in WT cell lines and in the different histological components in paraffin‐embedded WT tissue sections by immunofluorescence.ResultsMost of the evaluated proteins were expressed in all three common histological components. A prominent exception was SIX1, being expressed predominantly in blastemal elements in 24/25 pediatric cases containing blastema. Anaplastic elements exhibited highly variable SIX1‐positivity. The SIX2 protein, known to be co‐expressed with SIX1 during nephrogenesis, only exhibited blastemal‐predominant expression in half of the SIX2 evaluated cases.ConclusionsGenes highly expressed in WT compared to fetal kidney are generally overexpressed in all of the three common WT tissue elements. An exception is the predominant expression of SIX1 in blastemal cells, hereby identifying this protein as a candidate marker for blastema. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012; 59: 62–68. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Poverty and unemployment: A cultural approach
Authors: Grosso Jean‐Luc , Smith Teresa L. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractFor years, policymakers, business leaders, human resources professionals, and economists have attempted to explain the existence of unemployment. Unemployment inhibits the economic growth of a nation and contributes to the problem of ongoing poverty, which cannot be lessened without that growth. Understanding the causes of unemployment and developing policies and programs to decrease it are vitally important for nations around the world, but one key variable in the study of unemployment has been overlooked. That variable is culture. This article will show that culture can significantly explain cross‐national differences in unemployment rates and offers a link to understanding the global problem of poverty that plagues nations today. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mediated power and outsourcing relationships
Authors: Handley Sean M. , Benton W.C. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractMediated power is often used by firms to control the behaviors or influence the decisions of other members of the value chain. Interestingly, significant contributions in the academic literature offer consistent evidence that the use of mediated power has a negative impact on the quality of inter‐organizational relationships. Yet, there is a dearth of empirical research investigating the conditions under which the use of mediated power is more or less prevalent. Utilizing dyadic data collected on 102 outsourcing relationships, this study evaluates how the buying firm's dependence on the service provider, asserted importance of the outsourced activity, and difficulties with other inter‐organizational control mechanisms are related to their reliance on mediated power. Results from our hierarchical regression analysis support the hypotheses that the use of mediated power is diminished when the buyer is currently more dependent on the service provider due to switching difficulties and the buyer has a higher expectation of future supply market consolidation. Similar hypotheses regarding the effect of the strategic importance of the outsourced activity and entry barriers to the service provider's market were not supported. The results also support the hypothesis that the use of mediated power is more pronounced when the buyer experiences contract management difficulties, but the same is not true when the buyer has difficulty in monitoring the provider. To our knowledge, these findings represent the first empirical explanation of conditions which either attenuate or exacerbate the use of mediated power by outsourcing organizations.
On the Use of the Distortion-Sensitivity Approach in Examining the Role of Linguistic Abilities in Speech Understanding in Noise
Authors: Goverts S. Theo , Huysmans Elke , Kramer Sophia E. , de Groot Annette M. B. , Houtgast Tammo 
Published: December 2011

Purpose
Researchers have used the distortion-sensitivity approach in the psychoacoustical domain to investigate the role of auditory processing abilities in speech perception in noise (van Schijndel, Houtgast, & Festen, 2001; Goverts & Houtgast, 2010). In this study, the authors examined the potential applicability of the distortion-sensitivity approach for investigating the role of linguistic abilities in speech understanding in noise.

Method
The authors applied the distortion-sensitivity approach by measuring the processing of visually presented masked text in a condition with manipulated syntactic, lexical, and semantic cues and while using the Text Reception Threshold (George et al., 2007; Kramer, Zekveld, & Houtgast, 2009; Zekveld, George, Kramer, Goverts, & Houtgast, 2007) method. Two groups that differed in linguistic abilities were studied: 13 native and 10 non-native speakers of Dutch, all typically hearing university students.

Results
As expected, the non-native subjects showed substantially reduced performance. The results of the distortion-sensitivity approach yielded differentiated results on the use of specific linguistic cues in the 2 groups.

Conclusion
The results show the potential value of the distortion-sensitivity approach in studying the role of linguistic abilities in speech understanding in noise of individuals with hearing impairment.
Experimental measurements within a phase change metallurgical reactor
Authors: Bertrand C. , Désilets M. , Soucy G. 
Published: December 2011

The measurement of solidification front evolution is essential for the optimization and control of many important metallurgical processes. However, this measurement is tedious, imprecise, and time consuming. More generally, industry needs reliable instruments for the thermal characterization of phase change reactors. This paper enables researchers with means and instruments to study the thermal behavior of processes involving the transformation of phase change materials up to 1000 °C. In this work, an original experimental setup is described to analyze the behavior of two high temperature phase change materials: zinc and molten salts. In particular, it is possible to evaluate the 2D solid solidification front evolution with time. The measurements done with zinc show the presence of two thermal regimes. A solidification rate of 20 mm h−1 is measured with two different approaches: thermocouples and a mechanical probe. Finally, an infrared camera is also used to make the link between the external thermal behavior and the solidification front evolution inside the reactor. When implemented within an inverse numerical method, the use of this instrument as a new external sensor looks promising.
Modelling and validation of dielectric properties of human skin in the MHz region focusing on skin layer morphology and material composition
Authors: Huclova Sonja , Erni Daniel , Fröhlich Jürg 
Published: December 2011

Abstract
Human skin consists of several layers with distinct dielectric properties. Physiological processes leading to changes in dielectric properties of the specific layers can potentially be non-invasively monitored employing dielectric spectroscopy. So far no comprehensive skin and underlying tissue model is available for this purpose in the frequency range between 1 and 100 MHz. Focusing on this dispersion-dominated frequency region, different multilayer skin models are investigated. First, with sublayers obtained from two-phase mixtures, second, three-phase mixtures of shelled cell-like ellipsoids and finally, multiphase mixtures obtained from numerical models of single cells generated using a flexible surface parametrization method. All models are numerically evaluated using the finite-element method and a fringing field sensor on the top of the multilayer system serving as a probe. Furthermore, measurements with the sensor probing skin in vivo were performed. The validity of the models was tested by removing the uppermost skin layer, the stratum corneum (SC). It was found that only a three-phase mixture (extracellular medium, cell membrane and cytoplasm) at least can qualitatively reproduce the measured dispersion still occurring without the SC if the model is set up without a priori knowledge of the dispersive behaviour as e.g. a Cole–Cole fit to measured data. Consequently, microstructural features of tissue have to be part of any accurate skin model in the MHz region.
Identifying small interfering RNA loci from high-throughput sequencing data
Authors: Hardcastle Thomas J. , Kelly Krystyna A. , Baulcombe David C. 
Published: December 2011

Abstract
Motivation: Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are produced from much longer sequences of double-stranded RNA precursors through cleavage by Dicer or a Dicer-like protein. These small RNAs play a key role in genetic and epigenetic regulation; however, a full understanding of the mechanisms by which they operate depends on the characterization of the precursors from which they are derived.
Results: High-throughput sequencing of small RNA populations allows the locations of the double-stranded RNA precursors to be inferred. We have developed methods to analyse small RNA sequencing data from multiple biological sources, taking into account replicate information, to identify robust sets of siRNA precursors. Our methods show good performance on both a set of small RNA sequencing data in Arabidopsis thaliana and simulated datasets.
Availability: Our methods are available as the Bioconductor (www.bioconductor.org) package segmentSeq (version 1.5.6 and above).
Contact: tjh48@cam.ac.uk
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Linear lupus panniculitis of the scalp presenting as alopecia along Blaschko’s lines: A distinct variant of lupus panniculitis in East Asians?
Authors: CHEN Yi‐An , HSU Chao‐Kai , LEE Julia Yu‐Yun , YANG Chao‐Chun 
Published: December 2011

AbstractA 32‐year‐old Taiwanese man presented to our clinic with a 6‐month history of linear hair loss in a wavy and curved pattern across the parietal and occipital scalp, resembling the distribution of Blaschko’s lines. Physical examination showed interfollicular erythema and follicular plugging without skin atrophy or sclerotic change. Histopathology revealed a lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate in the perifollicular dermis and subcutis with abundant mucin deposition, consistent with the diagnosis of lupus panniculitis. Treatment with hydroxychloroquine and local steroid injection resulted in complete hair regrowth but recurrence was noted. Linear lupus panniculitis of the scalp presenting as alopecia along Blaschko’s lines had so far been reported exclusively in five East Asians. Apart from classical lupus panniculitis, it had distinct clinical and histopathological features such as younger age of onset, male predominance, reversible clinical course without scarring, fewer associations with systemic lupus erythematosus, exclusive involvement of scalp, sparse inflammatory infiltration, abundant mucin deposition, higher degree of hyaline fat degeneration and negative results of immunofluorescent studies. Therefore, we propose linear lupus panniculitis of the scalp to be a distinct variant of lupus panniculitis and should be included in the differential diagnosis for focal or linear alopecia, especially in East Asians.
eNOS [Glu298Asp] polymorphism, erectile function and ocular pressure in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Hermans Michel P. , Ahn Sylvie A. , Rousseau Michel F. 
Published: December 2011

Eur J Clin Invest 2012; 42 (7): 729–737AbstractBackground  Imbalance in nitric oxide (NO), an atheroprotective vasodilator, is associated with endothelial dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetic complications. Various endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) polymorphisms may affect NO bioavailability, thereby promoting adverse cardiovascular milieu.Materials and methods  To analyze glucose homeostasis, cardiometabolic phenotype, and micro‐ and macroangiopathies associated with eNOS G894T gene polymorphism in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). 210 T2DM outpatients (mean age (1SD) 70 (12); diabetes duration 19 (9) years; males:females 64:36%; metabolic syndrome 87%) had insulin sensitivity and b‐cell function modelled with HOMA, alongside routine laboratory and endothelin measurements.Results  GG, GT and TT genotypes represented 48% (n = 100), 39% (n = 83) and 13% (n = 27). Overall microangiopathy (retinopathy, neuropathy and/or nephropathy) was present in 74%, and overall macroangiopathy (CAD, PAD and/or TIA/stroke) in 45%. The TT genotype did not translate into a more severe vascular phenotype, as TT patients carrying the proposed risk genotype did not suffer a higher rate of micro‐ and macrovascular complications. On the other hand, erectile dysfunction, present in 60% of males (n = 135), was much more prevalent in TT males: 57% [GG & GT] vs. 93% in TT (p 0.0088). Ocular hypertension/glaucoma frequency (18% of the whole group) was also markedly different, albeit in opposing directions, between eNOS G894T gene polymorphism subgroups: 21% [GG & GT] vs. 0% prevalence (TT; p 0.0057).Conclusions  eNOS G894T gene polymorphism in homozygous TT carriers translates into opposing effects on erectile function (detrimental) and ocular hypertension/glaucoma (protective) in T2DM, without affecting glucose homeostasis determinants or the presence of micro‐ and macrovascular complications.
The effects of exposure to particulate matter and neighbourhood deprivation on gestational hypertension
Authors: Vinikoor‐Imler Lisa C. , Gray Simone C. , Edwards Sharon E. , Miranda Marie Lynn 
Published: December 2011

SummaryVinikoor‐Imler LC, Gray SC, Edwards SE, Miranda ML. The effects of exposure to particulate matter and neighbourhood deprivation on gestational hypertension. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2012; 26: 91–100.Gestational hypertension, pre‐eclampsia and eclampsia are conditions that affect the health of both mothers and infants during and after pregnancy. Recent research indicates the importance of considering environmental, social and individual contributors to poor pregnancy outcomes. Our research examined particulate matter (PM) concentrations as one measure of environmental exposure and neighbourhood quality as one measure of the social environment. We used these measures, as well as maternal characteristics, to predict the risk of gestational hypertension (including pre‐eclampsia and eclampsia). North Carolina Detailed Birth Record data for 2000–2003 were obtained and geocoded for all singleton births. Levels of PM10 and PM2.5 were determined using air quality data from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Information on a woman's residential neighbourhood was determined from 2000 Census data. Modified Poisson regression models clustered by tract were used to examine the associations between PM levels, neighbourhood deprivation and maternal characteristics with gestational hypertension. Analysis was restricted to women residing within 20 km of a PM monitor. Both PM10 and PM2.5 were associated with gestational hypertension; the risk ratios for an interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure were 1.07 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04, 1.11] for PM10 (IQR: 3.92 µg/m3) and 1.11 [95% CI 1.08, 1.15] for PM2.5 (IQR: 2.24 µg/m3). Living in a neighbourhood with increased levels of deprivation was also associated with gestational hypertension. Any smoking during pregnancy, younger age and higher level of education were inversely associated with risk of gestational hypertension. Compared with non‐Hispanic White women, non‐Hispanic Black women were at higher risk of gestational hypertension, whereas Hispanic women were at lower risk. Increased levels of PM and neighbourhood deprivation, as well as certain individual characteristics, were associated with higher risk of gestational hypertension.